Simple Secrets of Master Modelers
By Tom Cleaver
I often find myself at model shows talking with other modelers about problems I run across in my modeling, and they'll respond, "Well, this is how I do that," and invariably I listen to this really simple solution they've come up with for something I thought was really complicated. I thank them and walk off, saying to myself, "You mean it's that simple?"
As the kick-off to what I hope will be a continuing forum here that many of you will contribute to, I asked our Editorial Board - all of whom I consider Master Modelers - to come up with some of their "tricks of the trade" that make their modeling easier and more successful.
If you have a "secret" you'd like to share, please e-mail me here at the magazine, and we'll include it in future columns. Contributors will receive for their generosity the thanks of thousands of their comrades who will add that to their repertoire and thereby improve the quality of modeling we all engage in.
Al Superczynski
Here's a method for applying decals to flat paint without having to apply a clear gloss overcoat which may darken the base colors:
Make up a brew of *distilled* water, a high quality white glue - not Elmer's, it yellows with age - and decal solvent, (I like to use Solvaset), roughly equal parts of each. Brush this on to the area to be decalled and apply the decal as usual, patting it down gently; more solvent can now be applied on top of the decal if you think it's necessary.
Wick away any excess solution as soon as possible to prevent possible staining of the paint. Once the decal is completely dry there should be no silvering evident, the white glue having filled in low spots in the paint. Overspray with the final clear coat of your choice.
Art Anderson
I take 3-M Tri-M-ite "wet-or-dry" (the best wet or dry paper going) and cut small rectangles about 1" X 2". I scribe a line with my scalpel on the back side, across the middle (the short dimension). I coat the back side of the paper with a thin coating of medium viscosity CA glue, and immediately fold the sandpaper tightly together, making sure that the scribed line becomes a sharp crease. Once the CA sets, I trim the edges where glue inevitably seeps out, and presto! A very thin, stiff, sharp edged sanding pad, that can be used, wet, or dry, to clean up the edges of moldings. By cutting oblique angles, these will go almost anywhere you want, and they are cheap and quick to make.
David Batt
This is really more an endorsement of a tip I saw on rec.models.scale some months ago:
Use an old fashioned spring nib draughting pen as a liquid cement applicator. You can put quite a large volume of cement right into the joints in a very precisely controlled manner, and you can also control the amount of glue being used (i.e. carried in the nib) simply because you can see it. It's great, makes a brush seem really clumsy; I don't know why I didn't figure it out myself years ago for I use these tools for home made decals.
August Horvath
Those of us who never throw out decals find that many of them yellow over the decades. A lot of those decals were never worth using to start with. I find that yellowed white decals often closely approach the color of natural cotton that has been used in most military aircraft throughout the century for seat belts and harnesses. (Most air forces avoid nylon or dyed material for their harnesses to reduce the risk of anything toxic fusing with the pilot in case of fire.) Therefore whenever I need seat belts or harnesses to complete a cockpit, I go looking for yellowed white decals which I cut into strips and apply to the seat.
Chris Bucholtz
Here are three things I use:
1. Alignment issues kill more contest contenders than almost anything else. They're the kind of thing that you miss because you become used to looking at a model closely; your eye will see little blemishes, but you'll miss out-of-kilter tail groups, landing gear that would cause take-off accidents or wings that point the wrong directions. Don't trust your eyes in this situation. Instead, use simple tools. Setting the model on graph paper is a great way to make sure your model's alignment is correct when viewed from above. The corner of a business card provides a nice right angle to check whether horizontal stabilizers are straight. And, if you have a set of drawings with a head-on view of your subject, sight the model against the drawings to check dihedral and anhedral. Landing gear is especially tricky--a misalignment here can throw the wings and tail out of whack. A lot of modelers are in a hurry to finish at the point where the gear goes on; slow down!
2. When in doubt, use decals! These can give you sharp demarcation lines easier than masking, and their uses are limited only by your imagination and, in the case of some colors, the translucency of the decals. Typical applications: De-icer boots, walkways (flat coat 'em for non-skid!), anti-glare panels, dazzle camouflage, invasion stripes, "corro-gard" leading edges.
3. Washing can be intimidating when you're using something hot like thinners for washes. Watercolor washes can be equally effective and are removeable if things go awry. An easy way of doing these "washes" involves the use of watercolor paint pencils. These pencils are available in a wide variety of colors at art and craft stores. Dip the tip of the pencil in water and "draw" the color over the panel lines. This will leave a rather bizarre-looking patchwork appearance, but don't worry. Once this is thoroughly dry, wipe the excess paint off with a moist tissue. Some paint will remain in the panel lines. These pencils can also be used to weather models, even to the extent of beat-up modern navy jets. Unlike pastels, they stick to the model, unless you get them wet!
Tom Cleaver
Two words: drafting tape. Obtainable in large rolls at your local office supply or artist's supply store, though a bit more expensive than regular masking tape. The advantage is, it is low-tack and will never, ever pull up the paint you are masking over; you can even mask over metalizer paints that have been sealed. Drafting tape can also be used in creating camouflage patterns: cut the demarcation lines, then put a line of thread about one-eighth inch in from the edge. Set the tape in position and spray; you will get the slight "overspray effect" you want in scale, rather than the overscale overspray you get doing it freehand with your airbrush. You won't get the "hard" line that from putting the tape edge down directly on the surface you're painting.