Sensible filler stock.

[RMP2]

After a bit of practice Im getting the gist of modelling back again, seem to have found a working relationship with a H&S Ultra airbrush and got hold of some nice brushes but the one thing Im struggling with is filling gaps and seams without causing more mess than I started out with.

Being a bloke I am putting this down to the stuff Im using rather than my lack of talent.

For big gaps/initial filling all I have is some Revell Plasto in the blue tube. I find it tricky to work with in fine areas and dries/goes stodgy rather quickly. Delicate application of it just isnt happening either. I use it from the tube via either a toothpick or old knife blade as a rule, pick at excess before its fully dry and then try to carefully sand back with paper and/or sponges.

For finer gaps/finishing I simply have Tip-Ex which sometimes does the job, but quite often seems to dry harder than the plastic, so sanding back can be a bit of a disaster although removing excess before completely dry does help quite a bit with this.

Finally, Halfords grey automotive primer is regularly used from the aerosol and I find its slightly heavy laydown helps with some of the very fine issues for final clean up and assistance of micromesh.

I cant help but feel I should be using better stuff but I dont want 5+ grades of filler at £5-£10 a pop. What I would prefer is something that will fill the big stuff and something for finishing, so 2 pots/tubes if thats do-able?

The range of stuff is a bit bewildering to be honest, so what would you guys recommend from experience?

Im sure all I used as a kid was some water based fine wood filler - applied carefully then a licked finger swiped over it and job was done. Rose tinted glasses at work there or...?

I need to restock some paints and try out that Tamiya thin glue stuff, so would like to bulk order and get all goodies in one go. Any help with fillers, grades and methods is much appreciated.

Cheers

Rob

[JasonC]

For big gaps I tend to use Milliput, either normal (grey) or fine (white). Takes a little getting used to, but it has a long working time and can be cleaned with water. It therefore cuts down on sanding because you can smooth and remove most of the excess before it cures.

For fine jobs I haven't found anything that beats Mr Surfacer 500. Using a cocktail stick it can be applied quite precisely. It dries fairly rapidly and sands and feathers very nicely.

Cheers,

Jason

[RMP2]

Water based would be ideal for thinning and wiping with a finger or cotton bud or whatever suits the area, so thank you.

Mr Surfacer has me confused with so many grades. That and the option of spraying as a filler primer for some of them. 500 is good enough for a final fill? I was tentatively looking at their 1000 grade.

[modelmaker]

Put a small puddle of super glue on a flat surface, mix a small amount of calcium powder (make a fairly thin mixture) apply with a scalpel or similar applicator and either leave to dry out use accelerator. Re apply if you have a big gap to fill. In a matter of minutes (or even seconds) you can sand it down as required. It is easier to sand for the first couple of hours but will always sand just like plastic however long you'd left it. Perfect.

You can build up parts by applying superglue to the plastic then applying bicarbonate of soda to the glue then sanding down

Hope this helps.

[Darby]

I use Squadron Putty, Humbrol Filler, Citadel Liquid Green Stuff and Mr Surfacer 1200 or 1500. I can't remember the grade. When using toluene thinners you can smooth them down quite a lot before they fully dry with a cotton bud dipped in acetone based nail varnish remover.

[RMP2]

Well, the supplier I found with pretty much everything else I needed in stock only had Mr Surfacer 1000, so Ive taken a gamble with that so far. No suitable Milliput in stock though so will need to place another order for that and maybe some Surfacer 500 too if theres much difference in "filling factor" and "finish factor" between the 500 and 1000?

[RMP2]

We all posted together!

Cheers guys, I will look out for those suggestions and maybe play with some CA - have to say that sounds tricky though, the CA Ive used in the past dries very hard indeed, bit of a scary thought, but will practice on a donkey kit.

[modelmaker]

We all posted together!

Cheers guys, I will look out for those suggestions and maybe play with some CA - have to say that sounds tricky though, the CA Ive used in the past dries very hard indeed, bit of a scary thought, but will practice on a donkey kit.

Don't worry about it being too hard to work with, just a small amount of talc will make it like any other filler, except that when you're finished you can, amongst other things scribe it as well. Try it on a spare scrap kit and see. I've used little else for years, with the Mr Surfacer for its finishing off jobs.

[Nigel Heath]

With fillers its very much horses for courses. I use Milliput white for bigger gaps and holes, the black also has its uses round transparencies for instance. Mr Surfacer 500 has better filling properties than the 1000 grade although I have both. I like Squadron green and white as general seam fillers although some people don't appear to get on with them. Perfect Plastic Putty by Deluxe is also very good as it can be smoothed with a water damped cotton bud (good in re-entrant corners). Super glue with talc mixed in is also good, especially where good adhesion is required.

[RMP2]

Thanks guys.

I think Ill try the Milliput grey or white along with the CA + talc etc and see how I get on. It cant be any worse than the Revell stuff and Tip-Ex Im sure.

[modelmaker]

Just a thought but there is a Pentel correction fluid in a red bottle which you shake before use and which has a spot applicator which is very useful as a scratch filler

[S5 modeller]

As an aside, someone on here suggested to me mixing liquid poly with revell filler. I was having the same problems with it, short working time and drying stogy. Mixing in a few drops of cement transforms the way it works. It makes it easier to apply, as it is smoother and a bit thinner, and it extends the working time.

Matt

Edited April 6, 2016 by S5 modeller

[Bear Paw]

Hi, just a question on the topic of superglue, which unfortunately can not use very easily as I am allergic to the fumes ( smell) it gives off. I wonderd if any one else is or knows of anyone who is allergic to super glue?

[Dave Fleming]

Best tube/solvent filler I've used is Tamiya Basic Putty. . It has a much finer consistency that Revell/Humbrol/SS Green Stuff.

[jenko]

Vote here for "Perfect Plastic Putty"

Water based. Can be smoothed with a damp finger / cotton bud. They claim it does not shrink.

[Tim T]

Vote here for "Perfect Plastic Putty"

Water based. Can be smoothed with a damp finger / cotton bud. They claim it does not shrink.

And from me. It's great stuff. Also, the Vallejo putty for fine gaps works very well.

[Nigel Heath]

PPP - They claim it does not shrink.

It does in wider gaps but not as much as the Vallejo putty:

Still highly recommended though.

[NormanD]

Bear have you tried the Deluxe odourless super glue, it's very good, no fumes at all.

[Black Knight]

After a dry fit, if there is a known uneven gap, use 'plastic soup' as a combined filler & glue.

Cheap to make; get an old Tamiya paint jar or similar*. Add liquid glue and scraps of sprue and leave till the sprue has dissolved. Keep adding glue & sprue until you have a jar full. More glue makes it runny, more sprue makes it thick and gloopy.

Apply to surfaces to be joined, press joint together and let the soup squeeze out. After a while the squeezed out bead can be trimmed away with a sharp knife.

Set kit parts aside to harden. This may take time, depending on how much glue you used in the mix.

Adding cellulose thinners to the mix helps speed up the dissolving of the sprue and the setting time.

* I made mine in old Revell glue jar with a brush built into the lid ~ excellent for application.

Plastic soup is also useful for those times a chip comes off a model at the sprue point, or for filling in at joint edges, eg jet intakes