Basic Tips and Modelling Hints

BASIC TIPS AND MODELLING HINTS

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This page is really directed at beginners and novices of scale aircraft modelling.

It contains a few tips that are worthwhile sharing (some of which I didn't even know about until I became "experienced"!!). This page is not intended to be exhaustive or the be all and end all of basic modelling tips. Remember that tips I use may not be the choice for many others out there, as there are invariably two or more ways to do everything based on individual preferences, circumstances and needs. I find these things work for me and I am happy to share them but make sure you "test" them first before employing, and discover your own methods that suit you personally.

The purpose is really just to give novice model builders just some options they might want to consider rather than trying to find convoluted or expensive ways of doing things easy and cheaply.

The information on this page is provided as is and is not intended to be updated further. It also pretty much covers everything I would discuss in an email if I was to pass on tips. There are other pages on this site which provide other alternatives for tips and there is always online forums and the newsgroup to capture tips and modelling assistance from a wide range of helpful people.

This page is split into three sections:

MODELLING TOOLKIT
USAGES FOR EVERDAY ITEMS
WHAT TO USE FOR......

Feel free to go to the section that interests you.

1- Modelling Toolkit

A list of modelling tools that I think are essential - some of course can be seen as optional but these still have a wide use! Remember this is just my point of view and everyone should make decisions based on what is best for them, but I do hope you might find something useful below:

Modelling Glue General : Revell Contacta Professional is a liquid glue with a long needle applicator, which has served me brilliantly since I really got back into modelling in 1996-1998 period. I have bought four of these in this time, and only recently (end of 2002) finished the first one! You will need a thin piece of fuse wire, to help unclog blocks in the applicator otherwise you will be frustrated by the need to replace these glues constantly when you have only half finished them!. For tube glue, I use Humbrol poly cement, which is still my actual favourite hobby glue
Modelling Glue Tube Variety : I find that tube glue is often best for limited run types of kits and seems to have better adhesion for these. I have always used Humbrol Poly Cement, which is still my favourite glue overall. I apply it with a toothpick so I don't apply too much and have also used it to fill small gaps (but remember that glue melts plastic so be careful).
Superglue : to attach metal and resin parts, use a fast setting and strong bonding type, I use Zap CA with a toothpick, although I find this solidifies a bit in cold weather so am having to replace annually.
#11 blade hobby knife (Exacto, Excel) : cutting and trimming, very sharp - use slowly and with care
Tweezers : small and handy and invest in curved and straight tweezers to ease specific jobs. I have two main tweezers (a small and large one) for various uses.
Thinner/Brush Cleaner : Used to clean brushes after painting. White spirits like Turpentine works the best for me, but wears out brushes.
Paint : I use Humbrol super enamels and have 95% of their whole range, choose the brand that suits you, but Humbrol is one of the most accessible brands to cross reference to others. I also find that Humbrol paints have most colours whereas others (eg: Tamiya) you may need to mix paints together to say get the right RLM mix.
Paintbrushes : You need a fairly good range of brushes ranging from finest to larger brush types
Toothpicks : See everyday usages below - as an applicator, mixing paint and so forth
Leftover sprues : I break up the bits of leftover sprue from the frame of a kit and keep these aside. They are great for mixing paint, using as "stretched sprue" and so forth
End-nippers : Used to cleanly detach parts from the sprue, you can both blunt nose and needle nose, it is probably a good idea to have one of each. If you can only have one, I use the blunt nose ones on a much larger scale.
Masking Tape : Special low-tack type specifically for modelling like Tamiya - 6mm recommended, I also use 10 mm
Putty : Using a toothpick lightly fill gaps and holes on model aircraft, there are several choices, my preferences are Tamiya or Mr.Putty from Gunze Sangyo
Sandpaper : Wet'n'dry (so dust is not so prominent) types to smooth out join lines etc - Grits between 300 & 600
Flat File : a couple in different 'roughage' to enable one to file down rough features. I use a triangular and a flat version
Panel line Scriber (optional) : Rescribe panel lines and control surfaces to correct kit errors, or engrave raised lines
Mask-solution (optional) : a special solution to mask off canopies like Gunze's Mr Masksol, Humbrol Masksol etc
Clear Part adhesive (optional) : Hobby glue and super glue fogs up clear parts when you attach them to plastic, unless you are very careful. PVA, White glue and those sorts are good alternatives for fixing clear parts, and Humbrol sell a product call "Clearfix" for this reason too. I have always used hobby glue because it is my preference, and I manage to affix without any problems
Decal Setting Solutions (optional) : There are several setting solutions on the market to help with the adhesion of decals. Decals generally go onto a gloss surface without any real need for setting solutions, but I have found that their purchase is necessary and they do aid in the adhesion, and preventing "silvering" and other effects. There are heaps of options available from the two application Micro Set and Micro Sol solutions, to Humbrol Decalfix which you apply under and on top of the decal. My preference is Gunze Sangyo's Mr.Mark Softer which seems to work well.
Varnishes (optional) : These are necessary nowadays to protect the finish of your model as well as other things like decals, and to get the right sheen on your model. I use Testors Gloss Laquer, and Humbrol cotes for Satin and Matt finishes.
EVERYDAY ITEMS : from list below - pegs, rubber bands, toothpicks, textas, plastic card, cheeseboard

