Easy Scale Modeling

19 Pages·2005·1.405 MB·English

by  Collective

Easy Scale
Modeling
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Easy Scale
Modeling
Welcome to the world of scale modeling! Whether you
are taking up the hobby for the first time or returning
after a hiatus, this booklet will be a useful addition to
contents
your workbench. It distills the knowledge and experience of
FineScale Modeler magazine’s authors and editors into a single
quick-start reference guide.
Modelers build for a variety of reasons. For some, it’s a way to
get closer to a subject (aircraft, tank, ship, auto, or some other
vehicle) that fascinates them. Most of us will never drive a racecar, 7 steps to safe modeling . . . . . . . . . . . 3
fly a fighter plane, or sail on a battleship. But we can build mod-
els of those machines—and learn how they work and what role
A matter of scale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
they played in history.
Whatever your reason for taking up the hobby, it takes time to
become a good modeler. I’ve never met a modeler who said he had Top 10 tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
mastered everything and had nothing more to learn. No matter how
well the last model came out, there’s always something that can be
Go for the glue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
done better on the next one. With each project, you learn from your
mistakes, add to your skills, and become a better modeler.
How far you develop your skills is up to you. Some modelers Plan your project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
like to build kits straight from the box, without modifications.
That’s fine. Others research their subjects for years, gathering
Remove parts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
books, articles, photos, and other data from all over the world.
Then they spend more years meticulously recreating every detail
of a specific vehicle. Developing modeling skills is a journey. As Fill seams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
you progress, you’ll decide how far you want to go.
But now, it’s time to turn the page and begin your modeling
Paint your model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
journey. Enjoy! —Lawrence Hansen
Put on decals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Add realism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Acknowledgments: Christopher Appoldt, Tea Benduhn, Paul Boyer,
Bob Collignon, Jim Forbes, D.J. Heinrich, Elizabeth Lamb, Candice
St. Jacques, Kristin Schneidler, Terry Thompson, Matthew Usher,
Jeff Wilson, William Zuback
Senior editor:Lawrence Hansen
Managing art director:Michael Soliday
Art director:Thomas Ford
The contents of this booklet have previously appeared
in FineScale Modeler magazine.
© 2005 Kalmbach Publishing Co. All rights reserved. This book may not be
reproduced in part or in whole without the written permission of the publisher,
except in the case of brief quotations used in reviews. Published by Kalmbach
Publishing Co., 21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53187.
Printed in the United States of America
05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Visit our website at http://kalmbachbooks.com
Secure online ordering available
ISBN 0-89024-583-5
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7 steps to safe modeling
#6: Play it safe
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Use materials and tools properly,
You have that exciting new kit in your hands, and you’re ready and use extra caution when trying a
to tear open the box and start building, right? Not so fast, new product. If you’re picking up L
buddy. Let’s take a minute to talk about safety. Not only may tips from a friend or buying some-
you save a trip to the emergency room, you’ll actually be more thing at the store, don’t be afraid to
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productive in your hobby. ask questions. It’s foolish to end up
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in the hospital because you didn’t
#1: Pick the right location #3: Breathe easy want to ask a “stupid” question.
Your work space needs good lighting Wear disposable dust masks when
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and adequate ventilation, especially you are sanding; wear a respirator #7: Use common sense
if you’ll be airbrushing. Vent the when spray painting or airbrushing. The most important asset you can
fumes outside the house—sending have for safe model building is your
them to another room only endan- #4: Respect your power tools own self-education. Make sure you
gers someone else. Use a sturdy work Use power tools the way they were know what materials you are work-
surface; don’t model on a wobbly meant to be used—and follow the ing with, how to work with them,
tray table in front of the TV. Store all manufacturer’s instructions. Clamp what they can and cannot do, and
your modeling supplies behind parts securely, then make sure they’re what to do if something goes wrong.
closed (or locked) doors when positioned so that any chips or frag- Store paints, solvents, and other
they’re not in use. ments fly away from you. Wear pro- chemicals in well-sealed and well-
tective eyewear; the little shards of labeled containers, in the appropri-
#2: Watch out for sharp tools plastic or resin hurt as much as metal ate temperature range.
