Choosing your first kit

There are a lot of kits to choose from. What should you look for in selecting your first kit? First, it should be a kit you like; find a character that you like or find cute.

Second, consider of the number of pieces. Too many pieces will be frustrating, but too few can lead to a lot more masking or making it harder to paint. I reccomend a kit that’s between 10-20 pieces. For example,

Also, consider the scale of the kit. I reccomend a scale between 1/8 and 1/6th. At scales 1/5th and up you will need more practice with accurate pinning and making sure everything is balanced. Smaller than 1/8th and you’ll be dealing with very small details and small pieces.

Third, the pose: pick a kit with a stable pose. Having two feet on the ground or sitting will be more stable and that makes it easier to practice assembling. For example:

As cute as they are I would reccomend avoiding kits with one small connection to the base. For example:

Finally, If you are ordering from a recast site make sure the In Stock or In Production (you can contact the shop for the estimated release date). Some preorders take months or years to fulfill before going into production and “Coming Soon” on E2046 is meaningless.

Prep

Your first kit is on the way; now you need tools to build it! I always reccomend checking out your local hobby/craft/hardware stores first and seeing what they offer. These are the basic tools I used when prepping my first kit.

1. Wire Cutters (aka Nippers): Used for cutting of tabs and cutting wire for pins. Any craft store with a jewelry section will have these.
   • DO NOT buy Godhand Ultimate nippers! Those are made for plastic model kits and will break cutting resin and metal wire.
2. Small Drill Bits: Used for drilling into pieces for pinning. I reccomend a range of sizes for various uses. I reccomend a Pin Vise Hand Drill or Dremel (knock offs work great too) for kits . Check to see if you need a chuck to hold the smaller drill bits.
3. Wire: Get a range of wire gauges that match your drill bits. I reccomend large: 12 gauge, medium: 18. and small: 24. Some people use brass rods because they are much sturdier, but I find that amount of sturdiness not needed for most beginner projects.
4. Putty: Used for filling gaps between pieces or filling pinning holes for a snug fit. I reccomend Milliput White or Tamiya Epoxy putty because they are easy to get in the USA and it doesn’t shrink when dry like Tamiya white and grey putty.
5. Glue: Used for gluing in the “male” pin into the resin during prep and painting; and used for gluing the finished kit together. I don’t reccomend a specific brand, but I highly reccomend a “gel” formulation for more control when applying.
6. Sandpaper: Used for sanding seam-lines and smoothing out dry putty. I reccomend getting 200 and 400 grit for opaque resin and 600 – 2000 for clear parts.

Safety First!!! Resin dust is harmful and can lead to cancer if breathed in. Please wear a respirator or sand with wet paper to reduce harm

Wash & Prime

Resin might be coated with mold release and paint and primer won’t stay on well if it’s not removed. Before priming resin should be soaked with degreaser and scrubbed to make sure it comes off. Once it’s washed and dry it should be primed. Rattle cans of Tamiya surface primer are easy to find in well-stocked hobby shops and online. Be sure to spray outside or in a well ventilated area! Spray in thin coats and dry completely before painting.

Paint

It’s hard for me to reccomend how to paint by hand; after my first kit I bought an airbrush. Again, if you have a local hobby shop see what they have in stock. A good acrylic brand like Tamiya, Vallejo, Mr. Hobby Aqueous are good starts. Even cheap craft acrylics can be a good starting point. The general rules of hand painting are:

1. Thin your paint. Your goal is to have your paint be the consistency of milk not water (there’s a difference). Check if your acrylic paint is thinned with water or a special thinner (like Tamiya).
2. Thin coats. The best way to have smooth hand painted models is a lot of thin coats over 1 thick one.
3. Dry completely between coats. If you don’t let the paint completely dry you’ll risk picking up previous coats of paint with your brush.

Side note: “Acrylic” is an all encompassing term. It doesn’t just mean “water-based”. Tamiya Acrylic is alcohol-based which means if you try to thin it with water it will mess up the paint. Aqueous Hobby Color is water based, but they sell a matching thinner. While Mr.Hobby Acrysion is solvent based which means it needs it’s specialized thinner.

Rule of Thumb: If they sell a matching thinner, buy it.

I highly suggest looking at doll customizing videos on Youtube (or “western” figure painters). There are a lot of examples of hand painting and using pastels/ make-up for shading. Tamiya also makes weathering sets for skin (that looks just like a make-up compact). Before adding pastels you need a matte coat of paint for the pastels to ‘stick’. I would avoid buying cheapest pastels because the they won’t actually show up and it will be frustrating.

Eyes and Details

First, eyes are hard. It’s probably the skill you’ll need to practice the most, or, you can use decals. But, not every kit comes with them and you’ll be happy to have that practice. I reccomend getting a small vice or something similar to hold the head piece as you paint it. It creates more surface area for you to hold onto to stabilize your hands and your hands won’t have to touch the piece itself. Find a small detail brush with long bristles (left) because that helps hold more paint and allows for fluid motions when painting eyelashes. Avoid the tiny, stumpy “spotter” brushes (right); they are good for what the name applies: spotting. They are good for a small dot of paint and not much else.

If painting the details too intimidating you can draw the details with fine tip micron markers or water color pencils (again, check out doll YouTube for great tutorials).

Top Coat

Once you finish your kit sealing it with a clear, matte top coat will help protect the paint. If you can find Mr.Super Clear Matte in a rattle can I highly reccomend it. If not a clear matte spray can from a hardware store will still work, but I find them to be more satin than matte. Remember to spray in a well ventilated area or outside.

Once the top coat is dry you can paint Pledge Floor Care with a brush to add gloss to the eyes, nails, and anything else you want glossy.

Enjoy your kit!

Take some photos and share them! You did it! Also, think about what went well, what you want to improve on your next project, and what new technique or skill you want to try with your next project.