| Many years ago Sterling had a wooden kit | | | | thoroughly dry between coats. Sometimes |
| of the USS Missouri in a fairly large | | | | that might take a day or two. A trick |
| scale. Unfortunately Estes bought the | | | | that a friend uses for his funny car |
| assets of Sterling and the Missouri is | | | | models is to use finger nail polish as |
| not currently available. I hate to think | | | | it dries very smooth. |
| what one might run on EBay. About the | | | | I have managed to get fairly smooth |
| only option today would be a plastic | | | | finishes by polishing the surface prior |
| model and about the biggest is 1/350th. | | | | to my first coat and building up the |
| Tamiya has a good kit, but if you want | | | | paint in light layers. I also sometimes |
| wood you will pretty much be out of | | | | use flat paints and a final gloss coat |
| luck. | | | | that usually results in a smooth finish. |
| While I have seen some hand painted | | | | There really is not a science to good |
| models it is a skill I have never been | | | | paint finish; it is more of an art that |
| able to develop. Most really bang up | | | | each person develops on their own. |
| jobs are done with airbrush. For that I | | | | I am not sure what scale architectural |
| would recommend a Paasche model "H". It | | | | models are build to, but 1:200 does not |
| is good, durable airbrush that is | | | | equate to inches very well. 1/48th works |
| packaged with three different tips. It | | | | out to 1/4-inch equals 1 foot, and 1/72 |
| is cheaper than an Iwata, though some | | | | equal 1/6 to one foot. The scale should |
| Hobby Lobby stores carry both and you | | | | be divisible by 12 (i.e. 1/144th scale |
| can usually score one during Hobby | | | | would be 144 divided by 12 which gives 1 |
| Lobby's 40% of sales. | | | | 12 of an inch equals one foot). You |
| Acrylic paints are something that I have | | | | could always go with 1/192 (1/16 of an |
| not gotten into and do not know much | | | | inch equals one foot), which is a |
| about. The advantage is that you do not | | | | popular scale for ship models. Another |
| have to use special thinners. Some | | | | choice would be use metric where 1/200th |
| modelers use Windex to thin. My | | | | would work fine. |
| experience is mainly with enamels. I | | | | As far as materials you have a good |
| have a friend that uses finger nail | | | | choice. There is always the old standby: |
| polish thinned with lacquer thinner on | | | | balsa wood. Balsa is light and easy to |
| his cars, as he likes the range of | | | | cut. A better choice might be plastics, |
| colors and fine grain of the metallic | | | | in which case I would recommend using |
| metal flake ones. | | | | plastic from Evergreen Scale Models. |
| You do not have to have a compressor, | | | | That company produces a wide variety of |
| some people prefer to use a CO2 bottle, | | | | shapes (sheet plastic, I beams, |
| but that seems somewhat expensive. Some | | | | corrugated, etc.). Plastic also produces |
| of the discount tool companies (like | | | | plastic in many construction type |
| Harbor Freight) stock inexpensive | | | | shapes. |
| compressors. Probably the most import | | | | Three possibilities come to mind. One is |
| thing to a good finish is good surface | | | | the old standby balsa wood. Balsa is |
| preparation. In other words a good | | | | fairly cheap and easy to work with. |
| clean. Smooth surface. As I have gotten | | | | Several glues can be used with balsa: |
| older I have developed a tendency to | | | | Elmer's, wood glue, super glue and even |
| prime the surface and after that dries | | | | an adhesive that is used it wooden model |
| well to sand it with very fine grit | | | | construction. Balsa can be cut with an |
| paper. Try 3200, 2500, in that range. | | | | Exacta knife, or razor blade using a |
| Afterwards I wash it and allow it to dry | | | | straight edge for straight lines. Sheet |
| thoroughly. Thinning the paint is an | | | | plastic is the second material. |
| art, not a science. That is something | | | | Super glues, or solvent type glues work |
| you just have to experiment with. | | | | fairly well and plastic is very easy to |
| The best (smoothest) finish should be | | | | cut in straight lines, you need only |
| obtained by applying a good color coat | | | | score it with the blade and then snap it |
| first. After that has dried well you can | | | | along the line. The third possibility is |
| polish out any irregularities with fine | | | | solid foam like that used in insulation. |
| grit sand paper (2000, 3200, something | | | | The first two are available at any hobby |
| of that order.). If additional coats are | | | | shop and the foam is available at a |
| needed you can apply them lightly | | | | hardware store. There are always the old |
| afterwards. I would wait for clear coat | | | | standbys paper and cardboard, but they |
| until the finish is blemish free. If you | | | | do not offer any more ease in |
| are using gloss paint for the color | | | | construction and will not have the |
| coats make sure that the coats are | | | | strength of the other three I mentioned. |