Techniques and/or Tips
I have only built plane models in my life, almost all of the the WWII era. Although I've only done planes, the techniques and skill that I put into them can be applied to just about any model. Here are several techniques on plastic model building below.
Gluing: When you glue, you don't really need that much. Put a small layer on peices and after that, wait for about 30 seconds. This allows the glue time to soften the plastic. If you just slap the pieces together right after applying glue, they don't stick as well. Letting them sit and THEN applying putting pieces together not only bonds the pieces together stronger, but also helps fill in seams that may occur from parts that don't fit quite right.
Filling seams and gaps: There are many types of fillers. The type I use is just an automotive putty that can be purchased at your local auto-parts store. When using putty I like to apply LOTS of putty, but sometimes just a little. When I do this I put scotch tape near the seam first, so then, when I'm done applying and it's still soft I can pull off the tape to reveal a fine line of putty. After or before you pull tape off (preferable before), push the putty down with your finger or putty knife so that it gets down into the seams. If you don't do this, you might sand it down later to find that you never really filled most of the seam.
Sanding: Most to all of the sanding I do is done to remove excess filler putty. I use a 150 grit sandpaper first and rub vigorously till I get most of it off. Before you do this though, mask the area around it so you don't sand off detail. Sometimes if I have WAY to much putty, I'll use 100 grit sandpaper, but if you do this, make sure not to sand the plastic. 100 grit sandpaper can scratch the plastic very badly. After that I use my set of high grit sandpaper. I think I have 300-600 grit. use a 300 or 400 next, sand a while and work out any scratches you may have caused with the 100 or 150 grit paper. When all is smooth, top it off with 600 grit. 600 actually gives the plastic a little shine in rough spots. After this, look your model over. Look smooth? Probably, but is it? Maybe, but I doubt it. To find if you have rough spots or maybe an invisible seam, spray a light coat of Plasti-Cote gray primer over the area. It will dry in several minutes. The paint will bring out the blemishes, from there, you just sand more, or putty and sand if you need too. If your planning on using metalizers on your model, do not use the very low grite paper like 100 or 150, and you'll probably want some 1000+ grit paper/cloth to polish the model. If your spraying flat paints you can use 600 grit to polish it, but not with metalizers and maybe some glosses, even the super small scratches show up then.
Applying Windows: What's the biggest problem with windows? Well, for me it would be getting them smudged with paint or model cement. I must admit that on a C-130 I did, I totally botched the windows. To avoid this always keep your fingers clean when handling the windows and keep them protected from everything until they are ready for application so they don't get damaged. Grip them on the edges and just use a TINY bit of glue. When you put glue on, don't do it to the window. Put all the glue on the place where the window will rest. There are cements out there for windows that are supposed to be crystal clear, I don't know how well they work though. If you get a little paint you didn't want on the window, no problem. Just take some car polish and rub gently on the window. It takes the paint off quickly without really hurting the window. It you spilled glue or paint thinner on the window and want to get rid of the mark, well.....You had better just look for a new window.
Paint dipping: Occasionally, you never need to get out any brushes to apply paint. If you have a piece that needs just a little paint on one edge or tip, use this technique. Find the color you need, shake it up, open in and did the piece in. It puts on a better coat than brushing does and saves a lot of time. This comes in very handy when it comes to painting the colored tips of airplane propellers.
Stabilizing your model: I have a problem with some model pieces staying together, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. One good example is with wings or fuselages on planes. Sometimes they fit, but when you let up on them they snap back out. Glue won't hold them and your getting frustrated, right? To fix this you can 1. glue the pieces together, then tape the pieces tight until they are TOTALLY set, or 2. Take a glue gun, and VERY QUICKLY apply to the inside of the piece. Be sure not to apply to much, and carefully and quickly slap the pieces together. If you can pull this one off, it works great, although if you wanted to take them apart again it can be a problem. When doing technique #2. Be careful about the heat of the glue. It can heat the plastic up enough that the plastic can bend, dent, or collapse easily.
