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All the best,

Barry

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Hello All.

I have been asked a few times now on this Forum what Materials I use when

modifying my models.

So I thought I would give those of you that are interested a few tips, and where you can get them from.

Im going to give material location for UK and US, But......mostly all of it is on Ebay.

So you wont have any problems where ever you are in the world

So what is the best plastic ?

well it is called STYRENE another form and the industrial term would be A.B.S....

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene

This plastic is the main stay of most model kits, plastic sprue parts, Hobby plastic parts and sheet pieces.

you can buy Styrene sheets and plastic strip "BAGS" in most hobby/model shops and Online.

Here in the UK I use a company called E.M.A.

They supply the Film Industry and Engineering company's with all manner of plastic and glue supply's.

"I use to be a Model Engineer for Bosch before working in the Film industry for the last 9 years"

So I use these materials and supply company's a lot in my Job and Hobby

UK Ebay SUPPLY.........

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Evergreen-Strip-Styrene-199-3-x-250-x-250-Strips-/131985293449?hash=item1ebaefc089:g:~JgAAMXQyY1TTp6i

US Ebay SUPPLY.......

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EVERGREEN-SCALE-MODELS-SHEET-STYRENE-PLAIN-3-SHEETS-020-INCH-THICK-/322335006455?hash=item4b0ca9def7:g:DQsAAOSwal5YMj1Z

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EVERGREEN-SCALE-MODELS-SHEET-STYRENE-PLAIN-3-SHEETS-020-INCH-THICK-/322335006455?hash=item4b0ca9def7:g:DQsAAOSwal5YMj1Z

There is an abundance of these materials out there in the Hobby stores and online.

it is easy to work with, cuts easily with clippers or a sharp scalpel/knife blade. and is nice plastic

to work into shape with files....and the best thing I have found.....nail file emery boards !

"the kind of thing your wife uses to shape her nails ! "

I have had many strange looks in pharmacy's and shopping stores buying nail file sticks in pink packets

" just say your buying them for the other half "

They are fantastic and smoothing and shaping the Styrene plastic and shaping the FFG model your working on.

Now then......Glue.

The FFG models are made of some form of either A.B.S or Butyrate.

Which is perfect for use with Styrene......as they will both WELD together.

Weld ?

What I mean is they will glue together but not in the respect like Superglue.

You can use " PLASTIC WELD " to glue....or actually melt the the styrene and or FFG Plastic model together.

PLASTIC WELD has been around for years, Remember the plastic styrene cement you use to glue those old model kits together with

when you where a child. well tis glue does the same thing.

but it is stronger, uses "capillary action ".....will flow into the seem. it then evaporates what isn't used

It is in Liquid form and can be applied with a paint brush, or as I prefer, a droper/pippet.

I use E.M.A here in the UK but there are many forms

US Ebay SUPPLY.......

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Plastruct-EMA-57ml-Plastic-Weld-PPC2-/111303260649?hash=item19ea30f9e9:g:K4gAAOSwygJXgqpM

UK Ebay SUPPLY......

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EMA-PLASTIC-WELD-LIQUID-POLY-CEMENT-FOR-HARD-TO-STICK-PLASTICS-ABS-BUTYRATE-ETC-/221691715546?hash=item339ddb1fda:g:YNEAAOSwqu9U4N-S

Using a dropper helps control the amount and flow of the plastic weld when you are gluing parts together

Dropper/Pippet......

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10ML-AMBER-GLASS-DROPPER-VIAL-SILICON-RUBBER-TAPERED-DROPPER-PIPPETE-58-5x22MM-/282244541760?var=&hash=item41b715ed40:m:mstt7KVSqi6hQrYcgSHf6hw

Sometimes I also use super Glue.

But this requires a bit more work to the surface of each part your going to put together.......sanding each surface for the glue to "Hook" in to the material

and then cleaning the surface before you then apply the glue.

there is....

A method that helps the Glue to go off a lot faster. and in some cases....Stronger.

its called ZIP KICKER.

Nothing worse than when your trying to hold parts together, and the super glue is taking forever to go off !

well Zip Kicker makes the glue go instantly. and will work with ANY super glue. Liquid or Gel.

you can use a brush to apply it or even better. a pippet/dropper.

US Ebay SUPPLY....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pacer-Technology-Zap-PT29-Zip-Kicker-Refill-8oz-/131918410675?hash=item1eb6f333b3:g:VVsAAOSwRjNXNg~h

UK Ebay SUPPLY....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Zap-8oz-Bottle-Zip-Kicker-Refill-PT-29-/231986866329?hash=item36037ea899:g:lcgAAOSwmtJXaVxK

Hope that little bit of Info Helps some of you out.

All the best,

Barry.

Great post Barry, I'm going to give these materials a whirl. Appreciated.

Hi Barry, another great couple of posts - the SuperGlue 'advancer' (is that what you call the the opposite of a retarder? ) looks especially useful...

...wanted to ask if you have any recommendations for fillers?

