This is an important video for all modellers! I learned quickly in adulthood when I returned to scale modeling as a hobby that the budget is limited, and why spend it on hobby supplies that are often smaller amounts at multiplied prices of items available at hardware, home improvement, or dollar stores. I remember walking into a small hobby shop in Canada a few years ago, and talked to the owner a bit about the current popularity of the hobby. He built custom layouts for people (which as a hobbyist I think riduculous considering as a hobbyist, this is all an art form we enjoy), and tried to sell me various supplies from companies like Woodland Scenics, etc. I mentioned a very credible (and inexpensive) technique I had seen online to build terrain, and he looked at me rather patronizingly and as if I was nuts. Fact of the matter is that I would rather spend cash on models for the diorama than the details that can be done just as well on the cheap. Modelling is an artform as well as a challenge in making the small scale look as convincingly real as possible. And the skill is even greater when one can do more and more aspects of the work without professional products where the work is done already. Thank you!!!!
I don't disagree with a thing you've said! If you haven't, you should check out some of Shepherd Paine's work. He was a trailblazer in scale models and pretty much all of his dioramas are built from straight scratch with cheap hardware store stuff. Truly took it to an art. Thank you for watching!
I bought a few hundred pounds of military and train scale modeling equipment/ tools and like trees rocks from an estate, sand paper and tools. If anyone is interested let me know. This guy was a fanatic inho and it's good stuff.
Great tips for all of us budget modelers out there. Thank you for sharing. I will be shopping for some of these for sure. Greetings from Columbus Georgia.
As a budget modeler myself I hope these help. I traveled there for work once and got to check out the Infantry Museum. Pretty darn nice. Thank you for watching!
Another option for a Tamiya thin cement alternative is Tamiya airbrush cleaner, it’s literally the same as the thin cement but come in much larger bottles for a couple of euro more
The Tamiya extra thin is basically 50/50 MEK and acetone. Or you can use Tamiya airbrush cleaner its exactly the same stuff as there extra thin according to there MSDS info sheets, but way less expensive by volume.
@@robertmunoz7543 Haha man don't get me started. I still see people wearing PPE, alone in their vehicles. Folks are choosing not to live the very lives they're trying to save by being overly safe. But hey, to each their own I guess.
@@robertmunoz7543 For the gloss varnish I spray straight from the bottle but it may be different for your techniques. The satin and matt I use a couple of drops of water, it sprays surprisingly well. If the humidity is really low I'll use a couple of drops of cheap drying ret. to prevent tip drying but have only had to do this a few times. Flow improver will probably do the same.
Thank you for the video. I use the mineral spirits myself, but I'm not going with the Hobby Lobby stuff next time. Price for size of bottle I know I can do better. I keep a bulb pipette taped to the side of the container so I know I will not grab one that has had something else in it.
Thank you for watching! I still want to try the airbrush cleaner you also mentioned. For the longest time it was hard to get in the US but I just looked and quite a few stores are now carrying it.
I use acrylic floor finish for semigloss coat. You can get over a quart for just a few dollars. The brand is Pledge Revive It Floor Gloss. I use it as a top coat when I want to add decals then top coat with Dull Coat. As of yet I haven't found anything to replace the Dull Coat. Maybe there is something you could add to the Pledge to make it dull, I just don't know. Do you live in Georgia? I used to live in Jonesboro and moved to eastern TN. I model the Central of Georgia Railway Company. Cheers from eastern TN
I meant to add Revive It and I completely forgot! Thank you for the tip! Yeah, they're some things that are irreplaceable and Testors Dull Coat may be one of them. It's really hard to get raw materials for varnish. I live in central SC and I love Tennessee, beautiful. Thank you for watching!
I used to use MEK as a cement, and I’ve tried acetone too. I’ve also bought a quart of ethyl acetate which was recommended as an alternative to Tamiya and other cements, although I haven’t tried it yet. MEK is nice if you really want a good weld of plastic to plastic, although the downside for me is that it takes a little longer to fully dry out. Acetone dries out way too quick for me, and I’ve found it totally obliterates tiny parts instantly such as a part breaking in half the instant I touch it with the acetone. I do like it for gluing engines though, as it dries so quick I can start sanding the seams right after gluing the two halves together. I guess I could try mixing MEK and acetone to get a perfect mix of properties. Thanks for the heads up about the tape.
Really!? I've had the exact opposite experience with both. The acetone definitely dries too quickly but that's why I've always used it for the small stuff, it doesn't have time to eat into it. Maybe we have different philosophies of use. I reuse old Tamiya or Mr Cement bottles but the first thing I do is trim the brush so it doesn't pick up as much of whatever cement I'm using. I wish I could offer more advice than that and I hope you find an alternative that works. Brand name cement is expensive! Thank you for watching.
