,350

Building
120it7

Plastic Mddels
Fitting parts Placing cement
Painting and masking
Decals and detailing
 KALMBACH BOOKS*

ISBN: 0-89024-527-4
By Robert Schleicher
EDITOR: HAROLD A. EDMONSON
Building
1 1ntroduction 2 Tools
Page 2 Page 7

5 Assembly finishing
6 Painting
and priming Page 25
lllllllllll
Page 19

9 Decals and finishes iQO'

10 Weathering
Page 46 Page 51

WELCOME to the pages of BUILDING PLASTIC

MODELS. Plastic modelbuilding can be a truly re
warding pastime. If you are about to build your first
model, or if you have built only a few models, the tips
and techniques found in this book will help you to
build better, more authentic-looking models with
more enjoyment in the process. For the experienced
modeler, this book provides many of the successful
methods used by plastic modelers across the country.
Plastic modelbuilding is a great and increasingly
popular hobby with appeal to all age groups. Not only
will you find a great deal of satisfaction in transform
ing your kits into well-built replicas, but you will
contribute toward building a better hobby for
everyone. So enjoy your modeling, and have fun!
Plastic Models
2 (njsssmfellv r@| srefiii<sm
[e)©ln)<slonf
.0. Page 10
Page 14

? MosBxtof (art © jhmDnumand

c@inn)©(aifite<gj® <dhrem@
Page 36 Page 43

uni
11EMoling U2 your models
Page 54 Page 62

COVER: General Dynamics' F-16 lightweight air-superiority fighter — a 1/48-scale replica built f r o m a kit manu
factured by Monogram Models, Inc. The replica is painted in the red, white, and blue livery used on F-16 develop
mental aircraft. Model courtesy of Monogram Models, Inc. Photographed by A. L. Schmidt, Kalmbach Books.

COVER AND BOOK DESIGN: Lawrence Luser

CONTINUITY: Donnette Englund
LAYOUT: Susan Langhout
PHOTOGRAPHY: Robert Schleicher, Harold A. Edmonson, A. L. Schmidt

kalmbachI books
First printing, 1976. Second printing. 1977.
© 1976 by Kalmbach Publishing Co. All rights reserved. This book m a y not be reproduced i n part or i n
whole without w r i t t e n permission f r o m t h e publisher, except i n t h e case o f brief quotations used i n
reviews. Published by Kalmbach Publishing Co., 1 0 2 7 N o r t h Seventh Street, Milwaukee, Wl 5 3 2 3 3 .
P r i n t e d i n U.S.A. Library of Congress Catalog Card N u m b e r : 7 6 - 1 0 9 1 5 . I S B N : 0-89024-527-4.
 John Eian used silver and clear spray paints and wax to create the varied hues on this 1/48-scale Hawk/Testors P-51D Mustang.

sembled in a couple of hours to provide

1 1ntroduction
THERE’S an exciting world of enjoy
ment awaiting you inside that plastic
hobby-kit box. The varied parts and
shapes give little hint of the fun that
will start when you begin to assemble
the model . . . and they provide scant
clue of the additional enjoyment and
sense of accomplishment to be derived
when you build your model along the
proven fundamental steps described
and illustrated in this book. Indeed,
with patience and a little extra care,
you will be able to compare your
finished models with the "museum
pieces” illustrated in this first chapter.
Today’s plastic kits are amazing
marvels of engineering precision and
realistic detail. Most of them can be as
an accurate scale reproduction of the
real-life subject. It is tempting to simply
glue the pieces together and rely on the
detail the manufacturer included to
constitute the finished model (yet even
the proper application of cement re
quires a degree of expertise — and
means so much to the ultimate appear
ance of the model). Chances are, how
ever, that you will be disappointed with
the appearance of your model after the
pieces have been merely glued together.
Your plastic kit will look more like a
plastic toy than look like a model.
When you add a modeler’s skill to the
assembly process the result can be al
most lifelike. Careful assembly, paint
ing, and decaling are required, and
these skills are not found in the kit box.

Ertl’s 1/25-scale International CO-4070 tractor hauls two Ertl farm tractors aboard an AMT Lowboy trailer. Models by Jack Lelst.

2 1 INTRODUCTION
 1
J k.

Monogram 1/8-scale 1963 Corvette by Bill Wright. MPC/AIrfix 1/72-scale Flesler Storch by Lee Scow.

Nor are they included on the instruction

sheets that come with the kits. The
skills that you need are thoroughly ex
plained and illustrated in the pages of
this book. Modelbuilding is a popular
hobby because these basic skills, as well
as advanced skills, can easily be learned
and developed.
There is another essential ingredient
in modelbuilding: patience. Skills can
be taught and learned, but patience is a
quality you must develop yourself. In
fact, many expert modelers believe that
patience is the key factor in developing
their skills.
Hand in hand with patience is disci
pline. Discipline is a character trait you
will have to nurture in order to invest
an additional amount of time doing the
assembly and fitting job right when ex
perience has shown that you can as Dan Martinez’ 1/76-scale Bachmann/FuJImi Sherman tank sits on a bed of plaster "snow."
semble all of the contents of the box
together in an hour or two. More time
will be required to remove flash, fill in
the seams, prepare the model for paint,
and properly apply the paint and decals.
You could assemble a half-dozen kits in
the amount of time spent on one, but the
pleasure you will derive from the one
truly finished model will be worth the
extra time invested.
The modelbuilder’s goal
Beyond the enjoyment and sense of
accomplishment found in the hobby of
modelbuilding, is there a special goal
you should aim for in building the mod
els? Yes. The goal is twofold. First, the
dozens of plastic pieces should appear
as a single unit. Second, the model
should represent the full-sized subject
in miniature.
The hundreds of photographs and
thousands of words you will see and
read from this point on are designed to
help you build your model to any degree
of perfection that you desire, but their Jack Jacobs mounted his MRC/Tamlya
ultimate aim is to help you to create a 1/35-scale Jeep and trailer on a wood base.

1 INTRODUCTION 3
 I
I
e
■i
V
I

MPC 1/20-scale McLaren by Steve Smith. Minicraft 1/750-scale Santa Maria by Lester Wilkins.

scale miniature replica that meets this

twofold goal.
Look as closely as you wish at the
photographs of the completed models in
this chapter; observe that there are no
visible seams between the parts. You
also won’t be able to see that slightly
transparent look common to even the
darkest-colored plastic. Many of the
modelers who built these masterpieces
went a step or two further to simulate
metal or wood or cloth when they
applied the final finish. Some added and
accented details that are only hinted at
in the basic parts. These extras are nice
and they do add realism, but they cer
tainly are not essential. You should
build three or four models following the
basic assembly, seam-filling, painting,
and decaling tips suggested in the next
few chapters before you attempt the
AMT 1/25-scale T500 Peterbuilt 359 California Hauler. Note chrome-plated engine. super-detail additions.
There’s a true thrill of creation in
holding and admiring a model that
seems to have been carved from a single
piece of material. When even a closer
examination fails to show any sign that
the material is plastic the mind natu
rally seems to wonder if perhaps the
model really is a metal automobile or
airplane or a wooden ship. The model
builder has performed true magic—call
it sleight of hand if you wish — on those
varied shapes of plastic. It is magic that
you can apply to your own models. None
of the models that appear in these pho
tographs were assembled by profes
sional modelers; they are all the work of
hobbyists just like yourself.
Choosing a scale
Completed models are exact reduc
tions of the prototype (the word model
ers use to refer to the real-life subject) to
a specific scale. The kit box or instruc
Bachmann/Fujirni 1/76-scale King Tiger; Tamiya 1/35-scale Tiger 1; Bandai 1/25-scale
Panther. Note how the detail increases markedly as the scales enlarge.
tion sheets will usually give you the
scale, either expressed as a fraction,

4
1 INTRODUCTION
Mlnlcraft/Hasegawa 1/32-scale Fw 190A5 by Jerry Crandell.

Entex 1/18-scale MG TC with detailed engine and working hood.

Life-Like/Pyro Merrimack by Jim Kennedy.

Bachmann/Fujimi 1/48-scale F-4 fighter by Mike Shelhart. Revell U.S. Army M-4 Sherman tank with movable turret.

Revell 1/25-scale Chevy Lowrider Street 'N Show Cruiser.

1 INTRODUCTION 5

M P C modified stock car: 1/25-scale 1934 Ford by Greg Luser.
such as 1/48, or as a ratio, like 1:48.
These figures tell you that the model is
one forty-eighth the size of the pro
totype; in other words, the prototype is
48 times larger than the completed
model. Thus, each inch on the model
equals 48 inches on the prototype. A few
kit manufacturers refer to the fraction
of an inch on their models that is equal
to a full-size foot of the prototype; thus a
1/48-scale model is called a l /4-inch scale
model by these firms. Adherence to one
scale is not important if you only have
one model. But if you plan on extending
i military, or nautical history has been
Revell 13-inch-long Mayflower complete with crew figures, rigging blocks, and longboat.
6 1 INTRODUCTION
your personal transportation museum
to include a dozen or so pieces, you may
want the models to be in proportion to
one another. A P-40 Warhawk in 1/48
scale is about the same size as a 1/72-
scale P-38 Lightning, so you would not
display them together.
The most popular aircraft scale is
1/72; more model kits are available in
this one scale than in all the others
combined. The most common scale for
automobile models is 1/25. There is no
single most popular scale, however, for
armored fighting vehicles, ships, and
I The plastic-model hobby shop will
motorcycles. Generally speaking, the
larger the scale, the larger the model
will be. A 1/72-scale model will be twice
as long and twice as wide as a 1/144-
scale model of the same prototype.
Manufacturers usually take advan
tage of the larger scale sizes to include
more detail in the basic kit. A number of
1/32-scale airplane, car, and armor kits
have removable cowls and side panels,
and cockpits that reveal completely de
tailed engines, machine guns, and
cockpit interiors. Once you have built a
half-dozen detailed kits, you will be able
to add these interior details to the
smaller scale models yourself with
carved bits of plastic, metal, or wire if
this kind of super detail appeals to you.
Larger-scale automobiles, tanks, and
ships have more details included in
stock kits than the smaller scale kits,
too.
Visit your local hobby shop
A great industry has developed to
provide the model-building hobbyist
with kits, tools, adhesives, paints, and
reference magazines and books. Every
major city has at least one hobby shop
that specializes in stocking plastic kits
and the supplies to build them. You will
find that a visit to one of these shops will
be especially rewarding because you
may be able to see built-up models with
as much if not more detail as those
shown in the photographs in this book.
If you don’t know the addresses of your
nearest hobby shops, check the yellow
pages in the telephone book.
You will see that there is an almost
endless variety of plastic model kits.
For example, there now are kits repre
senting just about every aircraft that
saw combat in World War II, and many
are offered in a choice of scale sizes.
Indeed, no era of aircraft, automotive,
overlooked by the model factories.
Reference information on prototype
modifications, coloring, markings, and
operation are found in numerous books
and magazines. Authors have delved
into libraries and museums around the
world to locate photographs and speci
fications on the real-life subjects that
have stirred the interest of modelers.
supply you with an endless array of
paints and tools and additional decals
for your models. A modest expenditure
for tools and paints will enable you to
build models of museum quality. If you
are not able to visit a hobby shop, you
can still buy all the paints and tools that
you will need to duplicate the models
pictured in this book at a dime store, a
hardware store, and a stationery store.
The few items that these general-
purpose shops may not have can be or
dered by mail from most hobby shops in
larger cities. Periodicals on the hobby
often provide descriptions and sources
of such items.
A few simple tools are all you need to begin modeling.
2 Tools
THE hobby of building plastic kits
can bring a great amount of enjoyment
with only a small investment in mate
rials and supplies. You need only a few
tools to build museum-quality minia
tures. In addition to the basic tools,
there are a number of more specialized
tools that will enable you to do certain
jobs better and with more ease, but it
will not be necessary to consider them
until you have built many models and
have a good understanding of what
other aids are needed.
A hobby knife is the most important
tool for building plastic kits. The knife
will be used for a variety of cutting and
trimming jobs. Knives are used to cut
parts from the molding rack or sprue
tree; to trim mold "flash”; to smooth
seams; to scrape paint from edges to be
cemented; to cut decals from the trans
fer sheets; and to help perform many
Work in a clean, well-lighted area with a table or workbench.
other tasks. When you purchase a
hobby knife, be sure to purchase a sup
ply of fresh blades at the same time.
Some modelers even buy two knives,
always keeping one with a sharp blade
for precision cutting, and allowing the
other’s blade to become relatively dull
for the more general cutting. This pro
cedure offers the advantage of always toured areas and clean or enlarge holes.
having a sharp blade available, and A file with varying degrees of applica
means you won’t be interrupted in your tion, according to the individual prefer
work by the need to change blades. Al ences of modelers, is the triangular file.
most all hobby shops carry hobby Buy a set with a "fine cut.” Also pur
knives, such as the X-acto and Dixon chase a file card, a small wire brush
lines. Usually a standard-size knife that will be indispensable in cleaning
with a straight-edge, diagonal-cut
blade (such as an X-acto No. 11) is
suited to working with plastics.
Jewelers’ files, also known as Swiss
files, pattern files, and needle files, are
also indispensable in plastic modeling.
They come in a variety of shapes. The
most widely used file probably is a flat
file—one with two flat sides. If a flat file
is not available, the half-round file (flat
on one side, rounded on the other) will
suffice. The round file (rattail file) is
used by modelers to file and shape con
2 TOOLS

plastic buildup from the file (a tooth
brush will do in a pinch). Most hobby
shops carry an assortment of files, al
though you may have to look in a hard
ware store for the file card.
Perhaps even more handy to use are
reverse-action forceps, which grip a
part firmly without hand pressure (be
ware that the pressure does not crush wood sticks are used to apply tube ce
small or fragile parts). Dixon, General, ments, place body putty, and stir paints.
and X-acto manufacture tweezers and Small dowel rods, with the ends cut at
forceps for the hobby field. Medical an angle, can be especially useful in
supply stores sell surgical instruments spreading putty in contoured areas.
that are of excellent quality but very
expensive. Therefore they would be of
more interest to advanced modelers.

A jewelers’ saw, which looks like a Masking tape is used to temporarily

small coping saw, is useful for cutting
larger parts with thick attaching points
from the sprue tree. However, saws are
used mainly to cut through plastic parts
when making modifications, such as
positioning airplane wing flaps in a
"down” position. Advanced modelers
employ saws to cut through plastic
parts when making conversions (using
parts from two or more kits to create a
model for which no kit is available). In-
A pin vise is a tool used to hand-drill
small holes, especially when perform
ing minor modifications, such as adding
rigging or antennae to your models.
They are available from hobby shops or
hardware stores. When starting out,
buy a small assortment of drills in the
No. 50 to No. 80 range.
hold parts that have been removed from
the sprue tree; to protect areas during
puttying and sanding; to hold parts to
gether while the cement is drying; and
to mask certain parts of the model when
painting. Two-sided tape is used to at
tach sandpaper to sanding blocks.

Emery boards are used for general

stead of a jewelers’ saw, which is some
what delicate but can make cuts in cor
ners, many modelers find a razor saw
more convenient, especially if only
straight cuts are anticipated.
Tweezers are used to hold small
parts during painting, fitting, and as
sembly. Manicuring tweezers are not
recommended; they are usually too
small and have sawtooth gripping sur
faces that can damage plastic parts.
sanding. The stiffness of the board as
sures a flat sanding surface for use over
small or large areas. Emery boards
normally are not found in hobby shops;
Needlenose pliers have several ap
plications, including the placing and purchase them in the cosmetics section
of a drugstore or dime store, where they
bending of wire.
Single-edge razor blades can per
are sold as women’s fingernail files.
Some modelers do not find emery boards
form specialized cutting tasks. How
ever, they can be extremely dangerous, to be essential— they progress directly
and many modelers prefer not to use from files to the various grades of sand
them at all. paper. However, emery boards are so
Before purchasing any of the tools inexpensive that it won’t cost you much
just mentioned, read through the gen to learn how they work for you.
eral construction chapters to make sure
that such tools are necessary for your
kit. In addition to these tools, you
will need a small assortment of other
supplies:
1
*?'*■ -TSir rr -

- 1 Wet-or-dry sandpaper is essential

for fine finishing. You will want to
A small (0 or 00) brush is used for the buy fine grades such as No. 300 ana
application of liquid cement. Other No. 400— and No. 600 for the final
brushes a n d painting supplies, includ finishing. If you cannot find these sand
ing eyedroppers, are described in the papers in a hobby shop, they should be
chapter on painting available in a hardware store . or
automotive-supply store. Flex-l-gtlf is a
stlcLa8 t rAH°
sticks,
Od t
° ° ! t h p sticks,
coffee-stirring
icks
’ or
cocktail
similar Mylar-backed sanding product that is
available in many hobby shops. Again.
8
2 TOOLS
experience will show which products
work best for you.
Fine steel wool is preferred to sand
paper by some modelers for certain
finishing steps, such as roughing
primer paint to accept finish coats (steel
wool will not erase rivet detail in most
cases).
An old toothbrush is helpful in wash
ing the plastic model.
Dishwater detergent is utilized in
washing the plastic.
Rubber bands hold parts together
while the cement is drying. Masking
tape and cellophane tape are also
widely used for this purpose.

Clothespins, in particular the

spring-clamping type, are employed to
hold flat parts together while the ce
ment is drying. You will want to shape
and file the clothespin so that it grips
without biting into the plastic parts.

Small C-clamps, available from hobby

shops and hardware stores, do an excel
lent job of holding parts together, al
though the clothespins usually work
just as well and are less expensive.
Stiff cardboard or hardboard should
be considered as a working surface to be
placed over the desktop or tabletop at
which you are building your model. The
board will provide a protective surface
for your knife work and cutting. You
may want to use two boards: one for
general cutting, fitting, and sanding;
another to be kept dust-free for assem
bly cementing. Also suitable as a cut
ting surface, especially for critical
work, is a sheet of Plexiglas.
A straightedge, or metal ruler, is
recommended as an aid in scribing
straight lines in plastic and in cutting
sharp, true edges in tape and masking
materials.
A typewriter eraser is helpful for re
moving chromed surface from chrome-
plated parts where they must come in
contact with other parts for cementing.
Consider buying these items once you have acquired advanced modeling skills: clock
wise, a PanaVlse; third-hand tweezers; a Dremel speed control to accompany a motor
tool; dental tools; and a Dremel Moto-Tool and attachments.
Other items and supplies, such as are very expensive. The serious modeler
those required for painting and mask should consider the excellent scribing,
ing, are described in later chapters. scraping, and smoothing surfaces of
fered by such dental instruments. Ask
Advanced aids
your dentist if you can purchase or have
There are many other aids available his used tools— they’ll still be plenty
to the modeler, but most of them can be sharp for working with plastics.
considered as luxuries which need not Motor tool —Can be used for a variety
be purchased until you have a definite of jobs: drilling, cutting, sanding, and
need for them. These items include: polishing. For building the average
Vise — Holds parts, allowing the plastic kit, a motor tool indeed is a lux
modeler free use of his hands. Usually ury. However, if you require a motor
the jaws must be covered with cloth or tool, such as the Dremel Moto-Tool, for
cardboard to protect the plastic from other hobby uses, you may be able to
becoming impressed. Stationary vises apply it— using a speed control— to
clamp to the work surface or are held plastic-kit building.
by air pressure (vacuum). Small hand
vises, such as the PanaVise made
specifically for modelers, can be set on
any flat work surface and are useful for
holding small parts or pieces of plastic
for shaping and filing.
Third-hand tweezers —Similar in
concept to a hand vise, the small base
sits on the worktable and has tweezers
that grip the part, permitting the mod
eler to work with both hands free.
Dental tools— Have high quality but

2 TOOLS
9

vk.. < > •
Assembly preparation is the key to a well-built model. Identify every part before you begin to model.
3 Assembly preparation
E X P E R I E N C E D modelbuilders
spend almost a quarter of their model
ing time on the preparation of the parts
and the basic assembly. These initial
stages in construction are extremely
important because they form the basis
for all the detail and finishing work that
O The very first step is to carefully read
■L j7
Lj
will be done later —they are, indeed, the
key to the model’s ultimate appearance!
Those tiny rows of rivets on an air
plane model’s fuselage can give the
scale miniature replica a realistic ap
pearance. However, the rivet detail will
be overlooked if a wisp of plastic shows
along the seam between the two fuse
lage halves, or if a long gap shows be
tween the fuselage halves. Certain de
fects can later be corrected the hard way
with putty and sanding, but the best
and easiest way to assure a perfect ap
pearance for your model is to see that
every part fits precisely with the next
one during assembly preparation.
the instruction sheet. Identify all the
parts while they are still on the sprue
tree, hereafter referred to as the sprue.
3 ASSEMBLY PREPARATION
fl ; " .
/ ‘ 7 '
■ ' •
Never remove the parts until you know
where they are supposed to fit in the
completed model. Many kits have small
numbers molded into the sprue beside
each part which correspond with num
bers on the instruction sheet to tell you
where the part should fit. If the part
is removed too soon, you’ve lost the
identifying number. Imagine yourself
actually building the model so you can
identify every piece. >
The plastic parts must be cut from the
sprue. If you attempt to break the parts
free with your fingers there is a great
chance you will leave at least a small
chunk of the part on the sprue. You may
leave behind the attaching peg or a
small chunk of a wing’s leading edge, or
even a piece of an automobile’s grille.
To remove the parts, use your hobby
 the sprue, or must be removed for
ease of painting, place them on a
piece of masking tape to avoid loss
and write the part numbers to aid later Never break plastic parts from the sprue.
assembly.
Cut them off with a hobby knife. Leave
small parts on the sprue until needed.

knife to cut into the sprue slightly be

hind where it joins the part. Once the
part is cut off, cut or file away the re
maining small piece of sprue. You may
wish to leave some of the smaller parts
on the sprues until they are smoothed
and painted — the sprue can serve as a
better holding tool than tweezers for
some parts (see box).
In some cases, the tabs that join the
larger parts to the sprues may be so
thick that you will break them if you
use too much force to cut through the
thick plastic. Or if you cut too far back
on the thick sprue, you will have done so
much cutting that you will soon dull the
knife. Don’t hesitate to use a jewelers’
saw or a razor saw to cut through these
thick attaching points.
If you discover parts already broken
off or separated from the sprue, attach
the smaller ones to a piece of masking
tape with penciled-on numbers for
identification.
Preparing the parts
Every part will require your atten sary, trim or scrape the pegs and tabs Inspect the edges closely for thin
tion as you prepare it for assembly. with your hobby knife —or clean and wisps of plastic or lumps that will pre
After you’ve cut or filed away any small enlarge the holes and slots — until the vent the two halves from fitting com
plastic chunks remaining from the parts fit snugly together. The halves of pletely flush. Use the flat jewelers’ file
sprue, test fit the parts to see that the a fuselage or boat hull, or the top and to smooth the mating surfaces for a
attaching pegs or tabs actually fit the bottom pieces of a wing, are examples of gap-free fit.
holes or slots of adjacent parts. If neces- critical-fit parts. Another technique for smoothing
mating surfaces is called "adzing” and it
involves the use of your hobby knife.
Merely place the knife blade straight up
and down on the surface (perpendicular
to the surface) and move the knife back
and forth in a scraping motion. The
blade will remove small wisps of plastic,

0
Use round and half-round jewelers’ flies to Clean and enlarge attaching holes and ad
smooth edges of holes, slots. jacent surfaces with a hobby knife.