2- USAGES FOR EVERYDAY ITEMS

SPRUE LEFTOVERS: Leftover bits of the sprue that you would normally throw in the bin can be cut into pieces. Larger long pieces can be used to form stretched sprue which can be used for a number of tasks. In short, you simply hold the sprue over a flame and as it melts you can stretch it to form a shape (to replace a missing part), rinse it in cold water to cool and harden it. This takes a bit of practice to work but it's most common uses are as exhaust stacks, ducts and aerials. Other sprue leftover bits can also be cut and used to mix and/or stir paint - especially good for enamels (and not prone to snapping like toothpicks) because after they have been used they simply get chucked into the bin. You can also use them to dip in paint and allow drops to drip as measurements onto a paint mixer plate or lid.

ENAMEL PAINT TINS/LIDS: When the paint tin is empty (or discarded) I keep the lid back and use the bowl shaped area as a base to mix paints. This really only works with brushpainting and for projects where not a lot of paint is required. Tins can be kept back and thoroughly cleaned with turps (usually left overnight to soak and left to dry) as a mixing base for different paints to use for airbrushing.

VEGEMITE (OR SMALL COFFEE) JARS: Jars are useful for keeping small parts in, say left over parts etc. Small jars can be labelled accordingly (eg: bombs, landing gear, pylons) etc. Small jars can also double up as a base for mixing paint. These jars can also be used to fill up with paint thinners (eg: white spirits) to clean brushes after painting.

TOOTHPICKS: Toothpicks are one of the handiest everyday items to have on the workbench. They can be used as applicators for glue, stir enamel paint and apply putty and filler to your models. You can also glue them lightly and carefully to small fiddly parts to act as a handle while you paint the part, then unattach it afterwards.

CHEESEBOARD: Small cheeseboards, wooden or chopping boards are essential if you do not wish to damage your desk or benchtop. They are generally used to place small parts on when cutting off leftover chunks after detaching from the sprue and ensuring the hobby knife cuts into the small board, rather than the desk/bench top. I use these most often when cutting off small photo-etched parts too.

HANDLES: As mentioned above you can glue toothpicks to small parts, you can also wrap some rubber bands around an old toothbrush and then place this in a suitable spot (eg: up the tailpipe) to hold the model while you paint around it.

DRILLS: Small drills from #50 (about 1.75-1.8 mm in diameter) down to #80 (.33mm diameter) as well as metric drill increments of 1/10 mm are very handy for a number of uses on exterior areas of aircraft - putting in locating holes for pylons, etc. Small metric and Imperial drills can be obtained from engineering supplies.

PIN VICES: Very useful devices to hold small parts for filing, shaping and even drilling and these can come in a variety of sizes sold under the "Eclipse" brand.

RAZOR-SAW: A small instrument about 5" long x 1" depth that contains very fine teeth that is essential for surgical like cutting - for instance separating canopy frames or organising a folding wing on a Navy aeroplane.

STANLEY KNIVES: An accessory good to use in conjunction with the sharp #11 blades. I have utilised the retractable blade kind whereas Ian Childs suggests getting a fixed blade so it does not 'move around' too much. These knives are often referred to as "Box cutters" and can be found in all sorts of different guises.

FILM CANNISTERS: A few people have suggested keeping leftover 35mm camera film canisters as these can be used as containers for many things eg: parts, water when using wet 'n dry sandpaper, paint thinner, etc - as well as a variety of other uses too numerous to mention here, including mixing paint (or making your own colours!).

PERMANENT MARKER PENS: These are useful to colour small bits on the model, such as red & green navigation lights that are hard to paint with a brush. Black can be used on aerial tips, missile fin tips and so forth and other colours can be used to draw panel lines.

