Hi, I'm coming to you from 'Down Under', um... Andy, see I'm starting to forget your name already! Didn't you say "plenty of videos to come"? Well... Still waiting for the next! I had to subscribe after a taste of your wit, obvious talent, and fresh outlook. I'm 'old school' too. I'm also a car guy, but did start modeling years ago with Aircraft and would love to see more of your creations after that taste. So, where are you?? When's the next video?? 🤗 🦘
Spot on mate. Spilling glue, paint, decal water, even single malt whisky is part of the challenge.( I've drank paint water and dipped brushes in single malt! Not cool!) And, your not human if your not dropping shit on the carpet and finding it at a distance that defies the laws of physics. Keep it coming.
Exactly. I don't know how it's possible for plastic parts to bounce on carpet, but it happens every time I build. I've had parts that are 3 inches long somehow just evaporate after dropping them. I don't understand.
I got a couple of laughs out of this comment. This has been a crappy day in plastic paradise, so thanks fer da chuckles. Finding things at distances that should not be possible has been a theme for the last week in my apparently cursed studio. I'm ready to hire a priest AND a witch to get rid of the demons and gremlins haunting the place.
I started building models in the 60’s. So many were blown up shortly after completion. Now I’m much older and getting back into the hobby and your video has been most enjoyable. So many so called experts over complicate everything. And don’t get me started on the music, especially the extended loud intro with endless montages. I’d wager that I would agree with most of everything even what you probably left out. Good luck with your new channel.
We'd build cars, get bored with them, and then put Estes model rocket engines in the back. Then we would put eyelets on the bottom, with a long string to guide them. 🤣
Lmao 🤣 Yes I question my sanity on a daily basis.. I use lots and lots of different techniques and skills I've been able to learn over the years.. When someone builds models the way I do PRIMER IS NECESSARY for all body parts and I've found that dark gray works for my eyes to see imperfect areas.. I don't build for COMPETITION or to make others happy, but I only want to make myself smile with my work.. I'm no better or worse than you or anyone else.. We are supposed to have fun and enjoy this HOBBY and not make others feel bad because they don't build the way we do.. We all have our own expectations of what we want our own work to be.... REGARDLESS OF WHAT OTHERS THINK 😎👍BTW there's no RIGHT or WRONG way to build your own models....
Yup. Especially when you're trying to fill and smooth seam lines, primer is a godsend. [I understand some people advocate brushing some silver paint over the seam lines, to see if they've been successfully eliminated, but I've never tried that technique.]
Honestly this is an amazing first video, on the level of lots of other modelling youtubers. The production value is amazing and I would have never have guessed this is video 1! Also it seems you are a much more down to earth modeller, I look forward to seeing more of your videos. Keep up the good work!
I’m just starting back to modelling after 40yrs and this is the best video I’ve watched, a lot of the other videos just make you think you can never be as good as they make out they are,and it’s just supposed to be enjoyable!
At last a man after my own heart! Been modelling for years, watch all the methods on RUclips and in the end do it as I've always done it. My AFVs still look used, worn, grubby & realistic. Thanks for the video, smiled all the way through it.
Brilliant! As someone coming back to the hobby in his 50s, I've certainly been influenced by the Rockstar youtubers and their black Primer (I'm an AV guy). Your video was not only hilarious, but also educational and thought provoking. Keep them coming. Have subscribed and look forward to more....
Thanks so much for your video! Definitely the most entertaining and practical modeling vid I've seen lately. Spot on regarding the messy workbench BTW. I have plenty of holders and organizers for for my tools and such, yet somehow, they always seem to end up spread out all over the place. And I've never had a cutting mat last more than 72 hours without something spilled on it.
Excellent video! Welcome to the YT modeling space! Very fun video! I would like to add a caveat to point #5, combined with your choice of glue in point #2. Tamiya Extra Thin, chemically speaking, is the same thing as Tamiya Airbrush Cleaner. They have two components in them, one is a 50%-50% mix and the other a 50.1%-49.9% mix (assumedly so they can sell two different products and collect markup or something, I dunno... I'm just a model RUclipsr, not a model businessman lol). Because of this, *IF YOU ARE USING ACRYLIC PAINT* you don't need to scrape the paint; the cement will eat it away then get to the plastic underneath and do its thing to the plastic. (I've never tested with enamels and lacquers, I have to stick to acrylics for health reasons, so caveat within a caveat I guess!) And there's no loss of bond strength, or at least none that I have been able to detect. Survives the rough handling of a 4-year-old just fine, not sure there's any better stress test out there haha!
And apparently their lacquer thinner can be used as glue as well. I use water-based acrylics and have not had a problem with their glue so thanks for the message.
Hey, great info - thanks! Having never used Tamiya Airbrush Cleaner (actually, if I'm honest, I didn't even know they made one!) I wasn't aware they had two separate but nearly identical products for two different uses. I have no doubt this is a common corporate ploy in many sectors. I'm always reminded of the Simpsons' tour of the Duff Brewery where they have Duff Regular, Duff Lite and Duff Dry - all coming out of the same hopper! I've always used good ol' lacquer thinner to do a deep clean on my airbrush so have never bothered with products marketed as specialist airbrush cleaners, just seems like a bit of a gimmick to me. Judging by your info above, I'm guessing it is!
Excellent first video! Thank you. Keep the videos coming. Your video came on as something fresh and new compared to everyone else, and I appreciate that. I am from the "old school" of modelling as you are, and am glad to see people are still using those techniques.
Nice video mate! It's really refreshing to hear your take on modelling because our hobby (portrayed by many RUclipsrs) is like the whole beauty industry; trying to aim for perfection. My job commitment doesn't allow me much time to delve deep into modelling and at times I get caught up in trying to pursue this perfection and in thinking: if i don't prime my tank black, I must be pretty backwards. I've given up listening to that twaddle and build my models to suit me. Thanks for the vid 😊
@@jaws666 exactly, mate. I've even bought into the whole modelling lark. I have drawers full of tools and materials I was told I needed but have never used. I will model to what makes me happy.
@@wellardme yep...thats why i left ipms ireland...too many snobs and perfectionists in this hobby who tell you that if you dont have their skills then you are not a real modeller or shouldnt be in the hobby
I have just watched this, I am so pleased that you have done this. I am relatively new to proper modeling and learning all the time but when going g to find out how to do something and seeing 16 different ways and 10 different tools to use I have found I have bought alot that is not needed. I am now funding my own way and testing a lot before building. But I think this is going to be a great chanel to watch .... ps I was going to start modelling on my channel but not ready yet .... there is some stuff up there .... need to film a model mmmmm thank you what seems to be a great channel. Stewpot....
Loved the video Andy, a lot of common sense spoken there with great humour. I've subbed and look forward to what you have in the pipeline. Best wishes from a very rainy U.K.
Great entertaining video. Lots of great points. Your scraping tip or using masking liquid was great. I ruined( melted many seams) not scraping away excess paint. You have helped me overcome my paralysis of super weathering ( I am not doing it). Just build the model and have fun. Thank you 😅
Ha!!!! Great video and I feel exactly the same. Funnily enough, my wife’s grandmother (Somebody rest her soul) was in the WAAF in the big ‘old WW2, and her job was to organise the repair of damaged aircraft. I spoke to her about my modelling, and she chastised me for black-basing my model as they didn’t do that in real life. And besides, paint fades it doesn’t go dark. The only thing I do do is to prime my models. Whilst I can make everything as well as I can, I’m not perfect and priming can show things I’ve missed. I do, however, sand my priming coat to make it as smooth as possible and thing it out so not to obscure detail as you mention. You’re spot on with decals being applied from its backing sheet. I just don’t know why people take them off the sheet and then applying them, with the only exception being tiny decals which I do. Keep them coming.
Black primer would be important if you are lighting a model, you would use it for light blocking. And as for pre-shading; painting the entire model black would be a waste, you only need to spray along panel lines and in a few other spots before putting down your base color. But one of the best uses I have seen for pre-shading is on figures, spraying a burst of black from below where shadows would naturally form and then a burst of white from above for highlights before layering your colors on in thin layers to build them up. For me one of the main reasons for putting down a layer of primer on a model is to help with sanding, it helps to make any irregular spots on the model stand out to help with sanding. Other than that Vinyl kits of course need an adhesion layer before painting and some resin kits need a primer to help with adhesion as well. One thing that works better than a primer for basic kits of course is to wash the model first to remove any mold release from the styrene, that will help even better than a primer. Oh and of course you would paint a gloss black on any part beforehand that you will be coating with a metallic paint. I think that covers it...
I think a big reason to prime, especially if you have applied putty to fill holes, the primer help reveal any locations that need more sanding ect. I use a regular hardwear store primer for plastics. Buy em buy the case for 12 bucks.
Love it! This is my kind of video, as someone who has returned to the hobby after a 30 year hiatus and been delving into YT videos on the subject, i can relate to what you are saying. Love your sense of humour btw.
Man talk about starting a channel off with a bang! I subbed. Can't wait to see what's up next! My pet peeve is when people only build one thing, like armour. Look I built a tank! Oh I built another tank! You know what I haven't done in a while, another tank! Wake up and smell the coffee and mix it up a bit.
Great video. The use of black primer has come from the car customizers who customize real cars, they have mostly switched to black primer mainly because black shows up faults in their body work. For plastic or die-cast models it really is not necessary. If i use primer I use light grey dupli-color or white primer.
Love it, reminded me of the Red Green Show, but with less duct tape! Beautiful work, especially the civil Mossie. I also hate priming and weathering, preferring the clean look.
I like your "Get off my lawn!" vibe. I feel like you have a good sense of humor and I enjoyed your first video. I agree with you on most of your primer rant, I often skip the primer on a plastic model too, however black primer is in my opinion very important for figure painting. I get a little nostalgic for the good old days when there were plenty of hobby shops. In my area there really aren't any left, and I'm not in the boonies, I live in a suburb of Baltimore. The closest thing I have is a game store nearby who has a few modeling supplies, mostly for the wargame mini painters. I probably got my first model kit when I was about 5 or 6 at a mom and pop hobby shop. I'll be 60 in a few days and I'd sure like to revisit that long gone store.
Here, here! I've been building models since I was 5, it was the Monograms Spitfire Mk. IX in 1/48 scale with retractable landing gear! Great memories, and with all of those great models from cutting edge Monogram back then, I had to have them, ended up donating them to the Lowery AFB Heritage & Traditions Museum, now I've been commissioned to build the Airmans Heritage Museum 1/72 aircraft model collection, just finished off the Italeri (Testors) 1/72 AC-130A, now I'm finishing off the Wild Weasels of the Vietnam War. What I do miss is that seeing people build models the OLD SCHOOL WAY, no preshodowing, no heavy weathering, just build them like they just rolled off the factory assembly lines! Plus these RUclips model video makers never been around a real military aircraft because the services would never allow their aircraft get so disgusting like they build their kits out to be. I've worked in the USAF for 32 years and never seen any US Armed Forces aircraft in that disrepair and weathered, yes some come back from deployments a little worn but never that disgusting as these RUclipsrs build them out to be.