3 ASSEMBLY PREPARATION
 PAINTING BEFORE ASSEMBLY
ONLY a few minutes after the mod
eler opens the hobby-kit box he will
b e faced with hisfirst majordecision.
When should the parts be painted?
The instructions given with most kits
d o not provide much help, because
they usually give directions for build
i n g the complete kit before painting.
The instructions may mention that
c e r t a i n parts should b e painted
beforehand, but too often the pro
cedure is not clearly given.
Many small parts should be painted
at the outset, before they are placed
i n the interior of the model during
assembly and become all but impos
sible t o paint. Furthermore, some
parts can most easily be painted
while they are still attached to the
sprue. However, there is a disadvan
tage to painting the parts while they
still are o n the sprue: The small area
where the part was connected to the
sprue will need painting afterthe part
has been removed. Thus this area
will have to be touched up, although
it can be painted when a second
coat —often desirable— is given to
the entire part. To give the part a
second coat— or a first coat for
that matter— when small parts are
painted detached from the sprue, use
masking tape and tweezers to hold
the part.
As you begin work on each new kit,
follow a definite procedure for paint
ing before assembly. An example of
O ing areas that are to be cemented must
12
such a procedure is provided below.
1. Open the box and read through
the instruction sheet once.
2. Read the instructions again and
circle on the sheet or write down all
of the parts that should be painted
before the model is assembled.
3. Locate those parts on the sprues
and determine if it would be easier to
paint them on or off the sprues.
4. If the parts are more easily
painted off the sprue, remove the
parts and place them on masking
tape.
5. File and smooth the small parts
(this will require extra skill for parts
on the sprue that require consider
able preparation).
6. Paint the parts. Allow each color
to dry before applying a different
color. See Chapter 6 on painting, in
particular page 28.
7. Begin assembly preparation and
test-fitting of major parts.
8. Test fit the small parts as they
become involved i n the assembly
process. Remove parts remaining on
the sprue as they are needed for test
fitting. Allow time for any touch-up
painting, especially of parts removed
from the sprue.
9. Cement the small parts in place
as called for by the instructions.
10. Follow the procedures d e
scribed in the following chapters on
cementing, assembly finishing, and
painting of the entire model.
permitting you to scrape away any
seams or flash at first, followed by a
general smoothing of the entire surface.
The adzing technique will also be used
later to eliminate high spots at seams
on the assembled model.
If parts are chrome-plated, the mat
be cleaned of metal plating for proper
bonding of parts. The chrome can be
rubbed away with a hard-rubber type
3 ASSEMBLY PREPARATION
Trlm the mold marks and flash that may
occur along window openings.
writer eraser, or you can scrape it with a
hobby knife. Be careful not to reduce the
size of the attaching peg or tab; with
some care you will be able to rub or
scrape away just the thin layer of
chrome.
Plastic sprues and the model parts
they contain are created when two
halves of a mold are brought together
and molten plastic is injected into the
mold. The plastic cools in only a few
seconds. The two halves of the mold are
separated, and the sprue is removed.
Every part of even the most expensive
kits will have a tiny seam along the
plane where the two halves of the mold
came together during the molding proc
ess. Some seams will have tissue-thin
wisps of plastic called "flash” while
others may show no more than a faint
line. Discovering which of the lines are
part of the molded-in detail and which
ones are mold-separation lines is yet
another reason for test-fitting and for
familiarizing yourself with the pieces.
Sometimes the mold will be designed so
that the line will not appear on the flat
or curved surface of a part, but will
occur along the natural edge of a part,
such as the edges and tips of a wing.
Therefore, you should visually trace the
mold-separation lines while the parts
are still attached to the sprue.
Most separation lines and flash can be
trimmed flush by filing or by adzing
with a hobby knife. While trimming the
mold line and flash do not accidentally
remove any of the molded-in details
that appeared on the full-size vehicle.
Cutting the parts and trimming them
smooth, and then test-fitting, can be an
exacting phase of kit assembly, but the
time will be well spent. You may even
discover that certain parts should be as
sembled in a sequence different from
the one given in the instruction
sheet —instruction sheets have been
known to carry mistakes.
 Use the flat edge of a file to smooth any high spots on the mating surface of
two halves of a part (left). High spots and rough edges can also be
smoothed by placing the hobby knife on edge and scraping back and forth
(adzing) along the mating surface (right).

K. .

•■A

Metal plating must be removed from the

mating areas of chromed parts before ce
ment Is applied. Scrape the chrome away
with the tip of a hobby knife, right, or
“erase” It with a typewriter eraser, left.

Test fit major parts to be sure they’ll fit

snugly. Give special attention to critical-
fit parts such as wing halves.

3 ASSEMBLY PREPARATION 13
One of the rewarding features of plastic modeling Is learning where and how to use the various cements and adhesives.
ft Cements and bonding
ONE of the most critical steps in as
sembling any plastic miniature replica
is the one that would seem to be the
easiest: gluing the parts together. Many
"first” models are characterized by the
sight of excess cement oozing out of
the seams and several everlasting
fingerprints-in-glue decorating the
finely detailed panels. Few beginning
modelers realize just how little cement
is needed to hold plastic pieces together.
Fortunately, many of the conditions
that result in the application of too
14
much cement have already been elimi
nated if you have followed the fitting
and trimming techniques outlined in
the previous chapter.
Notice that we have been using the
term cement instead of glue. Cement,
not glue, is used for bonding the parts of
plastic models. Plastic cements are sol
vents that literally melt the plastic.
When the solvent evaporates it leaves
the dissolved faces of the plastic joint
fused together.
There are two types of plastic cement:
a thick type that comes in a tube and a
clear liquid that is sold in bottles. The
solvents in the liquid cement evaporate
sooner than do those in the tube cement.
There are several brands of each type on
the market.
Which type should you use? Buy both
types, so that you can learn for yourself
which type works best for you. There
are no clear-cut preferences of one type
over the other even among experienced
modelers. One group will advocate tube
cement while another group of modelers
4 CEMENTS AND BONDING
will swear by liquid cement. Others will
use both types according to the model
ing situation.
Begin by using the tube cement on
the larger parts, such as fuselage
halves, wing halves, and hull halves. It
is usually sufficient to apply the cement
to the edge of just one of the halves,
although for a maximum bond some
modelers place cement on both edges to
be joined. Because tube cement evapo
rates slowly, you have time to finish
spreading it along all the edges before
the cement dries.
Tube cement must be applied with
care. It is easy to squeeze too much ce
ment from the tube at one time; it is also
possible to not squeeze enough. When
you stop squeezing the tube to move the
nozzle from one edge to another, there is
a tendency for long thin "strings”
of cement to flow from the tube, and
these can deface the surface of any plas
tic part they touch, making removal
and repair a difficult, time-consuming
process.
 •>

Use styrene solvents to join major parts, other adhesives for

fastening details and adding nonplastic parts.

Carefully run a thin bead of tube ce

ment along the inside edge of the mating
surface.

When the mating surfaces are joined, the

cement should fill the entire seam be
tween the two parts. Some modelers pre
fer to apply enough cement so that a thin
bead appears above the seam, thus insur
ing complete filling of the seam. After dry
ing. the bead is removed by making a long
scrape with a hobby knife.

Left— For structural parts such as landing gear, apply beads of

tube cement (or cyanoacrylates) with a toothpick.

Tube cement has more structural strength than liquid cement, but overuse can cause
glue sinks to develop months and years after application. Too much tube cement was
applied to the fuselage of the DC-10, left, and the wing of the F-4 Phantom, right.
min
Because it takes a great deal of care bead of cement properly applied directly
and skill to apply cement directly to the from the tube will assure that the seams
part from the tube, some experts advise likewise are uniformly "welded,” The
the use of a toothpick, cocktail stick, or illustration shows where along the edge
similar item as an applicator. This no of the part the tube cement should be
doubt is the safest approach and should applied.
be considered for your first attempts at Besides using tube cement to join
building models. However, a uniform major parts, you should consider using

4 CEMENTS AND BONDING

U s e rubber bands to hold major parts, such a s fuselage halves, in Apply liquid cement to e a c h half of the stabilizer, or hold the
place while the cement—tube or liquid— dries. halves together and cement the s e a m with the tip of a brush.

Clothespins (or C-clamps) can be used to hold together flat parts, Wherever possible apply liquid cement to the Inside seams of a
such as stabilizer halves, while the cement is drying. model, using a small (No. 0 or 00) brush with a pointed tip.

it on smaller parts that do not fit quite assembled several years ago. Note the should be held firmly in place until they
as snugly as they should. The tube ce glue sinks on these parts — the result of dry. Rubber bands, masking tape,
ment will cover more area and bridge too much cement. spring-clip clothespins, and C-clamps
the gap between parts better than will After two parts have been joined fol are commonly used for this purpose.
liquid cement. There’s a word of caution lowing application of tube cement they Either rubber bands or tape —depend-
here. Do not use tube cements as a sub
stitute for putties when filling gaps. Al
though the cement may seem to fill a
gap, sooner or later it will evaporate Capillary action will not only cause liquid ce
ment t o flow along a seam, but at the same time
and re-expose the gap, or worse yet, it to flow between the flat surfaces being joined.
may cause glue sinks. The practice of
using tube cements on looser-fitting Seams should b e cemented at
parts, in fact, is more appropriate for several places t o insure a
interior parts that generally are not proper bond.
seen without close inspection.
Overuse of cement, a common mis
take when working with tube cements,
can result in glue sinks that will ruin a
model years later. Photos in this chap
ter show the wing of an F-4 Phantom
and the fuselage of a DC-10 that were

min

16 4 CEMENTS AND BONDING

 ing on your personal preference —
should be used over large shell-type
parts (a disadvantage of using masking
CEMENTING CLEAR PLASTIC tape is that some sticky residue may
remain on the model after the tape has
been removed); the clothespins and
clamps are used over narrow parts, such
as wing halves.
Although rubber bands are fast and
easy to apply, be careful so that they do
not snag on a protruding part and break
it off. Also do not allow the band —or
tape, for that matter — to come into con
tact with any excess cement oozing from
o a seam. If you’ve done a poor cementing
job in a certain area, it might be best to
wipe off the excess cement before using
the tape or rubber band. The preferred
method for dealing with a smaller
amount of excess cement is to allow it to
dry before removal.
When using clamps, make sure the
clamp does not leave an indentation in
the plastic. You may want to cover the
surface with a small piece of corrugated
cardboard or similar protective cover
ing. Allow parts joined with tube ce
ment to dry overnight.
A popular adhesive for attaching clear plastic is white Tube cement also is recommended for
glue, such as Elmer's Glue, which dries clear and use on structural parts, such as model
binds the clear plastic to painted surfaces of a model. aircraft landing gear and model car
suspension, wheels, and axles. If only a
few dabs are required, use an applicator
stick. Both tube and liquid cements will
soften the plastic, so wait several days
before subjecting these parts to the full
weight of the model. (In many cases 5
Minute Epoxy is preferable to both tube
and liquid cements for structural parts
such as landing gear, because the plas
tic will not be softened.)
Liquid cement is popular because it
has quick-drying properties. It is fast
and accurate to use, although the join
ing surfaces— especially those of large
parts — must mate exactly for proper re
sults.
Begin using your liquid cement for
Liquid cement Is preferred to tube cement for attaching clear plastic the joining of smaller parts. One proce
parts. You must prefit the parts closely and use the cement sparingly. dure is to apply the liquid to the mating
Here the cement is applied by touching the brush to a rear window on
the Interior aide of the autobody shell. edge of each piece and then quickly join
them together.
A more common method of applying
CLEAR plastic parts such as canopies liquid cement to parts both small and
and windshields must be attached
large is through "capillary” action. The
with great care. Plastic tube cements
parts are held firmly together, usually
evaporate slowly, and the fumes can
frost the inside of a canopy. The just with the fingers, and the liquid ce
photo at the right shows how tube ment is merely touched to the seam
cement frosted the clear plastic of a with a small brush. Do not use the thick
helicopter model while drying. Liquid applicator brush that comes with some
cement runs easily and sometimes
crazes clear areas.
Many modelers use white glue i n
stead of plastic cement t o attach
clear plastic. Bezel cement, used by
jewelers for cementing watch crys min
tals, can also be used. If you only
want to attach a canopy temporarily
—so that it can be removed later for
inspection or interior modification
—place a few pin-size beads of rub
ber cement on the mating edge.

4 CEMENTS AND BONDING 17

Cyanoacrylate cements are Ideal tor attaching cables and con
trol lines to motorcycle models. Apply with care and caution.
5 M i n u t e Epoxy sets quickly and has great while the liquid dries. Such a procedure
structural strength. Use it to attach deli
cate wires a n d hoses to engines.
brands of liquid cement. The cement
will flow (just like the capillary action of
water nourishing a tree leaf) along the
seam for a short distance, dissolving the
plastic and joining the two pieces as one.
The small brush —size 0 or 00 or so
—should have a pointed tip. The cement
must be applied along as narrow a line
as possible. If the brush overlaps onto ever, you may want to use tape, rubber
the plastic from the seam line, the sur
face of the plastic will become rough,
and the blemish may eventually show
up through paint.
It should not be necessary to brush
the cement along the entire seam. By hold parts together in such a manner
applying the brush at several key points
along the seam and facing the model up
or down, and flexing the seam slightly if through your fingers.
necessary, the cement will flow into
place along the seam. If any gaps re
18
Cyanoacrylate adhesives are also a boon for rigging ships. Just a
drop of adhesive will secure the joints fast.
main afterward, you can touch them up
by adding more liquid cement to the
seam.
One rule to follow is to apply the liq
uid cement to the inside of the seam in
as many places as you can reach with
your brush. This will reduce the
chances of visible damage if careless
brush placement results in liquid
overflow onto the plastic surface.
If there is a poorly aligned seam
—even after your preparation
steps —you can sometimes flex the seam
into perfect alignment and hold it there
takes advantage of the quick-drying
properties of liquid cement.
Two flat halves of a part can be
cemented by applying the brush at sev
eral key points and allowing the liquid
to flow under and along the edges to be
joined.
An advantage of liquid cement is that
parts can be held together with the
fingers for the few moments that the
cement takes to dry. Until you become
experienced with liquid cement, how
bands, and clothespins to hold the parts
firmly in place for a few hours —or even
overnight— to make sure that equal
pressure is applied while all the solvent
evaporates. In fact, you may want to
before the cement is applied, as an assist
to the pressure you will be exerting
Liquid cement can be as messy as
tube cement if care is not exercised in its
use. Through capillary action the ce
ment may flow where you don’t want it
to. Also, when applying cement to a top
seam, be sure your fingers are not
touching the bottom seams that you just
finished cementing. The cement can run
onto your fingers and then onto the
plastic.
Before doing any cementing, review
the instruction sheet for any series of
steps that must be completed in one op
eration. You might even circle or un
4 CEMENTS AND BONDING
derscore these with a pen. Otherwise,
you may cement two parts and then dis
cover that an interior part that is in
cluded in the step is still on the sprue.
Other adhesives
There is no reason to limit your ce
ments to only plastic styrene types. The
solvent-type cements certainly are best
for joining the major parts but certain
other adhesives will do a better job of
fastening details. Plastic cements are
only suitable for bonding two plastic
surfaces together. If paint has been
spread on an edge or surface that will
receive cement, the paint must be
scraped away before the parts can be
joined.
Adhesives which can be used for fas
tening painted plastic surfaces or for
adding nonplastic details include white
glue, rubber cement, epoxy, quick
setting epoxy, and the newer cyano
acrylate cements. Of these, only rubber
cement will have any marked effect on
plastic or most paints. The alternative
glues, then, are just what you need for
adding on details after the model has
been painted. Epoxy and rubber cement
are thick enough to also fill minor gaps
between parts that don’t fit precisely.
The cyanoacrylate cements (East
man’s 910 was the first and most expen
sive; now there are dozens of brands in
cluding Aron Alpha) r e q u i r e a
tight-fitting joint because they rely on
the absence of air to set. They set almost
instantly (A cyanoacrylate cement will
glue your fingers together if it comes in
contact with them), so they are ideal for
attaching cables and control lines to
motorcycles and automobile engines or
for adding rigging and antennae to
ships, armor, and aircraft.
Another cement to be considered,
especially for bonding clear plastic
parts, is a bezel cement used by jewelers
for cementing watch crystals. It comes
in a tube equipped with a hypodermic
tube applicator and it dries clear. Most
jewelers sell bezel cement upon request.

’if
Assembly finishing may only mean polishing an autobody, but it usually involves many steps—from adzing
Smooth ridges by scraping them away with
the e d g e of your hobby-knife blade.
5 ASSEMBLY FINISHING AND PRIMING
88I
.. . >
Wright's
uiauiD
SILVER
CREAM
HVIR CliAM*
■
ridges to filling seams.
WITH the major parts assembled and Where ridges appear at a join line or
carefully cemented, the modelbuilder seam, place your knife blade on edge
approaches another important step in and adze (scrape away) until the plastic
the process of transforming a box full of is smooth. Use an emery board and fine
plastic pieces into a realistic miniature sandpaper to finish the job. Where ex
of the prototype. cess cement appears, cut or scrape it
This key step is the application of away, then sand smooth. Inspect the
putty to critical seams and poor-fitting seam again to see if it is smooth.
parts to create a model with a true
"one-piece” appearance. A beneficial
but often-neglected phase of the step is
the application of primer paint.
To begin, however, carefully inspect
the cemented model. Note how closely
two cemented edges match. Is one
slightly higher than the other, creating
a ridge? (Face a source of strong light
and slowly rotate the model in your
hands; any ridges will cast small
shadows along the seam.) Do beads of
excess cement appear above any of the
seams?
19
Sandpapers, putties, and polishing liquids all play a role in trans
forming plastic parts Into a "one-piece” replica.
FILLING THIN JOIN LINES
UNWANTED seams or gaps between
two parts are often so fine that a very
t h i n bead of putty would be sufficient
to fill them. Yet putty thickens fast
and tends t o cover an area much i n
excess of the thin seam line, creating
a difficult and time-consuming job of
filing and sanding. Modelers have
discovered a variety of methods and
substances that enable them t o
cleanly fill such fine but unwanted
seams — and with less chance of
damaging adjacent detail.
Although body putty itself is thick,
most brands can be thinned with liq
uid cement. Experiment to make
sure that the liquid cement and body
putty you use produce a consistent
mix of " t h i n putty." Another excel
lent thinning agent, found i n many
households, is denatured or rubbing
alcohol. If you use liquid cement,
make sure your mixture is still more
putty than cement, or your model
may show the result of cement evap
oration months and years later. Once
you have made a satisfactory mix,
keep a batch in a small bottle. Fill
small seams by brushing the mix into
the gap o r place it with a dowel.
Illllllllll
20 5 ASSEMBLY FINISHING AND PRIMING
To correct gaps between parts, spread a layer of putty 1/16-
to 1/8-inch thick over seams and against right-angle Join lines.
*
A comparatively new hobby prod
uct for filling plastic join lines is
Micro's Quick-Silver Putty, which
comes out of its tube as a liquid but
sets quickly. Aside from model and
body putties, a window glazing com
pound, sold in hardware stores, can
be effective i n filling the small seams.
For extremely small and shallow gaps
a latex-base flat wall paint can serve
as a filler. Allow the paint to dry and
sand it with No. 400 or No. 600 wet-
or-dry sandpaper, used wet.
A dowel rod sharpened to a point helps
spread putty along right-angle join lines.
shadow still appears when the model is factory, of course, it is much easier to do
held against a light source, you must only the scraping.
consider building up the ridge with Do small gaps still appear between
putty so that both pieces match. With seams even if both pieces are aligned
experience, you will learn when to correctly? You may be able to work the
scrape down and when to build up, and seam closed by applying a small amount
when to use both methods on the same of liquid cement. If not, this will be
seam. Also take into consideration how another area where body putty will be
adjacent parts will fit —you might need needed.
to add putty to maintain the contour of Many join lines that appear perfectly
the next part. Where the result is satis smooth on the cemented model will
Walt at least 30 minutes for the putty to dry, then check for
shrinkage (you may want to apply another layer). File the putty
show up under a thin coat of paint.
Afterall, the coat of paint that allows
molded-in detail such as rivets and
panels to show up will also reveal
s e a m s —sometimes even those that
have been carefully smoothed, fitted,
and cemented.
In addition to the close-fitting pieces
found in plastic kits, it is not unusual to
find one or two parts that were en
gineered with a poor fit. Such poor
fitting areas obviously will require
putty and sanding.
There are several brands of model
putty or filler on the market. Experi
enced modelers have learned that many
of them leave something to be desired.
The putty commonly found in a hobby
shop that we recommend is Squadron
Green Putty. Other putties that work
well on plastic models are the putties
used in automobile bodywork and sold
in automotive-supply stores. Automo
tive body putties work as well if not
better than others and should be con
sidered on the grounds of economy if you
plan to do much modeling — they are
available in large tubes at a relatively
low cost. Some putties are slightly
thicker and set up (begin to harden)
faster than others; we recommend the
thinner putties because they can be
applied in narrow areas and allow you
t i m e to complete t h e application
before they harden. Often these thin-
consistency putties are available in au
5 ASSEMBLY FINISHING AND PRIMING
until It follows the contours of the model; switch to No. 300 or 400
wet-or-dry sandpaper used wet, followed by No. 600.
tomotive paint stores as a glazing and
spot putty, intended for final touch-up
in auto bodywork.
Before making your first application
of putty over seams or areas that re
ceived cement, wait 24 to 48 hours to
allow time for the solvent in the cement
to evaporate and the parts to "weld”
together.
Read the fine print on the tube: Many
putties should be used with proper ven
tilation and be kept away from poten
tially flammable conditions.
Putty is an invaluable aid to the
modelbuilder, but it requires great care
in application. Because it dries in a
matter of seconds, the modeler has to
spread it quickly and accurately, or else
it tends to build up, creating that much
more volume to be filed and sanded. To
apply putty, use a small wood stick as a
spatula. To work the putty into con
toured areas, take a small-diameter
(Vs-inch) dowel rod and cut off the tip at
an angle to form a n oblique, oval
spreading surface. After the tip builds
up with dried putty, merely cut the tip
back a fraction of an inch and you will
have a fresh applicating surface. To
spread putty into right-angle seams,
sharpen the rod to a point in a pencil
sharpener. A used X-acto blade can also
be used for spreading putty in tight
seams.
Putty shrinks as it dries. Where a
deep or a large area is to be covered with
putty, the putty should be built up in
layers, allowing for shrinkage and dry
ing between each layer. As a rule, a
layer should be between .40 and .80 mil
limeters thick. Where putty is being
used to fill a very large area, or where
an additional part is being formed that
was n o t designed into the kit, you
should first add small blocks or chunks
of scrap plastic and build the putty
around them (this procedure is com
monly used by advanced modelers mak
ing conversions).
The use of putty also will vary accord
ing to the type of model you are build
ing. For example, you might wish to
spread the putty liberally over the
fuselage seam of a large jet-airplane
model t h a t h a s a perfectly s m o o t h
finish. A World War II fighter model,
however, may have molded-in rivet de
tail next to a seam that needs filling.
Putty should be applied to this seam
iiiiiiiiiii
21

