ChrisVASchramm Manufacturing and Old Time Freight House
Two great choices!
Pretty obviously, I would suggest the freight house first. It is pretty small and completeable.
I hope to get a copy of kit #125, Water Tank And Tool Shed for my first FSM kit build, but I might not. I don't know if there will be room for it yet.
I also have Schramm, and it is a masterpiece. It and Barnstead Lumber are my two favorites.
I use yellow glue to assemble wooden craftsman kits. I am also looking forward to getting into the "Major League" of craftsman kit building.
Basic universal advice is...
1) Read the instructions first!
2) Approach the kit a series of steps and sub-assemblies.
3) Use straight edges and squares for everything.
I have built quite a few of the more basic craftsman kits. Campbell, JL Innovation, Muir Models, etc. These are my techniques, but it is all personal preference.
1) I stain unpainted wood surfaces with minwax stains. Unpainted basswood looks terrible for anything except new pallets and lumber.
2) I use craft paints for most wood buildings. I prime wood parts, usually dark gray, and then build up all colors in layers.
3) I prime all metal pieces flat black and then build up colours in layers.
4) I build my buildings on bases, usually made from plexiglass or acrylic. I sand this with 60 grit and then paint it flat black. Plexiglass will never warp with liquids when scenery is applied. Having a base warp after your building is glued to it is a disaster. I might switch to using "Genesis" ceiling tiles for future builds.
5) I use super glue gel for all joints except for wood-to-wood.
6) I glue cotton vellum to the inside of all my walls for extra strength.
I don't know how much I can help, and it is doubtful all my techniques will work for other people.
Hopefully if you run into problems, one of us can help you along.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Schramm Manufacturing
Old Time Freight House
ChrisVAI have a couple of Fine Scale Miniatures kits I got off of eBay.
Which kits did you get?
Read the instructions all the way through at least once before starting - including the "tips and tricks" sheet that is included which has a lot of good general advice. Paints are not an issue as acrylic hobby paints will work just fine. Take your time, follow the instructions and plans carefully and you will end up with a great model.
Like any wood kit, lots of bracing, especialy if it can't be seen on the finished model. FSM kits are not intimidating at all as they give step by step instructions, they even recommend paints but those you will proubly have to change. Always test fit before you glue and look for any fitting mistakes by the manufacture (I have only found one, a door opening that was a bit too small, easy fix).
I have a couple of Fine Scale Miniatures kits I got off of eBay. Theyre rather intimidating, and represent the "major leagues" of kit building. They are also not really replaceable, so if you "mess up" building one, you can't just go get another one and try again (easily). I suppose you could find scatch building supplies (wood) to replace any "mistakes".
How did you prep for building one of these? Any tips/advice on how to approach one appreciated! Example: a lot of the paints they refer to are not longer available, so will have to find acrylic "equivalents".
Thanks.