Modeling Tips and Tricks of the Masters

Dirty Thinner

This technique is one I discovered by accident and has turned out the be a rather useful tool to me in my modeling. Using your old dirty used thinner that you clean your brushes with, simply brush it over the various details of the model. You'll discover it will fill in all the little nooks and crannies well. Let it sit for a few moments and just before it completely dries, wipe the excess off with a dry paper towel or clean rag. You'll notice that all the details are left behind in all the right places and will show off all the cool detail.

You can also use the dirty thinner to make the model look worn out by applying it with a paper towel and streaking it along the surfaces. If you do it in the direction of normal wear it'll give it that rustic feeling and used look hard to achieve otherwise. A quick note to remember is that this is best used before applying any other paint to the surface of the model. If you feel the need to apply the dirty thinner after your main painting is done and the paint has cured, put a coat of lacquer over the paint beforehand to protect it and do so sparingly and wipe it up quickly before it effects the underlying paint. You want a dirty look not a bad paint job.

White Vinegar

The use of White Distilled Vinegar applied to the surface of a model before the application of a decal will prevent the formation of air bubbles under the surface of the decal and allow it to stick better to the surface. After drying, spraying it with Dull-Cote will give it that "painted on" look that everyone strives for.

Dry Brushing

This is a very old method of applying very little paint to a large surface, bringing out the detail of a model to give it that "weathered" look and feel. To use this technique, simply dip your brush into the wet cap of your bottle of paint to get just a little bit of paint on the end of it. Then, take the brush and brush it against a dry paper towel to remove most of the paint but leaving just enough on for a very small amount of painting (sorta like when you get to the end of a full brush when you realize you need more paint). This will take a bit of practice to perfect but isn't hard to do. When you feel you have the desired amount left on the brush, apply light strokes to the surface of the model. Brush it along raised surface details or recessed panel lines for best results. The most common colors to use are Black, Silver, White and Tan for the following reasons:

• BLACK - To give the illusion of wear or shadows

• SILVER - To show wear along the edges of a craft or show chipping of paint

• WHITE - To give the sense of light hitting the raised details of the surface of the model.

• TAN - To give the effect of dirt or dust upon the model itself.

Model Painting

1. My best advice is NEVER FOLLOW THE PAINTING DIRECTIONS GIVEN IN KIT INSTRUCTIONS! Why? Most of the time the painting guides suck and aren't very accurate to the kit at all. Most of the colors are wrong and you can hardly ever find them. Do some research into the model you're building. Look for photos, watch the TV show, use the video tape of the movie... USE THE PAUSE BUTTON ALOT! Make notes of the details you see from your sources directly on the instruction sheet and keep them in a file somewhere because you never know when you'll do the model again (trust me I know).

2. ALWAYS BEGIN PAINTING WHILE THE PARTS ARE ON THE SPRUE! Do as much painting as possible while the parts are still on the sprue because small pieces are hard to hold onto and paint doesn't come off carpet or floor very well. Besides, it's alot easier to touch up a small area then redo the entire thing later! Try not to begin gluing the pieces together until you have all or most of the painting done. This will insure that you can still get to those hard to reach areas that will be impossible to get to once the part is together.

Piece Removal

When cutting pieces off the sprue, if you accidentally cut too deeply or if you break off the piece and leave an irregular indentation in the part, immediately fill it with contour putty and sand it as smooth as possible as soon as it dries before you continue your touchup painting or joining your pieces permanently. This is an important to get into the habit of because if not, all your little indentations will make your model look poorly put together. One suggestion is to separate the pieces from the sprue with a pair of fingernail clippers. Do it just above the join line so that you can cut or sand the piece down more accurately.

Scraping

This is a method I came up with to get extremely fine detail with a minimum of effort. Let's say you have to create a series of 5 small boxes all nice and neat. Now some would just print up a decal for this, but if you're like me and don't have access or the money for the equipment to print up your own decals, you do what I do. Paint the general area you need to put the "boxes" as in my example. It's very difficult to get sharp crisp cornered edges of a box that's only going to be a few millimeters square, so, once you have your line to about the right thickness of the boxes, make it just a little bit bigger. Then when the paint has dried (but not completely dried) take a sharp tipped hobby knife and gently scrape away the paint from the surrounding areas until you have 5 nice neat little boxes. Simple huh? Try practicing first on a piece of scrap plastic or on the inside of a part in an area that would not show through once joined. It'll be totally painted on, last forever and you can actually brag to your friends that you painted on what looks like decals!