Build putty up In layers when reshaping
areas. Wrap sandpaper around a brush
handle, below, to sand concave contours.
carefully, with as little overlap on the
rivet detail as possible. With careful
putty application, you need not place
masking tape over the rivet detail. You
may, however, wish to mask some of the
detail during sanding, for protection in
case the sandpaper overlaps onto the
detail area.
There invariably may be some trade
off between the need to fill a seam and
the need to retain such detail as rivets
and panel lines. Since rivets and panels
in many instances are out of scale (most
World War II aircraft had rivets that
were nearly flush and would not appear
at all on a 1/72 aircraft), the visual effect
given by such detail is what the man
ufacturer is striving for, and this effect
is retained even if some rivets or panel
lines are sanded away during body
finishing. You can restore the panel
lines with your hobby knife (or a scrib
ing tool) and a straightedge.
How long you wait after application
before sanding the putty depends on the
lllllllllll
22
SPECIAL AIDS FOR SANDING
Shape a block of wood to back a sheet of loose sandpaper
Sandpaper
Contoured edge Flat edge
Sandpaper cut to
Sandpaper
Wood block
Two-sided tape
Two-sided tape Dowel for contours
Make permanent sanding blocks
IN addition to the simple block of
wood and paintbrush handle de
scribed in the text, more elaborate
objects for backing up sandpaper are
pictured here. X-ACTO
A small block of wood can be CONTOURED
shaped so that one end can be used SANDERSEI
over flat surfaces, the other against
contours. Or, you may want to pre
pare special sanding blocks and
dowels with sandpaper permanently
attached with two-sided tape. Finally,
you can invest i n commercial prod
ucts, such as the metal sanding
blocks found i n the X-acto Contoured
Sander Set.
5 ASSEMBLY FINISHING AND PRIMING
Use No. 600 wet-or-dry sandpaper wet for the final sanding of
plastic surfaces, especially those that have been puttied.
thickness of the coat. For very thin
coats, you need not wait more than 30
minutes. Thicker coats may require
several hours drying time, and if you’ve
done an extensive job of applying putty,
you might allow it to dry overnight to be
on the safe side. Look on the tube for
instructions concerning drying times.
Use your jewelers’ files to file thick
layers of putty. Be careful so that the
files do not gouge adjacent areas of plas
tic. When the putty is filed down far
enough to follow the contours of the
model, switch to an emery board or a
medium-grade (No. 300 and No. 400) of
wet-or-dry sandpaper (or Flex-i-grit).
On certain surfaces you may wish to
use just the sandpaper and the pressure
applied by your fingers. In most in
stances, however, you will want to back
the sandpaper with a block of wood to
assure that the abrasive surface moves
back and forth over the putty and plas
tic with an even pressure. You can grip
the paper around a small block of wood,
or you can create a more sophisticated
sanding block by cutting a piece of
sandpaper and attaching it with two-
sided tape to a block of wood. To sand
concave contours, grip the sandpaper
around the handle of a paintbrush, or
tape sandpaper around a dowel rod.
Final sanding should be done with
No. 600 (fine-grit) wet-or-dry sand
paper. Dip wet-or-dry sandpaper in
water every so often so that the surface
is lubricated. You will find that the
sandpaper takes a bigger "bite” out of
the putty when it is wet, and the sanded
material is promptly washed away.
If, after sanding the putty smooth,
small pockmarks or other imperfections
appear in the surface, fill in the marks
with small amounts of more putty. With
thin putties, you can even brush on the
dab needed. Allow to dry and resand.
If any very small scratches or marks
remain in the plastic (from filing, for
example), place some Brasso metal
polish on a rag and polish out the
5 ASSEMBLY FINISHING AND PRIMING
To clean model of finger oil and sanding residue, wash It with a
mild detergent and worn toothbrush In a pan or sink.
scratches. Another product that works
well is a silver polish, such as Wright’s
Silver Cream, which is useful when an
extra smooth surface is required (ex
ample: plastic which will be painted
with colors representing gunmetal).
Washing the model
Once assembly finishing is com
pleted, you should wash and clean your
model before applying primer or paint.
The model’s surface must be cleaned
thoroughly because paint will not stick
well to a greasy or oily surface. Your
fingertips leave grease every time you
handle the model. Worse, though, is the
mold-release agent that most manufac To smooth scratches or file marks, polish
turers use to make it easier for the your models (before washing) with Brasso.
production-line workers to remove the
sprues from the mold. and filling gaps before you begin paint
Wire hangers can be useful in making ing on the final colors. Therefore, the
a stand that will hold your model during use of primer is discussed i n t h i s
washing, priming, and painting. The chapter.
photographs illustrate two types of Up to this point we have described
stands that will hold most models. the step-by-step procedures that most
Make the holder and use it while you experienced modelers follow, although
wash the model in the sink with de they may have favorite variations. But
tergent and continue to use the holder there is little universal agreement on
during painting. the topic of priming. You have, in fact,
Wash the model with detergent and several basic options:
an old toothbrush in lukewarm water in 1. Do not prime your model at all.
a shallow pan or even right in the sink. Many modelers (and probably most
Allow the model to air dry or spray it modelers) do not apply any primer
lightly with compressed air if there is a coats; they simply apply the finish
source available from airbrush or shop paint directly to the bare plastic. The
use. Any cloth you use to dry the model results they achieve can be so excel
may leave lint and will create static lent that it is impossible to tell if the
electricity that will attract more dust or
lint. Your fingers should not touch the
model (or they should touch it as little
as possible) until the final clear coat of
paint has dried over the decals.
Priming
Primer application usually is a step
thought of only in conjunction with
painting your model. However, primer
should be considered as an aid in body
finishing because it allows you to see
iiiiiiiiiii
how well you did in smoothing seams
23
Before applying lacquer primers by brush
or spray can, brush on a coat of Barrier.
model has received a coat of primer.
2. Apply an undercoat of a neutral
color. This coat could also be called a
primer coat, except that we prefer to call
it an undercoat in order to distinguish it
from the use of actual primer paint. The
undercoat is composed of the same type
of paint that you intend to use as the
finish, except that it is of a neutral color,
such as gray or white. The purpose of
the undercoat is to provide a neutral
base for the finish colors that are ap
plied over it. For example, a yellow
finish coat will display better color
when applied over an undercoat of
white than when applied over bare plas
tic. Equally important, an undercoat
will reveal how well areas have
been filled and sanded by giving a pre
view of what the finish will look like
when painted. A paint that dries to
a flat finish is recommended as an
undercoat.
3 . Paint on a primer coat with a
p r i m e r p a i n t . Primer paint— like
undercoat paint — provides a neutral
base coat to better show off final coats
and to reveal flaws in sanding and put
tying. In addition, true primer paint
will seal the plastic and any putty to
provide the best surface for the final
paint. It binds to the plastic and in turn
gives the finish paint a surface it can
"grip” onto. Even modelers who simply
paint the final coats on bare plastic will
sometimes apply primer just to those
areas that have been sanded or puttied
— to seal the surface and preview
the quality of their work. If masking
24 5 ASSEMBLY FINISHING AND PRIMING
Coat hangers can be bent to almost any shape to hold models during washing, priming,
and painting. The hangers shown above are especially useful for spray-can painting.
is to be done, primer will help pre
vent the paint from being pulled off
by the tape.
One reason why the use of primer
paint is not more widespread may be
that it is not readily available. Among
the hobby-paint manufacturers, only a
few (including Pactra and Floquil)
market what we consider to be true
primers. And many stores do not carry
the primers even if they carry the other
paints in the line. Store owners who do
not carry primers usually will advise
that primers are not necessary.
Whether or not you use primers will
ultimately be up to you and your own
experience. Our observation has been
that the use of primers becomes more
common with the more experienced and
dedicated modelers, and we recommend
that you see what results you can
achieve using primers.
Undercoat and primer paints are
available in both bottles (for appli
cation by both paintbrushes and minia
ture spray guns called airbrushes) and
aerosol cans (for application by spray
can). If hobby primers are unavailable,
you can use an automotive primer, such
as the Duco primer.
Certain automotive primers are lac
quers that will eat away at, or etch, bare
plastic. The hobby primer made by Flo
quil is similar to a lacquer in that it will
craze bare plastic. This is not a problem
when these primers are applied with an
airbrush, which delivers a fine spray
that is almost dry by the time it reaches
the plastic. If, however, you are apply
ing Floquil or lacquer-based automo
tive primers with a brush or spray can,
you must protect the plastic by first
brushing or airbrushing the surface
with a coat of Floquil’s Barrier, a clear
liquid that protects the plastic from the
etching action of lacquers. You can
apply enamel paints over lacquers, but
there is a chance that lacquers applied
over enamels will craze the enamels.
The procedure for applying t h e
primer will vary according to the means
of application. If you are using a spray
can of lacquer primer first brush on a
coat of Floquil Barrier. The drying
time of Barrier varies according to
humidity and other factors. To be on
the safe side, wait at least several
hours and preferably overnight.
Next, spray your model with the
primer according to the directions given
for spray-can painting on pages 31-32.
If you are working with an airbrush,
you should be able to apply lacquer as
well as enamel primer without first ap
plying the coat of Barrier. There are a
few modelers, especially in model rail
roading, who nevertheless airbrush on
a coat of Barrier before they airbrush
with lacquers. On the other hand, there
are modelers who consider preliminary
coatings such as Barrier an undesirable
buildup of material that only serves to
cover detail and distort the scale thick
ness of the paint application. As with so
many procedures in plastic modeling,
you will have to determine which prod
ucts and techniques work best for you.
If you are using an airbrush, follow
the instructions given on pages 32-35.
After allowing the primer to dry
overnight, carefully inspect the body
work on the model. In certain places the
primer might have covered a small flaw.
In other places, the primer may reveal
that a seam will still be visible on the
painted model. If more work is needed,
begin sanding and puttying or taking
whatever corrective action is needed.
When the corrective work is finished,
apply primer to the area again.
Go over the entire model very lightly
with No. 600 dry sandpaper, or better, a
very fine grade of steel wool, to remove
excess primer and roughen the texture.
The steel wool will roughen the primer
without sanding down any detail. Some
modelers even like to put on two or
three coats of primer, sanding most of
the primer down after each coat, until
the plastic is exceptionally smooth.
After sanding, brush away the residue.
Wash the model if needed to further
clean the residue away. Now your
model is ready for final painting!

Spray-can painting is lust one of several methods you can use to paint your models.
6 Painting
THE time has come to paint your
model! This is the moment for which
you have been waiting. Paint it well,
and your simple model will be trans
formed into a realistic miniature of
the real-life object.
Before you rush out and buy paints,
you should have some understanding of
what kind of paints are available in
hobby shops, and how these paints work
on plastic surfaces. You may even be
asking yourself the question, "Is paint
ing really necessary? After all, many
models are molded in plastic with one or
more colors that resemble the finished
colors of the prototype.”
Painting obviously will be necessary
if you have been following our prepara
tion steps and using putty and primer to
assure accurate seams and join lines.
Even aside from the need for paints
to cover sanded, puttied, and primed
models, paints (and primers) are rec
ommended to cover the translucent
appearance of bare plastic. A model
left with a bare plastic surface will
look like just that —a model with a
plastic surface.
We cannot use just any paints that we
may find in a paint store. As we learned
on page 24, there are many paints, such
as lacquers, that have ingredients that
will attack the styrene plastic used in
plastic kits. The surface of the plastic
will become rough and marred. (Note:
This effect may actually be desirable in
the case of certain models — to dupli
cate, for example, the weathered finish
of a tank or wooden planking of a sail
ing ship.) Fortunately, the makers of
paints for plastics have formulated
hundreds of colors in enamel and water-
reducible/water- base formulas that
will not harm even a n unprimed
plastic model. Surprisingly, the labels
on the paints often do not tell what
type of paint is inside the bottle or can
(they tell only the manufacturer and
the color); in the case of obscure brands
you will have to know from experi
ence or ask the merchant what kind
of paint it is.
In the U. S., the well-known manu
facturers of enamels for plastics are
Testors and Pactra. Floquil’s Polly S
is a water-reducible enamel for use on
plastics, wood, and metal. In Great
Britain, Humbrol manufactures a wide
selection of enamels available i n
tinlets and imported into many areas
of the U.S. and Canada.
We can use lacquers (and certain
lacquer-like hobby colors) on plastic,
too, if we first apply a base coat of
Floquil’s Barrier, a clear liquid. Air
brush users can employ lacquers
without etching the plastic if they
dust on the paint —particularly the first
coat —so fine that it dries almost on
contact. Some of the lacquer and
lacquer-like colors that you can use
include the Floquil line of Railroad
Colors and Military Colors (solvent
based alkyd-resin colors), the Imrie/
Risley colors normally used on metal
military miniatures, and various craft
paints. Automobile modelers may wish
to try the lacquer (and enamel) full-
size automobile touch-up paints, such
as Dupli-Color and Tempo, although
these paints will be thicker than
hobby paints.
Hobby paints are used by modelers
because they have a scale thickness.
The pigments have been ground so fine
that the paint can be spread in a very
thin coat and still retain ample cover
age. This is important when trying to
iiiiiir

FLAT FINISHES
Cross section of flat paint shows rough
surface which makes it difficult for the
decal to adhere.
V77777777777777777777777777777T
Or, to provide a smooth surface for decals, use gloss paints instead
of flat paints. Overspray with dull coat to achieve a flat appearance.
Gloss paint used where
decal is applied
W77777777777777777777777777777
FLAT (or matte) finishes are ideal for
military vehicles and aircraft. A large
number of colors from several man
ufacturers are available i n flat
finishes. The microscopic cross sec
tion shows how flat paints are com
posed. The particles are arranged to
form a rough surface, so that they do
not reflect light.
As ideal as flats are for realistic
military finishes, a problem arises
when decals are applied. The smooth
decal film simply will not adhere
tightly to the rough surface. Minute
air pockets are created underneath
the decal, giving it a cloudy appear
ance in contrast to the flat appear
ance of the paint.
There are several solutions to this
problem. One is to apply a liquid
decal-setting agent, such as Solvaset
or Micro Sol, over the decal. The
accurately portray all aspects of a model
in a small scale.*
The Testers and Pactra enamels, as
well as Floquil’s Railroad Colors, are
available in both small bottles for use
with brush and airbrush, and spray
cans for direct application. Water-
reducible Polly S paints come in bottles.
Glossy and flat finishes
In addition to the various kinds of
‘Floquil Products, Inc. publishes an excellent book
let describing scale paints, and, in particular, how
to prepare, blend, and apply Floquil paints. A color
chart is included. EntitledPainting Miniatures, the
booklet costs S1.75 (as of 1977) and is available
from Floquil Products, Inc., Route 30 North,
Amsterdam, NY 12010.
26
Decal-softening solution softens
decal enough to conform to rough
surface of flat finish.
f777777777777777777777777777777\
Apply decal over gloss and
spray area with dull coat
agent will soften the decal so that it
will conform to the rough surface of
the flat paint. A second solution is to
apply a coating of clear paint over the
flat finish to give it a smooth surface
to accept the decal. Both of these
methods are covered in greater detail
in Chapter 9 on decals and finishes.
A third way of dealing with the
problem is to use glossy paints in
stead of flat paints, and then spray
the paint and decal with a clear paint
that dulls the gloss appearance. Be
cause many military colors are not
available in gloss, you will have to
learn to mix gloss paints to the color
and shade ortint required. Use books
and magazines found in your hobby
shop or in a library as references.
Some books will even have color
chartsand perhaps colorchips to use
as a guide.
paints, there are two major types of
finishes: glossy and flat (non-glossy).
In enamels, the glossy finishes were
the first to be developed in great num
bers and they' are still probably more
popular today than enamels with flat
finishes. Glossy enamels (including
Testors’ and Pactra’s) are most appro
priate for automobile, motorcycle,
truck, and commercial-aircraft models.
In addition to solid colors in glossy
enamels, "metallic” colors and "candy”
(semi-transparent) colors are available.
The metallics usually contain finely
ground granules of aluminum; colors
known as "metalflakes” contain larger
chunks of aluminum. The "candy” col
ors employ dyes rather than pigments,
resulting in a semi-transparent finish.
They are intended to be applied over a
base coat, especially a base coat of
metallic silver or metallic gold. Candy
colors applied over solid colors can re
sult in unique color effects. For exam
ple, a coat of candy yellow applied over
solid blue can produce an unusually
deep luster of green that is impossible to
duplicate with any other method.
The widespread d i s t r i b u t i o n of
flat-finish enamels is a more recent
6 PAINTING
development. Flat finishes, also called
matte finishes, match the dull, non-
reflective finishes commonly found on
prototype military equipment such as
aircraft, tanks, trucks, and ships. A
wide selection of flat enamels is avail
able that matches the colors used by
the military of many countries. At least
one firm even publishes a mixing
chart to enable the modeler to blend
paints that match military colorsJ
Flats have several other advantages:
They are easy to apply; when brush
painting they flow together well and
brush marks disappear; and they dry
more quickly than gloss finishes. As of
this writing, enamel flats are available
in a wider selection of colors in bottles
than in spray cans. In addition to the
enamel flats, the Floquil colors and
the Polly S water-reducible paints are
available in flat finishes.
The major disadvantage with flats is
that decals do not adhere perfectly to
the granulated surface of the paint.
There are a number of ways to overcome
this problem (see Chapter 9).
More about primers
In the previous chapter we discussed
the use of primers. A true primer is a
flat-finish paint with fine enough pig
ment to allow sanding without balling
or scratching, as would occur with most
glossy enamels. Primers seal the plastic
and provide a "grip” for the finishing
coat or coats. A primer can be either an
enamel or a water-reducible paint for
direct application over the bare plastic,
or it can be a lacquer (if using an air
brush, apply as a dry coat; if using a
brush or spray can, first coat the model
with Floquil’s Barrier). Remember,
lacquer finish coats should not be used
over enamel primers.
Primers usually are labeled as such
and come in a variety of colors including
the common black (actually a very dark
gray), white, light gray, reddish brown,
and zinc chromate (a greenish yellow).
If you have a choice, pick a neutral color
such as gray or white.
Primers are sold in both bottles (for
brush and airbrush application) and
spray cans. Floquil’s Barrier can be
applied by brush or by airbrush when
thinned with Barrier thinner.
Many functions of a primer can also
be served through the use of a neutral
base coat or undercoat, as discussed on
page 24.
Dull and gloss clear coatings
There is another way to achieve
glossy or flat finishes in addition to
using glossy or flat paints. Some man
ufacturers offer clear sprays that pro-
+The Authentic Military Color Mixing Chart is
available at no cost from Pactra Industries, Inc.,
7060 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028. The
International Plastic Modelers’ Society - Tidewater
Branch assisted in the publication of the chart.
 vide a glossy or dull final coating to the Floquil colors; use it for thinning and ingredients will harden and it will no
paint. Testers Dullcote, for example, mixing the paints as well as for cleaning longer be wise to continue thinning the
is a varnish-like spray that provides a brushes and airbrushes. paints. Remove the old paint, but don’t
flat finish when sprayed over a model Water, of course, is all you need to throw away those empty bottles. Clean
finished in glossy enamels. Generally thin water-reducible colors such as them out with a rag and thinner and use
glossy sprays are not successful in pro Polly S. them later to store colors which you
ducing a glossy finish when used over may blend yourself.
flat paints. If flat or gloss clear is not Temperature and humidity
available from the manufacturer whose Number of coats
A moderate room temperature and
paints you are using, you might try one low humidity are essential to a good The number of coats that you apply
of the "accessory” brands of clear gloss paint job. No matter how well you apply will depend on the type of model, the
or flat such as Micro-Coat Gloss and the paint, it will not set properly in a type of paint, the effect you wish to
Flat or Hyplar. Various manufacturers room that is extremely warm or humid. achieve, and the method of application.
have still more gloss and flat coatings Remember that rainy days are espe Model automobiles may receive
on the market; experiment on a piece of cially humid — the dampness affects the numerous coats of enamels and/or gloss
painted plastic to make sure they will drying time of the paint. clear coats rubbed down and sanded be
provide the desired final coating with tween applications, whereas military
out etching or crazing the finish on your Paint life
models might receive only one or two
model. In fact, test all clear coatings on With the passage of time, bottled coats of a flat enamel. More information
scrap plastic to determine if masking of paints begin to thicken. You will be able on the number of coats, and recom
the windows or canopies will be neces to thin them for a certain length of mended drying times, is presented in
sary. Most brands of clear will cloud or time, but eventually some of the special the following sections.
etch clear plastic.
Other specialized products are made
by manufacturers to increase or de
crease the gloss or flat finishes of their
paints. Humbrol has a flattening agent
that is mixed right into its gloss colors.
Brash painting
Floquil has a glaze product that is
mixed into its flats (and is helpful for
decal application). There are still more BRUSH PAINTING can be thought techniques. And these include difficult
special coatings and additives, but it of as having two distinct uses in plastic multicolored liveries and camouflage
shouldn’t be necessary for you to learn modeling. The first use of brushes is for patterns.
about them until you have mastered the painting of small, detail parts, in Brushes are sized by a numbering
the basics. cluding the human figures that often system, using zeroes to signify the
accompany kits. The second use is for smallest-tip and numbers from one up
Acrylic household waxes the painting of the entire, completed through seven, eight, etc., to denote in
Some experienced modelers coat their model, including such large surfaces as creasing sizes. Your ultimate selection
models with common household acrylic wings, fuselages, hulls, and auto bodies. of brushes will depend on your own
floor waxes to achieve specific results. A (Later, brushes also can be used in spe working experience, techniques, and
final coating of wax will give a slight cial ways to weather and detail models.) the size of your models. For an initial
sheen to a model otherwise displaying a With the exception of those modelers selection, we recommend one small-tip
flat finish. Waxes can help disguise who are very advanced in the use of the brush, in the range of 000 to 0, for detail
brush marks on hand-painted models airbrush, most modelers use brushes on work (No. 000 is advised for hand paint
(see page 29). Normally the wax, which detail parts. For the painting of larger ing framework on canopies and clear
is very fluid, is applied by brush. A pos areas, many modelers prefer to go on to plastic parts); one brush in the number
sible disadvantage to using wax is that spray cans and airbrushes. However,
under some conditions it may yellow there are countless modelers who not
with age. only find brushes easier to work with
over the entire model, but who produce
Thinners paint jobs of such quality that they are
Thinners are essential to painting. the equal of those produced by spray
You’ll need them to clean brushes, thin
paints, and, hopefully not too often, to There is an almost limitless selection of bot
remove poorly applied paint before it tled paints for brush painting, and brushes
has set. Most manufacturers sell thin are available In various sizes. A nut
ners to use with their paints. These may cracker will loosen stubborn paint-jar caps.
come in small bottles the same
size as the paint bottles, such as the
'A -ounce bottles offered by Testors and
‘A -ounce and % -ounce bottles sold by
Pactra. Larger bottles, such as the
4-ounce jar sold by Testors, may also be
available; they will save you a consid
erable amount of money if you intend to
do a lot of painting. Certain brands of
model paints may be compatible with
certain thinners, such as petroleum |mim]
spirits, lacquer thinners, and high
grade turpentines, that are found in
paint stores.
Dio-Sol is the Floquil product name
for the solvent that is compatible with

