*385

Hints and tips 12045

for plastic modeling

Tools and Workbench Equipment

Assembly
Masking, Painting, and Decating
Canopies and Cockpits
. ...

Weathering and Figure Painting

Displaying and Caring for your Models
 Tested modelbuilding techniques from members of
the International Plastic Modelers Society/USA

9*”

!■ ;r A
STORE STAMP

KALMBACH
ISBN: 0-89024-546-0
FROM IPMS/USA

Hints and tips

Few other hobbies give as great a return
on the hobbyist's investment as plastic
modeling. Even a novice with few tools
and l i t t l e space can b u i l d handsome
models from inexpensive plastic kits.
Experienced modelbuilde rs create su
perbly detailed miniature aircraft, ar
mored vehicles, cars, trucks, ships, and
other models using techniques that call
for exquisite craftsmansh ip, b u t that
still require only modest work space and
a limited range of tools and materials.
HINTS AND TIPS FOR PLASTIC MOD
ELING contains several hundred mod
elbuilding techniques compiled from
publications of the International Plastic
Modelers Society/USA and volunteered
by IPMS/USA members. All these hints
and tips have been tested and found
useful to beginning, intermediate , and
advanced modelers.
for plastic modeling
1. Tools andWorkbench Equipment ......................... 2
2. Assembly ................................................................. 10
3. Masking,Painting, and Decaling ......................... 1 7
4. Canopies and Cockpits ......................................... 26
5. Detailing .................................................................. 30
6. Weathering and Figure Painting ........................... 39
7. Displaying and Caring for your Models ............. 44
About IPMS/USA ................................................... 47
Acknowledgments ............................................... 48

Editor: Burr Angle

A r t Director: Lawrence Luser
Editorial Assistant: Marcia Stern
Artist: Bill Scholz

KALMBACH k BOOKS

First printing, 1980, Second printing, 1981. Third printing, 1983.

©1980 by the International Plastic Modelers Society/USA. All rights reserved. This book
may not be reproduced in part or in whole without written permission from the publisher,
except in the caseof brief quotations used in reviews. Published by Kalmbach Publishing Co.,
1027 North Seventh Street, Milwaukee, Wl 53233. Printed in U.S.A. ISBN: 0-89024-546-0.
 \
•\

1 . Tools and Workbench Equipment

1-1 Golf tee parts holder
Mount wheels and similar parts on a
wooden or plastic golf tee while trim
ming or painting.

1-5 Reversed clothespins

make improved clamp
Ordinary spring clothespi ns make
good clamps; reverse the halves and
they make great clamps.

1-2 Spear parts with heated

pins
Heat a common pin or needle and stick
it into the back of a part to be painted;
the part will be much easier to handle.
Pull the pin out when the paint is dry.

1-3 Safety pin parts mount

Use safety pins of various sizes to hold 1-4 Toothpick parts holder
parts for handling and painting. Un t Round toothpicks make excellent
dis
bend the pin, heat the point and stick i t posable holders for small, hollow parts 1-6 Stationery clamps
into the part, and use the handle of the such a s wheels, g u n barrels,
and Stationer y stores stock a variety of
pin to provide a steady grip. tubing. clamps useful to modelers. Especially
2
 handy are Bulldog and Hunt brand
spring clips. Both are great for clamp
ing wing leading and trailing edges
while cementing.

1-7 Bobby pin clamps

Bobby pins and pin curl clips found in
the cosmetic section of dime stores are
good clamps where only gentle pres
sure is required.

1-8 Decoregger lathe

The Decoregger Easter egg painting
lathe makes an excellent paint stand
for parts that need to be painted on all ij iHsicNt*
_ HET
sides. Simply attach the part to the
Decoregger’s live center and turn the
piece slowly while applying as fine a
line of paint or ink as you desire. If you
can’t find a Decoregger, make your 1-10
own painting lathe from hard balsa
and brass tubing.

1-12 Punk provides constant

heat
Firecracker punk or incense sticks
provide a source of constant heat for
sprue stretching. Mount the punk or
incense stick i n a vise, third-hand
clamp, or other holder to leave both
hands free for stretching.

1-13 Brass tubing sprue

1-9 Rubbermaid turntable
Spray painting a tall cylindrical object
such as a rocket fuel tank is much
easier if the part is first mounted on an
inexpensive Rubbermaid lazy-Susan
turntable. Turn the turntable slowly
as you spray to provide even coverage
with little danger of the drips and runs
that otherwise frequently occur. The
t u r n t a b l e h a s m a n y o t h e r uses —
it’s even handy as a display base for a
finished model, allowing spectators to
view all sides of the model without
picking it up.
1-10 Modeling clay bottle holder
Tall, tippy cement bottles are less like
ly to spill if stuck into a wad of model
ing clay.
1-11 Light bulb melts sprue
safely
A 40- to 60-watt light bulb melts sprue
without the dangerous open flame of
candles or alcohol lamps. Hold the
sprue near the bulb until it softens,
then stretch away.
extruder
Plug one end of a section of >Z»" brass
tubing, drill a small hole near the
plugged end, and then plug one end of a
slightly longer section of %2" brass
tubing to make a sprue extruder. To
use, load the 'A" tubing nearly full
with small pieces of scrap plastic, in
sert the 7/32” plunger, and heat the en
tire assembly over a light bulb or
flame until the plastic melts. Remove
from the heat and gently push in the
plunger. The molten plastic will be
forced out the small hole forming a
perfectly round extrusion that can be
used for rigging, antennas, or wherev
er else small-diamete r plastic strands
are needed. Wooden dowel handles fas
tened to each end of the extruder will
prevent burned fingers.

3
 // ■’
// ■

I / 0

i
l

cause the canisters are plastic, some

acetone-based lacquers may dissolve
them, so test first.

1-16 Container top palettes

The metal end pieces on frozen juice
concentra te container s are handy
paint mixing palettes.
1-14 Copper pipe cap sprue
crucible
A copper pipe cap, available at plumb
ing supply stores, makes a handy cru
cible for melting sprue. Fill the cap
with scrap plastic, hold it over a heat
source until the plastic melts, and pull
out strings of sprue with the tip of a
toothpick. The plastic in the crucible
may catch fire, so always use this tech
nique outdoors and be aware that the
fumes from all molten plastics are dan 1-18
gerous — don’t breathe them.

1-19
1-16

1-17 Aluminum foil paint

palettes
lk
"
Cut discs of heavy duty aluminum foil
from frozen food trays to make dispos
able paint palettes.

1-18 Watercol or palettes

1-15 Film canister paint storage
Kodak 35 mm. film canisters can be
used for short-term paint storage. Be-
The watercolo r mixing trays with
many small depressions that are sold
in art-supply stores make excellent
palettes for mixing small quantities of
paint.

4
 1-19 Model airplane fuel pump
Use a model airplane fuel pump avail
able at most hobby shops to transfer
solvents from quart or gallon contain
ers. The pump makes neat work of an
otherwise messy task.
1-20
1
&
1-20 Yogurt cup/Mason jar
brush cleaner
Punch numerous small holes in the
bottom of a yogurt cup, place the in
verted cup in a Mason jar, fill the jar to
the level of the holes in the cup with
thinner for your paint, and you’ve
made a handy brush cleaner. The
roughened edges of the holes act as a
scrubbing board to remove paint from
even the dirtiest brushes.
1-21 Transfer Humbrol to
bottles
The tiny cans or tinlets of Humbrol-
brand model paints are attractive but
m a k e s t i r r i n g difficult. Solution:
transfer the paint to small bottles for
mixing, stirring, and blending.
1-21
1-22 Seal paint containers with
candle wax
Paint won’t dry out during long-term
storage if you seal the caps with mol
ten candle wax. Let the molten wax
from a lighted candle drip around the
cap to form an airtight seal.
f?
1-23 Eyedropper dispensers for
plastic cement
Drugstores sell a variety of small eye
droppers suitable for use a s liquid
plastic cement dispensers. To use,
squeeze the bulb, dip the tip in the
cement, release the bulb to suck up the
cement, and press gently on the bulb to
dispense the liquid on the parts to be
cemented.
1-24
1-24 Medical technician’s blood
pipette
The small pipettes medical technicians
and nurses use for laboratory tests allow
precise dispensing of liquid plastic ce
ment.
MASTI
CATOR
1-25
1-25 Precision needlepoint
applicator
All plastics stores and most hobby
shops sell precision needlepoint appli
cators for use in cementing plastic.
They consist of a plastic squeeze bottle
and a cap into which a thin hollow
steel tube similar to a blunt hypoder
mic needle has been inserted. These
applicators must be used carefully. Al
ways hold the tip of the needle up or
the plastic cement will drip out. Also,
always return the plastic cement to its
glass container after each modelbuild
ing session or the volatile solvents in
the cement will evaporate through the
walls of the plastic bottle.
5

1-26 White glue dispenser
Plastic needlepoint oil dispensers
make good dispensers for white glue.
Wash the oil from the dispenser with
detergent or denatured alcohol, dry,
and fill with white glue. Dispense
drops of glue just as you would drops of
oil. Seal the tip between uses with a
dab of modeling or florist’s clay.
1-27 Glue gun for body putty
The aluminum Austincraft glue gun is
a fine dispenser for body putty. The
gun works just like a grease gun — a
plunger forces the putty out through
the hollow needle, allowing precise
control of the rate of application. In
order to prevent the putty from hard
ening during storage, place the entire
glue gun in a sealed glass jar contain
i n g a s m a l l q u a n t i t y of l a c q u e r
thinner.
1-28 Sources of hard-to-find
tools
Three mail-order retail suppliers of
small tools for modelbuilders are:
6
• Brookstone Company, 127 Vose
F a r m Road, P e t e r b o r o u g h , New
Hampshire 03458.
• J e n s e n Tools, Inc., 1230 South
Priest Drive, Tempe, Arizona 85281.
• National Camera, Inc., 2000 West
Union Avenue, Englewood, Colorado
80110.
Brookstone offers numerous tools and
gadgets for the hobbyist. Many, small
files, machinist’s squares, and scalpel
blades, are good plastic modeling
tools. Jensen specializes in tools and
supplies for electrical and electronics
manufacture rs and service techni
cians; they carry an unequaled line of
pliers, tweezers, and clamps. National
Camera is an excellent source of small
precision tools such as m i n i a t u r e
screwdrivers . Each company pub
lishes free or inexpensive catalogs.
J
1-29 Dental burrs and bits
If he’s not a plastic modeler himself,
your dentist may give you his castoff
dental burrs and bits for the asking.
These fit the collets of hand-held and
flexible-shaft motor tools and come in
many shapes and sizes.
1-30
1-30 Needle-in-a-dowel tool
Drill a small hole in one end of a short
length of wooden dowel, epoxy a sew
ing needle in the hole, and you’ve
made a simple tool with many uses. It
is a scriber, a picker-upper for small
pieces, a decal pricker, and an all-
purpose pick. Biological dissecting
needles can be used for the same jobs.
1-31 Architect’s and engineer’s
scales
Architect’s and engineer’s scales,
available both in English and metric
divisions, allow direct scale conver
sions. For example, to make a drawing
in which W equals 1' (1/16 scale) use
the % scale on an architect’s rule. To
make a drawing in which Vs" equals
1 ' (1/96 scale) use the ‘/a scale. En
gineer’s scales are similar but read out
in decimal feet and inches.
1-32 Contour gauge
A contour gauge consists of many
straight steel wires held together in a
row by two steel plates. The tips of the
wires conform to the contour of any
surface they are placed against. The
 J I,

1-32
'o
co
curve of the tips is then traced onto a O'
paper pattern. In this way complex
curves such as those on aircraft fuse
lages and ship hulls are easily dupli
cated.

1-33 Machinist’s step blocks

Machinist’s step blocks can be used to
position parts and tools accurately.
The blocks look like sets of steps, with
each step precisely the same as the
others. They must be used on a flat
surface such as a surface plate or a
thick piece of plate glass. They are sold
by industrial tool suppliers.

1-34 Drafting pens

In order to make panel lines, control 1-37 Reverse teeth on motor
surface separation lines, and other tool saw blade
lines that must be of constant width,
use drafting pens such as Koh-i-noor The circular saw blade on a motor tool
Rapidograph or Staedtler. These pens will not grab as often or dig into plastic
use a permanent ink that makes very as much if the blade is reversed so that
precise lines; line width depends on the teeth take a smaller bite.
the size of the point that is used and
can v a r y from e x t r e m e l y fine t o 1-38 Flexible-shaft motor tool
1/16" or more. These pens are not A flexible-shaft dental drill hand
cheap and must be cleaned carefully piece, a n old e l e c t r i c fan m o t o r ,
after each use. Dremel or homemade speed control,
switch, line cord, and plug can be
assembled into a versatile tool for su
perdetailing plastic kits. The hand
pieces are available from Brookstone,
Jensen, and National Camera, and
dental supply houses.
1-36
1-39 Speed or temperature
1-36 Electric engraving tool control for small electric
An electric vibrating engraving tool or tools
motor tool can be used to scribe clean A light dimmer switch can be made
lines in plastic. Use the finest tip and into a speed control for small electric
work carefully to maintain a constant motors and a temperature regulator
depth groove. for hot knives and hot-wire machines.
1-35
1-40 Dry-cell-operated hot-wire
machine
1-35 Lead holder miniature
knife A safe, simple hot-wire machine for
cutting thin plastic stock and trim
A draftsman’s lead holder with a small ming kit parts can be made from a l’/a-
blade, obtainable at drafting and art volt dry cell, such as the glow-plug
supply stores, makes a convenient model airplane ignition cells available
miniature knife that can be used to in all hobby shops, and a short length
trim the edges of decals after applica of No. 30 Nichrome resistance wire,
tion or to scrape away unwanted paint. which is available through advertisers

7
in model aviation magazines. (Model
aviators use hot-wire machines to cut
foam plastic wing cores.) Stretch the
Nichrome wire in a coping saw or jig
saw frame and cut away. Use only car-
bon-zinc dry cells — alkaline cells may
explode, lead-acid cells will explode,
and nickel-cadmium cells will be
ruined in this application.

1-41 Line current hot-wire

machine
A line-current-powered hot-wire
machine is easy to make from a 6.3-
volt, 1.2-amp filament transformer, a
6-ohm, 5-watt variable potentiometer,
No. 30 Nichrome wire, a line cord with
plug, and binding posts. Number 30
Nichrome wire has a resistance of
about 1 ohm per foot, so a 6" piece will
draw from V2 to 1 amp depending on
the potentiometer setting. Use the pot 1-42
to adjust the wire temperature to just
under red hot. As with all applications
of line current, securely insulate all then use the pipe cleaner to gently 1-45 Pactra bottles fit Binks
wiring. ream out t h e deposit. Use Q-tips airbrushes
dipped in thinner to swab up loose bits
of paint. Pactra paint bottles fit the paint hold
1-42 Keep your airbrush clean! er on Binks airbrushes without modifi
Ninety per cent of all problems with cation. Other standard bottles can be
1-44 Carbon dioxide propellant fitted to various airbrushes by the sim
a i r b r u s h e s r e s u l t from improper
cleaning. All airbrushes must be thor Industrial gas distributors can supply ple technique shown in the drawing.
oughly cleaned immediately after tanks of carbon dioxide and suitable
each use. Always use the thinner rec valves and regulators so that you can
ommended by the manufacturer of the convert from an air compressor to CO2
paint you are using and flush the parts propellant for your airbrush. The CO2
until the thinner comes out clear. is nontoxic, nonflammable, and mois
tureless. It works well i n all air
brushes. Be aware, though, that the
1-43 Q-tips and pipe cleaners tanks must be handled very carefully.
Q-tips and pipe cleaners work well as
airbrush cleaning tools. Never force 1-45 Bottle cap
the pipe cleaners through an opening;
soak the part in thinner or paint re 1-46
Drill small
mover until the obstruction softens, vent hole.

