Best practices

BEWARE RISK OF BURNS With most plastic, hot water is usually enough to bend it. If you are straightening weapon barrels that have gone a bit wayward then place them under the hot tap and let it run until the water is too hot to touch. This...

This is really dependent on what it is you plan to glue. There are several different glues for different materials.  If you are planning on gluing a plastic kit, then the best glue to use is polystyrene cement. Some modellers use superglue or...

The principle is quite straightforward: as you are painting your figure or model there may be parts that you don't want to have to retouch if your brush should slip or take on a mind of its own. It is like masking tape but in liquid form. Simply...

Even if officially classified as a hardwood, balsa wood is a very soft wood, so extreme care should be taken when handling and cutting. It comes in many thicknesses and can be bought in sheets or square lengths. When cutting sheets is it best to...

The main problem, which we have all been guilty of at one time or another is using too much glue. The secret is: "you don't need very much glue". When it comes to applying the glue to the model, try using a cocktail stick/tooth pick or a...

Keeping your airbrush clean is very important and you need to do it straight after using it. Even a tiny bit of dried paint left can really mess up how well your airbrush works and make the paint spray come out all wrong. First off, clean out the...

How you attach trees really depends on the type of trees you are using. Many trees have wire forming the body of the tree/trunk very similar to a bottle brush, which allows for the trunk to be sunk directly into the scenery. Simply push them down...

The most common wood for baseboards is probably chipboard as this is relatively inexpensive. Plywood is another alternative but is slightly more expensive. Stay clear of MDF as it absorbs moisture and needs to be sealed. MDF is also difficult to...

There is of course the old tried and tested method, the track rubber which does the job, no railway modeller should be without one. But there are also other products out there which take the strain for cleaning large sections of track. Dapol for...

Bear in mind that Sundeala is designed to be used as a pinboard or notice board. As Sundeala is not actually a wood and is made from recycled paper, it is not the best thing to be making the base board for your railway layout. There are several...

For wargaming figures, a small coin or washer glued to the under side of the base will usually to do the job. This may also work for larger static based models. However if you are going to be weighting your rolling stock or a plane, a more...

This a hard question to answer. There are no hard and fast rules about how often you should clean the track. Bear in mind the track carries the electricity to the engine, so if your track is not clean, your trains are not going to run correctly....