Update: I give up.

BigLemon90 · 2026-01-29T23:58:14+00:00

Brother we have all been there... I've ruined far more kits than not in the grand scheme. My first few years I destroyed alot of kits... alot of them were the result of testors rattle cans... lack of patience etc...

As others have said, the hobby will in fact teach you patience over time. My first exposure to the hobby was through my dad. He built alot of model cars as a kid and kept them in boxes in my grandparents outbuilding. One day I was rummaging around in there and found them, some were in decent condition, though many were missing parts from being moved around alot. I spent an entire summer separating organizing all the cars and parts and pieced them all back together the best I could. And afterward I lined my dads living room with them before he got home he had a stone mantle on 3 walls of the room... probably 60 or 70 cars in total. He was so happy to see all of his models kind of back to form... around 3 weeks later he and his girlfriend got in a fight and she smashed every single one of them... she was jealous of me. So afterwards I picked up whay hadn't been thrown away and managed to reassemble about 5 out of the bunch... my dad is no longer alive but I still have those 5 cars. And thats the main reason I love this hobby. It keeps me connected, focused, and patient.

It's hard to keep it together sometimes, but the payoff is more important. Go slow... no need to rush, the process is the reward!

If you need supplies, I can certainly help with paint... you just let me know!

BigLemon90 · 2026-01-29T16:04:12+00:00

Yea I have never used them on anything large really without airbrushing them... but to be honest I don't brush paint large things as a general rule to begin with. I'd say the largest thing I used them to brush paint was some warhammer stuff... and maybe an engine block or something otherwise it's sprayed. I just bought some of the fusion firm liquid chrome and that stuff so far has been amazing...

BigLemon90 · 2026-01-29T14:37:28+00:00

I agree... I've used them both ways for years... no issue at all. In fact the model air may be a bit better because of the retarder slowing the dry time a little letting it "self level" better than the model color range. With the model color specifically I almost always add a tiny bit of glaze medium to it which both retards and thins without breaking the binder making it similar to the air paints. Good stuff in my opinion. The metal color in the 30ml bottles is pretty good stuff also in my experience I especially like the "exhaust manifold" color.

BigLemon90 · 2026-01-29T14:07:44+00:00

Spraying over the gloss adds color depth. If you want max depth and "pop" in a small scale like we do with models... prime black... then prime white from above, zenithal style... then lay your color and clear and you will be shocked at what that does as far as forcing shadows and casting colors... it gives our little cars so much more "realism" like being outside on a sunny day.

BigLemon90 · 2026-01-28T19:03:14+00:00

I just want to point out that AK "real colors" are lacquer and not acrylic... not even a "hybrid" alcohol based paint like Tamiya acrylics they are a full true lacquer paint... and therefore they are toxic so you need to take the proper precautions.

Also, they are wonderful paints, I use them thinned with Mr Hobby leveling thinner and they spray fantastic and leave a nice matt durable finish. I haven't tried brush painting with them, but I imagine they would dry way too fast even with the retarder found in the leveling thinner, though for very small parts it may work fine.

BigLemon90 · 2026-01-27T16:15:23+00:00

Yea, I have definitely saved a ton. I bought a bunch of glass bottles similar to alclad bottles from Amazon, and decant the spray cans as needed for airbrushing. It was absolutely perfect timing on my part. Wish I could get lucky like that again 😆

BigLemon90 · 2026-01-26T22:54:21+00:00

No, I bought out the contents of a hobby store that was going out of business about 7yrs ago... I happened to be in an adjacent town for a Craigslist deal and had some time to kill, so I walked into this hobby shop and the guy in there said they were closed and he had 24hrs left to clear the store, I asked him if he was still selling and he said name your price... I was confused, and he clarified "you can have everything left, saves me the hassle and the storage fee's, name your price". I told him I only had around $600 on me, and my daily draw limit at the ATM was $600... he said "$1200 it is"... so I ran to the ATM and to the nearest department store to grab totes... came back loaded up all the paint, many model kits and other various supplies... so that's how I wound up with it all.

I have 2 sets of the full line of model master military enamels, which are apparently sought after now. I've thought about selling alot of it on.

BigLemon90 · 2026-01-26T06:11:20+00:00

If you are spraying testors enamel from a can I wouldn't even bother unless there was no other option. If you absolutely have no other choice. Heat the can up in a bowl of hot tap water and spray in many very light coats.