Dude, you are spot on about everything you said about the hobby. You are my type of modeler, straight to the point and I love it. In my opinion the "weathering effects" just looks unreal and yes, my table is just as cluttered as yours.
Hi Andy. Loved your video, you have a great sense of humor and you don't take yourself seriously, except when modelling. Love the Scottish Air Force flight suit... much success with your videos and channel... subed...
I think we must be around the same age and some of the 'modern' techniques and presentations are just weird. Like videos naming every product they use, does it matter? No. I think a lot of the trends are since the advent of forums where everything is photographed under bright lights with macro lens and then oversharpened in software and I sit there wondering if the modeller's intention was making a model or a photo.
Seeing the frenzied hand waving and gesticulating irks me too. I call it "video masturbating". Very irritating. 🙄 I do use ptimer on my car models, but rarely on aircraft or ships, never on armor. I use both Tamiya and Duplicolor gray primers, and Duplicolor black primer on car chassis in lieu of flat black paint. "Deckles".... just.... NO. 🙄
What a great video! Just wish I'd seen it before I started the kit I'm working on now, which I'd painted with black primer. Luckily for me it's only thin and the olive drab over the top looks just fine. I won't prime the rest of it. Like you said, that was a hangover from building resin kits. Glad to know I don't need it now and I won't do it in future. My work space also looks like a bombsite! When I tidy it up, the main reason why I can't find stuff is because I can't remember where I put it away. I think I'm going to like this channel as I can learn how things really should be done!
I dont mind box opening videos. Helps to see if someone else has wasted their money so I don't have to. As for black primer. I do use it on ships. Helps with the small scale to allow faint markings to pop when you have painted it.
I so much agree with #6! Not so much the never needing primer. I've had metallic paints do funky stuff on cars because of the way the plastic went into the mold. To me, it's just cheap insurance. Still trying to build my channel, so good luck!
Glad I discovered your channel! Yes, I am guilty of some of the things you dislike..i.e. hands, music, inbox reviews. I have done pre-shading, black primer, weathering but I no longer do these things. Pre-shading does not look realistic! I don’t like the heavily weathered look that I often see from other modelers. I guess it’s ok if it makes someone happy, but they shouldn’t criticize others if their F-16 doesn’t look like it’s been in the boneyard for years! I do use primer since I primarily use water-based acrylics. I have found that they will lift off when masking if I don’t use primer. Maybe more drying time? Looking forward to seeing more of your content. Take care, Drew
Somewhat condescending but I get the vibe you're going for. I like pre-shading, so suck it up fella! It is good to learn all kinds of techniques though, so it's all valuable advice.
I loved it a looooot! Please make more of those videos! And you’re looking good and natural in them, so try to relax and enjoy the process. Waiting for more vids from you, keep up the good work. Subscribed!
That grey primer Its available in white, 3 different greys, red oxide, black and yellow Ill use the proper color prime before paint and ill use less of the color
Love the content and humor! I'm in your corner of painting, old school enamel user, loved Testors Model Master paints but had to change brands, currently using Humbrol and True North Paints (a must if you used MM paints for the FS coded paints). The only time to use primer is when I paint AlClad II paints, and that primer is Krylon Gloss Black to get the silver paints to come out with the richness of Polished Aluminium or Stainless Steel colors!
Yep, that's one I forgot to mention. Alclad will work without primer but it looks much better over gloss black. I'm told the Vallejo metal colours need gloss black too, though I've never tried them myself. I am planning a future video on painting and weathering and will expand on the primer thing then. Many thanks for the feedback.
I've used vallejo metal with both black and grey primers. There is, in my opinion, a slight difference in appearance, but they definitely need some kind of primer to stay put.
Well, I have high hopes for you and your efforts here. I am starting modeling, sculpting, and painting scale models and clay after a twenty five year break. I did no have access to youtube last time. It is very different having so many people sharing knowledge in an A/V format.
Wow. Just brilliant. I was getting to the point of stopping the hobby, because so many perfectionist and layered builds actually have the opposite effect and demotivate and disillusion me. Your video has brought me back from the brink. I cannot thank you highly enough 🤗👍
I totally agree. I build models because I'm interested in what a particular plane, tank etc looked like. I don't need them to look like they've been in real battles or been sitting out in all weathers. I just paint them the colours recommended in the instructions. They are not REAL they are models!
The ending to this video is hilarious! THANK YOU! 😂 (i was beginning to think i was the only hopelessly messy, accident prone, modeller who spends far too much time looking for that thing i just put down a few seconds ago)
In regards to the neatness of the workbench, yeah, I can relate, mine looks like a tornado blew through, the only thing that is "neat and tidy" is the modeling mat I am using.
Enjoyed your video , simple , fun and to the point.. I started building models back in the mid 70's.. And we didn't have all the tools and what not they're using today.. If they did , i didn't see them. But i also didn't go to Hobby Shops , we had to get what ever kits and stuff the local Department Store had. And my kits came out just fine.. Now, don't get me wrong , i do use a lot of the new stuff, if it makes sense and doesn't cost a house payment to buy them.. But for the most part , i still build like i did back then , Simple as possible.. It's a hobby that's meant to be ( FUN ) , so some folks need to stop making it harder than there day job.... But everyone is entitled to do there builds the way they wish.. As long as they enjoy it.👍
Pretty much agreed about all your points - especially pre-shading/black primer. If you take the trouble to research your chosen project, you never see that effect over the whole airframe, you might see it in places like under the wing root or some other acute joining plane but the way current modellers do stuff looks artificial to my eye. Faded colour, paint chips, oil drips, exhaust stains - these are what I apply to most projects that warrant it, my aim is always to capture the character of the subject, not turn out a lot of cloned processed finishes that end up looking generic and unreal. I will keep an eye out for your output in the future (I am from Romford, England, also been modelling plastic kits since around five years of age, now 58!)
Excellent video, far too many modellers are taking the hobby too seriously and obsessing over the latest 'must do' techniques. Very amusing, thanks for that, it makes me want to go and build a model, or fifteen, and enjoy them without getting stressed. And yes, the black gloves are creepy!
@@danielbackley9301 having poked a bit of fun at the OCD crowd I have to say that I just love to see the fabulous models they build, beautiful, flawless creations. It is just that it isn't necessary to go to the n'th degree and to keep up with every new fashionable technique to enjoy the hobby, just do your own thing and have fun. Any creative pastime is going to give satisfaction.
EXACTLY and the worse part o fit is that some of them while very good modelers are also the very people whose criticisms turn off many newer modelers form the hobby.@@peteradshead6566
People sometimes use black primer as a first step in their weathering process,, i sometimes use mixed media's, photo etch, resin, white metal, plastic sheet and use a black priner for an even covering to blend everything together, it also shows up any imperfections ghost streamlines or unsanded areas, (long as your plastic is clean and oil free) maybe that's why people wear gloves, to stop greasy fingerprints getting everywhere, (box opening video's) if I spend x amount of ££££'s on an expensive kit I find it useful to see what I'm buying, it's not as tho you can go into the hobby store and start opening their merchandise and rifle through the box before you commit to buy, I totally agree with your points on gluing and Decals/Dee-kals, if you model 1/72 or 1/76 then some of your points are totally valid but for the larger scales 1/32 1/24 or 1/28 then your points are less valid, you said to another poster that it was meant as a lighthearted video, maybe you should have a disclaimer stating that fact at the beginning otherwise some people will take your comments seriously, I did enjoy your video even if it came across as rather condersending in places, apologies for the long rambling post but you really did get me thinking about our hobby.......regards.
Thanks for the comments. I take your feedback on board, you do have some valid points. I will be doing a video on painting and weathering at some point. Black primer - or any primer for that matter - has little value in the weathering process since it is an undercoat and weathering is usually an overcoat. The purpose of a primer is to prepare the surface for colour coats and, if necessary, enable a stronger bond between the paint and the underlying surface. A metal primer, for example, will etch into the metal and allow subsequent colour coats to adhere better. As such, primer on plastic simply isn't necessary for that purpose, hobby paints stick just fine without it. As an overall cover to check your seams, etc., before committing to paint, sure, but again, black primer is the worst possible colour to cover and all you're doing is having to put on excessive amounts of paint to cover it up. This is, as always, my opinion, and if it works for other people all power to them. But I do think a lot of modellers use techniques like this simply because everyone else is doing it and they don't really think it through. As for the gloves, I'm not saying they shouldn't be worn, and as an ex-health and safety manager I'll be the first to recommend them to prevent chronic skin ailments from some of the harsh chemicals we use. It's just the disembodied BLACK nitrile gloves that are seen in a lot of videos that creep me out! I have never seen the need for a box-opening video as there are plenty of reviews online that show the contents of the box if I so desire. But again, that's just something I won't be doing as I personally find them of little use and kinda silly. That may be taken as condescending I suppose, though it is not intended to be. I'm not sure why some points would be acceptable for smaller scales but not larger ones. Surely, the techniques and materials we use are the same regardless of scale? As for the disclaimer, well, I thought the video was silly enough to be pretty self-explanatory as far as lightheartedness, and judging by the comments people have left most of them seem to have understood that. As always, anyone who takes the video seriously and is offended by it, well, they just don't have to watch it! But I do think a little levity and perspective is often missing in the hobby - some people take it waaaay too seriously! Thanks again for the comments.
I just got back into it, haven’t built since the late 80s. I recently spilled Microsol onto my decal sheet I was working on 😢. I remembered the painted surface/glue tip as a kid. I had a kit I was so proud of the paint job, but the gluing was bad because of the paint in the seams. It also messed up the finish, bubbling the paint around the seams.
Hi. Almost a kindred spirit. I hate "janga-janga" in videos too. Ok decals but they're transfers to me still. Yes I forgot to scrape the last one!. My work bench looks like yours but in minuture, no room to sling a cat. On the subject of scraping, when you rig your biplanes, how do you stick down the wires without making a mess? I use primer when painting the woodwork for decorating the house but a model? I long since realised that the colour of a primer effects the top coat colour and shine. If you want yellow, undercoat with white, otherwise it isn't needed. I can just image achieving a good glossy white on your US Navy Sea King rescuing the Apollo astronauts with a black primer. Wow what an achievment that would be. Then again, in general, a first coat of silver or aluminium will mean that if you miss an odd bit its weathered not messed up. Talking of weathering, I think a lot of other channels over do it (like its a competition) and compulsory. Real aeroplanes don't have panel line you can see miles away, why should models? No I don't like over deep panel lines, in WW2 factories they filled the panel gaps with putty for aerdynamic smoothness, why should we pick them out? One thing I dislike in other videos is the little wisecrack out takes (of which you have copied) but please youself, its your channel.
