As a teenager, and even from the age of 6, I liked to build plastic models. At one point I think I had built every 1:172 scale plastic model in existence. I’ve built racing cars, army tanks, HO scale railway buildings, and just about every plane possible. In fact, I had so many airplanes hung from my ceiling with fishing line that sometimes you couldn’t see the ceiling. A miniature Smithsonian Aviation Museum is being built, so that’s what I did in my youth and really enjoyed it.
Now that I’m older, I still enjoy building models, painting them with air, and although I don’t have room for all of them, I also enjoy building dioramas. Now, if you want to learn more about building plastic models, or if you want the models you build to be better, more realistic, and more historically authentic, then there is a very good book that I would recommend. for you, and it is actually one that I myself own. The name of the book is;
“Plastic Modeling Kits” by Jack C. Harris, Crestwood House Publishers, New York, NY, (1993), 48 pages, ISBN: 0-89686-623-8.
The author of this book is a master modeller, and this book is well illustrated. Mr. Jack C. Harris has written an excellent book and has included chapters on; plastic model kits, how to choose your first plastic kit to build and how you can improve your skills. It also explains the tools you’ll need to build these models, along with the glues and paints. There’s a great section on airbrushing, and I wish I had this book as a teenager because I really could have used it.
Would you like to learn how to customize your plastic models once you’re done? There is also a chapter on that. And there’s information on how to win and enter contests, and where to display your plastic models where they’ll be seen the most. You’d be surprised if museums are happy to have your plastic models if they’re made correctly, and you can even enter them at your local county fair for prizes and recognition.
There is information in the book on how to join master modeling clubs, or even how to start your own club with other local hobbyists. And if you’re worried about using the correct terminology when talking to your model friends, there’s a full glossary in the back, so you use the right buzzwords. In fact, I hope you’ll consider this if you plan on building plastic models for profit or as a hobby. Please think about it.