Anyone got any? ;-)
Seriously, is there anything that strikes you when you look at kits at shows or from your own experience, that might apply - some little known tip or what have you. Not looking for Colonel Sanders secret recipe for model building or anything, just wondering if there's something you see that makes you wonder why more people don't do it that way.
WmB
If I told you mine, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, would it? :-)
Peteski
Actually I do. Hidden right in plain sight.
The models you saw?
They were FINISHED.
You're welcome.
E.P. "Sheesh, maybe if I move this stack of kits, I can get to the ones that are started..."
There's only one secret to modeling well. Seriously. All other tips and techniques boil down to one simple concept to GREAT modeling.
Take your time; never hurry, and always try to do the extra thing to correct errors. Use your time to make sure stuff is aligned, and that seams disappear. Use your time to put on that extra coat of paint that was needed, and to rub it out well.
Patience will produce a terrific model.
---Tontoni
(I always rush, and you can see it)
Treat each subassembly as a model in and of itself.
There is a lot to be said for this, especially in railway modelling. I have seen many kitbuilt locos where the build quality of the tender is lower than that of the engine itself because the builder has rushed to get the project finished and running on the layout. One method of preventing this is to build the tender first.
Always sand the moulded name of the manufacturer off the bottom of tanks.......u can loose a lot of points in a competition.......lol
The quality of your figures can make or break the quality presentation of your model.
Use a large piece of sandpaper on a piece of glass to sand mating surfaces flat before assembly. Almost all kits fit as well as Tamagawa "wunderkits" with this step. It takes a lot less time than filling.
One thing I am just learning after almost sixty years of modeling- keep your hands clean. If you get glue or anything oily on your hands or fingers, go wash them off with soap and water. In modeling, I am learning, cleanliness is next to godliness :-)
Another secret- good lighting. You need a positionable bench light. I use one of those ring magnifiers on a positional stand. It has a large magnifier surrounded by a flourescent light bulb. The positioning arms are spring loaded to make them "weightless" and have adjustable friction adjustments. Yeah, it was pretty pricy (about forty bucks) when I bought it, but they haven't gone up any in the years since I bought it, and it is GREAT for modeling.
Tools -
1) The Flexi-File. Those that have, know.2) A dentist's cavity file. Second only to the Flexi.
3) Scotchbrite. For use on anything but canopies - including paint.4) Scotch tape. For masking canopies.
5) Used Bounce fabric softener sheet. For polishing canopies.6) Sharpened toothpick. For chasing soft paint on canopies. Or anything else.
7) Watch crystal cement. For gluing on canopies.8) Berna Assembler clamps. Simply the best, easiest, most efficient to use.
Tube cement for slow drying. Allows some movement to properly allign pieces such as fuselage halves.
Cyanoacrylates such as Super Glue for smaller parts that need little or no allignment. Use Zip Kicker to make an instant bond. Instant adhesives such as Super Glue dries harder than the surrounding styrene plastic so be carefull when filing and sanding.
Never use a standard steel file on cast resin. The resulting dust will clog the file and require frequent cleaning. Go to a beauty supply shop and get some four grit sanding sticks. They are cheap and last a decent amount of time.
Styrene cement does not work for injection molded kits. Use five minute epoxy for parts that need positioning, cyanoacrylate for the rest.
As someone stated earlier, finish a model. When a few uncompleted projects pile up it's time to finish one, not start yet another.
On that note I better get back to the Yak-11s project.
Tom
If you can get it easily, try MekPak liquid cement. It works well on most kit plastic and I've found that canopies don't fog with it. Perhaps I've been lucky but you could try it with a scrap canopy and see how you get on. It's a stronger joint than white PVA or Clearfix. It's the only plastic cement I use now.
Gordon McLaughlin
And what about "Future"? Great for everything...
JR
"Rufus" escribió en el mensaje news:8Dx3f.243782$084.834@attbi_s22...
Could be. Rumor has it some women have found a use for it on their kitchen and bathroom floors. Sounds like a bit of a stretch though.
WmB
What an awesome tip! I do that when I build rockets and on wood working projects. I can't believe I never thought to transfer that technique to the plastic genre.
Vic
I know its some distance but we stock MekPak - and ship it postage free within the UK.
David
The whole realm of women's cosmetics apparatus, which usually exists beyond the radar of male modelers. Tweezers, nippers, sanders, files, adhesives, polishers, buffers, lacquers.... my Happy Day now is when the papers have a coupon for "$1 off any Revlon product".
This one should get the Captain Obvious award.
Did you get that, Jules? ;)
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