Spruesome I’m working in 1:48 scale. I’ve been panel-line preoccupied because I like the look of pin washes, but haven’t pulled one off yet due to the color of the model (dark sea blue) or the quality of the kit (raised panel lines). I have been using dymo label tape as a scriber-guide, along with a dedicated scribing tool, but, invariably the tool jumps out of the panel line and scratches the adjacent surface. So I’m getting gun-shy about re-scribing. My experience with scribing across putty has not been good, either. The putty has been too hard; the tool just skates across the putty. I got Alclad not necessarily because I’m going to do NMF models (yet), but because I’ve read of people using and liking it. I didn’t know it was meant for metal finish-prep. I do have a few kits lined up that will require a NMF (P-51, P-47), but I’m holding off on those. The way you describe using primer (i.e., priming just the spot where I put filler) makes me wonder if I really understand what the purpose of primer is. I thought it was to be used as a base for the paint–something to even the surface and provide a substrate to grab on to. I wasn’t thinking of it as patchy kind of thing. In a similar way, I was surprised to read that people use Mr. Surfacer as primer–however diluted–as I thought that stuff was just for small areas. Obviously, I’m confused. Is primer even necessary? When I paint small parts (e.g., cockpit or landing gear components), Ii think the primer is adding unnecessary “thickness” to the part, making it look larger than the 1:48 scale would suggest it should be.
I’m old school. I use squadron green and qtip dipped in fingernail polish remover after the putty has dried for 30-60 minutes to remove the excess. After light sanding use a bright light and a magnifier to examine the seams. I use light gray paint as my primer.
“…invariably the tool jumps out of the panel line and scratches the adjacent surface… My experience with scribing across putty has not been good, either. The putty has been too hard; the tool just skates across the putty.”
Okay, you may want to look for a softer putty or an alternate filler, like paint.
Mij and I both use the Squadron green putty, which is a very close relative of automotive glazing putty. In fact, if you went to the auto paint store and asked for some green glazing putty, you would have basically the same thing. So, maybe try a little of that. (I can’t tell if that is what Mr. Stauffer is using.) However, I think you may have the same scribing problem with it, or chipping.
I suspect you need to use a lighter touch. Try pulling the scriber or pin toward you, with the tip pointing away from you. (I often use a straight pin for this.) You’ll make many passes with the tool just to touch up one line. This will help keep the scriber where you want it. (Are the raised panel lines still there when the took hops out? Or, have you sanded them off?)
When Mij runs the nail polish remover over it, he is not only removing excess putty, but also softening the plastic of the model and helping the putty bond to it. It can be overdone, though.
“Is primer even necessary?” Yes and no. It is needed when painting things other than styrene, such as resin models, or vinyl, or brass detail parts. It may also be needed for special coatings, like Alclad natural metal simulations. It may be needed to protect the plastic from highly aggressive coatings, like very wet lacquer. It may be needed if you plan to put tape with a very strong adhesive on the finish and then need to remove the tape.
Otherwise, I feel it is not generally needed on styrene plastic, so long as the surface is clean. I have gotten by without using it for a long time, but I do not usually use acrylic paints. You have spotted the problem of having too many coats, so less is more.
For your wash, you might try a fairly dark blue-gray on a very dark blue plane. I think you will want to avoid high contrast.
As a beginner, you may have more fun by keeping things simple for now. I would focus on getting the parts aligned right - no droopy horizontal stabilizers, no zig-zag landing gear, and that sort of thing. (You’d be surprised how many advanced modelers allow something to dry a little out of kilter, and it keeps them from winning top prizes.)
Adam, You have the perfect primer in Mr. Surfacer 1000. The 1200 is even better. That’s what it’s made for. If you are trying to fill gaps you should get Mr. Surface 500 or Mr. Dissolved Putty. I prime everything with 1000 or 1200. Great stuff, airbrushed or spray can.
Jay
I’m going to “burn off” a couple of models and just have fun with them. I’m going to try various primers, including Mr Surfacer (I’m assuming I am to thin the heck out of that stuff, since it’s fairly thick–and expensive). I’m going to paint with and without primers. I’ll retry panel scribing as suggested, though I have tried both pulling a and lightly pushing the tool. Although I used to model as a kid, I think I may have jumped the gun a bit when I picked it up again. A ton has changed in 20+ years (photoetch?? Where’d that come from?). This “hobby” has become more than just a hobby: it’s part art, part science, part “skillz,” part research… Thanks, everyone, for your advice and encouragement. A nice group of people, here. Some time in the future I hope to have some knowledge to share with new builders as you have with me. My intended path, after the burner models, is: 1) Enamel paints/gloss finishes and improving weathering techniques (Hellcat, Corsair) 2) Intro to Japanese fighters and paint chipping (Zero, Frank) 3) Resin aftermarket parts and better cockpits (Corsair, Mustang, Wildcat) 4) Camouflage with soft edges (RAF P-51B, P-47M) 5) Alclad metal (F3F-maybe, P-51C, P-47) 6) Intro to Luftwaffe (FW190-D, BF-110) 7)!invasion stripes & photo-etch (Eduard P-47, Eduard P-39) 8) Putting it all together: Tamiya Swordfish (yes, I have all these kits ready to go!) 9) Begin building early & Century Series jets Adam
For anything larger than the tiny seams, like fuselage halves or wing joins, I use stretched sprue. The diameter can be adjusted as needed while stretching. Often I place one side on gritty sand paper for traction, then run a file or second piece of sand paper lengthwise over it, to flatten it just a bit. Placing it in the seam flatter side up, I use Tamiya Extra Thin and flow enough to settle the plastic strand further into the seam, by running a small metal spatula over it.
Once dry overnight it’s ready for initial filing/sanding, any filling required then is minimal, usually just a couple of primer coats will level the entire area. Takes much less time than waiting for a thorough filler drying, the final treatment of the area is simplified and abbreviated. Absolutely no shrinkage involved this way.
Worth a try, it has worked well for me for many years. I hated seeing cracks in the paint develop in time, when the filler would shrink after a while. Fussy old bugger I am.
Patrick
Patrick206, the stretched sprue as gap-filler is a great idea!
I am returning to modeling after 30 years, and just started my first model. Anyway, I have spent the last year reading as much as I can, as the hobby has changed drastically, with new mediums and supplies. Anyway, I always thought that being proactive with seams was better than reactive. What I mean is, before I even start gluing anything together, why not rescribe the lines that are near joints, this way you can mitigate the loss of detail before you start sanding at all. If you did it right, even after filling and sanding, the panel lines should still be there. Of course you need to protect the lines from filler, but once the filler dries, you can remove the tape, sand the joint and not worry about losing the panel lines. This is theory, but hopefully with my first build, I can put it to practice and see if that works. It might be overkill, but I prefer to avoid lost detail, my scribing skills are still not great. Creating new lines from scratch is daunting. Cheers, Anthony
This looks very promising. I am doing my first kit in over thirty years, and trying to avoid as much frustration as possible. Your seam tips are going in my “tips and tricks” file, I hope that I have the success you have, I am still learning how to scribe and fill. My resource are limited, so I only have Tamiya white putty at this time. I hope that I can use it successfully, even back in the old days, I never had good results with fillers. Thanks for the great information, Anthony