The two most important things to or wood. When necessary, wear Don’t assume that if you don’t
remember about hobby knives is gloves, a mask, and earplugs. Don’t smell anything, there’s nothing harm-
that if they have round handles, they try to modify a power tool; buy the ful in the air. If you begin to feel
will roll—and the end that usually specialty attachment you need. sleepy, inattentive, or distracted, take
falls first is very sharp. If something a break. If you have old materials, call
rolls off your desk, get out of its way #5: Know your chemistry your local hazardous waste disposal
and let it fall—odds are it will be Glues, paints, solvents, and sealers facility to find out if they’re still safe
safer to pick up (or clean up) once are all chemicals. Some of the com- to use—or how to dispose of them.
it’s on the floor. Slide a rubber grip binations of these chemicals are If you have special medical con-
onto the round handle or tape a sec- relatively harmless, but others can ditions, talk with your doctor about
tion of sprue to it to take the “round” be risky, dangerous, or even fatal. the chemicals you use and avoid any
out so the knife won’t roll. Also, keep Read the information on the that might aggravate your condition.
a sharp blade in the handle at all package. The label will tell you what Precautions aren’t intended to
times. The cut you get from a sharp, the basic hazards are, how you can prevent you from modeling—they’re
fresh blade is likely to heal more avoid them, and what to do in case meant to keep you modeling happily
quickly than one from a dull blade. of an accident. for years to come. Use them.
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(some older kits are 1/76 scale).
Detail parts can be finicky to work
L with, and many parts are heavy for
scale, but this is a good size if you
have limited space.
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On the other end of the size spec-
trum is 1/16 scale. These huge mod-
C els have a high “wow” factor. Be sure
you have the space to display them.
S Autos
The “standard” scales for auto kits
are 1/24 and 1/25. (There’s a 4-per-

cent size difference, so be careful
F when swapping parts between kits.)
Completed models are large enough
O to detail and small enough to dis-
play. You can even combine them
with 1/24 scale aircraft in dioramas.
A matter of scale
If you prefer impressive size and

jaw-dropping detailing, go for mod-
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Before you make a trip to the hobby shop to pick out your els in 1/12, 1/18, or 1/20 scale. Be
first model, there’s a question you need to ask yourself: prepared for a limited selection of
“What scale do I want it to be in?” Read on for the answers. kits and aftermarket parts. The size
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of these models also demands
A model’s “scale” is expressed as a Easier to build than 1/72 scale, exceptional painting skills.
T fraction of its full-sized counterpart. 1/48 scale offers most major single- In 1/43 scale, you’ll find a good
A 1/6 scale figure of a 6′ person engine aircraft, plus some multi- selection of foreign and racing sub-
would be 1′ tall, with the propor- engine types. Subjects are more jects, as well as die-cast models to
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tions of that subject faithfully repro- limited than 1/72 scale, but if you “kitbash” or modify. These models
duced head to foot. Put in the can’t decide on a scale for your next are conveniently sized for display,
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reverse, it would take 72 1/72 scale airplane project, 1/48 scale is your but very few injection-molded plas-
F-16 Falcons end-to-end to equal the best choice. The kits are often newer tic kits are available in this scale.
M length of the real thing. than their 1/72 scale counterparts,
The P-51 Mustang models in the and the parts fit together more easily. Ships
photo above show, from front to The largest variety of kits is avail- The majority of ship models are in
back, these scales: 1/144, 1/72, 1/48, able in 1/72 scale. The models are 1/700 and 1/720 scale. There’s a broad
1/32, and 1/24. small enough to display, but large selection of subjects, especially if
A Some modelers are “constant enough to have good detail. If you you’re a WWII Pacific Theater mod-
scale” builders, meaning they build want to build everything, love eler, and the size of the finished mod-
everything in the same scale, often obscure subjects, or are short on els is nice for displays and dioramas.
regardless of the subject. Other space, 1/72 scale is a great choice. They’re just big enough to make you
modelers like to skip around a bit A good variety of kits of airliners want to add more detail and small
scale-wise. and multi-engine military types is enough that it’s tough to do.