@@gatblau1 Maybe! You can heat stretch some scrap sprue really thin and try different amounts of acetone on that. Dial in the amount you use without risking your model parts.
@@SCM223 could also be the formulation of the plastic on that particular model. It was the Revell Shelby Cobra, luckily on a chassis part so nobody can see it. It could have been cracked already and the acetone just finished it off. Have you heard anything about ethyl acetate? Supposedly it works pretty good too.
@@gatblau1 That's true, I've encountered some very brittle Revell models before that also had air bubbles in the plastic. The tiny shock from cutting them from the runner was breaking them, I didn't finish that model haha. I've heard of it but that's all. I couldn't find it for less than 30 dollars for 32oz so never tried it.
Nice video even for me in Portugal. Had to have a quiet chuckle though at your quarts having only 32 fluid ounces. Most of the rest of the imperial world have 40. No criticism, just a smile.
Great tips. Gonna have to look into those tweezers. The regular fine tips I have bend too easily. I made the brass toothpicks you talked about in a previous video. Took a few attempts to get the angle like I wanted it, but they work great.
That's great! Glad it worked for you. I tried to link those tweezers but forgot you can't outside link. If you Google item# 303149565137, it should be the first result. If you search for platform or suture tying forceps you'll see a lot of different styles as well. The smaller ones are called dressing forceps. Just look at them carefully because the sellers lump in something called tissue forceps and they have giant teeth and aren't fine point. Another option you can try is take big chunky tweezers and grind the sides of the points down. Make your own heavy duty fine points.
I've gotten tweezers at a local Silver smithing supply shop locally. Needle fine tips. Also spring clamp type tweezers at gunsmith supply stores. The compressor I use with my airbrushes Is the $39 pancake 3 gallon/100 psi compressor at Harbor freight tools. Works just fine.
Anyone who will go this far in money-saving in their hobby might also want to know how to brush paint, as opposed to shelling out significant money for an airbrush and compressor. I suspect that one of the things that prevents people from entering the hobby is that the great bulk of all painting videos on the net relegate brush painting to detail work, and assume that nobody wants to paint a whole model with a hand brush. If one thinks an airbrush or expensive rattle cans are essential one might be less inclined to make a start. I guess I'm simply making a plug for brush painting here 🙂
It can certainly get crazy quick. Myself, I run a cheap 20 dollar airbrush and a pancake compressor I got at Harbor Freight for about 40 bucks. No way I'm shelling out 350 for a Grex compressor and another 200 on an Iwata airbrush. I get what you're saying though, it's definitely a cheaper option.
any budget sustitute for lacquer thinners? got a mr surfacer 1500 and an AK758 grey primer i want to thin but their corresponding in-brand products are too expensive
Unfortunately, no. I've read about people using the Green Klean Strip Lacquer Thinner but it's just acetone with a drying agent in it. I'm not a particularly careful person but, even I won't use that. I can tell you that the plain Mr Thinner will work for all lacquer based paints. I use it for Tamiya, AK, Gunze, Alclad etc.
Or the level thinner it has a retarded mixed in to it. I use for all Mr. Color & Tamiya paints. It will work with any solvent based paint. I usually buy it in the 400ml bottles if I can find it. Scale Hobbist website just got a shipment in a couple days ago. My last purchase was from Spru Brothers, that was October or early November. Nice video, great tips, will check out medical tools for sure. I already purchase medical grade bottles, they are a heavy plastic, some are squeeze type, you can also find medical grade supplies from Tatoo suppliers. Anyway model on guys and gals. Greetings from Reno.
@@bobrivett7645 Thank you! I only recommend their standard thinner because it is compatible with more paints, specifically Vallejo, Ammo By Mig and enamels that the leveling thinner isn't quite hot enough to handle.
Yes but don't go over 10% by volume and use 70% IPA. I've never had a problem with Vallejo as long as the thinner only contains ~ 6-7% alcohol. It cuts the butyl a little so it doesn't take forever to dry.
Yes and surprisingly well. The gloss you can spray right out of the bottle but the matte and semi might need a few drops of water. One or two mist coats like most acrylic varnishes then lay it on however you want.
That is a Lightning OTF. It's a great budget automatic. They're clunky but built like a tank. If you decide to get one, make sure it's the model made in Taiwan.
Yeah I tried that but wouldn't let me publish. Still waiting for a response as to why. Either way these are widely available and easy to find items on Amazon and eBay.