6 PAINTING 27
 1 2

3 4

HOW ONE MODELER PERFECTS BRUSH PAINTING

JOHN EIAN is one of those modelers who
believes that the hand-held paintbrush
can deliver just as good a paint job to
scale model replicas as the more expen
sive, sophisticated airbrushes favored
by most advanced modelers. John, and
many modelers like him throughout the
country, have developed their own tech
niques to create brush-painted finishes
that rival those of airbrushes for dupli
cating the streak-free, balanced cover
age of prototypical spray finishes.
John's special procedure makes use
of flat-finish paints, which flow together
well after application and are "very for-

1 or 2 range for general painting; and a
flat-edge brush in the number 8 range
(’A-inch) for coverage of large areas. If
you want to brush on a wax coat, you
might try a ’A-inch flat-edge brush,
LillHJ
which also will be useful in painting
very large surfaces. Buy good brushes,
especially in the larger sizes, so that you
won’t have the problem of hairs falling
out onto the surface of the plastic. These
brushes don’t have to be the most ex
pensive, but they certainly should not
be the cheapest.
Before painting, s t i r the paint
thoroughly. It is best to remove any
large, hard lumps rather than try to
dissolve them into the paint. You may
wish to shake the bottle or tin at first to
accomplish the greatest mixing in the
shortest time. The final stirring should
be done with a coffee stick or other im
plement (a sprue makes an ideal stir
ring stick). The paint should be thin
enough so that it drips (but doesn’t run)
off the stick. (Add thinner with a pipette
and stir if needed.) Adequate stirring
cannot be overemphasized!
Detail parts
To begin painting small parts, dip the
tip of the brush into the paint. Wipe off
excess paint by pressing the brush
lightly against the inside edge of the top
of the jar or tinlet.
Hold the brush at the point along the
handle that feels the most comfortable.
Many people have more control the
closer they place their fingers to the tip.
Most detail parts are painted easiest
when they are still attached to the sprue
or are held by tweezers. Move the brush

28 6 PAINTING
giving" of brush marks, ordinary acrylic
household floor wax, and dull gloss
coats applied by aerosol spray can. In
addition to the special steps John takes
i n painting his aircraft models, he gives
them a dramatic appearance by lining
the panel detail and other engraved de
tail with black ink from a technical draw
ing pen.
John does his brush painting in the
manner described in this chapter, mak
ing sure that the paint is thinned with at
least one part thinner to five parts paint.
The actual amount of thinner is deter
mined more by experience and "feel”
than by measurement. He flows the paint
on rapidly, relying on the ability of the
paint to flow together— and not re
peated brush strokes— for even cover
age. As a rule John does not use primer
paint or a neutral undercoat; his first
coat is the paint he intends to use as the
finish color. Any high spots or brush
marks are sanded with used No. 600
wet-or-dry sandpaper applied wet. Then
he applies a second coat of paint.
After the second coat of paint has
dried, John applies certain prominent
decals so that the water used on the
decal will not have a chance to smear
any of the ink work, which is added next.
(The decals are applied right over the
flat-finish paint, with Solvaset added as a
setting agent if the decals begin to dry
cloudy after 30 minutes or so.) Using
Higgins drawing ink and a 00 or 000
point in a technical drawing pen, he
draws through the lines engraved on the
replica's surface (1). He allows the ink to
dry for 1-5 minutes and then uses a moist
cloth to wipe away any excess ink that
appears on the painted surface outside
of the engraved lines. To ink panel lines
or straight lines over smooth surfaces,
he uses a piece of cardboard the thick
ness of a matchfolder as a guide. After
inking panel lines, John places tiny dots
of ink to show rivet heads.
To fix the ink to the surface John gives
the replica a very brief spraying of Tes
ters Dullcote (2). He does not become
concerned if the Dullcote application
appears uneven or imperfect at this
over the object in a series of overlapping
strokes, applying the paint in just one
direction. For extremely small areas,
you might have to dab or just touch the
paint to the surface, rather than using
strokes.
Certain tiny details may be dotted in
with thicker paint. These include the
pupils in the eyes of scale-model men
and women and the rivets and bolt
heads in particular models. You can use
older, thicker paint in these applica
tions. Or if a bottle of paint has been
sitting long enough so that the pigment
has separated and settled to the bottom,
temporarily pour out about half the
clear fluid before stirring the remaining
contents. Dab a few medium-size drops
point— this is only an intermediate step
toward the final finish.
With the Dullcote dry, John pours ac
rylic household floor wax into a small
container (the cap from the Dullcote can
is suitable). Using a 74- to Vz-inch brush,
he applies the wax to the model i n much
the same manner as he applied the paint.
He dips the brush about halfway into the
wax and then flows it on like paint (3).
The wax is thin and runs easily, so care
must be taken. If bubbles show on the
surface (a result of too much wax), h e
brushes them out. The wax dries in 20 to
30 minutes. If large puddles of wax have
formed, he gently sands them out. He
also sands any other areas that may re
quire it. Then John gives the entire
model a second coat of wax. By this time
the model should have a uniform shiny
appearance.
Next John places the remainder of the
decals. Many decals will adhere to the
smooth finish without further treatment.
Within 30 minutes to an hour, however,
he's able to tell if the decals are conform
ing t o the surface as they dry. If not, he
of paint on a scrap of glass and permit
the drops to dry slightly until they dis
play a gummy consistency. Now dot the
paint onto the tiny details.
If the plastic shows through the paint
in any places, you will be better off al
lowing the paint to dry and adding a
second coat later than to try and rework
more paint over the area.
Large surfaces
Before you begin to paint an entire
model, remember that cleanliness is an
important part of painting. The model
should be clean; make sure that it has
been washed in lukewarm water and
detergent.
Brush painting an entire model on a
6 PAINTING
treats them with Solvaset. (Note: Most
instruction labels, as well as our direc
tions i n Chapter 9, advise that you use
setting agents at the same time that you
apply the decal.)
Now the model is ready for the impor
tant step that helps to further eliminate
any brush marks or paint imperfections.
John places the replica by a source of
heat. He uses a hot-air register, but a sun
lamp or photoflood lamp could also b e
used. If the heat is t o o warm for your
hand it will b e too warm for the model.
After the model has been exposed to
the heat source for a few minutes, J o h n
takes it t o his spray booth and gives it a
coat of Dullcote (4). He makes sure there
are not any containers of water or other
sources of moisture nearby— the goal is
to drive moisture from the model (he
never performs this work on a humid
day). If the finish isn't u p to his expecta
tions, John applies two more coats of
wax, places the replica by the warm air
source, and then sprays it again with
Dullcote. Any clear plastic must b e
masked during the Dullcote spraying.
wire rack may be difficult; you’ll need to
use your hands to steady the model
much more than does the modeler using
a spray can or airbrush. In fact, you may
find it easier to brush paint your model
29
 paint into the upper half of the bristles.
The bristles should have enough paint
but should not be dripping. Wipe off any
ping strokes. excess paint by pressing the bristles
against the inside neck of the bottle.
Flow the paint onto the surface with a
long smooth stroke. Lift up the paint
brush and return it to the beginning of
the stroke mark and make another
stroke alongside and slightly overlap
ping the first stroke. Continue making
new strokes alongside the original one.
It is alright to immediately go back over
a stroke mark to spread the paint more
evenly, but once you have left an area
for a few seconds do not paint back over
it —even if the coverage obviously is
streaky or imperfect. Work very rapidly
and avoid making more brush strokes
than necessary. The paint should still
be thick enough so that brush marks
will disappear as the paint is allowed to
flow together of its own accord. Dip the
paintbrush into the bottle and quickly
repeat the procedure on adjacent un
painted surfaces, brushing until there
is thin, even coverage.
As a rule, you should paint in one
If molded-in detail runs in a direction different from general direction only across each indi
the other detail on the surface, change the direction
of your brush strokes so that paint will not build up vidual surface. An airplane fuselage,
against the detail. for example, is best painted from front
to rear. Wings should be painted from
leading edge to trailing edge. However,
there are exceptions: A wing with
raised panel detail running the long
way across the wing should be painted
the long way across —from wing root to
wing tip. Follow the direction of raised
surface details in order to avoid buildup
of paint against those details, even if it
means painting in the "wrong” direc
tion or in two directions on the same
surface.
Partway through painting you may
find that excessive paint is "piling up”
on your brush. Finish the surface you
are working on and then clean the
brush in thinner.
Properly applied flat paints should
dry without any brush marks. Glossy
as it sits on your workbench, where you large surfaces. Even paint used from a paints will be more difficult to apply and
can move it around. Therefore, wash bottle for the first time should be will require more experience for the
your hands before and during painting thinned by about 20 per cent again as best results. Coverage from flat paints
sessions so that skin oil will not blemish much thinner as there is paint. You’ll also should be good, perhaps good
the finish of a coat of paint. soon develop your own instinct for ex enough so that one coat will be
Also make sure the work space is actly how much thinner to add. Keep sufficient on some models — especially
clean. Spread newspapers or wrapping the paint on the heavy side as you begin if you have applied a primer or under
papers over the surface. to add.thinner; remember that it is far coat. Although you should attempt the
Invariably you will have to thin the easier to add more thinner than it is to look of one-coat coverage as you apply
paint that you intend to brush over add more paint. Brush the paint on a your flat paint, don’t be disappointed if
piece of scrap plastic. The paint should primer or plastic shows through your
still be thick enough so that brush paint when it is dry. Your goal from the
marks disappear as the paint is allowed beginning should be two-coat coverage.
to flow together of its own accord. Allow the first coat to dry thoroughly.
A simple rule for the selection of Paints need sufficient time to dry so
brushes is to use the largest size brush that a perfect bond is formed with the
that will do the job. On most 1/48- and plastic surface or the primer coat, and so
1/72-scale models (excepting perhaps that additional coats will cover, and not
some of the giant bomber airplanes), the mix with, the first coat. With some of
‘A-inch brush should be ideal. the faster-drying flats, the drying time
Dip the paintbrush into the bottle so between coats may be as little as 20 or
that one-half of the tip is immersed in 30 minutes, depending on the thickness
the paint. Capillary action will draw of the coat. However, paint formulas

30 6 PAINTING
 sometimes change and there are flats
that require overnight drying. Gloss
enamels should be allowed to dry as
many as 24 hours between coats. Play it
safe at first with long drying times, and
then shorten the drying times as your
experience indicates.
After drying, inspect the model for
imperfections in the painting such as
ridge marks, puddles, and fingerprints.
Allow even a fast-drying flat to dry for
2 hours before taking corrective action.
Then carefully sand out the imperfec
tions, using No. 600 wet-or-dry sand
paper used wet. In fact, sand with a used
piece of No. 600 instead of a fresh piece.
Repeat the painting procedure with
the second coat. Flow the paint on. Per
mit it to level itself rather than leveling
it by brushing. If any imperfections re
AEROSOL spray cans offer the mod
eler an inexpensive means to achieve a
quality, evenly applied paint job. They
enable you to advance to the technique
of spray painting at a reasonable cost.
However, spray cans do have a num
ber of disadvantages. The spray is not
adjustable; the paint is sprayed at
full force for as long as the button is
depressed. Also, the paint tends to dry
on the model in tiny "strings” if ap
plied from too far away. The modeler
must develop his technique and a de
gree of expertise, which may take time,
before he can do a truly satisfactory
job. And the proper technique—which
involves overspray —as well as the wide
angle of spray is inherently wasteful of
paint. In addition, the selection of colors
available in spray cans is not as great as
that sold in bottles. The basic colors are
available in spray cans, especially in
♦ glossy finish; however, most of the
newer flat-finish military colors are not
available in spray cans.
( The obvious advantage of spray
painting is that it can achieve uniform
coverage over an area without leaving
brush marks. With masking, it results
in perfect edge separations between
colors. In particular, it duplicates
the painting of the prototype, because
most of the real-life objects you will
model have been spray painted.
For the occasional modeler who is
finishing his model in basic colors,
spray cans are an economical invest-
main after drying, these should be care
fully sanded out once again with No.
600 wet-or-dry sandpaper used wet. The
paint from the first coat should help dis
guise the sanded area, so no additional
painting will be necessary.
Dry your model in a dust-free place,
out of direct sunlight. A small box or
cardboard carton, which can be covered,
would be an ideal place in which to set
your model. If your model must be dried
in the open, hang it so that freshly
painted surfaces are upside down and
will not gather dust. After final paint
ing, allow the model to dry for two or
three days before applying decals.
If you want to "pop out” any raised
detail and give the model a weathered
appearance, lightly sand over such de
tail until the plastic begins to show
Spray-can paints are available In a variety
of colors in both glossy and flat finishes
from a number of manufacturers.
ment that can yield fine results (espe
cially if the model is an automobile).
For the serious modeler, spray cans
should be a stepping stone to the use
of airbrushes.
Do your spray painting with the
model mounted on the type of wire rack
shown on pages 23-24. Always do the
painting in a well-ventilated area.
Spread newspapers in the area, or bet
ter yet, make a spray booth out of a
large cardboard carton.
To begin spray painting, shake the
can vigorously up and down for a count
of 50 to be sure the paint is mixed. The
paint must be thoroughly mixed every
time you use it.
The first and last squirt from every
button press comes out in an erratic
paint pattern. Never start or stop the
spray on the model itself. Begin paint
ing by depressing the button with the
nozzle aimed to the side of the model.
Once the paint has been spraying for a
second or two, move your entire arm in a
slow but steady sweep across the area of
the model that you wish to cover. You
must hold the can’s nozzle the correct
distance from the surface of the model
6 PAINTING
through the paint. Rivet heads, for ex
ample, will stand out as slightly worn.
Brush care
Take good care of your brushes; clean
them in thinner after each application.
You may wish to use two small jars of
thinner for cleaning. Dip the brush into
the first jar and press the tip against the
inside neck to release most of the paint
(which will settle to the bottom between
uses). Next dip the brush into the sec
ond jar, containing "clean” thinner; re
move it and draw the tip along a clean
cloth, repeating the procedure until the
paint no longer appears on the cloth.
After the final painting and cleaning,
wash the brush in soapy water and
rinse. Shape the tip to a point and store
the brush with the tip facing upward.
A simple cardboard box will serve as a
booth for spray-can and airbrush painting.
—usually between 15 and 30 centi
meters. If the nozzle is too close to the
object, the paint will run on the surface;
if the nozzle is too far from the model,
the paint will dry before it lands on the
object, leaving small lumps and strings
of powdery paint. The speed of your
sweeping motion also is important: If
you pass the nozzle across the model too
slowly, the paint will form a coat too
thick and may even run; if you pass the
31

Hold can 6 to 12 inches from the model, depending on how spray is drying on the surface.
Start the spray to the
side of the model. Move
your hand at an even
speed parallel to the
surface of the model.
nozzle too quickly, you will have poor
coverage. Do not release the button
until you have sprayed completely past
the model.
Although you can’t control the
s fiirbrushing
THE serious modeler sooner or later
considers buying an airbrush. Some
modelers are so satisfied with the re
sults of brush painting and spray-can
painting that they either do not see the
need for an airbrush or find that the
extra expense is not warranted. The ma
jority of serious modelers, however, do
invest in an airbrush. True, airbrushes
demand experience and skilled tech
nique for perfect results. Neverthe-
iimujl
32
Spray past the end of
the model before releasing
the spray button.
pressure of the spray, you can control prolong paint life.
the direction of the paint. Chapter 7
describes and illustrates several mask spray can for brush or airbrush applica
ing techniques that will assist in the tion, just spray the desired amount di
placement of the paint.
less, airbrushing is the easiest way to
achieve a high-quality paint job. In fact,
one of the most commonly heard com
pliments for an exceptional brush-
painted finish is that it looks just like it
was airbrushed!
An airbrush is a miniaturized spray
gun. It performs much like the spray
guns that are used to paint automobiles.
Compressed a i r is piped to the
airbrush’s nozzle from a tank or a com
pressor. The speed of the compressed air
pulls a flow of paint from a jar or cup
attached to the airbrush and pushes it
out of the nozzle as an atomized spray.
Airbrushes are sold in hobby shops by
such manufacturers as Badger, Binks,
Thayer & Chandler, and Paasche. They
range in cost from $10 to $80 depend
ing on the quality and the controls for
adjusting the spray. You will have to
add the cost of an air source to the cost of
the airbrush. Cans of compressed Freon
like gas sell for only a few dollars,
6 PAINTING
You should be able to cover the sur
face of the model with just two or three
passes when working with flat-finish
enamels. Gloss finishes will require
three or four light passes depending on
how dark the color is. Hold the can
closer for a deeper final application.
If you are unhappy with the final
application— or if you wish to build up
many layers of paint —allow the paint
to dry thoroughly (less than an hour for
certain flats; at least overnight for most
enamels). Sand the finish with No. 600
wet-or-dry sandpaper used wet, then
respray.
After you have finished applying the
particular color, it is important to clean
the paint from the nozzle by inverting
the can and spraying into a scrap of
newspaper. You won’t lose much paint
because the paint pickup tube inside the
can is not inverted, but the flow of
compressed-gas propellent will blow out
and clean the nozzle. Snap off the nozzle
and store it in a j a r of thinner (not lac
quer thinner) until you are ready to use
it again. Blow out any excess solvent
before you snap the nozzle back on the
can. By following this cleaning proce
dure, you should avoid the sputtering
and spitting that sometimes is encoun
tered with spray cans. If you plan to
store the can for a long time before its
next use, place the can on its side rather
than standing it straight up. This will
If you wish to use the paint in the
rectly into a jar.
small air compressors range from $40 to
$100. A well-equipped hobby shop will
carry air compressors; otherwise you
can order one from a mail-order firm
such as Sears, Roebuck and Company.
In a pinch, there are other sources of
compressed air supply. An automobile
tire or inner tube, with the proper
fittings and a pressure regulator, pro
vides an air source that can easily be
replenished at the local service station’s
air hose.
The major advantage of the airbrush
over the spray can is being able to con
trol the amount of paint and apply it in
an even pattern on a surface however
small the size may be. You can lay down
a line of paint that’s no wider than a
pencil mark. The other end of the ad
justment range results in a fan of paint
wide enough to cover almost the entire
model. Commercial artists are the
prime users of airbrushes. They use
them to create subtle shading and soft
line effects.
By adjusting the flow you can even
use lacquer on plastic models. The lac
quer is "dusted” onto the model in such
a fine spray that the paint will be nearly
dry when it reaches the model. Conse
quently, there will not be enough time
for the lacquer to crinkle or dissolve the
plastic surface.
Most of the finished models shown in
this book were painted with an air
brush. Once you become proficient with 1* '
the airbrush, your painting will be fast,
enjoyable, and realistic.
Single- and double-action
There are two types of airbrushes:
single-action and double-action. Most
modelers use the single-action because
it is well suited to the painting of models
and is less expensive and easier to mas
ter than the double-action. With the
single-action, you depress a button to
send pressurized air through the air
brush; the air is either "on” or "off.” An
adjusting knob (usually at the rear of
the airbrush) controls the amount of
paint introduced into the airstream as
well as the corresponding pattern —a
small flow of paint is sprayed in a nar
row pattern and a large flow is sprayed
in a wide pattern. With the double
action brush, you can control the
amount of paint and the air pressure — a In his first attempt at airbrushing, 15-year-old David Benlshek of Milwaukee painted a
camouflage pattern on this 1/25-scale Tamiya model of a World War I I German Tiger I tank.
single button (usually on top of the air-
brush) not only moves downward (for
degree of air pressure) but backward the model. Be especially watchful of old However, be careful not to use too
(for flow of paint). paint —it may have many lumps. It much thinner. Too much thinner will
might be best to strain out any lumps by dilute the binders or resins in the
Airbrushing hints paint and they will lose their adhesive
pouring the paint through an old nylon
The subject of airbrushing could oc stocking. qualities. The result will be paint with
cupy an entire book. Even then, experi Paint applied with an airbrush poor coverage and poor "bite.” If you
ence with an airbrush is the only true should be much thinner than paint ap should add too much thinner, small
teacher. You have to learn for yourself plied by brush. Mix thinner with the amounts of high-quality varnish (gloss,
what you can and can’t do with an air paint until the paint has a thin satin, or flat) can be added to the paint
brush, because airbrushing techniques consistency — thin enough to rapidly to restore some of the adhesiveness.
and results can vary greatly from mod drip off the end of a coffee stick or Fill the jar or cup that is to be at
eler to modeler. Popsicle stick that has been dipped tached to the airbrush with the amount
There are a number of general tips, in the bottle. Some paints are thinned of paint recommended in the instruc
however, that are helpful to the begin to as much as a 1:1 ratio (50 per cent tions that came with the airbrush. This
ning airbrush user. paint; 50 per cent thinner) for air may be from one-third to two-thirds of
Paints must be stirred and mixed ex brush work. Generally, light colors the jar or cup. Work in a clean, clear
tremely well for airbrush painting. Any require more thinner than darker col area with good ventilation. Avoid areas
small lumps or particles will clog the ors. The amount of thinner you use where there may be a lot of dust in the
airbrush, or worse, will cause the air will depend on the paints you are us air or on the furniture. With reasonable
brush to sputter paint and lumps onto ing and your own working experience. caution, dust should not be a problem
when airbrushing: The air spray under
pressure tends to clear the area in front
of the model of any dust; and the fast
drying time of paints when applied
by airbrush means that dust does not
have much opportunity to settle on a
wet surface.
Use a wire stand or similar holding
platform for the model. As illustrated
on page 24, a coat hanger can be bent
into a shape that will accommodate al-

Imiuil

A single-action airbrush, like the Badger 200, left, has an air-pressure plunger plus an
adjusting knob (at the rear) to control paint flow. With the Thayer & Chandler double
action airbrush, right, a single plunger controls air pressure and paint flow.

