RE: Scratchbuilt ships...

One other technique is to use some sort of filler for the gaps. 
Squadron Putty is adequate for large gaps, but is not fluid enough for
smaller gaps - it tends to "roll" and you have to really squish it in to
get it to stick.  Tamiya filler is stickier, but sometimes, it is too
sticky.  If you get in on other surfaces where you don't want it it's
tough to scrape off.

The disadvantage to puttys is that you usually have to go back and clean
up the joint - either cutting down the excess and sanding or applying
another layer because of shrinkage of the compound when drying.

If the gap is small enough, some white glue will help seal it off,
although the glue has a tendency to shrink quite a bit when dry. The
advantage is that you can use either a small syringe or toothpick to get
the glue in which tends to make it cleaner than globs of putty.

As for sanding small fiddly bits - emery boards.  Having a stiff backing
gives you more of a flat edge and emery boards are small enough that you
can still hold the piece in one hand or in forceps and be able to sand
it and look at it easily. You can get emery (fingernail) boards at most
pharmacies in a couple of roughness grades.  For plastic, I would
recommend the finer grades.

The more expensive alternative is a set of Jeweler's files.  I recently
bought a few sets from e-bay for about $6.00 plus S/H for a set of 8
files.	Don't forget to get a brass brush to clean the files off from
time to time.

--Binhan

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sean Bayan Schoonmaker [mailto:s_schoon@pacbell.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2002 10:47 AM
> To: Full Thrust Mailing List
> Subject: Re: Scratchbuilt ships...
> 
> Constructive criticism:
> 
> Looks like you were using superglue; try a liquid plastic 
> cement. It "welds"
> the plastic together, and makes a much less noticeable join 
> between pieces.
> 
> Be very careful when making cuts. Try to make them as square 
> (or whatever
> angle) as possible. This will also keep joins from being as 
> noticeable.
> Don't be afraid to toss out a piece that's not perfect (my 
> table is littered
> with thousands of failed attempts).
> 
> 
> Schoon
> 
>