Duncan Doenitz Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 Having built a couple of kits with Mr Dissolved Putty, I was rather fed up with shrinkage. The product seems to take a week to fully cure. A friend is a master model builder (take a look at his latest work, those are pencils in the background F18 Aggressor) so I asked which product he uses. The recommendation is Vallejo Plastic Putty which has a fine applicator nozzle. It can also be left to cure and then rubbed back with a cotton bud. Apply levelling thinners then rub back with a dry bud. Another step closer on the long road to perfection. BiggTim 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quang Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 It all depends on the nature of the gap. Plastic Putty works well with hairline cracks. Otherwise you cannot avoid using files and sandpaper. Sanding is a lost art Martinnfb and BiggTim 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 I take a "horses for courses" approach to filling and sanding, and use a variety of products and solutions depending on the nature of the job at hand. In my mind, there's no such thing as a "one size fits all" approach when it comes to dealing with seams and gaps. Sometimes it's acrylic putty (like the Vallejo product), sometimes it's Mr. Surfacer, sometimes it's CA (with or without a talc mix), and sometimes it's epoxy putty (the heavy artillery). I will say, though, that my governing principle is to get as close to a "no sanding" solution as possible, and work my back from there. Kev Martinnfb, Breaker, D.B. Andrus and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 For sure....... Most every gap filling technique I employ requires some sanding and elbow grease. I've found Mr Surfacer works great for small hairline cracks, CA and micro balloons works well for larger gaps and something like Milliput 2 part epoxy putty works awesome for large seams and substantial gaps. Non of them are foolproof and all require some sanding to varying degrees. Martinnfb and Troy Molitor 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Molitor Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 I completely agree with everything mentioned above. A David Union D400 sander however, with multiple tips applicators with various courses of #240, #400 and #600 adhesive backed sanding pads make the job a whole lot easier. Kindest regards, Troy Martinnfb, chukw and Fanes 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TankBuster Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 Another filler for you is spru goo, works very well. Cheers. Martinnfb 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan Doenitz Posted February 13 Author Share Posted February 13 Folks, click on the link "F18 Aggressor" to see one heck of a model. It isn't large scale however the work is on a different planet compared to my efforts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chukw Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 18 hours ago, Troy Molitor said: I completely agree with everything mentioned above. A David Union D400 sander however, with multiple tips applicators with various courses of #240, #400 and #600 adhesive backed sanding pads make the job a whole lot easier. Kindest regards, Troy Can confirm! Troy Molitor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quang Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 18 hours ago, Troy Molitor said: A David Union D400 sander however, with multiple tips applicators with various courses of #240, #400 and #600 adhesive backed sanding pads make the job a whole lot easier. Why motor sander? I’ve always elbow grease. Didn’t kill me (yet) dennismcc and Troy Molitor 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Molitor Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 Yet is a good answer so far Quang. LOL. Love all your efforts mate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juggernut Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 (edited) I do my best to avoid having to fill seams but if I need to fill some minor seams, I use this: Pentel Jumbo Correction Fluid (for those of you unfamiliar with typewriters, this is what us "old-timers" used to use to make corrections to typed documentation). You use it straight from the tube, it has a ball-point applicator. It's white in color, works well, dries fast, and feathers like nobody's business. You can build up layers so if you have a rather big step/gap, you can make short work of it using this. Otherwise, I use superglue (CA). Caveat: It will NOT fill holes (larger than a #61 drill) or gigantic step or alignment problems (like some old kits have) Edited February 13 by Juggernut Martinnfb, chukw, Fanes and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottsGT Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 On 2/12/2024 at 6:34 PM, Troy Molitor said: I completely agree with everything mentioned above. A David Union D400 sander however, with multiple tips applicators with various courses of #240, #400 and #600 adhesive backed sanding pads make the job a whole lot easier. Kindest regards, Troy Well dang it! Looks like you might be sending me another package here soon! I’ve been fence sitting on something like this for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee White Posted March 30 Share Posted March 30 Sprue goo using plastic from the same kit should do it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_K2 Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 On 2/12/2024 at 12:26 PM, Duncan Doenitz said: Having built a couple of kits with Mr Dissolved Putty, I was rather fed up with shrinkage. The product seems to take a week to fully cure. A friend is a master model builder (take a look at his latest work, those are pencils in the background F18 Aggressor) so I asked which product he uses. The recommendation is Vallejo Plastic Putty which has a fine applicator nozzle. It can also be left to cure and then rubbed back with a cotton bud. Apply levelling thinners then rub back with a dry bud. Another step closer on the long road to perfection. The Vallejo/leveling thinner is a great combination. I tried it last night on a Mustang I'm working on, and it worked wonderfully, so thanks for the tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan Doenitz Posted April 2 Author Share Posted April 2 You are most welcome, another little discovery on the road to perfection. I have asked Andy at Scale Model Shed to do a masterclass video on YouTube for seam lines. Check out his channel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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