Worried the glue will stick to the masking tape

What I do is tape the fuselage halves together and wick in Tamiya extra thin between the taped sections.  Don't let it wick under the tape.  When those sections are dry, you can pull the tape and wick more glue in the unglued sections.

Sometimes you can use a variety of clamps to hold things together rather than tape.

Well the videos may depict fuselage halves temporarily taped together.When it is time to actually cement the halves together tape would not be used..it would make a mess.Good old rubber bands work well!

I clamp my halves together with mechanical spring clamps.  I don't use any tape what so ever!

goldhammer

What I do is tape the fuselage halves together and wick in Tamiya extra thin between the taped sections.  Don't let it wick under the tape.  When those sections are dry, you can pull the tape and wick more glue in the unglued sections.

Bill

I use my modeler's bench vise. Lined the edges with rubber strips so the plastic doesn't get marred and it holds the fuselage from slipping. Tighten until the pieces are joined but do not overtighten. Let set overnight for a good bond

Teenage Modeler

...The thing I am worried about, is excess glue...

The lesson to take away from this is to be careful not to use too much glue.

However, occasionally it happens.  Yes, tape can stick to the glue.  But it doesn't happen that often, unless we ignore the lesson I mentioned, and when it does, it's not that much of a task to clean up.  Scrape and sand.  It's likely to be at that point in the build, anyway, at which we're going to be scraping and sanding, in preparation for priming and painting.

I generally don't need to clamp anything.  I work each joint closed about an inch at a time using Tamiya Extra Thin cement.  I hold the pieces together with a tiny gap between them, tap the joint with cement, wait about 20 seconds, and then press them together until I get a tiny bead of melted plastic along the edge.  At that point, things are still pliable enough to work things into alignment so I don't have skewed panel lines and don't have steps or ridges.  This works really well even for two parts that have a questionable fit.  After 24 hours, you can carefully scrape away the bead of plastic and you'll end up with very few, tiny gaps that have to be filled afterward.

I'm with Eaglecash. I gave up on tape, rubber bands and especially clamps in favor of my fingers.

IMHO, Tamiya Extra thin, fingers, and a little patience works best for me.

There are exceptions where the other methods do work, though. As already stated, don't let glue contact any of these hold-together methods, including your fingers! (who hasn't done that?)

When It is possible!

   I use clamps of one form or another. That said, I do use tape, but, with a twist. When I use tape I make a concerted effort to be sure the edges have wet glue on them before taping. That way I can draw them together tightly and the glue has had time to react with the plastic so it won't destroy the tape at the joint. Otherwise I wrap the fuselage with strips of polethlylene bags then tape over the strips. The glue won't stick to the polyethylene material.

 There is a universal problem most, I am sure, have faced. Good old Scotch Magic Mending Tape. Best tape I have ever found for initial construction. BUT, don't get to close with the Tamiya liquid glues or Testors either. It will run under the tape making and imprint OR the chemicals contained within will just eat through the tape!

 Rubber bands can be used, how you use them is the trick. Same with clamps. I actually haven't found a good, non marring, clamp for odd or tapered surfaces. Yes you can use "GatorClips! But beware! The finer finished chromed metal, plastic dipped ones don't grip tapered surfaces that well, They will slide.

     There are much cheaper ones and I can't really tell you where to get them, I have found them at Flea Markets, Train Shows and generic Hardware stores and even Wal-Mart at one time. They are cheaply made, Aluminum? and have very sharp teeth. Now here's the thing You bend the wire connection arm out of the way(Do Not remove it!) then the jaws open wide.The teeth may make teensy divots, But it's rare as long as you don't force them.

    On the other side you bend up the finger pad a little, the jaws will really open wide. Clamps, Wedges etc. Not everyone has a vice in which you can use Rubber Wedges. I used to use a bench vise on a Carpenters bench. Then for holding planks in place on hulls various sized Rubber door stops. Archaic, Yes, But it worked. I have NOT had any luck with those " Helping Hands" tools.

 Overall I have found that a little surgery in unseen spots usually works well. Then it all comes together. Oh, Before I run off. I found this by accident. I had a B-29, Monogram's monster. The Fuselage was badly curved on both halves. I fastened both sides to perfectly smoothh Pieces of Tempered glass on a Countertop in my shop. This was placed in a cookie sheet, then after blocking what I could and taping it down with Duct tape, I poured boiling water on it! Both parts fit perfect after that. I do not recommend this though. You can splash dangerously hot water where you don't want it.

Greg

IMHO, Tamiya Extra thin, fingers, and a little patience works best for me.

Amen to that Greg.  What you invest in time using this method gives you a good return later when you don't have to do much seam filling and end up with the dreaded green or grey stuff all over everything...not to mention a much more solid joint.

Eaglecash867

 

 

Greg

IMHO, Tamiya Extra thin, fingers, and a little patience works best for me.

 

 

 

Amen to that Greg.  What you invest in time using this method gives you a good return later when you don't have to do much seam filling and end up with the dreaded green or grey stuff all over everything...not to mention a much more solid joint.

 

Thanks for the nod of agreement.