Questions I know I Should know by now

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

I’ve so far been a OOB kinda person. but i just ordered an EA-6B and i like the accesories.

just some questions about the accesories though. like what is a resin detail set? jsut that the resin form of plastic? is that why they are so expensive?

and something i never understood, what is photo-etched parts? are they metal?

i got some others i cant seem to remember now, but i look forward to your insight on these things so far i know very little above.

2

Ok, I will give this a shot.
Resin is not plastic but a polymer (someone correct me who knows better). The parts are made by creating a master and then casting the part(s) in resin. Most of the expense comes from the short life of the molds meaning only so many castings can be made.

Photoetch is metal, usually brass or aluminum. Photo etching is a process that creates a negative which is applied to the metal and than the metal is ‘etched’ in an acid.

Hope that helps a little. Should have went to Google to get more precise info but too lazy today.

3

ok somewhat, but whats the point in photo-etched though?

4

Here’s an example of resin on the left, with photo etch on the right.

Resin allows for sharper details than can be obtained by injection-molded plastic parts. Thicker areas do not lead to sink marks on the other face of the part. Cylindrical parts, such as the pilot’s stick, have no mold parting line, and are not subject to mold misalignment when cast in this manner.

Photo etched parts are thinner than can be molded in plastic, such as the trim wheels in the pic above. The seat belts can be folded and draped in a realistic manner. Many of these parts must be folded to replicate three-dimentional details.

These parts must also be attached with a glue different from plastic cement or welders. CA (super glue), white glue, epoxy, or Future must be used. Regular plastic solvents have no effect on them.

Hope this helps.

5

starting the get the jist of it.

are etched and resin used togeather or is it jsut like a chevy-ford kinda situation. just two different types, each for ones liking.

and if there not used togeather, what determines the use of resin over photo etched and vise-versa. do they both have there place or do they have the same purpose just different ways?

probably stupid questions for some of you…sorry

6

The pic that I posted is a detail set, which includes all of those items. Some things are only possible in resin (shapes with compound curves), and some that are better suited to photo etch (seat belts). Instrument panels are produced in both media.Resin is brittle, and thin pieces break easily (you couldn’t fold the belts if they were regular resin).

Different modelers have different preferences. If you would like to give them a try, I would suggest looking into the True Details (made by Squadron) line of resin cockpits. They are very affordable & easy to use. A good first photo etch set would be from the “Zoom” line produced by Eduard. They, too, are affordable & easy to use. The only way you’ll know if you want to use them is to try them.

Good luck, and give it a shot, if you want. I use and like both.

7

As far as I am concerned, resin is good for big/major parts (such as cockpit sidewalls and floors or even whole aircraft) and photo etch is there to compliment the resin or plastic (to add small, delicate parts that are difficult to mould.).

hope this helps

8

ok got it now, etch compliments resin. so then what is the best adhesive for them? another question what is the relation between CA glue and super glue? one in the same, just different names?

9

CA, for cyanoacrylate (hope I got that correctly), glue and super glue are one and the same. The former is just a chemical name for it, while the latter is the commercial, more popular moniker. Yes, super glue is best for attaching both these materials, specially with resin. For PE (photo-etched) parts, Pix mentioned alternatives other than super glue (like white glue) that you can use, considering these parts are mostly light and don’t endure much stress. Hope this helps.

10

aerialresponder,

You have just gotten a minor education in model building[^] Your questions were good and the answers are just what you need[8D] Now, that is what the Forum is all about[;)] Show us some pix of yor completed work[:D]

Richard

11

Another follow up.
You don’t have to use both together. I have seen some great cockpits put together from just photo etch (Eduard comes to mind) and some others that just used resin sets. You can also use photoetch to dress up a kit cockpit just adding some of the finer details. It really comes down to what you want to do and what you can afford. I have seen plenty of guys spend twice as much on aftermarket stuff as they did on the kit in the first place.
Good luck with your build.

12

And one last little detail. When you get your superglue there are various thicknesses availible. Some people like to use thin while others prefer to use a medium gap filling superglue and others like thick or even gel. I like to have some thin and some medium on hand. More importantly is to get a bottle of Accelerator. While superglue does set fast you can make it set immediately by applying a drop of accelerator with a paint brush. This will also stop it from emitting fumes that could damage clear parts. I generally use a toothpick or a dental pick to apply superglue.

13

[#ditto] No question is too stupid for this forum. You will always get a good and honest answer here.

14

Here’s an example of a complete resin detail set:
http://www.meteorprod.com/cgi-bin/meteorsearch.pl?show_graphic+CEC48269.jpg++++Thu_06_17_200416_48_23.dat+17.99+

Here’s how it looks finished and painted:
http://www.inpayne.com/models/p39qpink2.html

The thing about resin is that pretty much anybody can afford to make rubber molds off a hand-carved master, pour copies, and sell them. This is how these aftermarket “garage” compaines do it. The initial investment is hugely less than the hundreds of thousands of bucks injection molding requires. Same with etched metal - you can start out with a little etching tub in the basement and some chemicals. This also explains the huge cost in some cases - you want to actually MAKE money on the couple of hundred items you’ll manage to get out of a rubber mold before it dies.

15

thanks everyone, really got more than i asked for. since i’ve said im building the ea-6b (monogram) and i know others have too, what aftermarket sets are there out there?

as in anything and everything for this very kit?

if black box is the only one for the cockpit, well im gonna have to wait awhile ($50!!! on there site). I spent everything on a big package from greatmodels (including the prowler {bit of a different operation, this was my first time with them and dont know whether or not to expect a “sent order conformation”, still havent and i ordered yesterday})

but really what aftermarket accessories are out there?

thanks everyone, your all a real big help

16

while were on the subject of things i dont know, heres some more:

rescribing. why does everyone insist so much on it? i’ve been aroudn planes all my life, yet many dont have the “rescribed” panal lines that everyone loves. many times they are either overlapped or are raised. question is, how do you rescribe? in detail if you may.

also, whats the deal with “Future”? all i’ve come across is that its a tool, but it seems its used in a wide variety. so can anyone explain what you would/should use it for?

more questions i should have known, but trying to now, since i want to raise my skills.

-AR

17

i never used the stuff before, because of the price is it really worth it, i mean from the look of it , it seams like it, and can you only find Photo etched and resin on the internet or can you purchase them at hobby shops?

18

As far as your GM order just check the order status on their site - it’ll give you daily updates as far as stock, packaged, shipped.

For scribing take a look at this … http://www.swannysmodels.com/Scribing.html

For your questions about Future look here … http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html
[:D]

19

Swanny is your man. These are great links.

As for rescribing, I still have never done it [:O] . I have enough trouble trying to finish what comes in the box, raised, recessed or otherwise. I have seen some great jobs done and others with additional scratches from being just a little overzealous. For me, it is still just a hobby. Others get more serious and then some just don’t know when to quit [:D]. Like I said, build the way you want it.