Jonno65

"when you tick the boxes of the paints you need they supply you with enamel paints instead" ------------------------------------------- Ok - I actually have never bought paints from Airfix direct. I tend to go to Hobbycraft or buy online from a well known auction site. You can order online from Hobbycraft too, but from what I can see, they are acrylics only. (which I gather is your preference) Might be better to peruse the shelves as the shops will stock enamels too and you can also have a look at the models (albeit, not many now) whilst you are there. Hoping there is a Hobbycraft near you. All the best. John

Hi, welcome back to the world of modelling. Likewise sorry to hear of your paint issues. Don't run before you can walk (I am speaking from personal experience here). Just get your confidence back with acrylic paints, thinned with a bit of water , stir with a cocktail stick or drink stirrer. You might want to buy a couple of cans of grey primer first off, as this will give you a nice base to hand brush your thinned pot paints on the model, they will apply more readily and a couple of thin coats at first to retain the moulding detail. Yes - flesh tone - I know what you mean. I have a flesh tone enamel that I bought back in the 80's still going strong, and mix with enamel thinners, to get it to brush on easier. I am no competition winner either but just enjoy making the models, for myself, and I am not a slave to accuracy (yet). As long as you get a buzz from the hobby and a smile on your face you will enjoy it. If you wanted to, and before you make a jump to an airbrush, I used a Revell spray gun bought in hobbycraft and a couple of tins of compressed air from same. Used it for applying base coats or wider coverage of top coats on cars - and that gave me a bit more confidence to purchase a compressor. I'm still using a £20 HS airbrush I bought from ebay about 6 years back and it sprays on lovely. But remember - just do things at your own pace and for your enjoyment. You won't make a mess of it. I've been in a position a couple of times I have just had to reapply a top coat, after varnishing dulled the paint. Quick spray over again - and all is well. You will get a lot better advice than mine from the friendly folk on this forum. There are other forums, but I am not sure I can name them under this forums rules. Great Youtube videos from Airfix and other contributors will get the ideas and techniques flowing. All the best. John

Hi Patrick, I have 'lost' so many small pieces in the man cave , that I decided to get some cheap beige floor tiles. (Just concrete floor, prior to that, so many small pieces gone to the crevices). The contrast of beige vs grey plastic has helped. I know you have purchased the spares now, but I once read about the hoover trick - put an off cut of a pair of old tights across the hoover nozzle. I did try this once - and it recovered a long last Ford Escort petrol cap, previously assigned to the concrete ether. Good luck on your repairs. John

Hi FJ, Welcome to the Forum. For brushes - I have used old pickle jars or jam jars etc. I have used Tupperware stackable lunchboxes for storing tinlets and glue, filler etc. Cans of spray might be a bit more difficult - depending on the size - maybe an old shoe box might do the trick. If you have enough room maybe all the smaller boxes can be placed into a clickable storage box which you can get off eBay in different sizes to suit relatively cheaply. Good luck with the modelling. Regards John

I purchased some storage boxes a couple of years ago and some silica gel sachets to absorb any moisture. All kits seem to be unaffected, no warping or curling of decals, and I would echo the comments above, that in the UK we have a relaltively moderate climate. It would be interesting to see how the kits would be affected by extreme weather conditions. I have 2 x 110 Litre Boxes in the loft - and the lids are snap-fit, I have sprinkled a few small silica gel sachets in each and I check them every year. I cannot guarantee this would work for everyone (disclaimer) - but I've made a couple of the kits stored and there were no issues with fitting etc. I think the best thing is to get a few smaller storage boxes - and test a few kits first - check every 6 months or so. These are the type of boxes I use; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Quality-Plastic-Storage-Boxes-Clear-Box-With-Lids-Home-Office-Stackable-UK-Made/372276977715?hash=item56ad6fe033:g:l6oAAOSwYRhanU8S

Thank You David & Paul Indeed - nowhere in my post do I say £80 is cheap. Captain - I was giving some context in respect of the Airfix Cars on Ebay which go for eye-watering amounts at times; A Vauxhall Victor £210 Bond Bug £216 Maxi £117 MG1100 £87 Marina £84 I will pass on those 1/32 thanks very much at those prices Having splashed out on the Morris Minor - that will be my last purchase for a while. Enjoy the holiday period one and all - and here's to some great model building in 2019

Well - I have purchased one of these and it duly arrived well packaged from Ian at the Motoring Museum. £80 plus p+p is an excellent price for a 1:24 Kit. I was blown away when I opened the package yesterday. Resin Parts and Body Shell neatly stowed in vac form packs. Extensive instructions and even a DVD / CD of build instructions plus other supplementary material. If you get a chance - speak to Ian - and he is more than willing to assist. Ian has provided in a email at least 2 - 3 pages of advice on modelling cars, with links to the help pages on his an his fathers website. Just by corresponding with Ian - it has given me some direction and confidence to build this kit (albeit sometime in 2019). The detail on this kit, wheels, dash etc are amazing - and you should be able to build subtle variants too. I am very tempted to purchase other kits should they make any. When you consider that Airfix Bond Bugs, Marina, Maxi et al are going for >£100 at the moment and they just 1:32 Scale. My £80 on a 1:24 represents value in a sparse U.K Classic car market.

Apologies Ratch ....... Beach Buggy 1/48 Lysander would be nice 1/72 Re-tooled ME 163B-1

/media/tinymce_upload/8d262d456da9fb677fea2a1a90010726.jpg hi Clive I do not think you are losing the plot. It is confusing in part to the new build airfix instructions. The orange areas in the assembly instructions are the "indicates final location" What is confusing is the "Do not cement" key is a Black Square. So all Keys should read from the left of the text starting with the black triangle for "Assembly Phase", White Circle for "Cement", Black Square for "do not cement" Red (Or Orange) square for "Indicates Final Location" and so on. I did the same as you - thinking the orange square was for do not cement - because I was reading the Key right of the text not left of the text as I should have been. I have included some diagrams to illustrate. (from the Hunting Percival instructions) I hope this is of some help Kind Regards john