I always used to use Milliput years ago when it first appeared, but having gone back to it recently, it doesn't seem as easy to work with as I remembered - this is the yellow/green variety, not tried any of the other 'formulae' - but the other plastic fillers seem to suffer from shrinkage/partial-setting or are only really suitable for shallow fills...

...anyway, would love to hear your thoughts on this - cheers

EDIT: Doh! just noticed it's got Accelerator on the bottle!

Barry - you are awesome, thank you for posting

Hi Barry, another great couple of posts - the SuperGlue 'advancer' (is that what you call the the opposite of a retarder? ) looks especially useful...

...wanted to ask if you have any recommendations for fillers?

I always used to use Milliput years ago when it first appeared, but having gone back to it recently, it doesn't seem as easy to work with as I remembered - this is the yellow/green variety, not tried any of the other 'formulae' - but the other plastic fillers seem to suffer from shrinkage/partial-setting or are only really suitable for shallow fills...

...anyway, would love to hear your thoughts on this - cheers

EDIT: Doh! just noticed it's got Accelerator on the bottle!

Hello Ian.

Yes I know exactly what you mean when it comes to Fillers and filling.

but here is the thing.

Most Hobby fillers are......Actually rubbish !

I have used many over the years and have come across shrinkage and sometimes cracking with many of the hobby fillers.

But,

Being around Cars and motorbikes all my life, I get to learn and use things.....THAT ACTUALLY WORK !

" My first Job when I was 13, was to wet and dry. surface prep cars for there re-spray "

Bucket of water, wet and dry paper and a whole day every Saturday prepping cars for paint

I then moved on to surface finishing, body work filling and painting.

And in that I came across what our American cousins call "BONDO " Car Body Filler.

At this time I was also going to college studying model making and design engineering.

So finding things like CAR BODY FILLER helped me out a lot.

Its brilliant !

here in the UK there are two types.

U-POL and the one i use a lot, P 38 made by ISOPON.

Now you can buy it strait from Halfords........which is what I do.

Or here.

on Ebay........

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/350880141388?lpid=122&chn=ps&adgroupid=40334170287&rlsatarget=pla-260581916322&adtype=pla&poi=&googleloc=1007256&device=c&campaignid=672517669&crdt=0

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/U-pol-Davids-Isopon-P38-Easy-Sand-Car-Body-Filler-Repairs-Dents-Scratches-60ml-/121988164114?hash=item1c670faa12:g:8ksAAOSwxehXOYfZ

Now the trick with this filler is very simple.

it is a two part epoxy filler. you have the main isopon filler which is beige in colour.

then you add the activator which comes in a small silver packet. and is red in colour.

the mix ratio is football size for the isopon main filler, golf ball size for the red activator.

basically, when your working on a small model, you only need a pin head of red activator to a pea sized blob of filler !

this stuff is NOT a 50/50 ratio. its more like a 80/20 ratio !

You get a plastic flat applicator for stirring and applying to what ever surface you are filling.

you can either, cut this in half, and use that. or what I do.....use a lolly pop stick with a pointed end.

this allows you to get a finer application.

mix it on a piece of glass or old but smooth plastic sheet of some kind.......ice cream tub lid is really good for this !

when you start mixing, you wont have long before it starts to go off !

it should be pink in colour when mixed, and very lucid...sloppy !

you can kind of sculpt with it but it tends to be a bit sticky.

NOW I SHOULDN'T ADVISE THIS !

but I actually use my finger to sculpt the car body filler on the model, and I do this by wetting my finger with Saliva.....Spit

Your saliva is fantastic in creating a barrier between the filler and your finger, and it makes it easier to smooth and get a better

surface finish.

same way you would wet your finger when using silicone seal on the bath or around a window !

it does the same thing.

I DONT ADVISE ANYONE DO THIS !

But i do it because.....well its just a lot easier and I do all sorts of daft things with weird and hazardous materials !

and thats my choice.......there. Heath and safety lecture over

When the Filler has dried, you can sand it smooth, sand with 120 grit and then down to about 400-600 grit for a smooth finish.

put a little more on the surface than you need, then sand back. because this filler is soft to sand, but hard to the touch.

it also has a little flex to it as well.....remember this is designed to be used to fill dents and scratches on cars.

Then I would use a Primer over the top. Halfords primer is Perfect.

But any primer will do as long as it is Acrylic base.

http://www.halfords.com/motoring/paints-body-repair/car-spray-paints

DONT use Enamel based paint !

This is an Oil/Meth based solvent paint that will melt the soft A.B.S plastic the FFG miniatures are made off !

Another trick I learnt with Spray Primer......you can use this as a fine filler.

basically,

Spray some paint into a lid top " like the lid of the paint ! let it build up a bit.

then let the paint go off.

leave it for about 15/20 minutes. what will happen is that the paint turns into a thick gloopy substance.

this makes it perfect for filling fine cracks, seem lines and air bubbles.