PLAYING CARDS (OLD): Having an old, unwanted, deck of playing cards can sometimes come in very handy, particularly when trying to position a wing at exactly the right angle while it dries. If you have your model plane sitting on it's belly and want the wings to stay just at the right angle you can carefully pile up playing cards to jack-it-up at the right position. If the wing is higher than a deck of playing cards I will generally use two or three evenly sized Humbrol paint tins as the base and carefully place the cards on top of this. Get a cheap deck of cards as they'll get paint etc on them.

SCREW TIDY DRAWERS: A useful item that is intended to keep your screws, nails etc, can also be employed to keep a range of spare parts, sorted into an easy to find reference rather than sifting through boxes.

UNUSED PARTS/DECALS ETC: You should not chuck away anything that is unused that could possibly be called upon later. Unused decals can be used on other modelling projects or when one like it deteriorates on another model, or comes off while parts can go into the spares box (or screw tidy) to replace omitted items in other kits. Probably the most notable decals to keep are roundels of air forces and swastikas!

3- WHAT TO USE FOR.....

CLEAR PARTS: Use white glue to attach canopies and windows to aircraft - this will not fog or ruin the plastic. You run the (big) risk of fogging, scratching or even melting your canopies if you use super glue, or even normal modelling glue, rendering it worthless and unable to see through. Super glue can be applied to clear parts after it has been coated with Future Floor Wax (Aussie equivalent - Johnson's Super Shine) to prevent it from being ruined. Naturally, check this first on some scrap plastic before using on a 'live' project. Cleaning them (both injection and vacuform) can be achieved by using an alcohol based window cleaning liquid, applied with a Q-tip or cotton-bud.

(Addendum submitted with thanks from Don Sneddon):
Both super glue and polystyrene cement will fog up clear parts. The fogging is caused by vapours emitted by the glue but overcoming this problem is actually simple and easy. You find the "tacky time" of your glue. tacky time is the period when the glue will not run but is still able to glue. Simply take two pieces of scrap plastic, put the glue onto one piece and then count off say, five seconds and put the second piece onto the first. If the two pieces hold together firmly then that is your "tacky time". (a good idea is to extend the seconds until they don't hold together). If they don't hold then reduce the number of seconds until you find the right tacky time. On your model put the glue where you want it holding the part so the vapour will escape into the air. When tacky time arrives you put the clear part in place and hold the model so any vapour will escape away from the clear part.

CLAMPS: Use wooden pegs (plastic pegs could risk being affixed) as clamps on flat surfaces like wings and fins or small round objects like some fuselages, missiles etc. Rubber bands (doubled over) are good as clamps around the fuselage and there are also alligator type clips that can be used (be careful the teeth do not eat into what they are clamping - if in doubt, place a bit of masking tape between plastic and teeth!). Of course masking tape (or even Scotch Magic Tape) can also be used as a clamp, particularly where cowlings and cockpits are not very accommodating for pegs or rubber bands - just make sure you have secured the tape tightly.

NOSE WEIGHTS: Just about every model kit needs a nose weight in wheels-down configuration to prevent the aircraft from being a tailsitter. Bolts, nuts, sinkers and any other small bits of metal are ideal to use depending on the available space. I sometimes use Blu-tak (Aussie version of a handy mold similar to plasticine, used specifically to attach things to walls, doors etc, I think the UK equivalent is Milliput?) to bed the weights in so they stay in place, or even as the weight itself where only a small weight is needed. Small ball bearings can also be used as nose weights providing they will not move around in the model too much - seal them off in a nose compartment or whatever. When (use wings instead of nose

WIRES: Aerial wires and ribbing struts can be reproduced using very thin wire (takes a bit of skill), thin strands of cotton or perhaps the best example - fishing line, since this comes in a variety of diameters and colours. Painting the 'wire' dark can give an optical illusion of it being thinner, while lighter paints can make it look thicker. Transparent 0.11mm lines are the most commonly used.

YELLOWED/AGED DECALS: After a while unused decal sheets can become yellowed with age. To restore them back to their original colour and get rid of the yellowing is actually quite simple. Put them in a plastic bag and tape the bag against a window facing direct sunlight. In a few days the decal sheet should be restored. From first hand experience, the following worked - Airfix (1976) F-86D decal sheet placed in a freezer bag - trimmed to be about the size of the decal sheet. Excess plastic bag folded and taped on the back of the sheet. The decal sheet and bag were taped inside my backroom window facing west - directly into the hot Australian setting sun. Three days later - white decals!

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