Before you can decide what scale available in 1/144 and smaller With a narrower choice of sub-
you want to model, you need to first scales. The models are easy to store jects but great potential for adding
know the strengths and weaknesses and display, but they demand excel- fantastic detail, 1/350 scale is the
of the various scales. lent building and painting skills. scale of choice for serious ship mod-
elers. The models are impressive
Aircraft Armor when complete, but few kits are
Models in 1/32 scale or larger are The widest variety of armor subjects available in plastic. Completed mod-
big—really big. The parts are easier is available in 1/35 scale. The models els are large but more manageable
to handle than in smaller scales, and are big enough to detail but small than larger scales.
there are usually more of them. The enough to display on a shelf. Watch Ship models are available in
models are impressive, but you’ll out for older kits, however—some scales smaller than 1/720. They’re
need a lot of display space. There are terrific, but many are clunky. excellent for dioramas, wargames,
are fewer subjects available in 1/32 Popular in Europe, 1/72 scale and large collections, but some of
scale than in 1/48 or 1/72. offers a good variety of subjects the models are pretty rough.
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Top 10 tools

When it comes to setting up 1
your work space, you need
tools—tools to construct,
0
mend, sand, and finish your
models. Not necessarily
expensive, these are the
standard items every good
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modeler needs on hand.
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If you don’t get the results you want
with these tools, there are more along the seam; you could also use a Sanding sticks
expensive items out there, including tiny metal spatula. Remove the tape Smooth, seamless plastic makes any
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motor tools, razor saws, scribers, soon after application. model look better. Sanding sticks and
and jeweler’s files. Start with these wet/dry sanding films help remove
basics, though, and see what you White glue, swabs, & toothpicks flaws from plastic,4 (page 6).
find—you’ll be surprised. Great for transparent parts since it Use successively finer grades as L
dries clear, white glue also has no you sand. Wet the sanding film to
Masking tape & modeling putty fumes to fog the plastic. Here, white keep the plastic dust from clogging S
Every workshop must have these glue spread gently with a moistened the grit; the job will go faster. A four-
basics! Use the tape to secure pieces cotton swab fills a canopy seam, 2. way polishing or buffing stick for
for painting, hold together sub- Toothpicks hold parts awaiting paint. fingernails (less than $1 at a beauty
assemblies, and mask paint or putty. supply store) will remove even the
Here, tape masks the rest of the Hobby knives faintest scratches from plastic.
plane from being marred by seam- Versatile cutting tools, hobby knives
filling putty,1. The tape is applied on accept many different blades, making Sandpaper
either side of the wing-fuselage joint them ideal for anything from trim- Use a full sheet of 320-grit sand-
so the putty won’t dry on any surface ming plastic to scribing lines. This paper laid on a flat surface to dress
where it shouldn’t be. A flat-bladed knife (with a No. 11 blade) neatly the edges of kit parts, especially
hobby knife spreads the compound removes decals from a sheet,3. large pieces like fuselage halves, 5.
1 2
3
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4 5 6a
6b 7 8
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section of the drug store. All sorts of
emery boards and nail shapers are great
for modeling. Your all-time favorite
sanding tool may end up being the Kiss
Nail Shiner (item no. F222), a “four-
way” shaper/buffer,8. The four grits on
this item are labeled “coarse” (blue),
“fine” (red), “Xtra fine buffer” (white),
and “XXtra fine buffer” (gray). These
are equivalent to medium, very fine,
extra fine, and buffer grits on the com-
mercial modeling sanding sticks. The
The flat surface promotes smooth sand- 1⁄″-wide strips are too wide, you can cut Kiss stick is 3⁄″wide and 7″long.
4 4
ing of the part, but you have to apply them down to make them fit.
even pressure as you sand. Pressing too Sanding wands
hard may distort the part and cause Sanding shapers Micro-Mark’s “sanding wands” are
uneven results. Creations Unlimited also makes “Flex-I- another alternative, 9. These rugged
File Flex-Pads” (known generically as plastic sticks have unpadded loops of
Sanding bow sanding sticks), which are similar to fin- sandpaper wrapped around them. The
One of the handiest sanding tools to gernail shapers. Available individually set of four has grits ranging from coarse
come along is Creations Unlimited’s or in sets, 7, the sticks come in coarse, to extra-fine. When the grit becomes
“Flex-I-File.” It’s an aluminum bow that medium, fine, extra-fine, and a three- worn, you roll the strip around the
holds an interchangeable Mylar sanding way polisher/finisher that has extra- stick, much like track on a tank, and
strip,6a. The Flex-I-File works great on fine, super-fine, and buffer surfaces. continue work with fresh grit.
