Guides

Wheels & Wings Hobbies · Scale Modelling Techniques How to Mask Aircraft Canopies: The Cover & Cut Method Step-by-step masking guide · Works on any scale aircraft · Tamiya tape & hobby knife technique · Includes tips for soft-framed and vac-form canopies Unmasking the Mystery Behind Masking Aircraft Canopies Masking canopies is widely considered the most frustrating part of aircraft modelling. Most modellers will agree it's the bane of their existence …

Wheels & Wings Hobbies · Scale Model Build Feature Kyle Builds the Tamiya F-14D Tomcat: A Top Gun Day Tribute Tamiya 1/72 Grumman F-14D Tomcat · TAM60795 · Full Build Feature · Top Gun Day 2026 ✈ Top Gun Day 2026 To mark Top Gun Day, we're featuring this excellent build from Kyle Hood — Tamiya's 1/72 Grumman F-14D Tomcat, built straight from the box with a comprehensive paint and weathering treatment that brings out all the character of the real a …

Wheels & Wings Hobbies · Paint Reference Paint Types for Scale Modelling: Acrylic, Lacquer & Enamel Compared From a Toronto hobby retailer since 1986 · What the labels actually mean · Updated May 2026 There is a conversation we have at our counter several times a week, and it goes something like this: a customer tells us they use acrylic paints, picks up a bottle of Tamiya, and is surprised when we explain that you can thin it with lacquer thinner. "But it's an a …

Intro: The Tamiya Spraywork HG III Superfine is a 0.2mm double-action airbrush built for detail work: tight camouflage lines, pre-shading, spot highlights, and fine work on small-scale subjects. Wheels & Wings Hobbies is the first Canadian hobby retailer to carry the new Tamiya airbrush lineup. We put the HG III Superfine through its paces at the workbench using Mr. Color lacquers on a 1/72 Heller Hawker Hurricane. Watch the full first impressions video above, and read our notes below. The …

Wheels & Wings Hobbies · Airbrush Guide Airbrush Troubleshooting Guide: Diagnose and Fix Any Airbrush Problem From an Iwata Gold Crown Dealer in Toronto · Diagnose any problem on any airbrush · Updated April 2026 Most airbrush troubleshooting articles give you a long checklist of things to try. We are going to do something different. After years of helping customers diagnose airbrush problems at our Toronto store, we can tell you that nearly every issue you will ever …

Wheels & Wings Hobbies · Scale Modelling Guide How to Thin Tamiya Paints: A Canadian Modeller's Guide Acrylics, lacquers, and enamels · Updated for 2026 Canadian regulatory changes · Updated April 2026 Most online guides to thinning Tamiya paints will give you exact ratios and exact PSI numbers. We are not going to do that, because those numbers are wrong — or at least, they are not consistently right. Paint behavior varies by colour, by pigment, by bottle age, …

Wheels & Wings Hobbies · Miniature Painting Guide Speedpaint 2.0 vs Citadel Contrast: Which One-Coat Paint Should You Buy? One-coat paint comparison · Three years of retail sales data · Updated April 2026 Speedpaint 2.0 and Citadel Contrast are the two dominant one-coat paints in miniature painting. Both are designed to do the work of base coat, shade, and highlight in a single pass over a light primer. Both have devoted followings. We sell both in volume at Wheels & …

Wheels & Wings Hobbies · Miniature Painting Guide Vallejo vs Citadel (Warhammer Color): Which Paint Is Better? Miniature painting paint comparison · Prices, quality, and value for Canadian hobbyists · Updated April 2026 Vallejo and Citadel are the two most popular acrylic paint ranges for miniature painting. Both are water-based, both work on plastic and resin miniatures, and both are stocked at Wheels & Wings in Toronto. Choosing between them is one of the first …

Wheels & Wings Hobbies · Paint Reference Vallejo Panzer Aces Specialist armour and figure painting colours · Discontinued — available while stock lasts ⚠️ Discontinued line — available while stock lasts Vallejo Panzer Aces has been discontinued. Many colours have been absorbed into the Vallejo Model Color range. We have remaining stock of the colours listed below — once they’re gone, they’re gone. If you’re looking for a colour no longer …

Wheels & Wings Hobbies · Paint Reference Vallejo Metal Color Complete colour listing · High-density metallic acrylics for natural metal finish Purpose-built for natural metal finish Vallejo Metal Color is a dedicated range of high-density metallic acrylics formulated specifically for airbrushing over a black primer base. Unlike regular metallic paints, the ultra-fine metallic particle size is optimised for the fine atomisation of an airbrush, producing a smooth, even metal …

Wheels & Wings Hobbies · Paint Reference Vallejo Mecha Color Complete colour listing · Water-based acrylics formulated for mecha, sci-fi, and anime-style models Built for Gunpla, sci-fi, and anime-style modelling Vallejo Mecha Color is a dedicated range for mecha, Gunpla, and sci-fi plastic model painting. The formula is optimised for the smooth surfaces and sharp panel lines of injection-moulded kits — flowing evenly over large flat panels without pooling, and layer …

Wheels & Wings Hobbies · Paint Reference Vallejo Model Color Complete colour listing · Water-based acrylics for brush painting The broadest brush-painting range in the Vallejo lineup Vallejo Model Color is the paint range most scale modellers reach for first — and with good reason. Formulated specifically for brush application, the thin, self-levelling consistency lays down flat, even coats straight from the dropper bottle with no dilution required on most surfaces. …

Wheels & Wings Hobbies · Paint Reference Vallejo Model Air Complete colour listing · Pre-thinned acrylics for airbrushing The most historically researched military paint range available Vallejo Model Air is a water-based acrylic formula pre-thinned for airbrushing straight from the bottle. Formulated with a flat finish and fine pigment suspension specifically designed for airbrush use at low pressure — no thinning required for most applications. The range covers mili …

Wheels & Wings Hobbies — Airbrush Reference Iwata Airbrush Series Guide Complete reference for series identification, model specifications, and genuine replacement parts — organised by series, from entry-level to professional precision · All SKUs link to product pages About this guide. Every Iwata airbrush series is engineered around a distinct head system and performance target — from the NEO's effortless low-pressure spray to the Custom Micron's hand-tuned, cus …

Wheels & Wings Hobbies · Tamiya Paint Reference Tamiya Acrylic vs Enamel vs Lacquer — Which Paint Should You Use? From a Toronto hobby retailer since 1986 · Choosing between Tamiya's three paint formulas · Updated May 2026 If you are new to scale modelling, the Tamiya paint aisle can be overwhelming. Tamiya alone produces three completely different paint formulas — acrylic, lacquer, and enamel — and knowing which one to reach for makes a real differ …

Wheels & Wings Hobbies · Paint Reference Tamiya Paint Colour Guide Complete colour listing · Acrylics · Lacquers · Enamels · All formulas Every Tamiya paint formula in one guide Tamiya paint is one of the most trusted names in scale modelling — used by beginners and master builders alike around the world. This colour chart covers every Tamiya paint formula we carry at Wheels & Wings Hobbies, organised by formula with reference notes on milita …