And I apply it with a cocktail stick......it really is that simple.

then just fine sand

Here is an example of how good car body filler is when using it on a model.

This is a Model I made back in 2003 for a TV Commercial....not even sure if it was ever used !

but the model came out well.

it is a solid body of MDF wood, Plastic ABS sheet for the wings a 1/72 F15 Eagle cockpit....and covered in car body filler then shaped.

it was perfect for the shaping and angles, compact curves. lots of sanding.then a blow over with paint and job done

did it in a weekend.....had to be a fast last minute job.

Typical of the media industry !

But it shows how easy and fast the right materials are for the job

Hope that bit of info helps you out Ian.

All the best.

Barry

Barry - you are awesome, thank you for posting

Thanks Bojanglez

Glad to help out with any Info I can.

Its good to Learn from each other. Help each other out and in doing so.

Enjoy our Hobby even more

All the best,

Barry.

...wanted to ask if you have any recommendations for fillers?

...and the one i use a lot, P 38 made by ISOPON.

Now you can buy it strait from Halfords........which is what I do.

it is a two part epoxy filler. you have the main isopon filler which is beige in colour.

then you add the activator which comes in a small silver packet. and is red in colour.

Gawd, would never even have occurred to me and I, like you, used to use it all the time in my twenties when the only cars I could afford tended to need some bodywork TLC !

Brilliant, thanks again Barry...you truly are a mine of information!

...oh, and stunning model !

Looks like a cross between an F4 Phantom & the Aliens dropship - love the engine arrangement...are those vertical thrusters on the underside of the nacelles ?

Hello Ian.

Yes it is an odd mix of ideas that one.

It was going to be very similar to an SV22 the twin rotar engined Osprey.

The Engines on this model were going to be the same.

On the end of the wings. And rotate.

But I changed them last minute to sit against the body.

And put vertical thrust nozzles underneath.

The tail is a more angled version of the Osprey.

But looking something like the Aliens Dropship.....kind of on purpose.

I still have the model.

Got it back after they finished the shoot.

Still looks good after 13 years.

All the best.

Barry.

You can also use ca glue & baby powder (talcum powder) as a filler. Dries hard, and can be sanded.

You can also use ca glue & baby powder (talcum powder) as a filler. Dries hard, and can be sanded.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA2XJ7PTT3M

Well.....super glue is a good filler if the surface your filling..or hole is a very hard surface, like carbon fibre, alloy, metals and some resins.

But.

Super as a filler on plastic is a bad idea.

The reason being.

The super glue "crystals" are tightly packed....making it a very hard surface to sand or file.

" I use super glue and frost crystals on fibreglass and carbon fibre motorbike fairings" as a seem filler and for cracks in the surface.

If you use super glue on plastic, as a filler.

You are using a hard filler on a soft surface.

There fore when working the super glue to fill the area.

You can end up working.....Sanding the soft plastic area around the super glue filler more.

Resulting in a "raised bump "

Fillers should be of the same density or softer than the surrounding area.

So, when you are working the surface to a smooth level finish.

It is just that....level.

And no raised....bumps.

Just thought I would point that out.

FFG miniatures are a soft ABS plastic.

A hard surface filler would make more work trying to sand or file on a small model.

If your thinking of trying it.

Try it out on a scrap piece of plastic card first.

Get a feel for it and see how it is to work.

But from my experience...it's a lot of work.

I use Diamond files and Titanium edged surface finishers on super glue filling when making carbon fibre fairings for Race bikes !

Wouldn't advise it on a small plastic miniature.

Just a thought.

All the best.

Barry.

Ok, fair call! I did try it on a resin model (which ended up 'getting misplaced' during a move...), which worked out well.

Hey CyCo.

Yes I have used in on Resin a lot....particularly on edges and end pieces.

With the super glue being a very tough filler and surface.

Its very good for repairing sat a broken pointed part or sharp edge.

I have also used it on soft plastics....and found it hard work trying to get the surface level.

It is a good filler on some materials.

And particularly some of the resins.

All the best

Barry.

Thank you Barry,

I now promise not to pester your build thread pf your lovely models with questions and will leave it to the admiration of your great work.

I have the sheets of styrene I've use for other hobbies. I was wondering if there is a thickness you find the most useful in most the modifications you undertake?

On 04/11/2017 at 11:38 PM, Impulsive said:

Thank you Barry,

I now promise not to pester your build thread pf your lovely models with questions and will leave it to the admiration of your great work.

I have the sheets of styrene I've use for other hobbies. I was wondering if there is a thickness you find the most useful in most the modifications you undertake?

Hey Impulsive.

That's no problem, its just sometimes i may disappear for a while due to work commitments.

if you have any more questions, please feel free to ask.

And Thank you

All the best,

Barry.

Updated the Images so you guys can see what the text is in relevance to.

Regards,

Barry.

22 hours ago, Barry Harker said:

Updated the Images so you guys can see what the text is in relevance to.

Regards,

Barry.

You missed the November 24/ 2016 post.