I bought an old kit from Revell P 40-B. Terrible fit; but that was the entire purpose of the build. How is the best way to fill the gaps? I have tried super glue and then accelerate, seems like a messy solution. Then I have the issue of sanding which is also a mess. Any suggestions on:
A. Gap filling: (really at a loss here)
B. Sanding: (Sanding sticks? by whom?)
C. Mr. Surfacer ? (hard to get at local hobby store)
As an aside, I did a build of a B25 for a CBI vet last year (a good kit) and he was very surprised. Without your collective advice, the project would not have been that successful. Your comments are most appreciated.
Haven’t used Mr. Surfacer, but have and do frequently use the other methods. CA and accelerant is one of my favs for filling holes and pin marks. Sanding them takes some muscle but using metal files and really coarse sanding sticks (Squadon) works. It’s all going to be a mess though. Tamiya white putty is really awesome for more traditional stuff like fuselage joins and such. Just buid a “wall” on either side with masking tape and I like to apply it with a finger. Hint; buy surgical gloves and you can cut one finger off at a time to cover your index finger for application. 5 applications per glove is a real bargin. Some people like to use finger nail polish remover to wipe away excess in my experience this is more of a hassle than just sanding it off. It’s not as easy as wiping water off your countertop. It smears and takes scrubbing and it stinks.
Something I learned after years of “the hard way” is not to let CA set up too long before sanding. Apply it (I use either a straight pin or safety pin to keep the amount small); try not to use too much; wait no longer than an hour–sometimes even 10,15 minutes is enough. Then start sanding. If you use smaller amounts of the CA, it sets up quickly and hardens, but not so hard that the sanding is heavy work.
This way doesn’t require accelerant.
And like any other technique, trial and error, practice, practice, practice.
I’m a big fan of 3M acryl glazing putty (I use red…). Thins excellently with lacquer thinner, feathers out beautifully with sanding, though it’ll clog up a sanding stick like nobody’s business. I “gate” my puttying with tamiya tape so I’m only applying it to the exact gap or seam or what-have-you.
For larger gaps, you can shim it with some sheet styrene, weld it in place with something like Tenax or Tamiya Extra Thin Cement, cut the plastic down and then sand it flush.
Sanding sticks - I really really like the Flex-i-file sanding sticks. Squadron’s are way rougher, leave grit behind and all that.
Gonna have to agree with everyone here. I HATED using any form of putty until I had that “Well DUH!” moment of using the tape. Now whenever I have a gap, I just use the tape to mask of only the extremely narrow area where I want the putty to go. I apply the putty (Squadron green putty in my case), smoothe it down with my finger dipped in rubbing alcohol, then remove the tape. After the sanding is done, I only have a wee narrow area where I need to rescribe the detail rather than an area the size of a golf ball.
I loved my Mr. Surfacer 500 when I had it. Now I can’t find it locally anymore. For those smaller seam issues, I use plain and simple White Out correction fluid. It fills those tiny hair-like gaps and sands just great. I think many of them have the pointed foam applicator now rather than the little brush. The pointed foam helps me place just a thin line only where I need it.
I also use auto glazing putty. But if the gap is too big it needs to be supported. If the gap is over about 1/16 inch I fill the gap with sheet styrene, then putty any remaining cracks. If the gap is very small- just a surface scratch that does not go clear through, then I may use gelled superglue. Styrene strips come as thin as ten mil, twenty mil is a popular size, and one can use several of such strips in a stack.
I use CA almost exclusively for filling gaps. No shrinkage and no waiting for it to dry. I use 320 grit to sand it down, then switch to finer grades to remove the scratch marks.
I use Tamiya white putty thinned with lacquer thinner. I squeeze out a small blob on the palette add a couple drops of lacquer thinner and thin to about the consistency of paint then brush it on. Does not shrink and the thin coats mean less sanding. Worked well so far if you don’t mind the a little bit of lacquer odor.
I do this differently .I will use either green or red putty .Either one works , but I think the green is softer after drying . I do NOT use CA and ACCELERATOR . Never have ,never will . I tried it and found out , that if you,re sanding and torque the part a little it cracks and it is actually harder to fix . Stick with the red or green putty and I think you’ll be happy with the results .
Of course you can always fill a gap with plastic. I have cut up bits of sprue and put it into a bottle of Testors liquid cement. Give it time to melt and it makes a good filler.
