Ach, not a good start to a huge build

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

I’m building (trying to) the Trumpeter BF-109 1/24 . . . I’ve been working it up mentally for weeks now, spent all sorts of $ on it but ran into a disaster on my very first operation. I painted the engine block parts on the sprue, as it seemed a sensible thing to do. But in my over-zealousness, I bought some stuff called “Touch-n-flow”, which basically seems to be a solvent rather than a glue. I thought at the time, great, it will flow from its needle-point tip into the gaps between parts like magic. No more nasty spider-webs of glue strings.

Either I’m just dumb or I’m clumsy. The pretty lousy instructions were almost unreadable, but I did as they said to the best of my ability . . . and voila, the stuff spills over everything . . . I try to apply but see nothing coming from the tip . . . and before I realise it, I discover there WAS something coming from the tip . . . because it’s dripped down the engine block and before you can say Sprat my fingerprints are merrily ensconcing themselves all over the engine block.

FAIL. It’s good, very good that I didn’t plan on having the fuselage open for admiration, so this mistake will be buried. But does anyone have a good glue that they can recommend, something with pinpoint accuracy and minimum mess and that doesn’t clog permanently if you take a week break?

Sorry if this sounds like a rant but it doesn’t augur well on the rest of the build . . . otherwise, it’s great to get my hands dirty again .

2

The Touch-N-Flow works by capillary action & quite often you will not see the solvent coming from the tip. If you can fill the TNF, it suggests that it’s not blocked & should work fine. It should be put down at the start of the joint & pulled backwards along it (doing it the opposite way will block the tip with melted styrene), the solvent will be pulled into th joint as you move.

It might be worth doing some experimentation on scrap plastic under some strong light so that you can see it working & get a better feel for it. Once you have got the “knack” the TNF is a very accurate & precise way of applying adhesive to seams.

3

Touch-N-Flow is the applicator…the solvent you fill it with works by literally melting plastic and welding it together. For awhile I was using solvent before I could get my hands on a Touch-N-Flow (they had a disruption last summer), and found using those microbrushes you can get at Hobby Lobby as a pretty decent way to applying solvent. Heck, I still use it on armor builds. The Touch-N-Flow applicator itself takes a bit to get the hang of…the angle at which you hold it determines how much flows. I’ve found about 30-45 degrees works best. Get a bead going, then draw the applicator back along the bead (never push, always draw away).

If the tip clogs up, I keep a post-it note handy and dab the TnF on it until the flow starts again. If that doesn’t work, I dip it in the solvent, which quickly eats the clogging plastic.

Another thing - I’d highly suggest assembling anything you plan to assemble with solvent first, and then paint. I tend to use CA or similar if I’m gluing small painted pieces (as in a cockpit, or wheels to struts, etc).

One final suggestion - maybe practice first on a less intense kit. If you’re dead set on big scales, there are several relatively inexpensive 1/32 kits out there to find your feet with.

4

Just use CA for things like that, especially if you’re not going to display them. I haven’t picked up a T&F yet, but I absolutely adore my can of Weld On 3, and use brushes similar to Doogs mentioned above. I only use it where parts need to join and the seem needs to be eradicated, however. Fuselage halves, wing roots, etc. I’m amazed at the job it’s done on the Me 262 I’m in the midst of painting now. As long as you can get the parts to a good dry fit and hold them there, the solvent will do it’s magic. Anything without a seam that needs to be hidden, though, seems like a waste of time bringing out the Weld On.

Hit it with a spot of CA and don’t worry about it. Practice with the T&F for the big seams you need to kill.

5

Nothing worse than using a new tool, product or technique on something you’re working on before you understand it completely. This video will help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPmlLmrYcOU

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6

Nothing worse than using a new tool, product or technique on something you’re working on before you understand it completely. This video will help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPmlLmrYcOU

[View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]

7

Personally, I’d recommend using Testor’s Model Master Liquid Cement in the black bottle with the needle applicator, and Testpor’s Liquid Cement in the Pink lable bottle until you get up to speed… Use a good “0”-point brush for applying the Pink Label cement, let capillary action do the work, and above all, keep your fingers away from the joint, since it’ll follow them too…

Just dip the brush into the cement, then just touch it to the joint. Capillary action will pull the glue into the joint, but only a “brushload”… You’ll have far more control over the amount of glue you apply, since you can only put on what the brush will hold… When using the Black Bottle Testor’s, it helps immensely on the bond to lightly sand all the mating surfaces of the joint. Just enough to take the sheen off… The Model Master is thicker than the liquid cement in the pink label bottle, but much thinner than the tube variety…

As for painting pats on the sprue, that’s ok, but generally, I don’t… I paint after the major parts in the subassemblies are together, and paint the only small parts on the sprues… I also use CA on painted parts, since normal cements just disolve the paint and won’t reach the palstic to weld it together…

8

Just use Model Master black label. pin point metal applicator, dries relatively fast and is pretty forgiving.

Rich

9

Get some Loctite Gel (CA)l it works like a champ. Enough said…

10

I’m another fan of the model master stuff with in the black container with the metal tip. It is very forgiving and I use it almost exclusively.

11

Mate, let me suggest to you my new favorite thing in the world. Its Tamiya extra thin cement. Comes in a square jar that has a brush attached to the lid, its very thin, no webs or anything, perfect for small areas, small parts or tight places. It holds wonderfully as well, and dries fairly quickly

12

I love the Touch-N-Flow, but find that it is very particular about how it is handled. If you push at all, rather than pull it across the plastic there is a good chance that the tip will plug. If it does, put the tip down in a small container of cement and tap it gently. I wouldn’t just dunk the thing down in the bottle of cement, since I’m not sure that’s good for the plastic plug that holds the needle. That should dislodge the clog.