1-46 Clean files with brass

Outlet
pressure
Tank
pressure
Drill large brushes
hole for
paint pickup.
Optional Clean plastic-clogged files with a
shutoff brass-bristle suede brush or shotgun
cock

Regulator

Outlet /
pressure
control
Airbrush
Cylinder
shutoff
valve

Hose
Outlet

Alternate
regulator
Refillable
CO2
cylinder
1-47

8
 lantern
battery I
NO.F4M 6VOLTS

1-48 1-49

bore cleaning brush. If even they don’t

do a complete job, soak the file in lac
quer t h i n n e r or acetone for a few
hours.

1-47 Small parts containers

Keep small parts separated by storing
them i n egg cartons or TV-dinner
trays. You also can tape Dixie cups to a
sheet of cardboard and store parts in
the cups.

1-48 Foam sanding pads

The resilient foam plastic from egg
cartons and meat trays makes first-
rate sanding pads, especially for wet
sanding. The plastic is firm enough to
provide a solid backing for the sand
paper, but soft enough that it can’t
damage the work.
1-49 Battery-powered paint
mixer
Novelty battery-operated cocktail
mixers and toy electric motors can be
converted to miniature paint stirrers
by fabricating a short stirring stick to
replace the mixing blade furnished
with the mixer. Some modelers claim
that this gadget mixes paints more
uniformly than hand stirring.
1-51
1-50 Disposable gloves
Art-supply stores and paint stores sell
disposable plastic gloves that are ideal
for modeling tasks. Wear them while
modeling and you’ll never have to wor
ry about fingerprints and body oils on
the model. Wear them while spray
painting and you’ll be less likely to
develop skin irritations from paints
and solvents.
1-51 Scalpels
Brookstone and Jensen, as well as the
biological supply sections of many col
lege bookstores, sell scalpels a n d
blades that many modelers prefer to
hobby knives. The scalpel blades are
available in several sizes and shapes
(the No. 25 blade is most popular), are
made of stainless steel, are very sharp,
and keep an edge for a long time. The
blades are brittle and will snap if
abused, but are otherwise perfect for
modelbuilding.
1-52 Hairdrier
A hair drier set at "no heat” or "low”
dries washed parts quickly.

1-50

9
2. Assembly
2-1 Pre-assembly sequence Step 6. Using files, knives, and sand this sequence during assembly. Most
Before beginning to assemble a plastic paper remove flash and sprue and of the 14 days required is to allow for
kit perform these steps: smooth all rough edges. filler and paint drying time. An air
Step 7. Test-fit mating parts and file or plane model is used for the example
Step 1. Study the instruction sheet.
Read every word and carefully note all sand and test-fit again until all mate here, but the sequence applies to all
assembly sequences. perfectly. types of models.
Step 2. Read books and articles on the Step 8. Wash all parts, as well as the Step 1. Paint and assemble all interior
object being modeled and study accu parts holders, in detergent and warm details.
rate plans of it. Decide exactly which water. Rinse each part in cool, clear Step 2. Assemble fuselage, wings, and
variant you intend to model and which water and remove from the rinse with empennage (tail assembly).
color scheme you will use. Make notes tweezers or gloves. The wash is neces Step 3. Install the canopy.
to yourself. sary to remove filings, mold release
agents, finger oils, and other dirt. Step 4. Fill all seams and let dry for at
Step 3. Reread the instruction sheet least a day.
and carefully make notes in colored Step 9. Place each rinsed part on a lint-
Step 5. Correct all inaccuracies in
ink on the sheet in regard to special free cloth or paper towel and allow to shape or contour. Sand all rough areas
construction techniques and devia dry. with progressively finer grits, being
tions from the manufacturer’s assem Step 10. Replace each part in its con careful not to leave any scratches.
bly sequence. tainer and cover with clear plastic
wrap to keep off dust. Step 6. Wash the entire model with
Step 4. Study each part and observe detergent and lukewarm water. Rinse
how it fits into the overall scheme.
2-2 Two weeks to a good thoroughly and allow to dry.
Step 5. Cut the parts from the sprue model Step 7. Mask clear sections of the
trees (mark unnumbered parts) and canopy, leaving the canopy frames un
place them in clean containers such as After the pre-assembly steps outlined
egg cartons. masked so that they can be painted or
above have been completed, observe taped.
10
Step 8. Prime the model with flat
white or silver paint. Let the paint dry
at least a day, preferably three days.
Step 9. Carefully inspect the model for
defects. Fill and sand any areas that
are not yet perfectly smooth.
Step 10. Paint the model. Mask as re
quired to paint details. Remove all
masking except the canopy masking
applied in Step 7.
Step 11. Paint the entire model with a
gloss finish such as Testor Glosscote to
provide a smooth surface for decals.
Step 12. Apply all decals. Apply decal
setting solution.
Step 13. Apply a gloss or flat clear coat
to hide decal edges.
Step 14. Remove the masking from the
canopy.
Step 15. Brush paint small details.
Step 16. Install landing gear, propel
ler, and other parts. Add rigging as
necessary and install antennas.
and soon found application every
where. All epoxies are two-part mix
tures, all are impervious to most sol
vents after curing, and all cure by an
exothermic polymerization process
rather than by evaporation of a sol
vent. Curing times range from less
than 5 minutes to more than a day,
depending on the formulation. Many
contain clay or metallic fillers. All are
irritating to skin until cured, so they
m u s t be used c a r e f u l l y . E p o x i e s
adhere to most clean, slightly
roughened surfaces except a few plas
tics such as vinyl, polyethylene, nylon,
Delrin, and Teflon.
Epoxies are used in plastic modeling
as glues and fillers. Epoxies sand easi
ly to a hard, smooth finish. If you have
only unfilled epoxy on hand and want
to use it as a seam filler, add talcum
powder or microballoons, then apply
the filled epoxy with a toothpick,
trimmed-down Popsicle stick, or other
disposable instrument. Keep the tool
moistened with water to prevent the
epoxy from sticking to it.
skin very well. If fingers do become
bonded, gently pull them apart while
applying acetone (nail polish remov
er). The cement is nontoxic after cur
ing so the only danger is tearing the
skin— be gentle. Natural skin oils will
cause any remaining cement to wear
off in a few days. If the cement enters
the eyes or throat do not attempt to
remove i t — seek medical attention
immediately. Again, because the
cured cement is nontoxic, you’re in no
danger unless you panic and tear flesh.
2-6 Home brew liquid plastic
cements
Adventurous modelers may wish to ex
periment with xylene as a liquid plas
tic cement for styrene. Ethylene di
chloride also works well. V i n y l s ,
which are difficult to cement, can be
bonded with tetrahydrofuran. All of
these substances are available
through plastics supply houses. All are
flammable, toxic, and irritating to
skin.

2-5 How to use alpha

cyanoacrylate cements
Alpha cyanoacrylate cements (ACC’s)
are "liquid acrylate monomers that
readily undergo anionic polymeriza
tion to form very strong bonds between
most faying surfaces.” In plain En
glish, this means that ACC’s are one-
part liquid cements that cure within
seconds and will glue almost anything
to anything. Widely advertised as "su
2-3 Attach clear parts with per glues,” they became popular with
white glue hobbyists in the 1970’s as special for
mulations were developed specifically
Liquid plastic cements a n d a l p h a for modelbuilders. Hobby shops sell
cyanoacrylate cements (ACC’s) craze brands such as Hot Stuff, Jet, and Zap
clear plastic parts, so use white glue
that bond most clean substances in
such as Elmer’s Glue-All to attach
cluding hardwoods and plastics, that
canopies, windshields, and other clear
have a shelf life at room temperature
parts. The white glue will hold the part
and can of about 6 months (longer if kept under
firmly enough for security
refrigeration), and that have setting
even be used as a seam filler. Apply a 2-7 When to use tube-type
times ranging from a few seconds to sev
small amount, let dry, then remove the plastic glue
eral minutes.
excess with a dampened Q-tip. Experi
ment with different brands of white When using ACC’s it is important to Tube-type plastic glues can be useful
glue until you find the one that works know that a small amount of cement when attaching parts that will bear
best for you. forms a stronger bond than a large considerable stress: E x a m p l e s are
amount. Use ACC’s sparingly and be wing-to-fuselage joints and the joint
aware that they are very fluid; capil where the main landing gear strut
lary action will draw the cement into attaches to the wing. Use tube-type
every crack and crevice of a joint. glue s p a r i n g l y because d r i p s and
Ik 1 Draw away excess cement before it smears are difficult to remove without
sets with a wick made from a piece of marring the plastic. A toothpick is the
paper towel. When cementing parts best applicator.
HI that cannot be mated closely, fill the
gap with microballoons or baking
soda, then apply ACC. 2-8 Seam filling basics
ACC’s are safe to use if two elementary The first rule of seam filling is to do as
precautions are observed: much as possible to eliminate the need
• Never breathe the fumes emitted by to fill the seam. Line up parts properly
the cement as it cures. before gluing. Modify or remove locat
2-4 How to use epoxy glue ing pins if they hinder perfect align
• Don’t tear apart bonded fingers.
Epoxy glues were developed for the ACC’s were developed partially as a ment. When gluing, hold or clamp all
aircraft industry during World War II liquid suturing material; they bond parts until dry. If an unwanted seam

11
 th' W
easy
2$ 2-11
professional M00 f | ACC seals body putty
Hl
auto
body If body putty on a model develops hair
repaid
!
line cracks, seal the cracks with a drop
Hn wi s s ° of ACC.

2-8

persists, it is time to fill it in and sand

it smooth.
Any paste-like, waterproof, fine
grained, hard-setting material that
doesn’t dissolve styrene can be used as
a filler. Such materials include spack
ling paste; filled epoxy; red, green, and
gray automotive filler putties (also
called glazing putties); and modeling
putties such as Squadron green putty.
The automotive and modeling putties 2-12
are best applied to small gaps with a
brush, using lacquer thinner to reduce
the viscosity of the putty. Larger gaps 2-12 Flex-I-Grit
can be filled with unthinned putty ap
plied with a palette knife or a tooth Flex-I-Grit is a wet-or-dry sandpaper
pick. The putty should be shaped as with a flexible clear polyester backing.
much as possible to the desired con It is available in several grits from fine
tours to minimize the amount of filing to extra fine and is sold by Moyco and
2-9 White glue a good crack Testor. It’s perfect for sanding hard-to-
arid sanding to be done later. filler reach places and compound curves.
Use jeweler’s files (also called needle
files) to remove excess putty after it Small cracks that develop after seam
has hardened. These are available at filling can be eliminated with white 2-13
most hobby shops and some hardware glue. Smear the glue in place with
stores. For most modeling applications your fingertip, let dry, and smooth
only two files are required — a double with a damp cloth.
sided flat mill file with a pointed tip
and a W diameter rattail file. A half 2-10
round file, a triangular file, and a
square file are also convenient. A fin
gernail file is handy. Filing should be
done lightly because even the finest- DAP
vinyl
toothed file can leave scratches in soft spackling
compound I
plastic and putty.
If filing is done properly only two grits
of sandpaper are necessary — No. 400 NET 8 FL 0Z 236*
and No. 600. Use wet-or-dry sandpa
per wetted with water and sand with
light, circular motions. Use No. 400 for
initial sanding, No. 600 for the final 2-10 Spackling compound
job. Mask adjacent detail with mask storage
ing or drafting tape to avoid marring. Spackling compound, which is a good 2-13 Silver paint crack detector
Further smoothing can be obtained seam filler, will keep fresh longer if it
with a mixture of kitchen cleanser or After seam filling, paint the filled
is transferred from its metal container a r e a s with silver p a i n t . T h i s will
toothpaste and water rubbed on with a to a glass jar with a tight seal. Cover
soft cloth. If a super-smooth finish is prime the filler for subsequent coats of
the spackling compound with 1/16" of paint and will reveal any areas that
desired, use Brasso metal polish. clean water. aren’t filled perfectly.
12
 Whittle sprue
to fit hole. Cut off
nearly flush
a n d file
smooth

DURATITU

2-19

2-19 Plug holes with sprue

2-14
2-14 Duratite Plastic Surfacing
Putty
Many modelers swear by Duratite
Plastic Surfacing Putty, a white, plas
ter-like substance sold in cans at most
hardware stores. A thinner is also
available; it is the only solvent that
should be used with Duratite. Duratite
isopropyl
ALCOHOL,
Plastic Surfacing Putty has these vir
tues:
• It does not shrink noticeably even
when thinned.
• There are no subsurface air bubbles.
• Drying time is usually less than an
hour.
Filling large holes with body putty is
frustrating. Chances are that the dried
plug will fall out or crack when it is
handled or scribed. A more reliable
method of filling holes is to drill out
the hole with a bit the size of a sprue
fragment, coat the tip of the sprue with
epoxy or plastic cement, and plug the
hole with the sprue. After the cement
has cured or dried, cut off the plug
nearly flush with the surface of the
patched piece and file and sand to the
desired contour. This method works
equally well for filling sink holes in
M.1*
castings.
LILLY
9 1 Portent
coniouh
PUTTY
„ r °"
PLASTIC Baby
MODELS Powder

• It does not clog sandpaper.

The material does absorb paint, so
seams must be primed.

2-15 Micro Quick Silver and 2-17 Isopropyl alcohol

Microweld filler
Mix Micro Quick Silver putty with
Microweld liquid plastic cement to
make a seam filler for small cracks.
The mixture brushes easily, dries
rapidly, and requires little sanding.
2-16
2-16 Liquid solder seam filler
Liquid solder, sold in tubes at dime
stores and hardware stores, can be
used as a seam filler. It dries with a
smooth finish that files and sands
easily.
Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) is
an excellent solvent for many body
putties. It does not attack styrene, so it
can be used safely on all models. A rag
soaked in isopropyl alcohol can be used
to smooth filled joints without danger
of marring adjacent surfaces.
MARFIN
SEMXJR
2-18 Body putty thinner
Thin Squadron green putty and other
body putties with lacquer thinner.
2-20 Wood fillers
Two methods may be used to seal the
grain on wood parts. The first method
is the oldest and has been used by mod
el aviators for many years. Use a com
mercially available product, Aero
gloss Balsa Fillercoat, or stir talcum
powder (ordinary baby powder is fine)
into clear model airplane dope until
the mixture is the consistency of heavy
cream. Brush this onto the sanded wood
part and let dry for several hours. Sand
with No. 320 or No. 400 wet-or-dry
sandpaper used dry until you almost
reach bare wood. Apply a second coat of
filler and dry sand again. The wood is
now waterproof so additional coats can
be wet sanded. Keep filling and sanding
until the grain is completely filled.
Model airplane dope sets by evapora
tion of a solvent, so each coat leaves a
very thin layer. That’s why so many
coats are needed and it’s also why such
fine finishes are possible.