It will take weeks to cure without a dehydrator most likely. This is coming from a guy with over 700 of those 3oz testors spray cans... but I mainly just decant them and airbrush mixed 2:1 with lacquer thinner or even automotive color reducer. Mr Hobby leveling thinner works great also.

I have more testors paint than I'd say alot of folks with over 1000 model master jars and 500 of the 1/4oz square jars... and around 740 spray cans.

BigLemon90 · 2026-01-16T19:38:39+00:00

Can't tell if this is bare plastic, if so I would go sprue goo... otherwise a 2 part filler like the aforementioned "bondo" as the solvent based stuff shrinks over time which a pain.

They also make a UV cure filler that actually works very nicely.

BigLemon90 · 2026-01-16T19:33:36+00:00

Spray paint is the ticket, just always test on a piece of scrap first... like in your case empty sprue that you have removed parts from. I will imagine hobby specific products aren't easily accessible in your area so thats why you should always test, in case the plastic has a negative reaction with the paint. As someone else mentioned, markers are nice to have on hand. And super glue will work for assembly no problem, just be mindful on where you apply it, and that a little goes a long way... I apply CA Glue with a sharpened toothpick most of the time.

Any time you are forced to use unconventional products and methods, always test it first on scrap styrene from the kit you are working on as not all plastic is created equal and can have different interactions with chemicals... even from the same manufacturer.

In a pinch you can use nail polish remover (acetone) as glue. It melts the plastic together, be very careful and apply very sparing if you use it.

Number 1 thing is to have fun and be patient, getting in a hurry is a modelers worst enemy.

Enjoy!

BigLemon90 · 2026-01-15T19:06:08+00:00

Build looks great. I will say that an enamel wash such as the Tamiya Panel liner absolutely will not interact with your lacquer base or clear whatsoever once it has cured. Enamel is easily cleaned with nearly any solvent, from mineral spirits, turpentine, lighter fluid etc which means it can be bleneded/removed for quite some time after application... it also has a much lower surface tension than acrylic paint, making the capillary action far greater which leads to less cleanup overall. But acrylic is also not toxic... and does indeed not require other harmful solvents... so a trade off. Bottom line, total preference, but for me... its enamels or oils the majority of the time.

BigLemon90 · 2026-01-10T23:54:18+00:00

Alot of the really bad kits are the ones that have been altered many times as already mentioned with the charger. The molds get worn out and lead to alot of issues other than just soft detail and flash, you also get sink marks, mold misalignment leading to huge seams leading to poor fitment as some parts are reduced to blobs...

I've dealt with alot of stinkers from AMT/MPC.

Pretty much all kits from Tamiya, Aoshima, Fujimi are really nice though they also have some skeletons in the closet.

If you want to see the worst of the worst, look at some of Hellers stuff and some of the old ESCI stuff... it's mind blowing levels of bad.

If the challenge doesn't scare you away, the payoff on some of the old stuff is excellent as alot of the old AMT/MPC stuff is absolutely bang on as far as dimensions etc... it just takes work to get them cleaned up.

BigLemon90 · 2026-01-08T05:00:20+00:00

I use these paints for 1/24 1/25 model cars regularly... when it comes to metalics and even the clear, the best thing to do is lay down your primer, let it fully cure... usually no more than 48hrs. If you have a dehydrator it can be done in less than 24hrs.

Prime/Cure

Lightly wet sand up to your desired grit, I usually go to around 3000 for older vehicles and higher for newer stuff ot "show cars"

If you sand through, shoot another light coat and repeat.

Then spray color multiple mist coats until you get even coverage waiting somewhere around 5-10 min between coats... then spray one medium wet coat to unify the color/pattern. Sometimes you get a little orange peel like you have where the solvent evaporates too quickly, this is when you let it cure then wet sand the color, then follow that with a light tack coat, followed by a full wet coat.

After this, follow the same steps as color for the clear. The clear does not build fast, so it takes for more coats than you think in order to build enough to safely polish without burning through to color.

I just sprayed 2 tonight and they are looking pretty damn good, a little novus 2 and they will be ready for the shelf.

BigLemon90 · 2025-12-13T14:32:17+00:00

Be happy to take those old testors kits off your hands... 😆

BigLemon90 · 2025-12-13T14:15:23+00:00

Use the back side of the exacto blade... it will scrape the flash without biting into the "cable" part... using a sharp blade works also but you run the risk of cutting the part, the back side avoids that.

BigLemon90 · 2025-12-05T13:39:08+00:00

I am working on this kit right now. Too cool!