Many thanks for the comments. Totally agree on the panel lines; if it's the first thing I see from 10 feet away then they're waaay overdone. I will be doing a future video on rigging biplanes, stay tuned. As for the (attempted) humour, most of the modelling videos I've seen are pretty dry and humourless so I certainly didn't copy anything from anyone. I just try to amuse myself, if anyone else gets a chuckle out of it, great. If not, well, you can't please everyone! 😂
Thanks for sharing your healthy approach of modelling... as an advanced modeller i know how we can get blinded by knowledge, trends and hypes. Always good to regurlarly remind yourself of the basics cause most of the times those are sufficient and efficient enough to get the job done as well saves quite some money. About instructions ? i ALWAYS read any instructions of any product... you never know what neat tip or trick is given.. I really like your style 😂 (subscribed at once), keep up the good work dude 🤟😃👍 Greets from the Netherlands, Peter
Hi Andy, that was a great video, I have just come across your channel and have now subscribed, looking forward to some more of your content, very best regards to you from a Kiwi living in Australia 👌👍👌👍👌👍
Andy, great stuff! I share a lot of your opinions on unnecessary or odd techniques shown on other channels, especially over weathered aircraft. Plus you actually have an entertaining personality… I’m subscribed! I’ve been obsessed lately with bare metal aircraft and I’ve been covering models in aluminum foil. Would love to share results with you. I’ll send some photos to your email soon. Keep up the good work! Ed from Utah
Thanks Ed, much appreciated. I would love to see pics of your models. I'm thinking of doing a video on foiling at some point. Foil is a better representation of bare metal than metallic paints in my opinion, maybe because it actually is bare metal!
Congratulation on making the most Canadian scale modeling video I’ve ever seen. You’re an obvious “kids in the hall” disciple, aren’t you? Good work and good luck on the channel. Following!
Shits me senseless seeing those gloves every single time. Why? Reeks of the type of clown that still drives around in an air con car, windows up, on their own with a face-nappy on… 😤
Shits me senseless seeing those gloves every single time. Why? Reeks of the type of clown that still drives around in an air con car, windows up, on their own with a face-nappy on… 😤
Ok, I have done prop work for some major movies (which you could see as 1:1 scale models) as well as miniatures for movies and exhibitions, on a pro level. Generally I agree with you, keeping things simple is important. Especially when you make more than one of a certain thing, it streamlines processes and helps to replicate results - very important if you need to make identical pieces used by the same actor in several scenes. I know, film stuff is way more fussy than "just modeling", after all, a 1mm scratch on a piece in real life can blow up to half a meter in a closeup shot on the silverscreen. Here a list of things I don't necessarily agree with: 1. Multiple layers of paint. many objects in real life are painted in multiple layers. Partly this is for endurance, partly it's to get a surface smooth, and partly it's to get a certain color tone/effect. For example, in the mid 1980s BMW came up with a certain metallic paint for motorcycles. Called BMW red (literal translation from German, I don't know the international name for it). It's basically a deep metallic red which looks like it alternates to black at the edges. In reality it's not a simple metallic color, but a coat of black (I come to that later), a coat of silver, a coat of clear red and several layers of clear to ptotect and for the ability to polish to a mirror sheen surface. You can't just replicate the effect with just one layer of one paint (if that were possible, believe me, BMW would have done that to save money). In fact, many metallic colors are built up that way. Every metallic painted car you see on the road will have at least one coat of clear, since due to the structure of any metallic look (tiny metal particles in clear or colored clear paint) you can't get a mirror sheen surface. So, to get (or replicate) some effects, you need more than one coat - at least if you want it to look like the real thing. 2. Washes - They are used to highlight recesses and details. Anything that's made of multiple parts will have those lines, the real thing and usually the model too. Those seams will always collect dirt etc. and thus show this - in reality. And so should the model. This "dirt" depends on the environment the real thing is exposed to, like yellowish dust in a desert, black-brown around an engine, grey, black with general dust, reddish brown where rust might be involved and shades of green where oxidized copper/brass is involved - and combinations of those. Real things will collect scratches and dents over time, flaking paint, rust damage. Washes are designed to help replicate such. Imagine you build a tank model and make it look pristine. I've been in the army, and I promise you, I've never seen a single tank without a scratch or some oil/grease stains, ever (not even brand new ones). Also, large things like ships (or space ships) will have been put together from smaller bits (metal plates riveted or welded together). None of those plates looks exactly like another and that should also show in a model. This is very obvious in space ship models (depending on how an art director thought it was built in the first place). Another reason for washes is weathering, making a thing look like it's been used a lot. So, washes do have real value. What I agree with is, that such washes are often used excessively, which can look pretty weird. 3. Black undercoat. Well, you're right, it's hard to brush white paint on black. But that's very different with an airbrush (there the most difficult color is yellow btw). An airbrush might be something you might want to look into if you haven't yet. Apart from making many paint tasks easier, it also uses very little paint, that paint covers better and is more precise to apply. But a black undercoat is needed to give some colors actual "depth". In fact, any silver (and most other metallic based paints) really need a black undercoat to get "that deep shine". You can ask any professional spraypainter who does metallic effect painting. There are exceptions, EG gold looks best with a deep red undercoat. Any chrome effect will need a black undercoat, polished to mirror sheen. That's because any chrome paint will show every little flaw in the undercoat. Chrome paint itself will have to be applied in several very very thin layers, like just fogging over, let cure, fogging over again and so forth. All chrome paint I know of is solvent based, so if it needs to be sealed, the topcoat should be waterbased or oil based - If you seal with another solvent based clear, the chrome instantly dulls down to a silvery grey, because the solvent attacks the very thin chrome layers. That's another example why layering different colors/paints is often a good idea or even a must. 4. Primer - well, no, waterbased acrylics as well as oil based paints won't adhere nearly as good on unprimed plastics, regardless hgow well you cleaned mold releases or oils from your model. In fact, I often even use an adhesion promoter before priming - but much of my stuff gets handled a lot. Another reason for priming is to even out the surface, get rid of unwanted scratches or sanding marks. Many primers are actually filler and primer in one. One should, of course not drown their model in primer, which then masks details, but a well primed model can be fine-polished (talking 1000 grit +) before painting, giving it a perfect surface and allows any paint to adhere well. Of course it does depend on what you're after. If your models are just displayed in a cabinet, never touched, then you can do without. But if you paint those with waterbased acrylic, no primer, I bet you can scratch paint off just with your fingernail. This would be way harder to do if properly primed and even sealed with clear coat. Btw, "sealer primer" doesn't mean it "seals the underground color in", it means it seals porous surfaces like EVA foam or timber and prevents those surfaces from sucking all the paint up you apply. It will prevent the underlying color from shining through (which is NOT the same as bleeding through btw), but that's because it lays a heavily pigmented layer on the surface, thus creating an opaque coat you can work with. The best primer color is actually grey, because it's a very neutral color, not too dark or too bright, and allows you to easily paint over. As mentioned before, for metallics, silver etc, you would lay down the optimal colored undercoat for that paint on top of that grey primer and then proceed with said metallics. 5. Glueing. Yup, using to much glue is a biggie. And your way, using a drop every few centimeters, is certainly correct. Another, often even better way is using tiny screwdriver or a needle. Not to screw though, haha. But, dipping a tiny screwdeiver (those you use for repairing watches etc) into the glue allows a tiny drop to cling to its surface. You touch that tip to the seam you want to glue and the capillary action will distribute the glue along that seam as you said, but it's more precise than the brush. That's what one comes up when one is through many liters of glue ;-) 6. Black metal - like those Air Force engines. I won't complain here, but I have a tip how to make those black cylinders look even more realistic, giving them a metal shine whilst staying actually black. Get some graphite powder from the hardware store and apply it to the cylinders with some cotton tips. You need no full cover, just the hightened parts (those who loose their paint on a real life engine). Graphite will add exactly that sort of shine to it. You can easily rub it back off if needed or reapply. 7. Neat workbench - believe it or not, I've seen really pristine ones in real life. But that's the exception. Even when I'm in a pro environment. There at least we had to clean everything away at the end of the day. Personally, mine looks pretty much like yours :-) Finally, I'm not trying to be a smartass, but rather explain why some things are as you observed. It does have reasons why washes, primers, multylayered coats etc exist. But it also depends on what you want to achieve in a certain project. My latest (personal one) was a replica of a lightsaber hilt, which originally is seen less than 10 seconds at the very end of Star Wars episode 9. And it's not even seen in full. I modeled the thing, as I thought it needs to look, 3d printed and fillered the parts. All in all 44 individual pieces. Some of those parts, actually the smallest of them, needed 10 different colors, plus filler, clearcoats, which were 3 different types of paint so they didn't interfere wich each underlying layer. Reason was, to get a heat discoloration effect on metal parts holding the hot "blade". On some of those parts I had up to 20 layers, then 3 different washes and a portion of actual "dirt" (pink, yellow, green clay and some ashes from a woodburner). Reason for this is, the real thing would have collected residues from its environments the same way. And the best way to simulate something is to use the real thing if possible. You simply can't genuinely simulate a layer of dust with any paint, at least not as easy as with real dust. Same is true for scratchmarks and dents. I get my models as pristine as possible after priming, then I use tools to scratch or dent the stuff, then paint and later highlight those marks. Thanks fot your video, I really enjoyed watching and see a different view on some stuff :-)
Wow, that was a few videos worth of comments right there! I will be doing a follow up video on my personal methods and philosophy on painting and weathering. I agree on the black primer for metallic coats, I forgot to mention this in the video but I will be addressing this later. As for primer itself, I disagree it is needed on plastic for MOST hobby paints. I have modelled for many decades (and yes, I have been a diehard airbrush user for most of that time) and rarely use primer for acrylics or enamels. The paint can be masked, polished and subject to fairly rough handling but it does not come off. And why in the world would I deliberately scratch it with a fingernail?? I model mostly prop-driven military aircraft and you really can't compare the painting methods on them to that of a BMW. Apart from the weight issue of excessive coats of paint, most WWII aircraft for example had a very short life span and as such they would really only have a coat of primer over bare metal followed by 2-3 coats of camouflage paint. Plus of course there was the cost to be taken into account and the time factor, critical when the aircraft needed to be completed and put into service as soon as possible. As for the primer/sealer, the Duplicolor paint I use is intended for metal and plastic, so sealing wood grain isn't the purpose of the sealer. I don't have a problem with washes, I use them myself on pretty much all my models. My comment was aimed more at some of the current fads that employ wash over wash over wash over wash - so many in fact that the first layer or two would be completely obscured by the time it's done, making them redundant. Many of the current fads in fact employ so many layers of primer, preshading, paint, washes, drybrushing, filters, etc., etc. that the final result becomes more surrealistic than realistic. It also negates any depth that black primer may add to the finish paint (if indeed it does) as the primer is covered by so many layers it has long since completely disappeared. I would, and have, employed the graphite method to get a gunmetal finish on weapons but wouldn't use it for black engine cylinders, they simply don't weather that way in real life.