13
The second filling method uses red ox
ide automotive primer, which is similar
to very thin body putty. Brush or spray
on two or three coats of the primer, dry
sanding after each coat. Because the red
oxide primer has an alcohol-based sol
vent it won’t attack plastic (as will the
model airplane dope), so this method
can be used to fill the grain of wooden
parts that are surrounded by plastic.
Both methods can also be used to seal
Strathmore or bristol board when a
metallic appearance is desired.

2-21 Nose weights

Models of aircraft with tricycle land
ing gear may not balance properly un
less weight is added inside the nose.
Several materials make excellent nose
weights:
• Self-adhesive wheel weights from
auto parts stores.
• Lead shot from gun shops. Mix the
shot with epoxy and pour in place.
• Lead wool from plumbing supply
stores. Push a wad of wool in place and
fasten it permanently with a small
quantity of epoxy.
• Pieces of solder. Epoxy in place.
• Fishing sinkers. Epoxy in place.
Any of these weights can also be held
in place with nonhardening modeling
clay if you prefer.
2-22
2-22 Bulkheads
Many plastic kits do not include bulk
heads in engine intakes and exhausts,
wheel wells, or radiator openings. If
these aren’t sealed, a see-through
model results which is scarcely con
vincing. Bulkheads can be fabricated
from sheet plastic, but trimming the
sheet to the proper shape is tedious.
Resilient foam plastic from egg car
tons and meat trays is easier to work
with. Simply cut a piece to the approxi
mate shape of the required bulkhead,
stuff in place, and apply a dab of tube
type plastic cement. Alternately,
simply stuff in a wad of soft upholstery
foam.
2-23 Mount ship hulls early in
assembly
Waterline ship models won’t warp dur
ing construction if the entire hull is
securely mounted early in construc-
«
2-21
2-23
tion. Attach the hull with epoxy to a
flat mount at least W thick and you’ll
have no problems.
2-24
2-24 Reinforce thin stock
Thin stock in vacuum-formed kits
should be reinforced with filled epoxy
before sanding. The epoxy backing
will prevent the plastic stock from dis
torting during filling and sanding, and
even if you do sand through the thin
stock the epoxy backing material will
prevent damage.
2-25 Rigid foam reinforcement
Aerosol-dispensed u r e t h a n e foam
plastic suitable for reinforcing the in
terior of vacuum-formed models is
available from Brookstone and most
plastics suppliers. The material foams
in place, producing only modest heat
as it sets. It can be sawed, filed, and
sanded a few hours after application. It
does not attack most plastics and can
be filled with all putties. A similar
non-aerosol product is sold as a two-
part mixture by Sig Manufacturing
Co., Inc., a major supplier of kits and
building materials for model aviators.
Sig Superfoam has all the desirable
qualities of the aerosol-dispensed
product. It has a shelf life of about 6
months and is less expensive than
aerosol varieties.
2-26 Another use for rigid foam
Coat the insides of fuselage halves
with wax, polyvinyl alcohol, or other
mold release agent, clamp the halves
together, add foam-in-place urethane,
and you’ve made a casting of the fuse
lage interior. After the foam has cured,
remove the clamps, clean off the re
lease agent, and carve the plastic foam
to accept cockpit seats and instrument
panels. In this way you can complete
t h e d e t a i l s i n t h e cockpit before
assembling the fuselage.
2-27 Rivet removal
If the rivets on your kit are grotesque
ly out of scale or you just don’t like
rivets, they can be partially or com
pletely removed. Prepare a thick mix-

14
 2-27
ture of water and toothpaste or a kitch
en cleanser such as Ajax or Comet and
rub this paste over the rivets, using a
pad of aluminum foil to apply the
paste. Keep rubbing until the rivets
reach the desired size or are gone.
2-28 Stretched sprue panel
lines
Very finely stretched sprue makes
good panel lines. Apply with liquid
plastic cement or ACC and sand light
ly. Any round edges on the underside
will be filled by paint later.
2-29 Molding flash
Small rocket fins, gun sights, and
other thin parts are best made from
molding flash.
2-30 Scale thickness doors
Wet sand the inside surfaces of sec
tions containing doors that you want
to make scale thickness. As scale
thickness is approached the plastic
will become translucent. Stop sanding
and cut out the door.
2-31 Free plastic stock
Plastic stock for small parts can be
found in many places. The pocket
calendars given out by banks, playing
cards, the clear covers from Christmas
card boxes, and the lids from cottage
cheese or yogurt containers are a few
examples.
2-32 Tinted transparent plastic
stock
The drugstore is your best source of
tinted transparent styrene. For exam
ple, Excedrin bottles are tinted green
and prescription medicine containers
are amber. Toothbrush handles come
in all colors.
2-28
2-33 Casting parts from sprue
You can make plastic castings of small
parts from sprue. You’ll need a pencil
eraser, aluminum foil, sprue, and a
candle or alcohol lamp.
Step 1. Chop the sprue into small
pieces to ensure rapid melting.
Step 2. Place a piece of unwrinkled
aluminum foil against the piece to be
copied. Press the foil into the piece
with the pencil eraser. The foil will
take on the shape of the part.
Step 3. Support the mold you have just
made with wadded pieces of foil.
Step 4. Fill the mold with chopped
sprue and heat slowly over a flame un
til the plastic melts and flows into the
cavities in the mold. Be careful not to
heat the plastic too rapidly because the
plastic develops air bubbles under
high heat.
Step 5. Let the plastic cool, remove the
foil, and trim the rough edges on the
side of the casting.
2-33
Mold
Hot
sheet
plastic
Dowel
Vise
Hot
sheet
Dowel plastic
Frame
\ Mold
2-34
2-34 Stretch-forming canopies
Two techniques are commonly used to
stretch-form clear acetate or plexi
glass when scratchbuilding canopies.
Both techniques involve stretching
heat-softened plastic sheet over a male
mold of the canopy. In the first method
the mold is mounted on a dowel which
is in turn mounted in a vise. The plas
tic sheet is heated over an electric hot
plate until it softens and the softened
plastic is pulled over the mold. Wear
thick gloves to avoid burns.
In the second method the mold is ex
actly the same as i n the first but the
dowel is not clamped in a vise. The
plastic is clamped in a heat-resistant
frame with an opening in the center.
The frame is mounted on supports that
hold the center area several inches
from the workbench surface. The plas
tic is softened by heat, the mold is
pressed into the soft plastic and held
there until the plastic hardens.
15

2-35
a
2-35 Vacuum cleaner
vacuum-former
You can vacuum-form small parts
with a canister vacuum cleaner, a
piece of wire window screen, a heat
source, and a thin piece of plastic.
Place the screen over the suction hose
opening, set a male mold of the part on
the screen, heat t h e sheet plastic,
drape the softened plastic over the
mold, turn on the vacuum cleaner, and
you’ve just vacuum-formed a part.
2-36
2-36 Proportional divider
A draftsman’s proportional divider is
used to convert drawings from one
scale to another without calculations.
It consists of two legs held together by
an adjustable screw which serves as
the pivot for the legs. By sliding the
screw toward one end or the other of
the legs, any desired ratio between the
distances spanned by the ends of the
legs can be obtained. For example, let’s
say you want to make a drawing 2/3 as
large as the plan you are working
from. Set the adjustable screw at the
"2/3” mark: the distance between the
ends of the shorter legs is now 2/3 of
the distance between the longer legs.
2-37 Conversion factor
You are building a model (let’s say an
MelO9E) and you want to add a detail
that isn’t included in the kit. You can
determine proper dimensions of the
detail item if you have a drawing or
photograph of the prototype aircraft, a
calculator, and a metric ruler. Begin
by measuring the same parts on the
drawing or photo and in the kit with
the metric ruler. For example, mea
sure the length of the fuselage on the
drawing and kit part, the wingspan on
16
both, and the size of the insignia. Then
plug the figures into this formula:
CF _ Kit measurement in mm. _______
Photo or drawing
measurement in mm.
Shorten this to CF =
On our Me109E example:
KM PM
2-38 Liquid masking fluid to
Outer wing panel 51.0 mm. 61.4 mm. hold parts
Fuselage length 99.0 mm. 118.9 mm.
Wing root chord 25.3 mm. 29.2 mm. Many models come with panels and
Cowling 23.2 mm. 29.1 mm. doors that are to be removed from the
Prop diameter 17.5 mm. 22.0 mm.
model for final display (such as the
Under-wing
radiator 9.9 mm. 12.5 mm.
engine and gun access panels on the
Canopy 17.0 mm. 21.0 mm. Hasegawa 1/32 scale P-5 ID Mustang).
The conversion factors for these These panels must be attached to the
parts are: model during painting, decaling, and
weathering, yet must be removed for
61 4
Outer wing panel CF = = 1 .204 display. The solution to this problem is
to apply a small amount of liquid
Fuselage length masking fluid (Magic Mask, Liquid
Frisket, Squadron Mask, etc.) to the
CF = = 1.201 edges of the panel and immediately
place the panel in the proper position
29 2
Wing root chord CF = 5— = 1.15 on the model. Clamp or tape the part
until the masking agent dries. The
Cowling CF = ||4 =1.154 masking agent will hold the part firm
ly during the painting and finishing
stages yet allow it to be removed easily
Prop CF = = 1.257
I• with tweezers when the model i s
finished. If you don’t have any liquid
Under-wing radiator masking agent, use rubber cement.
CF = = 1.263
21
Canopy CF = = 1 .235
There are several reasons the CF’s are
not the same for all the parts. These
include distortions in the photos or
drawings and discrepancies in the
sizes of the kit parts. To get a working
CF we average the individual CF’s. In
our example: 1.204 + 1.201 + 1.15
+ 1.154 + 1.257 + 1.263 + 1.235
= 8.464. Divide by 7 = 1.209. Round
to one or two decimal places and
CF = 1.2.
Now the CF goes to work: CF x PM
= KM in mm. Take a measurement on
the photo, multiply that figure by the
CF and the product is the actual length
in mm. of the part you want to model.
Let’s assume you are adding wing
stores and must make the pylon. The
PM’s of the pylon are 12.7 mm. long
and 4.8 mm. high with a CF of 1.2. So 2-39 Static electricity removers
1.2 x 12.7 mm. = 15.2 mm.; 1.2 x 4.8
mm. = 5.8 mm. Make the pylon 15.2 Unpainted s t y r e n e i s a powerful
generator of static electricity. This
x 5.8 mm.
causes the plastic to attract dust parti
The scale of something has nothing to cles which interfere with paint appli
do with the formula; you don’t even cation. Static electricity must be re
need to know the scale because you are moved from all plastic parts before
establishing the ratios yourself with painting. Wipe the parts with a clean
the CF. cloth slightly dampened with a phono
If the photo is larger than the kit the graph record cleaning solution or wash
CF will be less than 1. If the photo and the part in a solution of lukewarm wa
the kit are the same size put away the ter containing a drop or two of dish
calculator and measure directly from washing solution and allow the part to
the photo. air dry. Then paint.

3. Masking, Painting, and Decating
3-1 Tack rag
Tack rags are pads of cheesecloth im
pregnated with a sticky, nondrying
substance. They are sold in paint and
1L
* ./
hardware stores and are used to re
move dust and sanding residue from
surfaces to be painted. Buy a tack rag
and use it before each application of
paint and you’ll have no trouble with
dust spoiling the paint job.
3-2 Inconsistencies in color
references
Treat all dogmatic statements about
the colors of prototype equipment
skeptically. Paint colors vary consid
erably from established standards and
no color reference is completely accu
rate. Paint chips fade and otherwise
change over time. Magazine and book
photos inevitably contain distortions
introduced by the type of film used and
by the color printing process. Be con
tent if your colors give the appearance
of general fidelity to the prototype and
don’t worry if an "expert” tells you the
model is too green, or blue, or whatev
er because there’s no way to prove who
is right or wrong.
3-3 Armor paint variability
Military vehicles that have been in
service for any length of time may
3-3
have as many as five shades of green
paint. These range from medium green
to dark olive drab. This is because spot
painting has been done under field
conditions, usually by GI’s who seldom
concern themselves with neatness or
consistency of color. In the case of older
tanks the entire vehicle may be brush
painted with mixed shades of olive
drab. Therefore, a model of a well-used
tank with a perfectly consistent olive
drab paint job would violate prototype
fidelity. The best technique in paint
ing older AFV’s is to first paint the
model with a coat of olive drab and
then paint over this in places subject to
hard wear with several other shades of
olive drab.
17