This is an important video for all modellers! I learned quickly in adulthood when I returned to scale modeling as a hobby that the budget is limited, and why spend it on hobby supplies that are often smaller amounts at multiplied prices of items available at hardware, home improvement, or dollar stores. I remember walking into a small hobby shop in Canada a few years ago, and talked to the owner a bit about the current popularity of the hobby. He built custom layouts for people (which as a hobbyist I think riduculous considering as a hobbyist, this is all an art form we enjoy), and tried to sell me various supplies from companies like Woodland Scenics, etc. I mentioned a very credible (and inexpensive) technique I had seen online to build terrain, and he looked at me rather patronizingly and as if I was nuts. Fact of the matter is that I would rather spend cash on models for the diorama than the details that can be done just as well on the cheap. Modelling is an artform as well as a challenge in making the small scale look as convincingly real as possible. And the skill is even greater when one can do more and more aspects of the work without professional products where the work is done already. Thank you!!!!
I don't disagree with a thing you've said! If you haven't, you should check out some of Shepherd Paine's work. He was a trailblazer in scale models and pretty much all of his dioramas are built from straight scratch with cheap hardware store stuff. Truly took it to an art. Thank you for watching!
I bought a few hundred pounds of military and train scale modeling equipment/ tools and like trees rocks from an estate, sand paper and tools. If anyone is interested let me know. This guy was a fanatic inho and it's good stuff.
Sounds awesome, one day I plan on building another train set.
Some of this I already knew but thanks for the great tips! I still learned a lot from you
That's great! Thank you.
Good video, thanks. A few I knew about but a couple of surprises.
Great video, thanks for sharing.
Great tips for all of us budget modelers out there. Thank you for sharing. I will be shopping for some of these for sure. Greetings from Columbus Georgia.
As a budget modeler myself I hope these help. I traveled there for work once and got to check out the Infantry Museum. Pretty darn nice. Thank you for watching!
Another option for a Tamiya thin cement alternative is Tamiya airbrush cleaner, it’s literally the same as the thin cement but come in much larger bottles for a couple of euro more
That's great info, thanks!
I was going to post the same! Bought the bottle long ago for the brush applicator and refill with the cleaner for about $1 per refill.
Cool Thanks. For the tools I go to the military surplus store. They are really low cost and way better than store bought tools. You rock. :)
Our only surplus store closed a few years ago and boy I miss it. They had the best stuff for camping. Thank you so much!
The Tamiya extra thin is basically 50/50 MEK and acetone. Or you can use Tamiya airbrush cleaner its exactly the same stuff as there extra thin according to there MSDS info sheets, but way less expensive by volume.
Thank you! Yeah that's one thing I forgot to mention in my video, all the great info you can get from MSDS'.
Great tips. I also use "medical" nail clippers as sprue cutters. Cheaper, better quality, and some come curved if that's what you need.
I bought a pair of cutters for ingrown nails and they're my absolute favorite. Thank you for watching!
Any links to the version you picked up? Did an amazon check - gotta admit - look great for sprues but scary for toe nails!
@@simi_ziggy Haha they do look pretty aggressive. I've been having trouble with links so I hope it goes through.
bit.ly/3vW7L2B
Good honest suggestions especially the MEK which everyone is scurrrrrred of!😂
Jman
Thank you! I know and most of them are already using it, just a different name.
Just like the covid BS some would have you believe you need a hazmat outfit to use MEK!🤣
Jman
@@robertmunoz7543 Haha man don't get me started. I still see people wearing PPE, alone in their vehicles. Folks are choosing not to live the very lives they're trying to save by being overly safe. But hey, to each their own I guess.
@@SCM223 what desantis called political theater but getting back to the hobby since it's thick what do you thin galeria mediums with?🤔
Jman
@@robertmunoz7543 For the gloss varnish I spray straight from the bottle but it may be different for your techniques. The satin and matt I use a couple of drops of water, it sprays surprisingly well. If the humidity is really low I'll use a couple of drops of cheap drying ret. to prevent tip drying but have only had to do this a few times. Flow improver will probably do the same.
excellent, thank you
I appreciate you watching!
YT just suggested this, useful. Looks like a channel to subscribe to.
Thank you and hope it helps!
New subscriber here. Great tips! Budget minded is a great help to me, my funds are limited. Thanks.
and Idlike to add if you are using the fast tamiya cement yo u can by the tamiya airbrush cleaner, its exaclly the same stuff!
Thank you for the video. I use the mineral spirits myself, but I'm not going with the Hobby Lobby stuff next time. Price for size of bottle I know I can do better. I keep a bulb pipette taped to the side of the container so I know I will not grab one that has had something else in it.
