Start with a good quality model, the best tools and some good paint and your youngster will be well on his way to developing his concentration skills and his perseverence.  Model-building is a great way to help kids acquire self-esteem and gives them a sense that they are contributing to the purchase of a gift.

There are thousands of models on eBay and I get all kinds of requests about whether such and such a model is good for a child of a particular age or skill level.  Here are my thoughts on what makes a good models.

Start with the Subject:

What subject interests your youngster?  There are models of just about anything you can imagine available on eBay.  Prices vary from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars.  My suggestion is always to start with a good quality car model, in 1/24 scale.  We have all been in cars and this makes it easier for someone to read plans and match the parts to the plans. One can also start with motorcycles, in 1/12 scale.  That's a wonderful scale for detail and it is easier to make a first motorcycle model look good because there are less smooth surfaces to paint. I'll have more on paint in a minute.

Prepare a good space and get some tools:

Organization is key.  My workshop is a mess and I'm always looking for tools and paints that are somewhere.  Every now and then I get my act together and clean everything up and rearrange the workshop.  Starting with a clean workspace is pleasant and leads to building better models. It also gives kids a sense of ownership of their own space and gices them incentive to keep the space clean.  It's easier than asking them to fix up their rooms because they are motivated to keep the space clean so they can have fun.

A basic workshop needs a few sanding sticks, even those used for doing nails are fine, and they are worth only a couple of dollars each, a cutting tool to remove the parts from the plastic trees, and a little pot of glue.  Anything beyond that can be acquired as time passes.  Even paint brushes are not necessary for the first model.

Building the First Model:

Some models are molded with several different colors of plastic.  In other words, the body is one color, the chassis is another and the interior yet another.  I suggest starting with a model like this because it can be built with no paint and it still looks good.  I think it is easier to start with a more challenging model, that has more parts, and build it with no paint, than to start with a simpler model that is molded all in one color.  In the end, the more challenging model will look great on a first construction.

Building the Second Model:

Model-building is a hobby that keeps moving forwards.  Expect to buy many models, tools, and paints over the years.

At the second model, you can now add some paint and brushes so the budding engineer can paint the chassis, engine, and interior of the model.  Again, at this stage you should be looking for models molded in several colors but ones molded in any color, other than white, will look good when finished.

The Third Model:

By this time, you should prepare a well-ventilated area and start the youngster on some spray paint cans.  These are wonderful tools to get that first coat of paint on a car model.  There are several good paint companies to choose from.  Remember to always wash the parts before they are painted, in order to clean off the machine oils from the plastic injection process, and use primer on all the parts to allow the color paint to stick properly.

Have fun.

Rick Shousha