Gaps between clear parts and opaque parts

[MrNobudy]

Clear parts have always been a bane of mine since day one. Learning the 'bathing in Future' has helped with some issues, but my main issue i continue to have deals with gappage.

what is a good process for dealing with the gappage between clear parts and opaque? ie the warp grills on any of the ST kits, or in general, the cockpits on, say, a VF-1 kit. or any plane kit.

i use anything from aves to modeling paste to mr putty to fill gaps, and even use Plasti-weld for most asseblies, so i am versed in the basics of using these mediums.

any help would be appreciated!

[tonyG2]

If the area to be filled needs to be clear then I will usually use Microsols clear although it can set slightly cloudy. A drop of Johnsons Klear can then help improve the look. If its a solid colour part then I will use a normal filler.

[kenlilly106]

For canopies where there's a frame I mask the canopy, glue it down, then use my filler of choice to fill the gap, trying to be as neat as possible. Lightly sand the filler and paint as required.

For gaps around inserts there's not much you can do, you can try and shim the opaque styrene parts to eliminate as much of the gap as possible.

Or you could fill the joint as described above and move the mask line onto the clear part to cover the filler

An old trick for seamless windows is to glue in an oversized piece of clear acrylic where the window is and then sand the acrylic to match the contour of the surface, then polish it out and mask off the window and paint as usual, leaving you with a seamless window.

Ken

[mightymax]

Elmers glue. Seriously once your canopy is glued down. Go back with some elmers on a toothpick and fill the gap. Let it dry. Repeat if necessary because elmers will shrink a bit as it dries. Once dry you can go back and blend in if needed with a water moistened Q-Tip or finger. Once blended let it dry. You can touch up with the appropriate paint color when dry.

Max Bryant

[Lt. Z0mBe]

I use thinned Aves. I apply the thinned Aves, let it set up for about 20 minutes and gently smooth with a clay sculpting tool, water or Aves solvent-moistened brush or cotton swap or a similarly moistend brush. During the smoothing process, I "squeegee" it off the clear parts and/or just mask them prior to application with Tamiya tape.

Terry taught me a technique whereby you tint neutral colored Aves like gray or white with Winsor and Newton ink such that it matches the canopy frame color. I use this the make any parts of the inside of the filling work that are visible from, say, the cockpit look like the rest of the inside of the canopy instead of like, well, Aves.

If the clear parts get marred in any way by the Aves, I hit them with a fingernail polishing kit after the Aves is dried. I use the kit in theo grit order specified, changing the water and cleaning the piece between grits.

For other clear parts, like undercarriage lights or navigation lenses I just use thickened Future. Pour some Future into a painting palette well and let it sit out overnight. The next day, you have a goopy mess. Apply said goopy mess to the gap around the light and smooth it with a cotton swab dampened (not soaked) with Windex. Let it cure for at least 48 hours and then try polishing with the fingernail polishing kit in the same manner you would with a canopy. Take care with the Windex, though, as it will act on acrylic paints (remember, Future is just clear acrylic/latex paint) just like it does Future. You can color before or after applying the Future (remember, you can tint Future with inks or food coloring) depending upon how big the gap is and how well you can match the Future to the clear piece. I generally will color the clear piece afterward, though.

I hope this helps.

Kenny

[Kylwell]

Or just do what I do and position all your canopies open...