c_a_r_t_e_r 0 Posted October 1, 2010 LOL, I love the idea of Tamiya on the palate, lovely finish! I always start with the body. It's in the way of all the other parts anyway, so might as well get it out first - I've usually got the lexan cut out within the first 30 mins, and it's painted very soon after as I've been planning the paint before I even ordered the kit. Then as soon as the paint is dry enough to handle I get absorbed into the decals, can't leave it alone until it's finished. Making the chassis seems almost a chore in comparison - this is why I have a Pajero body nearly finished with the chassis in bits, and a couple of other M-chassis bodies finished and back in the box on top of the chassis parts! Tim Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bad andy 6 Posted October 1, 2010 Surprised nobody has said "hide it from the wifey" yet Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bossgrabber1970 1 Posted October 1, 2010 Surprised nobody has said "hide it from the wifey" yet beat you to it, read post #19. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
merckx 1 Posted October 1, 2010 its a bit nerdy, but i really like to read the manual back to front about five times before i do anything else. get a nice feel for the intended build process Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KingPin 1 Posted October 2, 2010 try my best to sneak it upstairs, and hide it in the spare room! Regards KingPin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jonesy76 0 Posted October 3, 2010 ..........admit to management (the wife) that I may have brought another one! Pointless trying to hide a Super Clodbuster. After that I'm definitely a sniffer too. I love the smell of fresh rubber so it's always the tyres and wheels that get done first on any build of mine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tamiya1/10 382 Posted October 3, 2010 Mmmm, NIB kit smell...As Mr Bean would say: "Look at all the bits." - James Count me in. NIB has its own smell, just like a new car or a baby. Somehow the smell is just intoxicating. After the wiff, I look over contents, read the manual, find out what color and bearings I need and off to the hobby store if I decided to built her. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jonny Retro 12 Posted October 3, 2010 Some might say the first thing I do with a kit is to hide it ... but I regard that in the same way some people lay wine down to age it - I just put the kit somewhere dark to make it "more mine". This has the benefit that I can honestly answer "oh no, I've had it _ages_" if I'm asked "is that a new kit?" When it's correctly aged, I'll bring it out & start the contemplation phase - sniffing the tyres, looking at the stickers, working out what bearings and paint I might need, grabbing the instruction manual in a hurry when I need a #2 and don't have any other reading material handy, etc etc... I was in such a rush to get my first ever kit running (a Grasshopper) that I completely missed the painting stage & did the stickers pretty badly - so now when it comes to building, I'll do the painting & stickering first Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Novastar 241 Posted October 3, 2010 I take everything out and have a good look at it all then I usually assemble the rims and tyres. After that step I find the first aid kit and attend to my mashed fingers. My cat does the sniffing for me from the moment the usually brown paper covered box appears on the dining table. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MadInventor 3884 Posted October 3, 2010 Wash the bodyshell and leave it to dry, then crack on with building it. Rarely do I start with step 1 though. Real engineers only refer to the instructions after they've gone wrong . I Usually build sub assemblies first (tyres onto wheels, shocks, fit axles in uprights, etc), then assemble the bits together. I usually paint the shell last. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
berman 5315 Posted October 3, 2010 ...grabbing the instruction manual in a hurry when I need a #2 and don't have any other reading material handy, etc etc... remind me not to buy manuals from you... what do you do if you run out of tp? I usually sniff the tyres then squidge them, like a 5yo would with Play-Doh. Then realise I'm out of bearings so will sacrifice a low milage rc (the amount of times my Pumpkin has had new bearings...) proof read the manual and then start the build. Depends on the model if I assemble the wheels and tyres first. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
beetleman 51 Posted October 5, 2010 Open the box and take a huge sniff of that NIB goodnesslick the tyres Grab the tires and take a big sniff - ahhhhhhhh otherwise i just sniff and build, yes i am a sniffer As Mr Bean would say: "Look at all the bits." "Mmm... now... I must be careful here... this is a vigorous... again lively, neat and sharp... oh but what a finish... yes... I think I know this one... yes... is it a Fox? " , "No sir, it's wee wee". ROFLMAO I never laughed so hard reading a forum topic before... Let's admit it - we are all tire sniffers lol!... Making the chassis seems almost a chore in comparison Tim Weird, I feel the opposite - the chassis build is all the fun while the body work is a pain that usually delays the finishing of the kit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chinaman SS 0 Posted October 5, 2010 try my best to sneak it upstairs, and hide it in the spare room! ... Never thought there is someone else out there doing just that ... I take mine up to the loft ... then I will take a deep breathe once I open it up ... Then after awhile, once I have decided to build it, have to think of a reason for it to suddenly appear on my work table and at the sametime hope the wife do not notice any difference. