Air2AirJoe
Hi everyone,
First a quick thanks again to everyone who took the time to say hello and offer some general advice in my introduction post!
I couldn't wait for my F-22 Raptor kit to arrive in the mail so I went to Michael's this afternoon and picked up a Revell A-10 warthog kit (1:48, level 2) and some basic supplies including an exacto knife, sand paper, cement, clamps and some paints. I'm really excited for my daughters (2 and 10) to fall asleep so I can really begin in earnest on this! I'm a very restless person and it should be interesting to see if I have the patience and discipline to focus and do this right. I think it'll be good for me actually :)
So I do have a few questions which I'm sure will sound silly in hindsight but here goes:
1: Do you guys paint all the parts that you want to paint before you start assembly? My first thought was to put the thing together then paint it but I'm thinking that might not be the best approach.
Hi, Joe,
I don't paint too many pieces on the sprues, unless I know I can't get to them once they're installed. As the other guys have mentioned, generally, that going to be the bits in an airplane's cockpit, or inside a vehicle (armored or not). Also, I tend to detach parts and clean them up, removing mold seam lines, for example, and then I stick them on sticks--toothpicks or other sticks, or straight pins, sometimes drilling a hole in the piece to accept the point and securing it with white glue (I use Elmer's). The stick is a handle to hold while painting.
I may prime the parts on the sprues, though.
But even before I get to putting paint to the parts, I wash them to remove any mold release compounds or other greases or oils, and dirt. These things can interfere with paint adhering to the surface. You'll read here in the forums that others do this, too. Washing is done with warm water and a de-greaser, whether it's dishwashing liquid ("You're soaking in it!" Anyone? Anyone?) or you can do as I do, I use Super Clean, an automotive de-greaser. In either case, it just takes a couple of drops. I use an old glass baking dish, big enough to lay the sprues down. I put in the water--warm from the tap is fine--a couple drops of Super Clean, stir a little to get it distributed, and then I set the sprues in. I use an old, worn-out toothbrush to scrub the sprues gently, rinsing them under the tap, and then I lay them on paper toweling to dry. Once dry, I'll prime all the sprues. The primer gives the later finish coats of paint a better surface to adhere to than the bare plastic. However, you'll find some guys who don't prime, or don't clean the parts, or even both. You'll need to try for yourself and see what works.
Air2AirJoe
2: What type of paint is best for plastic, acrylic or enamel? Does it matter? Also is there a type of cement that's best?
For me, I don't use one or the other exclusively. The decision for me depends on the subject (is it a piece of ordnance? a car? a ship? a figure?), the color (I don't mix my own shades very often, but use off-the-shelf colors as much as possible) and the application (hand-brushing? rattle can? airbrush?)
I don't know that I agree that enamel adheres better than acrylics, necessarily, but I'd put it rather as, enamels will cure to a harder and more durable surface. There are weathering techniques, for example, that involve using an enamel or lacquer for an undercoat, with acrylics for the top coats, and then you scuff the acrylics with a green scrub pad, to reveal the enamel undercoat. But in either case, if I'm putting down an enamel or an acrylic, I'm going to clean and prime the surface.
I will say that I use a range of paints, from paints made specifically for the scale modeling market, whether enamel, lacquer or acrylic, to artist's oils, to craft store acrylics, which are cheap but can be used for a lot of things where you might not want to use a three-dollar-a-quarter-ounce Vallejo acrylic.
As for glue, I use glues appropriate to the material.
For styrene-to-styrene, I use tube glues (Testor's) and liquid glues (Plastruct's Bondene and Weldene). They join the parts by melting the plastic where the parts meet, in effect, creating a weld. CA glue does not do that. Also, with styrene, you can apply the glue, and then apply pressure along seams and squeeze out some of the softened/melted plastic. When it cures, you can scrape away the resulting bead, which helps hide the seam.
For joins between unlike materials, like resin or metal to styrene, or for assembling metal kits or resin kits, then I'll use CA glue or 2-part epoxy. I'll also use white glue in some cases, like attaching photo-etch, or attaching clear parts. I will also pin some joints where appropriate, especially with figures. Adding pins adds strength to a join, compared to a simple butt join (ie, two pieces butted up against one another), especially if there's a possibility that the piece could get bumped and there might be some shear to the join. I drill a hole with a fine drill bit chucked into a pin vise, and use a piece of stiff wire for the pin, and then flow the glue into the join.
Air2AirJoe
3: Does anyone use a hands-free magnifying glass? Possibly with lights? I'm just getting started and I can already see the potential merits of that. Where would I get one, hardware store? I can picture in my head what I want but can't remember seeing anything like that for sale.
I use a knock-off Optivisor from Red China, cost me $10 at a modeling show. I also have one of those little hands-free stands, cast iron base and a magnifying glass, but I find that I need the magnifiers in front of my eyes, like glasses, rather than to hold the work behind a magnifier and to look through it. But I do recommend an Optivisor. If I had to get another one, I'd get one with a light, too. I have a lot of light on my bench, but I find I could still use a light source aimed along my line of site. You can never have too much light, I think. Look on eBay, but also at the craft stores. I have even seen magnifiers sold at woodworking shows. That's also a good idea--if there are any modeling shows held near you, I recommend getting to them, for tools, kits and for mingling with other modelers live. The Internet is great, but it doesn't replace face-to-face contact. Look for modeling clubs, too, for the same reason, whether it's your nearest IPMS chapter, or just a bunch of guys who get together somewhere. It's a lot of fun.
Air2AirJoe
4th and last: What exactly is the primary use of the exacto? Ive found myself pulling the parts off the plastic piece that they come attached to by hand and then using the sand paper to smooth off the residual part that breaks off with it. Do you slice the really little delicate ones free with a knife?
Thanks very much in advance and any general tips that I might not even be aware of yet will of course be greatly appreciated!
Best,
Joe
As the others have mentioned, a hobby knife has a ton of uses. X-Acto is one brand, and there are different sizes for blades. A Nr 11 blade is small but has a lot of uses--cleaning parts, cutting plastic or paper (decal sheets), those are probably the most common. A Nr 2 blade is a little larger and broader, and I use it for less precise cutting--cutting plastic sheeting, for example. And I recommend getting a razor saw, too. As the others mentioned, you don't want to twist parts off the sprues, but you should get yourself a sprue cutter. There are purpose-made brands, like Xuron, but if you go to your local dollar store, you may find a nail clipper for a reasonable price, that is shaped the same way and works the same way as a sprue cutter does. But again, look at shows. I got a Xuron sprue cutter for a couple of bucks from a discount tool vendor at a woodworking show. I use the clipper to remove most pieces, and only if a part is too delicate or if I can't get the jaws of the clipper in, will I reach for the Nr 11 knife to cut it. But that's just what I've found works for me.
I hope that all helps, and I look forward to seeing your work!