"Got your tools all 5-S-ed on the wall." I can't even do that at work, I ain't doing it at home! I vaccilate between plastic display models and flying balsa models with emphasis on the balsa ones. I'll get one or two plastic models done a year as a wintertime diversion. Remarkably entertaining. I look forward to more of your output. I like the serial killer guy lolol
Thank you for no corney music or floaty hands but I see you kept the comedy sketches, nice. I am mostly a terrain and figure painter/crafter, wargames and rpg stuff. But I do find a lot of great tips and techniques from other model builders. Priming black is a thing in the wargaming hobby but a lot of times it seeming like an extra step. Prime Black , Highlight white , then paint. Im a novice so im just copying techniques I see, and it might be different for figures. I have picked up some traditional models so hopefully I can pick up some tips from you
Thanks for the clear way of thinking about the hobby. If you have the time, what adhesive do you use for resin models? Also, do you ever bother with plastic adhesion spray before painting your plastic kits? Thanks again for the experienced insights.
Many thanks for the comments. As much as possible I use epoxy for resin kits with super glue only for small detail bits that don't require as strong an adhesive. I've never used any kind of plastic adhesion spray.
Black primer base makes excellent shadowing on car engines and car engines NEED shadowing. Even new they are never "clean" looking. Works especially well on "aluminum" blocks.
I paint Larger scale resin figures and busts,, Black primer is defo my friend and works well.However I only really paint with acrylics not enamels.When I use extra thin on the rare times I do aircraft,i apply the extra thin to the Inside seams of the fuselage,with a normal long handled paintbrush.
First of all.. you do some really great work. I'm very impressed. And like you I have a messy work bench! just a couple of things.. i agree with the black base coat, although it is nessary for shiny metalic finishes. As for Decal, As a Certified School teacher with a degree in communications you failed to mention that YOUR check of the dictionary also lists the preferred way and the uncommon way of Pronunciation. The preferred way is always listed first. And that happens to be DEE-KAL. Also, where there are two vowels separated by one consonants the second vowel makes the first vowel long. Decal = DEE-KAL. If decal was spelled with two "Cs" i.e. deccal, then it would be deh-kle. The reason its listed as both correct in the dictionary is because most dictionaries list both preferred (or grammatically correct), and colloquial ways of pronunciation. So, Dee-Kal is correct grammatically and your way is colloquial. Its like Alex Lifeson from my favorite band RUSH, pronounces "Z" as "zed" instead of "zee" Again that is colloquial. There, you got my two cents worth in this discussion. And here is a little piece of advice, (from one percussionist to another), I'd Stay away from making fun of peoples' languages and cultures, its ok to joke kid around and have fun about modeling techniques, and construction habits, but not with cultural and lingual differences. After all I don't make fun of Alex because he says "wye wye zed" for YYZ, otherwise I do love your humor, and keep up the good work!
I appreciate the feedback and the informative dictionary comments. As another commenter correctly pointed out however, technically we're both wrong! The word comes from the French décalcomanie, which would make the correct pronunciation day-kal - kind of midway between dekl and dee-cal. I am, of course, poking fun at myself as much or more than anyone or anything else. Hopefully that comes across, but I take your point. Just a note though, "zee" is the colloquialism, it's pronounced "zed" in Canada and England - and the latter did actually invent the language afterall! I will be doing a video very soon on paint and primer where I will go more in-depth on the subject, including metallic finishes.
@@warpedplastic "The word comes from the French décalcomanie" Oh You are so correct.. I did forget that. Yes "ZED" is how British and many Canadians do say it... but thats more an "accent" Because all English-speaking people would say zee-bra for the animal and not Zed-bra (never heard it that way). Anyway Yes the British did invent the language but as my Father once said.. "good thing they didn't get a patent on it.." LOL.. He's joking of course. As a WW2 vet my father worked closely with the British and Canadian soldiers and was very fond of them, and was very good friends with a soldier from England they remained friends well after the war. Anyway, I like your humor.. need more of that in this hobby, too many others are too serious... You have fun and Like that. And you do great work too.
I like thar you are an OLD SCHOOL modeler! I too have been building for decades. I find primer is useless in most builds and other things you touched on are spot on. Thanks for a carefully thought out video!👍🏼👏
I am glad the algorithm demon has brought me this channel, I really enjoy what I have seen so far. The one exception I take is with the notion that you don't need primer. I would say that you don't *always* need primer, but a lot of the acrylic paints you used as examples have much better adhesion than others. Particularly Tamiya and the like are acrylic lacquers that have excellent adhesion when compared to water based acrylics such as Vallejo. Not all acrylics are created equal, acrylic is a broad label. Other than that, I have nothing but praise to give.
Many thanks for the kind words and I'm glad you're enjoying the channel. You're not the first person to mention Vallejo paints and it is one reason I rarely use them other than maybe for washes. To be honest, I've had difficulty getting Vallejo to stick even with primer! There are so many hobby paints available these days with far better properties that I just don't personally feel the need to use them.
Hello Andy, I just discovered your channel and decided to start from the beginning. I love your approach. I totally agree about background music--and disembodied hands--snipping parts from a frame for god's sake???. I detest 99.9% of in box reviews especially from the so called pundits who "specialize" in showing off donated models in box reviews, the vast majority which never get built. I use Tamiya Super Fine Grey or White for priming aircraft these days although I was swayed in the past to use black primer, mostly to my regret. I've also abandoned pre-shading. I'm even going to give you pass for mispronouncing decals in respect for all my Canadian relatives, they can't pronounce the word correctly either. 😉 Anyway, I appreciate your opinions and the way you deliver them. Model on! I subscribed by the way.
Thank you very much for the comments and kind words, I'm glad you're enjoying the channel. Oddly, I seem to have had more comments about the pronunciation of "decals" than anything else! Technically, we're both wrong. It comes from the French "décalcomanie", which would make the pronunciation day-cals! All the best, Andy
@@warpedplastic My dearly departed Uncle Albert (yes that was his real first name) who was a farmer from Saskatchewan, would go livid if anyone ever suggested that a beloved word (granted it's mispronounced by most English Speaking Canadians) had its origins in French! French... French...Mon dieu, le blasphème . I can hear him yelling from the grave! The two subjects that would set off Uncle Albert in a heart beat were the metric system and having to take French in school! With all due respect to Heller of course. Cheers. 😉
@@markfrommontana Lol Well, Uncle Albert is one of my favourite Paul McCartney songs so I already like him! I have absolutely nothing against the French, but I can't say the same for the metric system.
"Scottish Air force tartan uniforms" made the whole session worth watching. Good on ya, mate! This from the old guy that started with Strombecker's solid wooden models, complete with powdered glue you mixed yourself, and painted, after slapping together, with dope that made your mother mad and you a little lightheaded. Don't forget all the 98 cent plastic Aurora kits, and the super high class - and expensive - Monogram kits. I was even fortunate enough to have the Revell Battleship Missouri for $4.98! High times. And the workbench - true dat! My grandfather told me once that if you can afford it, when you buy a tool, buy three of the same so that by the time you lose the third, you will have found the first. As a railway modeler, I seem to have at least six measuring tapes and five X-acto knives hiding in various corners, under my dime-store glasses (at 3.5 x) near the mobile phone that snuck under four pages of notes.
That got a chuckle out of me, your grandfather was a wise man! I have a feeling there's some sort of limbo where all the missing tools and odd socks go to hide.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
Many thanks for all the positive feedback folks, it is much appreciated! I'm working on my next video and will have that up as soon as I can.
Hi, I'm coming to you from 'Down Under', um... Andy, see I'm starting to forget your name already! Didn't you say "plenty of videos to come"? Well... Still waiting for the next! I had to subscribe after a taste of your wit, obvious talent, and fresh outlook. I'm 'old school' too. I'm also a car guy, but did start modeling years ago with Aircraft and would love to see more of your creations after that taste. So, where are you?? When's the next video?? 🤗 🦘
@@geoffhipwell2198 It's almost there! Had a few technical difficulties to iron out but I'll have it up very soon.
Great video here's one: painting the interior of a plane when you won't be able to see it after it's built. Please help me understand this.
Spot on mate. Spilling glue, paint, decal water, even single malt whisky is part of the challenge.( I've drank paint water and dipped brushes in single malt! Not cool!)
And, your not human if your not dropping shit on the carpet and finding it at a distance that defies the laws of physics.
Keep it coming.
That last part is very true😂
Exactly. I don't know how it's possible for plastic parts to bounce on carpet, but it happens every time I build. I've had parts that are 3 inches long somehow just evaporate after dropping them. I don't understand.
#...and finding it at a distance that defies the laws of physics" So true! 😂
Actually I do spend a conciderable amount of time on all fours, searching parts on the carpet. Photoetched parts are the worst.
I got a couple of laughs out of this comment. This has been a crappy day in plastic paradise, so thanks fer da chuckles. Finding things at distances that should not be possible has been a theme for the last week in my apparently cursed studio. I'm ready to hire a priest AND a witch to get rid of the demons and gremlins haunting the place.
There’s a very good reason to use black primer, even if eventual color is white.
I started building models in the 60’s. So many were blown up shortly after completion. Now I’m much older and getting back into the hobby and your video has been most enjoyable. So many so called experts over complicate everything. And don’t get me started on the music, especially the extended loud intro with endless montages. I’d wager that I would agree with most of everything even what you probably left out. Good luck with your new channel.
We'd build cars, get bored with them, and then put Estes model rocket engines in the back. Then we would put eyelets on the bottom, with a long string to guide them. 🤣
Lmao 🤣 Yes I question my sanity on a daily basis.. I use lots and lots of different techniques and skills I've been able to learn over the years.. When someone builds models the way I do PRIMER IS NECESSARY for all body parts and I've found that dark gray works for my eyes to see imperfect areas.. I don't build for COMPETITION or to make others happy, but I only want to make myself smile with my work.. I'm no better or worse than you or anyone else.. We are supposed to have fun and enjoy this HOBBY and not make others feel bad because they don't build the way we do.. We all have our own expectations of what we want our own work to be.... REGARDLESS OF WHAT OTHERS THINK 😎👍BTW there's no RIGHT or WRONG way to build your own models....
Very well said!!!
Yes nailed it!
Yup. Especially when you're trying to fill and smooth seam lines, primer is a godsend. [I understand some people advocate brushing some silver paint over the seam lines, to see if they've been successfully eliminated, but I've never tried that technique.]