Clear Plastic

Never use plastic model cement to attach clear plastic pieces. Why? It tends to fog the plastic and makes it look very messy and sloppy. You can do one of three things. Either don't glue it to the model and leave it just sitting there so you can take it off to look at all the cool detail you have inside, OR use a clear glue like Elmer's, OR use a clear tape and tape it in position. The choice is yours, but stay away from the model cement here unless you use it VERY SPARINGLY!

Spotting

This is a cool technique I learned during my weathering. To do this, take your brush and lightly dip it in the wet cap of your paint bottle, making sure you get very little paint on the end. Test the amount by dabbing (or poking) it onto a paper towel. You want small, hardly noticeable spots to appear. Once you feel you have the right amount on the brush, simply dab it on the surface of your kit in various locations randomly. Don't overdo this part though. You can easily overdo it if you're not careful. You want to barely notice the spots, unless you really look at it. But if you do it right it will add a whole new level of detail to your model you never realized before. This technique is great for weathered craft that look like they've been through hell and back (e.g.: Small spaceships, tanks, airplanes ... etc.). I tend to use black for most of my spotting, or silver for those flecked paint effects.

Figurines

This one took me awhile to figure out on my own but one thing I can tell you, this little tip will save you hours of needless pain and suffering in getting the right effect. Begin your figures completely put together (e.g.: arms glued to body, etc.). Then paint them completely flat Black. Let the paint dry completely before continuing... you want it to cure so that it doesn't mix easily with any other color you add. You can coat it at this point with a light coat of Dull-Cote to insure this. When the black is completely dry, go ahead and begin with a dry brushing of the colors of the clothing (see above description of Dry Brushing) Try using a darker color then you would want for the clothing then a lighter tint over the top of that lighter brushing to bring out the highlights and give the illusion of light hitting the folds of the cloth. Dry brush the skin areas of the figure leaving the deep recesses the base of black showing. You'll discover this gives your figures a very high definition of realism and looks very cool. Practice makes perfect thou, so don't be disappointed your first few times. Experiment until you get it right and you'll be amazed at the results.

Putty

My friend James Pyke had this to add about putty filling: Using Squadron White putty (the green stuff is useless) and thinning it down with lacquer thinner (it has to be lacquer thinner because any other is too mild or won't mix smoothly) to the consistency of a thick paint can be easily painted into the cracks and small areas that can't be reached otherwise. Keep it in an empty Testor's paint jar. Since it goes on smoothly, it doesn't require much sanding at all. The Squadron putty also holds up over time and is less brittle.

Glues

My friend Alex Hochstraser says the absolute BEST "cham-peen" of glues is Tenax 7-R. Testor's liquid is fine, but this is better and does more types of plastics. A close second is Weld-On #3. With both of these you MUST use a medical syringe. Those hobby squeeze-bottle so-called "syringes" just don't work. Go to a medical supply store and get a box of 10cc diabetic type syringes - they're perfect. The only drawback is the rubber that forms the seal gets degraded by the glue rather quickly (maybe a month or two of consistent solid use).

Also consider the use of silicon Goop, says Alex. It's great for mounted LEDs and will also help diffuse their light when a broad source is needed.

When you first blend a shade, be sure to note the proportions used. If you have to prepare additional amounts of a particular color, it will be easier to obtain a match if you know what was used for the original batch. Regardless of the type of medium you work with, you can always select a compatible set of colors. The paint you select is a personal choice. Try them all and then  use the one that gives the results you prefer. The most common types are: flat finish hobby paint (thinned with mineral spirits), acrylic paints (water based), and artists oil colours (thinned with turpentine).

 A. Liquid Plastic Cement - This is not a glue but a solvent, suitable for styrene plastic kits. When  this cement is applied to the two surfaces to be bonded, the solvent dissolves the plastic. Holding  the pieces together as the solvent evaporates forms a plastic weld. Highly effective for styrene kits but it will not bond resincast pieces or white metal.

 B. Cyanoacrylate Glue (Super Glue) - This family of adhesives includes both the traditional liquid and the newer gel types. For resin kits this glue performs admirably. The gel type will even fill small imperfections of fit. Use sparingly and be careful when assembling. Not generally recomended for white metal kits as the lead reacts and the bond will not be permanent.

 C. Epoxy Adhesive - These contain no solvent and do not shrink as they cure. They will fill imperfections of fit and can be worked when cured to make imperceptible joins. The "5 Minute" type does not produce as strong a bond as the "overnight", but for most assemblies, I find the short clamp time to be preferred.