Right now, I am in the beginning stages of working on Tamiya’s 1/48 A6M3 Zero kit, and I have found that the cockpit detail is somewhat lacking, to my taste. I have done some research and came across a resin-cast cockpit assembly on HobbyLink Japan’s website, originally intended for Hasegawa’s 1/48 scale Zero kit. My questions are thus:
What materials would you need to work with resin parts? (i.e., glues, paints, etc.) I have never worked with resin before, so any hints you can give would be much appreciated.
Since this cockpit assembly is not intended for the kit I’m building, would it be possible to make it fit into my Tamiya kit?
If this cockpit by HLJ isn’t a good fit, is there another resin kit out there that would work better, and that would also come with photo-etched instrument panel details?
Any tips/hints you can give will be a great help, as I am still trying to refine my detailing skills. Thanks!
You do have to be careful with AM designed for different kits.It might require extra surgery to make it fit.It may not be impossible but it may require more cutting and fitting.
What brand resin is this? If its your first time using resin I’d recommend a resin set designed for the kit you’re building. Not saying this won’t work though. Use superglue on the resin, and having a razor saw works well to cut out the parts, or use your #11 blade and keep scoring along the part lines until they separate from the pour stub. Resin is brittle and more delicate than plastic. I don’t know of any other sets designed for the tamiya kit. This is the old a6m3 kit I assume? I know SBS and true details make good sets for the Hasegawa kit and are priced pretty reasonable. And if you can’t find a photo etched panel, a good painted up resin panel looks just as good IMO.
If you end up sanding the resin, be very careful not to inhale the dust, it is very harmful to your lungs. When I have to sand resin I always try to use wet sandpaper to keep the dust down. If I do have to use dry sandpaper or a dry sanding tool, I always wear a respirator and try to do the sanding outside. Other than that, you work with resin about the same way you do styrene, keeping in mind that resin is much more brittle than styrene and will break easily if mishandled. Also, be sure to wash it throughly to get the mold release agent off or the paint won’t adhere. I usually use Plastic Prep and then wash with soap and water using a tooth brush to get into all the crevices.
Well technically, you can make it fit, the question is how much pain will be involved. I’d look at build-ups of the Tamiya and Hasegawa kits and try to get a sense of how close they are - does one cockpit insert before you close the fuselage, and another go up through the bottom, etc. You should also be prepared to thin the fuselage sides (and back of the resin sidewalls) very thin to get everything to fit.
I’d recommend picking up a JLC saw to do the heavy hacking to separate the resin from the pour stubs. Files to grind away the worst of what remains, then sandpaper and sanding sticks to work the last of it down.
You’ll need to go with super glue, epoxy, white glue, etc, since plastic cement doesn’t do jack with resin. I’m a big fan of Gator’s Grip acrylic glue, especially for chancy bits that may need to flex somewhat. It’s like white glue on steroids. Doesn’t hold all that well under pulling tension (it’s hopeless for biplane rigging), but it has remarkable shearing properties in that it will bend but won’t snap the way CA does. So if you kind of have to force the resin in somewhere, it’ll still hold together.
For paint…just prime it well. Paint doesn’t adhere to bare resin very well.