Now, to those of you who are like this, I tip my hat to you. I have patience, don’t get me wrong, but I’m no saint. And to me, this is what it takes to master the art of making your own model car from scratch. I got annoyed at times with just putting the kits together. But do you want to make that car you have seen, but no one has a kit for? Now you can!

Getting Started  Read more... (540 words, estimated 2:10 mins reading time)

Tags: angles, drawing, dream car, fender, flames, main frame, measurements, model car, patience, proper scale, reference points, scratch, sky is the limit, tires

Buying and assembling model cars can be quite a hobby. Many who have never tried it may think that there is not much to it. You buy a kit, open it up, glue it together and you are done. Those of us who have made it a personal hobby know that it is so much more. Building a model car involves learning how to keep your patience. It also can require a good deal of skill. While beginners can find ones that will cater to their ability level those who have worked up to an expert level can still find model cars to challenge them.  Read more... (540 words, estimated 2:10 mins reading time)

Tags: Ability Level, building model cars, drop cloth, Expert Level, glue, hobby knife, lifetime, model car, model manufacturers, new model, painting, patience, Personal Hobby, plastic frame, plastic model cars, retail store, skill level, tack cloth, tastes, Worktable

Have you ever noticed a model car on which the paint job just seems to fade from one color to the next? This is what is known as feathering. Rather than having a sharp line between colors they have differing degrees of a fade depending on the look that is desired.

When feathering a model car it can be very hard to achieve the scale that is seen in show vehicles. Most models will have very sharp lines between their colors. This means they were most likely painted by hand. Even the airbrushed ones can appear different from their real world counter part due to the scale of the feathering being off. The easiest way to remember proper scale is that if a model car has a one inch feathering and you are working on a 1/32 car then your feather would have to be 1/32.  Read more... (633 words, estimated 2:32 mins reading time)

Tags: artwork, colors, fishing line, model car, models, paint job, perfect mask, real world, shape, thin sheet, tips and tricks, toothpick

You love to assemble model cars. It has become a favored pastime. You have even decided to display your completed cars where everyone can enjoy them. You are just having one issue. You cannot decide whether you should show your hand painted cars or your airbrushed ones. While one set has a lot of love and dedication in it the other showcases your skill and technique. So how do you know which is better, airbrushed or hand painted? Much of your answer will depend on exactly who you ask. Some expert modelers will tell you that hand painting is the hardest technique to master while others will say the same thing about airbrushing. The best way to decide is to look at the pros and the cons to both and decide for yourself.  Read more... (604 words, estimated 2:25 mins reading time)

Tags: body shop, car airbrushing, car one, dedication, drawback, hand painting, kid on the block, model car, model cars, modelers, models, new kid on the block, paint job, painting model, pastime, showcases, size car, strokes, works of art

Have you ever considered building model cars but were unsure where to get started? You might have wandered the aisle at your local retail store and looked at the boxes and thought that it could be a fun hobby to pick up. You also might have had a model given to you as a birthday present or for some holiday. It might have sat at the back of your closet and you have just ran across it while cleaning. Any way you might have come by your model you have now decided to try your hand at putting it together.  Read more... (610 words, estimated 2:26 mins reading time)

Tags: birthday present, building model cars, building tools, cement, face mask, latex gloves, model car, niosh, old model, periods, plastic model, retail store, safety equipment, shoe box, styrene, toluene, toolbox, welding process

Wooden models have been around for a very long time. Wooden cars are no exception. Whenever a father sat down with a stick of wood and whittled out a car and added wheel for his children little did he know that he was taking part in an already old tradition. Whittling your own wooden car is not a difficult process to learn but it can take a lifetime to master.  Read more... (654 words, estimated 2:37 mins reading time)

Tags: carpenter, craft glue, grit, heavy duty, knife dealer, material removal, model car, model cars, right direction, sanding paper, sandpaper, screws, whittle, whittling knife, wooden car, wooden cars, wooden model, wooden models

Part of what makes building model cars fun is the ability to correctly portray the car that the model represents. One of the tools that helps you to do so is the placement of decals on the car. Decals add that special touch without requiring you to have to hand paint everything. It cuts down on the time it takes to finish as well as the amount of skill involved in model building. The one thing it can take is a steady hand and maybe a bit of patience.  Read more... (639 words, estimated 2:33 mins reading time)

Tags: building model cars, color separations, colors, decal film, decal manufacturer, hand paint, ink jet, masks, model car, money, patience, steady hand, water slide decals