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Senior Member
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Member
Great models everyone 
Hi B2,
I'm not an expert by any means, but I could give you a few pointers too if you're just starting out:
The best Il-2 in 1/72 is the Academy, and the best in 1/48 us the Accurate Miniatures.
For your first model, maybe get a cheapo $5 throwaway kit to practise some techniques and figure out what tools you really need.
As a guide (but by no means exhaustive list) here's what I've got in my toolbox (a shoebox actually
)
Construction:
- Scissors
- No. 11 knife and extra blades
- sandpaper: 400 and 600 grit - simply cut a 1 inch square at a time and dip in water prior to use.
- lady's fingerboard: with 7 sides. perfect for polishing imperfections on canopies.
- Tiny spatula: The end is a long elliptical shape, and perfect for applying just the right amount of putty.
- Putty: I use Squadron's white most of the time. Green is tricky because it shrinks and can attack the plastic. There's also Tamiya variety and Mr. Surfacer
- Glue: I recommend Testor's Liquid Cement in a glass bottle. This is Methyl-Ethyl-Keytone and actually melts the styrene, creating a very strong bond. If a part is warped out of shape, simply press the parts together and brush the stuff on the outside of the join. It will flow into the crevises via capillary action and will bond the parts perfectly. Simply go inch by inch and you will have a seamless result in most cases.
- Tweezers: Maybe you won't need this for most builds, but fine tipped tweezers have been a life-saver for me in a lot of cases. I also have a pair which naturally squeeze so I have a "third hand" when painting.
- Toothpicks: These have a million uses and are also good for pushing acrylic paint aside if you've accidentally messed up when working on a canopy. The wood won't scratch the plastic 
- Camera: Let's see pictures of your build progress!!
Paint:
Acrylics are usually easy to use and can be thinned with water. Beware of Tamiya stuff though. They work best with their native thinner or with Isopropyl and ******er.
Enamels require mineral spirits usually. However, they grip the plastic very well, and I often use an enamel as a base coat for acrylics if I have to.
- Straw: use this for grabbing paint to place in your mixing dish (often times a bottle cap). Cut off the part that you used with scissors.
- Pipette: I use this for transferring thinners only. Thin enamels about 50-50 for brushwork.
- Brush: I use only two now, but you will need more depending on the work you do. I have a small flat brush for general painting and a tiny pointed one for details. Always clean a brush thoroughly after each use and don't allow paint to dry on it, or you will ruin it.
- Metal skewer thingy: This is a great tool. It's like a long toothpick, perfect for stirring up paint (a lot of paints don't tolerate shaking). It has a loop on the end which is perfect for opening Humbrol tins without bending the cap out of shape.
- Tamiya tape: simply the best masking tape there is. It's flexible, and not too sticky. However, be sure to burnish down the edge well or paint will seep underneath. The color of the tape will darken as it's burnished.
- Small jar(s): Use this to contain a bit of your thinner. Thinners come in a big can or bottle which can be clunky to use. I have one with mineral spirits and I swirl the brush around the side walls to clean it (don't swirl at the bottom or perpendicular to any surface). Eventually the particles settle and the thinner is clear to use again.
When painting, always be sure to thin properly. When this is done, the paint will level out as it dries, creating a smooth uniform surface. However, you WILL have to make at least a few coats to get a good result. Don't attempt to go over an area that's already been painted or you will gum up the paint and ruin that smooth finish. Depending on your climate, enamels can take somewhere from overnight to a week to dry properly. Patience is key! If you do mess up the surface, simply sand the bump when dry and make another coat. With practise you will get great results.
Finishing:
- Future Acrylic floor polish: dip the clear parts in this to increase the lustre and allow the use of superglue to fix canopy parts without the risk of fogging. It's also a great glosscoat prior to application of Decals.
- Decal solvent: Mircro set is great for most tasks. Often you must apply mutliple coats before the decal sets. Solvaset is strong and may attack Future, so I thin it with water sometimes.
- Testors Dullcoat: This is a flat finish that goes on after the gloss. I want to try to brush flat finishes as the cans are expensive, but I'm not yet sure how that will turn out.
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Senior Member
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Senior Member
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Senior Member
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Senior Member
Wow! Most impressive Mr. Low_Flyer.
Amazing to see how you bring these figures to life. Both are stunners. Really love the colors you acheived on the Green Witch. 
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Senior Member
Thanks very much, JG2. 
This Elf babe's going to be more of a challenge, but again, I saw it and just had to have it...
One fine day, I'd like to be able to bang them out like this - just keep scrolling down to see some fabulous interpretations of a Dark Sword mini...
http://www.darkswordminiatures.../GRRMline_Cersei.htm
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Senior Member
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Senior Member
Very nice figures, LF! I particularely lik ethe cloak on the last one.
My gaming comuter (main computer actually) has gone belly up, so perhaps I can start looking at my own modest 1:72 Hurri...
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Senior Member
That happened to me also Friendly. gaming box died so got to work on the Panther Tank I started last year. Here's what Ive gotten so far.