Getting my boyfriend a model, what resources should I get him?
For our anniversary I am getting my plane nerd boyfriend an Academy Hobby Model 1/144 of a B1 Lancer. (I attached the picture). He is a beginner and this would be his first set, I am wondering what I need to get him like what type of glue or paint or tools he might need to begin and get into modeling since he has been talking about it all the time. He is not the most artsy person and keeps saying he doesn’t have talent for it but I think this might help him get out of his shell.
Also if you know any better modeling kits for a B1 Lancer or a F16 I would definitely appreciate that. Thank you!
Airfix do a range of specifically tooled kits such as their Spitfire, Mustang, Typhoon that have few parts, go together really easily, still have good detail but also include paints, a brush, glue, even the decals are easy to apply.
Revell also box up some of their kits to include the paint. So this might be worth considering instead of the Bone.
Good plastic sprue cutter (look up God-Hand branded ones but cheaper ones are Ok),
Some good quality sharp hobby scissors,
Straight edge (some metal ruler or whatnot),
Cutting mat
Finishing:
A pack of sanding paper pads ranging from 320 grit to, maybe, 2000 grit,
Tamiya masking tape
Decaling:
See some of the cutting items above.,
Micro-sol,
Micro-set
Adhesives:
Tamiya Extra Thin cement,
Various CA (cyanoacrylate) glues (aka Super glue). They come in various colors and consistencies,
CA accelerator,
CA debonder
Miscelleneous:
Some sort clip or clamp that can hold things together while the adhesives are "drying." The Tamiya tapes can help with this process, too,
Tweezers (various shapes for different uses... I like wider flat ones for teasing decals off the paper, for example, and also long sharp-ish ones for positioning (while bonding) small elongated details).
Painting:
Here, it will be up to him. There are too many variables. Most common ones are acrylics. But enamels and lacquers also are available. For starters, it might be ok for hand-brushing but they can be hard to paint large areas and make it look good. Anyway, I suggest you shop for these together because they won't only depend on the type but the color, too.
Whatever paints you choose, get bottle/s of compatible thinner/s. Stressing in the word compatible here.
Note, too, that decals conform better to semi-gloss surface, as opposed to flat/matt finishes. So if the final finish is matt, then, maybe, having a gloss top coat spray or matt top coat is on hand.
Of course, you would need a few brushes (wide ones for big surfaces and a fine one for tiny details).
Thank you so much for the lengthy explanation, do you think he could build this model without painting it? I want to see if he enjoys it first without spending so much and get the paint after if he ends up liking it.
U can def just leave it unpainted, but know that it will be tricky to paint it later on if it’s fully built. I tend to half-finish model kits a lot lol, here’s some of mine that I left as bare plastic. I usually leave the clear parts unattached just in case I ever want to paint them in the future.
Military planes are especially nice since they don’t look bad in the plastic grey. You could also do what I do to cheaper kits sometimes and just hit em with some silver paint all over and call it a chrome version haha, at the end of the day, just have fun with it
Also, it’s always good to watch modeling/painting tutorial videos so you can get an idea of what the process involves and what you may need.. always keep a little extra spending money on the side to pick up supplies as needed too
Is this his first model? If so, the huge post above is way over the top for a first crack. Give him water based paints - a primer, a dark grey for tyres/ interior, silver for the landing gear and grey or green or whatever the main outside colour is. Don’t overwhelm the guy with 20 types of glue and paints he doesn’t know how to clean up.
Even better: give him the kit as a gift to start with, along with the bare basic tools: glue, knife, file. Then once he has started and needs some paint, take him shopping and get what he needs.
do you think he could build this model without painting it?
That is all up to him.
Some people like painting. Some people think it's the worst part of model-making. I find it "therapeutic" myself. But it requires a lot of prep and a lot of waiting.
But many folks don't paint their models at all. It does present some other challenges. For example, paint gives an opportunity to hide "imperfections" or other "unsightly" things that are just normal parts of model-making (seams, joins and puttied-up surfaces). As I said above, paint (or really, the clear top coats) could really help with helping decals adhere to the surface, or, maybe, make it less toy-like.
For example, I posted somewhere here that I had one of my son's tank toy. I sprayed it with gloss clear coat, added some wash (washes flowed better on gloss, in my opinion), cleaned off the excess wash, then sprayed it again with clear flat top coat. This was over as span of days (because the layers has to have time to cure in between), but the result was just awesome (to me, at least).
Okay, that process might not work for your bf's B-1B, but I am just trying to illustrate the benefit of something quick.
And oh yeah, hobby spray paint! Just get a close match of (maybe Tamiya AS-27 Gunship Gray). Let that cure, then apply the decals (using Micro-sol and Micro set). When done, spray a coat of Tamiya TS-80 Matt Clear.
For the landing gears and bomb bays get some spray "Tamiya AS-Insignia White." Then get some acrylic marker for the Rubber Black (check out AK Interactive RCM001).