For sure! You can get a gallon for less than 20 bucks at WM. Thank you for watching!
Thank you for sharing your comments. I have found it very useful.
Larry Landis
Thank you! I hope I can continue to help in the future.
Thank you great video
Thank you for watching!
Good tips young man 🏁🏆🏁
thanks for the info! almost half of that I didnt know!
Thank you for watching! I still want to try the airbrush cleaner you also mentioned. For the longest time it was hard to get in the US but I just looked and quite a few stores are now carrying it.
I use acrylic floor finish for semigloss coat. You can get over a quart for just a few dollars. The brand is Pledge Revive It Floor Gloss. I use it as a top coat when I want to add decals then top coat with Dull Coat. As of yet I haven't found anything to replace the Dull Coat. Maybe there is something you could add to the Pledge to make it dull, I just don't know. Do you live in Georgia? I used to live in Jonesboro and moved to eastern TN. I model the Central of Georgia Railway Company. Cheers from eastern TN
I meant to add Revive It and I completely forgot! Thank you for the tip! Yeah, they're some things that are irreplaceable and Testors Dull Coat may be one of them. It's really hard to get raw materials for varnish. I live in central SC and I love Tennessee, beautiful. Thank you for watching!
Good video. Thanks.
Thank you for watching!
Hillbilly modeling AKA Johnny using acrylic craft paints has interested me. Just subbed. Good luck with your channel
Heck yeah, I use them pretty often myself. This hobby can get expensive and stuff like that helps. Thank you!
Thank you young man. Your suggestions will help out quite alot.
I'm glad to hear it!
ty for the chemistry lesson show us a mix breakdown if you get a chance...
As in the molecular formula of MEK or a mix of something I mentioned in the video?
Great Tips! Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you and I hope they help!
I used to use MEK as a cement, and I’ve tried acetone too. I’ve also bought a quart of ethyl acetate which was recommended as an alternative to Tamiya and other cements, although I haven’t tried it yet.
MEK is nice if you really want a good weld of plastic to plastic, although the downside for me is that it takes a little longer to fully dry out. Acetone dries out way too quick for me, and I’ve found it totally obliterates tiny parts instantly such as a part breaking in half the instant I touch it with the acetone. I do like it for gluing engines though, as it dries so quick I can start sanding the seams right after gluing the two halves together. I guess I could try mixing MEK and acetone to get a perfect mix of properties.
Thanks for the heads up about the tape.
Really!? I've had the exact opposite experience with both. The acetone definitely dries too quickly but that's why I've always used it for the small stuff, it doesn't have time to eat into it. Maybe we have different philosophies of use. I reuse old Tamiya or Mr Cement bottles but the first thing I do is trim the brush so it doesn't pick up as much of whatever cement I'm using. I wish I could offer more advice than that and I hope you find an alternative that works. Brand name cement is expensive! Thank you for watching.
@@SCM223 it could be I put too much acetone on it. I should use a smaller brush.
@@gatblau1 Maybe! You can heat stretch some scrap sprue really thin and try different amounts of acetone on that. Dial in the amount you use without risking your model parts.
@@SCM223 could also be the formulation of the plastic on that particular model. It was the Revell Shelby Cobra, luckily on a chassis part so nobody can see it. It could have been cracked already and the acetone just finished it off.
Have you heard anything about ethyl acetate? Supposedly it works pretty good too.
@@gatblau1 That's true, I've encountered some very brittle Revell models before that also had air bubbles in the plastic. The tiny shock from cutting them from the runner was breaking them, I didn't finish that model haha. I've heard of it but that's all. I couldn't find it for less than 30 dollars for 32oz so never tried it.
Good information to know, thanks for sharing.
Glad it was helpful!
Nice video even for me in Portugal. Had to have a quiet chuckle though at your quarts having only 32 fluid ounces. Most of the rest of the imperial world have 40. No criticism, just a smile.
That's really interesting and I had no idea. I feel robbed! Thank you for watching and the interesting knowledge!
Makes your gallons look really tiny at only ¾ of the size.😅
Great tips. Gonna have to look into those tweezers. The regular fine tips I have bend too easily. I made the brass toothpicks you talked about in a previous video. Took a few attempts to get the angle like I wanted it, but they work great.
That's great! Glad it worked for you. I tried to link those tweezers but forgot you can't outside link. If you Google item# 303149565137, it should be the first result. If you search for platform or suture tying forceps you'll see a lot of different styles as well. The smaller ones are called dressing forceps. Just look at them carefully because the sellers lump in something called tissue forceps and they have giant teeth and aren't fine point. Another option you can try is take big chunky tweezers and grind the sides of the points down. Make your own heavy duty fine points.
