Recommended equipment: Sharp wire cutters, hobby knife, plastic cement, assorted rubber bands, twisties and clothes pins.
ASSEMBLING A MODEL
OK, so you spent your hard-earned money on that model, you take it home
and open the box. Now is the time to develop some good habits.
READ THE INSTRUCTIONS! Sure, the two head pieces go together, get attached
to the neck, and so on. Read them anyway. Check out the pieces
in the box, make sure they are all there. It does happen that the kit
makers will forget to put a part or two in the box, and the one time you
don't check will be the time this happens. Also, look for defects in
the model, such as parts that weren't completely formed when plastic was
injected into the mold. You might have to take the model back (sob!)
for exchange. Some companies like Polar Lights are great about sending
you the missing part if you contact them, but then you're stuck waiting for
the part to arrive in the mail. This is also the time you begin to
get a "feel" for the model and make a plan on how you're going to tackle
it.
Preparing the parts for assembly:
A sharp set of wire cutters is
best for getting the part off the tree - it's easy to break a small
part while twisting it loose, and using a knife to cut the part off
is risky to the part and your fingers. Try not to damage the part when
snipping it off the tree, instead leave a little nub of plastic that can
be trimmed with the knife. Speaking of knives, an exacto type hobby
knife is a must. Use it to trim off the "flash" (extra plastic) and make
little scrapes and corrections to get a good fit. Get plenty of extra blades,
since it doesn't take long for these to lose their edge. An old Boy
Scout rule is that a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one. I
try to start every model with a new blade in the holder. Double check the
number of the part against the instructions before removing it - some
parts will look identical and people have been known to glue the left foot
on the right leg, etc.
TEST FIT THE PIECES! The object is
to have two parts that go together with no gaps, and aligned so that the
edges perfectly match. Yea, right. In reality the model
kit makers usually do a fair job in the molding, but you'll need to correct
their mistakes as well as improve on the fit if you're going to make something
that looks like one sculpted piece and not a collection of parts. If
you're working on a snap-fit type model, the kind that advertises "no glue
required", you'll need to clip off the little locater tabs in order to test
fit. As a matter of fact, I often cut these tabs off on all my models
when I need to fine tune the fit. Put a lot of effort into getting
the parts matched, since this reduces the putty and sanding work later on.
Now for the glue. Don't use the old
squeeze tube type if you can help it. Pay the extra few bucks for the bottle. It's
easier to work with and generally stronger bonding. I use Testors #3507,
but there are other good brands. One bottle will last practically forever, if you
REMEMBER TO PUT THE CAP BACK ON THE GLUE! Make sure the glue you use says on the label it works with "ABS" as
well as styrene. ABS is a type of plastic now used by some model companies,
and requires a stronger glue to bond well. By the way, plastic
cement should only be used on plastic models; a vinyl or resin model needs
superglue.
OK, let's talk about superglue, otherwise known as Cyanoacrylate (if you
want to sound really smart when the subject comes up). If the stuff
is good enough for resin or vinyl models, why not use it on plastic, instead
of the slower acting cement? Well, you can if you want to. I keep
a tube of it on the workbench and it certainly comes in handy. There
might be a small part that must be held in place until the glue bond sets
up, for instance. Perhaps two parts must be pressed tightly together
to eliminate a gap, and because of their shape rubber bands or twisties won't
work. The thick gel superglue makes a great gap filler and can be used
instead of putty. For most of the assembly, though, that extra "wiggle"
time to get the parts matched up using plastic cement really
helps.
Then there's the problem of working with superglue. I've found you
need at least three hands to effectively use the stuff without bonding your
fingers, model, and table into one solid assembly. I use the
tiny tubes that can be found almost anywhere. You can get big squeeze
bottles of superglue at hobby stores, but I've never found one yet where
the opening didn't get clogged up before I used up half the stuff in the
bottle, and once that happens you're in for a frustrating fight every time
you want to use it.
Now on to the assembly. Gather a collection of clothespins
and twisties and rubber bands, and use them to keep pressure on the pieces
while the glue is drying. The cement available today dries faster than
the stuff sold way back when, but this is still a step that can't be rushed.
Use enough glue to cover the areas being pressed together, and use
a thin coat. Apply the glue to one piece, then press them together
and check closely for proper alignment, looking for gaps that need extra
pressure to close. Don't wipe away the bead of glue that may squeeze
out of the crack, since you'll just be smearing it on areas you need to paint
later. Hold the pieces together long enough for the glue to bond, and wait for the glue to dry
completely before going to the next stage. A few hours is usually enough time.
That's when you scrape off the extra glue with the knife
as part of the sanding and putty step.
It's best to build the model using the "sub-assembly" method. For instance,
you'll usually have the front and back of the head, body, arms, and legs
to glue together. If you do this first, the glue will
be drying while you go on to other parts. Then these sub-assemblies
will be glued together, etc. Here's where your planning comes in. Some parts will need to be sanded, puttied, and even painted before
final assembly, while some will be easier to work on after joining. Occasionally one part will need to be glued on before another; for
instance the Aurora Batman cape will not fit around the neck once his head
is glued on.
You'll be painting some parts
before assembly, but DON'T GLUE ON TOP OF PAINT OR CHROME. This
is the most common beginner's mistake. Liquid cement needs to contact
the plastic to melt it together, so if you get lazy on scraping enough paint
off for a good bond your part will eventually break off. Trust me,
there's nothing worse than having your model fall apart somewhere down the
road after all your time and effort. If you're working on a clear part,
be advised the cement will cloud and stain the plastic. So will the
superglue products. I've used regular white Elmer's glue in the past,
but today you can get special model glue for clear parts.
One last area to cover before you get started, and that's SAFETY. If
you have a very sharp hobby knife and relatively hard plastic you're trying
to cut, you have to be careful. Many old modelers have
scars on their thumbs from one moment of carelessness. That's learning
the hard way. Another safety point involves the fumes from the paint
and glue. In the old days I probably fried a few brain cells from using
the old formula glue and spray painting enamels in my closed room. The
acrylic paint I use is non-toxic, and if you provide some ventilation you'll
be safe. Do I need to remind you not to eat any of the stuff? In
particular, the putty contains solvents that should be washed off the hands
and kept away from the face.
Pretty basic, huh? Hey, putting a model
together isn't rocket science. On the other hand, many rocket scientists
started off building model kits.
TIP: Don't take the small pieces off their plastic tree until you
need them. I've spent many an hour on my knees looking for the little piece
that I was sure I put back in the box.
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