curves without flattening the surround- They are 1⁄″ wide, about 6″ long, and
2
ing area,6b. The strips can be detached have tapered tips to get into tight areas. Files
from one end of the bow, threaded The grit is applied to both sides of each For extra-fine finish work, make sure
through an opening in the part you lightly padded plastic stick. you have a variety of files at your work-
want to sand, and reconnected to the bench,10. Needle files, dental tools, rif-
bow. This way, you can sand the inside Cosmetic supplies fler files, and jeweler’s tools all come
of such parts as landing-gear scissors, Don’t be surprised if you bump into a into play for fine precision work.
chassis frames, and so forth. If the fellow modeler at the cosmetic/nail-care
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F
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T
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Go for the glue a “kicker”) if you need to lock an G
assembly right away. Use a thinner
Modelers usually buy their materials from a hobby shop, but viscosity super glue when you need
don’t overlook hardware, art supply, and home improvement more capillary action—it runs down L
stores. You might discover a venue for a whole new glue! seams quicker, but watch that it
doesn’t run onto your fingers! U
You may be saying to yourself, advertised—maybe even better. If Always have a bottle of super glue
“Glue? Big deal! Plastic cement and you work neatly and put the glue debonder on hand.
super glue—what more do I need?” only where it is needed, it really E
Ah, but the glue universe is much does disappear on clear surfaces. Contact cement
broader than you might think.A Use old-fashioned household contact
surprising number of glues is avail- Super glue cement (such as “Quickgrab” and
able, including many other types For gluing dissimilar materials “Goo”) in your diorama work to glue
that you may ultimately find more (such as resin to plastic, for exam- porous materials to nonporous
useful to your modeling needs than ple) or even gluing metal to metal, materials (for example, wood to
the two basics. super glue is ideal. Zap-a-Gap has a resin or plastic).
medium drying time and a high vis-
Basic plastic cement cosity (meaning it’s a bit syrupy), Wood glues
The classic favorite is that old standby, which gives it better shear strength Also useful for bonding porous mate-
Testor liquid cement, the one with the than thin super glues. It also works rials is white glue—good ol’
brush in the cap. This cement works great as a seam filler. It sets immedi- Elmer’s Glue-All—and car-
great when you can put the assembly ately with an accelerator (also called penter’s (aliphatic resin)
aside to set for a while. If you need a wood glue. If you use them
quicker weld just to “tack” pieces Testor’s Clear Parts Cement & carefully, they can also substi-
together, use Tenax 7R (Ambroid Window Maker is milky tute for clear parts glue. These
Proweld also works well). Reglue the white when glues are water-based, making them
tacked pieces later with the Testor wet, but dries easy to thin. You can even tint them
cement if you need a permanent weld. clear, making with acrylic paint.
it perfect for So, expand your selection of
“Clear” glue aircraft glues and you’ll find the advantages
Testor’s Clear Parts Cement & canopies and of each. Your models will be all the
Window Maker works as well as other clear parts. better for it!
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Dragon’s 1/35 scale parts from the trees before you start
SdKfz 250/10 building,3. Don’t throw them away,
C German halftrack went though; put them in a box and save
together smoothly and them for future projects.
easily—with some The next step is to test-fit the
E upfront planning. parts you are going to use. Test-
fitting (sometimes also called “dry-
fitting”) is important for two rea-
J
sons. First, you’ll find out if the parts
O go together properly or have gaps or
alignment problems that need to be
fixed before you glue them,4.
Second, test-fitting shows you how
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to break down the kit’s components
into subassemblies to make painting
P easier, 5. A closed-up tank model is
easy to paint after assembly, but mod-
els like the open halftrack shown here
have intricate details both inside and
Plan your project
R out that are better if painted before
the parts are attached to the model’s
You buy a kit and eagerly race home, taking it out of the box main assembly.
U the moment you get there. You begin removing the pieces, Test-fitting really pays with small
preparing to put the model together then and there. But sadly, parts like the halftrack’s individual-
the kit doesn’t go together right. What went wrong? Nothing link tracks. Dry-fitting several of the
O much, other than you weren’t ready yet to build the model. tiny links showed that if they were
A little upfront planning can take care of that. assembled carefully with droplets of
super glue in key places, they’d flex
Y
The best modelers develop a “plan of list only paints from certain manu- just like the real thing, 6. After
attack” that helps them build kits facturers that may not be available assembling a run of links, the track
more quickly. The key is doing a lit- where you live. All good kits have an can be test-fit on the model and

tle research, test-fitting, and plan- English translation in the chart,1. adjusted before final assembly.