That was fun. Please make more. I love people who don’t take themselves too seriously.
Honestly this is an amazing first video, on the level of lots of other modelling youtubers. The production value is amazing and I would have never have guessed this is video 1! Also it seems you are a much more down to earth modeller, I look forward to seeing more of your videos. Keep up the good work!
I’m just starting back to modelling after 40yrs and this is the best video I’ve watched, a lot of the other videos just make you think you can never be as good as they make out they are,and it’s just supposed to be enjoyable!
At last a man after my own heart! Been modelling for years, watch all the methods on RUclips and in the end do it as I've always done it. My AFVs still look used, worn, grubby & realistic. Thanks for the video, smiled all the way through it.
Brilliant! As someone coming back to the hobby in his 50s, I've certainly been influenced by the Rockstar youtubers and their black Primer (I'm an AV guy). Your video was not only hilarious, but also educational and thought provoking. Keep them coming. Have subscribed and look forward to more....
You had my subscription at "no background music". The rest of your incredible inaugural video is just gravy. Looking forward to your content!
Thanks so much for your video! Definitely the most entertaining and practical modeling vid I've seen lately. Spot on regarding the messy workbench BTW. I have plenty of holders and organizers for for my tools and such, yet somehow, they always seem to end up spread out all over the place. And I've never had a cutting mat last more than 72 hours without something spilled on it.
Excellent video! Welcome to the YT modeling space! Very fun video!
I would like to add a caveat to point #5, combined with your choice of glue in point #2. Tamiya Extra Thin, chemically speaking, is the same thing as Tamiya Airbrush Cleaner. They have two components in them, one is a 50%-50% mix and the other a 50.1%-49.9% mix (assumedly so they can sell two different products and collect markup or something, I dunno... I'm just a model RUclipsr, not a model businessman lol). Because of this, *IF YOU ARE USING ACRYLIC PAINT* you don't need to scrape the paint; the cement will eat it away then get to the plastic underneath and do its thing to the plastic. (I've never tested with enamels and lacquers, I have to stick to acrylics for health reasons, so caveat within a caveat I guess!)
And there's no loss of bond strength, or at least none that I have been able to detect. Survives the rough handling of a 4-year-old just fine, not sure there's any better stress test out there haha!
And apparently their lacquer thinner can be used as glue as well. I use water-based acrylics and have not had a problem with their glue so thanks for the message.
@@davidhunt1947 oh, can it? Neat!!!
I'll have to give it a shot, I'd only heard about their Airbrush Cleaner being able to act as a plastic cement.
Hey, great info - thanks! Having never used Tamiya Airbrush Cleaner (actually, if I'm honest, I didn't even know they made one!) I wasn't aware they had two separate but nearly identical products for two different uses. I have no doubt this is a common corporate ploy in many sectors. I'm always reminded of the Simpsons' tour of the Duff Brewery where they have Duff Regular, Duff Lite and Duff Dry - all coming out of the same hopper!
I've always used good ol' lacquer thinner to do a deep clean on my airbrush so have never bothered with products marketed as specialist airbrush cleaners, just seems like a bit of a gimmick to me. Judging by your info above, I'm guessing it is!
Pretty much same stuff as cellulose thinner- a 250 ml can costs the same as a 40 ml jar of extra-thin. gueess what I buy?
That's one reason I prefer to use acrylic paints.
Excellent first video! Thank you. Keep the videos coming. Your video came on as something fresh and new compared to everyone else, and I appreciate that. I am from the "old school" of modelling as you are, and am glad to see people are still using those techniques.
Nice video mate! It's really refreshing to hear your take on modelling because our hobby (portrayed by many RUclipsrs) is like the whole beauty industry; trying to aim for perfection. My job commitment doesn't allow me much time to delve deep into modelling and at times I get caught up in trying to pursue this perfection and in thinking: if i don't prime my tank black, I must be pretty backwards. I've given up listening to that twaddle and build my models to suit me. Thanks for the vid 😊
Agreed.irs YOUR model and if YOU are happy with the end result then thats all that matters
@@jaws666 exactly, mate. I've even bought into the whole modelling lark. I have drawers full of tools and materials I was told I needed but have never used. I will model to what makes me happy.
@@wellardme yep...thats why i left ipms ireland...too many snobs and perfectionists in this hobby who tell you that if you dont have their skills then you are not a real modeller or shouldnt be in the hobby
@@jaws666 they sound like a bunch of soap-dodging virgins. Or more politely put: rivet counters))
Thanks for all the comments here. Ok I am not crazy!!! Just build. I’m not entering any competition just enjoying building a model
Great first video. Been modeling over 60 years. Our hobby NEEDS this kind of video! Now about raised versus recessed panel lines 😋
Best Sponsor Ever!
Also love the "I do it my way" attitude ;-)
Very interested how your chanel will evolve!!!
I have just watched this, I am so pleased that you have done this. I am relatively new to proper modeling and learning all the time but when going g to find out how to do something and seeing 16 different ways and 10 different tools to use I have found I have bought alot that is not needed. I am now funding my own way and testing a lot before building. But I think this is going to be a great chanel to watch .... ps I was going to start modelling on my channel but not ready yet .... there is some stuff up there .... need to film a model mmmmm thank you what seems to be a great channel. Stewpot....
Loved the video Andy, a lot of common sense spoken there with great humour. I've subbed and look forward to what you have in the pipeline. Best wishes from a very rainy U.K.
Great entertaining video. Lots of great points. Your scraping tip or using masking liquid was great. I ruined( melted many seams) not scraping away excess paint. You have helped me overcome my paralysis of super weathering ( I am not doing it). Just build the model and have fun. Thank you 😅
Those tartan flight suits had me rolling on the floor! 🤣
Though I suspect there was a rivet counter somewhere screaming that the thread count did not look right
Same, nearly wet meself
Ha!!!! Great video and I feel exactly the same.
Funnily enough, my wife’s grandmother (Somebody rest her soul) was in the WAAF in the big ‘old WW2, and her job was to organise the repair of damaged aircraft. I spoke to her about my modelling, and she chastised me for black-basing my model as they didn’t do that in real life. And besides, paint fades it doesn’t go dark.
The only thing I do do is to prime my models. Whilst I can make everything as well as I can, I’m not perfect and priming can show things I’ve missed. I do, however, sand my priming coat to make it as smooth as possible and thing it out so not to obscure detail as you mention.
You’re spot on with decals being applied from its backing sheet. I just don’t know why people take them off the sheet and then applying them, with the only exception being tiny decals which I do.
Keep them coming.
So glad I came upon your site. Great content with a touch of humor. Keep up the good work.
Love the sense of humor and your very laid back attitude. Plus you make a lot of sense. Will defiantly be back for more.
Black primer would be important if you are lighting a model, you would use it for light blocking. And as for pre-shading; painting the entire model black would be a waste, you only need to spray along panel lines and in a few other spots before putting down your base color. But one of the best uses I have seen for pre-shading is on figures, spraying a burst of black from below where shadows would naturally form and then a burst of white from above for highlights before layering your colors on in thin layers to build them up. For me one of the main reasons for putting down a layer of primer on a model is to help with sanding, it helps to make any irregular spots on the model stand out to help with sanding. Other than that Vinyl kits of course need an adhesion layer before painting and some resin kits need a primer to help with adhesion as well. One thing that works better than a primer for basic kits of course is to wash the model first to remove any mold release from the styrene, that will help even better than a primer. Oh and of course you would paint a gloss black on any part beforehand that you will be coating with a metallic paint. I think that covers it...
I use black primers because it’s a great way to get done color modulation which really makes things come to life instead of looking like a toy.
You should make a video, this guy is ignorant.
Great video,my type of modelling. So many pro modellers making an enjoyable experience into a multi layered headache. Keep em coming👍
We all do what makes it fun, I think. The hobby would be no fun for me if I didn’t go to the nth degree trying to make it perfect
I think a big reason to prime, especially if you have applied putty to fill holes, the primer help reveal any locations that need more sanding ect. I use a regular hardwear store primer for plastics. Buy em buy the case for 12 bucks.
Love it! This is my kind of video, as someone who has returned to the hobby after a 30 year hiatus and been delving into YT videos on the subject, i can relate to what you are saying. Love your sense of humour btw.
Man talk about starting a channel off with a bang! I subbed. Can't wait to see what's up next!
My pet peeve is when people only build one thing, like armour. Look I built a tank! Oh I built another tank! You know what I haven't done in a while, another tank! Wake up and smell the coffee and mix it up a bit.
I loved this! I'm VERY happy I discovered you.
Thank you so much! Glad you liked it, please check out my other videos. Plenty more to come!
Great video. The use of black primer has come from the car customizers who customize real cars, they have mostly switched to black primer mainly because black shows up faults in their body work. For plastic or die-cast models it really is not necessary. If i use primer I use light grey dupli-color or white primer.
Black nitrile gloves is like watching a serial killer build a model. Best line lol
We all thought it, now its out there!
Yes, we all love zoomed-in images of hairy, sweaty hands and disgusting unkempt fingernails. Bonus points for some mildly infected, swelling cuts! 😂
It puts the primer on the wing
Don't wear underwear on the outside of your pants, unless you are batman and the black gloves are for the craft man.
Am sooo going to use that line, with proper attribution. Almost spit my coffee ☕ out ma nose when I heard it 👍
I have never knocked over glue, but I did knock over microset/microsol before.
Reality from a True Hobbyist! So refreshing.
Thanks! I'm in for all your future ventures!
Love it, reminded me of the Red Green Show, but with less duct tape! Beautiful work, especially the civil Mossie. I also hate priming and weathering, preferring the clean look.
Video could of been 2 minutes
Hello there great video looking forward to seeing your next one happy modelling old boy all the best from here in the UK 👍
I enjoyed your video, gave me a few chuckles along the way.
🎯 You knocked it out of the park. Great + Simple modeling tips & techniques that work and keeps modeling FUN❣😂👍
I like your "Get off my lawn!" vibe. I feel like you have a good sense of humor and I enjoyed your first video. I agree with you on most of your primer rant, I often skip the primer on a plastic model too, however black primer is in my opinion very important for figure painting. I get a little nostalgic for the good old days when there were plenty of hobby shops. In my area there really aren't any left, and I'm not in the boonies, I live in a suburb of Baltimore. The closest thing I have is a game store nearby who has a few modeling supplies, mostly for the wargame mini painters. I probably got my first model kit when I was about 5 or 6 at a mom and pop hobby shop. I'll be 60 in a few days and I'd sure like to revisit that long gone store.
Here, here! I've been building models since I was 5, it was the Monograms Spitfire Mk. IX in 1/48 scale with retractable landing gear!
