What is a Garage kit?Do you fondly remember all the monsters in your favorite Sci-Fi Fantasy and Horror movies? Have you ever longed to build a model of the evil aliens from Invasion of the Saucermen or the creature creations of master animator Ray Harryhausen? Well, thanks to modern moulding and casting materials and a group of industrious individuals from all corners of the world, there are kits available of more aliens, monsters and creatures than you may have ever imagined! Garage Kits were essentially resin castings of sculptures created and moulded in the garages or basements of talented fans of Sci-Fi and Horror films.However, in recent years Garage model kits have gone from being an interesting modeling phenomenon to a full-fledged industry with companies like Killer Kits, MIM, Federation Models, Solarwind, Lunatic Fringe and Geometric producing an astounding array of subjects in resin and vinyl. Today, the term Garage Kit encompasses everything from high-quality kits from large manufacturers to the individually produced, very limited edition resin kits from the guy down the street. Often it will be the individual producer that provides the more obscure and interesting characters. The challenge and anticipation of crafting that creature that haunted your childhood dreams can become a very exciting hobby. Most kits are not that challenging, but it’s best to know everything you might face and be prepared to correct it.

Kit Preparation: Many garage kits do not come in coloured boxes with nice box art, often there are no instructions and it’s up to you to figure out how all the parts go together. So, a bit of knowledge about your subject and some modelling knowledge will come in handy. Many garage kits do not come in coloured boxes with nice box art, often there are no instructions and it’s up to you to figure out how all the parts go together. So, a bit of knowledge about your subject and some modelling knowledge will come in handy.

Cleaning up: The best way to start your project is with a bath. Using a mild soap and warm water, carefully wash off all parts to eliminate any mould release agent. Handle thin, fragile looking parts with extreme care since the resin can be brittle and break easily. Because of the manual nature of casting garage kits, there can be excessive amounts of flash, but be careful in removing it. Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between what is flash and what is intended to be detail. This is where knowledge of your model subject will serve you well.

Reference materials play an important part in this pre-assembly stage as well. Although most resin and vinyl garage model kits build up into good representations of their subjects, there are often some details missing. If complete or at least near complete accuracy is important to you, then Movie DVD`s are your best bet as they often have stop motion features to see the close up detail of a given subject.

Assembly: Dry fitting parts on a garage kit is essential. Test fitting and shaping are the best way to assure a proper fit. Since most mating surfaces are smooth and without male/female locaters, pinning parts together for strength is another important part of assembly. The trick to pinning accurately is finding the center of both parts in order to locate the pins. After you have shaped both mating surfaces so they match up to your satisfaction, draw an “X” on the mating surface of one of the parts. Be sure that the “X” overlaps the mating surface so you can see its outer legs when the parts are placed together. When you place the two parts together, mark the location of the legs on the second part. Now you have reference markings to make a second “X” on the mating surface of the that part. When you drill holes at the center of the two “Xs”, the holes should line up with each other. Using super glue, affix a small piece of wire (a piece of paper clip works well here) into one hole. After it is dry and secure, test fit again before finally gluing the part in place. Of course, super glue is an absolute necessity for assembling any resin kit, but 5 minute epoxy can come in handy for attaching parts that still have gaps even after all the sanding and shaping is done. The epoxy helps to fill the gaps from within and provides a strong joint. Any remaining gaps can be handled with gap filling super glue or model putty. However if the surface you’re filling needs detailing to match surrounding areas, Milliput Epoxy Putty becomes indispensable. As the two-part putty sets up, you can detail it and blend the edges into a seamless surface. It is easily worked and smoothed with water and it holds detail well. Once you’ve assembled your garage kit, you’re ready to move on to the most rewarding part of the model making process, the painting.

Painting: Resin model kits accept nearly any kind of paint you’d use on a styrene kit; enamels, acrylics, lacquers or oils, or any combination. On the other hand, vinyl model kits can be very picky about paint, so stick with the water-based acrylics since enamels and oils will not fully dry on a vinyl surface. Games Workshops Citadel paints are ideal for both resin & vinyl, a base / primer coat is strongly advised, I use an aerosol acrylic type in matt black or matt grey. But not a filler type primer as this will fill in detailing. Once your figure is primed, you can test nearly every painting technique you know. A monster’s surface practically cries out for washes, dry brushing, blending and shading or any other tricks you can think of. It’s all up to you.

Bases and Diorama`s: Although there is a trend toward including bases in garage kit models, many kits come as “stand alone” figures. Depending upon how much space you have to display your creations, you may want to create your own base or create a diorama to show off your creature. Bases can range from a simple stained wooden plaque to a landscaped, themed base that reflects your creation’s environment. Of course, dioramas for these creatures will let your imagination run wild. If you’re ready to take the plunge into the world of garage kits, you are now prepared to take your Science Fiction and Horror dreams and nightmares and build them into a reality.

For further model making advice email: Steve@frontiermodels.com

We at Frontier Models have launched a fantastic new web site with many new additional features which now include a Blog, Auto currency detection, Account sign in and much more. See alternative images of your chosen product in the new product picture gallery for that product. Why not write an article to our Blog, let others know about how you built & painted your horror model from Frontier Models, you can pass on hints & tips to other model makers who are starting out. Yes Frontier Models Customers will now be able to see prices of products in your own currency automatically and you can change prices to another currency for reference.

No idea what Gift / Present to buy for your friend or partner, then why not send a Frontier Models Gift Certificate electronically or by post. They can then top this up if required.

You can now sign in to your own secure account without filling in all your details every time you wish to order. You can also shop by your favourite Manufacturer.

We welcome your comments.

Steve Jarvis

Frontier Models

This Martian Flying War Machine sci-fi model kit is to 1/35 scale and has been converted from the Warp resin kit by N. Summersfield (UK), the front nose section was cut off to produce a mould for the clear perspex to be formed over, lights have been added for a great effect, the hollow cast body has plenty of room for the wiring layout. We can supply this model ready made and lit at Frontier Models.