Best Model Filler?

[EthanGreen123]

Hi there,

 

I've never used Model filler so I was wondering what you would recommend? I was thinking either Humbrol Filler, Revell Plasto or Tamiya.  Are there any others? 

Let me know

Thanks for your help 

Edited April 9, 2018 by EthanGreen123

[exdraken]

perfect plastic putty is my choice recently..

[Courageous]

+1

[PhantomBigStu]

never bothered with modelling filler, started with household pollyfilla and now use the much cheaper wilko filler, does the job fine. 

[Wafu]

+2 down here. 

[Welkin]

Cellulose dope + talcum powder!

[Troy Smith]

On 9/4/2018 at 19:16, EthanGreen123 said:

I've never used Model filler so I was wondering what you would recommend?

 

For what is my question?

 

Different fillers do different jobs, differently! 

 

IN addition to the ones listed above, 

 

Small gaps can be filled with superglue,  but  don't let it harden too long as it gets harder than the plastic.    I can fill bigger gaps mixed with talc, and this can be varied in consistency.

great for filling panel lines and small gaps.

for sheer speed, you can sprinkle acrylic nail powder on, I got some that has what are basically superglue kickers, so it's sets when you sprinkle the powder on.

I just buy cheap multipack SG from pound shops for this. (actually I only use cheap superglue...) 

I have also used plastci scarp and srapings to back a vac form, spinner,  the reaction dioes give off a fair bit of heat.

Superglue can give off fumes which can sting eyes and affect breathing,  so be aware

 

Gaps can also be filled with plastic,  card, strip or even stretched sprue.

 This can also be dissolved in liquid glue, to make a 'soup'  which can be useful as it can be the same plastic as a kit.

 

fine seams and small imperfections Mr.Surfacer is very good.

 

For big filling jobs,  Milliput,  two part epoxy,  as it doesn't shrink and can be smoothed with water.   an also be used for smaller filling jobs with fine detail you don't want to lose,  say a wing root with a gap.as the excess can be wiped of with a damp cloth or fingertip, or cotton bud (think seam on jet intake)

It's great stuff, but the mixing can be a faff.

 

I have noticed the tendency of some modellers to use a load of filler and sand back, when this can be reduced or eliminated by more care in assembly, dry fitting and adjust fit as you go,  even removing locating pins if they cause misalignment.

 

I was a putty monster in my youth,   with careful preparation and dryfitting, , I now see some of my putty queens could have been done far more elegantly.

Another example,  there can be times to vary the specified construction sequence, for example, some modellers will fit upper wing to a fuselage half before the lower wing, to allow a better fit, so less or no gap,  so filling and loss of detail.

 

Many new kits have extremely fine tolerances,  and even a coat of paint or a missed sprue nib can throw off fit later.   

 

58 minutes ago, Welkin said:

Cellulose dope + talcum powder!

 

the classic for filling balsa grain,  though cellulose dope can attack plastic,  I think @Welkin  may have been being tongue in cheek,  as using balsa and filling the grain with the above mix was the staple of many a Airfix Magazine conversion in the 60's and 70's.  

 

In summary,  there can be several 'right' ways to do a filling job,  if you have not  any filler I suggest looking at some of the Work In Progress threads here and see what people use,   and see what works for you,  also,  look up builds of kits you plan on doing and see what the pitfalls are, which also bring me back to taking basic care,  and you will see one builder has a putty queen from carelessness,  while another will have no problems, because they paid attention to dry fit, trim and shim, or vary adjust the build sequence.

 

HTH

T

PS

for example, here you might want to look at fitting bomb bay doors into the parts before assembly,  to work joints from the inside,  and alignment, perhaps adding tabs to support the parts,   not having looked at the specifics of the actual kit.

 

 

 

[Nigel Bunker]

Ah, the model filler question - ask 6 modellers and get 7 different answers.

[Rick Brown]

I've never found one I'm completely happy with!

And they all dry up before I get to use them in anger.

Rick.

[exdraken]

52 minutes ago, Nigel Bunker said:

Ah, the model filler question - ask 6 modellers and get 7 different answers.

