Models are fun to look at but hellish to paint and put together, requiring patience, practice, patience and then some more practice. Of course, one could just easily snap together some pieces of resin, dip it in paint and be done, but really, if you are paying good money for a model (and for the most part it's a *damn good* amount of money) then you probably want to spend more than 2 minutes effort on.

Here are some things you might want to keep in mind before starting a project:

1. The basic tools for model making are: an Exacto knife, paints, brushes, primer, superglue, and, a model *grin*
2. Clear out a good and solid workspace that you won't mind getting paint and scratches all over
3. If you are going to be painting a soft vinyl model the paints you want to stay away from are enamels because they will eat away the vinyl. For soft resin and resin pretty much anything works, although sometimes enamels act funny on it. For plastics, enamels do the best job, but honestly, the best stuff that's 100% safe on everything is an acrylic paint
4. Put the Jolt Cola down
5. Above all, have fun. According to Ben, painting allows him to relax (although it just might be them fumes *cackle*)

A common mistake that most people make when starting out is doing their favorite model first. There is such a thing called beginner's luck, but for the most part start with something simple. Pewter figures you can get at any gaming store are inexpensive and plentiful, so if you mess up you and your wallet won't feel as much of a loss. You can also test out your paints and tecniques on these. These are *much* easier to paint than a 1/8 or 1/6 scale character for example.

You can purchase models in specialty and hobby stores, at conventions and off the net. In most cases, the prices will be jacked up. A cheaper alternative to buying import models is to go to Hobby Links Japan where you pay the converted price to dollars from yen and shipping. If you have favors, use them, or else you will end up paying $20 to $100 more mark up.

Everyone has their own way of painting that works for them so there obviously is no right way. For reference, here is how Ben works:

1. If you aren't sure whether the colors you have are right fro the model, you can use the remnants of the tree to test out colors on. You can see how well the paint lies and whether or not it will eat away the material or not. Better to learn this than with the actual model itself!
2. Paint in layers. Some colors don't stick very well, so you might end up with the primer showing through, or if you try to force it, you'll end up with clumps and brush strokes galore
3. Although you may be tempted to save some time and put the model together before you paint, on certain models, some parts like between the thighs or behind the hair become incredibly hard or annoying to paint. So paint in pieces unless there are no obscuring pieces to get in the way of another
4. Ben likes to pain the face and head parts last so as to get acquainted with the paints and for simple superstition?
5. The light colors are the first to be painted, particularly white, yellow and other pales. White doesn't like to stick so you will learn to hate it *grin*
6. Dark to darkest colors next because the lighter the color you mess up, the easier it is to cover up
7. Let everything dry, and go back and add layers or touch up if needed
8. Painting the insides or undersides of things like pauldrons isn't necessary if you want to save a few minutes, but it adds to the over all model if you are picking it up and looking closely.

Ben has tried his hand at airbrushing and the following are his objective observations:

In Ben's opinion, the eyes are the most difficult thing to do since if you do them wrong, the entire model will probably look *weird* If the picture included in the model box isn't clear enough, just look for other images on the net or thru books.

As for highlights, you can also look thru images and books and magazines for examples. An alternative is to blend colors. White is a popular color to mix with a base to get that glossy kind of anime look

• Glue the smaller parts together first. Ben likes to glue in the following order: feet, legs, torso, arms, head, hair
• Sometimes, things don't like to stick. In this case, just put more glue on *grin* Liquid glue supposedly sticks better, but gel glue gives you more movement and control, where as the liquid tends to smear and take off some paint with it
• TIP: If you find a little crack in the model after assembling, you can fill that crack in with the gel like glue. After that drys a little, you can use a cutter to smoothe and shape the glue. You can then paint over that dried up glue and voila, no more crack! (You can also achieve the same effect with putty if you have the putty and the time)
• This is the universal symbol for "repeat". You will see a number next to this symbol for how many times you should perform a function (you'll see this next to instructions for arms, legs, etc)

Sealing a model is simple as long as you have a well filtered area cos that stuff is heinous to the nose. You don't have to seal a model, but if you plan on tossing the model around or playing with it a lot, it might be a good idea since the sealant helps to keep the paint from peeling or rubbing off. Either way, you probably shouldn't be tossing a resin model around that much anyway since the floor is every model's enemy. Sealing a model will not change the look of a model, if anything changes, the model will just smell a little different from a non-sealed one (but what are you doing smelling a model anyhow?)

As opposed to the preceding main section, in the following areas you will find a more specific and in-depth look at the put together and painting processes of the three main model types: