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Archive Modelbuilding Tips - All tips we have received are listed here!
Always wear safety glasses and proper protective gear when doing any
modeling!
These tips are for modelers over the age of 18. Please use adult supervision for all
other ages!
I have been using clean, used dryer sheets to buff
my paint jobs.
It works pretty well. Experiment on a scrap piece to adjust the
pressure needed.
David Kresge
1211 N. Miami Blvd.
Durham, NC 27703
(919) 682-1045
dkresge@concentric.net
It was a common problem, for me
anyway, that really detracted from the
authentic look of my completed models: fingerprints. They were everywhere,
foggy windows, smudged paint, and glue smears in the engine compartment.
Oil from your hands can really wreck a model, in just about every aspect.
What works for me is that after I remove the mold release from all the
parts ( they have been washed and thoroughly dried ) I wear a pair of
surgical gloves for all other sanding, painting, and assembling. They
protect the model by keeping oil and dirt off, they keep overspray off your
hands, and they protect the finish during final assembly. They are easy to
find, a neighboring Wal-mart will have them, and they come in bundles of
50. Plus they are disposable, get paint on 'em, just pitch 'em. They keep
the body nice and shiny and keep the windows from fogging up. They don't
work miracles though. Always give your glued and painted parts, especially
bodies, ample time to dry before you touch them.
Alex
cypreslk@i-55.com
30937 N. Cafe Line Rd.
Tickfaw, LA 70466
When using those tiny A/N fittings by, Detail
Master, I've found the
best, and most realistic, way of making them look anodized is to use
Sharpie permanent markers (they come in red, blue, and black. The red
and blue, when colored over the aluminum A/N fittings makes the perfect
anodized color). I just slide each fitting onto a toothpick and color
them with the markers.
Here is a good tip for people looking for a good
mask for flames.
When I was at my local hobby shop, I noticed they sold large sheets
of masking tape (look in the RC car section....they are intended to mask
of the windshields of those clear RC car body's). Simply draw your
flames on to the sheet and cut along your lines with an x-acto knife.
You know have a continuous flame mask in one piece.
Tyson Colby
tcolby@prodigy.net
Alta Loma, CA
The best way I have found to make realistic bullet
holes is to heat up a
safetypin push it gently through the body panel, then take a standard
pocketknife and grind it around the hole. The larger (and sometimes dull)
blade gives you the uneven appearance of high caliber weapons damage.
I'm still working on "buckshot" damage.
Jonny Zero
2950 Cheyenne Rd.
Riverside CA. 92506
(909)-787-1939
To achieve a very nice paint job...that also is
ready to wet sand in a
couple of hours...I use a food dehydrator. I purchased the dehydrator
from Wal-Mart for $39.99. Simply place your freshly painted model in the
dehydrator and walk away. In about 7-10 hours you will have a paint job
that is fully cured and smooth!
(WARNING-always test scrap plastic before you put your model in the
dehydrator. I have never had any problems, but, better safe than
sorry! And try to find a dehydrator that has the small fan at the
bottom.)
Tyson Colby
I Just got my copy of "Small Parts Inc. '
catalog". One of those things you
see, and can't believe you missed it years before ! Hair fine stainless
tubing, plastic tubing, microscopic bolts and screws, the list is
seemingly endless....! 400 Plus pages of bits to excite any scratch
builder. Go to: http://www.smallparts.com
Send for their catalog........check the Visa balance.......buy Momma
something nice........then look through their book !!!
Wish I had found these guys thirty years ago....
But.......this venue is for modelers tips, right? OK Tip of the day:
two piece wheels are a bite to assemble with a tire in between them, right?
Securely glue the rims together, do your paint/detail routine as usual.
THEN put the tire on! Too tight? Of course it is. >>>>>until you drop
the tire into boiling water for a few minutes<<<<<<< Then simply
stretch
it onto the rim from the back side. No sweat. Haven't broken a rim yet,
and have used this routine for years.... (even on those nasty little blobs
AMT/Ertl gives us as "wire" wheels)
Fred Haggard - Kansas City "Bubba One's" daddy....!
Want some really neat sanding blocks that I have
used for years. Get
some Plasticstruct square kind in different sizes and shapes. Now cut
off several pieces about 2-3 inches
long and then take different types of sandpaper. Lay the sandpaper down
backside and
then take some superglue and put on the side of the sanding block. Lay
it down and press
for a few seconds. You have some great sanding blocks for getting into
some hard small area
of your model. I have used this for years. when the sandpaper is now
good turn it over and do
it on the other 3 sides.
Anonymous
For a simulated road grim effect under your
model car, place a little talcum powder in the
palm of your hand, turn over the chassis in the
other hand, and blow the talc onto the kit.
Different effects can be attained by simply
doing it with the paint wet or dry.
Wet paint will give you the "sprayed tar"
look. Dry paint will have the driven on the
roads only look.
Best Regards,
Sly.
I find that this technique is a must for a every great looking model. Ever tried 'blacking out" a grille? All you do is take the grill and apply a layer of paint into the sections that you want blacked out (normally plain black or flat black) and then take a Kleenex or paper towel and bunch it up into a TIGHT ball. Then run it along the raised chrome edges to remove the paint. After a bit of touch up you will have a grill that has 'chrome' rails and it will look like there is a radiator behind it. This technique also works great for plastic/chrome tail lights and chrome underrails (eg. '67 Malibu). Also is applicable for 'painting' side signal lights that are molded as part of the body.
Another tip for you spray bombers out there is to support your 1/24 1/25 scale model with a coke can while spraying it. This allows you to firmly hold the model without stretching the body panels while painting.
I love adding spark plug wires to my models, but its not really detailed until you have added spark plugs! Plus, trying to glue thread or wire to the heads is a pain! To give your model spark plugs and make the glueing job easier, go to your local sewing store and buy the smallest cone-shaped or tube shaped white beads you can find. You will then have to "adjust" the cones to the right size and shape with a knife. Drill the appropriate sized holes in the heads and insert & glue the bead in place (the wire/thread should already be glued inside the bead). Looks great!
Brendan Materi
For carpet in your model car, without spending a
lot of money on "Fuzzi
Fur", try using felt, it can be found in any Wal-mart or fabric store. Use
Emersons Rubber Cement to put it in place. The felt is stretchy so it will
form into any deep slots in your model. It gives your model a customized
look.
Marshall Milton
305 Chestnut St.
Thayer, MO 65791
(417)264-2280
Marshall84@hotmail.com
When painting for a professional look, the small pieces painted with a brush tend to get brush stroke lines in them. To avoid this, use an airbrush or spray paint. Spray paint will be less expensive, but when used, fog the item or items being painted. What I mean by this is, instead of following the recommended distance on the can, back away by twice that amount (10 -12 inches becomes 20 - 24 inches). A lot of paint will become airborne, and many coats will need to be applied. The results are even coverage and no runs. The item must be sanded if you want a smooth look, otherwise you will have a textured piece. Use this technique to create a vinyl look with texture.
Ryan Bahr
bahr5@mwci.net
507 2nd Ave.
Forreston, IL 61030
(815) 938 3355
On some models, depending on how thick the grill area is, you can take an emery board and file down the back side until you break through to the front to make an "open" grille and not have to paint the area black.
Ryan Bahr
bahr5@mwci.net
507 2nd Ave.
Forreston, IL 61030
(815) 938 3355
Anonymous
In the spirit of really low-level tips, I thought I'd pass this one along...
As we modelers all know, our most useful and commonplace tool is the lowly toothpick... right? Well, for ages, I've been using a toothpick for stirring my paint bottles (Testors, etc) and/or tins (Humbrol, etc), for scraping paint off the edges of things, etc. I started out with the flattened, slightly tapered variety, and soon left those behind as too breakable. I have since been using the wooden "cocktail" picks which are round and sharply pointed on each end. These are much sturdier, but their sharp points are not great as paint-stirrers, one of the things I use them for the most.
Now, I also use 2-part epoxy a lot. It's stronger than CA glue, it gives me time to get things right, and it doesn't fog clear bits. Applied sparingly, it really works great. However, it always leaves me with a dab or two left over. I always stir the 2 parts together on a small piece of paper, such as a stack of "Post-it"s, and use... what else, one of my trusty cocktail picks to mix the 2 ingredients. The toothpick becomes not only a sturdy stir-stick, but also an applicator with a super-fine tip to get just the right amount of glue exactly where I want it.