6 PAINTING 33

BLENDING PAINTS
ALTHOUGH dozens of different colors are
on the market, you may sometime find your
self i n need of a shade or tint of a particular
color not available commercially. Yoursolu-
tion to the problem is to mix the color from
the paints you do have. The three primary
colors of blue, yellow, and red can be used
to form almost any coloryou might need. By
using black or white, you will be able to
darken or lighten the mix you have made
from the primary colors. You will find, how
ever, that it is easier to start with a commer
cial color close to what you want than it is
to work with primaries.
If you are going to form a color that you
will want to match at a later date, keep a
record of the paints you used and the quan
tities of each one that went into your blend.
You will want to add the paints to the
blend with a consistent measuring device.
An eyedropper (also called a pipette) will
allow you to accurately count the number of
drops that go into the blend. Clean the eye
dropper with thinner immediately after you
use it for each color. You can also use
household measuring spoons to guarantee
an accurate count.
Some modelers use a simple Popsicle
stick or coffee-stirring stick as a measuring
device. Place the stick into the paint jar,
remove it to allow the heavy flow of paint to
run off, and then direct the remainder to
drip off into your blend as you count the
number of drops. If you are going to use an
airbrush, keep a record of the number of
drops of thinner you add.
The usual procedure for blending paints
is to start with the lightest colors and then
add the darker colors. Stir the blend fre
quently as you add paint so that you d o not
get a blend that is too light or too dark.
Economy spray guns are nonadjustable,
but they permit the use of blended colors.
lUHUJj
To paint broad patterns, hold the airbrush terms of separate coats of paint applied
6 Inches or more from the surface; for nar many hours apart and left to dry. In
row patterns (over entire surfaces or for airbrushing there is not such a clear
“oil stains") hold the airbrush close.
34 6 PAINTING
most any model. Some modelers simply
prop their models on a wood dowel rod or
paintbrush handle — there usually is
some opening (intake, exhaust, cockpit)
on which to position a model. You can
even use cardboard boxes with large
openings cut into the top of them to
suspend an airplane model from its
wing tips.
The single-action airbrush is held in
your hand with the index finger resting
on the air-pressure control button. The
other hand is free to adjust the flow
control knob.
The double-action airbrush is held
the same way, with the index finger on
the combination air pressure-paint flow
button. The other hand is free at all
times to steady or turn the model during
painting.
Most spraying is done with the air
brush held in positions ranging from
upright (parallel to the ground) to
pointed downward about 45 degrees,
However, by adjusting the angle of the
paint cup, you can hold the airbrush at
any angle.
Use a smooth left-to-right sweep of
the entire hand and arm across the sur
face to be painted. Begin the sweep-
and-spray application slightly to the
left of the surface. Don’t release the
spray until you have swept past the sur
face to the right. (Use the same sweep
ing technique that is illustrated for
spray-can painting on page 32.)
Some modelers like to work back and
forth across broad surfaces instead of in
just one direction. For narrow surface
areas, or for critical detail work and
blending of edges, work in one direction
only.
In addition to the adjustments on the
airbrush, the distance that you hold the
instrument from the surface will help
to determine the width of the spray
path. To make a very narrow line —
pencil-line thickness —hold the air
brush very close to the surface. For a
broad spray pattern to cover larger
areas, hold the airbrush 15 centi
meters or more from the surface. You
may prefer to vary the adjustments
and distance according to the type of
model and surface you are painting,
or you may wish to standardize on one
distance and perfect the correspond
ing technique. For example, some
modelers are more proficient always
working close to the surface, even
though many more passes may be re
quired to cover larger areas.
When airbrushing for the first time,
practice on some pieces of scrap plastic
before painting the model.
With experience, you’ll be able to de
termine just how many passes you want
to make and how many coats you should
apply. In brush painting we think in
distinction between coats. The first coat
 placed on bare plastic — whether primer
paint or the finish color — usually is a
"dusting” coat. A fine mist spray is ap
plied from far enough away to provide
light overall coverage with just a few
passes. The paint should be almost dry
when it reaches the surface. Paint
dusted onto the surface will have a
rough texture, providing a "grip” for
subsequent finish coats.
After applying the dusting coat (also
known as the pigment coat), begin mak
ing overlapping passes with the air
brush held closer to the model. You may
wish to allow a couple of minutes for
drying before making any additional
passes to deepen the color.
With flat finishes, there is no need to
make more passes once you are satisfied
with the coverage and deepness of the
color. You want as thin a coverage of
paint as possible to maintain the scale
thickness of the paint. If you are paint
ing a gloss finish, immediately thin the
paint remaining in the cup or jar at a 1 :1
ratio and spray the entire surface. This
coat, known as the wet coat, will en
hance the glossy finish. Do not apply too
much wet coat — keep the airbrush mov
ing. (There are modelers who bring out
the gloss by lightly spraying a wet coat
of 100 per cent thinner.)
Handle the model as little as possible
during painting. Although an area may
appear to be dry a few seconds after a
thin spray has passed over it, the heat
from your finger touching the area will
melt just enough paint to leave a print
or mark. If you must touch the model
during painting, keep your hands clean
and oil-free. Use lintless gloves if much
handling is required. Allow the paint to
dry for 24 hours before handling. If you
can smell the paint, it is still too wet.
Remember that any masking should
be removed as soon as possible, which
usually means immediately —and cer
tainly no longer than 15 minutes after
painting. Wait 24 hours or longer before
applying new masking material over
the dried surface.
Normally you can allow the model to
air dry because most of the model will be
too dry to retain dust by the time you
have finished painting the last surfaces.
If dust does become a problem, however,
place the model in a box to protect it
when the painting is completed.
Freon cans of propellents lose their
pressure after prolonged use. You will
have advance warning by touching the
can itself. If it has become very cold to
the touch, the spray will soon be losing
its force. When doing a lot of airbrush
ing with Freon propellent, have several
cans on hand. Once you stop using a can,
it will regain its pressure as it returns to
room temperature.
Paints should have two to three days
to dry (especially important for gloss
enamels) before decals and any clear
finishes are applied.
Clean the airbrush immediately after
A SIMPLE GUIDE TO COLORS
WHEN working with paints, it is help
ful to know some basic facts about
color. In everyday use, words such as
hue and shade are often used im
properly. Consequently, we are
sometimes unsure of the meaning of
these words when we come across
them in a color guide or chart. The
following definitions should clarify
for you some of the terms commonly
used when discussing color.
Hue—The name of a color, i.e.,red,
blue.
Shade—A darkened variation of a
color.
Tint—A lightened variation of a
color.
Value—Brilliance. The lightness of
a color, from its lightest version (al
most white) to its darkest version
(almost black).
Chroma—Saturation; from a hue’s
Mixing the primary colors of red, yellow, and
blue creates orange, green, violet, and brown
Yellow Red
Yellow Blue
Red Blue
Yellow Red
use. Remove the paint jar from the air
brush and spray out any paint still re
maining in the brush onto some scrap
paper. After emptying the paint jar,
place both the jar and its lid in thinner
and allow them to soak awhile. Pour
some thinner into the jar (about half
full) and reattach the jar to the air
brush. Spray a few passes of thinner
through the nozzle and then remove the
needle and wipe it clean on a soft cloth.
Reinsert the needle and spray a few
more passes of thinner; remove the nee
dle again and wipe it clean. Repeat this
procedure until there is not any color
remaining on the needle.
Occasionally you will have to clean
the entire airbrush. Disassemble the
airbrush according to the manu
6 PAINTING
grayest variation to its most vivid.
Pigment— Powdered substance
used to impart color in paints.
Solar spectrum —The colors of the
rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green,
blue, indigo, and violet. White
reflects all the colors of the spectrum
in equal proportion. Black absorbs
all colors of the spectrum in equal
proportion. Gray partially absorbs
all colors of the spectrum in equal
proportion.
Most colors are formed by combin
ing two or more colors. Colors result
ing from a single pigment are called
primary colors. There are three pri
mary colors: red, blue, and yellow.
Two primary colors can be mixed to
form a secondary color. There are
three secondary colors: orange (red
and yellow), green (yellow and blue),
and violet (blue and red).
Orange
Green
Violet
Blue Brown
facturer’s instructions. Soak the parts
in thinner. Wipe as many of the parts
dry with a cloth as you can (use com
pressed air to dry the parts if you
have an air source). Reassemble the
airbrush and store it in its container.
uujjjl
35

A crisp, even edge—the result of successful masking. Here masking is being peeled
away from the roof of an AMT1974 Penske Matador (spray painted red, white, and blue),
7 Masking and cqmoufjqge]
MOST prototype aircraft and ships
IIIIHII as well as many automobiles, trucks,
motorcycles, and armored fighting
vehicles display two or more colors
and some even have camouflage liv
eries. Prototypes that have just a single
color—such as an automobile or an air
craft finished in natural aluminum
—often will have a small area of a sec
ond color, such as a racing stripe or
anti-glare panel.
ING AND CAMOUFLAGE
Scotch
•«»<
To mask for a two-color separation when
spray painting or airbrushing, lay one or
two overlapping layers of Scotch Magic
Tape overthe lighter color to form the edge
of a two-tone color scheme, upper. If the
tape crinkles over curves, use a second or
third piece. You will probably find it best to
use the straight edge of the tape as the
masking edge, but under some circum
stances you will want to trim the straight
edge right on the model along the color
separation line, using your hobby knife
and a ruler (a pocket tape measure makes
a handy flexible metal rule). The Magic
Tape will be cloudy until It sticks. Run a
strip of Magic Tape just below the original
strip, above. To this lower strip attach
folded-over newspaper or wrapping paper.
You can duplicate the multicolor ef
fects found on the prototypes by employ
ing a variety of masking methods and
special camouflage techniques.
Solid masking
Solid masking is used to paint sharp,
two-color separations on your model in
order to reproduce such features as in
vasion stripes on aircraft and water
lines on ships.

Tuck the newspapertightly inside the body,
upper, so there’s no chance for the over
spray to reach the bottom of the car’s
sides. Cover the inside of the body with
common masking tape (or tissue paper or
aluminum foil) If you don’t want the paint to
reach the inner surfaces. After the second
color has been sprayed on to proper
coverage, lift the edge of the Magic Tape
with your hobby knife, then with a tweezers
or your fingers peel the tape and paper
back at a severe angle, above.
There are four keys to successful
masking:
1 . The primer and/or the first-color
finish coat should be properly applied so
that the masking material will not pull
this paint off the model.
2. The lighter of two colors should be
applied first (in addition to applying the
color over the area which it is intended
to cover, apply some of the’ paint over at
least a portion of the area to be covered
by the second color).
3. The finish color must be completely
dry — it should set for at least 24
hours— before the masking is applied.
4. The masking material you use
must leave a clean and crisp edge when
you remove it.
Commonly used masking materials
for achieving two-color separations are
Scotch brand Magic Tape, standard
masking tape, and drafting tape. Scotch
brand Magic Tape (the cloudy type) is
preferred because it lies down more
firmly than masking or drafting tape
A variety of products will be useful in masking. The masking tape should be used only to
hold paper or parts; use Scotch Magic Tape when masking the edges of two-color
separations. The graphic tape can be employed as framework on canopies or even as
thin stripes on scale automobiles and other models. For some masking jobs, liquid
masking products such as Magic Masker and Micro Mask are recommended.
and it has a sharper edge. Tape that paint from building up along the tape
is . not positioned firmly against the and thus forming a ridge.
surface has a tendency to draw paint If you don’t want the paint to reach
underneath it. inside the body, fill the interior open
If you choose to use masking tape or ings such as cockpits, wheel wells, and
drafting tape, you should prepare a passenger compartments with tissue
straight, sharp edge in the tape by cut paper, aluminum foil, or newspaper.
ting a new edge using a straightedge Remove t h e m a s k i n g t a p e i m
and your hobby knife. Place the tape on mediately after the second color has
a sheet of Plexiglas. Plexiglas not only been applied —even before cleaning
serves as a cutting surface, but it brushes or airbrushes. Some of the
reduces the stickiness of the tape. You paint might be removed along with the
can also use a pane of glass as a cut tape if the paint is allowed to dry too
ting surface, but Plexiglas is recom long. Use your knife to gently lift the
mended because it will not dull your edge at the beginning or end of the tape.
blade and it can be sanded smooth after Then, with tweezers or with your fin
repeated use. gers, carefully and steadily peel back
To begin masking with Magic Tape, the tape being lifted. Peel it directly
firmly lay one or two overlapping layers back, parallel to the surface of the
of tape over the lighter color to form the model, and not up into the air. If some
edge of a two-tone color scheme. The
tape will be cloudy until it sticks. To
follow acute curves, use a strip of tape
cut no wider than 3 millimeters. Use muni
wider tape to "fill in” next to the
thin strip.
Where there is the danger of over
painting onto finished areas of the first
color, attach newspaper or heavier
paper under the tape’s lower edge to
cover finished portions. Then apply the
second color. Spray or brush away from,
not toward, the tape to prevent the
 W i t h p r o p e r t e c h n i q u e , t h e Intricate
camouflage patterns of military aircraft
c a n b e applied freehand by brush.

specks of paint should come off on the

tape, you can touch up the model with a
Thls camouflaged Monogram 1/48-scale Spitfire was brush painted, without masking, by
No. 000 paintbrush. If for any reason
John Elan. John applied the lighter of the two upper fuselage colors first, painting the
the paint has dried too long, use your color over the entire upper part. Using a flat-edge brush, h e added the second color,
hobby knife to slice along the edge of the painting the separation line of the particular pattern freehand first, and then "filling in”
Magic Tape on the demarcation line to the second color behind the separation line. After the first coat dried, his second coat was
break the seal of the paint to the tape. applied close to, but not overlapping, the separation lines. Contrary to normal procedure,
In addition to tapes, several brands of John added the underside color, which Is lightest of all, last. H e did this so that the
liquid masking agents, such as Micro underside color would “cut across” the two upper colors at the bottom of the fuselage,
Mask and Magic Masker, are available allowing him to achieve a sharp separation freehand.
at local hobby or model railroad shops.
Basically, they are water-base polymer curate) or research the prototype in
or latex compounds which act much like with a chisel-edge brush. If painting
books on full-size aircraft, ships, or ar freehand (which is far simpler than
rubber cement, but they won’t attack mored vehicles to find an accurate
the plastic as the solvent in rubber ce masking when using a brush), you can
camouflage pattern and color reference. employ a soft pencil on the first color to
ment does. To use them, simply brush
Most camouflage patterns are applied lightly draw the outline for the second
the masking fluids over the areas that to the real-life subjects with spray guns.
you want to protect from the paint and color, and then slightly overlap the out
Instead of using masking materials so line when painting.
let them dry. Then, after painting, carethat a sharp edge occurs between colors,
fully peel off the rubber-like dried To produce a straight feathered edge,
the colors are sprayed so that one blends hold with one hand a stiff piece of paper
mask from the model’s surface, using into the other, creating a soft or "feath
the same technique described to re or cardboard (an index file card works
ered” edge. Using spray cans and air well) along the chosen demarcation line
move masking tape. Work in a well- brushes, modelers are able to duplicate
ventilated area when applying liquid but several centimeters off the surface
the feathered edge on their miniatures. of the model. With a spray can or air
masks —some have an odor. It is virtually impossible to duplicate brush, spray over the top of the card
Camouflag e patterns feathered edges if you are brush paint —which serves as a mask —onto the
ing, but many brush specialists will surface of the model. Some of the spray
The great variety of real-life camou quickly point out
that the fine feathered will pass over the mask and angle
flage patterns has resulted in a wide edge on the
prototype would appear as a downward slightly, creating the soft
range of methods to duplicate such sharp edge
when reduced to the small edge. Practice spraying on scrap plastic
patterns on military models. These modeling
scales, such as 1/72. to determine exactly how far from the
methods not only utilize brushes and If you want your model’s camouflage
sprays, but also such unusual items as scheme to have surface you want to hold the mask and
sponges. Some camouflage patterns can Scotch brand sharp edges, you can use the paint sprayer. A mask held close
Magic Tape to mask the will produce a hard edge; a mask held
be performed freehand while others pattern or you
can even paint freehand farther away will give a softer edge.
make clever use of many different
masking materials.
Before you begin to actually apply
camouflage patterns to your model, you
should study the artwork on the kit box
(beware that some box artwork is inac-

To spray a feather edge, hold a piece of card stock several fractions of a n Inch above
the model’s surface and spray over the edge with a n airbrush (or spray can), For
extensive painting at a n equal distance, add furring strips to the card.

i 38 7 MASKING AND CAMOUFLAGE

 Here are two masking methods for achieving feathered or soft-edge separations b e
tween upper fuselage colors and the underside color. The tape is sealed only to the very
edges of the wings and stabilizer and to the sides of the fuselage. The cloth is gently held
in place with the fingertips (clothespins can b e used where the model is slim enough).
Direct the spray from the bottom of the model so that the paint won't drift onto the wing
tops. Brush painters can simulate feathered edges by stippling small amounts of paint
along the separation lines with the tips of a stiff brush.

Follow the same principle to create
soft edges on irregular camouflage pat
terns. Cut pieces of stiff paper or file
card to match the camouflage pattern
(you may wish to lightly draw the pat
tern on the model with a pencil first). A
cotton cloth also works as a mask. Hold
the masks in position as you spray each
area. If you are using a spray can, you
might want to enclose in cellophane
bags the surfaces already painted as a
protection against overspray.
We have said that it is virtually im
possible to achieve soft edge separations
with brushes. When the scale is so large
that a soft edge separation should show
up on the model, this indeed can be a
problem. Even if you are forced to shy
away from the more involved aircraft
camouflage patterns, you are still faced
with a problem when modeling the
majority of aircraft that at the least
had separation lines between the upper
wing color and under wing color. You
can achieve a semblance of the effect of
blended colors by applying the paint
with a small piece of fine-pore sponge.
Dab on the paint to produce the pin
prick size dots which will help to blend
the two colors.
"Dry-brushing” techniques also can
be used to help blend color separation
edges. Dry brushing simply is the use of
the very tips of the brush’s bristles to
apply tiny dots of paint by dabbing the
ends lightly against the surface. In
order to get a few dots rather than large
blobs, you will have to dab the excess
paint onto a scrap of cardboard until the
brush is almost out of paint. If you plan
to do much dry brushing, consider
trimming off the tip of an old brush
until you are left with the stubble of the
bristles. Go very easy on the paint and
stipple the color into the separation.
This brush will also be useful in du
plicating the "mottle” camouflage pat
tern favored by the German Luftwaffe
during World War II.
The Luftwaffe’s mottled scheme, in
cidentally, can also be achieved with a
porous sponge. Spray-can and airbrush
users can apply the mottled scheme by
spraying through a soft cloth with holes
cut or punched in it. The diameter of the
holes will vary according to the scale.
Clear plastic
The canopy on a model airplane and
the windshield area on a model car are

Illlllll

The USAF camouflage scheme Introduced during the Vietnam War featured several
colors separated by feathered edges, as shown on the jet-engine nacelle of the RB-66,
above, and In the close-up view, right, of the fuselage of the same aircraft.

7 MASKING AND CAMOUFLAGE 39

 To match modern U.S. Air Force camouflage patterns with spray cans, first study photos
in books and magazines. With a new single-edge razor blade, make clean cut-outs in a
cotton cloth to match the various patterns. Tape the cloth to the fuselage of the plane or
helicopter so that it rests about 1/16 inch above the surface. Hold the spray can directly at
the surface so the paint won't spread beneath the cloth mask. Spray one area, allow the
paint to dry, then move the mask to another area to complete the pattern. T h e clear areas
of the canopy on this Revell Huey Cobra helicopter have b e e n masked so that the canopy
could b e painted and camouflaged with the rest of the model.

important areas because they are usu
ally the focal point of the model. Your
eye travels first to that portion of the
model where the "little people” reside.
Keeping the clear, transparent areas
clean from paint or finish coatings while
simulating the surrounding framework
can be a real problem if you don’t know
the proper techniques. The ultra-thin
lines are among the most important de
tails on the entire model. An error in
painting framework next to a clear por
tion can be as small as a hairline thick
ness and still show up as a major flaw on
the model.
There are three ways to finish the
framework on a canopy or windshield:
(1) Handpainting . (2) Striping — using
either colored graphic tape or painted
t r a n s p a r e n t tape. (3) Masking
using Scotch brand Magic Tape or liq
uid masking agents. The framework
can be finished either before or after
cementing the canopy or windshield
onto the rest of the model depending on
the model itself and the modeler’s pref
erence. An advantage of cementing
canopies in place before painting is that
any seams or gaps can be filled with
putty, resulting in a more realistic
appearance.
LLUUU
Handpainting: There are several
pointers that will aid in handpainting
the framework of a canopy or wind
shield. Enamels or water-reducible
colors are the only paints you should
use on clear plastic; lacquers will attack
most plastics and any mistakes will
be far more difficult to scrape and
polish out. The paint should be thicker
than that you would use for the rest of
the model. Buy an extra bottle of paint
to match the aircraft’s color and let the
paint set with the cap off for a few hours
until it begins to thicken. If the paint
pigment has settled to the bottom of the
bottle when you buy it, don’t shake the
paint until you have poured out about
half of the clear liquid.
Use a No. 000 paintbrush for the bulk
of the framework, holding the brush
almost parallel to the frame’s surface so
the paint flows off the side, not the tip, of
the brush. Consider using a No. 0000 (a
small number of fine bristles) brush to
fill in any areas that you missed with
the larger brush.
Here’s a hint for handpainting small
objects that’s taught in some art
courses: Cup your hands together so
they are firmly braced against each
other (you might even want to interlock
a couple fingers); in one hand hold the
canopy or windshield and in the other
hand hold the paintbrush. You’ll find
your painting can be much more steady
using this method.
You have to be extremely careful
when brush painting a clear plastic part
because it’s difficult to remove the paint
that might spill onto the clear area. If
you do get some paint on the clear area
do not wipe it off. Let it dry and then
scrape it off gently with the tip of a
hobby knife. You can polish the
scratched areas with a bit of toothpaste
until most of the scratch has disap
peared and then start painting over
again.
Striping: A simpler way to finish
canopies or windshields is to tape over
the framework with colored graphic
tape of an appropriate width. Graphic
tape, such as Chartpak and Flexiline, is
available at most art- and drafting
supply shops in widths ranging from 1 /m
inch and V32 inch to strips 1-inch wide.
Chrome metal is available to simulate
aluminum frames, although you may
have to settle for black tape to match
most darker colors.
The tape is pregummed so it can sim
ply be pressed in place and trimmed to
length right on the canopy. Try to make
the joints match those shown in photos
of the full-size aircraft’s canopy, par
ticularly on multi-pane canopies such
as those used on most World War II air
craft. The graphic tape is difficult to use
if the comers of the framework are
rounded. The foil techniques used for
the Volkswagen windshield in Chapter
8 are suitable for such curved frames on
either automobiles or aircraft. The foil
obviously is a better choice if you are
trying to duplicate a chrome or
aluminum finish. Scotch brand Magic
Tape may also be used to finish the
framework on canopies and wind
shields. You can paint Magic Tape to
match exactly the color of the body of
the rest of the model. Place the tape on a
sheet of Plexiglas and, using a straight
edge and a hobby knife, cut a straight,
sharp edge. Then brush or spray the
tape the desired color. After the paint
dries, apply the tape over the model as

40 7 MASKING AND CAMOUFLAGE


you would when using graphic tape,
using separate pieces where necessary
to cover compound curves.
Masking: There are two methods of
masking that will work well for aircraft
canopies and windshields: one using
Scotch brand Magic Tape, and another
using liquid masking agents such as
Magic Masker and Micro Mask. Some
times the two methods can be used
together to mask a single canopy.
Begin masking by covering the
canopy or windshield completely with
Magic Tape. Use as few pieces as you
can, overlapping them a few centime
ters. Cut the tape into small squares or
triangles for the area near the front of
the flat, plate-style canopies so you
don’t build up too many layers. Press
the tape firmly in place, using the
pointed end of a paintbrush to burnish
the tape into the crevices next to the
raised edges of the frames. Then use
a sharp hobby knife to cut through
the tape along all the edges of the
framework. Be sure you cut right up to
the edges of each corner but not farther.
The molded edges of the canopy’s
framework will help to guide your
knife. Leave the Magic Tape covering
the panes that are to remain clear and
pull the tape away from the framework.
Press down the edges that may have
pulled loose a bit when you peeled away
the framework areas. Before painting,
be sure that all of the edges of the tape
are still sealed tightly to the clear areas
of the canopy. If you are spraying a
canopy detached from the model, mask
the interior with tissue and tape to pre
vent overspray.
In World War I I the German Air Force used a "splinter” pattern on many of its aircraft that
can be duplicated using paper masks with spray cans and airbrushes. The closer the
mask Is held to the surface, the sharper the edges of the color separations will be. For
really crisp edges use Scotch Magic Tape applied directly to the wings In the same
pattern. The mask was held about 1/32 Inch above the wing to achieve the slightly
feathered edge between the two colors. Cut a similar but smaller pattern for the top of the
stabilizer surfaces. Use the same method to duplicate the wavy camouflage patterns
used by the French and British In World War I.
Mottled camouflage patterns can be dupli
cated with a paper mask and spray cans.
The photos show a leather punch being
used to punch a series of random holes In
a piece of paper to obtain a 1/72-scale size
pattern. To give an opaque color, the paper
mask should be held close to the model’s
surface as one or two light passes are
made with the spray can. Practice a few
times on a scrap of cardboard to learn just
how the spray-can mask should be held.
The pattern on the full-size version of this
Messerschmitt faded Into a solid color to
ward the nose, so the mask was held a bit
farther away from the nose and a bit closer
to the tail of this Revell replica.
Brush or spray the canopy or
windshield. Use a second coat if needed. ilium
Allow the final coat to dry for 24 hours.
Slice through the paint along all of the
edges of the clear panels (along the visi
ble edges of the Magic Tape masks) with
your hobby knife. Do not attempt to pull
off the masking without cutting the
edges first. Pick the corners of the tape
masks with a hobby-knife tip to begin
freeing the tape. The tape can then be
7 MASKING AND CAMOUFLAGE 41

