Hi...Centurion from the old forums. Thinking of compiling and sharing all the tools and tips that I have written so far. So I hope you appreciate it.

I will start with gap Filling on your model kit.

I use 3 main methods for gap filling. By putty, by superglue and by strtch sprue.

Gap filling is supposed to be done when the 2 halves are already glued together for those who don't know.

The putty method.
Basicly putty is just a clay like substance that hardens when it dries.

I use the Tamiya basic type putty. Using scotchtape, you mask up the area along side the gaps. After which, you apply the putty.leave it there and let it dry. The putty might shrink so you will have to add multiple layers.

After that remove the tape and sand the putty off, starting from grade 320 sand paper followed by grade 600 and finally grade 1200. For grade 320, it removes a great amount of material so sand until the putty is relatively level to the plastic surface. After that you sand with grade 600 to smoothen out the surface. And finally, grade 1200 to remove the scratches. Basicly you sand the putty until it is semi gloss. If you see potholes, add more putty and let it dry (abt 30 mins to 1 hr) and sand again.

The putty method is good for very large gaps, between 2-3mm.

The stretch sprue method.

This is the most economical and easiest method. Take any waste plastic from the sprue tree. Meaning the surrounding plastic holding on to the plastic parts. Break off a reasonable straight piece about 10 cm long. Use a candle flame or a lighter to heat up the center of the plastic strip. Wait until the the plastic melt and start pulling on both ends. The sprue will start to stretch. Stretch it to the desired thickness and cut it out to the desired length. After that, place the stretched sprue within the gap and pour cement in it. The sprue will bond to the gap, filling it up. Leave it to dry and use a paper cutter to level it.

This is good for small gaps about <2mm

The Super glue method.

Basicly pour superglue into the gap and sand it with a grade 320 sandpaper while the superglue is still wet. Keep adding and sanding until the gap is filled. Afterthat, use grade 600 and 2000 sand paper to smoothen out the surface.

Good for small gaps about 1 mm.

for the putty and super glue method, there is a tendancy to remove sirface details, panel line, rivet holes etc.So you will have to rescribe them. Tough but fun.

Glueing for beginers.

There are 3 types of glues i use when i make my scale models.

The first type is the model cement.

There are basicly two types of cement, the thick regular type and the watery thin type.

Cement actually glues by plastic welding. It melts the plastic, and molecularly bonds the two surfaces together.

The thin cement is used mainly to glue two halves of a model kit together. Basicly you dry fit the two halves together. After which you put one drop after another on the seam line, and let capillary action do its job. Apply pressure on the two halves and you find that they will glue together without much of a gap.

You use the normal cement pretty much like how you apply glue, apply it on one side of a part and hold it in place until the the parts has bonded.

I use superglue when i do the stuctural parts, i.e landing gears. They bond very fast and very strong. However, it does have a tendency to stick on your fingers better than the plastic, and too much of it on the skin will cause super glue burns. Well, nothing much really.

Finally white glue. I use it to glue transparent plastics like canopy. It dries clear and doesn't damage the plastic. The bonding is not very strong, but it holds the canopy well enough that it wouldn't drop while being handled.

The airbrush is a small, highly precise spray gun for applying paint. So basicly you add paint mix with some thinner, load it into an airbrush and you spray it on your model. It provides your model with a very even paint finish.

As for price, it depends. A single action airbrush will cost 45 bucks.

Pros about having a single action, is that it is cheap, allows you to spray large areas. Good for beginners.

Cons, you can't control the size of your spray area. So you have to stick to a 3 cm spray radius.

The other airbrush availiable is the double action airbrush. Cost anywhere between 120 bucks to 190 bucks.

Pros: Your spray area can be controlled, from 3 mm all the way to 2.5 cm. So you save paint.

Cons: Expensive.


In addition you need a propellent to spray the paint out of the airbrush.

Two kinds of propellant around comes in the form of aerosol cans and compressors.

Aerosol Cans:

Pros:Good for beginers who don't intend to do scale models intensively. Low start up price, cost about 23 dollars. Better than spray cans in the sense that you can change colours, so you save cost on paint.

Cons: In the long term, if you are doing models on a regular basis, you find that you will be spending on alot of aerosol cans and it will be better to buy a compressor.

Compressors:

Pros: You only need to worry about buying paint and thinner. No need to pay for those spray cans and no need for you to buy aerosol cans.So you are keeping your cost really low.

Cons: Very high start up cost, ranging between $180 for a baby compressor to a $ 500 compressor.

Well if you are interested, and if you intend to do one or 2 models at a time, i reccomend you to get a single action airbrush/ aerosol can combination. 45+23=68 bucks in total. So it is like 7 cans of spray cans.

If you are doing it on a regular basis, get the single action first plus a compressor. After that When you feel like upgrading get a double action.

Or if you have alot of money to spare, get a double action airbrush and a compressor.

Decal application

Well, after you finish your assembly, painted your aircraft, here comes the most tedious part. Decal application. It is a pretty time consuming, boring process. But after everything is done, you find that it is worth it.

Decals gives your model its character. It brings life to it. So it is very important that you don't spoil your model with a botched attempt to decal. The key to doing it, is to have very good patience and concentration.

1.So you start off by spraying your model with gloss clear coat. I buy a can of Mr Hobby Colour gloss spray.

Why gloss you may ask? Afterall itsn't a military model supposed to flat? Well it is to basicly prevent silvering from happening when you apply your decals. Silvering is basicly a build up of air bubbles under your decal, resulting in a frosted look. It happens most often when people decal on matt surfaces. Being uneven, the decal could not adhere to the contour of the surface resulting of minute pockets of air under the decal.

2. Get two essential solutions. Decal setting solution and decal softener.

Decal setting solution helps the decal to adhere to the surface of the model. It also softens your decal, allowing it to set along contours such as panel lines.

Decal softener softens your decal even furthur. For example, if you are supposed to wrap a dome shaped object, the decal softener will soften and shrink it to follow the contour.

3. Getting started.

First, cut out the decal you want, then dip it in water for 10 seconds, after that leave it on a table for about 1 minute. The decal should be able to slide out from the backing paper.

Most people will leave it under water until the decals comes out.Personally i think it is not a very wise thing to do. By dipping the decal under water, you are actually dissolving the adhesive on the decal itself. So if you leave it underwater until the decal comes out, chances are, the adhesive solution is completely dissolved.

So take it out after 10 seconds. After 1 min the decal decal slides out of its backing paper, together with a pretty concentrated amount of adhesive solution.

4. Brush a small amount of decal setting solution on the area where you want to place your decal. Slide the decal on the area, and brush more setiing solution on top. Leave for about 5 minutes then press down with a dlightly damp cloth or tissue paper.

Caution. Do not touch the decal after you have place your setting solution. Leave it there to dry for about 2 days.

5. For tricky contours such as panel lines and rivets, add some decal softening solution. This is a very dangerous solution. It could destroy your decal once and for all. So test the solution on a small piece of decal before starting. Otherwise it may crumple up.

Add the softener over the decal (after you have already done step 4) Wait for 60 seconds and dap it with a damp cloth. Be very very gentle.

6. After your decals have been applied, wait for 2 days. This is to allow the setting solutions to fully cure and to allow the decals to adhere to the surface.

7. Sealing. Spray a few coats of gloss clear coat over the decals. This acts as a lacquer for the decal, protecting it and allowing it to be touch resistant.

8. Finishing touch. If you find that you like your model glossy, good for you. If not, spray dull coat over. Personally i use testors dull coat solution for airbrushing.

Well thats all folks. Hope this is imformative to you guys.