Hiya Guys,
Well last nite i sat down and started in on building my very first model. I am working on a U.S. Tank M41 Walker Bulldog. I have been told by several of the members that this would be a great first build so ..here i go. Upon starting i found myself strangely excited, losing myself in the work. I am definately enjoying it. i had no idea how much sanding i would have to do on the wheels..lol. Very tedious work. Anyway, ill be getting my camera ready and getting some pictures of my progress soon.
Thanks again for everyones help.
Mary

Modelling is a great thing, and I still remenber my first builds when I was 13 or so For 8 years now, I've been building planes and whatever, but only yesterday I started my first tank! It's a King Tiger in 72nd to by put in an Ardennes scenery with some "backing-soda" snow and whatever more I've always had that feeling to build dios and with the loads of info I found here I just had to start!As soon as I get a camera (maybe this month) I'll post some pics

tankysgal1 just remember somethin: get away from thet urge to see the model finished..be pacient and when you think it doesnt look good enough, just stop, because it is..and if you can just start another kit

cya

Awwwww to be bit by the modeling bug!!! Now your hooked Can't wait to see what you do with it. Kevin

Nice, it's a nice start, it looks like you are now hooked after that you can try the real thing: German WWII armor!!

hello enjoy your first tank so it wont be your last one
the best part about this hobby is that a project is never over. sure you put it on a shelf, but for those like me, how long does it stay there for? mine dont stay long and i re-paint them or try different things on the older models, that kinda how i manage to limit the amount of models on display. but it also makes my mom go " frank, why should i buy you a new model when you end up throwing it away because you tried to many thigns on it after a year!" but hey, if i want to learn new things, why try it on new stuff?

Frank

dont forget about the gurls

Nice start u choosed Mary . I hope u wont be dissapointed from all the junk work of clearing and sanding and all that. Besides as u say many people find that very relaxing.
Keep on and try to post updates so we can give a hand of help ..if needed.

Costas

good one Mary. Glad to see at least that it is not an aeroplane LOL :-) .

Keep at it girl and keep us informed on progress.

Good luck with your first model Mary. I wish you enjoy it.

No turning back now woman!

Seriously, it'll be fun. Just take a look around at all the flags of each member.

If you feel that your first build is awfull, ask me to e-mail you mine.

After over 40 years the excitment hasn't worn off, guess that's part of the fun of this hobby. I still get excited, and lose myself, I call it enjoyment and relaxation.
When fustration sets in, simply put it down and come back later.

Good luck, and enjoy it, take your time, it's YOUR model, no one elses, no rush to finish, and you find you will put a little of yourself into each one you do.

Great first choice. Looking forward to seeing the progress pics.

Welcome

I felt the same way, Now I use modeling as a way of relaxing your mind and be a part of history that the model is from.

Once you get hooked on modeling and you can never go back to being normal. #:-)

There have been some post lately stating that they have gone mental on the hobby. Pretty soon your stash will grow and you know your hooked when you walk into a LHS and have to buy a kit.

I have been doing ships for years and now I found this site I started armor. When I first started I was afraid to weather my armor model. These wonderful people have helped me understand even mistakes can be fixed.

I can not wait to see the updates on your kit.

Happy Modeling

Thanks Everyone,
Thank you all for your encourageing words and comments. Ill keep ya posted on my progress. I finally got all the road wheels done, that was a pain, darn sanding. Anyway, if anyone has any ideas or suggestions that will help im always glad to listen, i am a beginner you know..
Thanks Again,
Mary

Good luck Mary, keep us up to date, can't wait to see it.

Hi Mary,
Here's a thought about sanding.After a part is nipped off the sprue,sand that point.then look on the part to see if there are places where 2 mold halves met.There may be a slight line,sand that,and you will have a piece that will fit well to others.

A quick way to sand wheels, is to slice off the attachment points, fix the wheel to a dremel or drill with a plastic rod, then hold some sandpaper to the edge/side as it spins. Takes all the work out of it. I did this with the last sherman I built, and it made what is usually a chore into something that took no time at all.

Fair play to ya Mary. We need more female modellers. Any pictures yet?

Thanks everyone for you suggestions and comments so far. I have a whole new respect for model building now that i am actually doing one myself. I never knew that there was so much involved in putting a kit together.
If anyone has any tips or tricks for painting, i could surely use them. I find that in my painting im noticing a lot of brush strokes and not really sure how to avoid that. Thanks again..
Mary

i hate sanding

Congratulations on your first kit Mary, re the strokes in the paint try thinning it a little it tends to flow better.good brushes are a help i use sables they keep their shape better but dont use them for weathering it will ruin them. good luck with your build.

dont forget to clean you brush realy well or else they wont stay good for long, i know what iam talking about iam an expert at ruining my brushes

have acces to an AB ? if so, id suggest practicing on some old models you may find, or on a piece of paper... how you liek to thin your paint and the pressure to use will naturaly come with practice

Frank

hey, any pics yet? iam realy anxious to see them and iam sure everyone else is!

Good deal glad to see you're well under way.
Sanding road wheels is only surpassed in boardom by indi-links - at least its not a churchill

I have learned to be afraid of medium to rough grade sand paper. Use it first on a few swipes then work down to the fine stuff, it makes it go by a lot faster. I used to be afraid of taking off to much and staying with the finner stuff and it took forever. Then it got to me one day and I just went at it carefully.

Painting, try a wide brush also.

If you want just a good base coat you can try to get one of the inexpensive (< $20) single action testors versions that use an air can. It won't do camo or thin lines but it would give you a nice overall OD or German Gray base to work on.

Before I bought my airbrush, I used spray cans for most of the base painting. Great coverage and I found it easy to detail paint afterwards. All weathering was made afterwards with the brush, so there was never problems with brush strokes.
Only downside was it took a lot of masking for camo. I stuck to monotone vehicles.
A tin of OD, or german yellow/grey did about 2 models! I thought this was a betterway to go until i got my compressor and airbrush!

Now you've done it, I made my first kit at 7years old and 41 years later..............................you're first attempt won't be as bad as mine - I painted an Airfix Hawker Hurricane gloss red with black stripes, even the canopy!
Any help or advice - just ask.

Thanks Guys, and (Gals),

All of your tips and suggestions are very welcome. I plan on trying to get my digi cam working so i can post some pics of my progress really soon. I cant get my cam to talk to my pc for some reason. But anyway, thanks for everything , and by all means if anyone has anymore tips or suggestion please feel free to let me know. Also..if anyone has any pics of a Bulldog that they would like to share, i would love to see a finished kit. Thanks again to everyone,
Mary