Mottled camouflage patterns can also b e applied by brush and by
such applicators a s sponges. A coarse-pore sponge, with just a
touch of paint, is being used to dab on the mottled camouflage
t h a t a p p e a r e d o n many German World War I I aircraft.
peeled away from all of the clear areas.
Touch up any areas where the paint has
been accidentally removed by the tape
with a No. 0000 or No. 000 brush.
The liquid masking agents can be
brushed over the entire canopy. Once
they are dry, use your hobby knife to cut
and peel away the framework areas to
be painted, in the same manner as you
would cut the Magic Tape. It is easier to
completely cover a multi-paned canopy
with the fluid than to cover it with tape.
If the canopy is large enough, you can
mask the long, straight edges with
Scotch brand Magic Tape and use the
liquid agents for the intricate corners
and curves. Press the tape firmly in
place. Don’t bother to tape over the
curves and corners. Brush the liquid
masking agent along the curved por
tions of the canopy. Continue brushing
ilium
42
Scotch Magic T a p e Is an excellent mask
ing material for masking canopies. Over
lap the edges of adjoining pieces of tape a
fraction of a n inch. T h e tape will remain
cloudy In any areas that are not stuck
tightly to the surface. Cut small pieces for
the front of the canopy.
Right—Use a hobby knife to cut through
the tape along the edges of the areas to
remain clear after painting. Don’t slice
beyond the corners. Use the molded edges
of the canopy's framework to guide your
knife. With the knife tip, begin peeling
away the tape covering the framework.
After painting, use your hobby knife to pick free the corners of the
tape that is masking the canopy. Then with a tweezers or your fin
gers, peel back the mask from the clear areas. This method allows
you to paint camouflage patterns right over the window frames.
the agent over the tape-masked por cut through it along the edges of the
tions to seal the overlapping edges. clear panels. Pick one corner of the
After the liquid agent dries, slice mask on each panel. Peel the tape away
through the tape along the edges of the first and then peel the remaining por
framework with a sharp hobby knife. tions of the dried liquid masking. Any
Peel off the masking covering the areas where the paint has pulled away
framework. Only the clear panels will from the frame portion of the canopy
remain covered. Hand paint or spray can be hand painted with a No. 0000 or
paint the canopy. When the paint dries, No. 000 brush and some thickened paint.
You can mask the clear areas of a DC-10 Colored graphic tape, which is sold In a
canopy with a liquid masking a g e n t (If variety of widths and colors at art- and
more convenient, also cover the frame drafting-supply shops, Is Ideal as a ready
work and then cut away the dried mask cut framework for many model canopies.
ing.) Install the canopy, then paint It when Press It o n and trim the ends to fit with your
you paint the fuselage. When the paint hobby knife. Graphic tape is also used as
dries, slice through the paint around the striping on automobile replicas and panel
framework and peel off the rubbery mask. lines on aircraft replicas.
7 MASKING AND CAMOUFLAGE

Although this kit had chrome-plated parts, silver had to be applied as the window trim.
This painting should be done last If the silver Is dulled by final clear finish coats.
!- -1 _______________
8 Aluminum and chrome
ONE measure of the growth and de
velopment of the hobby of plastic model
ing is the degree to which the world’s
modelers have been able to re-create
every nuance of the prototype in minia
ture. The realistic flat finishes were
among the first features that modelers
found they had to duplicate. Now you
can buy premixed flat-finish colors to
match almost any camouflage color that
any country has ever used on either
aircraft or armor.
Clever modelers then developed the
techniques —described in the following
chapter — to make decal markings look
as if they were painted on.
By far the most difficult challenge,
however, was to capture the visual ef
fect of bare metal such as aluminum
and chrome. Most model-car kits have
J- -LJ- -y __________
plated bumpers and grilles, but few
have plated window frames or side trim.
Testors/Hawk has a line of plated air
craft models that are superb in their
metallic aluminum effect, but the
selection is limited to only a half
dozen kits.
Metallic paints
Modelers who want an aluminum or
chrome effect on the hundreds of air
craft and automobile models on the
market must develop their own tech
niques using specialized products. Sev
eral brands of pregummed foil and a
variety of paints are available that will
give you the metallic effect you want.
A canvass of hobby, hardware, and
craft stores should uncover at least a
half-dozen different paints with such
8 ALUMINUM AND CHROME
Hobby shops, auto-parts stores, and
hardware stores carry several paints that
can be used alone or blended to duplicate
an aluminum or chrome finish. Use chrome
touch-up paint to simulate chrome trim.
Pearl paint mixed with silver and chrome
paints will lend a realistic appearance to
aircraft models. Even silver-plated kit
models c a n benefit from variations
created in the finish.
Brush paints across individual panels at
different angles to simulate the multihued
effect of a real aluminum finish.
labels as "silver,” "aluminum,” and
"chrome.” We suggest you buy a selec
tion of them. Some will come closer than
others in duplicating, say, the chromed
effect of the plated bumpers and grilles
in model-car kits. Automobile, truck,
and motorcycle modelers will find an
o
43

occasional interior panel that should be
painted aluminum, and the selections of
silver available will yield just the hue
that’s needed for detail items such as
fan blades, carburetor linkage, and
fuel lines.
Before applying the paint on the
model, test each color on a piece of scrap
plastic or index file card —the paints
dry to a hue different from the one you
see in the bottle. An interesting effect
can be obtained by adding some drops of
the "pearl” color paint used by craft
hobbyists. Don’t be afraid to experiment
with mixes, shading, and tinting to find
the appropriate metallic hue.
The most extensive use of alumi
num-like paints will probably involve
aircraft models, where the entire model
(with the exception of anti-glare panels
and any painted rudders and flaps) may
have a silver finish. Take a good look at
a military or commercial jet with an
unpainted finish. Note that no two
panels have exactly the same shade or
t i n t , although all obviously are
aluminum metal. Some of the shading
44
and tinting is due to variations in the
basic alloys in the metal and some is due
to age and oxidation. You will want to
capture this patchwork effect on the
surfaces of your aircraft models, and a
selection of paints will help you to
do this.
Two of the products which most
closely match the distinctive luster of
aluminum aircraft are Testors’ stand
ard silver enamel (labeled as Pla silver,
No. 1146, or No. 46) and the Archer
brand Liqu-a-plate. Testors’ enamel is
sold in spray cans as well as in bottles. A
professional finish is easier to achieve
by spray painting than by brush paint
ing. When brush painting, keep the bot
tle well stirred and apply the paint
panel by panel; silver pigments settle
quickly.
Masking of the panels on your model
aircraft is a necessity when spray paint
ing and a major aid if brush painting.
You may wish to apply a base coat of the
silver enamel and then mask around
those panels which will receive a differ
ent variation of silver. Make sure the
sticky side of the tape has been pressed
against glass or Plexiglas to remove
some of the adhesive —silver paint can
be difficult to mask because it pulls up
easily when the tape is removed.
Rather than masking with tape, you
might place tracing paper over the
panel you wish to paint and trace the
panel’s outline with a soft pencil. Either
cut the panel outline out of tracing
paper or transfer the image to a piece of
artist’s frisket paper from which the
panel outline is cut away. Hold the
8 ALUMINUM AND CHROME
Top row—To cover a model plane with
hobby foil, first bend a foil strip over the
edge of the wing and burnish It down over
the control surfaces with your fingertips.
With a hobby knife, cut the foil along the
separation lines. Peel away the excess
foil. At left—Additional pieces of foil can
cover larger areas and can Initially overlap
each other. (For a multlhued effect, place
subsequent pieces at 90-degree angles to
one another, or use a few pieces of foil
sprayed with clear flat-finish paint.) Press
each piece down tightly with your finger
tips, being careful not to scratch the foil
with your fingernails, and cut away the
overlapping edges.
paper firmly in place over the panel
with one hand while brushing or spray
ing with the other hand. If brush paint
ing, paint in one direction on one panel
and in another direction on a second
panel; this technique will give a differ
ent texture to each panel and further
the illusion that the aircraft is com
posed of many different panels.
More variations of silver can be
achieved with rubbing compounds and
clear sprays.
The Liqu-a-plate differs from the
enamel paints in that the finish itself
can be polished to a sheen if desired.
Liqu-a-plate is applied by airbrush and
dries to a flat finish. If desired, it can be
polished to a semigloss using tissue
paper.
Liqu-a-plate is available in several
metallic colors. By using these and by
polishing areas to varying degrees of
luster, you can produce models with the
multihued aluminum effect created by
differences in metal and weathering.
It is not necessary to prime the plastic
before the application of Liqu-a-plate,
but the plastic and in particular those
areas that have been puttied should be
polished to a hard surface with silver
polish or Brasso. Begin by applying one
coat of Liqu-a-plate over the plastic. Do
not overapply the Liqu-a-plate, or it will
become difficult to polish. Each coat to
be polished should be polished after it
has dried — usually 30 minutes or more
after application. Simply rub the tissue
paper against the surface with your
finger, but be careful not to leave
fingerprints if you hold the model with
Foil products also can be used to simulate chrome trim around
windows and on the sides of car models after the model has been
painted. To trim a window, cut a piece of foil slightly larger than
the window. Peel away the paper backing and press the foil
your free hand (you might use another
piece of tissue paper to hold the model).
If too much Liqu-a-plate is rubbed off,
respray the area.
You cannot use tape when masking
panels for the second color because the
sticky side will pull up the Liqu-a-plate.
Liquid masking fluids also will not
work. As recommended for silver
enamel painting, make your own masks
or stencils by cutting panel outlines
from paper and holding them in place
on the model during painting.
Decals can be applied in the same way
as described in Chapter 9. A companion
sealer for Liqu-a-plate is sold as the
final protective finish for the model.
While spraying Liqu-a-plate and its
sealer, make sure that clear plastic
pieces, such as canopies, are masked.
Metallic colors are very soft; give them
plenty of time to dry.
Adhesive foil
Hobby shops usually carry one or
more brands of adhesive-backed foil
under product names such as Scale
metal, Bare-metal, and Metalskin.
They are most often used on model
aircraft. If you can’t find them, you can
make your own substitute from com
mon household aluminum foil by roll
ing off a perfectly flat half-meter and
spraying the dull side with Scotch
brand Sprayment adhesive (available
in aerosol cans from art-supply stores).
The foils sold in hobby shops work
somewhat better than most household
foils because they are thinner. Thin foil
will snuggle tightly to the rivet and
panel details on an aircraft’s surface so
that these details are almost as crisp
and visible on the surface of the foil as
they were on the bare plastic.
Spray a few sections of the foil with
Testors Dullcote or Pactra’s clear flat
spray to vary the brightness. Press the
foil in place on the model and trim it to
size along the molded-in panel lines.
Lay the adjacent pieces of foil with
their "grain” at a right angle to the
first pieces to obtain the patchwork
effect of real aircraft. You may even
tightly around the ridges and grooves of the molded-ln
windshield. With several light passes of a hobby knife, cut the foil
to the shape of the chrome trim. (Cut the outside edges first, then
the Inside edges.) Seal with a coat of clear gloss.
try using household foil with the reveal the metal beneath it. The chap
dull side up to simulate extremely ter entitled "Weathering” provides
weathered surfaces. more information on how to use small
Foil covering may even be used on dabs of Rub ’n Buff to show wear and
models t h a t will be painted in tear.
camouflage colors. Scratching and Before finishing an entire aircraft
chipping the paint so that the foil be model in Rub ’n Buff silver, you will
neath it shows is one of the most effec have to apply a base coat of a neutral or
tive ways to achieve realism on a dark paint such as gray, black, or silver
weathered model. itself. This is because the Rub ’n Buff
Models finished in a foil should be may not be fully opaque —some of the
sprayed with a coating of either flat or undersurface might show through.
gloss clear paint to prevent the foil from Being a paste, Rub ’n Buff also may not
oxidizing in the air. The clear coating penetrate into all the nooks and corners
also will help to hide the edges of the and fine panel lines. A base coat of the
decals. Spray the model before the proper color (experiment to see which
canopy or windows are installed — most color you like best) will heighten the
clear paints will etch or frost clear metallic effect of the Rub ’n Buff and
plastic. will accentuate panel lines and fine
Car modelers find that adhesive- details.
backed foils are a true boon for duplicat Apply the paste in one direction only,
ing the chrome trim found around the such as front to rear. Use a soft cloth (or
windows and on the side moldings of the tissue paper) with only a small amount
full-size vehicles. The brightest foil of the paste at a time. Buff the paste as
should be used to simulate chrome. soon as it is dry, usually within a min
After it has been burnished in place and ute or so. You can buff to varying de
trimmed to size, it should be protected grees of sheen to represent different
with a spray coat of clear gloss paint. weathering effects.
Most household foils are too thick to Decals can be applied over the Rub ’n
conform to the tiny grooves and rolls of Buff as described in Chapter 9. A decal
the automobile model’s window and setting solution will probably be help
side trim, so you will have to use the ful, as will a clear or varnish coat ap
hobby products or settle for the shiniest plied over the decal. The entire model
touch-up paint for chrome that you can can be sprayed with a clear gloss coat for
find in an automobile-supply store. protection, but some of the sheen may
be lost. Your best bet may be to leave
Metalizing pastes the polished Rub ’n Buff as the final
The Rub ’n Buff silver leaf, gold leaf, finish, but avoid handling the model
and copper leaf are paste products that until the paste has had a chance to
can be useful to modelers in duplicating harden over several weeks.
metal-like finishes. Hardware and craft
shops carry them to antique picture
frames and ceramics. Rub ’n Buff is a
paste-like mixture of what appears to be
clear paint and metallic dust. It can be
used as a polish over the broad surfaces
of an aircraft model to simulate silver
and aluminum or it can be used over
just a few panels to show weathering. A
few dabs on the painted surfaces of
camouflaged aircraft and armored
fighting vehicles will give the effect of
paint that has been worn or scratched to
8 ALUMINUM AND CHROME 45
Place decals only when the final paint Is thoroughly dry. Then wait
9 Decals and finishes
DECAL S are the final touch that in
deed gives life to your well-painted
miniatu re. The applica tion of decals can
be downrig ht fun as you position them
in place one by one and watch your
model grow in realism . But the process
also can be unforgiving — a decal poorly
46
at least 6 hours and apply a clear final finish.
applied or in the wrong position will
stick out like a sore thumb. Your model
should not appear as if it has been plas
tered with bright and shiny details;
the decals should look as if they were
painted on.
Many manufa cturers provide more
than one set of decals with their models
because decals offer a way to create dif
ferent models from one basic kit. In ad
dition to the decals provided with kits,
numero us decals are sold separat ely at
hobby shops to enable you to build with
even more variety and customize your
model further. The decals that come
with the kit usually are realisti c
enough , but many modele rs prefer to
alter the kit’s markin gs slightly so their
model won’t resembl e that of everyon e
else who has assembled the same kit.
9 DECALS AND FINISHES
Researc h your subject before buildin g
one of these variatio n models so that the
paint scheme and physical features of
the model as well as the marking s will
comply with the prototyp e. It’s possible
to find or arrange marking s and num
bers for the endless prototyp e varia
tions you see in real life or find in photos
in books and magazin es.
Even the applica tion of decals and
markin gs does not signify the last step
in the buildin g process. To protect the
paint finish, you should apply over the
decals a coat of one of the special protec
tive clear coating s on the market . These
coating s also can help to reduce or en
hance the shine of decals to conform
with the finish on the model. Plus, they
can prevent the decals from curling in
the months and years of display ahead.
 0
If you’re painting with flats, in fact,
your first step— before decaling— will
be to spray the model with a coat of clear
gloss, such as Testors Glosscote Enamel
in spray cans. Decals adhere to a glass
smooth finish far better than they
adhere to a flat finish (see the box on
page 26). On a flat finish the decal can’t
snuggle in tightly enough to the rough
surface and microscopic air pockets
form underneath the decal that result
in a cloudy appearance. The smooth sur
face of a gloss finish matches that of the
back of the decal so that the decal can fit
as tightly as a layer of paint. To assure
an even appearance, apply the gloss
over the entire model —not just over the
areas to receive decals. Do not apply the
gloss finish so thick that it fills in panel
lines or covers other surface details.
Any clear plastic areas will have to be
masked or removed because most clear
coatings will craze or frost unpainted
clear plastic.
If your model was painted in gloss
colors (as a car or truck normally would
be), or if you mixed military colors in
gloss as suggested in the box on page 26,
your model will be ready to receive de
cals directly (without Glosscote) two
to three days after the final paint has
been applied.
Applying the decal
A decal is simply a few layers of col
ored lacquer on a shiny film or varnish.
The backside of this carrier film is
coated with water-soluble glue to hold
the decal to the model. The decal comes
to the modeler affixed to a paper back
ing. The entire sheet— decals and paper
backing —is called the transfer sheet.
Begin the application process by cut
ting the individual decal out of the
transfer sheet with your hobby knife or
single-edge razor blade. Trim as close to
the outline of the painted decal as you
can. In doing so, you will cut away the
edges of the shiny, transparent film.
This film will be a part of the decal when
in place on the model, and you don t
want the shiny edges showing. Some
extremely small markings, such as
those representing the warning blocks
that go on the panels of modern jet air
craft, obviously have to remain on an
area of transparent carrier film to have
an adhesive grip, so do not trim real
close to these tiny markings.
Once the decal is cut from the sheet it
should be moved only with tweezers or
the edge of a wood matchstick or dowel
rod. Dip the decal in clean, lukewarm
water for 10-15 seconds and then set it
face up on a piece of paper towel or card
board for about a minute while the
water has a chance to dissolve the glue
between the decal and the paper back
ing. Never leave the decal floating in
the water while the glue dissolves or too
much of the glue will be washed away.
(A little white glue mixed with the
soaking water will help to provide addi
tional adhesive. Any excess can be re
moved with a damp cloth after the decal
has dried.)
The decal should be positioned on the
model as soon as the glue has softened
enough so the decal can be moved off of
the paper backing. Place both the decal
and still-attached paper backing ex
actly where the decal should adhere to
the model. Hold down the decal with a
blunt edge and slide the paper backing
out from beneath it with tweezers.
Carefully slide the decal into perfect
position.
Wrap a piece of Kleenex around your
fingertip and use it to dab the decal
flat onto the surface. Work from the
center of the decal toward the edges,
pushing outward any water trapped
underneath.
Setting solutions
If your decals have been expertly ap
plied over a smooth surface, your next
step — in 6 to 8 hours — will be to apply
the final protective coating. However, if
the surface contains panel lines, rivets,
or other detail that prevents the decal
from lying absolutely flat, chances are
that you will have to apply one of the
decal-softening fluids such as Solvaset,
9 DECALS AND FINISHES
Flat-finish paints should be coated with
clear gloss paint to accept decals.
To apply decals (those provided or alter
nate sheets), you need water, tissues,
knife, dowel, tweezers, and setting agents.
Micro Set, and Micro Sol to enable the
decal to conform to the exact shape of
the surface.
Spread a thin layer of one of these
water-like fluids over the surface and
edges of the decal. Pull any excess off by
touching the fluid with the corner of a
piece of tissue paper. Do not touch the
decal itself. Any wrinkling of the decal
at this time is normal; it will flatten as it
dries.
Allow the solvent to dry for 6 to 8
hours and then gently dab at the decal,
if necessary, to force it to follow the con
tour of the surface. If air bubbles have
formed, puncture them with a pointed
object such as a sharp needle or the
point of your hobby knife, and then
press the surface down. Place another
drop of setting solution on the decal if
needed.
The softening technique can be used
to make a decal conform to a convex or
concave surface such as an automobile
fender or the nose of an airplane. If the
surface is extremely rough, such as the
wavy panels of a simulated cloth-
covered airplane, you may want to
apply a layer of one of the decal soften
ers to the surface just before you lay the
decal in place. Micro Set, in fact, is
recommended by the manufacturer
for application underneath the decal.
After you have dabbed at the decal for
the final time, wait another 8 hours for
the decal and softening fluid to dry com
pletely. The decal now should conform
to the surface as tightly as if it were
painted on. The clear areas that you had
47
 2

1. Decals should be cut from backing sheet with a

hobby knife. 2. Dip in water for approximately 10 to
15 seconds and then place on towel for 1 min
ute. 3. Apply to model with tweezers and dowel
rod. 4. Dab decal flat with tissue while holding in
position with dowel.

to leave on some of the decals will still
be visible and all of the decals may have
a bit more gloss than the other surfaces
of the model. Use a damp cloth to care
fully wash away decal adhesive from
the surface of the model.
To achieve an overall uniform finish,
you may wish to coat the model with a
clear varnish or one of the commer
cial clear finishes. Before discussing
this procedure, let’s briefly mention
some more methods and products re
lated to decals.
Some military modelers working
with flat paints do not bother to place a
gloss coating over the flat finish as a
preparation for accepting decals. They
rely on the extensive use of the soften
ing fluids, plus the final protective coat
ing, to make decals adhere to the flat
finish. We suggest you use the gloss coat
until your own experience indicates you
can vary the procedure.
A number of the latest military kits
have transfer sheets that have a flat or
dull finish, instead of a glossy finish.
Such decals will of course better match
the real-life dull finish of military
markings, but the decal finish isn’t too
important if you cover the entire model
with a protective coating anyway. Such
flat decals still may need a glossy sur
face coating as a base, which also will
have to be coated later regardless of
the finish of the decals.
Decals may vary in quality from
manufacture r to manufacture r and
from kit to kit. If you employ the differ
ent techniques and still experience poor
results in placing decals, purchase sub
stitute decals and try again.
Dry transfers
A more recent development has been
the appearance of rub-on markings
called dry transfers. In general these
do not come with kits. Some dry

48 9 DECALS AND FINISHES

Before placing a decal over a complex or wavy shape (like this
simulated cloth-covered rudder), brush on a decal setting agent.
transfers for hobby use —featuring
markings and insignia — have been
produced, but they are not widely
available. A variety of dry-transfer
letters, numbers, and patterns (includ
ing lines, dashes, dots) intended for
commercial artists and printers are
sold in drafting- and art-supply stores.
As the name dry transfer implies,
these markings are simply placed on
the model with their own paper back
ing. Water is not involved. The paper
backing is on the front of the marking,
however, instead of at the back of the
marking, and the dry transfer is pressed
directly against the surface of the
model. The paper backing (or fronting)
is clear so you can see exactly where the
marking is as you place it against the
surface.
The backing should be burnished
with a blunt-pointed lead pencil or simi
larly soft stick until you can see that the
dry transfer has stuck to the model. You
Place the decal and dab It lightly with facial tissue. Then apply
another layer of setting agent over the decal.
Slice through decals where they pass over
the hinge Joints of simulated control sur
faces. Brush setting agent into the area.
Setting agents and softeners most com
monly are used over decals to make them
adhere tightly and prevent cloudy appear
ance. Dab excess agent as decal sets.
may need to burnish the back of the dry should have a fiat finish while most
transfer slightly against a piece of card automobiles, motorcycles, and commer
board before placing it against the cial aircraft should have a gloss finish.
model to make sure that all of the trans If you have applied flat paints to a
fer will eventually rub off. Dab the military model and have sprayed a gloss
transfer lightly with tissue to see that it coat as a base for decals, a final coating
is firmly set. Then the model can be of clear dull paint will restore the flat
dusted with the flat- or gloss-finish clear appearance and dull the shine of the
paint. decals.
Because individual dry-transfer let The most readily available clear coat
ters can be burnished in place so easily ings for modelers are Testers Dullcote
(as opposed to trying to cut individual
wet-transfer letters and position them
correctly), dry transfers are excellent
for numbering racing cars or motorcy
cles or for placing individual serial and
identification numbers on aircraft,
armor, and ships.
Final clear finish
Unless you are striving for a special
effect, the protective final coating
should have a finish to match the finish
of the prototype. Most aircraft and armor
9 DECALS AND FINISHES 49
Markings on some prototypes were handpalnted. Here we point
to a model's marking that was handpalnted with a No. 000 brush.