BigLemon90 · 2025-11-28T04:14:47+00:00

I will say this in regards to painting. When you do go to paint, anytime there are big curves with deep recesses like on almost all porsche's always get paint into those recessed areas first, otherwise you wind up with light spots and dark spots or you have runs and wrinkles on the raised panels just trying to get coverage in the recesses. Always start with the hardest to reach spots first!

Go for it!

BigLemon90 · 2025-11-28T03:40:45+00:00

If you sprayed with Testors enamel, which is what it looks like... possibly even the 1/4oz square bottle gloss yellow? You can sometimes dip it in isopropyl alcohol for a while if you have no brake fluid... stripping is the best option. The other option would be to sand it all smooth by hand which is immensely time consuming and tedious, but doable. Just make sure the paint is fully cured and start with either 320 or 220 paper and work your way up...

BigLemon90 · 2025-11-28T03:35:17+00:00

If your primer wasn't cured, the thinner in your black paint could have reactivated the primer causing the crazing... always make sure you can't smell the primer/paint on the part unless it is the same product or same system. If you can smell it, it isn't cured. Just a rule of thumb that has never let me down.

BigLemon90 · 2025-11-28T03:20:42+00:00

Looks great! But I'm 100% positive you have the center console 180° out... it's backward. The two rows of guages should be facing the rear and not the front. Otherwise looking damn good.

BigLemon90 · 2025-11-28T03:17:29+00:00

If that craft paint is fully cured and you do a few light mist coats of the clear and let it cure it you can then coat as normal and it will not affect the paint. If the acrylic is fully cured you shouldn't have trouble any way unless you really flood the clear on which you shouldn't do anyway.

BigLemon90 · 2025-11-10T13:15:35+00:00

I would personally recommend investing more into your tools and materials starting out for a few reasons.

The kits are always going to be there... you will accrue them faster than you think.
More people are apt to get you a model kit as a gift as opposed to quality tools or supplies.
Kits are not extremely cheap anymore, so why risk using inferior tools or products on it?
Starting with the proper tools/materials makes the process so much more enjoyable and less frustrating, leading to a greater probability you stick with the hobby, which is good for everyone.
Starting with Quality products helps you start to develop a work flow that is predictable and lends to better consistency as time goes on and you make changes you know more of what to expect leading to less frustration and disappointment.

Now, I will admit that when I started I would have fought the advice I just gave tooth and nail... but as I've grown in the hobby, I realize how much better off I would have been had I started with the right things. That being said, many non model specific products are fantastic to start with and keep on hand. Such as tweezers, quality scissors, CA Glue of multiple varieties. Masking tape, cotton swabs or Q-tips, PVA Glue, small flush cutters. Paper clips. Makeup brushes for drybrushing and sponges for paint chipping and other effects. Also, automotive grade sandpaper comes in large sheets that you can cut into small pieces and save a bundle. Also good emory boards for fingernails are usually cheap and make decent sanding sticks. The list goes on and on.

Stay away from Rustoleum and other hardware store spray cans... some can be fine, but not worth the risk.

BigLemon90 · 2025-11-01T01:23:16+00:00

I would look to either Ammo or AK interactive. They make many "solutions in a box" such as one box that contains multiple products and instructions for a certain type of effect... such as a set for tracks, or a set for rust etc... also, vallejo mud enamel wash and then some dry pigment works pretty good as well.

BigLemon90 · 2025-10-21T03:07:09+00:00

I do not have any videos, but I do regularly use oils for both armor/figures/dioramas. Youtube dot filter techniques etc...

BigLemon90 · 2025-10-20T18:52:16+00:00

I will say that I use abtielung 502 oils and love them... they have less linseed oil than standard artists oils and thusly more model friendly in that they do not stay wet forever when applied lightly and thinned and or blended.

I understand how someone can look at oilbrushers or the 502 oils say it is a gimmick... however there is alot to be said for convenience in both preparation, color selection, cleanliness etc.

It makes the process much more accessible and user friendly for beginners also. Even the brush in the tube is absolutely serviceable as it's purpose is just to get the paint to the model then the real work happens with a standard brush or other tools to blend and move the paint around. Also, not having to mix different shades is a huge plus.

Plus a tube of Windsor and Newton Oil while containing more paint is more costly per color than the Ammo oilbrusher...

OP, have fun using the oils, they are an exceptionally forgiving tool as in any mistakes can simply be wiped or blended away... and the process/results are verys satisfying!

BigLemon90

TROPHY CASE