Hobby Ideas

Books – If you are building a model of something that interests you (and you should be), you may already have some books on the topic.

If you are building a racing bike (Motogp, Superbike etc), the best book I could recommend would be Motocourse, this is released every year and is a review of the highest profile motorcycle road racing series in the world. As it is a yearly publication, if you are doing a model from 1995, the 1995 Motocourse book would have pictures from that year. However, these books are very collectible and could be hard to find or expensive to buy, so try your library or local bike shop if you are having problems.

If it is a car you are doing, the equivalent book would be Autocourse; however this only covers Formula 1. There is also a Rallycourse, Champ Car and a few others in the series to check out. There is also a monthly motorsport magazine called Autosport Monthly, this covers most of the 4 wheeled racing series and is also a good source of information.

What are decals?

The decals are extremely thin, usually lazer cut, ‘transfers’ that are mounted on a sheet of specially coated card. They are individually numbered for easy identification when following the instructions. They are not sticky backed in the traditional sense, the adhesive is water activated when soaked.

Here are some useful hints & tips to help you when building a model.

• Choose a model that you will be confident of doing well, start simple and progress to more complex kits as you improve.

• Choose a model that interests you.

• Before starting make sure you have all the equipment you need such as glue, correct paints, brushes etc

• Rather than trying to cut plastic parts from the spru in a single step, which will often result in minor damage, regard it as a two step process.

• Cut the part from the spru framework with sharp pliers by cutting the spru a short distance from the part. With the part completely detached from the framework, you can use a sharp knife to trim of the bits of spru that are still attached to it and lightly sand if necessary.

• Before gluing parts together, test that they make a good fit and lightly sand edges if required.

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