What Foster said. Did he mention patients?
Sounds like Renarts also has some good ideas too. Like him, I always clean my PE, but I have not noticed a difference.
I will add a few more things:
- Make sure you have the right tools. I have a couple different pair of those little pliers, a couple different round nose ones and some flat nosed ones. I think I got the pliers for $4 a piece and they were well worth it. I also have an Etch-mate, but I only use it for pieces with long bends. I would skip the Etch-Mate unless you end up using PE on a lot of your models. The right tools can really make things less frustrating!!
- I sand my PE with fine grit sand paper before I start cutting parts off the sheet. I don’t sand very hard because I don’t want to remove any of the detail, but sanding will help the paint stick better.
- wait until the last possible minute to apply the PE to the model. It will break off easily and surly get lost if it is handled too much.
- HAVE PATIENTS!!! Seriously, taking your time will save you some frustration. It may take a while to get used to manipulating those little parts, so take your time!!
- Don’t feel obligated to use the entire PE sheet that Aber has included. I did this with my first Aber sheet, and the model has still not been completed.
Good luck, and keep us up to date