Valid to UK only - excludes oversized items
Digital Command Control (DCC) has several advantages over analogue control systems in the context of model railways....
Photo Etch, or PE parts are metal parts that are generally made from brass. Many model kits are supplied with PE...
Voltage drop is the decrease of voltage in an electrical circuit. On a model railway layout and it layman's terms,...
"Analogue compatible" means the decoder is able to run on a traditional analogue layout that is not DCC. This is...
When painting natural metal surfaces on a model, it is generally recommended to use a grey or white primer. Grey or...
Everything you need to know to build great kits
Click here to receive the tips weekly in your mailbox. You can unsubscribe at any time.
The best way to glue a cardboard kit like Metcalfe or Superquick is to read and follow the instructions that are supplied with the kit. We are all guilty of thinking we know best and we don't need the instructions to build something, most of the...
There are a couple of different product types you can use to fill gaps on a model, which type you use will depend on the size of the gap, how much detailing surrounds the gap and finally which filler material you are most comfortable working...
The reason for test fitting before gluing is simply to make sure the piece will actually fit into place. One example of this would be, if you were building a plastic kit and are going to fit a piece with a square peg into a square hole you need...
Flux is a chemical agent that can be used when soldering to give joints good adhesion, facilitate the solder's flow and create a better electrical connection.Flux does this when heated to high temperatures by dissolving any impurities in the...
There are two schools of thought when it comes to painting plastic kits. One is to assemble everything and then paint, the other is to paint all parts on sprue and then assemble. It really comes down to personal choice. Personally, I paint all...
If you are soldering a white-metal kit together, you will need to use a lower temperature setting on your soldering iron (or a low voltage iron) to avoid damage to the metal. A standard 25W iron will be way too hot and will melt the kit itself if...
If you are a modeller, then you have likely heard of PVA glue, but you may not be aware that PVA comes in many forms and is known by several names such as wood glue, white glue, school glue or carpenter's glue. These names suggest that PVA glue...
Papier-mache has been used over a chicken-wire frame to create hills and mountains for almost as long as the hobbies have existed, and it does a great job too, providing a hard shell on which you can apply paint and add scatter to give a realistic...
A scale model is a smaller recreation or representation of a real-life object or thing, this could be anything from a plane, boat, car or train to buildings, figures or trees. There is no limit to what a scale model can portray.How small a...
Kit bashing is when you take two or more model kits to make something unique to you. This may include parts that you already have in your spares box as well. Another way of explaining it: kit bashing is the art of creating something else out of...
If you've ever shopped for a soldering iron, you'll know that there's a wide range of soldering irons available from 15 watts to 60 watts and sometimes higher. This can present you with a head-scratching choice when shopping for one, you can...
Most Airfix kits do not include any paint or glue, if you are not used to making models this may seem like a bit of a con, but there is a valid reason for the absence of these important materials and that is that most modellers have very different...