01-03-2011, 10:06 PM
Sorry for not adding more details about the actual construction...
I sized and glued a Bachmann GP50 nose to the Atlas GP30 with Superglue (that's all that I had in the house to use at the time). It is well joined to the base shell. Then, the MMD green putty was applied and sanded with 400 grit sandpaper till smooth. I can only see the flaws using a very close up camera photo...with the eye from an inch or two away, you just can't see any imperfections...but the pictures don't lie. I added styrene cut to size beneath the newly created angled roof line, it too was superglued in place and covered with MMD putty, and everything filed completely smooth.
Part of the problem is the scale. I'm doing most of the work under a pretty strong magnifying glass, and even then, you can hardly see where or what needs filing. The overall granular texture of the MMD putty is something I didn't expect. For Nscale, it's almost too granular. I could have/should have used a finer putty material. It's strong stuff, but tough to sand smooth without any blemishes. So I'll try to use some 600 grit to really get a smooth surface. From a foot away, it looks fine, but I know as soon as I begin taking pictures, any flaw will jump out.
Now, should I prime or paint two coats of high gloss? I'm thinking painting the surface with a primer first will give better paint adhesion and a uniform surface for the high gloss to latch on to. But, I'm worried I'll loose some of the Nscale detailing on the engine. Comments? Opinions?
I sized and glued a Bachmann GP50 nose to the Atlas GP30 with Superglue (that's all that I had in the house to use at the time). It is well joined to the base shell. Then, the MMD green putty was applied and sanded with 400 grit sandpaper till smooth. I can only see the flaws using a very close up camera photo...with the eye from an inch or two away, you just can't see any imperfections...but the pictures don't lie. I added styrene cut to size beneath the newly created angled roof line, it too was superglued in place and covered with MMD putty, and everything filed completely smooth.
Part of the problem is the scale. I'm doing most of the work under a pretty strong magnifying glass, and even then, you can hardly see where or what needs filing. The overall granular texture of the MMD putty is something I didn't expect. For Nscale, it's almost too granular. I could have/should have used a finer putty material. It's strong stuff, but tough to sand smooth without any blemishes. So I'll try to use some 600 grit to really get a smooth surface. From a foot away, it looks fine, but I know as soon as I begin taking pictures, any flaw will jump out.
Now, should I prime or paint two coats of high gloss? I'm thinking painting the surface with a primer first will give better paint adhesion and a uniform surface for the high gloss to latch on to. But, I'm worried I'll loose some of the Nscale detailing on the engine. Comments? Opinions?
Mark
Citation Latitude Captain
--and--
Lt Colonel, USAF (Retired)
Citation Latitude Captain
--and--
Lt Colonel, USAF (Retired)