Once, a year or two ago, after I'd applied the glue, I got busy holding bits together while the epoxy set up. I'd left the toothpick lying on its side in the leftover blob of epoxy. When I noticed it, the epoxy had gone off, and was stuck hard and fast in the blob of epoxy. I tore the "Post-it" off, but as I was about to throw it out, I noticed that the blob of epoxy, plus the cocktail pick had formed a perfect "paddle" for stirring paint! The "Post-it" paper was easily torn off the back of the "paddle", and I had a stir-tool of an almost perfect length.
So, 2 wasted birds killed with one stone (or is it one bird killed with two wasted stones?). In any case, I now have an inexhaustible supply of GREAT paint paddles that can whip up the sediment in even the most neglected paint bottles. I've even found that the hardened epoxy blob is easy to cut with scissors or knife, to arrive at fat or slim paddles, just as I need them.
Conservationist to the end, this solution to avoid wasting things really pleases me, and I hope it helps you, too.
Regards,
Frank McGowan.
If you want to add lights to your models, go to
your local K-Mart store
and buy the fiber-optic Christmas tree (39.95). Its about 2 feet high and
loaded with tons of small fiber-optic lines of different lengths. Just
make your own light box with a switch to install the lines and your
ready to install head,side and taillights. Plus there's enough to do lots
of models and still make mistakes!
Barbara Dumka
Dave Knapp
On real cars, when wires pass through metal, which is common on the firewall, it's best to use rubber grommets.
To create the same impression for your models, drill a hole in the panel where the wire goes through. Then dip a sharp pencil (or anything round and pointy) into some flat black paint, let it drip off, and then insert it into the hole, letting just enough paint circle the hole...Bingo a rubber grommet...
Practice it first on some scrap plastic, until you get a feel for how much paint to use.
Jackie Olson
If you need to mix small batches of paint to match colors, here is a process that works well for me: Purchase 'oral use only' syringes from your local pharmacy. A bag of 100 is $15 or so. These syringes work great to precisely measure amounts of paint, tint or thinner.
Use a different syringe for each color. The syringes allow very precise control when you you only need to add a small amount of tint. Syringes works well for mixing thinner with paint also.To mix paints thoroughly, I use a jigger with a rounded bottom. The large opening of the jigger makes it easy to stir the paint to assure a good mix and the rounded bottom of the jigger makes cleanup a snap!
Write down the exact proportions for your mixture, and you'll be able to duplicate it if you need to repaint or make a repair at later date.
Richard Cooper
I have been building Model Cars for 20+ years and I just recently found an great, fast way to remove unwanted chrome plating. Take a plastic container (dish or cup) fill it with straight bleach. Dip you part(s) in and watch the chrome come off in seconds. This gets you to the bare plastic in seconds. Make sure to was part(s) under warm soap and water. BINGO your ready to paint any color you want!
***
You go up in the attic and WOW an old car you built as a kid!!! But back then all you could use was a paint brush and some Testors paint. It'd be neat if you could rebuild it now........YOU CAN!!! To get the paint off, go to your local auto parts store and get yourself a large container of automotive brake fluid. Put it in a large container, preferably with a snap top. Disassemble your car and take the parts you want to redo and put them in the fluid for 24 Hrs. Take an old tooth brush and brush it REAL good (all the nooks and crannies) You may have to re-soak for those thick paint jobs? Yes this works GREAT! After that just rinse under warm soap and water. No harm to you or the plastic.Jim Bolden jebsr8312@netzero.net
To the Model Car Craftsman,
Here is a tip you are going to love! The perfect solution to having a very
realistic fan belt on your model car is to use the rubber o-ring seal used
in the back of a watch. Your jeweler will have a selection of these o-rings
in various sizes if he does watch repairs. I found a width of .5mm and an
inside diameter of 17mm fits a 1/24 scale Ford 289ci engine. It will depend
on how your alternator or generator is mounted, but having a few various
sizes in your parts bin is a good thing. They also make great bungee cords,
and hood straps for your vintage GP car.
sincerely,
Eric Gordon
Edmonton, Alberta
Email: egordon@compusmart.ab.ca
These tips are very handy around the workbench:
I have taken a pair of sidecutters (wirecutters)
and trimmed the parts
trees to use as stirring sticks, glue mixers, etc. You can also glue sandpaper to
them to use as round sanding sticks.
Also, I have drilled a series of holes in a block of wood and used the long
sides of the trees, with the right angles left on but trimming off all the excess, and
pushed them into the holes of the wood to make a tall painting stand.