3-4 Scale color
Nearly everyone has had the experi
ence of picking colors from a paint
c h a r t to repaint something i n h i s
house, then finding on completion that
To order the document, send a check or
money order for $2.75 (price subject to
change) payable to the General Ser
vices Administration, to Specifica
tions Distribution Branch, Building
197, Washington Navy Yard,
Washington, D.C. 20407.
3-6 World War II Russian
aircraft color schemes
Most Russian aircraft during World
War II (except foreign-built aircraft
which were usually left in their deliv
ery color schemes until the first win
t e r ) h a d one of four b a s i c color
schemes:
Scheme 1. Dark olive green over all
upper surfaces, with light blue-gray or
light gray below. This is probably the
part Flat Yellow, 1 part Flat Roof
Brown, and 1 part Flat White.
Dark earth brown: 2 parts Flat White,
5 parts Flat Yellow, and 7 parts Flat
Roof Brown.
Light blue-gray: 36 parts Flat White, 3
parts Flat Insignia Blue, and 1 part
Hot Rod Primer.
Light gray: 18 parts Flat White and 2
parts Hot Rod Primer.
3-7
BEST FOR All WICK
TYPE LIGHTERS

the soft canary or pink he selected
turned out to be a blazing yellow or
vermillion when seen in its true scale.
The same phenomenon takes place
when painting models: colors that
looked right on a color chip often look
too bright, or too dark, or too flat, or too
glossy on the model. Further, the more
colors on the model, the greater the
likelihood of clashes. These problems
can be minimized by first painting the
colors that will be used on a cardboard
scrap the same size as the model. Often
dark colors will have to be lightened,
bright colors toned down, and flats and
glosses made less flat or glossy. Try to
be as faithful as possible to the pro
totype scheme, but keep in mind that
when modeling what looks right is
right.
3-5 Federal Standard 595a
Federal Standard 595a is a document
containing several hundred p a i n t
chips of different colors, each color
identified by a five-digit number.
These colors are used by the federal
government and federal contractors
such as aircraft manufacturers. For
example, the underside color on a Viet-
nam-era Phantom is Federal Standard
36622; the tan color on a "Snake” F5-E
Aggressor is 23531.
Increasingly, hobby paints are being
formulated to Federal Standards.
Even if you can’t find a ready-mixed
paint in the desired color, mixing your
own color is easy when you have the
color chip to check for accuracy.
most widely used scheme and can be
applied to any type of combat aircraft.
Light gray was not as common as light
blue-gray.
Scheme 2. Dark olive green and dark
earth brown over all upper surfaces,
similar to British practice, but gener
ally with straighter edges to the color
division. Applied to most of the fighter
and bomber types after 1942. Not ap
5 RONSONOL
plied to the earlier fighters such as the LIGHTER FUEL
I-16, 1-15, and early MiG’s, which were M A D E BV RON5ON
usually finished in Scheme 1. Some in
truder aircraft exhibited this scheme
with black undersurfaces, but Scheme
1 was more common.
Scheme 3. Dark olive green and light
olive green on all upper surfaces with
undersurfaces as for Scheme 1. This is
a nonstandard scheme not widely
used, but application to an 11-2 has
been confirmed.
Scheme 4. Matte black overall. Ap 3-7 Naphtha as enamel
plied to various aircraft used on night flattening agent
intruder missions, for example the Experiment with naphtha (cigarette
II- 2 and MiG-3. lighter fluid) as a flattening agent for
In the winter months, nearly all types enamel hobby paints such as Humbrol,
exhibited a snow camouflage of white Pactra, and Testor.
on all upper surfaces. This was appar
e n t l y applied e i t h e r by b r u s h o r
sprayer and the quality varied consid 3-8
erably from aircraft to aircraft. This
white was applied directly over the ex
isting summer scheme.
One of the few deviations from these
schemes was the use of red outer wing
panels on snow-camouflaged aircraft
as an aid in spotting downed aircraft.
The red panels covered from one-third
Enlarge nozzle, insert brass or
of the wing to almost the entire wing plastic tubing.
depending upon aircraft type. Good ex
amples of red-paneled aircraft are the
1-15 and MiG-3. 3-8 Emptier for aerosols
The formulas below, using Pactra
paints, are close simulations of the Occasionally, you may want to use a
actual Russian colors. paint in your airbrush that is avail
able only in an aerosol can. Take an old
Dark olive green: 3 parts Flat Black, 3
spray head from an aerosol can, drill
parts Anti-glare Green, 2 parts Flat
Yellow, and 2 parts Flat Roof Brown. out the nozzle, insert a 6"- to 8"-length
of brass or plastic tubing, and spray
Light olive green: 3 parts Hot Rod through the tubing into your paint
Primer, 3 parts Anti-glare Green, 1 bottle.

18

Tougher
Than
Wax A
fUxxnwsH
3-9 Future floor wax
Future-brand floor wax gives a high
gloss finish to completed models and
protects them from dust and grime. It
can be applied by brush or airbrush
(use at least 25 psi — 40 psi is better).
Future doesn’t yellow and can be
washed with warm water and dish
washing detergent. To remove, mix a
strong solution of household ammonia
and dishwashing detergent and soak
until the wax loosens.
- enamel, one part Floquil Crystal-Cote,
3-10 Airbrushing Polly S
You’ll have no trouble airbrushing
Polly S paints if you thin the paint
with up to 25 per cent water and main
tain a compressor setting of 25 psi.
3-11 Tint clear plastic
Many aircraft canopies and windows
are tinted blue to screen out the sun.
To simulate this tint, buy a bottle of
3-9
Tester Metallic Blue and let it sit for a
week until the pigment and metallic
particles have settled. Brush or air
brush the blue liquid from the top of
the bottle over the clear plastic parts.
Red lights on the port wing can simi
larly be tinted with Testor Ruby Red;
green starboard lights can be tinted
with Metallic Green. The green can
also be used on celluloid for goggles on
figures or green windows elsewhere.
3-12
3-12 Smoked glass
The smoked clear parts on such air
craft as the S-3 and the FB-111 can be
simulated by adding seven or eight
drops of India ink to Testor Glosscote
that has been sprayed into an empty
jar. Mix the ink and Glosscote thor
oughly and practice on scrap plastic,
adding more ink to the Glosscote until
you are satisfied with the smokiness.
Apply the mixture to the inside sur
faces of the pieces to be tinted.
3-13 Reynolds Wrap
Bare metal finishes on aircraft can be
simulated by covering the aircraft
with panels of Reynolds Wrap alumi
num foil, using Hobsco DDV as an
adhesive. DDV is a decal-dulling var
nish distributed to hobby shops by
Wm. K. Walthers, Inc., a leading sup-
3-13
plier of model railroad equipment, so
look for it in the model railroad section
of your hobby shop. Apply DDV to the
surface to be covered by brush or spray
and apply the aluminum foil panels,
smoothing them down with a finger
nail, a smooth stick, a needle, or a wad
of tissue. It takes a lot of practice to
become proficient at this technique,
but mistakes are easily corrected by
removing the damaged section of foil.
3-14 Duro chrome plating
enamel
Bare metal finishes can be simulated
effectively with an airbrushed mix
ture - of Duro chrome plating enamel,
Floquil Crystal-Cote, and Floquil Dio-
Sol. Duro chrome plating enamel is
available at many hardware and auto
parts stores. Its color particles are ex
traordinarily fine, much finer than the
pigments in many silver paints. To
use, mix one part Duro chrome plating
and eight parts Floquil Dio-Sol and
apply this mixture with an airbrush.
Most of the solvents will have evapo
rated by the time the paint strikes the
plastic, so it won’t craze the surface.
Work under a strong light and make
quick passes with the airbrush. The
result will be a metallic silver-gray
finish without any of the graininess of
even the finest silver paints. Decals
stick well to it and it can be weathered
or aged as you desire.
3-15 Rub ‘n Buff
Rub 'n Buff products are wax-based
compounds containing finely ground
metallic particles that are used to
simulate natural metal finishes in
cluding those on plastic models. The
surface to be finished with Rub 'n Buff
must be immaculately clean, primed
w i t h a flat p a i n t , and free of a l l
scratches. Apply the paste with a soft,
dust-free cloth, let dry, and buff with a
second clean soft cloth or nylon stock
ing. Remove fingerprints by firm buf
fing with a nylon stocking. Use only
very thin, perfectly trimmed flat de-
19
 3-15
cals over Rub 'n Buff. Simulate vari
able textures for different panels by
leaving some panels unpolished or less
highly polished. Don’t use Dullcote or
Glosscote over Rub 'n Buff because
doing so detracts from the bare metal
effect.
3-16 Spray-N-Plate
Spray-N-Plate is a metallic plating
lacquer that produces realistic bare
metal finishes when airbrushed on
smooth plastic. It is available in two
formulations: Non-Buffing and Buf
fing. As t h e i r n a m e s imply, Non
Buffing Spray-N-Plate requires no fi
nal buffing with a soft cloth; Buffing
Spray-N-Plate produces a high shine
when buffed. Apply Non-Buffing
Spray-N-Plate first even if you intend
the last coat to be Buffing Spray-N-
Plate and you’ll be less likely to rub
through to bare plastic when buffing.
3-17
3-17 Household chemicals as
paint removers
A number of modelers have reported
that the chemicals listed below give
good results when used as paint re
movers. Several are extremely dan
gerous, so wear rubber gloves, eye pro
tection, and a safety apron when work
ing with them.
• Oven cleaner. Works best on old
gloss enamel finishes, less effective on
flats. Spray or brush on, let work for an
hour or two, then scrub off the loosened
paint with an old toothbrush.
• Household bleach. Soak the part in
full-strength liquid household bleach
until the paint starts to flake, then
scrub with a toothbrush.
• Liquid drain cleaner. Excellent for
removing flats. Best used by pouring
the cleaner into a jar, immersing the
part, sealing the jar, and allowing the
part to soak overnight.
20
3-16
• Heavy-duty household cleaners.
Fantastik, 409, and other heavy-duty
household detergents, are the safest
paint removers. Soak the part in full
strength liquid detergent for a day or
more until the paint softens, then
scrub with a toothbrush.
• Charcoal starter fluid. This is high
ly refined kerosene. Soak the parts
outdoors until the paint dissolves.
3-18
3-18 Lacquer thinner
Lacquer thinner is an acetone- and
alcohol -based solvent and cleaner. Use
it to wash metal parts before painting
or soldering and experiment with it as
a cleaner for brushes and airbrushes.
Do not use lacquer thinner as a thin
ner for hobby paints— these should al
ways be thinned with the particular
solvent recommended by their manu
facturers.
3-19 Denatured alcohol
removes Dullcote
Denatured alcohol removes Testor
Dullcote a n d Glosscote w i t h o u t
damaging other paints.
3-20 Polyethylene dust cover
To k e e p d u s t from s e t t l i n g o n t o
painted surfaces, cover a freshly
painted model with a tent made from
the film that dry cleaners use to pro
tect clothes.
3-21 Sheen on matte finishes
Many aircraft originally given a matte
finish develop a slight sheen in ser
vice. A similar effect can be obtained
on a model by gentle rubbing with a
finger wrapped in a soft cloth after
allowing the paint on the model two or
three days’ drying time.
3-22
3-22 Drafting tape
Drafting tape is similar to masking
tape but has a less-sticky adhesive,
which makes it suitable for use on
plastic models where the stronger
adhesion of masking tape might dam
age the model. Drafting tape is sold in
art-supply stores a n d draftsman’s
supply stores.

3-23
3-23 Rubber band mask
To airbrush a thin line around a part
with compound curves, first paint the
color of the stripe in the area, slip an
appropriate-size rubber band around
it, and position the rubber band exact
ly where you want the stripe. Then
airbrush the surface color. Remove the
rubber band by slicing through it with
a sharp hobby knife.
3-24 Frisket paper
Frisket paper is very thin translucent
paint-proof paper that is self-adhesive
and is used in the graphic arts as a
masking material. It is supplied in
sheets or rolls and is available at art
supply stores. To use, trace the outline
of the area to be masked on the frisket
paper with a soft lead pencil, cut out
the mask with a hobby knife fitted
with a new blade (X-acto No. 11 is
good), carefully peel the frisket from
its backing sheet, apply to the model,
burnish the edges with a smooth stick,
and paint. The material is easier to cut
than tape, and produces smaller color
separation ridges. It may be used with
brush or airbrush and is not affected
by any hobby paints. After painting
pick up one corner of the mask with a
needle or pin point and peel off the
frisket.
Because it is very thin, self-adhesive,
and can be cut to any size, it can also be
used to make canopy ribbing. Paint
the frisket paper the desired color, let
dry, and cut to the correct width. Apply
these strips to the canopy and trim for
final fit.
3-25
3-25 White glue as a liquid
masking fluid
Add a drop of food coloring and a drop
of dishwashing detergent to a small
quantity of white glue and you’ve
made a liquid masking fluid that is
well suited for masking clear parts.
Brush the mixture onto the areas to be
masked, let dry for an hour, and trim
the edges of the mask to the exact
shape required.
Remove the mask after painting by
gently lifting one corner, placing a
drop of water under this flap, and
peeling.
3-26 Toilet paper stuffing
When spray painting a model stuff
moistened toilet paper into the open
ings you don’t want to get paint into. It
fills the openings nicely and you can
start spraying as soon as it’s in place.
Wet the tissue with a few drops of wa
ter to make it easier to remove after i t
has dried.
Tear cardboard with a twisting motion
so the edge is irregular.
3-27 Feathered edges
Feathered edges on camouflage pat
terns can be simulated by using a
mask made from torn card stock. Hold
the torn card a fraction of an inch from
the model and spray orrthe desired col
or. The amount of overspray can be
varied by adjusting the air pressure
and by holding the card closer to or
farther from the model.
3-28 Q-tip paint stamps
You can obtain mottled camouflage
patterns by dipping a Q-tip in the
paint, stamping it against a piece of
scrap paper until the desired shape has
been attained, and then stamping the
almost-dry Q-tip against the surface of
the model.
3-29 Mask with lead pencil
When painting a multicolored camou
flage scheme with a brush, first mark
21
3-29

with a very sharp knife or new single

edge razor blade. The thread will come
away cleanly when the masking is re
moved a n d will p r e v e n t p a i n t
creeping.

3-33

off the scheme on the model in pencil.

The pencil outlines will hold the paint 3-31 3' to 4 '
in the desired areas.

3-30
3-30 Aluminum base coat
A base coat of flat aluminum or silver
paint serves three useful purposes:
• It seals all fillers.
• It reveals the most minute imperfec
tions in the filled surfaces and reveals
all unwanted scratches so that you can
fix these before applying the color
coats.
• It makes all color coats truer and
more brilliant, especially when the
light colors would otherwise be applied
over dark plastic.
3-31 Plexiglass paint chisels
Use homemade chisels made of plexi
glass to remove unwanted paint and
create sharp paint edges. The tips
should have a 45-degree slant and
should be Vie", Ve", and 7«" wide. The
handles should be long enough —
about 4" — to provide a comfortable
grip. Work from the clear area to the
paint edge, scraping or chiseling off
the oversprayed paint. The plexiglass
cutting surfaces are sharp enough and
smooth enough to remove the paint
Make several ol different
‘W sizes.
Ribbing
Chisel
Canopy Ragged paint edges
cleanly, but are not hard enough to
scratch even clear plastic.
3-32 Stop creeping paint
Many aircraft kits show panel lines
and control surface separations by en
graved markings on the plastic sur
face. This gives rise to the problem of
paint creeping when working with
masked color lines. The remedy is sim
ple: Take some sewing thread, dip it in
a dilute solution of white glue (about
'/z water, 7z glue), and lay it into the
engraved line as caulking. Mask as
usual and cut off the end of the thread
3-34
Tw
1
3-33 Checkers
Frisket paper is the best material for
masking checkerboard patterns. Cut
squares of frisket the exact size as the
squares and press in place, being cer
tain that the corners of each square
touch. Spray the surface with the de
sired paint, let dry, and remove the
frisket paper. Any paint ridges left at
the edges of the masked areas can be
removed after the paint has dried for
several days by buffing with a soft
cloth. If you don’t have frisket paper,
u s e Scotch Magic t a p e i n s t e a d —
it works well, but tears more easily
than frisket paper.
3-34 Equal segments
If you have ever run into trouble
trying to divide a surface into equal
segments for applying stripes, here is a
tip that should help you. An example
of a real problem is shown to illustrate
the method.
A rudder is to be divided into 13 equal
parts for striping. The surface to be
striped is l 5/a"high. Transfer the di
mensions to be divided- onto a piece of
paper or light card stock and draw two
Thirteen '/a” segmenls
equal 1 W .

22
parallel lines. Now choose a fraction to
equal each segment, say Vs".Count the
number of fractions equal to the total
segments (13 segments at Vs" each
equals 1%”or 1%") and lay a ruler
diagonally across the parallel lines
until the total segments intersect the
parallel lines. Draw a line and mark
off the segments along the diagonal
line. Draw a line to extend each seg
ment to a common line. This is your
template. Cut i t out and use it to mark
off the work.