Great memories, and with all of those great models from cutting edge Monogram back then, I had to have them, ended up donating them to the Lowery AFB Heritage & Traditions Museum, now I've been commissioned to build the Airmans Heritage Museum 1/72 aircraft model collection, just finished off the Italeri (Testors) 1/72 AC-130A, now I'm finishing off the Wild Weasels of the Vietnam War.
What I do miss is that seeing people build models the OLD SCHOOL WAY, no preshodowing, no heavy weathering, just build them like they just rolled off the factory assembly lines!
Plus these RUclips model video makers never been around a real military aircraft because the services would never allow their aircraft get so disgusting like they build their kits out to be. I've worked in the USAF for 32 years and never seen any US Armed Forces aircraft in that disrepair and weathered, yes some come back from deployments a little worn but never that disgusting as these RUclipsrs build them out to be.
Love the work bench complaint. People that actually get things done usually have a cluttered work bench.
I use black for minitures with zenithal highlights. Yes, it can be unrealistic, but for the small models, it does wonders.
Compliments on this video Andy, I'm learning loads. When's your next coming out fella?
Very soon!
I think that a black base/prime is essential for some metallics . I agree that it's not always essential to prime but I mostly prime most of my work
7:05 I use primer mainly for just the canopys as I find the adhesion of paint can be poor on transparent parts.
Dude, you are spot on about everything you said about the hobby. You are my type of modeler, straight to the point and I love it. In my opinion the "weathering effects" just looks unreal and yes, my table is just as cluttered as yours.
Thank you, very much appreciated!
I use the Tamiya surface primer too. Love it.
Hi Andy. Loved your video, you have a great sense of humor and you don't take yourself seriously, except when modelling. Love the Scottish Air Force flight suit... much success with your videos and channel... subed...
I think we must be around the same age and some of the 'modern' techniques and presentations are just weird. Like videos naming every product they use, does it matter? No. I think a lot of the trends are since the advent of forums where everything is photographed under bright lights with macro lens and then oversharpened in software and I sit there wondering if the modeller's intention was making a model or a photo.
Seeing the frenzied hand waving and gesticulating irks me too. I call it "video masturbating". Very irritating. 🙄
I do use ptimer on my car models, but rarely on aircraft or ships, never on armor.
I use both Tamiya and Duplicolor gray primers, and Duplicolor black primer on car chassis in lieu of flat black paint.
"Deckles".... just.... NO. 🙄
What a great video! Just wish I'd seen it before I started the kit I'm working on now, which I'd painted with black primer. Luckily for me it's only thin and the olive drab over the top looks just fine. I won't prime the rest of it. Like you said, that was a hangover from building resin kits. Glad to know I don't need it now and I won't do it in future. My work space also looks like a bombsite! When I tidy it up, the main reason why I can't find stuff is because I can't remember where I put it away. I think I'm going to like this channel as I can learn how things really should be done!
I dont mind box opening videos. Helps to see if someone else has wasted their money so I don't have to. As for black primer. I do use it on ships. Helps with the small scale to allow faint markings to pop when you have painted it.
I so much agree with #6! Not so much the never needing primer. I've had metallic paints do funky stuff on cars because of the way the plastic went into the mold. To me, it's just cheap insurance. Still trying to build my channel, so good luck!
Glad I discovered your channel! Yes, I am guilty of some of the things you dislike..i.e. hands, music, inbox reviews. I have done pre-shading, black primer, weathering but I no longer do these things. Pre-shading does not look realistic! I don’t like the heavily weathered look that I often see from other modelers. I guess it’s ok if it makes someone happy, but they shouldn’t criticize others if their F-16 doesn’t look like it’s been in the boneyard for years! I do use primer since I primarily use water-based acrylics. I have found that they will lift off when masking if I don’t use primer. Maybe more drying time? Looking forward to seeing more of your content. Take care, Drew
Somewhat condescending but I get the vibe you're going for. I like pre-shading, so suck it up fella! It is good to learn all kinds of techniques though, so it's all valuable advice.
I loved it a looooot! Please make more of those videos! And you’re looking good and natural in them, so try to relax and enjoy the process. Waiting for more vids from you, keep up the good work. Subscribed!
ya, never understood painting an airplane black [primer]. so happy to hear your thoughts on this. agree with all your comments. THANKS!
That was a breath of fresh air! Look forward to future additions!👍
That grey primer
Its available in white, 3 different greys, red oxide, black and yellow
Ill use the proper color prime before paint and ill use less of the color
Love the content and humor!
I'm in your corner of painting, old school enamel user, loved Testors Model Master paints but had to change brands, currently using Humbrol and True North Paints (a must if you used MM paints for the FS coded paints).
The only time to use primer is when I paint AlClad II paints, and that primer is Krylon Gloss Black to get the silver paints to come out with the richness of Polished Aluminium or Stainless Steel colors!
Yep, that's one I forgot to mention. Alclad will work without primer but it looks much better over gloss black. I'm told the Vallejo metal colours need gloss black too, though I've never tried them myself. I am planning a future video on painting and weathering and will expand on the primer thing then. Many thanks for the feedback.
I've used vallejo metal with both black and grey primers. There is, in my opinion, a slight difference in appearance, but they definitely need some kind of primer to stay put.
Well, I have high hopes for you and your efforts here. I am starting modeling, sculpting, and painting scale models and clay after a twenty five year break. I did no have access to youtube last time. It is very different having so many people sharing knowledge in an A/V format.
Wow. Just brilliant. I was getting to the point of stopping the hobby, because so many perfectionist and layered builds actually have the opposite effect and demotivate and disillusion me. Your video has brought me back from the brink. I cannot thank you highly enough 🤗👍
I totally agree. I build models because I'm interested in what a particular plane, tank etc looked like. I don't need them to look like they've been in real battles or been sitting out in all weathers. I just paint them the colours recommended in the instructions. They are not REAL they are models!
The ending to this video is hilarious! THANK YOU! 😂 (i was beginning to think i was the only hopelessly messy, accident prone, modeller who spends far too much time looking for that thing i just put down a few seconds ago)
In regards to the neatness of the workbench, yeah, I can relate, mine looks like a tornado blew through, the only thing that is "neat and tidy" is the modeling mat I am using.
Enjoyed your video , simple , fun and to the point.. I started building models back in the mid 70's.. And we didn't have all the tools and what not they're using today.. If they did , i didn't see them. But i also didn't go to Hobby Shops , we had to get what ever kits and stuff the local Department Store had. And my kits came out just fine.. Now, don't get me wrong , i do use a lot of the new stuff, if it makes sense and doesn't cost a house payment to buy them.. But for the most part , i still build like i did back then , Simple as possible.. It's a hobby that's meant to be ( FUN ) , so some folks need to stop making it harder than there day job.... But everyone is entitled to do there builds the way they wish.. As long as they enjoy it.👍
Pretty much agreed about all your points - especially pre-shading/black primer. If you take the trouble to research your chosen project, you never see that effect over the whole airframe, you might see it in places like under the wing root or some other acute joining plane but the way current modellers do stuff looks artificial to my eye. Faded colour, paint chips, oil drips, exhaust stains - these are what I apply to most projects that warrant it, my aim is always to capture the character of the subject, not turn out a lot of cloned processed finishes that end up looking generic and unreal. I will keep an eye out for your output in the future (I am from Romford, England, also been modelling plastic kits since around five years of age, now 58!)
Great video... keep em coming. Theyre fun to watch 4 sure.
Excellent video, far too many modellers are taking the hobby too seriously and obsessing over the latest 'must do' techniques. Very amusing, thanks for that, it makes me want to go and build a model, or fifteen, and enjoy them without getting stressed. And yes, the black gloves are creepy!
Try model railroading if you want to meet the OCD crowd up close and personal . The Rivet Counters will drive anyone crazy.
@@danielbackley9301 having poked a bit of fun at the OCD crowd I have to say that I just love to see the fabulous models they build, beautiful, flawless creations. It is just that it isn't necessary to go to the n'th degree and to keep up with every new fashionable technique to enjoy the hobby, just do your own thing and have fun. Any creative pastime is going to give satisfaction.
EXACTLY and the worse part o fit is that some of them while very good modelers are also the very people whose criticisms turn off many newer modelers form the hobby.@@peteradshead6566
People sometimes use black primer as a first step in their weathering process,, i sometimes use mixed media's, photo etch, resin, white metal, plastic sheet and use a black priner for an even covering to blend everything together, it also shows up any imperfections ghost streamlines or unsanded areas, (long as your plastic is clean and oil free) maybe that's why people wear gloves, to stop greasy fingerprints getting everywhere, (box opening video's) if I spend x amount of ££££'s on an expensive kit I find it useful to see what I'm buying, it's not as tho you can go into the hobby store and start opening their merchandise and rifle through the box before you commit to buy, I totally agree with your points on gluing and Decals/Dee-kals, if you model 1/72 or 1/76 then some of your points are totally valid but for the larger scales 1/32 1/24 or 1/28 then your points are less valid, you said to another poster that it was meant as a lighthearted video, maybe you should have a disclaimer stating that fact at the beginning otherwise some people will take your comments seriously, I did enjoy your video even if it came across as rather condersending in places, apologies for the long rambling post but you really did get me thinking about our hobby.......regards.
Thanks for the comments. I take your feedback on board, you do have some valid points. I will be doing a video on painting and weathering at some point. Black primer - or any primer for that matter - has little value in the weathering process since it is an undercoat and weathering is usually an overcoat. The purpose of a primer is to prepare the surface for colour coats and, if necessary, enable a stronger bond between the paint and the underlying surface. A metal primer, for example, will etch into the metal and allow subsequent colour coats to adhere better. As such, primer on plastic simply isn't necessary for that purpose, hobby paints stick just fine without it. As an overall cover to check your seams, etc., before committing to paint, sure, but again, black primer is the worst possible colour to cover and all you're doing is having to put on excessive amounts of paint to cover it up. This is, as always, my opinion, and if it works for other people all power to them. But I do think a lot of modellers use techniques like this simply because everyone else is doing it and they don't really think it through.
As for the gloves, I'm not saying they shouldn't be worn, and as an ex-health and safety manager I'll be the first to recommend them to prevent chronic skin ailments from some of the harsh chemicals we use. It's just the disembodied BLACK nitrile gloves that are seen in a lot of videos that creep me out!
I have never seen the need for a box-opening video as there are plenty of reviews online that show the contents of the box if I so desire. But again, that's just something I won't be doing as I personally find them of little use and kinda silly. That may be taken as condescending I suppose, though it is not intended to be.
I'm not sure why some points would be acceptable for smaller scales but not larger ones. Surely, the techniques and materials we use are the same regardless of scale?
As for the disclaimer, well, I thought the video was silly enough to be pretty self-explanatory as far as lightheartedness, and judging by the comments people have left most of them seem to have understood that. As always, anyone who takes the video seriously and is offended by it, well, they just don't have to watch it! But I do think a little levity and perspective is often missing in the hobby - some people take it waaaay too seriously!
