C-57D spaceship, Forbidden Planet, Polar Lights 1/72 kit

I'll let everyone know when the new dome is available.  I have the Lunar Models ship build and noticed the difference between the two instantly.  Once I got out the original plans I was surprised at the difference- the PL is way off the mark.  I originally only noticed the shape differance, I was totally surprised at it being so undersized.  A friend of mine has a large vaccuum-form machine and we are planing to pull the new dome in thick .060 plastic.

  I'm surprised at many of the buildups of this ship keep the dome as clear.  This not only looks strange to me, but the top lifts off anyway, so why bother? 

Ditto for me, also.

To justimagine- please let me know when that new dome is available.  I'm building the model now, hope your dome will be ready soon.  I haven't yet tried to fit the existing dome, and did not realize there was a size problem.  An inch off in diameter is pretty serious!

Thanks, guys, this is all new to me regarding the putties.  I appreciate this helpful information and look forward to advancing beyond "Squadron Green"!

They can be purchased only at auto paint and collision repair supply stores. Evercoat Eurosoft comes in 20-ounce and half-gallon cans and includes the hardener catalyst; a 20-ounce can will last you a long time, but make sure it's well-sealed, as it will harden over time on its own in the can. Don't ask me how I know this. It's not the most economical; it's not cheap (about $20 for the 20-ounce can the last time I bought it) and there is invariably some waste, but for bulk filling it can't be beat. One nice thing about it is that it turns rubbery before it completely hardens; if you monitor it by gently poking it with the tip of your knife/scalpel blade as it sets, you'll know when. At that point, you can easily carve away any excess leaving a minimum to sand. And once sanded, it takes primer and putty just like styrene plastic because it's not really a putty but a "catalyzing styrene monomer," i.e., plastic!

I use old plastic coffee can lids or small ice cream carton lids to mix it. Once it's set, you can flex the lid and remove any waste and reuse the lid to mix the next batch.

There are other brands, but Evercoat seems to be more generally available.

Of the "spot" putties, I'd recommend either 3M Acryl-Blue Glazing Putty (retail $27 for a 21-ounce tube) or Spies Hecker Permacron Fine Putty 7715 (about $16 for an 8.8-ounce tube). These are lacquer-based, about the consistency of toothpaste, intended for filling pinholes and other small imperfections, and are good for filling seams. I apply them with a paint brush wetted with MEK (methyl ethyl ketone, the primary ingredient in lacquer thinner). Wet the brush, pick up a little putty right out of the mouth of the tube, and paint it on. They do shrink when applied in large amounts, but that's not what they're for. The 3M putty also comes in red and green, but the blue has a finer consistency and longer drying time, although it can be sanded in 30 minutes.

Interesting comment about Milliput. The times I have used it, I have found it to be softer than styrene.

One problem with this kit is that the "dome" is the wrong shape- too square and almost an inch too small in diameter.  I am getting ready to offer a thick vacuum-formed dome in which the master was turned on a lathe to the original blueprints  outline.  It will correct the dome shape and size issue.  The kit has other problems too, but this is the one most easily seen and the correct dome shape makes all the difference in making the PL kit look like the C-57D.  I'll let everyone know when it is available.

Aves

Aves also has a Saftey Solvent some people use to smooth and feather the edges instead of water. 

Magic Sculpt can be found at these stores. 

I got mine at Tap Plastics. 

Or you can get plumbers putty in 5 and 20 minute cure times.

This is a grey stick with purple center that you cut off a slice and knead till one color.

Comes in a clear tube.

Don't get the steel version it is hard as steel and smells really bad.

Should be available at the hardware store.

 

Eric... 

Where can you buy those putties you mentioned?  I think there must be many that are better than Squadron.  But I had a bunch on hand, and have lots of experience with it, so I knew what to expect.  Yes, it does shrink a lot as it cures.

The only problem I have with Milliput is that it is much harder than styrene, so it's difficult to sand it to a flush finish with the plastic.

Those sound like good assembly tips, and I'll file them away for when I get around to building mine.

I gave up using Squadron Green Stuff years ago. There are much better putties. I like Evercoat Eurosoft for large fills because it doesn't shrink and sands just like styrene plastic, even though it requires mixing a catalyst into it. I once used 3M Acryl Blue for small areas, and it is good, but lately I have discovered Spies & Heckler's Permacron, which I think is superior to any of the other glazing putties. I also just acquired some Gunze Mr. Dissolved Putty, but haven't had a chance to try it yet.

I used Squadron green putty- lots of sanding, looked good, then primer, which showed areas needing more putty, then more wet sanding with 320 grit, looked good again, sprayed metallic aluminum finish coat and it looked awful.  More sanding thru the aluminum down to primer, used some Gunze water soluable putty for fine touch up.  Then I spent a lot of time with first dry, then wet, sanding.  Looks good now, ready to apply more finish coats- we shall see!  I think Milliput would also be a good choice, as you can smooth it in with a wet finger.

Construction tip:  Avoid having to deal with more than one seam at a time when glueing the saucer sections.  Glue two sections together, set them aside.  Then glue two more, set those aside, and then glue the final two together.  Let them set to cure for a couple of days.  You will now have three wedges consisting of two parts each.  Glue two of those together.  Then after that dries, you can add the third section, glueing only one seam at a time.  Keep them on a flat table with weights holding them down all during this process.  I used Tamiya super thin plastic cement, the solvent type, generously applied, and used many clamps to hold the seams together on the ridges on the inner surfaces of the saucer.  After all is done, I used some super glue along all the seams on the inside, just to strengthen the bond, but this may not have been necessary.

 

That sounds good. I like Evercoat Eurosoft putty, which I would probably use in this instance. Milliput would probably be a good choice also. The epoxy putties at least have the advantage of being able to be smoothed with a wet knife.

If the seam is really noticable what about epoxy putty to fill it in, something like Magic Sculpt or Aves.

Than a really thin coat of glazing putty.

 

Eric... 

Glad you found those sites worthwhile. I agree, those seams are very noticeable. I have the kit, but it's stored away unbuilt and I have not looked at it in a while, so I don't know how I would tackle the seam issue myself. Probably use lots of superglue, followed by the usual copious amounts of putty followed by lots of sanding followed by lots of primer and repeating as necessary.

Thanks, this is very helpful information.  I note the guy on Starship Modeler made no effort to seal the seams between the six sections of the upper and lower saucers.  I am finding it difficult to do, but making the effort because these seams should definitely not be visible, if you want it to be an accurate model of the movie prop.

Try here: http://culttvman.com/bob_perovich_s_c-57d.html

And here: http://www.starshipmodeler.com/olb/sm_c57.cfm

Both the CultTVMan and Starship Modeler sites are essential bookmarks if you're into sci-fi models.