I've gotten tweezers at a local Silver smithing supply shop locally. Needle fine tips. Also spring clamp type tweezers at gunsmith supply stores. The compressor I use with my airbrushes Is the $39 pancake 3 gallon/100 psi compressor at Harbor freight tools. Works just fine.
Great tips and ideas thanks
Thank you for watching and hope it helps.
thank you for the tips
You're welcome. I hope they help!
Great tips. Knew some of them but not all. Thanks.
Hopefully they help. Thank you!
Thanks I didn't know then cement was MEK.
You're welcome, thank you for watching!
Great tips!
Great video and great tips I subscribed!
Thank you! I just checked out your Ecto-1. That thing is going to be a beast!
@@SCM223 Thanks! I think its going to weight like 25-30 pounds when done, insane.
Thank you much 😊
You're welcome! Hope it helps.
Nice stiletto! 😊
Great Video SIR
Thank you. Hope it helps!
Anyone who will go this far in money-saving in their hobby might also want to know how to brush paint, as opposed to shelling out significant money for an airbrush and compressor. I suspect that one of the things that prevents people from entering the hobby is that the great bulk of all painting videos on the net relegate brush painting to detail work, and assume that nobody wants to paint a whole model with a hand brush. If one thinks an airbrush or expensive rattle cans are essential one might be less inclined to make a start. I guess I'm simply making a plug for brush painting here 🙂
It can certainly get crazy quick. Myself, I run a cheap 20 dollar airbrush and a pancake compressor I got at Harbor Freight for about 40 bucks. No way I'm shelling out 350 for a Grex compressor and another 200 on an Iwata airbrush. I get what you're saying though, it's definitely a cheaper option.
Acetone with Styrofoam melted into it naked a good adhesive.
I've heard it makes a good filler too but haven't tried it. Thank you!
any budget sustitute for lacquer thinners? got a mr surfacer 1500 and an AK758 grey primer i want to thin but their corresponding in-brand products are too expensive
Unfortunately, no. I've read about people using the Green Klean Strip Lacquer Thinner but it's just acetone with a drying agent in it. I'm not a particularly careful person but, even I won't use that. I can tell you that the plain Mr Thinner will work for all lacquer based paints. I use it for Tamiya, AK, Gunze, Alclad etc.
Or the level thinner it has a retarded mixed in to it. I use for all Mr. Color & Tamiya paints. It will work with any solvent based paint. I usually buy it in the 400ml bottles if I can find it. Scale Hobbist website just got a shipment in a couple days ago. My last purchase was from Spru Brothers, that was October or early November.
Nice video, great tips, will check out medical tools for sure. I already purchase medical grade bottles, they are a heavy plastic, some are squeeze type, you can also find medical grade supplies from Tatoo suppliers. Anyway model on guys and gals. Greetings from Reno.
@@bobrivett7645 Thank you! I only recommend their standard thinner because it is compatible with more paints, specifically Vallejo, Ammo By Mig and enamels that the leveling thinner isn't quite hot enough to handle.
If you get Heet, it’s an additive to remove water from your gas tank, it’s 99% I isopropyl alcohol, Walmart and auto parts stores carry it
Nice! I knew about Heet but didn't know it was alcohol. Thanks!
Can you use this acrylic thinner for vallejo? Vallejo doesn't like IPA.
Yes but don't go over 10% by volume and use 70% IPA. I've never had a problem with Vallejo as long as the thinner only contains ~ 6-7% alcohol. It cuts the butyl a little so it doesn't take forever to dry.
good video. thanks for taking the time.
Happy to and thanks for watching!
can the Galeria varnishes be airbrushed?
Yes and surprisingly well. The gloss you can spray right out of the bottle but the matte and semi might need a few drops of water. One or two mist coats like most acrylic varnishes then lay it on however you want.
Thanks
@@SCM223
BMS? VMS? What were you talking about there?
Vantage Modelling Solutions.
I'd like to know about your knife that's lying there on the bench.
That is a Lightning OTF. It's a great budget automatic. They're clunky but built like a tank. If you decide to get one, make sure it's the model made in Taiwan.
Also check your states laws because it may be illegal to carry or even possess.
@@SCM223
I'm in Kentucky. I can carry anything!
@@SCM223
Thanks for the info. I'll check it out.👍🏻
@@tedhart7708 Right on! I also live in a free state haha.
put a link whee the items
Yeah I tried that but wouldn't let me publish. Still waiting for a response as to why. Either way these are widely available and easy to find items on Amazon and eBay.
👁👁
Great video, subscribe? yes thank you very much👍🏼👍🏼