My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

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G-Slayer
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My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

I figured this is better than creating separate posts for every little question that comes to mind. So here it goes:

Seam lines on MG's: To fill or not to fill? That is my first question.

My second question is:

What's the best way to cover up window guards when spray-painting indoors (assuming they can't be removed)?
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kayone73
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Re: My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

G-Slayer wrote:I figured this is better than creating separate posts for every little question that comes to mind. So here it goes:

Seam lines on MG's: To fill or not to fill? That is my first question.

My second question is:

What's the best way to cover up window guards when spray-painting indoors (assuming they can't be removed)?
1. fortunately most MG kits i've worked on have left nearly no seam lines, if I can't fix with sanding & glue, I may resort to filling and sanding before laying down the primer paint, but it almost never comes up.

2. no idea what 'window guards' are, sorry, I do most of my spraying on the patio balcony
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Re: My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

As for covering up the window gaurds, anything cheap/free will work. A few layers of plastic grocery bags/trash bags and some masking tape should do the trick.
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Re: My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

New question: How would you go about painting an MG's inner frame with spraycans? What can be done to prevent articulation issues?
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Re: My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

I've heard a number of things on this. Some people swear that light coats won't hurt anything and in some cases make the kick nice and stiff and help support the inner frame. Personally, I've had too many hip ball joints break off in the socket.

I've heard also, that you can mask off the ball of a ball joint, pegs (like on newer MG and HG hips), and the rods that go through knee joints. Basically any part that is going into another part to make a joint should be masked off for painting.
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Re: My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

Since most of the time, new MGs have snug-fit tight ABS-ABS joints, it's best to mask off the male pegs when spraypainting. Older MGs that may have looser-than-average polycaps (and is otherwise hidden) can be primer'd or spraypainted so they hold up just a bit better.

You also want the paint to cure (keyword is 'cure, not 'dry', as in dry to the touch) for a couple of days before putting anything ABS-ABS together
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Re: My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

New question: Is there a way to maintain the clay-like consistency of epoxy putty for future use once the 2 main components are mixed?
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Re: My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

Unfortunately, I don't think there is. I can't think of a way to stop the chemical reaction that wouldn't also prevent the stuff from EVER hardening. I had to learn to kind of eyeball it and learn to use less than I needed. You can always make more, but you can't un-make wasted putty.
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Re: My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

duke4799 wrote:Unfortunately, I don't think there is. I can't think of a way to stop the chemical reaction that wouldn't also prevent the stuff from EVER hardening. I had to learn to kind of eyeball it and learn to use less than I needed. You can always make more, but you can't un-make wasted putty.
Freezing it might possibly work, though honestly I wouldn't bother. Too much trouble.
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Re: My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

What's the easiest--and safest--way to remove the coating from chrome-plated parts?
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Re: My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

Safest way would be to sand it off, but it take for bloody EVER! The easiest way I can think of would be to use automotive degreaser and soak the parts then scrub the chome off with a toothbrush. Now, I have NEVER done this myself. I have use PineSol to remove unwanted paint, worked like a charm, but ate the plastic with an overnight soak.

I would test out the degreaser with a bit of runner first, and test the runner bit every hour. Once it's to a point where the chrome comes off easy and isn't killing the plastic (not that the degreaser would eat the plastic, but to be safe) that's how long you want to leave the parts in for. I'd say start at two hours, scrub it with a toothbrush, if that's not long enough, give it another hour, etc.
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Re: My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

Does anyone have any experience HY2M add-ons for MG's?

Also, what makes a great beam effect for beam saber and shields?
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Re: My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

New question: What's your experience with hardware epoxies?
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Re: My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

I have a few HY2M kits (most notably the chromed one for the MG Nu), and they're pretty cool. What do you want to know?

And it depends on the brand. Where I come from, milliput is sold in hardware stores... but generally speaking I don't find the "roll" kind as useful as separated two-part putties. Again, specifics help. :)
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Re: My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

I have a few HY2M kits (most notably the chromed one for the MG Nu), and they're pretty cool. What do you want to know?
While I don't want to say which HY2M I've got (saving it for a modeling contest entry), I have a few questions about the featured LED's, like:

Do I really have to cut the wires of the bulbs and circuit boxes to the specified measurements?

What's that small piece of paper packaged with the circuit boxes and magnets?

Are you able to get the batteries needed by the kit offline?
And it depends on the brand. Where I come from, milliput is sold in hardware stores... but generally speaking I don't find the "roll" kind as useful as separated two-part putties. Again, specifics help.
While I've never found Milliput, I did find plenty of Devcon products. Ever use Devcon?
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Re: My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

G-Slayer wrote:
Do I really have to cut the wires of the bulbs and circuit boxes to the specified measurements?

What's that small piece of paper packaged with the circuit boxes and magnets?

Are you able to get the batteries needed by the kit offline?
Unfortunately mine are in storage, and I made them years ago (besides God Gundam's hands, which are sat in a box somewhere), but as far as I can remember; Yes, you do need to cut the LED to length, the piece of paper was a circuit diagram, and the batteries vary by set. IIRC, the MG head ones all use CR1216 batteries, which I ended up ordering online, while the God/Shining hand sets use a smaller battery which I could find in a Pound shop. Chances are you can get CR1216 from a jeweller's/watch repair type place.
G-Slayer wrote: While I've never found Milliput, I did find plenty of Devcon products. Ever use Devcon?
Never used it, but a quick google search suggests that their putties are probably only good for quick filling/bulking out, or puttying things you want fairly sturdy, like internal pegs/sockets and such, since metal filled putties tend to set very fast (since they're designed for patching holes in pipes and such). It depends on exactly which you mean, they make both epoxy putties and epoxy resins for glue.

Apologies if that's slightly less helpful than I'd hoped.
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Re: My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

hardware epoxies generally speaking are a lot harder to work with than hobby putties. Do you have a Hobby Lobby nearby? They carry milliput.
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Re: My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

I´ve read that ABS plastic reacts more strongly to chemicals such as those found in enamels. How would you go about painting ABS parts?
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Re: My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

I've heard they react negatively to enamels. I would say lacquers if sprayed on in a thin coat would be for or acrylics. But since ABS is usually used on moving parts, acrylics would need a really good topcoat of future floor polish or something.

I personally have never encountered enamel eating my plastics.
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Re: My Ongoing Modeling Questions Thread

2 more questions:

How can I can I create a great beam saber effect with paint (with spray cans & by hand)?

Why is gray primer preferred over white primer?
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