3-35 Light colors first

Less paint will be used and all colors
will look better if lighter colors are
applied before darker colors. In many
cases it is possible to paint the entire
model with the lighter color — this
serves also a s a primer — and then
mask for the darker color.

3-37

3-36 Apply decals to frisket

paper
Apply decals to frisket paper that has
been painted the same color as the
panel on which the decal is to be ap
plied. Then stick the frisket paper on
the model and cut it to the exact size of
the panel. The resulting decaled panel
has no ugly decal-film edges.
3-39
slightly dampened No. 600 wet-or-dry
sandpaper. Back the sandpaper with a 3-41
flat sanding block, rinse the sandpaper
frequently, and work slowly.

3-37 Decal restoration 3-40

Old dried out and cracked decals can
sometimes be salvaged by painting the
top surface of the decal sheet with a
thin coat of varnish.
3-38 Add white glue to
decal-soaking water
Adding a few drops of white glue to the
water used to soak the decals and to
wet the surface being decaled im
proves decal adhesion. White glue is
water-soluble so cleanup is easy.
3-39 Thick decals
Very old plastic kits from the West and
c o n t e m p o r a r y k i t s from E a s t e r n
Europe have thick, shiny decals. These
can be thinned and made less glossy by
gently sanding the decal sheet with
SUPER
w
5DL &ET
ciuoa
3-40 Decal setting solutions
Decal setting solutions such as Solva-
set should be applied just after the de
cal is in place, then at repeated inter
vals until the decal snugs down per
fectly. As many as eight applications
may be required. Allow the decal to
dry at least a day after the last applica
tion of the setting solution before coat
ing it with clear protective finish.
3-41 Decal paper
Decal paper consists of a backing pa
per coated with thin layers of water
soluble adhesive. It is available in the
model railroad section of your hobby
shop. To make your own decals from
decal paper first paint the paper with
one or two thin coats of clear varnish or
lacquer. Varnish is generally more
flexible than lacquer, so use it until
you gain proficiency with the tech
nique. The more coats of varnish you
apply, the stronger — and thicker —
the decal will be. Experiment until you
can produce decals that don’t break

23
when handled, but aren’t obtrusively 3-45
thick. After the varnish has dried,
paint the design using enamels. Let
dry several days, then cut out, trim,
and apply.

3-42

3-42 Dry transfers and decal

paper
To make your own decals that have
lettering surrounded by a contrasting
color (for example, black letters on a
yellow background), first prepare the
decal paper as explained above and
paint the background color. After this
has dried thoroughly, apply the letter
ing using dry transfers. Protect the dry
transfers with a light spray coat of office copier. Coat the back of the paper
clear varnish, let dry, and apply as you with rubber cement thinned 1:1 with
would regular decals. rubber cement thinner. Press the pa
per, cement side down, on a sheet of
3-43 Onionskin lettering and glass and cut out the stencil. Use a new
markings blade in your hobby knife and use a
Onionskin stationery can be inked or straightedge to ensure straight lines.
painted with lettering or other mark Cut out and save the center portion of
ings, cut out, trimmed, and applied to closed letters like 0 . When the stencil 3-47
the model with clear varnish used as a has been completely cut out gently lift
cement. it from the glass and stick it on the
model. Attach the cut out centers of 3-47 Bow compass
open letters. Now spray with the color
3-44 Decal transfer medium you desire, let dry, and remove the Circular outlines on flat surfaces can
Decal transfer medium is a gooey stencil. be painted with a bow compass, using
white substance that is brushed onto gloss enamel instead of India ink in
black and white or colored illustra 3-46 Cutting very thin paper the pen point. Flat paints do not run as
tions made on coated paper. It is freely as gloss, so if a flat effect is re
allowed to dry, then the coated paper is The thinnest cigarette and tissue pa quired, use a flattening agent after the
soaked in water until it softens. The pers can be cut accurately, without gloss enamel has dried. Clean the pen
softened paper is gently rubbed away tearing, if the pattern is first drawn or point immediately after each use.
leaving behind the transfer medium traced on a sheet of ordinary typing
and the impression of the object being paper. Make a three-layer sandwich 3-48 Dry-transfer masks
transferred. This decal is now attached consisting of a sheet of blank typing
to any surface with a small amount of paper, the thin paper, and the sheet of Dry transfers produce clean-edged let
the transfer medium. typing paper with the pattern drawn tering when used as masks. First paint
on it. Tape this sandwich to flat glass the area to be lettered the color of the
Decals made by this technique are not and cut out the pattern, making sure
as thin as those made from decal pa the knife penetrates all three layers. letters. When thoroughly dry, apply
per, but they are strong, and as sharp All layers of paper will remain in per the dry transfers. Now spray the model
as the printed illustration on which fect register until your last cut. Now with the color to surround the letter
they are based. ing. Let this paint dry, then remove
remove the tape, discard the typing the dry transfers with a piece of Scotch
Decal transfer medium (one brand is paper, and use the thin paper wher Magic tape or masking tape. Clean up
Decal-it) can be found in the crafts sec ever desired. any rough edges with a plastic scraper.
tion of your hobby shop.

3-45 Paper stencils ■

Many identifying marks and airliner
logotypes are painted on prototype
equipment with stencils. You can
make your own stencils to create con
vincing simulations. Find a printed
copy of the lettering or logo you want 3-48
and cut it out or make a copy on an

24

3.49
3-49 Invasion stripes
Allied aircraft supporting the Nor
mandy invasion in June 1944 were
marked with broad black and white
bands to aid in identification. These
h a v e become k n o w n a s i n v a s i o n
stripes. All aircraft taking part in the
June battles were given these mark
ings, but these comments apply only to
aircraft of the E i g h t h a n d N i n t h
U.S.A.A.F.’s.
Applied on June 5, 1944, the bands
consisted of five alternating white
(three) and black (two) stripes painted
on both lower and upper wing surfaces
and completely around the rear of the
fuselage or tail boom. On P-47’s and
P-51’s t h e f u s e l a g e s t r i p e s w e r e
18" wide, w i t h t h e r e a r m o s t l i n e
18" forward of the horizontal stabiliz
er. The wing stripes were also
18" wide, s t a r t i n g a p p r o x i m a t e l y
12" outboard of the wing root. On the
twin-boomed P-38 the stripes were
e i t h e r 18" or 24" wide, beginning
18" from the horizontal stabilizer and
18" from the engine nacelles on the
wing. The medium bombers of the
Ninth U.S.A.A.F., A-20’s, A-26’s, and
B-26’s, were identified by 24"-wide
stripes on the rear of the fuselage and
on the wing outboard of the engine
nacelles. Due to the immense job of
painting the stripes in a short time,
these dimensions should be considered
approximate. On most aircraft the
stripes were omitted from the area of
the national insignia, squadron code,
and aircraft letter.
Two or three weeks after the invasion
the stripes \yere ordered removed or
painted over on all upper surfaces. On
olive drab aircraft the stripes were
I//)
A
$ ' i < r w n » ft*H**J M
I • IF SWAU0 " . . . '
I ■ FBlUVtinD i
x. »n wt i i oi
3-51 Protect dry transfers
After application, dry transfers should
be lightly sprayed with a compatible
clear varnish for protection. Experi
ment with scraps first because the sol
painted over with olive drab, though vents in some clear sprays will dis
solve the lettering.
not always the same shade as the rest
of the aircraft. On bare metal planes
the stripes were removed with whatev
er solvents the ground crews had on
hand — in many instances this led to
incomplete removal or staining of the
metal.
During the German winter offensive of
1944-1945 many P-51’s were painted
with olive drab or dark blue upper sur
faces which contrasted greatly with 3-52 Cut on glass
the natural metal undersurfaces and
the undersurface invasion stripes. Artist’s tables in the graphic arts
trades are invariably glass-topped.
Why? Partly because glass provides
3-50 Hand-letter AFV’s
the best cutting surface when trim
Much prototype armor has lettering ming thin paper, frisket paper, or thin
and insignia painted on without much plastic sheet. Plastic modelers often
regard for neatness. Discard the kit cut similar materials, so buy a
decals that came with your armor mod 12" square of ordinary window glass,
el — they are far too neat — and hand tape the edges with masking or plastic
paint the markings for a more realistic tape to prevent cuts and work like a
effect. pro.
3-50
25
 -

____

4. Canopies and Cockpits

4-1 Kit canopies
3. Trim edges and
The clear plastic canopies furnished 1. Apply striping tape. remove tape.
with plastic aircraft model kits can be
made more realistic if grossly out-of
scale framework is sanded almost com
pletely away. Use No. 400 and No. 600
wet-or-dry sandpaper used wet and 2. Apply masking agent.
back up the sandpaper with firm sup
port. Work carefully to avoid marring
adjacent clear areas. 5 Remove masking agent.
When the framework is almost invisi
ble, mask over it with plastic striping
tape (many brands are available at
hobby shops, art-supply stores, and
draftsman’s supply stores in widths as
narrow as Vm" ). Then fill in all clear
areas with liquid masking fluid or rub
ber cement. When the fluid or rubber
cement has dried, carefully cut o u t , move the masking agent by gently lift peat t h i s filling process u n t i l the
around the framework lines with a ing it with a dull needle point. canopy looks like part of the structure
new knife blade and remove the strip Now install the canopy on the model of the aircraft.
ing tape. Brush or spray the entire with white glue used both as an adhe
canopy, applying a dark-colored base sive and filler. Let the white glue dry, 4-2 Scratchbuilt canopies
coat first to prevent light transmis then shape it to the exact contour de Use a vacuum-former to produce
sion. When the paint has dried, re- sired with a water-wetted Q-tip. Re realistic canopies:

26
Step 1 . Make a male mold of the canopy 4-6
from air-hardening clay, wood, plas
ter, or other heat-resistant material
and place it in the vacuum-former.
Step 2. Vacuum-form the first layer,
which will be the inner frame, using
opaque plastic sheet. Trim away the
excess but leave the plastic on the
mold. Vacuum-form a sheet of clear
plastic over the second. Trim the ex i
cess and vacuum-form the third layer
(the outer frame) from opaque plastic.
Step 3. Remove the second and third a No. 11 hobby knife blade. The scribe
layers of plastic, leaving the first on mark will prevent paint from flowing
the mold. Draw the frame outlines on off the rib onto the clear plastic.
this piece and cut out all the openings.
Do the same with the third layer. Place
the inner and outer frames together
and carefully file and sand until they
have exactly the same frame widths, 4-3
that is, until they are identical.
1/2 X tooo IN.
Step 4. Paint the frames inside and
out. Leave a thin unpainted line on the
outside of the inner frame and the in
side of the outer frame.
Step 5. Place the inner frame back on
FUTIRE
ACRYUC FLOOR FINISH .

the mold and place the clear piece over

it. Trace the outlines of the frame on
the clear piece with a soft pencil. Re
move the clear piece and apply a very
small quantity of liquid plastic cement
inside the pencil lines on the clear
plastic and to the frames on the inner
piece. Gently place the clear piece over
the inner frame, being careful not to
allow the liquid cement to mar the 4-7 Thriftape canopy ribbing
clear plastic. Now cement the outer
frame in place over the clear plastic. Paint a strip of LePage’s Thriftape (a
4-4 Scratch remover cellophane tape sold in many dime
4-2 stores) stuck to a piece of flat glass. Let
Minor scratches on clear plastic parts the paint dry, then cut the ribbing for
Mate mold can be concealed with a thin coating of your canopy from the painted tape.
Future-brand floor wax. It can be Stick in place on the canopy. Other
wiped, brushed, or sprayed on. cellophane tapes may be used, but sev
eral modelers have reported that Le
Colored Page’s is more tear resistant than
other brands.

4-8 Dial face template

Colored plastic
Clear
plastic
Drill holes of several sizes in a flat
sheet of thin aluminum or brass and
you’ve made a template for scribing
Colored plastic dial faces on instrument panels. To
use, place the template over the plastic
or metal instrument panel face and
Cut out everything but the ribs on both scribe the dial faces with any sharp-
pieces of colored plastic. Make a sand pointed instrument such as a needle
wich of the clear and colored pieces.
4-5 Canopies need not be mounted in a dowel.
clear
Clear canopies and windows seldom 4-8
look realistic in very small scales (1/
100 and smaller). Solve the problem by Thin metal

painting the clear areas gloss navy

blue on light-colored models and gloss
4-3 Micro Kristal-Kleer blue-silver on dark-colored models. o
Micro Kristal-Kleer from Krasel In 4-6 Hand-painted canopy ribs
dustries is the best clear adhesive for
attaching canopies and other cleai- Before hand painting canopy ribs on Drill and file holes of
parts because it will not craze clear one-piece plastic canopies scribe be several sizes and shapes.
plastic. side each rib with the back of the tip of

27
 Trace instrument panel on thin sheet. Scribe Draflsman's circle
and cut out dial faces template

Cut out 4-10

photos ol
instruments. ar© enamel. After the paint dries, draw in
the instruments with a needle,
scratching through the paint to reveal
the white plastic. Put a drop of gloss
varnish over each dial face to simulate
the glass cover. Use yellow plastic in
stead of white where appropriate
(most World War II U.S. aircraft were
equipped with yellow figures and nee
dles on the instruments).
The circles are best made with the use
of a clear plastic circle template avail
able at most office supply stores and
Insert photos,
draftsman’s supply stores.
apply white glue. An artist’s material called scratch
board can be used i n place of the
painted plastic. Scratchboard is high-
4-9 quality cardboard that has been coated
with two layers of color. Scratching off 4-12
the top color reveals the bottom color
4-9 Sandwich instrument panel layer. The material is available at art
supply stores in a variety of top and
Realistic instrument panels can be bottom colors.
made from card stock, sheet plastic, or
thin sheet metal; magazine photos of
instrument faces; and white glue or 4-11 Vacuum-formed sandwich
any other clear-drying cement. Here’s instrument panel
how:
An extremely realistic instrument
Step 1. Determine the size and shape of
the instrument panel and trace it ontopanel can be made by vacuum-forming
the glass dial faces on the panel and
a sheet of card stock, plastic, or metal. 4-12 Dry-transfer dots
Fasten the sheet to a wooden backing, using the kit decals behind these faces,
mounting both the vacuum-formed Letraset dot sheet, catalog No. 2838,
use the dial face template mentioned contains hundreds of dry-transfer dots
clear plastic and the decal on a cutout
above to scribe the dial face outlines,
and drill or cut out the dial faces. card panel. Here’s how: of many sizes suitable for simulating
Step 1. Cut the instrument p/nel decal instrument faces. Sheet No. 2454 con
Step 2. Select photos of suitable instru tains both dots and squares.
ment faces from articles and advertiseto shape by trimming the edges. Cut a
ments in modeling and aviation maga duplicate of the trimmed decal from
zines. thin cardboard. Using a hobby knife
with a new blade, cut out the instru
Step 3. Cut out the instrument photos ment holes on this card. Seal any rag
to fit the size of the holes on the panel,
ged edges with white glue.
slightly moisten them, and insert in
the appropriate holes. Let dry. Apply Step 2. Place the cardboard panel up
cellophane tape to the back of the side down on the vacuum-former, cov
er with a sheet of thin clear plastic
panel to fix the faces in place. Trim the
tape. heated until it is flexible, and pump.
The clear plastic will be sucked into
Step 4. Simulate glass dial covers by the openings on the card. Trim the
placing a drop of white glue over eachplastic to size.
instrument dial face— the glue will
Step 3. Paint the cardboard panel the
fill the hole and look like glass when it
dries. appropriate color. Cut a sheet of very
thin opaque plastic to the shape of the
panel, paint the back of this sheet 4-13 Radar screens
4-10 Scribed instrument panel black to prevent light leakage, and Color print film, processed unexposed
apply the instrument panel decal to its or exposed to plain cards of desired col
A realistic instrument panel can be front. Now glue the three-part sand ors, can provide enough tinted plastic
made from a piece of white sheet plas wich together with white glue and in to make thousands of radar screens
tic painted with black lacquer or stall in the cockpit. and other cathode ray tube faces.