Thanks again for the comments.
I just got back into it, haven’t built since the late 80s. I recently spilled Microsol onto my decal sheet I was working on 😢. I remembered the painted surface/glue tip as a kid. I had a kit I was so proud of the paint job, but the gluing was bad because of the paint in the seams. It also messed up the finish, bubbling the paint around the seams.
Number 6 all the way! What a breath of fresh air that was, I love your approach and humour. And the Scottish Air Force, genius.
Good video, the only time I use black primer is if I'm doing light blocking but only on the inside of a kit.
Hi. Almost a kindred spirit. I hate "janga-janga" in videos too. Ok decals but they're transfers to me still. Yes I forgot to scrape the last one!. My work bench looks like yours but in minuture, no room to sling a cat.
On the subject of scraping, when you rig your biplanes, how do you stick down the wires without making a mess?
I use primer when painting the woodwork for decorating the house but a model? I long since realised that the colour of a primer effects the top coat colour and shine. If you want yellow, undercoat with white, otherwise it isn't needed. I can just image achieving a good glossy white on your US Navy Sea King rescuing the Apollo astronauts with a black primer. Wow what an achievment that would be. Then again, in general, a first coat of silver or aluminium will mean that if you miss an odd bit its weathered not messed up.
Talking of weathering, I think a lot of other channels over do it (like its a competition) and compulsory. Real aeroplanes don't have panel line you can see miles away, why should models? No I don't like over deep panel lines, in WW2 factories they filled the panel gaps with putty for aerdynamic smoothness, why should we pick them out?
One thing I dislike in other videos is the little wisecrack out takes (of which you have copied) but please youself, its your channel.
Many thanks for the comments. Totally agree on the panel lines; if it's the first thing I see from 10 feet away then they're waaay overdone.
I will be doing a future video on rigging biplanes, stay tuned.
As for the (attempted) humour, most of the modelling videos I've seen are pretty dry and humourless so I certainly didn't copy anything from anyone. I just try to amuse myself, if anyone else gets a chuckle out of it, great. If not, well, you can't please everyone! 😂
@@warpedplastic I enjoyed your vid (enough to subscribe) and as far as the humour goes, I'm ok with it, just not keen.
Thanks for sharing your healthy approach of modelling... as an advanced modeller i know how we can get blinded by knowledge, trends and hypes. Always good to regurlarly
remind yourself of the basics cause most of the times those are sufficient and efficient enough to get the job done as well saves quite some money.
About instructions ? i ALWAYS read any instructions of any product... you never know what neat tip or trick is given..
I really like your style 😂 (subscribed at once), keep up the good work dude 🤟😃👍
Greets from the Netherlands,
Peter
Hi Andy, that was a great video, I have just come across your channel and have now subscribed, looking forward to some more of your content, very best regards to you from a Kiwi living in Australia 👌👍👌👍👌👍
its great to see another old punk modeller. Looking forward to the next video.
Andy, great stuff! I share a lot of your opinions on unnecessary or odd techniques shown on other channels, especially over weathered aircraft. Plus you actually have an entertaining personality… I’m subscribed! I’ve been obsessed lately with bare metal aircraft and I’ve been covering models in aluminum foil. Would love to share results with you. I’ll send some photos to your email soon. Keep up the good work! Ed from Utah
Thanks Ed, much appreciated. I would love to see pics of your models. I'm thinking of doing a video on foiling at some point. Foil is a better representation of bare metal than metallic paints in my opinion, maybe because it actually is bare metal!
Congratulation on making the most Canadian scale modeling video I’ve ever seen. You’re an obvious “kids in the hall” disciple, aren’t you?
Good work and good luck on the channel. Following!
Thank you! Kids in the Hall, definitely, but SCTV even more!
The black latex gloves reference made me think of Peter Oxley, a content creator that I've discovered recently.
Shits me senseless seeing those gloves every single time. Why? Reeks of the type of clown that still drives around in an air con car, windows up, on their own with a face-nappy on… 😤
Shits me senseless seeing those gloves every single time. Why? Reeks of the type of clown that still drives around in an air con car, windows up, on their own with a face-nappy on… 😤
I find his wearing of black latex gloves for no reason whatsoever completely baffling. Definitely serial killer vibes.
Ok, I have done prop work for some major movies (which you could see as 1:1 scale models) as well as miniatures for movies and exhibitions, on a pro level.
Generally I agree with you, keeping things simple is important. Especially when you make more than one of a certain thing, it streamlines processes and helps to replicate results - very important if you need to make identical pieces used by the same actor in several scenes.
I know, film stuff is way more fussy than "just modeling", after all, a 1mm scratch on a piece in real life can blow up to half a meter in a closeup shot on the silverscreen.
Here a list of things I don't necessarily agree with:
1. Multiple layers of paint.
many objects in real life are painted in multiple layers. Partly this is for endurance, partly it's to get a surface smooth, and partly it's to get a certain color tone/effect.
For example, in the mid 1980s BMW came up with a certain metallic paint for motorcycles. Called BMW red (literal translation from German, I don't know the international name for it). It's basically a deep metallic red which looks like it alternates to black at the edges.
In reality it's not a simple metallic color, but a coat of black (I come to that later), a coat of silver, a coat of clear red and several layers of clear to ptotect and for the ability to polish to a mirror sheen surface.
You can't just replicate the effect with just one layer of one paint (if that were possible, believe me, BMW would have done that to save money).
In fact, many metallic colors are built up that way. Every metallic painted car you see on the road will have at least one coat of clear, since due to the structure of any metallic look (tiny metal particles in clear or colored clear paint) you can't get a mirror sheen surface.
So, to get (or replicate) some effects, you need more than one coat - at least if you want it to look like the real thing.
2. Washes - They are used to highlight recesses and details. Anything that's made of multiple parts will have those lines, the real thing and usually the model too. Those seams will always collect dirt etc. and thus show this - in reality. And so should the model.
This "dirt" depends on the environment the real thing is exposed to, like yellowish dust in a desert, black-brown around an engine, grey, black with general dust, reddish brown where rust might be involved and shades of green where oxidized copper/brass is involved - and combinations of those.
Real things will collect scratches and dents over time, flaking paint, rust damage. Washes are designed to help replicate such.
Imagine you build a tank model and make it look pristine. I've been in the army, and I promise you, I've never seen a single tank without a scratch or some oil/grease stains, ever (not even brand new ones).
Also, large things like ships (or space ships) will have been put together from smaller bits (metal plates riveted or welded together). None of those plates looks exactly like another and that should also show in a model. This is very obvious in space ship models (depending on how an art director thought it was built in the first place).
Another reason for washes is weathering, making a thing look like it's been used a lot.
So, washes do have real value. What I agree with is, that such washes are often used excessively, which can look pretty weird.
3. Black undercoat.
Well, you're right, it's hard to brush white paint on black. But that's very different with an airbrush (there the most difficult color is yellow btw). An airbrush might be something you might want to look into if you haven't yet. Apart from making many paint tasks easier, it also uses very little paint, that paint covers better and is more precise to apply. But a black undercoat is needed to give some colors actual "depth". In fact, any silver (and most other metallic based paints) really need a black undercoat to get "that deep shine". You can ask any professional spraypainter who does metallic effect painting.
There are exceptions, EG gold looks best with a deep red undercoat.
Any chrome effect will need a black undercoat, polished to mirror sheen. That's because any chrome paint will show every little flaw in the undercoat. Chrome paint itself will have to be applied in several very very thin layers, like just fogging over, let cure, fogging over again and so forth. All chrome paint I know of is solvent based, so if it needs to be sealed, the topcoat should be waterbased or oil based - If you seal with another solvent based clear, the chrome instantly dulls down to a silvery grey, because the solvent attacks the very thin chrome layers.
That's another example why layering different colors/paints is often a good idea or even a must.
4. Primer - well, no, waterbased acrylics as well as oil based paints won't adhere nearly as good on unprimed plastics, regardless hgow well you cleaned mold releases or oils from your model. In fact, I often even use an adhesion promoter before priming - but much of my stuff gets handled a lot.
Another reason for priming is to even out the surface, get rid of unwanted scratches or sanding marks. Many primers are actually filler and primer in one. One should, of course not drown their model in primer, which then masks details, but a well primed model can be fine-polished (talking 1000 grit +) before painting, giving it a perfect surface and allows any paint to adhere well.
Of course it does depend on what you're after. If your models are just displayed in a cabinet, never touched, then you can do without. But if you paint those with waterbased acrylic, no primer, I bet you can scratch paint off just with your fingernail. This would be way harder to do if properly primed and even sealed with clear coat.
Btw, "sealer primer" doesn't mean it "seals the underground color in", it means it seals porous surfaces like EVA foam or timber and prevents those surfaces from sucking all the paint up you apply. It will prevent the underlying color from shining through (which is NOT the same as bleeding through btw), but that's because it lays a heavily pigmented layer on the surface, thus creating an opaque coat you can work with.
The best primer color is actually grey, because it's a very neutral color, not too dark or too bright, and allows you to easily paint over. As mentioned before, for metallics, silver etc, you would lay down the optimal colored undercoat for that paint on top of that grey primer and then proceed with said metallics.
5. Glueing.
Yup, using to much glue is a biggie. And your way, using a drop every few centimeters, is certainly correct.
Another, often even better way is using tiny screwdriver or a needle. Not to screw though, haha. But, dipping a tiny screwdeiver (those you use for repairing watches etc) into the glue allows a tiny drop to cling to its surface. You touch that tip to the seam you want to glue and the capillary action will distribute the glue along that seam as you said, but it's more precise than the brush. That's what one comes up when one is through many liters of glue ;-)
6. Black metal - like those Air Force engines. I won't complain here, but I have a tip how to make those black cylinders look even more realistic, giving them a metal shine whilst staying actually black. Get some graphite powder from the hardware store and apply it to the cylinders with some cotton tips. You need no full cover, just the hightened parts (those who loose their paint on a real life engine). Graphite will add exactly that sort of shine to it. You can easily rub it back off if needed or reapply.
7. Neat workbench - believe it or not, I've seen really pristine ones in real life. But that's the exception. Even when I'm in a pro environment. There at least we had to clean everything away at the end of the day.
Personally, mine looks pretty much like yours :-)
Finally, I'm not trying to be a smartass, but rather explain why some things are as you observed. It does have reasons why washes, primers, multylayered coats etc exist. But it also depends on what you want to achieve in a certain project.