Right—The all-important final clear coat—flat or gloss— may be

applied by spray cans held 24 inches or more from the model.

Airbrushes can also be used for the final finish. A light coat of Remove decals by slicing underneath and wiggling with a razor
clear gloss over a clear flat coat duplicates a WWI semi-gloss. blade. Use Magic Tape to help lift; use setting agent on scraps.

and Glosscote. A number of other clear
coatings are available in paint and art
supply stores. These products come in
spray cans. (A coating that is brush-
applied is acrylic floor wax, described on
pages 27 and 29.)
The final clear coat should be
"dusted” on in several light applica
tions. Hold the spray can about 60 cen
timeters away from the model so that
the clear paint barely covers it. Don’t
allow the model to become very wet. A
thick coating of most clear paints will
curl the decals but a thin layer should
dry before it has a chance to dissolve the
decal. Remember to leave canopies off
or mask such clear areas because the
spray will have a frosting effect. Three
or four light coats of clear, with about a
half-hour’s drying time between each
one, should give the model a uniform
flat or glossy finish.
Some clear coatings are available for
brush application. With the widespread
availability of coatings in inexpensive
spray cans, there is no need to resort to
the more difficult brush application, un
less you have a specific reason such as
touching up the tip of a decal. (Modelers
who prefer not to use final clear coatings
over an entire model can brush such
coatings over just the decals, although
an uneven appearance may result.)
Airbrush users have a t their
disposal—in addition to hobby clear
paints — a number of clear varnishes,
such as Pratt & Lambert’s household
varnish (thinned about 1:1 with P&L’s
varnish thinner), which work nicely.
The varnish can be applied so thin that
it really can’t be seen, yet it dries
quickly, protects the model, and espe
cially, protects the decals during subse
quent washings and cleanings. If decals
should later curl up, they can be tacked
down with just a bit of varnish applied
by brush.
Aircraft modelers may want to add
the landing gear and other fine details
to the model after the decal application
and clear painting is completed so the
clear doesn’t build up around the crev
ices between the wheels and struts.
Most modelers wait until that final
clear coat is dry before they assemble
the second wing on World War I bi
planes. Rigging and aerials and other
fine details should also be added after
the clear coats have been applied.

50 9 DECALS AND FINISHES


To accent the links In a model motorcycle's chain, apply the paste-like Rub 'n Buff with
the tip of a toothpick. Many finishes are available; silver leaf Is ideal for simulating the
worn treads on tank tracks and the wear areas on aircraft wings.
10 Weathering]
USUALLY there is some kind of clue
to indicate the type of material a ship,
aircraft, or armored fighting vehicle has
hiding beneath its coat of paint. Some
times the material is obvious; there is
no doubt that most jet fighters are
aluminum —you can actually see the
metal. Most prototypes, however, only
provide a hint or two about their basic
structure. These hints are the ones you
should build into your plastic models to
further the illusion that they are truly
metal, wood, or cloth-covered.
The rigors of day-to-day use soon
wear and chip away bits of the paint on
any full-size plane, ship, tank, aircraft,
or automobile. Spend a few hours at a
library studying books with photo
graphs showing warplanes, tanks, or
ships in action. Notice where, why, and
how the prototypes have been beat up
and have weathered.
The finish on a tank,jeep, or armored
car will show severe deterioration
where the tracks or wheels have thrown
stones and mud upward. Areas around
fenders will reveal rust-edged scars and
tank tracks may show rust and mud.
The front of the vehicle may be chipped
from stones thrown back by vehicles it
has followed. The mud and dust splash
will be strongest at the bottoms of the
fenders or running boards and will
gradually disappear toward the top of
the vehicle. The top, however, may
show severe bleaching from prolonged
exposure to the sun. The areas around
the doors or entry hatches may be
chipped and rusty where countless
boots have clambered aboard. Tow ca
bles or spare tracks will probably dis
play great splotches of rust.
The application of paints and other
modeling products to your model to
simulate the effects of wear and
weather on the prototypes is called
weathering. Model weathering most
often is done after the model has been
painted. However, in some cases you’ll
want to construct or paint your model in
a special manner with weathering in
mind.
Military models, especially aircraft,
are most commonly weathered by ap
plying small amounts of aluminum or
silver paint over the painted finish to
10 WEATHERING
represent the bare metal undersurface
where paint has been chipped away.
Along with aluminum paint (best ap
plied by dry brushing), Rub ’n Buff
silver leaf is an effective weathering
substance. Apply it with a soft cloth,
cotton swab, or wood matchstick. Areas
of wear that can be treated in such a
manner include the much-handled
edges of canopy framework, the forward
edges of the wings, stabilizer, and rud
der, and the edges of the removable en
gine and ammo panel covers as well as
the top of the wing (of a low-wing mono
plane) where the pilot steps aboard.
Dark stains appear along aircraft
surfaces from engine exhausts, oil
leaks, and gunport powder burns. Dry
brush black or gray paint to simulate
such stains. For long stains, such as
those caused by some oil leaks, mix the
paint with thinner to apply as a "wash,”
with the color thinning out to become
more and more transparent as it moves
away from the source of the leak.
One of the quickest and least expen
sive methods of simulating hydraulic
oil leaks makes use of a water-soluble
felt-tip pen and a dampened cloth.
Merely deposit black ink on the surface
by drawing a few overlapping squiggly
lines at the head of the oil leak area.
Rub the damp cloth lightly over the
felt-tip pen marks in the direction the
leak stains should tail off. The ink
should smear in a pattern identical to
that of an oil stain. A coating of clear
paint will protect the water-soluble
stain from further smearing.
An even better job of painting ex
haust stains and oil leaks can be done
with an airbrush. Use black paint (you
may wish to mix it with another color or
two to get a "dirty” black instead of a
pure black) considerably thinned and
hold the airbrush close to the cowling or
exhaust port. Begin your sweep with a
fine spray. As you move the airbrush in
the rearward direction of the exhaust,
bring it back away from the surface,
creating a "tailing off” effect of the ex
haust stains. Some exhaust stains on a
dark color —such as the blue of World
War II U.S. Navy aircraft —may appear
more gray than black. Thus you can use
gray paint to duplicate lighter exhaust
stains. To airbrush powder burns, mask
the leading edge of the wing and then
aim the brush right at the gunport and
give it a quick burst of paint. Study
>OO'
51

The edges of this Corsair cowling were dry brushed with black paint to indicate the areas
where leaking oil had been blown out of the cowling and back beneath the fuselage. The
edges of the propeller were dabbed with silver to show chipping. Also note how the
gunpowder exhaust has blackened the wing behind the gunports.
photographs of the prototype to see ex
actly what pattern the stain should
make over the wing surface behind the
gunport.
Dirt, mud, and rust —as well as the
scratches that expose bare steel —are
some of the weathering effects you will
want to incorporate into your models of
armored fighting vehicles. Along with
black, brown and dark-red hues should
be used; special blends such as
Humbrol’s Rust and Pactra’s Mud are
available at some hobby shops. Some
modelers find that the particles of pig
ment that settle to the bottom of their
Tanks offer many weathering challenges: paint-cleaning jar make an ideal "ear
Touch rust-colored paint to spare tracks thy” weathering color.
carried on top; tow cables could also show If you want to portray a vehicle with
rust. Silver paint will indicate boot scuffs only a light coating of dust, dilute the
and tread wear. Use thick weathering
appropriate color (dust color will vary
paste as “mud" on tracks.
according to the terrain and geographi
cal region) with thinner and apply it by
brush in a thin wash over the model or
spray it by airbrush with the brush held
away from the model. Beware that too
much thinner in the mix could eat into
the surface paint and distort the ap
b e iQQ1 pearance.
To duplicate mud, apply the paint
thicker than normal. You can use paint
from the bottom of the jar; do not stir the
paint before use. Modeling clay and
body putty have also been used to rep
52 10 WEATHERING
resent mud by a number of modelers.
Weathering can be applied more ef
fectively when you have some idea of
the type of weathering you want before
you paint your model. For example, in
stead of painting aluminum over the
camouflage scheme of an aircraft to rep
resent the bare metal beneath the
paint, you might want to first paint on
the aluminum so that it actually is un
derneath the camouflage.
In Chapter 8, we mentioned how
aluminum foil could be placed on a
model that was to be painted. Chips of
paint later would be removed to reveal
the aluminum undersurface. Along
with aluminum foil, you can use
aluminum paint or Rub ’n Buff as the
undersurface for the finish colors. You
need not apply the undersurface over
the entire model. Simply place it along
the leading edges of the wings or top of
the wing roots where you plan to show
weathering.
Instead of removing chips of paint
with your hobby knife to show the
aluminum undersurface, you might
wish to keep areas of wear exposed right
from the beginning by masking them
over with small pieces of tape or dabs of
liquid masking agent before applying
the surface colors.
Severe bleaching of paint by the sun
also is best simulated if the model is
first painted. The easiest way to show
bleaching is to lighten the finish color
by blending in white paint. Even though
you lighten the color being used to paint
the top of the wing and fuselage of a
model airplane, you most likely will
want to paint the undersurfaces the
normal color because on the prototype
these would have been protected from
sunlight and would not have been sub
ject to bleaching.
Ship models present weathering chal
lenges of their own. On prototype wood
ships the wood grain may be visible
where the wood has been coated with
shellac or varnish. The paint may have
worn thin in other areas to expose
water-swollen wood grain. The sails
will show the results of their bouts with
the sun and wind. Dirt usually collects
at the top of the sail and is washed down
the canvas by fog and rain. The upper
edges of the sails, then, will be a dirty
gray-brown that will wash out toward
the bottom of the sail. The seams natur
ally will collect the gray-brown grit.
It’s easiest to show wood grain on
those plastic models that have the grain
actually molded into the hull and other
surfaces. After brush painting or spray
ing the surface with a tan, brown, or
similar color denoting wood, use the
dry-brush technique to apply the grain.
Barely wet the brush with a darker
brown paint and then touch it to the
high spots of the seams or raised wood
grain.
The dirty grit found on sails can be
applied to your model with a gray-
 z
* A

Just back from Ploestl? The war-weary appearance of bare metal

wearing through the paint on this B-24 model by Robert Nelson
can be achieved in many ways —with silver paint, silver leaf Rub
'n Buff, or aluminum foil painted and then chipped. Touch rivet
heads with silver, or pop out detail with a light sanding.

Left— Engine-oil leaks and hydraulic-system leaks can b e d e

picted with an inexpensive felt-tip pen: Scribble a line of black ink
at the source point of the leak; then take a damp cloth and smear
the ink in a “leak” pattern that tails away from the source. Fix the
ink with a coat of a clear spray paint.

Ship models call for special weathering techniques. Use the side
of a paintbrush, above, to dry brush the raised "wood grain”
surfaces of a sailing-ship hull. The broad, open surface of the
lower portion of the hull was painted white, then weathered to
bring out wood grain by rubbing it with a cloth dipped into brown
paint and thinner. Right—To weather the sails, thin brown paint
with nine parts thinner and spread with a cotton Q-tip swab. More
“dirt" should show at the top than at the bottom.

brown mix diluted with a full 90 per
cent thinner to 10 per cent paint. Brush
or spray this wash down the sail, with
the heavier concentration of color at the
top. Make sure the grit is darker in the
seam areas (try dry brushing).
Steel ships quickly show signs of rust
ing following painting. Your model
might display drips and dabs of brown
and brown-orange near iron chains,
nail heads, and anchors. More severe
rusting can be shown by painting a
wash of orange-brown i n vertical
streaks down the hull. Copper or brass
paneling or pins will quickly oxidize to a
gray-green variation of copper oxide.
Remember that rust, wood grain, and
chipped paint normally do not occur at >OO'
random; there’s a good reason why the
wear is more severe in one area than it
is in another. Your own miniature
weathering efforts should reflect this.

10 WEATHERING 53
 thousands of books containing overall
and detail photos of the prototypes.
Visit the book counter at your hobby
shop to see what books show prototype
variations of the plastic kits you are
modeling. Your local library is another
excellent source of books to be used for
modeling reference.
Historical research can show you how
the parts of an aircraft, for example,
looked in action and how different coun
tries detailed the same aircraft. A
hobby shop will likely be able to supply
decals to match the aircraft variation
you are modeling.
This chapter gives specific instruc
tions on detailing the various types of
popular kits. You will find tips given for
one type of model can usually be applied
to another type of model. In addition to
discussing detailing, we comment on
some of the basic —but more exacting
— problems and procedures encoun
tered in general assembly, such as the
rigging of a ship and the elimination
of join lines in aircraft.
Aircraft
The use of books as research material
is especially helpful when modeling air
craft. Today there are dozens of books on
the market that show aircraft in their
many variations and color schemes.
Most model airplane kits have a
wealth of molded-in detail and lines
representing flaps, ailerons, and panels.
On the other hand, the plastic pieces
may fit together in such a way as to form
The 1/32-scale Hasegawa Fw 190A kit includes engine parts and machine guns. The join lines in places where join lines did
modeler, however, must add cables and lines for a truly detailed replica. not appear on the prototype. Such an
area on plastic aircraft is along the root
of the wing where the wing joins the
fuselage. Because of the manner in
which most plastic aircraft kits are
molded, the wings and the fuselage are
assembled as separate parts which
11 Detailing must be joined together (not unlike the
prototype). In the majority of models the
wings and fuselage are joined at the
wing root, creating a join line. Depend
ing on the quality of the kit, the wing
rootjoin line may vary from an almost
imperceptible thin line to a gap a few
AFTER you’ve mastered the basic model, study the prototype subjects millimeters wide.
modeling techniques shown in the pre closely. You will want to add certain The modeler must decide how the
ceding chapters, you will be ready to features or parts that did not come with wide gaps should be filled and whether
the kit. You may even want to alter even a thin join line should be left show
eling that will add even more realism to certain parts to show different posi ing on his model. Some prototype air
your scale replica. tions— flaps lowered on an airplane, the craft, such as the F-86 Sabre, displayed
To learn what details to add to your door opened on an automobile, and so an actual demarcation line where the
forth. wing was joined to the fuselage. Other
Look at the prototype to learn how the aircraft, such as the P-51 Mustang and
details should appear on your model. If P-47 Thunderbolt, displayed a curved
you are modeling automobiles, trucks, sheeting or fairing at the wing root
and motorcycles, you may be able to which blended the wing into the
look at the prototype in person. Make fuselage.
careful notes; even take photographs if The photographs on page 55 illus
you can. If you are modeling aircraft, trate wing-root join lines on a number of
ships, and armored vehicles, you may popular prototype aircraft as they ap
not be able to view the prototype so eas pear when viewed up close. The appear
ily. Luckily, the history of aircraft, ance ofjoin lines often depends upon the
ships, armored vehicles, and automo distance from which they are viewed.
biles has been recorded in literally From a distant view a P-51
with strong

11 DETAILING

North American A-36A (version of P-51).
overhead sunlight casting a shadow at
the root of the wing may appear to have
a sharp join line. Many prototype join
lines, when viewed from a distance,
may appear to be much sharper or wider
than they really are. For a model that
will be subject to close inspection, there
fore, you may wish to fill with putty
even very thin join lines that show on
the model.
We explained on page 22 that much of
the rivet detail in plastic scale aircraft
is too large for the scale. This probably
happened because manufacturers be
came overzealous in their attempts to
create such fine detail as rivets. Many
modelers choose to retain the rivet de
tail as it is or to sand it down slightly
because they like the effect of rivets
showing. However, many modelers
sand away all rivet detail from 1/72-
and 1/48-scale aircraft to create a per
fectly smooth wing and fuselage that is
technically more accurate on a scale
replica. Such modelers even fill in or
sand away all control-surface and panel
lines, and then rescribe these lines in
positions that their research indicates
are more accurate for the particular
model they are building.
It is not within the scope of this book
to delve h e a v i l y i n t o the m a n y
modifications and extensive "conver
sions” that can be made from plastic
kits. However, there are a number of
basic yet impressive modifications that
you can make to enhance the realism of
You c a n detail a finished aircraft model by adding radio antennae. With a pin vise, drill a
small hole In the tall. Dip one end of a straight piece of steel or copper wire Into epoxy and
Insert It Into the hole you have drilled, above left. Fix the other end to the antenna post
with epoxy and allow It to set up. Then trim to proper length with a hobby knife if soft
copper wire, above right, or with diagonal cutters If steel wire.
/
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.
North American B-25 Mitchell.
your replicas. Among these is the addi
tion of movable surfaces to your model:
flaps and canopy hatches on aircraft;
doors and hoods on automobiles; and
hatches on armored vehicles and ships.
The techniques for adding movable
parts are about the same for the various
types of models. You will need a jewel
ers’ saw to make the thin cuts necessary
to remove flaps, doors, and hatches. A
woodbuming pencil with a replaceable
knife blade called a "hot knife” is used
by some modelers for making cuts in
plastic. This instrument is available at
hobby shops. The blade becomes hot
enough to melt through the plastic.
You may find it advantageous to
purchase duplicate kits when planning
to cut and position several flaps and
hatches. Cut the flaps or hatches from
one kit a bit undersize and trim the
11 DETAILING
North American F-86 Sabre.
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress.
openings with a file and a piece of sand
paper right up to the roll radius at the
edge of the seams. Cut the flaps and
hatches from the second kit a bit over
size and file them to fit the openings you
cut in the first kit. If you try to refit the
flaps and hatches from a single kit,
you’ll sometimes find that the gap left
by the saw blade or hot knife is too
large — and there is no margin for error
if your cut is not perfectly true to the
outline of the part. It may be possible to
slice through the thin hinge seams of
the rudder and aileron without damag
ing the matching pieces, but the thick
wing flaps and various hatches will
have to be cut and filed, using two kits,
for a snug fit.
You may want to make the flaps mov
able by fashioning hinges from piano
wire, brass tubing, and tape, although
in many cases this can be more trouble
than it is worth. Most modelers are con
tent to simply glue the flaps in the
"down” position.
Autos, trucks, and ’cycles
Automobile and motorcycle kits
probably sell better than any others on
55
the market; and truck models are grow
ing rapidly in popularity thanks to
trucking shows on television, popular
songs about trucking, and the growth of
CB radio.
If you have detailed your auto or
truck model with open doors and hoods,
you will want to go a step further and
add working hinges so that the doors
and hoods can be opened and closed.
Working hinges for a model can be filed
from kits that have working doors,
hoods, or trunks. However, plastic
hinges are normally quite weak even on
the original kit; when cut and cemented
onto another model, the mounting
points are even weaker.
Auto World manufactures special
Similar techniques are used to open doors
all-metal hinges called Auto Trophy on a car model, to open hatches on ships
Hinges that are designed for use on and armor, and to lower flaps on an air
model cars. They are available in some plane. Drill a 1/16-inch hole in the door
hobby shops or by mail from Auto seam, above. Remove one end of the blade
World, 701 N. Keyser Ave., Scranton, from a jewelers' saw and Insert It Into the
PA 18508. hole, above right. Clamp the blade end
Auto Trophy Hinges are easy to in back into the saw, adjust the angle, and
stall once you have cut the door, hood, or begin cutting to remove the door, right.
trunk away and have fitted the movable
piece precisely into the opening in the
car’s body. Attach the metal tab on each
hinge to the backside of the door, hood,
or trunk and fasten the two wires to the
body. The imaginary line that would
fall through the pivot point of the two
hinges must be perfectly straight so
that the pivot axis of the two hinges is
the same. Temporarily fit the two
hinges in place with masking tape and
open the door, hood, or trunk to see that
it swings freely and aligns perfectly
with the opening when it is closed.
Mark on the plastic the position of the There's an alternative to cutting doors
metal tab and the two wires for each with a saw. Most hobby shops sell a wood
hinge. burning pencil with a replaceable knife
The pivot pin of each of the hinges blade tip called a hot knife, which will
melt through plastic, above left The cut
should be positioned in the crack be
is so wide that you will have to use two
tween the door, hood, or trunk and the bodies of the same model. After the door
body. A small notch will have to be filed is removed from the body you intend to use
in the backside of the parts in the posi as the frame, above, file the opening
tions indicated for metal tabs so that the smooth, left Cut a door a bit oversize
hinges’ pivot will fit in place without from the second body and file the door
jamming the part. File the notches and down to fit into the frame of the first body.
tape the hinges in place once again to Remember to allow for the thickness of the
see that they still allow the movable paint to be applied.
part to swing freely when open and fit
tightly when closed. If you decide to use the magnetic door Whereas most military models are
When you are satisfied that the latches that come with the Auto Trophy finished with flat paints, most auto,
hinges are perfectly fitted, cement them Hinges, cut a 3.2-millimeter piece of the truck, and motorcycle replicas are
permanently in place with epoxy. Tape magnetic material in the kit with a pair finished with glossy paints. (Exceptions
the movable part in place with masking of diagonal wire cutters. File a notch in would be those road vehicles, especially
tape until the epoxy has set. the edge of the door, in about the posi trucks, on which you intend to show
tion where the full-size car’s door latch the results of heavy wear and weather
would be, in which to fit the magnetic ing.) Since glossy enamels and other
material. Then cut a 3.2-millimeter glossy paints are more difficult to apply
piece of tin-can stock and file a notch in by brush than are flats, spray cans and
the body’s door post so that the stock airbrushes normally are used when
will mate with the magnetic material painting highway vehicles.
when the door is closed. Test fit the Spray-can paints are handy for the
pieces and hold them in place with beginning modeler because a wide
epoxy. Insert a piece of tissue paper be selection is available: the basic opaque
tween the magnetic material and the colors; candy and flake coatings made
tin-can stock (until the epoxy sets) to by hobby manufacturers; and automo
allow enough clearance for the door to tive touch-up paints, sold in auto
open and close. supply stores, that precisely match ac-

56 11 DETAILING
Models will h a v e a more authentic look if
the bottoms of the tires are flattened
slightly to represent the great amount of
weight they are carrying. Flatten tires by
sanding them, top, or by softening them
with a hot knife, abovo.
Some of the larger kits provide plastic tubes for engine wires a n d cables. With others,
cut your own plastic tubing and small-diameter steel wire (available from a n electronics
supply store) to use a s cables and wires. U s e a pin vise to drill holes. To trace t h e p a t h
of engine-compartment wiring (as well a s to check coloring) o n older m o d e l cars, c o n
sider visiting a n auto junkyard.

