In the previous post I assembled the cockpit, fuselage, wings, and the empennage. This post covers filling the numerous gaps where the pieces didn’t quite line up.
(Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to skip to the YouTube video.)
Workspace setup
Two gripes about my previous parts are (1) not enough light, and (2) being a bit cramped in my work area.
I purchased an LED (5000K spectrum) overhead lamp from Lowe’s for about $25, and got some hardware to mount it. Much better. The light is more consistent, I don’t have as many shadows, and I can easily add another fixture should I need more light in the future.
I removed the huge vent hose from my spray booth; it now vents directly out the window. This makes the fan more efficient, and take up way less space on my table. I also cleared off supplies (e.g., paint carousel) that I don’t use every session.
A byproduct of my updated setup is I have more flexibility about where to put the camera. This post’s video has it off to the side… we’ll try that out for a bit. I also don’t have to put the camera on top of the spray booth while it’s running, which will cut down on vibration in the video.
Filling
This is a concept I never dealt with when I built models as a kid. From the last post, there were several places that looked pretty rough because the pieces didn’t fit well. The typical approach to fixing these is using modeling putty, then sanding the putty down.
After watching a few technique videos on YouTube, I applied some Tamiya putty using a combination of an applicator tool and/or toothpicks. Some of the odd angles involve using a cotton swab to help push the putty into the seam and wipe away the excess.
Takeaways
- I definitely felt like I didn’t know what I was doing. The putty seems to stick to everything except the model, and I imagine more of it got wiped off then into the gaps.
- There were places on the model that got putty on them that shouldn’t have. Not sure about that one… It’s a small kit and the putty starts to dry within about a minute of applying it.
- As the putty cures (about 24 hours), it shrinks. There are different types of fillers, so this was more of a test of how much shrinkage occurs. (I opted not to go back and do another round of filling.)
- I (hopefully!) doubt I’ll have to do as much filling on other kits as I did on this one. As you’ll see in the video, there’s filler all over the place — wing joins, around the intakes, the underbody, and around the exhaust ports.
- There’s a huge gap near the front wheel well. I thought I’d have to do some scratch building to cover it up, but it looks like part of the landing gear door gets glued there.
Sanding
Once the putty cured, I sanded away the excess. I used coarse- and medium-grade sanding sticks. I even tried some wet-sanding, which helps to even out the sanding and reduces dust.
Takeaways
- It may be moot on this kit because the detail isn’t great (and it’s supposed to look damaged!), but as you sand things down, the details become less pronounced (panel lines, rivets, etc.). If this were a “proper build,” I’d need to go back in and rescribe the panel lines and use a small needle to redo the rivets.
- The downside to wet sanding is it makes the sanding sticks kinda fall apart. Fortunately the super-skinny sticks I have can be easily trimmed off with sprue cutters.
- A frustrating part is I have no clue how much of what I see after sanding will still show through or be covered up by primer/paint. That’s the point of this learning exercise — what does it look like after assembly, filling, curing, sanding, priming, painting, etc.
- The left and right sides of the fuselage didn’t line up in Part 3… and it’s right down the middle of the whole plane! I tried some heavy sanding to even it out a bit; the same goes for the underbody near the tail.
- Using fine grit, I was able to remove some of the glue smears I left on the underbody. At least that was simple and did exactly what I thought it would. 🙂
Pictures
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