Revell F-14D Tomcat, second build

[EagleDriver1982]

Hey there everybody, this is my second build and I need some help. As you can see from the pics i have some gaps and excess glue from the panels. I have the Tamiya Putty but am afraid to try it cause i dont want to mess it up and not know how to fix it. Any suggestions? Thanks

Darren

 

[nicholassagan]

Get yourself some sanding sticks of different grits and putty away! Some modelers will mask off areas they don't want putty to make it easier...

But putty is your friend in a lot of ways....

 

[dkev]

Putty, sand and sand some more. Then Re etch. Your not getting around that. Wet sanding makes all the difference IMHO.

 

[JMac]

Hey there everybody, this is my second build and I need some help. As you can see from the pics i have some gaps and excess glue from the panels. I have the Tamiya Putty but am afraid to try it cause i dont want to mess it up and not know how to fix it. Any suggestions? Thanks

Darren

I agree with the other guys Darren. Use some putty and fill in the gaps. I like to mask off both sides of the joint with tape before I apply the putty, then I remove the tape right away before the putty sets. Masking limits how much sanding and clean up I have to do later. I wet sand once the putty is completely dry (I often leave the putty to cure more than 24 hours).

I wouldn't sweat messing up the kit, every modeller makes a boat load of mistakes - it's how I learn. Most of the time, a goof-up is easily fixed. You've just got to be patient. Good luck & looking forward to your next update.

Jason

 

[letsgobrowns82]

Gaps definitely suck but putty is great. I use squadron green or white, doesn't matter to me. I take that in a 2 liter pop bottle cap and add nail polish remover. That thins it down really nicely so you can sort of paint it on and not have gobs of it everywhere.

 

[dkev]

Gaps definitely suck but putty is great. I use squadron green or white, doesn't matter to me. I take that in a 2 liter pop bottle cap and add nail polish remover. That thins it down really nicely so you can sort of paint it on and not have gobs of it everywhere.

Have you tried Mr. Surfacer 500?

 

[Mr.Max]

I get very good results with 3M Blue Acrylic Glazing putting, you'll find it in automotive supply shops, responds well to resin and styrene. It comes in a BIG tube that should last you the rest of your natural life!
Happy modeling!

 

[EagleDriver1982]

Gaps definitely suck but putty is great. I use squadron green or white, doesn't matter to me. I take that in a 2 liter pop bottle cap and add nail polish remover. That thins it down really nicely so you can sort of paint it on and not have gobs of it everywhere.

Have you tried Mr. Surfacer 500?

No I dont know what Mr. Surfacer 500 is. All I have is the Tamiya basic putty which comes in the little tube and is grey in color. I tried to research different ones but still not sure which one to get.

 

[aaron.zylman]

I use Squadron Green putty. They also make white putty. A lot of people use super glue, but I have trouble knowing when it's dry enough to sand vs. when it's dried for too long and can't sand it effectively. Start trying the Tamiya putty. If you don't like it, try something else.

A good source for modeling is Youtube. Search "Tamiya putty" or "rescribing" and you'll get informative how-to videos to help shallow the learning curve!

Aaron

 

[aboynamedred]

I agree with them. For my previous builds, I didn't use any putty at all. However, at this moment, I'm learning how to use it, from old parts. YouTube is your friend.

 

[EagleDriver1982]

Hi guys here is the finished Tomcat. I messed up on the paint job I went to light of a color. Well feel free to critique my work. Any hints or tips always welcome. Thanks.

 

[letsgobrowns82]

Hey great job man!!! You should be proud of that build it turned out great and you overcame the fit problems and gaps that it had. Time to start a new kit ;D

 

[Quaralane]

Looks good.

Take the problems you had with this, and use how you fixed them to further your skills.

 

[aaron.zylman]

Awesome! I have the same kit in progress.

Aaron

 

[yanpol]

To be completely honest, when I saw the first photos I thought this kit was beyond repair. You did a great job. Despite being a beginner myself, I would recommend you use an extra thin cement (I use Tamiya's; for what I've read, Mr. Hobby's Mr.CementS is just as good). What I (try to) do when working with large parts, is to glue them by sections: I try to make an area fit the best I can, glue it, hold it with spring clamps/clothespins/tape and then move to the next section. It may take 40 minutes to an hour to glue two large parts together this way, but it will save you a lot of time and work later, as you will need to do a lot less filling and sanding.

Again, great work.

 

[ulvdemon]

Looks great. I remeber building a couple of old monogram F-14A's years ago, and this by fair surpasses those attempts. Take the knowledge from this build and apply to the next one and you will be good to go.