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