If it doesn’t, and do this VERY carefully, blow into the end of the glass tube. That usually works for me. Remember, BLOW, don’t SUCK! Another trick I’ve read, but not tried, is to put the tip of your air brush against the open end and give it a shot of air. Obviously, don’t do this with the needle down in the cement. LOL.

Over all, its a great tool, but you have have to use it carefully or it will clog easily. Practice, practice, practice.

Bob

13

Sorry for the extremely late reply, guys, but I just got so discouraged that I took a major break from even thinking about modeling. Trouble is, I look at the work that some of you people do and I want to do as well but it’s kind of like listening to fantastic guitarists and then thinking that the more expensive the guitar one buys, the better one will sound.

I think I’ll proceed more carefully on this beast with the tools I KNOW how to use already instead of leaping in with stuff I know nothing about.

But by and large, I’m glad they make you start with the engine block, because if you mess up, no one’s going to see it anyway (unless you want them to!) and this model isn’t going to be entering any competitions any time soon!

But thanks for all your great advice. Properly chastened, I shall start back on the model this afternoon.

Cheers

Nick

14

Many a novice modeler see the results of a master and wants to be able to immediately emulate that level of craftsmanship. Like a guitar one has to first learn how to hold and master one chord at a time.

Focus on the basics, for it is there that the master sets in place the cast for the final outcome. A master learns how to master the basic principles and maintain them throughout the build process. Its a series of steps and if one can keep each step consistent through each and every step the model becomes a masterpiece. That is the hardest challenge for any modeler to achieve!

There are so many educational resources available…use them. If you can’t find them, ask. If you don’t comprehend a specific task or technique ask until you understand it.

15

Well said!

When I was building models as a kid, there was no internet. Anything and everything I picked up came through either FSM or lucking into it. Coming back years later, it’s been extremely cool to see modeling go online. I saw it gradually in so many other areas, but since I’d wandered away, with modeling, it was like all these resources sprung up wholly formed. Forums, blogs, articles, photo galleries…read them, try out the techniques for yourself. I know I’ve learned more and progressed further in the past several months than I did the entire time I was building as a kid.

16

I know. Not just with modeling, but with everything – cooking, playing guitar, anything you can think of. The resources are just simply incredible. Pre-Internet you didn’t have too many choices; the library, the bookstore, what have you. The only good thing about that was that we didn’t know how incredible a resource like the Internet was going to be, so we didn’t miss it! :)]

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Don’t be too hard on yourself, Tonbo… It’s like Hawkeye said, many novices go with the “Ready” -“FIRE!”-“Aim” approach… I was a little concerned when you started posting about all the goodies you picked up, like the “Touch & Flow” (I’ve been building models for over 44 years and don’t use it, or any of the other "High-Speed/Low-Drag stuff out there, 90% of which is simply marketed to separate your wallet from it’s contents… I don’t use any glues other than Testor’s and Testor’s Model Master and the “5 tubes for .99 cents” super glues on the blister-pack card you see at the grocery store, and good ol’ Elmer’s… I’ve tried the other stuff, but always come back “home”…

KISS-Rule always applies in the beginning… Keep It Simple, Stupid". In fact, it’s best to apply that rule thoughout your modeling “career”… Things will get complicated enough, all by themselves, often enough without asking for trouble, lol…

My general approach to modeling supplies and tools is that, if they’re sold in a hobby shop, they’re over-priced… If they have the name of company that released the products AFTER they got into the kt business, they’re even MORE over-priced and useless… Tamiya’s stuff come to mind there… Their paint’s usless for brushing, which is how most modelers, especially those under 21 and still living with the parents, paint their kits in the beginning years…

I never had an airbrush until I was almost 40 years old, 'cept for the “El-Cheapo” ones that cost about 15.00 and work more like rattle-cans than air brushes… In fact, I still do 70-80% of my spray painting with rattle-cans… I just use a lot of masking tape, newspaper, and Post-It notes, lol… “Old School” is still the best school, IMNSHO… Cheaper too… I have a new, higher-end Paasche AB now, but don’t use it much… Especially on aircraft and armor that have ony one or two overall colors… There’s little trick that one learns through the years with tape and rattle-cans, like setting the can in hot (NOT boiling) water for 10 minutes or so before using it (makes the paint atomize better), using your skin’s natural oils to “de-sticky” masking tapes, and cutting narrow strips form 1/2 and 3/4-inch tape for masking curved areas… You don’t need to have every color of paint in the “FS Rainbow” either… Most paints can be matched by using a color-chip booklet and the rattle-can and bottled paint-rack at the local hardware or crafts store, and allow you to buy two ro three times the paint for a third of the cost of “Hobby-brand paints”…

Frankly speaking, it’s better to learn with the tools and stuff that you get at Hardware stores and Auto Parts stores than in hobby shops… Those businesses will ALWAYS be there… Can’t say that about hobby shops…

None of us EVER hit it outta the park the first time outta the chute, pard… In fact, of us didn’t hit it outta the park until around kit number 100 or so… Takes about that long to get everything that can go wrong to go wrong…

Even then, even after number 400, one’ll sneak up and bite ya…

Can anyone say, “ModelCraft 1/48th F-82?”