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1/700 photoetch materials

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  • Member since
    August 2008
1/700 photoetch materials
Posted by tankerbuilder on Thursday, March 11, 2010 7:56 PM

Has anyone bought the DRAGON smart kit of the U.S.S.MONSEN and U.S.S.LIVERMORE?? If you have ,I have a neat discovery.Doing some research I found that G.M.M. s generic 1/700 etch set contains the two different radars these ships had.I was worried until I checked the plastic parts and found slight differences in the radars.That and one is waterline and one is full hull.This sheet of photoetch is without a doubt the teensiest bit of material I,ve ever seen.Now I will have to ask,I,ve done 1/350 th, So how do you deal with this tiny stuff.With courage? Trepidation? or just do it? Have I bit off more than I want to chew? I have done a lot of ships even in the odd scale of 1/1250(Those were REAL tiny.) But I didn,t put anything etched on them! I will have to admit these little ships have me kind of perplexed? Why? well I can ,and have built a lot for clients ,but, I have never put my work in this kind of tinyness.Is it fun.If I finish them and they look right ,I guess then I will have stepped up to and succeeded in this challenge to my skills.All this for a little bit of experience so I can modify and build a 1/700 carrier of one type into the MIDWAY.I will be starting it (the destroyer builds) tomorrow.Wish me luck.   tankerbuilder       P.S. can I use the same method of attaching the etched material on these as on the larger ones???

  • Member since
    November 2003
  • From: Virginia
Posted by Mike F6F on Sunday, March 14, 2010 1:16 PM

tanker,

Of course you use the same technique...almost.  The only caution I'd give you is that a glob of super glue is more noticeable in the smaller scale.

I use an Etch Mate, etc.   The GMM stuff isn't fragile in 1/700, just smaller.  It may seem harder to paint, depending on your method.  The smaller gaps between railings, etc., may fill up with paint eaiser than they do in 1/350.  Sometimes I almost drybrush it to keep the gaps from filling.

Start with railings that are easy to redo, and that you have plenty of spare length to get the hang of the smaller size.

Just have at it and enjoy it.

Mike

 

"Grumman on a Navy Airplane is like Sterling on Silver."

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: USA
Posted by weebles on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 6:54 AM

I like the products from The Small Shop.  They have two that I use which are the Hold N Fold and the PE Cut Off Set.  I have an Etch Mate as well but I find that for most of my work the Hold N Fold does a better job holding these really thin PE pieces while you bend them.  They also have a rolling set which is great for the radars you're looking at. 

For securing I would not use CA glues (super glue).  Instead use gator glue or Alene's Tacky Glue.  They are very similar white glues that dry clear, and shrink as they dry so that they are less noticeable.  These particular glues have more bite to them than something like Elmers, although many use the Elmers white glue successfully.  Also excess glue around railings can be cleaned up nicely using water and a wet paint brush.

Good luck and have fun!

Dave

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: USA
Posted by weebles on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 6:55 AM

Oh, by the way.  Here's a link to the Small Shop.  It lists dealers and such too.

http://thesmallshop.com/

 

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