But if you have a very large gap in spite of your best efforts, it's best to try to fill it with styrene plastic rod/strip and liquid cement, allowing it to dry thoroughly before applying any putty. The best way to avoid large gaps is to carefully test fit parts before assembly. Here's my standard response, which probably needs updating: I only used the white because I was building a lot of airliners at the time, and it was easier to cover with white paint than was the Green putty. I haven't tried the new formulation, but the old stuff was, well, our standard for many years, especially the Green Putty. If you have to go back and add more, let the first layer dry completely, then re-apply more and smooth as before. Don't wet sand Perfect Plastic Putty-it dissolves in water. Apply it, let it sit a minute, then smooth with a Q-tip that had been dampened with water. Fit it to the gap, secure with CA or plastic cement (I use Tamiya Extra Thin), let dry, and sand/trim to shape. Again, this is to "pack out" gaps wider than 1/32". This is to fill gaps larger than 1/32"Įvergreen sheet, strip, and rod. Gel-type works well on wider gaps, the thick stuff is good for the smaller gaps, and the thin formulas work nicely on hairline seams.Īpoxie Sculp or Superfine White Milliput. Applied correctly, you shouldn't need to accelerate the bond. I rarely use an accelerator, by the way, nor do I ever use baking soda. I use it either straight from the bottle or bulked out with Microballoons. 1/32" is about the thickest I will go, and I prefer to go half that (1/64", about the thickness of an index card).Īs to the question at hand, my favorite fillers:ĬA, aka ACC, aka Super Glue. Less is truly more.Īpply thin layers of filler. In reality, I probably sanded off about 98% of the putty I applied. As a kid, I used to glop Squadron Green Putty over every seam as soon as the glue was dry.
Once the parts are assembled, dress the seams with sandpaper to see exactly what needs to be filled BEFORE you apply filler. I rarely use putties as fillers these days.