b8factor wrote:
Another question for down the road, any reccomedation on a substance I can use to fill in cracks of joined pieces on the final model to hide seams?
There are a lot of choices from the Aves/Magicsculpt and other 2-part epoxy putties to 1-part spot and glaze putties like Squadron putty and automotive putty, to thin CA glue or thick/gel CA glue or thin CA glue with baking soda sprinkled onto the seam, to Mr Surfacer 500, to thinned spot and glaze, to kit sprue dissolved in MEK/Testors Liquid cement, and many more.
Each have their adherants and have plusses and minuses.
The epoxy putties are pretty good, especially for larger gaps, but are much harder than the surrounding plastic/resin and can be harder, therefore, to get to sand level with the softer material. Sanding blocks help that.
The spot and glazes can be feathered out with sandpaper to a very thin edge and generally stick very well to styrene kits, but don't stick well to resin kits and shrink noticably. They are not recommended for large gaps as they tend to keep shrinking for some time, occassionally cracking a year or more after the model is "finished".
The use of CA as a filler is widespread; the material doesn't shrink and can be sanded to a very thin edge, but it can be tricky to keep in place until it cures or can be hit with kicker, and it can have bubbles and internal cracks that are hard to see until primed and harder to fill because they are so bloody small and fine.
Etc., etc., etc.
The only way to find out what works best for you is to try a bunch of methods and develop the experience as to what _you_ like to use in each situation. And we all know that experience is learning lessons from screwing up. Assume you will screw up, that's how you reduce your stress levels _when_ it happens. 'Cause it always does.
Hind sight i might have made this less pieces so less mold casting. But that die is cast!
Dude! You already have a ridiculously small number of parts, don't sweat it. I build resin tank kits with easily 200+ parts plus track links. 10-12 parts in a kit is _nothing!_
Bigger parts mean more rubber, more resin, larger chance of warping, a costlier master and larger infrastructure to manage it all.
Learn on smaller parts. That's why I suggested them, way back when...
Don't you worry, you'll have lots of opportunitites to gain "experience" coming up, don't invent ways to gain more.
Paul
The future is in your hands. Build it!
