Resin 1:350 build, first time, looking for tips

Hello and good of you to give this a go.

Most of my resin kits end up half scratch. There is no requirement to use every little part that the seller tries to replicate so have a stock of wire and styrene strip handy.

Getting little parts off of the casting block can be hard. Cut the block around hte part with enough to not break the part. Then sand off the excess slowly and carefully.

Bill

I have been useing resin for years as AM parts, the main thing i found is that the small parts, even in 72nd and 35th scales, can be very fragile, so be careful when removing from casting blocks. I don't normally wash kits or resin parts, but when i have built complete resin kits(1/18th aircraft engines and 1/35th armour so far) i make sure to wash and scrub them with a tootbrush to remove any release agent. I just prime and paint as normal, but if you don't usually use a primer, i would recomend you do for this.

Good to know about washing!  I didnt know that.  Do you use any sort of detergent or just rinse with water?  yes, I norammly prime so no problem there.

Thansk!

I generally rinse with a tiny bit of dishwashing soap, and just let the tiny parts soak a bit with gentle agitation.  Use a bin or container if worried about small parts so you don't lose them.  Good long rinse.  Big parts I dry with paper towel, small ones get put on paper towel to wick the water away.  Tried once without washing and gluing & painting was a nightmare.  Always wash now.

Some resin parts (direct from Shapeways) may also require UV hardening.  Stick in a sunny window a few days.  Parts will come with instructions telling you to do so if necessary.

Bob

Wash everything while it's still on the sprues. I don't know about that particular manufacturer, but in general there will be SOME mold release agent, usually in the very tiny nooks and crannies. I use Dawn dish soap and warm water in a shallow pan, agitate it all gently while soaking, and give ONLY the larger pieces a scrub with a soft toothbrush. Rinse thoroughly and dry completely.

As for photoetch (PE), welcome to hell . Kidding. Kind of. Use a new hobby knife blade to remove pieces from the fret (I prefer a No. 10 Xacto), making sure to anchor well with a finger or you'll never see it again. For smaller PE parts, I put a piece of blue painter's tape on the back of the parts when I remove them from the fret to reduce the Tweezerpult Effect.

Painting may or may not require priming. If you prime, try to use a fine grained one like Floquil figure primer spray or Tamiya primer. I've used both acrylics and enamels on resin parts to good effect. I build mostly 1/700 ships so a lot of my work is brush painted.

Yes, you have to use cyanoacrylate (CA) glue, but be aware there are different grades. The thin, runny stuff sets instantly and is difficult to use. I prefer one of the thicker grades that gives me a few seconds to make sure everything's lined up. When doing PE railings, you can tack them into place with Elmer's white glue and then go back and reinforce with CA glue.