Seams

Many have good results with putty of some kind but I assemble the fuselage with CA (super-) glue.  Zap a Gap is a gap filling brand.  Then you can use an accelerator and start sanding right away.  Being too cheap to buy accelerator, I wait an hour--then sanding can start.  ZaG can also be used as a seam filler by itself, even if you use model cememt for assembly. 

I usually first use a cheap nail file to remove most of the unwanted material; then follow up with wet and dry sandpaper in 400 and 600 grits.

A trick to check out the seams is to hold them up to a light, so a kind of shine or glare plays on the seam.  If the seam is truly gone, you should see no shadow or irregularity.

On the other hand, some like to paint the seam with silver paint--and go back to work if the seam shows.

Good luck.  And practice, practice, practice.

to above. Good info.

Jim

Redbird,

I live in Poland but I visited Dunsborough in your vincinity in 1996, while I was visiting my family in WA.

That tip with superglue is OK, but my way of fixing them gaps has been for some time using molten sprue. First you prepare a small container, where you put some lacquer thinner and then you add small pieces of molding sprue. It needs about a day to melt, to form a uniform solution. You can then apply it to the seam. It's best to take nail lacquer container, then it has a brush which is very handy for applying the solution to the model. Then it's best to leave it overnight to dry - after it's dry it can be sanded smooth. The tips for checking a gap were very good - light, test-paint and stuff. The con of this method (molten sprue) is the time it needs to cure. The pros are price, availability and most importantly - excellent adhesion, no cracking and zero shrink after a few hours. That means after you sand a well cured gap smooth, it will not show the little valley along the seam after a week or two, as many single component putties tend to do. Good luck with your builds, have a nice day

Paweł

Wow!  Great tip.  Will try that soonest.

Thanks for the advice , yes it is all about practice

                                   Happy modelling

I use Bondo Red Glazing Putty (auto parts stores) and Testor's Contour Putty...

One of the main things I do is thin the putty... This will cut down you sanding times... I thin the Bondo with Testor's liquid cement (pink label) and the Testor's gets cut with rubbing alcohol...

Also, putty shrinks as it dries, so use a little more than you think you need, and ALWAYS wet-sand putty... Applying it in layers, helps speed drying times as well.. When I fill a seam like a fuselage joint, I just run a bead of Testor's putty down the length of the seam (No more than three or four inches though... Take your time.. )  Then  I push into place with a gloved finger (sometimes)..  Dipping the finger in alcohol thins the putty, and allows you to push it into the gaps, not just cover over it.. Smooth it as much as possib;e with the "Thinnered" finger, wait for it to dry, then give a few good swipes with the sanding film...  Then apply another thin, thinned, layer, using a spreader cut from sheet styrene, and feather it out... Let it dry, then feather-edge it with the wet-sanding again...

Oh yeah.. ALWAYS make sure that you're actually covering a seam that is supposed to be covered... I've seen a lot of guys, even in here, do a perfectly good job of filling and sanding a hinged cowl panel.. Like the one that runs down the center of a P-51D upper cowl.. Leave that one alone, lol.. It's supposed to be there...