If the seam is really noticable what about epoxy putty to fill it in, something like Magic Sculpt or Aves.
Than a really thin coat of glazing putty.
Eric...
I used Squadron green putty- lots of sanding, looked good, then primer, which showed areas needing more putty, then more wet sanding with 320 grit, looked good again, sprayed metallic aluminum finish coat and it looked awful. More sanding thru the aluminum down to primer, used some Gunze water soluable putty for fine touch up. Then I spent a lot of time with first dry, then wet, sanding. Looks good now, ready to apply more finish coats- we shall see! I think Milliput would also be a good choice, as you can smooth it in with a wet finger.
Construction tip: Avoid having to deal with more than one seam at a time when glueing the saucer sections. Glue two sections together, set them aside. Then glue two more, set those aside, and then glue the final two together. Let them set to cure for a couple of days. You will now have three wedges consisting of two parts each. Glue two of those together. Then after that dries, you can add the third section, glueing only one seam at a time. Keep them on a flat table with weights holding them down all during this process. I used Tamiya super thin plastic cement, the solvent type, generously applied, and used many clamps to hold the seams together on the ridges on the inner surfaces of the saucer. After all is done, I used some super glue along all the seams on the inside, just to strengthen the bond, but this may not have been necessary.
Where can you buy those putties you mentioned? I think there must be many that are better than Squadron. But I had a bunch on hand, and have lots of experience with it, so I knew what to expect. Yes, it does shrink a lot as it cures.
The only problem I have with Milliput is that it is much harder than styrene, so it's difficult to sand it to a flush finish with the plastic.
Aves
Aves also has a Saftey Solvent some people use to smooth and feather the edges instead of water.
Magic Sculpt can be found at these stores.
I got mine at Tap Plastics.
Or you can get plumbers putty in 5 and 20 minute cure times.
This is a grey stick with purple center that you cut off a slice and knead till one color.
Comes in a clear tube.
Don't get the steel version it is hard as steel and smells really bad.
Should be available at the hardware store.
To justimagine- please let me know when that new dome is available. I'm building the model now, hope your dome will be ready soon. I haven't yet tried to fit the existing dome, and did not realize there was a size problem. An inch off in diameter is pretty serious!
I'll let everyone know when the new dome is available. I have the Lunar Models ship build and noticed the difference between the two instantly. Once I got out the original plans I was surprised at the difference- the PL is way off the mark. I originally only noticed the shape differance, I was totally surprised at it being so undersized. A friend of mine has a large vaccuum-form machine and we are planing to pull the new dome in thick .060 plastic.
I'm surprised at many of the buildups of this ship keep the dome as clear. This not only looks strange to me, but the top lifts off anyway, so why bother?
At first, I was planning to leave the dome clear, but have reconsidered. My dome is kind of foggy, not sparkling clear like the lower dome, and as the model is taking shape, I can see how it would look and have decided to paint it. I did make the lower dome transparent blue, by airbrushing the inside with Tamiya transparent acrylic. It really looks nice, but lately I learned that the bottom dome glows red with rotating segments when flying through space. Darn, I could have done it that way, but it's too late now!
Also note, the ship only has three legs/ramps. The other three are meant to be assembled closed and you should make the seams disappear. The kit was only built this way for cost reduction purposes, as putting in six ramps allows all six sections of the saucer to come from the same mold, rather than having to make three parts with ramp opening and three without.
Here's a photo of the bottom section upside down on the table:
Chuck, You misunderstood me. The kit part fits just fine. The problem is, it is the wrong shape and size compared to the C-57D minature used in the film. Polar Lights dome is the wrong shape and is undersized compared to the original filming minature. If you want a model that looks like the film minature, you're gonna have to use a bigger dome that's more rounded- like a half-sphere shape rather than going up and then inward. There are other accuracy issues with the kit as well, but the dome shape is the easiest to fix and makes a real difference in the kit's look. If you build it as molded you get a nifty-looking saucer that looks almost, but not quite, like the film version and for lots of folks, that's ok.
By the way, nice job on filling the seams.
Roger on the dome, thanks for setting me straight. I'd be very interested in purchasing the new dome from you, when it's ready. I won't glue mine on so I can change anytime.
Another mistake the kit made is that the saucer, when viewed edge on, should not have a symetrical shape regarding the top and bottom discs. The top disc should be quite a bit taller than the bottom disc. I found a great set of reference drawings for the ship, inside and out, (and plenty of behind the scenes info about the movie) in a new book, "The Saucer Fleet" by Jack Hagerty and Jon Rogers, published by Apogee books. You can purchase a copy from Jon Rogers here:
http://www.rogersrocketships.com/home.cfm
It's a work of art, and the chapter on "Forbidden Planet" alone is worth the price.
Thanks for the compliment- the seams are not perfect, but if you dim the lights and stand back far enough, it looks good! I gave it a coat of Pledge/Future floor polish which gave it a nice shine.
Have you built one of these models? If so, how about showing us a photo?