28
4-14 Aircraft throttle quadrants 4-14
The throttle quadrant stick included
in most plastic aircraft model kits is
too large. Trim it to more realistic
proportions — it’s about right when
your scale pilot could fit his hand
around it.

4-15 Representation, not

duplication
Superdetailing scale models, especial
ly in the smaller scales, calls for re
s t r a i n t . No m a t t e r how fine your
craftsmanship, any attempt to repro
duce every last nut, bolt, and rivet on a
model will produce a n unpleasant
effect. For example, an aircraft pilot’s
seat that contained all the wiring har
nesses, cables, oxygen hoses, and other
fittings of the original would be hope
lessly cluttered — the viewer could not
distinguish the important details from any scale can be made by varying the
the unimportant. A seat that was de diameter of the music-wire mandrel
4-18
tailed with a few cables, a seat belt, and the gauge of the copper wire.
and an oxygen bottle would better rep
resent the object being modeled. An alternative approach i s to dis
assemble a camera cable release and
4-16 Aluminum foil seat belts use the flexible spring cable as the
hose.
Seat belts and shoulder harnesses can
be made of strips of aluminum foil 4-18 Test pilot
painted tan. Cut the foil to size with a
new single-edge razor blade, bend to The pilot figure included in Mono
shape, and attach with rubber cement. gram’s 1/72-scale Fairchild A-10 is ex
traordinarily true to scale. When you
want to know if a 1/72-scale seat is
Music
correct, use the Monogram pilot to
wire check for fit. Use the figure to check
Rubber the position of the control sticks as
_L_i
cement well.

4-19 Cockpit coaming

Soft copper wire
The edges of open cockpits are covered
J with leather padding to protect the
EL i pilot from injury. This coaming can be
simulated with lengths of insulating
spaghetti tubing or insulation pulled
from electrical wire. Slit and slide in
place.

4-19
Olive drab paint

4-17 Oxygen hoses

In many World War II aircraft, partic
ularly fighters, the oxygen hose was a
prominent piece of cockpit equipment.
It led from the regulator, usually
mounted forward in the cockpit, to the
quick-disconnect fitting for the pilot’s
oxygen mask. The hose was flexible,
about 1 ’/s" i n diameter, 36" to 48"
long, and corrugated.
A realistic, though somewhat fragile,
model oxygen hose can be made by
wrapping fine soft copper wire (avail
able in spools a t hardware stores)
around a music-wire mandrel. Coat
the wrapped wire with rubber cement,
paint flat black, slide off the mandrel,
and carefully install in place. Hoses in

29
5. Detailing
White glue is water-soluble, so seal the
windows with clear gloss varnish. 5-3

5-2 Plastic wrap windows

Transparent windows complete with
frames can be made from plastic food
wrap. Measure the size of the window
you wish to make. Cut a piece of plastic
5-1 wrap ’/is" oversize, which allows a
*/32” frame. Using a small brush, apply
5-1 White glue windows clear v a r n i s h around the window
opening. Apply the window plastic and
S m a l l a i r c r a f t windows and s h i p pull smooth. Once dry, paint the frame
portholes can be made by pulling a dab to match the surrounding surface. M
of white glue across the window open The same technique can be used to
ing on the inside surface of the win make landing light covers.
dow. For larger windows, use the same
technique but first place a piece of tape 5-3 Cement for stretched
over the outside of the window open
sprue
ing. Seal the sticky side of the tape
with Testor Glosscote, and apply the Stretched sprue antennas and rigging
glue. When the glue has dried, remove wires can be cemented in place with a
the tape. The resulting windows are mixture of liquid and tube-type plastic
not perfectly clear, but they do look cements. Mix the two together until
realistic. Experiment with different the consistency is such that a tiny drop
brands of white glue until you find the of glue adheres to the end of a piece of or needle to apply glue to the sprue and
one that works best for you. stretched sprue dipped in it. Use a pin the object to which i t will be attached.

30

5-4 Sagging ropes
Thread or string used to simulate rope
will sag or take any desired shape if it
is wetted with a solution of one part
white glue and three parts water, then
put in position and allowed to dry.
Soft wire
Fishing
sinker
Bookshelf
or similar
weight
5-5
5-5 Straightening wire
Thin soft wire is supplied on spools
similar to thread spools. Consequent
ly, the wire is not straight as it comes
off the spool. It can be straightened by
hanging several feet of it from the edge
of a table or bookcase and weighting
t h e loose end with a medium-size
fishing sinker or similar object. Let
the wire hang for a day or two.
The same technique can be used to
straighten lengths of freshly pulled
sprue.
5-6
5-6 Epoxy insulators
Use a drop of 5-minute epoxy or white
glue to simulate insulators on wire
antennas. Neither attacks plastic, so
they can be used even on stretched
sprue.
Wrap hot stretched sprue
Cut here around dowel.
Dowel
5-10
Slide off © /
loop. Cement
to antenna
5-10 High-strength hardened
mast. wire
Guitar strings, available at all music
stores, make excellent steel rigging
5-7 Radio direction finder wires for aircraft models and stays for
loop antenna ship models.
Radio direction finder loop antennas
can be made by wrapping a length of
stretched sprue around a dowel of suit
able diameter. Slide the loop off the
ends of the dowel and glue in place.
5-8 Stainless steel wire
Modelers with access to medical sup
ply stores may wish to use stainless
steel eye sutures for aircraft rigging
wires. The sutures are strong and are
available in many diameters. Attach
to the model with epoxy cement.
5-9 Sources of very fine wire
Junk parts from discarded radio and
television sets contain numerous com
ponents incorporating fine wire of var
ious diameters. Unwind coils, trans
formers, and wire-wound resistors and 5-11
you’ll have a supply of fine wire that
can be used to simulate tubing, recoil 5-11 Pitot tubes
springs, antennas, and ring sights.
Straighten by the hanging method ex Make pitot tubes from lengths of wire
plained above. cut from paper clips.
5-8
31

5-12
5-12 Use clove hitch
No matter what fancy knots were used
on the prototype, most model ship rig
ging looks best if knots are tied with
simple clove hitches.
5-13 Drill first
Biplanes and other aircraft that re
quire extensive rigging are easier to
rig if the anchor holes for the rigging
wires are drilled before the model is
assembled. Use small drill bits (num
bers 61-80 — available at your hobby
shop and most hardware stores) held
in a pin vise or miniature drill. Lubri
cate the drill with beeswax and work
slowly. Rigging wire can be any stiff
wire such as small diameter music
wire. Cut it to length, feed the ends
into the drilled holes, and fasten in
place with a minute quantity of white
glue or epoxy. Control wires, gear
bracing wires, and antennas are best
made from cotton or polyester thread
which has been run through a cake of
beeswax. Beeswax prevents the thread
from raveling and helps control un
wanted sagging. Beeswax is sold in the
ship model section of hobby shops, in
all sewing stores, and most art-supply
stores.
5-14 Matchbox wheels
Die-cast metal toy vehicles such as
those manufactured by Matchbox and
5-14
32
Dinky Toys are a good source of spoked
wheels for aircraft models. The tires
that come with the wheels are usually
oversize — substitute 0-ring faucet
washers of the correct scale.
5-15
5-15 Wheel masking template
Use a draftsman’s circle template to
mask wheel hubs. Select the correct
size hole for your model’s wheels, cover
all the rest with a sheet of paper, hold
the template against the hub, and
spray paint onto the hub.
Zig-Zag
5-16 Cigarette paper treads
Patterned cigarette paper cut to size
and attached with thinned white glue
makes excellent treads for tires in the
larger scales.
5-17 Flat tires
Tires flatten slightly under the weight
of the vehicle they support. Simulate
this effect by partially melting the tire
from your kit with an iron. Here’s how:
Step 1. Allow the iron to heat up.
Step 2. Cover the sole of the iron with a
sheet of waxed paper.
Step 3. Press the tire against the
waxed paper until the plastic softens
and the tire flattens.
Step 4. Set the tire aside to cool. Re
move and discard the waxed paper.
Wipe off the sole of the iron with a soft
cloth to remove any wax residue. Un
plug the iron and allow it to cool.
Experiment with scrap tires until you
master the technique and be careful
not to overdo the flattening.
5-18 Mudguards
Model mudguards can be made from
household aluminum foil by this pro
cess:
Step 1. Fold a soft paper towel in half
four times to make a pad 16 sheets
thick.
Step 2. Cut a piece of aluminum foil
slightly larger than the desired size of
the mudguard.
Step 3. Select the wheel which the
mudguard is to cover.
Step 4. Place the aluminum foil on the
towel pad and press the wheel gently
into the foil.
Step 5. Rub the wheel from front to
rear of the foil along the long dimen
sion. The mudguard will form into a
double concave shape with a larger
radius than the wheel being used to
form it.
Step 6. Trim the front and rear por
tions of the mudguard to the desired
size with nail scissors.

Wheel
Aluminum foil
Folded paper
towel
Rub wheel
on foil. 5-19
Folded
paper
Aluminum
towel
5-20 Oversized landing gear
foil
parts
The landing gear struts and other
plastic parts provided in many kits are
oversized. Trim them to more realistic
Rub proportions with a hobby knife, files,
Finished
mudguard and sandpaper. In some instances,
even trimming won’t produce a proper
ly scaled s t r u t — i n t h e s e cases
scratchbuild your own from brass or
plastic tubing.
5-21 Hypodermic needles
Mudguard forming
Unless their possession is forbidden by
state or local laws, used hypodermic
5-18 needles are an excellent modeling
material for pitot tubes and gun bar
Step 7. Wash the foil in denatured rels. They are most easily cut to correct
alcohol. Let dry. Spray paint a n d length with an abrasive cutoff disc
attach it to the model with ACC or mounted in a motor tool.
epoxy.
5-22 Felt-tip marker barrels
5-19 Light bulb-filament springs
The barrels that hold the ink in long
The filaments from incandescent light marking pens can be emptied of their
bulbs can be used to simulate springs contents and stretched over a heat
on models. The bigger the bulb the big source to make gun barrels and other
ger the spring. tubes.
5-22
5-23
Cut here.
Cement.
Shape and
drill.
Insert
pitol
tube.
/
5-23 Assembling pitot tubes
and fuzes
One problem facing the builders of
models of recent aircraft is the fact
that the pitot tube is on the nose of the
aircraft. If the fuselage halves join at
this point or the base of the kit tube is
small, it’s hard to get a smooth nose
contour. Here’s a way to improve the
appearance of the nose: After cement
ing the fuselage together, saw off a
small portion of the nose and replace it
with a short piece of scrap plastic. Ce
ment the scrap solidly in place with
liquid plastic cement, ACC, or epoxy.
When dry, shape to the exact contour
desired, drill a small hole for the pitot
tube, and glue the tube in place with a
drop of ACC.
Use the same technique to install fuzes
on ordnance.
5-24
5-24 Brass tube propeller shafts
Telescoping brass tubing, available at
all hobby shops, comes in many diame
ters, each fitting snugly into the next
larger size. It is the perfect material
for propeller shafts. Remove the shaft
33
from the kit propeller and ACC or solder (that is, solder which is 60 per ner, or mineral spirits) or brush it
epoxy a short length of brass tubing in cent tin, 40 per cent lead), and a solder thoroughly with one of these degreas
the spinner after drilling a hole for the ing pencil or gun. Soldering is easy if ing agents, let dry, and paint.
tube. Similarly, mount a piece of the the pieces to be joined are immaculate
next larger size of tubing in the fuse ly clean. Sand or file the surfaces to be 5-28
lage. Slide the smaller tubing into the joined until they are shiny, wash in
larger tubing and you’ve made a shaft denatured alcohol, clamp in place, and
which allows the prop to spin. The prop solder by first heating the brass with
can be removed when the model is the soldering instrument, then apply
painted, washed, or transported. the solder to the heated brass and the
tip of the soldering instrument simul HI,

5-25 taneously. Use no more solder than

necessary to fill the joint, withdraw
the soldering instrument, and let the
solder cool. A good solder joint is
smooth and shiny. A bad solder joint is
lumpy, cracked, and dull. If the first
attempt fails, reheat the joint and the
solder may flow into place. If this
second attempt fails, the brass was
probably incompletely cleaned. Clean
it again and solder. Clean the tip of the 5-28 Painting brass to simulate
soldering instrument frequently with aluminum
a damp sponge. Use the same tech
5-25 How to cut brass tubing nique to solder brass to copper, lead, A realistic natural-aluminum finish
can be given to brass parts with one or
Small-diameter brass tubing is easily steel, iron (except cast iron), tin, and two coats of Aerogloss Silvaire Alumi
cut with a special modelbuilder’s tub many other metals. Lead-tin solder
will not solder aluminum or stainless num model airplane dope. Model air
ing cutter manufactured by K&S En plane dope attacks styrene, but is ex
gineering. To use, insert the tubing in steel to brass. cellent for brass.
the cutter’s V-slot, tighten the knob Brass tubing can be fastened to non-
until the cutting wheel is held firmly solderable metals, wood, and plastic
against the tubing, and rotate the tub with ACC or epoxy. The surfaces to be 5-29
ing or the cutter, tightening the cutter joined must be absolutely clean.
periodically. After several turns the White glue does not adhere well to
tubing will be cleanly cut. Remove any brass, but can be used if the joint need
burrs with a jeweler’s file. not be very strong.
Tubing may also be cut with a razor
saw, although this dulls the blade 5-27 How to paint brass
quickly. 5-29 Strathmore
Brass parts can be painted with any
hobby paint. Brass has little tooth for Strathmore board is a high-quality
5-26 Soldering and gluing brass artist’s paper suitable for modeling. It
tubing the paint to adhere to, so a clean, oil-
free surface is even more important consists of one or more plies of hard
It is best to solder brass-to-brass con than with plastic. Dip the part in dena white paper with a smooth or matte
nections. Use 60/40 resin-core or solid tured alcohol (or acetone, lacquer thin finish, and ranges in thickness from
.005" (1-ply) to .025" (5-ply). Strath
more is available at art-supply stores.
5-26 It is dimensionally stable, cuts cleanly
with a sharp hobby knife, and accepts
all hobby paints. It can be glued to
itself and other materials with white
glue, aliphatic resin glue (Franklin
Titebond), or epoxy. It is too porous to
/vs- use any of the ACC’s. A special glue,
Wilhold R/C 56, is perhaps the best
glue for Strathmore. R/C 56 bonds
firmly, has a longer working time than
white glue or aliphatic resin glue, has
tremendous tack, and dries clear.

