Beginner’s How-To Guide to Model Cars

We’re constantly looking for new ways to spend our free time and there are a million things we can do. We just need to find something that will spark our interest and make us enjoy that little spare time we have. Some of the most popular hobbies today include RC planes, trucks, model trains and cars.

Benefits of Building Model Kits

Choosing scale modelling as a hobby has many benefits. The first one is skill development. As you pick out the model you want to build, you learn more about its history, and when you construct it, you’re developing several other skills along the process, such as planning, cutting, drilling, gluing, painting, and many others. Since model cars enable you to spend a little bit of time with yourself and relax, it means that this hobby is stress-relieving and helps you forget about your problems for a while. On the other hand, if you prefer group activities, this can be time well-spent with the people you love.

And the last benefit, which is maybe the greatest, is the sense of achievement. Any time we do something successfully, we feel reward and we’re proud of what we’ve made. With modelling, it’s easy to do something which is worthy of praising ourselves because we build in stages and just a little progress is enough to make us feel good. This is more than enough to choose your model from the variety of plastic model cars and start building today!

What Are the Scale Sizes for Models?

Choosing the right scale is important because it has a big impact on the entire building experience. The model is just a fraction of the vehicle’s real size. For example, a 1:24 scale means that the car is 1/24 of the real car’s size. The model is larger if the scale number is smaller. You need to try to see which scale you enjoy working on and you can stick to it or go for different scales and experiment. Larger models might be easier to work with because they don’t contain small, complex parts, but small models are usually finished faster. Some of the most popular models are:

1:12 – large and very detailed model, usually more expensive;

1:18 – also large scale model cars, usually bought by adult collectors;

1:24 – pretty popular model, with a lot of kits being built with this scale;

1:32 – a pretty common size, especially for vintage car models;

1:43 – very popular model, used in Australia, Britain, Europe.

Find a Subject that You Will Enjoy Building

You need to find a model that you love so you’re excited to build it. Especially for your first builds, look for something you’ve always liked because you don’t want to be stuck with a model that you don’t care about. After all, it’s complex work that requires time and energy and no one has that for things we don’t appreciate. Look at the things you’re a fan of and find your inspiration there because, nowadays, plastic model cars are very advanced and you’ll almost always find the exact model you’re looking for.

What Are the Different Types of Car Model Kits?

According to your skill level, you can find simple and very intricate model car kits. If you’re new to the hobby and want to start easy or if you’re buying a present for someone else or for a kid, skill level one model cars are frequently chosen. These don’t require any glue because they consist of snap-together pieces that are easy to assemble. It can give you a general idea of how a car is assembled and what the basic parts are. Also, they don’t take much time to complete.

Skill level two kits are a bit more advanced and are recommended for older kids or beginners that still need practice. They require gluing and also painting because the model comes in the colour which it was made in, usually white. Since there can be a different number of parts, the model can be finished in a day or several days.

Skill level three includes even more advanced gluing and painting. They’re more detailed and you’ll need to purchase more tools, paints and colours to work with. Depending on how you want the painting to be, you can finish it in a day or more.

Skill level four model car kits have more parts that need to be painted and glued together and they’re for more experienced modellers. They’re pretty complex to assemble and can even include extra parts, which gives freedom to the builder to build something unique.

Skill level five are for expert builders. They contain hundreds of pieces, can have extra parts, and usually take a bit more time to complete. Of course, it all depends on your skills and patience.

What Tools Do You Need for Model Making?

Depending on what your kit contains, you’ll probably need a few additional tools for modelling. Plastic kits are made of plastic that’s easy to bond with chemical glues. Usually, you buy the glue and paint separately. For the kits that don’t contain snap-together pieces, you’ll need several additional tools as well, such as a hobby knife that comes in handy in many situations during the process of building. Safety glasses are required if you’re cutting small pieces because you don’t want to risk debris and small shards causing an eye injury. Some useful tools are tweezers, paintbrushes, pins, toothpicks, tape, and others.

Quality and Cost of Model Kits

With the advancement in technology, the quality of car model kits has greatly improved. Newer models fit together easier as they should because they’re tested to ensure there are no defects. Older kits and those on sale are very affordable but you might encounter certain problems when building because the parts don’t work together as expected. For beginners, it’s best to stick to recent releases that will cause no frustrations. The prices vary a lot and that’s due to the quality and complexity of the kit. In the initial stages, it’s wise not to spend too much because you’ll be still in the learning phase, so it’s unlikely that you’ll want to keep and display the models you’ve made. After some time, when you’re more experienced and know what you want, you can invest a bit more and get the model you want.

---