Alternatives to filler/green putty

[blongo]

Hi guys,

Annoyingly I live a good few miles away from the nearest model shop but I need filler for my 1/48 Bf109 before I start airbrushing.

Can anyone recommend any working alternatives to model putty that I could find in a Homebase/Wickes? Polyfilla or something? :P

Any advice would be warmly welcome.

Thanks!!

Alex

 

[stona]

For small gaps Tippex. CA (superglue) also works,use the thick version which you can thicken further with talcum powder. Remember it will dry harder than the surrounding plastic so you must sand it before it is fully cured. You can wipe excess off with a cotton bud moistened with an acetone based nail varnish remover. You can also soften it this way. I fill small gaps regularly this way but it does take a bit of practice. The potential for making a horrible mess is higher than with model filler,believe me,I know.

You could always order some filler online,I bet John at the Scale-Models shop has some.

 

[AlanG]

PVA glue also works

 

[blongo]

For small gaps Tippex. CA (superglue) also works,use the thick version which you can thicken further with talcum powder. Remember it will dry harder than the surrounding plastic so you must sand it before it is fully cured. You can wipe excess off with a cotton bud moistened with an acetone based nail varnish remover. You can also soften it this way. I fill small gaps regularly this way but it does take a bit of practice. The potential for making a horrible mess is higher than with model filler,believe me,I know.You could always order some filler online,I bet John at the Scale-Models shop has some.

Exactly the kind of advice I was hoping for! I'm a two second walk from my local Tesco so I'll try your tippex method, I'm sure there isn't much margin for error but nothing ventured nothing gained!! Thanks again.

Alex

 

[blongo]

PVA glue also works

I'll try that too - would probably be a bit more forgiving for the less experienced.

Cheers

 

[AlanG]

Alex...i use tippex all the time. Really good for small gaps and takes paint well

 

[andygh]

PVA glue also works

PVA shrinks quite alot when drying and it doesn't stick very well to polystyrene, sanding

might be interesting on larger areas, good for narrow cracks though

 

[m1ks]

I would have thought tippex would crack and flake very easily?

I know if it's blobbed, (technical term don't you know), on paper, it cracks as it dries.

Personally i'd go with CA, (superglue), any old cheap stuff will do, i use Tesco cheap and nasty several tubes on a card for a couple of quid stuff, not such an upset if you bin a half full tube because it's set.

As mentioned mix a bit of talc with it and you have a great filler.

 

[andygh]

Tippex works very well for filling cracks at wing roots etc. Not good for holes or large areas

 

[CDW]

When hatching and matching different body parts from seperate figures to get a pose you require i use good old plasticine, it covers with acrylic paint well and you can still "move" and reshape the plasticine around under the paint carefully with modeling tools if you dont like the look or "lay" of the end result (i.e. folds in clothing etc)

 

[noble]

The tippex is a good idea and to help prevent making a mess try putting two strips of masking tape ...one along each side of the line you need to fill, then when you fill you just pull off the tape and hey presto a nice neat fill line.

scott

 

[blongo]

The tippex is a good idea and to help prevent making a mess try putting two strips of masking tape ...one along each side of the line you need to fill, then when you fill you just pull off the tape and hey presto a nice neat fill line.scott

excellent tip! thanks.