I’m working on a Monogram F-4J i n1/72 scale. For the most part, the kit fits very well and the ejector pin marks are on the inside of the kit parts. However, the bottom of the flaps on each wing have an ejector pin mark that could be seen when the model is assembled.
What’s the best way to fill them? They are very, very shallow and about a quarter inch in diameter.
I’ve thought of using Testor’s contour putty, but filling a (relatively) large shallow dimple seems like it would be more difficult than filling a seam.
I’ve heard of some people using super glue to fill small dents and ejector pin marks. The super glue that I have is kinda runny, and I don’t have accelerator right now. Is it possible for me to use my super glue, or should I go buy a different type of glue and get some accelerator?
If I don’t use the accelerator, how soon can I start sanding?
Considering that its so shallow, you can avoid fillers totally.
Just stick a sheet of fine grade (220 grit is good) wet dry sandpaper on a nice, flat, smooth surface such as a sheet of glass or plexiglas. Put a few drops of water on the sand paper, place the flap, pin mark side down, flat on the sandpaper and keep even pressure on it while moving it around in a circular motion on the sandpaper. Check it frequently to guage your progress.
Once youve got the pin mark out of there, you may want to repeat the above process using a couple of finer grades of sanding film to give it some polish.
In the case that the flaps are molded right into the wing instead of separate, pay a visit to the nail care section of your local drug store and pick up a selection of nail buffing sticks, they’re usually larger and wider (not to mention cheaper) than the specialized ones you get at hobby shops. You can get them coarse enough to remove your offending pin marks and fine enough to get a nice smooth polish back when you’re done. No one will know anything was ever there.
All you have to do after that is restore whatever surface detail got sanded off and you’re free to carry on.
To fill or not to fill…that is the question! Ejector pin marks are particularly nasty little buggers. I’ve sometimes filled them with my squadron green putty equivalent only to have the putty pop out while sanding. Consequently, If the mark is of any significance, I’ll go to superglue. A better way, especially when dealing with larger spots, cut a disk of plastic just a tad smaller than the pin mark and superglue the disk into the hole. Give it a shot of accelerator and then sand it off. If you’re fortunate enough to have a Waldron punch set ($85 bucks through the mail), use that to make your filler disks. If you’re cheap like me, you can use a star-wheel type leather punch available from the hardware store for $7. If you only use it for plastic, it’ll last forever.
I have used CA glue to fill in some of these lovely little holes. I don’t use an accelerator at all and use the meduim formula glue for this. Sometimes a small amount of sanding is necessary to fix it up. It also works good for filling in the odd sink hole that some companies are prone to.
Okay, what I think I’m going to do is score the inside of the ejector pin marks and then fill them with putty. I use nail polish remover and a que-tip to smooth the putty and keep sanding to a minimum. I think scoring the inside of the ejector pin depression will give the putty something to cling to.
The flaps are molded as part of the wing, and the pin marks are on the underside, but still exterior, surface. I can’t just sand the marks down because they’re a depression in the surface.
Anyway, thanks for the advice, and I’ll let you guys know how it turned out.
My last project was an ejector pin mark nightmare. Dragon’s E-100 super heavy tank. Great kit overall, but the track links and lengths were peppered with literally hundreds of marks on the inner sides. Being a very lazy modeler, I thought about letting them go, but decided they had to be fixed, at least on the bottom run where they were painfully evident.
I just plopped a dollop of Tamiya Polyester Putty on each mark, let it set for 3 days, shaved off most of the mound with a good ol’ # 11, and sanded the rest down. Time consuming, but in the end there was nary a mark to be seen.
The biggest problem was that I had already permanently attached the trax to the vehicle! Would have been twice as easy had I done 'em off.
Anyway, long story, but it just goes to show that the marks aren’t really all that hard to deal with, even when faced with hundreds of them!
You can also use CA glue mixed with a baby powder. Read this from an article is FSM. The baby powder CA glue mixture makes a filler which can be sanded easier than using pure CA glue. You will have to wait until it dries though. Removes the hassle of sanding CA before it gets too hard.