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MODELLING
TECHNIQUES
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There are many sites out there that tell you how to build models, most of them don't say that there is more than one way of doing things they just give the personal choice of the site creator. Fact is that there are many different ways of doing things and the one you use depends on you're personality and the results you want. I'll try and give a balanced list of techniques but I can't comment on techniques I've never used. The steps are in the order they might be needed when building something but they are interchangeable ie. some painting may need to be done before assembly. |
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1
Separating parts from sprues (parts trees to some): You CAN just break them off but this leaves jagged edges and can damage the parts (sorry but this borders on sacrilege. for the very lazy and very young only). You can use a knife which leaves a smooth edge but there is still a risk of damaging small parts when you apply pressure with the blade. Or you can use clippers which wont damage parts because they only apply force to the area being cut, however they leave a small bit of sprue still attached which must be trimmed. |
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2
Cleaning up parts: If parts have stubs of sprue, flash (thin sheets of plastic around the edges) or other nasties such as mold lines that need removing you can deal with them before or after assembly, obviously if assembly can be made easier or the parts cant be reached when assembled then they should be fixed before assembly. Defects can be removed by cutting with a knife, scraping with a knife, by using files or sand paper or a combination of all of these. I find that scraping and fine sandpaper leave the best surface so you may want to use these after any other method to leave the surface nice and smooth. |
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3
Assembly If you're really lazy then snap together kits are OK (except in the case of gundam where they're mostly snap) but even these will benefit from some glue to help things along. There are three basic types of glue that are of use: plastic cement, liquid plastic cement and cyanoacrylate (super glue). Plastic glue has the consistency of hair gel and gives high strength though it can tend to form strings when it is applied to the pieces. Liquid cement is the same as the gel stuff only it flows like water, it will melt plastic (that's how it sticks bits together) so you have to be careful and it can take a while to dry. I use the revell contacta stuff, it's half way between gel and liquid, its got an applicator that's real good for fine work and it's the only good thing revell makes. Super glue is fast and this means you have less time to get the pieces aligned right before it sets. The thicker the grade of super glue the longer it takes to set but the harder it is to separate the parts. PVA (white glue) can be used in some situations but not for plastic to plastic joints. |
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4
Once parts are assembled there may be gaps, holes and if you use liquid
cement, glue seams to clean up. Any raised defects, such as glue seams, can be removed using the techniques in step 2 but holes etc. require filling. There are three things I've used as filler: plastic putty, epoxy putty and superglue. Plastic putty is like plaster mixed up with glue so it will stick to plastic and is good for medium sized gaps dents etc. (I recommend testors like the revell glue it's the only good thing they make). Epoxy putty is mixed up from two parts (which don't set on their own) to give a clay like feel and sets into a solid workable form. It can be used for large gaps and holes or adding your own details. Some super glue comes in gap filing grades and these are what you use for filing small holes cracks etc. as the super glue sticks to anything and is quite hard when dry. Super glue is also good for surfacing balsa wood if you use it to scratch build components. |
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5
painting (optional) Once everything is to your satisfaction you may have to paint the model depending on whether it is moulded in colour (ie. gundams) and whether you used putty etc. on it. I always paint models but if your satisfied with an unpainted model it dosn't matter. A word about preparation, plastic models end up with all sorts of grease on them from your fingers and the machines used to produce them, you might not be able to see it but a wash in warm soapy water is a good idea before any paint is applied. Also a light sanding with fine sand paper will put a lot of very small scratches on the surface and give the paint something to grip. You can paint straight to the plastic but I find better results are achieved if an undercoat of a uniform colour is applied first. The colour of the undercoat should take into account the colours that will go on top. If the model will be black, black undercoat if OK, if the model if white or anything light then white is best. The undercoat serves two purposes first it makes the whole model one colour, if the plastic was black and the putty white this colour difference can show through paint and it gives the paint something to stick to. Some acrylic paint works better if used over an under coat. There are three ways of getting paint on the model: you can use a brush, an airbrush or spray cans. Unless you can be bothered masking of every tiny detail then brushes can't be avoided but for large areas airbrushes and spray cans are handy. When using brushes the paint should be kept nicely thinned so that it flows evenly onto the surface of the model and doesn't leave brush strokes when it drys. Airbrushes can spray any colour you mix up and can achieve various spay patterns, however they are expensive and require a compressed air source. Spray cans can be a bit expensive and you are limited to whatever colours manufactures choose to make. Finally you may want to varnish the finished model. This protects the paint and if the paint is either gloss or matt (shiny or not shiny) then you can change it to suit buy using appropriate varnishes. Keep in mind however which areas should be gloss and which matt. |
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Final step (optional) Now you've got a finished model you can just do whatever you want with it, or you can choose to make some form of display base for it. Bases can vary from a simple block of wood with the model glued on, to realistic terrain with the model doing whatever it does. Bases can also include an title/name for the model and some information about the model such as specifications or history. Some models such as gundams may not need bases because they are poseable and would lose poseability if stuck to a base but other models will be a lot better with a base as it can make the model more stable and gives you something to hold instead of the model it's self, this reduces that chances of breaking the model. A good example of a base that really makes a model better it "the streets of Stalingrad" where the base ties together all the figures and the gun and means the gun doesn't need to be handled. |
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| There you go all the basic techniques you need to build a model. I may put up some advanced techniques like battle damage and scratch building latter. Some techniques are described where they were used on various models and remember as I said in the photography section check other reference sources and chose what works for you. | |
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