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ning. It’s a method that works well Some kits share parts with other A little upfront planning will pay
no matter what you’re building. kits in the manufacturer’s product off handsomely. Your projects will
The first—and possibly most lines. Many kit instructions have a go more smoothly, and you’ll avoid
A
important—thing to do is study the parts map that shows you which bumps in the road that slow down
kit instructions, starting with the parts aren’t used for the version your work. Best of all, your finished
paint list. Some kit manufacturers you’re building, 2. Remove unused models will look better.
L
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P
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Remove R
parts
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Remember your first model-
ing attempt as a kid, when M
all you cared about was,
“When can I play with it?”
For many of us, that meant
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doing the “twist and pull”—
removing the model’s parts
from the sprue (or parts
V
tree) the fastest way possible
so that we could get down to
the fun of assembling the kit.
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Since then, many of us
have learned that tearing the
pieces of the kit from the
tree is a sure way to damage P
the part, leading to a model
that needs a lot of sanding,
A
shaping, and filling to make
the parts fit correctly.
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The trick to cutting the parts from remove it with a No. 11 blade in a remaining sprue from the part.
the sprue is using the correct hobby knife, 2. Be careful not to A straight blade in a hobby knife
method for the type of part you’re trim away too much plastic. produces precise cuts perfect for T
removing. There are several ways to The jet intake on the left in photo removing flat-edged parts such as air-
cut and sand; some are better suited 3 was torn from the tree and glued craft wings, 5. Working on top of a
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to particular tasks than others. with liquid cement. It’s a mess! The “self-healing” mat like this one also
A sprue cutter makes quick, easy intake to the right of it was properly increases your control of the blade.
work of removing these wings from removed with a clipper, then sanded Small parts have a nasty habit of
the parts tree, 1. You’re not likely to along the edges before cementing. becoming ballistic projectiles when
cut yourself, and controlling the cut When cleaning up a part, hold it freed by a straight blade. A curved
is simple. firmly in one hand and place the blade planted tip-first into your self-
“Flash” results from the injection blade in the spot you want your cut healing mat can be rolled over your
molding process and is a common to start, 4. Keep the blade at an tiny part to free it without launching
sight on model parts. You can easily angle, and carefully trim away the it across your hobby room, 6.
1 2 3
4 5 6
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contacts the seam,3. You don’t want
to sand off detail or take the “round”
M out of a curved part if you can help
it. Wet-sanding will keep the stick
from clogging with dust. Sand the
seam down to the surface of the
A
plastic, and you’re ready to paint.
You can also use one of many
gap-filling putties. Putty can get
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messy, though, and end up where
you don’t want it—try running tape
S along both sides of the seam so it
won’t get on nearby surfaces where
it doesn’t belong,4.
Apply the putty with a firm, flat
L tool (such as a popsicle stick), which
will allow you to push the putty into
L the seam and spread it along the
top, 5. Don’t spend too much time
Fill seams
smoothing the putty; it dries quickly
I
and will start to cake if you work it
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Model kits are supposed to fit together seamlessly, but often too much.
you need to sand at least a little to smooth the seam where Now that the putty is applied,
parts join. In many cases, you’ll use putty or gap-filling super you can peel off the protective
glue to blend the joint. Your goal is to hide the “gap” area tape, 6. It doesn’t look pretty, and it
completely, filling in the empty space to make it invisible to the isn’t supposed to. When it sets (each
eye when painted. The procedure varies a little depending on putty’s drying time is different—read
what you use to fill the gap, but as you’ll see from the photos, the labels), you’ll be sanding most of
the results should be the same: That seam will be gone! the putty off.
Wet-sanding doesn’t always work
Begin by using a straightened paper advantage of working with super well with putties, since some of
clip or a toothpick to apply the gap- glue is accelerator, 2. Super glue them soften or break up when wet.
filling super glue to the seam, 1. accelerator, applied here with a Try successively finer grades of
Film container caps (as shown) or Microbrush, causes the glue to cure sandpaper or a sanding stick to sand
margarine container lids are great instantly, so you can get right to it down to the plastic. When you’re
platforms to work from—super glue work cleaning it up by sanding. done, it will look like the photo at
doesn’t stick to them. Using a sanding stick affords you the top of this page, but when it’s
Putty would work here, but the greater control over where the grit painted you won’t see a thing!
1 2 3
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