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Dispelling Modeling Myths


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I think the difference, at least what it appears to me, is that Alclad has the reflection of chrome, but not the brightness, if that makes sense. I can see myself in a piece that is sprayed with Alclad, but when in the sun, chrome will have those blinding, glaring bright spots where the sun hits. Alclad will shine, have a reflection, but not the brightness or glare you get from chrome

does that make sense? I think I confused myself.

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Here's my 2 cents.

# 1 Alclad : follow the directions to the letter, and it turns out fine.

# 2 : I have alway's used the back of a # 11 X-acto knife to open up doors, trunks and panel lines on plastic. But for resin I use a panel scriber which works great on the resin.

# 3 : I use BMF for masking as well as 3M fine line tape and Tamiya masking tapes.

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When mastered, Alclad works phenomenally but yes, if handled too much it will rub off a bit. On small parts around the engine you will not need to worry but if you are doing bigger things like bumpers, it's best not to handle your model much, at least on those particularly exposed areas.

I use a scriber to start my panel lines but always finish with the Xacto knife. The scriber makes it easier to start the process but the deeper you go, the wider the line will look.

I've always had good luck with Tamiya tape, if you burnish it well and mist your paints while applying them you will not go wrong. Of course, the use of an airbrush when performing this task will definitely work best but if done carefully, even using spray cans will work. BMF is another good alternative.

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4. Paint won't stick to polished plastic.

I don't think the problem lies with the plastic being polished, rather, it's the chemical(s) in the polish that might cause the paint to not adhere.

I figured that more people would comment on this one. To me, the conventional wisdom is that you need some "tooth" on the surface to be painted -- such as scuffing with 400 grit wet-or-dry for a coat of flat primer. On my next model, I'm going to try the polished plastic method and spray on many light coats of diluted gloss paint, skipping the primer.

How about posting some more myths?

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I use a #11 blade to open panels. The trick is to go very very slowly at first and use a very light touch (light pressure on the blade). After a while you can press harder.

When masking, hit it with a little bit of clear first. That way the color coat will not bleed through. Any bleed through, under the tape, will be clear.

Another myth: You can paint and build a model car from sealed box to finished car in 24 hours. I am about to check out this myth. I'm signed up for my model club's 24 hour build fest.

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Another myth: You can paint and build a model car from sealed box to finished car in 24 hours. I am about to check out this myth. I'm signed up for my model club's 24 hour build fest.

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Good luck Jim, are you sure you want to be in the same house for 24 hours with the guys :lol: :lol: :lol:

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#3. Tamiya tape, Jammydog tape from Scalefinishes.com as well as fine line tape I got from Hobbylink Japan. I don't have the patience to cut fine lines with two hobby blades nor do I care to when there's tape readily available.

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Edited by Tonioseven
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Guest G Holding

I'm with Tonio.....I use the same as him, and our lines are crisp. I don't do the skinny ones like Tonio showed, but his are killer!

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For #2, I use the BMF scriber tool continuously over the panel lines, and when you look on the other side and can see it about to cut through the plastic, I then use a sharp blade to get a perfect precision cut. Works every time :)

Been scratching my head a while on how i should do this. Will try the BMF tool,thanks.

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...It also dispells the myth about one part putty shrinking, cracking and falling out since the head light buckets are made entirely from Squadron's white putty. The putty is around 1/4"-3/8" thick in areas. The bars holding them up are glued into holes drilled into the putty. The body work on the chop is also done with white putty. So much for that myth.

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How old is this build?

IMO while one part putty can be sanded smooth and then painted over before it gets a chance to shrink it will shrink given enough time. I;ve got builds in my cabinet that were filled and sanded smooth 5 or 6 years ago but which now exhibit sinking along all the filled seams.

Now I used automotive cellulose knifing putty not something intended for model use but I maintain that a one part putty which dries by evaporation will reduce in volume as the solvent evaporates.

If all the evaporation has occurred before sanding and painting then I can see how no more shrinking would take place but is that going to happen without a long drying time or thin coats?

I don't know.

Good luck with your builds as they age and if you are happy with what you are using then by all means stick to it (after all there is no wrong or right way to do stuff in our hobby - despite what certain posters on this forum I could name think) but I learnt from experience that I prefer a 2 part filler as the 1 part one I was using shrank.

Edited by zenrat
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How old is this build?

IMO while one part putty can be sanded smooth and then painted over before it gets a chance to shrink it will shrink given enough time. I;ve got builds in my cabinet that were filled and sanded smooth 5 or 6 years ago but which now exhibit sinking along all the filled seams.

Now I used automotive cellulose knifing putty not something intended for model use but I maintain that a one part putty which dries by evaporation will reduce in volume as the solvent evaporates.