Mjvyfc@aol.com
The white plastic bottles that pain relievers are
packaged in (Tylenol,
Bayer, Excedrin etc.) make great wheel tubs for the inside of pick-up beds.
The bottoms and the top of the bottle below the neck can be used. Just cut
them in half with a razor saw, then trim the width to fit.
I've done this several times on step-side trucks
for more wheel clearance
when narrowing the axle. Cut the bottle in half and trim to fit.
Charlie Scheerer, Baltimore, MD - modlngfool@AOL.com
For those NASCAR stock car builders who have
noticed the tires sticking out too far,
don't worry, you don't have to shorten the rear axle and modify the front
suspension.
Simply shave off the raised ring on the inner wheel
half flush
with the "brake rotor", offsetting the wheel to get it inside the fenders
where it belongs.
After the inner wheel half is glued in place and
dry,
clip the remainder of the spindle sticking out off, and install the
assembled outer wheel and tire. Have fun!
Brian Fowler - Hernando, FL
In order to remove flat black paint , from recessed
areas, such as grilles,
I take a few wood toothpicks, and file the flat part, as close as possible
to the contour of the grill lines (I make a few, in case they break).
Next I flow some flat black onto the whole grille.
As soon as I finish, I use the
toothpick, to "scrape" away the paint from the areas that should be chrome.
The paint comes right off, with light pressure, and it doesn't scratch the
chrome.
I find this method much quicker than using a fine
brush and a
magnifier, tediously attempting to paint within the lines. (and if you make
a mistake, and have to clean it up using a rag, there is always some dust
or fibers from the cloth that get stuck to the paint) With this way, slap the
paint on, scrape away, and that's it! Once the paint dries, if the area
should be gloss or semigloss, you can shoot some clear coat on it.
I hope this helps.
sal barone salb74@aol.com
To glue in glass, use watch crystal cement. It is
very thin and will draw into
a joint nicely, but you must have a perfect fit! it won't fog plastic because
that is what it is made for. Lacquer paints stand up to it but I am not sure
about "soft" enamels like Testor's. Test before using on enamels.
Get it at a local jewelers that specializes in watch repair. I got mine from
the Micro-Mark catalog.
J. Bruce Weeks - Bruce.Weeks@skf.com
Hi, here's a tip for you convertible modelers.
I was building the AMT 71 Challenger kit which allows for a convertible or
vinyl top. I turned my vinyl top into a convertible soft top, and it was easy!
First you need to heat the back end of the top to
shorten the width of the
rear pillars so they fit into the rear deck of the car. I used a halogen
light, but be very careful, these lights get to be around 300 degrees!
Do not let the plastic touch the bulb.
Then I put a little pressure to push the pillars
together. I tested it
until it fit right.
To get the right texture, I sprayed generous
amounts of flat black paint
on the roof(I haven't tried white) then placed a single layer of
Kleenex/tissue paper over it, making sure it was "burnished" around the
edges. *** I suggest latex gloves as it gets very messy.
Once dry, I trim the edges with an X-acto knife. It
is very realistic.
Dan, SCATPACC Model Club Winnipeg, MB Canada
(editors note: you can also put the tissue onto the bare plastic with liquid plastic cement, then paint over it.)
Since C.A. type glues have a
tendency to "fog" clear parts, a lot of
modelers use various methods of securing kit window glass into place. The
most common one I've heard is to use white ( i.e."Elmers' ) glue. This seems
to works well since it dries clear and excess may be cleaned up with a damp
cloth, but here in the South (Florida) with our high humidity, sometimes this
isn't the most efficient way.
What I have discovered works best for me is bottled clear coat enamel.
Simply brush a coat onto the edge of the clear window to be installed, let it
get "tacky", position it into place and secure with a small piece of masking
tape until it dries. It really holds the "glass" in place.
Dave Hessler - Bradenton, FL
I enjoy building factory stock car models, and lately the manufacturers have been giving us very in-scale script and emblems. This can be a problem when it comes to applying foil; and silver paint is usually not a solution. I usually paint with lacquers; and this technique works best with that medium.
I apply bare-metal foil before the first primer and trim closely around the script or badge. You really don't have to trim between individual letters. I then apply the primer with my airbrush and allow it to dry for about an hour.