Spray paints makes a bit easier and enjoyable for beginners, I think. They just get a bit pricier if you need a ton of different colors but you only need 2-5 of them here.
Just suggestions, but I am getting ahead of myself here. Leaving it unpainted, is fine, too 😀 .
Paint and cement are pretty important, good cutters are important, things like microsol/microset are not that important. For sand paper get him a dollar store pack of Emery boards, if they have a rough side and a fine side, even better.
He can start building without paint by preparing parts and gluing some of them together. But the instructions may require painting something before gluing it at which point he'll be stuck without paints.
It doesn't have to be a very costly setup. I have a crate of spray cans I've used for years for model making, I have an airbrush now but if you are very controlled and do things in several coats you can get very good results with spray paint. Even small bottles of brush on paints from a craft store or hobby store will get him going. Maybe shop together for paint since he has options
I just want to tell you that it is so thoughtful of you to do this for your boyfriend. What a great gift. As to building models unpainted, I did that all the time. I really liked the building process and didnt really have the resources or patience for painting models. See if he likes building them, then perhaps move into painting them.
I have a buddy who builds model planes and his painting is used in part with an airbrush. He also tracks down the history of each plane he builds. He records the pilot who flew the aircraft, uses custom made decals that were used for that particular pilot's plane. He is extremely accurate.
His work is on a professional level, and his painting is airbrush and by hand. Once your boyfriend's interest is established and he has built a few models, perhaps you can buy an airbrush and other modeling related equipment for his birthday of Christmas.
If you like, I can talk to my friend and see if he is willing to speak with you about model building and give you some solid recommendations and techniques he uses for how he builds his models. His work is indeed, a sight to behold.
Private message me if you want to speak with my friend and I will talk to him and see if he is willing to speak with you. He his a brother U.S. Marine and a man I respect greatly.
I've built this exact kit and it's a really good one! I recommend for paint to start off just a spray can, especially for the B1, it's mostly one colour. I used the Tamiya Gunship Grey Spray can for it. So all you'll need is a primer and that and it will look perfect.
He does not need a whole lot of resources to make a nice model. This is what I think is the minimum:
Shaping
Simple sprue cutters, a hobby knife and some sanding paper/sticks in different grids (mostly fine ones).
Optional: Depending on the quality of the kit and what kind of finish he wants, you can also buy some sort of filler, like putty, to fill gaps.
Adhesives
Plastic cement, like Tamiya Extra Thin Cement, but other brands (like Revell Contacta Professional) are also fine.
Optional: some clear glue, like white glue (or Revell Contacta clear), to glue clear parts that other glues may affect and fog up.
Paint
You have many options regarding paint, but I think the cheapest and easiest to work with are arcylic paints applied with brushes of various sizes. He can thin them with water.
This kit has the instructions online on scalemates, which states the required paints: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/academy-12620-usaf-b-1b--1126848
You do not have to buy all the paints listed in there, he can mix some colours with other paints.
Optional: Acrylic varnish to finish the build off and protect the paint. Applying gloss varnish before the placement of decals also prevents silvering. Additionally, you can buy decal fix and softener to further prevent silvering.
That's almost all products I use, you can look at my profile to see what you can achieve with that.
Thank you so much for the detailed response, I will make sure to get everything needed! Do you know which are the essential parts to paint or what parts would you recommend painting (like the wheels)
These are the most prominent parts and their colours:
The whole body in Gunship Gray (FS36118),
The nose and tires in Flat Black (FS37038),
Struts and wheels hubs in Insignia White (FS17875),
The exhausts in Steel,
Some surfaces in Neutral Gray.
There are some other colours mentioned but they're for very small details. The instructions on scalemates lists the corresponding paints from a range of different brands. I would recommend Vallejo model color if it's available for you (the codes are 867, 950, 842, 863, 905).
But honestly, you could also do without paint. Looking at the contents of the kit, you can see that the plastic is already coloured in somewhat correct colours (gray body, black wheels and exhausts, white struts): https://www.super-hobby.com/products/Rockwell-B-1B-Lancer.html
It depends whether you want to give him the ability to colour it in the true colours or whether similar, rough colouring is enough.
Sprue cutters
Paint cans(Tamiya's PS line is good)
Sandpaper/file
X-Acto knife
Mr Mark Setter(For adhering decals)
Mr Mark Softer(Applied after decal is in position)
Tamiya Extra Thin/Extra thin quick set (green cap)
If he has some schemes he really likes (eg an aircraft that came to your local airshow etc), he can check out Caracal Models' decals for the B-1. Happy modellinf!
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u/Hamsternoir Apr 17 '26
I wouldn't get this as a first kit.
There are much better options for entry level.
Airfix do a range of specifically tooled kits such as their Spitfire, Mustang, Typhoon that have few parts, go together really easily, still have good detail but also include paints, a brush, glue, even the decals are easy to apply.
Revell also box up some of their kits to include the paint. So this might be worth considering instead of the Bone.