If all the evaporation has occurred before sanding and painting then I can see how no more shrinking would take place but is that going to happen without a long drying time or thin coats?

I don't know.

Good luck with your builds as they age and if you are happy with what you are using then by all means stick to it (after all there is no wrong or right way to do stuff in our hobby - despite what certain posters on this forum I could name think) but I learnt from experience that I prefer a 2 part filler as the 1 part one I was using shrank.

That build is only a few months old. But, I have a few builds that are at least fourteen years old that look the same as the day I finished building them. If nothing has happened by now, it's not going to. I built a Revell '69 Nova X years ago (whenever it first came out) that I ground off the incorrect fender arches and made them entirely from putty. If there was a time that putty would have failed, it would have failed on that build. I also have a resin '61 Falcon that was built a year or longer before it. It had what had to be a thousand pinholes and three through holes (one a 1/4", two 1/8") and I filled them all with Squadron's white putty. Still looks the same. I guess it was a good thing that I hadn't heard the myth about not using putty on resin. ;)

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In regards to one-part vs. two-part putty... here are the facts.

Fact: One part putties harden, or "dry," the same way that paint does: the liquid part (the solvent) evaporates away, leaving behind the hardened solid part. Since all one-part putties harden this way (via evaporation of the solvent, leaving behing the "putty" part), they by definition shrink as they dry– because they lose a part of their volume (the solvent) as they dry. This is an irrefutable fact.

Fact: Two-part putties (the kind where you have to mix the resin and the hardener) don't dry via evaporation. In fact, they don't "dry" at all... they set via a chemical reaction between the resin and hardener, the same way epoxy sets. Once this reaction has finished, the putty is as hard as it'll ever get, and it won't shrink two months down the road. There is no loss of volume because the putty has hardened via chemical reaction, not evaporation.

However... that's not to say you can't get perfect results using one-part putty. You can, if the putty has completely dried before you prime and paint. If you laid it on thick, after a while it may seem dry, and even sand well, but deeper down the solvents have not all evaporated away, and in a case like this you will see evidence of shrinkage marring your finished model down the road.

That's the pitfall of one-part putties. They do shrink (and crack if applied too thick). If you know what you're doing and have had experience using one-part putties, and you know enough to let the putty dry completely before finishing, yes, you can get good results. Many modelers, especially beginners, don't know that, and they're the ones most likely to have the problem of visible shrinking down the line, after the model is finished. And of course, there's nothing you can do to fix it at that point.

Since two-part putties don't have this problem to deal with, IMO they're the better choice. A two-part putty, if mixed in the correct ratio (approx, 10 parts putty to 1 part hardener) will not shrink or crack, ever.

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Harry, and thats where the vega fc probably hasnt cracked or shrank as I put the filler on in thin coats. Unfortunately for me there is NO place to get 2 part with driving 4 + hours. (Hell I have to drive 1 to get to a hobby shop that I have more of than they do!!!!)

Most auto parts stores sell it. And like Bill said, it's available from tons of places online.

http://www.google.com/#q=Bondo+professional+glazing+putty&safe=off&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=y-6PUc2OKYKMygHsh4Ew&ved=0CIEBELMY&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.46340616,d.aWc&fp=81b22e225e828830&biw=1267&bih=723

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Here is what I use. Bondo. A two part putty made for car body repair. It now comes in these tubes that are very handy for model car building. Available at most auto parts stores. The only problem is, if you mix in too much hardener (stuff on the right) it will set up in about 3 minutes.

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The stuff is easy to sand and works great !

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Cool salt-flats Merc !!!

And if you don't get ENOUGH catalyst in it, it won't stick OR harden.

Thanks !

You are Correct !!

The reason I mentioned using only a tiny bit of hardener is that for modeling purposes, I usually only mix up a tiny amount of this stuff and it is easy to use too much hardener.

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Jim, that's the stuff! Can't beat it.

It' a 10 to 1 ratio–10 parts putty to 1 part catalyst (hardener). Obviously there's no easy way to actually measure, so you eyeball it. The ratio isn't super-critical. I go by color... after it's mixed it should be a light pink. Too white and you don't have enough catalyst, too red and you have too much catalyst mixed in and it'll set up on you really fast. As long as the mix is pink, you're ok. A tad too little catalyst, there's no real harm done... it'll just take a few minutes longer to set up.

And oh yeah... Jim, that model is super-cool!

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Fact: Squadron White Putty does not shrink or crack. Here's a photo of a hood I just primered. The tear drop scoop is made entirely from Squadron White Putty. This was started last night around 8:30 and primered just a few minutes ago. Myth busted!

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