5-30 Ball-point pen refills and

springs
The springs from ball-point pen refills
are occasionally useful in modelbuild
ing, but contrary to many suggestions,
the refills themselves are best dis
carded. Brass tubing is available in
many sizes and is infinitely easier to
work with than the hard brass used in
pen refills. Further, the ink residue in
the refill adheres to everything i t
touches and is difficult to remove.

34
 Step 6. Paint the inside of the landing
light silver.
Step 7. Stretch a piece of clear Scotch
tape over the landing light. The tape is
the lens.
Step 8. Trim carefully around the
edges of the Scotch tape and remove
the excess.

5-31 Metallized Mylar
The Apollo lunar lander and other
United States spacecraft are shielded
in s e v e r a l a r e a s by a distinctive
orange Mylar foil . A similar foil is used
to make inexpensive survival blankets
and auto emergency blankets that are
sold in camping stores. Cut out a small
section and use it to make the foil
shields on your spaceship model. If you
can’t find t h e blankets, some art
supply stores sell metallized Mylar
sheet that is similar and looks almost
as convincing.
5-33 Dayglo
Dayglo and other fluorescent colors
are more brilliant if a flat white under
coat is applied first. Dayglo colors are
used on aircraft as markers on the
empennage and fuselage and for warn
ing panels elsewhere.
paint in the hole to make the bulb, and
inserting the beacon light in place on
the model.
5-34 Scotchlite
Scotchlite and other brands of reflec
tive tape are available at most hard
ware stores in red and yellow. These
tapes can be used to model strip lights
on modern aircraft and tail lights and
side reflectors on car models. Because
the tapes are almost >/s4" thick they
should be inset in the model.

5-37 Medicine-capsule lenses

Medicine capsules are available i n
hundreds of sizes, shapes, and colors.
Empty the contents, fill the capsule
with epoxy, coat the outside with clear
Trim varnish, and you’ve made a convincing
tape. colored light for your airplane, ship, or
car. The capsules are made of gelatin,
so handle them carefully until they
have been filled and varnished.

5-32 Landing lights

Landing lights can be modeled by the
following procedure:
Step 1. Assemble the wing in the usual
fashion and sand the leading edge
smooth.
Step 2. Cut out the landing light area,
and trim and sand carefully until all
edges are perfectly straight.
Step 3. Fill the hole with thin plastic
sheet cut to approximate size. Glue in
place with liquid plastic cement,
epoxy, or ACC. When the cement has
set, trim the plastic sheet to the exact
contour.
Step 4. Paint the model.
Step 5. Smooth the rounded tip of a
piece of clear plastic sprue and cut it
off. Glue this lamp in place.
5-35 Mirrors
Mirrors on models can be simulated
with small pieces of aluminum foil, sil
ver gift wrapping tape, metallized My
lar, or pieces cut from metallic-coated
plastic paillettes sold in the craft sec
tion of most dime stores.
5-36 Beacon lights
The red beacon lights on aircraft can
be modeled by filing a piece of red-
tinted clear sprue to the correct shape,
drilling a small hole from the bottom,
dripping a minute quantity of silver
5-38 Wooden propellers
Wooden propellers on plastic models
often look better if they are made from
wood. Hobby shops stock basswood,
mahogany, walnut, cherry, and other
fine-grained woods, all of which are
suitable for making propellers, struts,
wheel chocks, and other wood parts on
aircraft and other models.

35
5-39 Original propeller blade 5-42

Cut back
to this
shape.

Add a piece of sheet styrene, cement,

and shape with knife
and file.

Finished blade

5-39 Modifying propellers

If the propeller blades in your kit are
inaccurately shaped, modify them
with pieces of sheet styrene securely
glued in place. Shape the sheet plastic
with a knife, files, and sandpaper, then
paint.

5-40 Simulate wood grain

To simulate wood grain on propellers
or other parts, first paint the part gloss 5-43
light brown or tan. Before this dries,
brush over with a darker gloss brown.
With practice, a good wood grain effect
can be achieved.

5-41 Black on black
To obtain a contrast between black
propeller blades and the black finish
on night fighters and bombers, gently
rub the propellers with your fingers.
The body oils on your fingers will
slightly alter the reflectivity of the
black paint, giving the props the cor
rect appearance.
5-42 Sagging tracks
If photographs reveal that the tank or
other tracked vehicle you are model
ing had sagging tracks, use white glue,
ACC, or epoxy to put sag in your mod
el’s tracks. Press the tracks to obtain
the proper degree of sag, then apply
glue to keep them in place.
5-43 Zimmerit
From mid-1943 to the end of World
War II, many German armored vehi 5 to 6 turns
cles were coated on their sides and tur
rets with an antimagnetic paste called
Zimmerit. The material was troweled
on by hand in several patterns, most
often fairly regular parallel lines.
Zimmerit can be simulated with any
body putty applied with a palette knife
and worked into rows or other patterns
with a pointed stick such as a manicur 5-45
ist’s orange stick. Work on only a small
area at a time and roughen the plastic
with medium-grit sandpaper to pro 5-45 Folding wings
vide tooth for the putty. Most n a v a l a i r c r a f t h a v e folding
wings, but relatively few plastic kits of
5-44 Control-surface balance naval aircraft incorporate this fea
weights ture. A good hinge can be made from
two pieces of wire. Bend one piece into
S i m u l a t e control-surface balance a U-shape, then wrap five or six turns
weights with tiny drops of epoxy on the of the other piece around the bottom of
ends of short sections of rigid steel the U-shaped wire. The result is a
wire. Use the same wire-and-epoxy- high-strength, lightweight hinge that
drop technique to make control knobs can be attached to the model with
and gear shift sticks. epoxy.

36
 Coolant blue
Breathing oxygen . . . green
Air conditioning brown and gray
Monopropellant yellow and
orange
Battery activator . . . . yellow and gray
Flap track Fill with body

= |
putty or sheet 5-49
(l. plastic.

5-48

5-48 Color codes

The plumbing and wiring of United
5-46 Modeling Fowler flaps States aircraft in World War II were
The Fowler flap is a simple form of color coded for safety and ease of
slotted flap used on many low-speed maintenance. Color bands were gener
aircraft. The flap moves backward on ally in 1" sections wrapping entirely 5-49 Radiators and oil coolers
tracks, opening a slot between the around the pipe, hose, or cable. Where
only a single color was used, such as Oil coolers and radiators on scratch-
wing and flap surface. High-pressure built aircraft models can be fabricated
air from the bottom of the wing flows white or green, this was sometimes ap
plied only to a junction connection. from the grilles provided in model car
through this slot into the low-pressure kits.
area on the top surface of the flap, The colors were:
helping to keep the boundary layer Anti-icing red and white
attached and delaying the onset of a Compressed air — 5-50
stall. Low pressure light blue and
The retracted Fowler flap rests par light green
tially in a hollow on the underside of High pressure yellow and light
the wing and is visible farther forward green
on the underside than on the top. Be Exhaust analyzer . . . light blue and
gin construction by cutting out the en brown
tire flap from the broken line back. Fire extinguisher. . . . brown
Lay this piece aside. Reconstruct the Fuel red
top of the wing by cutting a piece of Hydraulic light blue,
sheet plastic as wide as the flap open yellow, and
ing, with a chord equal to the distance light blue
between the broken and dashed lines. Manifold pressure. . . white and light
Glue this piece into the gap in the blue
wing, flush with the top surface. Fill Oil yellow
the flap cavity with body putty or a Oxygen light green 5-50 Exhaust pipes
sheet of thin plastic to form the curved Pitot pressure black
top of the flap cavity. Coolant white, black, Exhaust pipes can be made from resin
and white core solder. The solder is available in
Cut the flap tracks from plastic sheet many diameters; remove the resin flux
and cut slots in the top of the flap cav Static pressure black and light
green by heating the solder over a light bulb
ity to fit these tracks. Glue securely. until the flux drips out. Attach with
Steam light blue and
File the flap that was cut out earlier to black ACC or epoxy.
the desired airfoil. Cut slots for the Vacuum white and light
flap tracks and attach the flap to the green
tracks. 5-51
Vent red and black
Water white
Contemporary aircraft use a similar
system, but with multiple identifica
tion on each pipe — color coding, a
geometric symbol, and written labels.
Only the color coding is listed here,
because the symbols and lettering
would be next to invisible on a model.
The colors are:
EV,
Fuel red
Rocket fuel red and gray
Rocket oxidizer green and gray
Water injection red, gray, and
red
5-47 Deicer boots Lubrication yellow
Hydraulic blue and yellow
5-51 Wing walks
Simulate deicer boots with black Con Solvent blue and brown Model striping tape or graph tape
tact or a similar self-adhesive vinyl Pneumatic air orange and blue makes excellent wing walks on air
covering material. Instrument air orange and gray craft such as the B-52.

37
5-52
5-52 Rivets, buttons, and small
knobs
If you hold a piece of stretched sprue
near a heat source the end curls back
to form a perfect dome. This can be cut
off with a short stem and glued into a
hole to model rivets, tunic buttons, or
small knobs. If a whole row is required,
pieces of stretched sprue can be in
serted into the holes, cut to equal
lengths, then heated.
Cut into 3
sections.
5-53
5-53 Hinges
Here are two ways to make hinges:
• Obtain a short length of rigid in
sulating tubing or small-diamete r
brass tubing. Cut the tubing into three
equal sections. Thread a length of rigid
wire or smaller tubing through all
three pieces. Glue the two outer pieces
to fixed portion of the model, the inner
piece to the movable surface. Use only
epoxy because ACC’s will run inside
the tubing, ruining the hinge.
• Obtain a piece of thick plastic sheet.
Saw or cut this piece to the approxi
mate size of the desired hinge. Drill
the hinge pivot hole with a small drill
bit held in a pin vise. The hole should
be slightly larger than the diameter of
the rigid wire that will serve as the
hinge pin. Insert the wire pin, then
saw, cut, and file the plastic until you
have separated the plastic into two
halves, one with a projecting center
section, one with projecting sections at
both sides. In essence, you are making
a miniature leaf hinge similar to those
on music boxes. When the two leaves
are completed, cap the ends of the out-
38
er leaf to prevent the wire from slip
ping out and install the hinge on the
model with epoxy.
5-54 Flags, banners, and
pennants
Model airplane covering silk is avail
able in several weights. It accepts
paints and dyes readily, is very finely
woven, and is carried by most hobby
shops. It is the best material for flags,
banners, and pennants. Stretch the
silk on a flat surface such as a piece of
glass and paint the design with any
hobby paint or acrylic fabric paint, or
use colored pencils. Size the painted
flag with white glue thinned with at
least 50 per cent water or with acrylic
matte medium thinned approximately
70 per cent. When this has dried, cut
the fabric to shape with a new single
edge razor blade.
5-55 Sails
Model airplane silk makes excellent
sails on ship models. It can be weath
ered by soaking in tea and can be sized
with diluted white glue or acrylic
matte medium to hold any desired
shape. You can also use silk for life
boat covers, truck tarpaulins, and
equipment covers.
5-56 Davits
Use the plastic lifeboat davits pro
vided in ship model kits as patterns for
___
sturdier wire davits. The wire will also
be more realistic because the davits
will be closer to scale.
Splice
Needles
Carpet
thread or other
cordage
Beeswax
5-57
5-57 Splices
Rigging material to be spliced must
first be thoroughly coated with bees
wax to prevent raveling and to stiffen
the thread or small rope. Unlay the
strands (usually three) for the re
quired length of the splice. Thread
each strand through a small sewing
needle and splice by mating the ends of
the cordage to be joined. Take at least
four tucks with each strand, then cut
off the loose ends. Roll the splice be
tween your fingers to flatten it and
seize with fine thread if desired.
 nsifviai
6. Weathering and Figure Painting
6-1 Don’t overdo weathering
Military equipment, even that kept in
primitive conditions, should not be
overly weatherbeaten. Keep in mind
that the military loves inspections,
that crew chiefs must answer to pilots
for every imperfection on aircraft, and
that men whose lives depend on prop
erly functioning equipment take very
good care of it.
Consider the effect of scale as well: In
1/72 scale 1" equals 6 ' and an average
viewing distance of 12" is the equiva
lent of 72'. How much dirt can you see
at 72'? In 1/32 scale a 12" viewing dis
tance is equal to 32' and dirt is more
visible, so weathering can be applied
more freely.
6-2
6-2 Casein colors as
weathering agents
C a s e i n colors a r e w a t e r - s o l u b l e
artist’s paints made from a milk-based
protein emulsion to which dyes and
pigments have been added. They are
sold in tubes in art-supply stores under
many brand names, including Winsor
& Newton and Grumbacher. The col
ors are more opaque than watercolors
but less brilliant than most acrylics.
This quality renders them ideal for
weathering. They can be thinned with
water to any consistency and applied
by spray or brush. They adhere well to
all porous materials and to primed
plastics. Colors are easily mixed to
achieve any effect.
® pastels
a=o
6-3
6-3 Pastel chalks
Pastel chalks have long been a favorite
weathering medium. They are widely
available, inexpensive, and easy to
use. They are applied to the finished
model with a dry watercolor brush
loaded with particles of the pastel
scraped or rubbed off the chalk stick
with a knife or piece of sandpaper. If
too much powder is applied, simply
brush or blow it off and start again.
Many brands of varying hardness and
particle size are sold, so experiment
until you find the type you prefer. Af
ter t h e pastel particles h a v e been
arranged to your taste, overcoat them
with a light spray of a clear, flat fixa
tive such as Testor Dullcote. Other
wise the model will soon display nu
merous full-scale fingerprints.
6-4
6-4
Charcoal as weathering
agent
Artist’s charcoal pencils are excellent
for simulating exhaust stains, blast
effects, and other smoky, dirty areas.
Tone down the stark black of the char
coal with gray pastel chalk for greater
realism.
39
6-5 Floquil-Polly S Color Corp,
weathering agents
Plastic modelers who venture into the
model railroad section of their hobby
shop will discover that Floquil-Polly S
Color Corp, manufactures an exten
sive line of paints sold as Railroad Col
ors. Floquil i s an acrylic lacquer.
Polly S is a water-base acrylic enamel.
Floquil’s manual R243, " P a i n t i n g
Miniatures,” gives complete informa
tion on how to use both kinds of paint.
Of particular interest to plastic model
ers is the fact that the Floquil and Pol
ly S lines include a number of weather
ing agents such as Dust, Rust, Mud,
Grime, and Grimy Black that can be
used straight out of the bottle.
6-6
6-6 Powdered graphite
Powdered graphite lubricant is excel
lent for simulating grease stains on
models. Pencil shavings can also be
used.
6-7 White paint chips
Small areas of chipped paint on models
of metal aircraft look more realistic if
the chips are simulated with flecks of
w h i t e p a i n t . Aluminum or silver
might at first seem the appropriate
color, but white usually looks better.
40
6-8
6-8 Talcum powder salt
deposits
The effects of salty air on the paint on
the undersides of naval aircraft can be
simulated by lightly dusting the bot
tom surfaces of a model with talcum
powder. Brush on the powder and blow
away the excess.
6-9
6-9 Mud stains
Mud stains on armored vehicles can be
simulated with a paste of flat dark
brown paint and talcum powder. A
slightly thicker and grainier mud can
be made by using microballoons in
stead of talcum powder. Microballoons
are tiny glass or phenolic spheres used
as a filler material by model aviators.
Look for them in the flying model sec
tion of your hobby shop.
I'S
6-10
6-10 Blacken chains
Metal chains are difficult to paint be
cause the paint chips off when the
chain flexes. Blacken the chain by dip
ping it for a few seconds in a product
called Hobby Black. Hobby Black will
darken most metals except aluminum.
If your chain is aluminum, blacken it
by holding the chain over a match
flame for a short time.
6-11
6-11 Weathering steel ships
Floquil Rust is an accurate color for
the orange shade of rust often seen on
ships. Use the dry-brush technique to
apply this color to the upper surfaces
that are not often washed by the sea.
Dry-brushing is a painting technique
in which the brush is wiped nearly dry
and then daubed or whisked over the
area to be painted. It allows the trans
fer of very small quantities of paint.
Those areas subject to a washing ac
tion by the sea (decks, lower super
s t r u c t u r e s , a n d h u l l s ) should be
rusted with a wash of one part Rust to
five parts Dio-Sol. Apply the wash
carefully to drainage ports and open
ings, guiding the flow downward to
create a streaked effect. Do this along
the waterline and the top edge of the
hull.
Utmost care should be taken when ap
plying this wash because the thinner
will attack the base coat of the model.
W■” * ' .-’i ( <*■
This can be minimized by light appli
cations of the wash. If you should craze .1 1:
- ■
the paint when applying the wash, do
not try to wipe i t off. Let it dry thor
oughly — the crazing may disappear
upon drying. If it doesn’t, it is easier to
sand off and repaint a small area than / ' -■
to sand and repaint the much larger
area that would be smeared by wiping
off the thinner.
The high salt content of the a i r over
the ocean has a bleaching effect upon
painted surfaces. Lighten the base col 6-14
or by adding 10 to 40 per cent white.
First spray the ship with the straight hot gases inside the cockpit. The entry the neat patterns typical of Hollywood
base color, then add the white and ap hole is fairly inconspicuous, as is the movies; they are always random and
ply the second coat very lightly. r e s t of t h e e x t e r i o r d a m a g e . A seldom appear in batches of more than
Copper and brass fittings can be given knocked-out tank might show only a half a dozen. Why? Consider the vari
a patina with a heavy wash of Floquil small entry hole, black smoke marks ables in gun design, powder loads,
Light Green. Wooden decks can be around hatches and exhausts, and a movement of the weapon and target,
weathered with Floquil Grime and few displaced accessories. Even tanks and the fact that the bullets may well
Floquil Reefer Gray. that have suffered numerous hits often be tumbling upon impact. Also, again
show, little visible damage. Exercise contrary to Hollywood, standard mili
6-12 New and old rust restraint when showing battle damage tary practice has always been to fire
on tanks — a little goes a long way. machine guns in bursts of five to ten
Ships, tanks, trucks, and other objects rounds. Machine guns on aircraft may
made from steel will all show varying 6-16 Scatter bullet holes
be fired in longer bursts; even so, sel
amounts of rust. When weathering, A machine gun is not a sewing dom do more than a half dozen rounds
keep in mind that new rust is brilliant machine. Bullet holes never fall into in a burst strike the target.
orange-red, middle-aged rust is light
brown, and old rust is dark brown.