Getting parts to fit right: With some models the parts, the parts just don't fit together at all. Hopefully, the parts are too BIG rather than to small. If they are to big, place the piece where it goes, check carefully to see where there is too much plastic. Locate the problem and shave just a little bit off. Keep doing this until the part fits right. This way, you won't take off more than needed. If the parts are too small, putty comes into play. Glue the part in as best you can, let it dry and use the techniques provided in the "Sanding". Wrong sized pieces can be fixed, but it makes it much easier to do if you know the problem before you start gluing. That is why you should ALWAYS dry fit every part before you glue.
Redoing panel lines: One of the biggest problems I have is trying to keep the detail on my airplane while sanding. I always seem to end up sanding off the panel lines and rivets. You can avoid a lot of this by using a tough masking tape around the area you don't want to touch while sanding. This protects a lot. Even so, you may still destroy panel lines. Replacing them is easy with a scibbing tool. A scibbing tool is basically just like one of those scraping hooks the dentists use to clean your teeth with. The can remark a panel line as if it had never been gone. Use the edge of tape or straight edge to press against while you scrape out the plastic. Believe me, it is almost impossible to etch a straight line without a guide. Some models don't have panel lines that are etched in. Some have lines that stick up. These to me are extremely annoying. Avoid buying them. You can't re-etch them, but there is a way to remake the panel lines, although it's crude. you can etch a tiny spot where the line should be and glue thin fishing line in. I tried this. It worked, but the fishing line was to big and hard to work with, I ended up just tearing it out. You can try this technique, but it's not one I would recommend too much. Stay away from inverted panel lines. They are bad news in more way than one.
Gluing windows: (a tip from a viewer) Someone wrote me up and assures me that regular white glue works best on windows. Don't use model cement at all. The white glue is clear and can be removed, unlike model cement. Granted, it isn't as strong, but as long as your not playing war with your models, it will hold together and could look better too.
Checking putty job: If you've ever filled in gaps with any type of filler, sanded them, and then painted your model; you know that your putty job wasn't quite what you thought it was. If your a beginner, and are using putty of super glue for the first time on a gap, BEWARE. I have sanded, puttyed, sanded, puttyed, sanded, puttyed, (well, you get the picture) until the gap felt smooth, even, and flush with the rest of the model. After the paint was put on though, the gap looked bad. It wasn't right at all. This is the way it will always be. Before you ever put your final coat on, put a little paint on the area your filling. This will bring out the blemishes. Sand the bad parts out, and do it again, sand, and do it again until it IS good, smooth and flush. Primer is a good paint to use for this, but don't use it if your finish is going to be gloss. In the case of doing a gloss finish, I use some extra gloss paint, or even better, some metalizer to bring out the mistakes.
Dry Brushing: This is how dry brushing is done, acording to a viewer. --- 1 ) apply a darker shade of paint needed uniformly over the model2 ) Wait for it to dry ( needless to say )3 ) Take a flat brush* and directly dip it into undiluted paint ofa lesser shade4 ) try to remove most of the paint on the brush by brushing it onold newspaper or whatever( the paint will be very thick )5 ) Then apply the remaining paint on the model. Note that U willneed to apply several coat to let the model have that 3-D look.6 ) Next sand to perfection If you wanna create that weathered look,
Creating a Washed look: (another technique from viewer) Washing fits into the weathering category -- to do "washing" Just dip a brush ( any brush ) into very very diluted paint, and I mean VERY dilute and run it all over the model. Set the paint to dry and it will have that ancient look.
Doing Window Puttying and Replacement: (Another Viewers advice) Testors has a clear, dry clean cement that really dose dry clear, but is not very strong in holding in windows. I think its a much better "window putty" for filling in the areas between the window and body. It can even replace small windows if something happens to them, but like I said it is very weak in holding plastic.
Fixing Canopy Scratches: (Viewer Technique) Mask the part so the details won't be damaged. Next, use the finest automotive sandpaper you can find to remove the scratch. Obviously this will leave a milky appearance on the canopy but dont fret. Now take regular (non-gel) toothpaste and brush the area vigorously. The marred finish will gradually begin to clear. Finally, buff the area with tissue paper until you are satisfied with the results. I have used this technique on a number of aircraft canopies and am quite pleased with the results.
This is all I have now. I might be adding more later on. If you have a technique that you think is great, send me it and I'll put it on next time I update this page.