Or none at all !

 

Answer No 7....

Edited April 10, 2018 by exdraken

[Welkin]

1 hour ago, Troy Smith said:

the classic for filling balsa grain,  though cellulose dope can attack plastic,  I think @Welkin  may have been being tongue in cheek,  as using balsa and filling the grain with the above mix was the staple of many a Airfix Magazine conversion in the 60's and 70's.

When I started building models in the early 60's it was the easiest option - we have moved on a bit since then!

[Graham Boak]

Mr Dissolved Putty for most tasks.  Mr Surfacer 500 is a bit runny for filling joins, Matchbox/Airfix panel lines etc., but improves with age as it thickens.  Mr Surfacer 1000 is even runnier but fine for restoring a smooth surface.  If you want to build up a shape then Milliput White, but the grey will do.  The model companies fillers are too coarse and crumbly, but you can use them for major gaps if you're prepared to work a little on the final appearance.

 

Some people will swear by dissolving spare sprues in MekPak (Methyl Ethyl Ketone) but not if you smoke or model by candle-light. or anywhere near heating hobs.

[EthanGreen123]

2 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

 

For what is my question?

 

Different fillers do different jobs, differently! 

 

IN addition to the ones listed above, 

 

Small gaps can be filled with superglue,  but  don't let it harden too long as it gets harder than the plastic.    I can fill bigger gaps mixed with talc, and this can be varied in consistency.

great for filling panel lines and small gaps.

for sheer speed, you can sprinkle acrylic nail powder on, I got some that has what are basically superglue kickers, so it's sets when you sprinkle the powder on.

I just buy cheap multipack SG from pound shops for this. (actually I only use cheap superglue...) 

I have also used plastci scarp and srapings to back a vac form, spinner,  the reaction dioes give off a fair bit of heat.

Superglue can give off fumes which can sting eyes and affect breathing,  so be aware

 

Gaps can also be filled with plastic,  card, strip or even stretched sprue.

 This can also be dissolved in liquid glue, to make a 'soup'  which can be useful as it can be the same plastic as a kit.

 

fine seams and small imperfections Mr.Surfacer is very good.

 

For big filling jobs,  Milliput,  two part epoxy,  as it doesn't shrink and can be smoothed with water.   an also be used for smaller filling jobs with fine detail you don't want to lose,  say a wing root with a gap.as the excess can be wiped of with a damp cloth or fingertip, or cotton bud (think seam on jet intake)

It's great stuff, but the mixing can be a faff.

 

I have noticed the tendency of some modellers to use a load of filler and sand back, when this can be reduced or eliminated by more care in assembly, dry fitting and adjust fit as you go,  even removing locating pins if they cause misalignment.

 

I was a putty monster in my youth,   with careful preparation and dryfitting, , I now see some of my putty queens could have been done far more elegantly.

Another example,  there can be times to vary the specified construction sequence, for example, some modellers will fit upper wing to a fuselage half before the lower wing, to allow a better fit, so less or no gap,  so filling and loss of detail.

 

Many new kits have extremely fine tolerances,  and even a coat of paint or a missed sprue nib can throw off fit later.   

 

 

the classic for filling balsa grain,  though cellulose dope can attack plastic,  I think @Welkin  may have been being tongue in cheek,  as using balsa and filling the grain with the above mix was the staple of many a Airfix Magazine conversion in the 60's and 70's.  

 

In summary,  there can be several 'right' ways to do a filling job,  if you have not  any filler I suggest looking at some of the Work In Progress threads here and see what people use,   and see what works for you,  also,  look up builds of kits you plan on doing and see what the pitfalls are, which also bring me back to taking basic care,  and you will see one builder has a putty queen from carelessness,  while another will have no problems, because they paid attention to dry fit, trim and shim, or vary adjust the build sequence.

 

HTH

T

PS

for example, here you might want to look at fitting bomb bay doors into the parts before assembly,  to work joints from the inside,  and alignment, perhaps adding tabs to support the parts,   not having looked at the specifics of the actual kit.