Then take a small paint brush, such as a 000 and apply a small drop of lacquer thinner to the top of the script. I then was the brush in clean thinner and touch the brush to the script. This has the effect of "wicking" off the thinner and the paint. This should be repeated until you achieve the exact exposure of the script that you want. If you have a thick primer coat, you may, carefully wipe a clean lint-free cloth over the script to remove excess paint. Repeat this process after each color coat.
After applying the final color coat; and before applying any clear coats, repeat the above, and then buff the script using bare-metal polish or similar. If the emblem has color accents, now is the time to paint them. I use a 30X magnifier (I think it was originally from a slide viewer) and a sharpened round toothpick to apply small amounts of paint. Applying lacquer thinner to a freshly painted body is a scary thing to do; so try this out on a scrap body first. Happy modeling!
Randel Paul-Charlie
randel@uniserve.com
phone: (604) 794-3941
snail mail: comp 43, RR1, Cheam Reserve, Rosedale, B.C., Canada V0X 1X0
I've found a real good way to get the seem lines off your tires! I take a drill and a beveled grinder bit. The tip should be smaller than the inside diameter of the tire, but the end should be larger. Jam the tire on the bit, secure it in the drill, and grab a piece of sandpaper. Apply light pressure, and after a little bit the seem is gone! I recommend a fine grade. The harder you push, the more wear you will get. It works great on race car tires. I've found that you can make the tires blister by pushing real hard. Be careful because this does produce some heat. ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY GLASSES!
Marko Petrik, Sarasota FL speedracermach1@mindspring.comCar modelers invariably end up using lots of
different shades of black, grey, silver,etc. When I buy a new jar of paint I glue a small
piece of white styrene to the lid and then paint it that color. This makes it easy to
compare different colors without shaking up the paint. Submitted by:
Bruce Downs
1592 Laval Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45255
513-474-4521
bdowns@valvax.com
Member: Kentucky Automotive Modelers
For the modelers in Germany,I have found that the Motip brand acrylic spray paint,if sprayed from the can dries to a reasonably dull/flat finish.This paint is available in many great colors,so what I do to get a great finish with this paint is mix the paint about 3:1 with Future floor polish,and spray it through my airbrush.No additional thinning is required,since both of these materials are thin enough to be sprayed through an airbrush.
I get about 5 or more e-mails a week about painting
with nail polish, so I'm submitting this tip so you can post it
When painting with nail polish, use a lacquer based primmer on all the parts to be
painted, then use acetone to thin the polish, with a mix of about 40% polish & 60%
acetone.
You must use light coats when airbrushing because it's very hot, meaning like lacquer. It will melt the plastic, if it's put on to thick. Wet sand between coats, let it sit for awhile (a day or so). Then mix up a 70% acetone & 30% polish, apply a nice wet coat, let it sit for a couple of days so the plastic will harden up again.
Wet sand the parts with a polishing cloth set,
starting with 3600 grit and working up to 12000 grit if necessary. This will take out any
orange peel and dust particles. Just be careful not to sand to hard, so you don't go
through the paint. I use a enamel gloss clearcoat over it, and sometimes when I want a
metallic / pearl finish, I use Model Master's Gloss Pearl Clearcoat. I must warn you that
painting with the nail polish is a pain in itself, and a lot of things can go wrong, so
test shot first.
Take Care,
CJ Hilton
CJ's Scale Auto Modeling Corner
models@cjhilton.com
www.cjhilton.com/models
We made a great find at Wal-Mart, and maybe these are available elsewhere, too.
Go to the toiletries section, and among the toothpicks, you'll find a product called Dr. Du-More's Plaq-U-Pick Plaque Remover. These are plastic toothpicks in the shape of a small, flexible knife blade.
They work great on your teeth, but are even better as glue-mixers and applicators, panel line cleaners, chrome foil burnishers, and other neat uses. Much stronger and more practical that toothpicks, and they're cheap!
From the Model Car Hub Editors
Cotton swabs are a must have in any toolbox. But here's another use. Get the paper-shaft type, and cut the shaft in the middle, at an angle. This leaves a rolled paper point.
You can use this to remove errant paint, or for other clean-up jobs. You can wet it with whatever solvent is applicable, like thinner, alcohol, or water. It will then "draw-up" the errant paint or ink, like a fine-point sponge. This is great for cleaning up wavy lines on hand-painted parts.
From the Model Car Hub Editors
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