My latest (personal one) was a replica of a lightsaber hilt, which originally is seen less than 10 seconds at the very end of Star Wars episode 9. And it's not even seen in full. I modeled the thing, as I thought it needs to look, 3d printed and fillered the parts. All in all 44 individual pieces. Some of those parts, actually the smallest of them, needed 10 different colors, plus filler, clearcoats, which were 3 different types of paint so they didn't interfere wich each underlying layer. Reason was, to get a heat discoloration effect on metal parts holding the hot "blade". On some of those parts I had up to 20 layers, then 3 different washes and a portion of actual "dirt" (pink, yellow, green clay and some ashes from a woodburner). Reason for this is, the real thing would have collected residues from its environments the same way. And the best way to simulate something is to use the real thing if possible. You simply can't genuinely simulate a layer of dust with any paint, at least not as easy as with real dust.
Same is true for scratchmarks and dents. I get my models as pristine as possible after priming, then I use tools to scratch or dent the stuff, then paint and later highlight those marks.
Thanks fot your video, I really enjoyed watching and see a different view on some stuff :-)
Wow, that was a few videos worth of comments right there! I will be doing a follow up video on my personal methods and philosophy on painting and weathering. I agree on the black primer for metallic coats, I forgot to mention this in the video but I will be addressing this later. As for primer itself, I disagree it is needed on plastic for MOST hobby paints. I have modelled for many decades (and yes, I have been a diehard airbrush user for most of that time) and rarely use primer for acrylics or enamels. The paint can be masked, polished and subject to fairly rough handling but it does not come off. And why in the world would I deliberately scratch it with a fingernail??
I model mostly prop-driven military aircraft and you really can't compare the painting methods on them to that of a BMW. Apart from the weight issue of excessive coats of paint, most WWII aircraft for example had a very short life span and as such they would really only have a coat of primer over bare metal followed by 2-3 coats of camouflage paint. Plus of course there was the cost to be taken into account and the time factor, critical when the aircraft needed to be completed and put into service as soon as possible.
As for the primer/sealer, the Duplicolor paint I use is intended for metal and plastic, so sealing wood grain isn't the purpose of the sealer.
I don't have a problem with washes, I use them myself on pretty much all my models. My comment was aimed more at some of the current fads that employ wash over wash over wash over wash - so many in fact that the first layer or two would be completely obscured by the time it's done, making them redundant. Many of the current fads in fact employ so many layers of primer, preshading, paint, washes, drybrushing, filters, etc., etc. that the final result becomes more surrealistic than realistic. It also negates any depth that black primer may add to the finish paint (if indeed it does) as the primer is covered by so many layers it has long since completely disappeared.
I would, and have, employed the graphite method to get a gunmetal finish on weapons but wouldn't use it for black engine cylinders, they simply don't weather that way in real life.
Enjoyable, informative first video Andy. I agree with your comments.
Thanks for the video, I look forward to more.
Brilliant!! 🤣🤣 excellent advice! And very funny 🤣🤣 looking forward to more videos 🥰
"Got your tools all 5-S-ed on the wall." I can't even do that at work, I ain't doing it at home!
I vaccilate between plastic display models and flying balsa models with emphasis on the balsa ones. I'll get one or two plastic models done a year as a wintertime diversion.
Remarkably entertaining. I look forward to more of your output.
I like the serial killer guy lolol
Fantastic 1st video, love your humor.
Great refreshing video. Does the “no primer” suggestion apply for acrylics as well?
Absolutely. The P-51 wing I used in the decal section had two coats of acrylic white applied over bare plastic. No primer!
Thank you. I will give it a try on my next paragraph project.
Thank you for no corney music or floaty hands but I see you kept the comedy sketches, nice.
I am mostly a terrain and figure painter/crafter, wargames and rpg stuff. But I do find a lot of great tips and techniques from other model builders.
Priming black is a thing in the wargaming hobby but a lot of times it seeming like an extra step. Prime Black , Highlight white , then paint. Im a novice so im just copying techniques I see, and it might be different for figures.
I have picked up some traditional models so hopefully I can pick up some tips from you
Thanks for the clear way of thinking about the hobby. If you have the time, what adhesive do you use for resin models? Also, do you ever bother with plastic adhesion spray before painting your plastic kits? Thanks again for the experienced insights.
Many thanks for the comments. As much as possible I use epoxy for resin kits with super glue only for small detail bits that don't require as strong an adhesive. I've never used any kind of plastic adhesion spray.
Thanks so much for the intelligence and experience!@@warpedplastic
Black primer base makes excellent shadowing on car engines and car engines NEED shadowing. Even new they are never "clean" looking. Works especially well on "aluminum" blocks.
I would (and do) just use a grimy wash. After all, that's how the real thing gets dirty.
I paint Larger scale resin figures and busts,, Black primer is defo my friend and works well.However I only really paint with acrylics not enamels.When I use extra thin on the rare times I do aircraft,i apply the extra thin to the Inside seams of the fuselage,with a normal long handled paintbrush.
First of all.. you do some really great work. I'm very impressed. And like you I have a messy work bench! just a couple of things.. i agree with the black base coat, although it is nessary for shiny metalic finishes. As for Decal, As a Certified School teacher with a degree in communications you failed to mention that YOUR check of the dictionary also lists the preferred way and the uncommon way of Pronunciation. The preferred way is always listed first. And that happens to be DEE-KAL. Also, where there are two vowels separated by one consonants the second vowel makes the first vowel long. Decal = DEE-KAL. If decal was spelled with two "Cs" i.e. deccal, then it would be deh-kle. The reason its listed as both correct in the dictionary is because most dictionaries list both preferred (or grammatically correct), and colloquial ways of pronunciation. So, Dee-Kal is correct grammatically and your way is colloquial. Its like Alex Lifeson from my favorite band RUSH, pronounces "Z" as "zed" instead of "zee" Again that is colloquial. There, you got my two cents worth in this discussion. And here is a little piece of advice, (from one percussionist to another), I'd Stay away from making fun of peoples' languages and cultures, its ok to joke kid around and have fun about modeling techniques, and construction habits, but not with cultural and lingual differences. After all I don't make fun of Alex because he says "wye wye zed" for YYZ, otherwise I do love your humor, and keep up the good work!
I appreciate the feedback and the informative dictionary comments. As another commenter correctly pointed out however, technically we're both wrong! The word comes from the French décalcomanie, which would make the correct pronunciation day-kal - kind of midway between dekl and dee-cal.
I am, of course, poking fun at myself as much or more than anyone or anything else. Hopefully that comes across, but I take your point. Just a note though, "zee" is the colloquialism, it's pronounced "zed" in Canada and England - and the latter did actually invent the language afterall!
I will be doing a video very soon on paint and primer where I will go more in-depth on the subject, including metallic finishes.
@@warpedplastic "The word comes from the French décalcomanie" Oh You are so correct.. I did forget that. Yes "ZED" is how British and many Canadians do say it... but thats more an "accent" Because all English-speaking people would say zee-bra for the animal and not Zed-bra (never heard it that way). Anyway Yes the British did invent the language but as my Father once said.. "good thing they didn't get a patent on it.." LOL.. He's joking of course. As a WW2 vet my father worked closely with the British and Canadian soldiers and was very fond of them, and was very good friends with a soldier from England they remained friends well after the war. Anyway, I like your humor.. need more of that in this hobby, too many others are too serious... You have fun and Like that. And you do great work too.
I like thar you are an OLD SCHOOL modeler! I too have been building for decades. I find primer is useless in most builds and other things you touched on are spot on. Thanks for a carefully thought out video!👍🏼👏
Love the sarcasm, all points well taken,at 79 I am still making the same old mistakes, but it is still fun. David from Texas USA.
I am glad the algorithm demon has brought me this channel, I really enjoy what I have seen so far. The one exception I take is with the notion that you don't need primer. I would say that you don't *always* need primer, but a lot of the acrylic paints you used as examples have much better adhesion than others. Particularly Tamiya and the like are acrylic lacquers that have excellent adhesion when compared to water based acrylics such as Vallejo. Not all acrylics are created equal, acrylic is a broad label. Other than that, I have nothing but praise to give.
Many thanks for the kind words and I'm glad you're enjoying the channel. You're not the first person to mention Vallejo paints and it is one reason I rarely use them other than maybe for washes. To be honest, I've had difficulty getting Vallejo to stick even with primer! There are so many hobby paints available these days with far better properties that I just don't personally feel the need to use them.
Hello Andy, I just discovered your channel and decided to start from the beginning. I love your approach. I totally agree about background music--and disembodied hands--snipping parts from a frame for god's sake???. I detest 99.9% of in box reviews especially from the so called pundits who "specialize" in showing off donated models in box reviews, the vast majority which never get built. I use Tamiya Super Fine Grey or White for priming aircraft these days although I was swayed in the past to use black primer, mostly to my regret. I've also abandoned pre-shading. I'm even going to give you pass for mispronouncing decals in respect for all my Canadian relatives, they can't pronounce the word correctly either. 😉 Anyway, I appreciate your opinions and the way you deliver them. Model on! I subscribed by the way.
Thank you very much for the comments and kind words, I'm glad you're enjoying the channel. Oddly, I seem to have had more comments about the pronunciation of "decals" than anything else! Technically, we're both wrong. It comes from the French "décalcomanie", which would make the pronunciation day-cals! All the best, Andy
@@warpedplastic My dearly departed Uncle Albert (yes that was his real first name) who was a farmer from Saskatchewan, would go livid if anyone ever suggested that a beloved word (granted it's mispronounced by most English Speaking Canadians) had its origins in French! French... French...Mon dieu, le blasphème . I can hear him yelling from the grave! The two subjects that would set off Uncle Albert in a heart beat were the metric system and having to take French in school! With all due respect to Heller of course. Cheers. 😉
@@markfrommontana Lol Well, Uncle Albert is one of my favourite Paul McCartney songs so I already like him! I have absolutely nothing against the French, but I can't say the same for the metric system.
A clean and neat workbench is a very cold and lonely place.
Glad I got in early of this channel. 1st vid and under 1k subs. You got this.
great video gave me good chuckle your work area looks just like mine also can never find what i just put down lol
"Scottish Air force tartan uniforms" made the whole session worth watching. Good on ya, mate!
This from the old guy that started with Strombecker's solid wooden models, complete with powdered glue you mixed yourself, and painted, after slapping together, with dope that made your mother mad and you a little lightheaded. Don't forget all the 98 cent plastic Aurora kits, and the super high class - and expensive - Monogram kits. I was even fortunate enough to have the Revell Battleship Missouri for $4.98! High times.
And the workbench - true dat! My grandfather told me once that if you can afford it, when you buy a tool, buy three of the same so that by the time you lose the third, you will have found the first. As a railway modeler, I seem to have at least six measuring tapes and five X-acto knives hiding in various corners, under my dime-store glasses (at 3.5 x) near the mobile phone that snuck under four pages of notes.
That got a chuckle out of me, your grandfather was a wise man! I have a feeling there's some sort of limbo where all the missing tools and odd socks go to hide.
It is definitely located next to the Valhalla where the gods of the floor put all the very small screws and parts.@@warpedplastic