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpZero 10 Posted October 5, 2010 gotta have a good sniff 1st. mmmm, then I try and build it as quick as possible and finally I realise I should have read the manual first as i normally c0-ck it up at some point Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LamboDave 0 Posted October 6, 2010 I wait patiently at work, trying to predict when the internal email will arrive from the mail room. Within moments of it's arrival, I'll grab my car keys, collect the parcel and then head down to the underground car park (at work). - I then get myself comfortable in the car (side in middle row, as I have a 9-seater people mover) and begin opening the parcel. - I'll then stay in the car (all doors shut), and enjoy our first few moments together..... with a little sniffing maybe. - It's like having a mistress, as I have to put her away again and then drive home and put her somewhere so the wife don't find-out. The good thing with parcels, is they all come in common looking cardboard boxes, so she fits right on home wedged between my other mistresses in the garage. Some of my recent mistresses haven't yet seen the light of day, but I'll get my chance. When my wife goes out shopping alone, me and the mistresses have a party !!! (only to return to their boxes before the wife comes back) - It's not that bad really for me. I recently bought a Mammoth Dump Truck, and was caught driving it around the house. She asked where it came from, and I said I'd had it ages in the garage !!! - I think she is aware my collection is growing, but if I can keep the visible models to a constant number it doesn't look too bad. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HunterZero 76 Posted October 6, 2010 Sounds like the first thing most of you do is consult the thread for "dealing with the wife/partner/significant other/Queen/SWMBO/Empress/Domestic managment/guardian of the shoes and handbags/nutcracker/household administrator/Keeper of the Manhood/Madame Lash" for tips before you risk bringing the kit out into the open and cracking open the box for a whiff of NIB smell goodness... - James Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyjcClod 389 Posted October 6, 2010 Sweep all the junk off the dinning table. Get me tools and a beer and start. LOL that makes two of us that do that then Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SKIPP 0 Posted October 6, 2010 First thing i do,is sneek it in the garage where i have some old tamiya kit boxes,old parts and beat up bodies.Then I take everything out of the new kit and put it in the old box with an old body and some old parts.Than put the new box back in its shipping carton.Then when i bring it in to my work bench it just looks like some old car I'm working on.hee,hee,hee.(if she ever goes snoopin around the garage you'll know cause you'll probley never here from me again) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quincey 0 Posted October 6, 2010 first thing i do is get the tools ready,get some plates to put all the screws in,open the box and give the tyres a good old sniff!!!,new tamiya tyres always smell so nice-its like opening a brand new jar of coffee....hmmmmmm nice. then i get the thing built as soon as poss......never had anything for nib kits!!.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lee172 0 Posted October 9, 2010 Blimey, a lot of rituals here. I usually just rip it open and start building it. I have never checked a kit to see if all the parts are there, but then I've never actually been short-parted and I guess some of you have ? Same here, ive never checked all the parts are there (15+ kits) i just dive right in! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henk4Focus 0 Posted October 11, 2010 ..........admit to management (the wife) that I may have brought another one!Pointless trying to hide a Super Clodbuster. My wife just see that the stack is getting higher or there are new boxes. Then when she picks a fight she would hit me with a "Do you think I didn't notice there are new kits in that room!". Normally would end with a "when are you getting me that lounge suite I so dearly want?" question. and yes it should be a bit of a exercise to try and hide that huge kit. I thought I was alone in trying to sneek kits past the wife. My son normally gives it away as he can't get the idea that he must keep quiet about it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 479 Posted October 31, 2010 First thing I want to say is i'm not a tyre sniffer like you bunch of weirdos This is my routine. 1. Get it home as quick as possible. 2. Clear a space at the table, get a screwdriver, side cutters and pint of squash ready 3. Remove everything from the box. 4. Start building it while glancing at the instructions every so often to make sure my memory is serving me correctly. 5. Once the chassis is built I usually then leave it a couple of weeks before I cut out the bodyshell and get it painted. I hate doing the body hence why I leave it till last. I struggle to cut it out and then struggle again painting it! Once everything is done though I pop the car on a shelf where it stays until I buy another kit, then it will go back in its box and the new car will take its place on the shelf Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
markbt73 5316 Posted October 31, 2010 Sometimes it's just a blur, especially with the less-expensive ones... I'm not sure what happens. I remember getting home, opening the box, and then suddenly it's several hours later, often well after dark, and I'm outside with a transmitter in my hand watching a brand-new car sans body (or sans paint anyway) zooming down the driveway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites