I need some help on starting up the proces

[MJB]

Hi fellow modellers,

As you maybe read in my 'introduction' post I've aquired some Andrea Mounted Hussar figures (2 troopers, trumpeter, standart bearer and lieutenant). On inspecting them I noticed there is quite some cleaning up to do, removing seams etc and the fit of some parts doesn't look to good either so some filling up is necessary as well. I got some glue (cyanoacrylate) and putty along with the models so I'm all set to go. My question is how to go about this cleaning up, what tools do you use? Do I use a file or a knife to remove surplus metal or maybe a electrical tool like a Dremel? What is the best way to use the putty to fill up the places where the parts don't fit nicely? Do you have general pointers for a newbee to these kind of kits? Maybe good webreferences?

Thanks and Happy modelling, Michiel

 

[Christos]

First you should clean the figure with water and soap.You can use a toothbrush.
Then you can polish it with a steel wool(sometimes I use my dremel with a nylon brush part).Remove casting lines with whatever is suitable for you.(sometimes I use a knife,sometimes a file ,it depends).For filing the gaps I use magic sculp putty.I apply it with a brush,or a nidle e.t.c.When the construction and the cleaning is over I spray a white or grey primer.

 

[megroot]

Michiel,

I send you an email with the proces off cleaning etc.

marc

 

[John Bowery]

Michiel,
For the glue it is better to pin the parts and use a two part epoxy (five minute) adhesive. This will hold the larger metal parts better than super glue. This way the arms wont fall off Not that I have had that happen????? :angry:
I also sometimes drill a few dimples in the mating glue surfaces to increase the glue contact area.
Hope this will help some.
Just my couple of penny's worth
John

 

[Kyle]

Hello Michiel, and welcome to the Planet. First, Marc is an excellent modeller with experience, and he can help you with many ideas. Some basic suggestions:

- For cleaning seams, I use an exacto knife (not sure of brand in Holland) with #s 10 and 11 blades to clean seam lines. (Surgeons scapels work very well too, I hear.)

- For large mold lines and spurs, I use a Dremel or small swiss files. Though a Dremel can be a bit pricey, it is well worth the investment, IMHO.

- For final cleaning/polishing, I use sand papers in increasing degrees of fineness.

- Of course, as you have already stated, putties such as Squadron Putty, Milliput and others can be used to fill large gaps and pock marks, followed by the sanding process above. Good old household spackel works well too (plumber's putty) from your local hardware store!

- I recommend wet sanding at all times (a drop of water - very little needed - to reduce abrasions and increase smoothness of sanding)

- I would also recommend buying one of the many fine scale modeling how-to books that can be found on web-based book selling sites such as Amazon.com. The first one I ever bought has been extremely helpful, and besides showing you the step-by-step process of painting, it also shows you sbs how to prep a figure (sanding, cleaning, polishing, gluing, priming). The name of the book is HOW TO PAINT REALISTIC MILITARY FIGURES by Kessler and Winar.

No matter what tools you use, as you begin to model, you will experiment with different types until you find the ones that fit your personality and preference. And everyone uses different types of tools - that is why this is an art, rather than a science!

Most of all - enjoy the process of doing the work and the satisfaction of creating things for pleasure!

Cheers, and happy modeling,

Kyle

 

[MJB]

Thanks for the replies people! 'This weekend I took the time to gather all the old modelling stuff like paints, glues, tools and books that were spread around the house and set up a place to 'work'. I started on preparing the horse from an Andrea 54mm Hussar and it seems like it was only yesterday I stopped building models .
Last week I received 'How to paint realistic military miniatures' and must agree it's a nice and informative book.

I do have one question, when one drills holes to pin parts together, how do you make sure the holes are exactly aligned against each other?

Thanks again and happy modelling,
Michiel

 

[Paul Kernan]

Michiel:

A good eye and a steady hand

Seriously, one trick is to put a small drop of paint (the smaller the better, pinpoint would be best) on one half. Carefully align the two parts to be joined. Now gently pull the two halves apart. You should be left with an impression of paint on both halves that are a good approximation of where to drill.

Drill one side to the exact size of the metal rod (brass, paper clip, etc) and glue it into place. On the second half, drill a hole slightly bigger (wider) than the rod. This will allow you some latitude if your holes are not exactly aligned.

Welcome back.

 

[nagashino]

Hi Michiel

Welcome back to the hobby!

Your question about aligning holes. I use a similar technique to the one Paul mentions. Firstly I clean up both mating surfaces and ensure they fit together properly "dry". Then I drill a hole (0.4mm diameter) in the larger part, to a depth of maybe 3-4mm. I then take the smaller part and stick a tiny blob of "blu-tack" on its mating surface and push it into place on the larger part. Carfeully removing it will leave a tiny "pimple" on the blu-tack corresponding with the hole on the larger part. Mark through this pimple with a sharp point and then remove the blu-tack and drill into the mark. It works for me every time. You need to take care when drilling both holes to ensure they run along the same axis or the joint will not sit properly.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Phil

 

[Einion]

Hi Michiel, sorry to hear about the poor fit of the models but I'm not surprised at all given they're from Andrea.

This sounds like a very ambitious project to do first or early on, are you sure you don't want to start on a couple of simpler figures to become familiar before tackling cleanup, assembly and painting of something large and complex?

As far as cleaning up the castings go I use needle files mostly, with a little scraping using craft knives, maybe some sanding using fine-grit sanding film, usually finishing up with a little steel wool on white-metal kits. I always polish white-metal kits with a brass-wire brush before priming too, to remove any slag/oxidation from the surface.

This thread on tools might be of some help:
http://www.planetfigure.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7557

Einion