To install commercial hinges, bend the tab of the hinge around
the wire with a pair of needlenose pliers. The hinge must b e
able to pivot freely. Apply a small drop of oil to the pivot point and
wipe away any excess. Tape the hinges in place, temporarily,
with masking tape. Check to see that the door pivots open freely
and that It closes completely with a n equal gap all around the
edges of the opening. Remove the hinges, file a notch to c l e a r t h e
pivoting point, and retape the hinges again to check the clear-
opening. Hold the hinges in place by spreading with epoxy. W h e n
t h e epoxy sets, remove the t a p e from the door. These s a m e steps
can b e used, of course, to provide hinges for trunks a n d hoods.

tual colors used on full-size automobiles.
Let’s follow the recommended proce
dure for painting a car model with a
spray can. The primer step in painting
is, perhaps, the most critical to the car
modeler. Use a primer color that will
closely match the finish color. Sand the
primer smooth with No. 600 wet-or-dry
sandpaper used wet, making sure the
primer is thoroughly dry before sand
ing. If you sand through the primer,
apply second and third coats. If you use
a lacquer primer (in preparation for
those auto touch-up paints that are lac
quers), don’t forget to apply protective
coatings of Floquil Barrier.
Apply the first color coat of primer in
a light mist by holding the can 40 cen
timeters or more from the model (be
ware of the powdery lumps that can to apply several thin coats. Avoid the
build up on the surface when a spray temptation, however, to apply more
can is held too far from the model). After than four or five color coats. We’ve
the first coat dries, apply the second coat heard of car models with up to 20 coats
closer to the model for full coverage. If of paint, but on many the paint will
required, sand very lightly between eventually begin to crack.
coats with wet No. 600 sandpaper to
remove imperfections. To achieve a
glossy finish, hold the spray can closer
to the model to apply the final color coat,
but be careful that the paint doesn’t
begin to run. For a very high gloss,
spray one or more coats of gloss clear
paint onto the model.
To protect an enamel finish, allow the
paint to dry for several days and then
polish the model with automotive wax.
Lacquers and acrylics may be easier
to use than enamels, but you may have

11 DETAILING 57

THE ART OF SPRUE STRETCHING
THOSE miniature wires and cables
you add to your replica can best be
made from stretched plastic sprues
left over from the kit's molding racks.
T h e major advantage of plastic sprues
i s that they are light and therefore
easy to glue with a permanent joint.
A n o t h e r advantage i s that sprues
e n a b l e y o u t o make t h i n plastic
"wires" and “cables" that vary i n
diameter— from a few millimeters to a
hair’s width. Thin pieces can be used
to duplicate guy wires and railings on
ships, radio aerial wires o n aircraft,
and radio antennae o n armored fight
i n g vehicles. Thicker pieces are use
f u l f o r landing-gear braces, control
levers, and for other interior details.
W i t h practice you will be able to
stretch the sprue to the exact diam
eter y o u want every time.
To begin, select a sprue i n the
appropriate color so that you won't
have t o thicken the wire with paint.
To rub out a realistic gloss in a lac
quer finish (as opposed to the very high
gloss achieved with clear gloss finishes),
spread some toothpaste over the model
and polish it with a cotton cloth. In cor
ners and hard-to-reach areas, use a cot
ton swab. Be careful to keep the gloss
even.
Candy and metallic colors are popu
lar with both full-size cars and their
IIH
58
2 3
Clear plastic can be used to simu
late steel cable. Break off a straight
piece of the sprue and hold it a few
centimeters over a candle flame (1).
Pull slightly on the two ends while
the flame heats the sprue (2). When
you begin to feel the plastic soften and
give, move it away from the flame and
continue to pull it, gently and slowly,
o n each end. The heat-softened plastic
will stretch (3). It will take some prac
tice to learn how long to hold the sprue
over the flame and how close to hold
it without setting it on fire. However,
once you have experienced the feel of sprue to the appropriate point o n the
stretching the sprue, you will find that model with white glue o r 5 Minute
you can precisely control the amount Epoxy. (Plastic cement may also be
of stretch. used, but first scrape away any paint
Keep tension on the ends of the or chrome from the points o n the
sprue until it cools and hardens; the model where the ends o f the sprue
"wire" will be perfectly straight and will be attached.) After the glue dries,
stiff. Cut off the bulky ends with a trim off the excess length and glue
hobby knife, but do not cut the sprue the other end of the stretched sprue
to size (4). Glue one end of the stretched to the model.
models. The one-step "candy” spray for many specialized techniques. The
paints sold for automobiles are not ef rigging on a sailing ship, for example,
fective on models because the metallic is a unique feature in the world of
flecks are oversize. The best way to miniatures.
achieve a candy finish is to spray on two Contrary to popular belief, there was
coats of one of the special gold or silver not an exact rigging pattern for any
candy undercoat spray paints. Then
spray three or four coats (or more) of a
translucent color over the gold or silver
in an even thickness so there are no
bright spots or dull spots in the finish.
Build up the coats carefully and evenly,
remembering that translucent paints
run easily.
Ships
Ship modeling is one of the oldest
forms of scale modeling. You can as
semble a plastic replica of a modern
steel ship using many of the general
plastic-modeling techniques presented
in this book, but the construction and
detailing of a replica sailing ship calls Automotive wax can be used to protect the
finish of model cars as well as real cars.
11 DETAILING
 oTl
Above — U s e a n assortment of tweezers to
aid rigging. A reverse-action pair main
tains tension while the e n d s a r e tied off.
Below — Holes i n plastic sails should b e
drilled, not punched. U s e needle a n d
thread through t h e bonnet.

ii

The Revell Mayflower kit offers many details but several items can b e added that are not
Included In the kit. This one was improved by adding hand-sewn ratlines and bonnet,
by making loops of thread to simulate the hauling ends a s well as miscellaneous loops of
rope placed on deck, and by tying down the lifeboat and oars. Rigging should b e com
posed of light-colored thread to represent hemp used a s working rigging through blocks
and black thread to represent heavy tar-soaked rope used as permanent rigging.

particular ship. The captain often al
tered the rigging to suit his own experi
ence and the prevailing sailing condi
tions. Your library is a far better source
of reference for accurate ship rigging
than the box art or kit instruction
sheets. Most kits describe a simplified
rigging that gives the effect of the real
thing without quite so many lines.
You can use common household
thread for rigging. Coat the thread with
beeswax so that it will run straight like
real rigging (beeswax will also elimi
nate the "fuzzies” on cotton thread that
collect dust). If thread coated with
beeswax still sags, it should become
taut when exposed to the flame from a
candle.
You can run the thread (sorry, the
rope) through near-scale pulleys and tie
the ends off around the belaying pins.
The hauling ends (loops of rope) draped
around the belaying pins can be made
by wrapping some thread around a
dowel (a metal dowel works better than
wood because the thread won’t stick to
it) and saturating it with tube cement.
When the cement is tacky, work the
thread off and allow it to dry. When dry,
loop it over the tops of the belaying pins
with a sewing needle.
For much of the rigging, white glue
will hold better than plastic cement and
will be less noticeable than epoxy after
it dries. Also, there may be situations
where thread will not hang the way it
should; shape copper or steel wire to fall
the way rope would fall and paint the
wire with beige and a few dry-brushed
streaks of brown to imitate the color and Even a comparatively simple ship, like the
1/80-scale Llfe-Llke/Pyro North Atlantic
texture of rope.
Fishing Trawler, c a n b e a work of art. The
The color of a sailing ship hull can be sails and boat cover a r e m a d e of painted
traced to its period of use. The wood facial tissue.
hulls of early sailing ships were treated
with tallow or animal fat as protection
against marine life that would feed on
the wood. The result was a light-colored
hull as shown here and on page 53. On
later sailing ships tar or creosote was
used, giving the hull a dark appearance.
Paint such a hull black first, then the
basic color. To weather, sand with wet
No. 600 wet-or-dry sandpaper to expose
the blackened planks. Later, hull bot
toms were copper plated. To simulate
copper plating, first paint the plastic

11 DETAILING 59
Rolled tarps and tents, a common decoration on World War II David Musikoff bent some fine steel wire to a squared-off "c”
tanks, can be made from pieces of silk cloth cut to size and rolled and then drilled holes In the hatches of this Revell M-4 Sherman-
up. A thinned wash of olive drab can be used to color them. tank replica to mount the "handles.”

hull a bright copper color. Next, dip a

brush into light green paint and make
random, obnoxious strokes from top to
bottom (vertically — never horizon
tally); then repeat with white paint. Fill
the brush bristles with turpentine and
repeat the strokes. The green, white,
and copper will meld together as a per
fectly weathered hull.
The ship modeler doesn’t have to
bother with removable panels to show
interior details. There is plenty of ac
tion above deck.You might wish, how
ever, to cut open hatch doors on large
models to enhance realism.
Ships are characterized by flat
piece-to-flat piece construction above
the deck. There are many right angles.
No matter how well these are cemented,
there are likely to be out-of-scale join
lines. In many cases, the paint will fill
these thin seams. Beyond that, use
thinned body putty, such as a mix of
Squadron Green Putty and denatured
alcohol.
Weathering is just as important to
contemporary ships as sailing ships.
An open vehicle set, like the MRC/Tamiya 1/35-scale Jeep and trailer, almost begs for
Show scrape marks and chipped paint imaginative detail work. Jack Jacobs created mud splotches by flicking thinned paint oft
marks along the waterline and a toothbrush. Folded, rolled, and painted facial tissue was used as the tarp. Note the
prow — the result of salt water and high spools of thread representing cables.
speed. Wear will be heaviest at the bow
and stern. Rust is liable to appear any
where there is a stanchion or ladder. mored vehicles. The multipiece appear in this direction by including in the kits
Most rust will appear on the hull rather ance of this category of vehicles (re ammunition boxes, hooks, and handles
than on the superstructure. ferred to as AFV for Armored Fighting to add to the basic shell. Even the 1/76-
Vehicles) lends itself nicely to mul and 1/78-scale tanks and half-tracks
Armor tipiece plastic molding. The molding have fine detail, and at the other end of
The art of detailing is particularly seams are manufactured to correspond the scale the encyclopedia-siz ed
pertinent to the building of model ar- with panel lines in the prototype. Most 1/32-scale, 1/35-scale, and 1/24-scale
join lines are natural, corresponding to models have uncanny details such as
join lines in the prototype. There are not individually molded pieces for the
the seams to fill to retain the curves tracks, scale-size tow cables, and full
found in the real vehicle, as is the case interior display.
ini with airplane and many automobile You can pick up where the manufac
models. In short, AFV models are accu turers left off. AFV crews often per
rate and precise in detail, yet easy to sonalized their vehicles with exterior
assemble — with little chance of flaws trappings that included spare track
showing through to indicate the fact segments, tow cables, tarps, ammo
that the model is plastic. Therefore, you boxes, and chains. Field modifications
have the time to meet the challenge of that further altered the appearance
detailing your AFV models. were common. Dozens of photos exist of
Most manufacturers provide a start tanks and other AFV’s with sandbags

60 11 DETAILING
piled around turrets for extra protec
tion.
The accompanying photographs il
lustrate some of the materials that can
be used to detail your armored vehicles.
Some everyday household products can
serve as details on many AFV models.
Tarps can be constructed from folded,
rolled, and painted Kleenex tissues.
Door screen can be used to simulate
solid armor plate skirts.
Along with detailing, weathering is
important to the realistic appearance of
AFV’s. The clean tracks and bogie sus
pension lasted only as long as it took for
the vehicle to clank off the production
line. AFV’s were basically designed for
dirt, and your model shouldn’t be any
cleaner than the prototype.
One word of caution: Although you
don’t have to face complex masking and
painting of such delicate items as
canopies in your AFV modeling, you
will have to exercise special care in the
application of decals. You’ll have to
master the technique of applying decals
over rough and angular surfaces to
match the markings used on some
AFV’s. In some cases, several applica
tions of decal-softening agent will be
required to fit a decal tightly against a Consider adding interiors to armored fighting vehicles, or adding detail to those kits,
surface. (Other AFV’s had only crudely such as the Italaerel Marder III, that provide an interior. Keith Peiper added shells, a
handpainted numbers or tiny insignia machine gun, extra water cans, and personal equipment. The branches-and-leaves
on their few flat surfaces.) camouflage on top is moss taken from the backyard and painted.

TIPS FROM THE MODELER’S SCRAPBOX r I

1. Make a scrapbox— Never throw leftover parts away. Fill a scrap
box with the extra parts you did not use. An artillery shell you didn't
use i n one kit could be cut in half to create a shell casing left o n
the ground next to a gun i n a diorama made with another kit. The
many uses of leftover parts are almost endless.
2. Plastic cements— To achieve the easy flowing properties of
liquid cement and the bonding strength of tube cement i n a single
cement, try mixing liquid cement and tube cement together i n a
bottle. The mixture should be easy to apply, free of strings, and yet
have good bonding and filling characteristics.
7. Extensive spray painting— If you are doing considerable paint
ing with spray cans or airbrushes, consider buying a respirator.
This safeguard for continued good health could be one of your
best modeling investments.
8. Removing paint— Do you want to completely strip the paint from
your model so you can begin over? Spray some of the commercial
product Easy-Off o n your model. Rinse the model carefully and
make sure the solution does not come into contact with bare skin.
Easy-Off works in most situations, b u t experiment first o n a model
you are not as concerned with.

3. Ship hulls—The hulls of ships are some, of the largest pieces
molded for plastic kits. Owing to the tolerances of the molding
process, it is possible that the locating pin on one half of the hull
will not match the hole o n the other. If this happens, break off or file
away the locating pin. Line the hull u p and cement it so that the out
side is perfect (no one will see the inside). Reinforce the inside of
the hull with a thin bead o f epoxy. After the epoxy dries, use putty
o n the outside to fill any cracks. The hull won’t crack under filing
o n account of the epoxy.
'4. Make openings for realism— Drill holes or smooth out openings
wherever you can to duplicate such features o n the prototype and
add to realism. Engine cowls, gunports, air intakes, exhausts—
these features are all ideal subjects for such detailing.
9. Inserting wires — In addition to drilling holes to receive cables
and wires, you can insert thin steel wires into plastic. Hold a wire
with pliers over a candle flame and then press the hot wire into the
plastic. Repeat if needed to melt a deep hole.
10. Clear glass —To create the impression of a clear glass lens o n
a searchlight or signal light, o r even to simulate glass portholes
and airliner windows o n small models, place a drop of tube cement
at the opening. The cement should dry as a curved, transparent
bubble.

5. Masking— In addition to Scotch Magic Tape, another com

mercial product ideal for masking is the surgical tape manufac
tured by 3M and usually sold i n drugstores. It conforms especially
well to contours.

6. Spray-can paints —The paint i n spray cans will flow better if

room temperature is at least 70’ (21’C). To assure free-flowing
paints, place the can i n a pan of lukewarm water. Warning: This
water must not be hot because the can might burst or explode.

11 DETAILING 61
 1/48-scale F-16.
G. Letzter transformed a wood base Into an airfield runway apron for his Monogram
12 Displaying your models I :
' ! A,lM4k a. - - ■'
ONCE you have finished assemblin g we can handle it and show it to our
that museum- quality miniature , how friends. Handling is the "achilles’ heel”
are you going to display it? If you really of plastic models. The plastic material is
exhibited your model in a museum, it strong enough to retain its shape and to
would probably be locked away in a support itself but it just won’t stand up
glass case. You could, of course, buy a to constant handling. The little details
glass case, or a cabinet or bookshelf with such as aircraft landing gear, AFV
a glass front, but most of us would machine guns, and ship masts will soon
rather have our handiwor k accessible so snap off if you persist in picking up the
models.
We would recommend that you mount
your model on some type of base so the
base, rather than the model itself, can
be handled and moved about.
Hardware, craft, and hobby shops sell
wooden plaques with fancy beveled
edges that come in a size suitable for
clear 1 " LnlcK
Pl e c e Of
1
plastic also can serve as a base if
62 12 Dlsp
LAYING YOUR MODELS
the edges are beveled and sanded to give
it a finished look. Larger models can be
mounted on plywood or plastic bases cut
to fit an appropria te-size picture frame.
The picture frame serves as a nice
finished edge for the display base. The
model can either be held in place with
some bits of fine wire tied through holes
drilled in the mounting base or glued in
place with epoxy —just be sure that the
model is firmly attached!
You may want to make a small
diorama—a three-dim ensional scenic
represent ation, with details and figures
displayed in miniature —on the top of
the display base as was done with some
of the models in these photogra phs. The
surface can be detailed with white glue
and dirt to simulate the surface that the
real vehicle would normally rest on.
Concrete can be simulated with some
inked-in lines on cardboard , and water

A merchandise display case with glass shelves Is one of the ultimate ways in which to
display your replicas. A collection of scale aircraft Is shown in this display case.
can be simulated with a layer of wave
shapes in blue-green-painted epoxy.
Photographs from books and magazines
may lend you some ideas for a diorama
display.
Whether for a diorama or a finely
finished plaque, the base will enhance
the appearance of your model and en
able you to handle the model without
A painted plywood “apron" with a picture-frame border Is the base of Kenneth King's
diorama of a Mlnlcraft/Hasegawa F-86 Sabre with ground crew, jet engine, and tractor.
touching any of its delicate details.
Once you have decided how you will
display your models, you will need to
decide where you wish to display them.
Any windowsill or mantelpiece is fine,
as long as the models will not be stand
ing in the sun or on a heated surface.
Heat will warp the plastic of the models.
Ideally, your models should be dis-
12 DISPLAYING YOUR MODELS
The glass panels of a display case help to
keep models free of dust (and fingerprintsl).
played where the most people will see
and appreciate them. However, to pre
vent small children from playing with
them and other family members from
carelessly moving them, it may be wise
to keep your models in a bedroom or
workshop when they are not being
viewed by visitors.
Cleaning your models
You naturally assume that you are
going to keep those miniature expres- ;
sions of a labor of love forever. In truth,
however, there is a good chance that the
model you are working on right now will
see a trash can within a year. Why?
Because it will sit on the shelf just long
enough to collect a thick coating of dust
and a few broken parts. You will take a
look at the derelict one day and ask
yourself why you are keeping it.
If you have followed every word we
have written so far your model has been I
mounted on a wood or plastic base and it
is protected from dampness by a clear
coat of paint. The base, instead of the
model, can be moved for dusting or shelf
rearrangements. Dust is a perpetual
problem. You can mount some of your
prize models beneath a glass or plastic
cover but such a cover will tend to |
obscure the detail. So only a few of s?
your models, at best, will ever be
under glass. Eventually, then, the time j
will come for a dusting and, later, a
thorough cleanup.
The best tool for model cleanup is a
photographer’s puff brush. Photo supply
stores that specialize in darkroom
equipment should have one of these
handy little tools. You can brush and
blow at the same time by squeezing the
flexible bulb/handle. Vacuum clean
around, but never directly on the model
63
 while you are blowing the dust away so
that it doesn’t settle back down. Use a
small, fine-pointed paintbrush to work
around the tight and delicate areas that
you can’t reach with the puff brush.
If the model has collected sticky dust,
you may be able to remove the dust with
a cotton swab sprayed with household
Endust or a similar dust-catching
product. Windex can also be used on a
cotton swab to scrub away the sticky
residue that can accumulate on a mod
el, particularly one in a home heated
f '
by a forced-air gas-fueled furnace.
Monthly dusting should keep your
model clean enough to last for years.
Some day, though, the grease and grit
layers may become so thick that you
will have to do a complete cleanup.
Residue that has set over a period of
time may have to be scrubbed away
with a brush or cotton swab dipped in Garage area diorama built by Jerry Kurth features team manager and mechanics
lighter fluid. Lighter fluid is a solvent working on a John Player Special Lotus race car (In 1/12 scale by Tamiya).
for nearly every type of paint, how
ever, so you will have to be careful to
dissolve only the dust and not the
paint. A bath in a saucer of detergent
will be enough to wash away most resi
due and dust. We recommend that you
give all of your models such a clean
ing at least once a year. Don’t forget to
wash the detergent off or it will dry to
a tacky, dust-catching finish.
Repair any broken parts while the
model has your undivided attention.
Use quick-setting cyanoacrylates to
reattach any parts which may have
broken off the model. A coat of paste
wax will help to protect the finish on car
models. You can add a protective coat of Show off and protect your models by placing them in a Plexiglas display case. Pacific Coast
flat clear spray to your military models. Model Works makes such cases in several sizes. Model is a 1/25-scale AMT Penske Matador.

'ONSONOL

A photographer’s puff brush, left, is ideal for cleaning dust from product to collect sticky buildup. Lighter fluid, right, will remove
models. Use a cotton swab, center, sprayed with a dust-catching grease and grit, but be careful not to remove paint

Acknowledgments
The author and publisher wish to acknowledge the valuable
assistance received i n the preparation of this book from the
following modelers: John Eian, Allan Ericson, David Galbraith,
William Gebhard, Richard Hill, David Hogston, Al Jones, Jack
Mugan, Robert Nelson, Rick Reichardt, Lee Scow, Robert Stiegel,
Rod van der Tuin, Lester Wilkins, and Dan Wilson. The following
manufacturers also provided assistance: AMT Corp., Krasel
Industries, Model Products Corp., Monogram Models, Revell, and
The Testor Corp. Special thanks are extended to The Manitowoc
Maritime Museum; Minnesota Scale Modelers; Paul Freiler's
Historical Models, Torrance, Calif.; U.S. Air Force Museum,
Dayton, Ohio; and the Richard I. Bong Chapter of the International
Plastic Modelers' Society. (The IPMS, whose motto is " F o r
modelers by modelers," has 2700 members and more than 80
chapters in the U.S. Branch. Dues are $8.50 per year o n a June
through May basis. A modeling journal is issued quarterly, with
newsletter updates throughout the year. For information, write:
International Plastic Modelers' Society, P.O. Box 2555”, Long
Beach, CA 90807.

64 12 DISPLAYING YOUR MODELS

 r 71
I .

I N many parts of the U.S. and Canada modelers of all ages are able to Increase their enjoyment in the
hobby of plastlc-kit building by participating in organized modeling clubs. Here members and friends
of the Richard I. Bong Chapter (Milwaukee, Wis.) of the International Plastic Modelers’ Society
inspect an award-winning model of the U.S.S.Kearsarge, judge the aircraft entries In a modeling contest,
participate in a discussion of modeling techniques, and study a diorama of the Battle of Midway.