My first proper model

[Guest]

As I build my first attempt at modelling for 40 years (and where I hope to make one, properly painted, as good and those on this forum) I hope you won't mind if I ask a few questions as I progress.

Airfix A01071A 1/72 Spit Mk Ia. The cockpit bits have been assembled, glued and put in. Both parts of the fuselage glued. Lower double wing part and the three tail parts glued.

I dry assembled the fuselage to check that the wings would fit (OK), and the cockpit assembly but it didn't. It has slots which were too narrow to fit the ridges in the inside of the fuselage, so I had to file them wider. Then the length of the assembly was a little too big for the cockpit so I had to rather cram it in However, there is no sign of that to the onlooker. I suspect that even the best kits need fiddling with like that, especially at this small scale.

My method of gluing the fuselage is this: I dry fit. Where the seams are not completely closed I sand a little here and there if necessary, I add tape to the rear of the fuselage to prevent it falling apart. The seams on the front part are slightly open. I add some of Humbrol Poly Cement (in the yellow shaped plastic bottle with a short fine metal tube) so that it wets both edges of the seam and press together for about 10 secs. I learned from videos that the proper way is to watch for some bubbles of soft welded plastic to bubble out a little, thus filling any gaps. However, my seams fit very closely so that did not happen. I then used a paper towel to wipe off the excess glue on the surface and clamped the seam. I repeated this for the rear seams.

Various advice and videos mention very thin glue that wicks, by capillary attraction, into a more-or-less closed seam.

== I have heard of Tamiya Extra Thin Cement. Is it thinner than my Humbrol glue? Should I get some to take advantage of the wicking effect?

== But surely to get that glue in to a well-closed seam (even with the brush in Tamiya thin cement) involves leaving a deposit of glue on the outside surface of the model. My method above was to wipe it off with a paper towel but can that dried glue be sanded away without leaving any lumps on the model part ?

== At first I used Magic tape (like Sellotape but less sticky) to temporarily hold the fuselage parts together, but am now using Tamiya Tape. Is that the best for that purpose? Clothes pegs slide off rounded parts

Comments welcome.

[Guest]

Hi Steve

The veterans are loaded with better advice.

I've only build 4 models, so here's my 2c.

The excess glue can be sanded off, no problem. I might even try your paper towel idea to wipe, though I'm a bit scared of the residue eating into surface details (not an expert at rescribing surface details and haven't tried yet), therefore I usually just leave any excess for sanding afterwards. For the same reason, I would be scared of using a thin glue, personally be worried about making a mess when it runs to unexpected places where I might have difficulty cleaning up afterwards. Though the veterans will be able to give advice better on this, they have all kinds of tricks. I fill in gaps if noticeable and file and sand afterwards.

I too use a kind of magic tape for dry assembly and on one model, for the canopy panel lines as well, and have had no problems. As long as no residue afterwards complicates cleaning and preparing the surface for painting, I see no problem using it. To avoid a residue, I do not keep the magic tape on for long; I have a suspicion that the longer I leave the tape on, the more likelihood that a residue may be left behind. I also use Tamiya for paint masking.

One thing I have read and have experienced, with a bit of amazement really to how true it is: any defects you can see or feel, will in all likelihood be visible close up after painting, so the better you can prepare the model before painting regarding gaps and unwanted grooves and marks, the better the results after painting.

[yak face]

Sounds like youve pretty much got the gist of it steve, if youre happy using the humbrol glue then thats fine - it does exactly the same job as the thin stuff. As for the tape and clothes pegs, again, youre doing it fine ,one thing i can say though ,is have a look in the missus' peg bag ,some of these fancy plastic pegs have rubber faces and are very useful for us modellers as they grip better on smooth or rounded surfaces ,just dont let the missus catch you robbing them !!!!(to keep matrimonial harmony , as a LAST resort,you could always buy some !!LOL!!) As Frikkie says preparation of the surface before painting is a big thing and any flaws ,seen or unseen , will be magnified once the colour goes on. Personally i find it always best to prime after all the assembly work and sanding is finished, it always highlights anything that needs further attention which can be rectified and re-primed ,ensuring the finish is as blemish free as possible before final painting. As its your first in 40 years youre expectations will be high ,but dont stress and have fun -if it doesnt turn out like you expected , theres always the next one , everyone is on the learning curve and anyone who says they cant make their models any better is a big fat pants on fire liar!!!LOL!! have fun mate and looking forward to seeing the spit , cheers tony

[Guest]

Steve

There is Tamiya Extra Thin & Mr Cement S. They are both thin Mr Cement thinner & goes off quicker also wicks quicker than Tamiya. They make a slight mark on the surface but nothing raised. I would practice first. Warning do not let it wick to the tape strapping as this will glue the tape to the surface. Mr Surface wicks a long way. I use Tamiya where a need just a bit of time. A lot of the time I hold with my fingers it holds very quickly & tack around pieces to ensure the positioning of the pieces & also to close the seam as close as possible.

I use Mr Surfacer 500 mostly to fill seams unless large.

Laurie

[BarryW]

Hi Steve

I use Mr Cement S for 90% of the time with the other 10% being c.a. for pe parts and Gator Glue for canopies. Oh, sometimes, very rarely, I will use Revell Contacta applied from a long thin metal tube when I want a cement that dries slower than Mr S.

The Mr Cement S is great for fuselage joins. I clean up the parts, make sure that all mold marks are removed and then dry fit using some pieces of Tammy tape to hold it together. I then apply in a few strategic places a dap of Mr Cement S on the join and leave it for a while. This is just to hold the parts together once the tape is removed. It is important to apply the dabs well away from the tape or if capillary action runs the cement under the tape you will get surface marks.

After 20 mins I remove the tape and then run the Mr Cement S all down the seams. This glues the parts together with capillary action and helps seal the join. It then has to dry completely, I usually leave it to the next day or morning. I then give the seam a quick rub down with a medium sanding sponge. Next with a small brush I run thinned black paint down the seams. When dry I then get out the medium sanding sponge and sand the seam, then again with a fine grit sponge. At that point I examine the seam closely, any black paint left down the seam will have run into gaps and helps identify where best to target filler, if all the black paint has disappeared then it is a good sign that the seam is good. I use Mr Surfacer 500 then where needed, apply it with a small brush. I then clean up the Mr Surfacer with a cotton bud dipped in IPA or lacquer thinner. That should then leave you with an invisible join but you can check it by holding the join up to the light. Sometimes you need to apply a bit more thinner and/or do some fine sanding. I usually finish off with a polishing stick. Then its down to re-scribing the panel lines! - my least favourite job....

[Guest]

My aircraft building is only a couple of steps above poor to be honest so i cant ofer advice there sadly.

One thing i can help with is the cloths pegs ... as Tony says some have rubber faces which offer better grip, if you want the ultimate "grippy thing" then superglue some wet and dry to the peg surfaces ... this will also work with the little black clamps you can buy from the discount shops.

[stona]

I would second all of the above. I do think that using a thin cement like Mr Cement S or Tamiya Extra thin makes the job easier. I usually have very little cement left outside the join,just a bit of ooze which you want anyway to fill the joint. Don't be tempted to wipe away any solvent cement (or ooze) before it has dried as this will usually make a worse mess. Let it dry. A quick scrape followed by a sand and polish should leave a nice clean result. Assuming a decent fitting kit I rarely have to rescribe anything.

Cheers

Steve