 

 

 

Thanks, I've decided to go for Humbrol Filler.

 

I did exactly that, dry fitted all the parts before gluing and 99% of the kit went together perfectly but the bomb bay doors were a bit of a struggle, as I think they expected most people to build the B-2 with gear down (I don't know why, it looks so much better gear up!!!) so I was having to chisel the doors until they were flush and even then they still didn't go in very well. But I got there in the end and it looks great, there's just a few gaps where I chiseled a bit too much.( The doors had no ledges or any kind of support to be glued on to. From the reviews I've read Humbrol filler seems to be good, and it's quite popular. I'll try to use as little as possible to reduce the amount of sanding and touching up I'll need to do afterwards. Onto painting this beast now... 

Thanks 

[Troy Smith]

14 hours ago, EthanGreen123 said:

 From the reviews I've read Humbrol filler seems to be good, and it's quite popular. I'll try to use as little as possible to reduce the amount of sanding and touching up I'll need to do afterwards. Onto painting this beast now... 

 

I suggest getting some Milliput,  it's very forgiving, and as it doesn't shrink  and can be smoothed off that can eliminate sanding

cheap too

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MILLIPUT-EPOXY-RESIN-PUTTY-DIRECT-STANDARD-TERRACOTTA-GREY-BLACK-SUPERFINE-WHITE/160899355188?hash=item2576595234:m:mM8dbsI2lhVof1_JbLnR9Dg

no connection, just looked on ebay and this is a bargain.

the basic is £2.65 posted,  and  will go a long way.  For £4.29 there is superfine white.   

 

the vids below should show the difference.  

 

 

Humbrol putty is solvent based, and shrinks

 

[Flyingdutchman]

Lately I've been using Mr Surfacer 500 and Vallejo Putty. The first one stinks the hell but works great on seams! Vallejo putty has the ease of being wiped easily with water on the q-tip.

 

Evert

[Threadbear]

I like Tamiya at the moment, but like most fillers, it dries out before the whole tube is used......

 

[j-fever]

Tamiya if my favorite for most tasks. Squadron Green is good too.

[Red Dot]

On 4/11/2018 at 7:48 PM, Threadbear said:

I like Tamiya at the moment, but like most fillers, it dries out before the whole tube is used......

 

You need to model faster or make more errors!

 

Tamiya extra fine for me.

[Mike]

I've moved this because filler isn't a Modern Aircraft

 

For me,

 

• Vallejo Masilla Plastica (in the tube with the fine applicator) for hairline joins
• CA for smaller seams & nicks/short-shots
• Tamiya Basic for seams/sink-marks
• Milliput for contouring and large gaps

 

I try to avoid using filler by fettling and shimming seams/gaps - it's not always 100% successful, but it's usually better than the no-prep glue-n-slap method.   Also, if you've got a gap, you need some structural rigidity to avoid it cracking up at the first opportunity.

 

[spruecutter96]

Vallejo is good (and as a previous poster stated, can be removed with a wet cotton-bud shortly after application). 

 

Squadron's green putty works well, but wouldn't recommend for any "light" filling jobs. It's more for major gaps which need to disappear. 

 

Cheers.

 

Chris.   

[Steve Noble]

2 pack polyester Isopon car filler, no shrinkage, sands easily. I never use model fillers as they always shrink. Can't stand Milliput, for me at least it just never sands down very well...

[Stalker6Recon]

This is a fantastic thread, for returning modellers or beginners, there is a LOT of resources in this single thread to give us a starting point. We can try all the options as we gain experience. I am particularly interested is knowing how to use CA as a filler, does anyone know of a good quality tutorial video of CA gap filling? I am sure I can find one on YOUTUBE, but maybe you guys have a favorite.

 

Also, I am planning to sacrifice one bottle of Tamiya extra thin cement, and using very fine scrapings from a sprue tree. I am considering using a clear tree fo the job, but dont know if that plastic is able to dissolve the same way as normal grey styrene. Anybody know whether or not clear sprue works as an additive?

 

Thanks in advance for all the great content, you guys really are the best!

 

Anthony stalker6recon D'Agostino