Finish Work on Models

Hmmm; 

When I get to a certain stage on a car .I won't do any more for sometimes a month . Why ? Well , after painting ( One Week with gas - out time ) , and foiling , I let it rest . This gives me time to get the engine detailed ( if I am going to do that ) and the chassis .Especially the stance .

 When I go Back to the body I use Cotton Gloves like they do in museums to handle artifacts .  This prevents body and skin oils from getting on my finish . I always use disposable gloves while modeling anyway . I have to use the small .

  I find that this holds true for most of what I do . One step at a time , just the way I did 65 years ago . Although I do use Zap I refrain from it mostly , except for rail-road scenery items like buildings ! I don't believe I've used it much on autos , planes or armor .I glue with Tamiyas trusty green Label , and let the parts cure before moving ahead .

LongIslandModeler

What is all of your go to CA brand? I ordered insta cure, the purple bottle but wasn’t sure if I should get a different one. 

 

I use Zap-A-Gap Medium, the green one.

Many thanks. I really appreciate all of your help on this topic! Now to the bench!

Thats what I use.  I keep a bottle of instaset or zipkicker on the  bench as well.  It instantly cures the CA when sprayed.  Useful from time to time.

What is all of your go to CA brand? I ordered insta cure, the purple bottle but wasn’t sure if I should get a different one. 

That is the Tamiya 1/20 Lotus 25 Coventry Climax. If you like that, check out their Honda RA272 as well.

You can also try Gator Glue. It's an acrylic glue that is a lot like Elmer's white glue, but will bond much stronger than white glue. I use it when I know I will not be very accurate placing a part on the model. It can be cleaned with water and a q-tip. But, it does not have as strong a bond as CA glue. Hope this helps.

I don't build car kits, but the same issue arises with aircraft and armour. Whether it be bombs or tools, i paint them before fitting to the kit. As others have mentioned, CA does the trick here.

Thank you for your advice. This kit is amazing!

Sometimes it’s unavoidable. I put together as much of the car before I paint as possible. I’m referring to when your paint is on and dry and finished. I am not rushing, sometimes it’s unavoidable having to glue on a piece of trim or mirrors.

keavdog

It's tough - requires steady hand and confidence which means you have to mess up a few ;) to get to where you want to be.

I also will use testors clear parts glue to attach delicate parts as well.  No crazing and you can clean up and oozes/drips with a damp q-tip.  No where near as strong as CA, but more forgiving for sure.  

When I do use CA for these types of things I use the thick slower drying type so you have a few seconds to position.

With this Lotus Coventry climax, you have clear glass on paint, then mirrors on glass!  This is where the testors stuff is a must (or a plain elmers will do).

 

John

Aww;

 Where can I get one of those ? That's the kind of little green race car I like !

Or you're rushing to get the model done. I don't paint the parts before assembly. For example. I'll assemble the basics - engine block halves, manifold, oil pan, headers, etc... before painting. Fanbelt I will paint before assembly as well. It's all about figuring out what to paint first or after assembly when doing car kits.

Interiors are usually painted first before assembly obviously.

Or the glue has yet gotten a chance to dry before going to the next step.

It's tough - requires steady hand and confidence which means you have to mess up a few ;) to get to where you want to be.

I also will use testors clear parts glue to attach delicate parts as well.  No crazing and you can clean up and oozes/drips with a damp q-tip.  No where near as strong as CA, but more forgiving for sure.  

When I do use CA for these types of things I use the thick slower drying type so you have a few seconds to position.

With this Lotus Coventry climax, you have clear glass on paint, then mirrors on glass!  This is where the testors stuff is a must (or a plain elmers will do).

Thank you! Yes, I do cars mostly and I appreciate the advice. I find that to be the most difficult part of the model and trying to keep it nice. Even when putting together the chassis and adding suspension or other parts that have to go on painted pins or slots that have paint I find it to be very difficult to prevent paint from running or smudging. Maybe my hand is not still enough but I constantly am touching up and it never looks as uniform.

Sounds like you do cars, mostly???

Regardless...once you have a finish coat on, your standard model cement will have to "eat" through you paint to be able to "weld" plastic to plastic...not to mention the problems you already mentioned. I pretty much stick to aircraft, but plastic is plastic. When it comes time to add the final fiddly bits, I use CA (super glue). Hold the small part with some tweezers, then transfer the CA with a toothpick or something similar to said part. (I put a drop of CA on a piece of scrap plastic...NEVER directly from bottle to part). Then place the part and hold it there for a few seconds. Go lightly with the CA...if you get it too heavy, it'll fog up the area (clear gloss usually makes the "fog" go away though).