6-13 Calamine lotion m u d

Convincing mud can be made from
calamine lotion. Add powdered char
coal, ground pastel chalks, or India ink
to vary t h e color. Apply to tires,
wheels, or tank treads as appropriate.

6-14 Beat-up bogey wheels

Rubber-covered bogey wheels on tanks
and other tracked vehicles become
chipped, cut, and torn rapidly even in
light service. Simulate this wear and
tear on your model by roughening the
bogey wheels with coarse sandpaper.

6-15 Battle damage to tanks

Since the early 1940’s nearly all anti
tank ordnance has used shaped-charge
explosives. These melt through the 6-16
tank’s armor, spewing fragments and

6-15

41
 6-17 6-18

6-17 Field repairs of battle

damage 6-19
Simulate field repairs of battle dam
age t o aircraft by s t i c k i n g s m a l l
patches of very thin plastic over the
damaged areas. Paint these patches a
darker color than the rest of the air
craft.

6-18 Spilled gasoline

Allow one small drop of thinned black
paint to dribble from the fuel tank cap
on the wing of an aircraft model to the
trailing edge to simulate spilled gaso
line.

6-19 Figure painting basics

When painting figures, start with the
flesh areas and work outward — face
first, then bare arms and legs, followed
by clothing and accessories. Because
they dry slowly and can be retouched
for several days after application,
artist’s oil paints work best. Apply the
paint with a brush wetted in turpen
tine and work the paint into the de
sired areas. A No. 0 or No. 00 red sable
watercolor brush performs well.
Eyes and flesh are the hardest parts of
figure painting. To paint eyes, start by
painting the entire eye socket white or
blue-white. When the white is dry, add
a dark brown circle to represent the
iris. When this has dried, add a pin
point dot of gloss black for the pupil.
The iris should be in a line with the
comers of the mouth, and each must armed forces have strict rules about
face in the same direction or the figure shaving even under combat condi
will be cross-eyed. tions, so go easy on beards and un
P a i n t the face and other flesh an shaven faces.
appropriate shade. Keep in mind that Uniforms are usually slightly faded;
white skin i s most often pinkish mix white with the uniform paint to
white, black skin i s light or dark achieve this effect. Vary the equip
brown, and American Indians and ment carried by each soldier unless
Orientals are yellow-brown. Each hu you are representing a formation at
man being has a unique skin color, so inspection.
use a slightly different flesh color for
each figure in a group. Hair and eye 6-20 Duro E-pox-e Ribbon
brows should be nearly the same color,
but beards and whiskers may be a A useful compound for figure modelers
shade or two darker or lighter. Most can be found in most hardware stores.

42
It is Duro E-pox-e Ribbon, a two-color,
clay-like substance in ribbon form, one
color.being resin and the other harden
er. By snipping off a section and
kneading the cut portion until the blue
and yellow mix to form a uniform
green, you have formed a tacky mix
ture which can be used to modify metal
or plastic figures. The compound hard
ens in 24 hours, after which it can be
sawed, filed, drilled, or carved. It
accepts paint well.
The uncured material will not stick to
hands or tools if you keep them moist
ened with water.

6-21 Weathering figures

Don’t paint dirt on uniforms, grease on
hands, or mud on boots on your figures.
Do all this with pastel chalks ground
to powder and applied with a water
color brush, just as armor and aircraft
models are weathered. Pastel chalks
also make effective whiskers.

6-22

6-21

6-22 Patches and rags

6-23
Simulate patches and rags on figures
with bits of cigarette paper cut to
shape and attached with rubber ce
ment.

6-23 Old tires

Black rubber tires turn dark gray after
a few months’ exposure to sunlight, so
add a few drops of white to your black
paint when painting tires.

43
7. Displaying and Caring
for your Models
7-1 Basswood
Many hobby shops sell basswood in a
variety of shapes and sizes. Basswood
is a lightweight, fine-grained, light
colored hardwood that saws and carves
easily, takes paints and stains readily,
and can be glued with white glue,
epoxy, or model airplane cement. It is
the first choice for most wooden parts
of dioramas.
7-2 Snow
Snow for dioramas can be simulated
with bleached flour or baking soda.
Flour is cheaper and softer in appear
ance, but yellows with age and attracts
weevils. Baking soda is more expen
sive, sharper in appearance (it looks
like very cold snow), and impervious to
insects. Both materials can be sprin
44
kled over equipment, figures, bushes,
and the landscaped base of a diorama.
When the snow has been arranged to
your satisfaction, seal it with several
light applications of a flat clear spray
SCENERY
FOR MODEL RAILROADS
such as Testor Dullcote.
BY BILL MzCLKNAHAN
As with all weathering projects, mod
eration is the key to success. Don’t pile
snow indiscriminately around the REVISED
scene — imitate the drifts and varied EDITION
patterns of nature. INCLUDING
HARD-SHELL
7-3 Water SCENERY
Bill McClanahan’s SCENERY FOR
MODEL RAILROADS contains a full
treatment of how to simulate smooth,
rippled, or turbulent water using plas
ter, glass, Plastic Wood, casting res
ins, and other materials. This book is MOW T H E E X P E R T S D O IT
7_3Sa.DE E A S Y F O R B E G I N N E R S
widely used by diorama builders be-
cause it contains clear descriptions of
how to model miniature landscapes.
7-4 Formica marble
Scraps of Formica counter-top lami
nate make excellent marble facades
for buildings in dioramas.
 Nails

2x4

Tie both Loop around

ends here. nail. — _

Clip each barb

to 'As"

Loop
twice
Stretched wires
7-5

7-5 Barbed wire

Miniature barbed wire for large-scale
dioramas can be made by this proce
dure:
Step 1 . Obtain spools of .025" —
.030" soft copper wire, t h i n - n o s e
tweezers, side-cutting pliers, and a
wooden board about 24" long with two
nails hammered into each end.
7-9 Gravity If stronger cleaning agents are re
Step 2. Tie one end of the wire to one quired, try 409, Fantastik, or one of
nail and run it around the other. Tie it Whatever diorama-making tech the other kitchen cleaners — they are
again to the first nail, being certain it niques you use, be aware that gravity unexcelled in removing grease from
is taut. exerts its force on all objects. Be cer plastic. Do not allow the cleaner to re
Step 3. Using tweezers, take a shorter tain that tanks settle into the mud or main on the model for more than a few
piece of wire and tie a double loop snow of the scene, that soldiers’ feet minutes and be sure to rinse thor
around the two strands of stretched impress themselves into sand, and oughly.
wire. that objects sink into snow.
Step 4. Pull the loop tight and cut off
the ends about ’/is" from the loop. 7-10 Cleaning your models 7-11 Transporting models safely
Step 5. Repeat steps 3 and 4, making Most models can be cleaned with a Plastic models are easily and securely
loops approximately every ‘/t" . solution of lukewarm water and dish transported in sturdy cardboard boxes
Step 6. Cut the barbed wire from the washing detergent. Swish the model filled with ground foam plastic or foam
nails and install on the diorama. through the water for a few seconds, plastic peanuts. Fill the box halfway
then rinse with cool water and allow to with foam plastic, insert the model in a
7-6 Fruit air dry. plastic sandwich or trash bag, put the
Model apples, oranges, and other fruit
can be made from small glass beads
such as those used for American In
dian beadwork.

7-7 Tarpaulins and tar paper

Soak pieces of toilet paper or Kleenex
in diluted white glue or acrylic matte
medium to make tarpaulins. Drape the
soaked tissue over the object to be cov
ered, arrange the folds, let dry, then
paint and weather.
Toilet paper or Kleenex treated the
same way and painted black makes
convincing tar-paper roofs.

7-8 Trees
Woodland Scenics manufactures a line
of model tree kits that assemble into a
variety of typical North American and
European trees. There are many other
manufacturers of model trees and tree
making materials — consult the clerk
in the model railroad section of your
hobby shop for details.

45
model in the box, cover with more foam
plastic, and seal the box. The sandwich
or trash bag will prevent any parts of
the model that break off from dis
appearing and the plastic foam will
protect the model.

7-12

7-12 Model photography

Two useful books on model photogra
phy are Pieter Stroethoff s Photogra
phy for the Scalemodeller (Drake, New
York, 1978) and Otto Croy’s Camera
Close Up (Focal Press, New York,
1961). Stroethoffs book deals specifi
cally with techniques used to photo
g r a p h plastic models; Croy’s i s a
general discussion of closeup photog
raphy.

7-13 Novelty models

Although you may be interested main
ly in modeling aircraft, armor, ships,
cars, or trucks, you should occasional
ly venture into other modeling sub
jects. Kits of dinosaurs, birds and
animals, hand weapons, and other ob
jects are available and provide the
basis for striking displays. They also
allow you to take a breather from your 7-13
"serious” modeling.

46
About IPMS/USA
The International Plastic Modelers Society/USA was
started i n 1964 as a branch of the parent organization
in the United Kingdom. Today, the U.S. organization is
independent. There are IPMS groups all around the
world.
IPMS/USA is a nonprofit society dedicated to ad
vancing the a r t of plastic modeling. The Society is
made up of local chapters grouped into 10 regions.
IPMS/USA members are not required to belong to a
chapter, but many join to show off their modeling ef
forts and to enjoy the companionship of fellow model
ers. Each year one chapter hosts the National Conven
tion and Model Contest, our big event.
IPMS/USA members receive 10 publications each
year— four Quarterlies and six Updates. The Quarterly
contains in-depth articles on modelbuilding, kit con
versions, prototype color schemes and markings, and
historical subjects. Our newsletter, the Update, con
tains modelbuilding hints and tips, letters from mem
bers, kit reviews, and other items of interest. Members
use the Wants and Disposals column to buy, sell, or
trade kits and supplies. The articles i n both publica
tions deal with aircraft, armor, ships, cars, figures,
and other modeling subjects. All articles are writ
t e n by members, and neither publication contains
advertising.
The motto of IPMS/USA is “By Modelers/For Model
ers." We feel this accurately reflects the attitude of the
membership and the style of our publications. I f you
are interested in joining IPMS/USA, please write:
IPMS/USA Information
P.O. Box 480
Denver, Colorado 80201

Happy Modeling!

-------------
Gary T. Anderson
IPMS/USA President, 1978-80

47
 Acknowledgments
Many individuals contributed the information in HINTS
AND TIPS FOR PLASTIC MODELING. We thank all
members, chapter newsletter editors, and editors of
the IPMS/USA Quarterly and Update. Special thanks
go to Boyd Waechter, who provided a complete collec
tion of chapter newsletters. The convention committee
and contestants at the 1979 National Convention and
Model Contest graciously allowed Kalmbach Books to
photograph prize-winning models. Many of the studio
photos appearing i n this book are by A r t Schmidt
of Kalmbach. The primary source of modelbuilding
photos, however, was a team of California modelers led
by Mickey Bednar, helped by Gary Anderson and Ed
Boll, with further assistance by Dick Bartlett, Fred
Jache, and Dale Sakurai. We greatly appreciate their
hard work.

IPMS/USA Executive Board, 1978-80

48
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