Looking for the best type of fillers

[Robert1968]

I'm looking for different types of fillers and what's the best type out there.


I have squadrons white and green fillers but also humbrol, but I have been advised by other modellers to try different so please let me know what you use.


Many thanks


Robert

 

[Ian M]

The squadron fillers are good, a good few here yes them.


I use the Humbrol one. Works for me most of the time. For small cracks and gaps it's fine.


Also Vallejo putty is very nice two work with. A quick swipe with a wet cotton bud brings it down quite nicely.


milli putt is a great one to have in the tool box. It's a two part putty. Sets rock hard and can be drilled and even cut a thread into if the need arises. Takes a bit of getting used to at first but is very good stuff.

 

[phalinmegob]

superglue and talcum powder is another option but left too long and its sets harder than the plastic around it which can give you problems when sanding. mr surfacer 500 is good for very small gaps and scratches. i pretty much use squadron green for most of my filling. as with all solvent based fillers dont put too much on in one go as it can melt and badly disfigure the plastic......dont ask me how i found that out lol

 

[Adrian "Marvel" Reynolds]

I used to use Squadron but last year swapped to Perfect Plastic Putty from Deluxe Materials and haven't looked back, its smoother than the sqaduron stuff and if you leave it a little while you can wipe any excess away with a damp, cloth, Q-tip or your finger.


I still have Mr Surfacer for small imperfections in 500 and 1000 grades this is great for small seam imperfections.


Course these are my own opinions and I'm sure you'll get many others


Adrian

 

[Robert1968]

The squadron fillers are good, a good few here yes them.
I use the Humbrol one. Works for me most of the time. For small cracks and gaps it's fine.


Also Vallejo putty is very nice two work with. A quick swipe with a wet cotton bud brings it down quite nicely.


milli putt is a great one to have in the tool box. It's a two part putty. Sets rock hard and can be drilled and even cut a thread into if the need arises. Takes a bit of getting used to at first but is very good stuff.

Hi Ian I first used miliput on a 1/35 king tiger to get the zimmerit look but only got half way through as I found it hard to comb into the desired effect so more of an experiment, maybe I need more work with it heh but for now the king is in the dungeon awaiting a new type of filer to get the zimmerit finished


Thanks


Robert

 

[Robert1968]

superglue and talcum powder is another option but left too long and its sets harder than the plastic around it which can give you problems when sanding. mr surfacer 500 is good for very small gaps and scratches. i pretty much use squadron green for most of my filling. as with all solvent based fillers dont put too much on in one go as it can melt and badly disfigure the plastic......dont ask me how i found that out lol

Hi Andrew


I have used squads green and white putty fir about a year now and never have any major problems however I did crack a 1/48 spitfire kit once ( airfix mk1 Douglas baser.


Anyway I used white putty to fix and reshape the fuselage but it bent out of shape to the right ( breakage on left fuselage. I think I used to much putty, never knew reason but your explanation seems the culprit.


Mr surfacer 500 I have used in seam seals but sometimes have to use white or green for a deeper fill. I've near used SG and talc as I think it looks and sounds really tough to get right.


Regards


Robert

 

[Robert1968]

I used to use Squadron but last year swapped to Perfect Plastic Putty from Deluxe Materials and haven't looked back, its smoother than the sqaduron stuff and if you leave it a little while you can wipe any excess away with a damp, cloth, Q-tip or your finger.
I still have Mr Surfacer for small imperfections in 500 and 1000 grades this is great for small seam imperfections.


Course these are my own opinions and I'm sure you'll get many others


Adrian

Hi Adrian


Like the idea of Perfect Plastic Putty so ill have to look out for that one.


I'll be honest I've never heard of it, but I do use squadrons green and white and yes to the 500 nut never 1000 Mr surfacer ( is 1000 even finer for seams ??)


Thanks Robert

 

[Laurie]

Robert if you use the plastic spacer between any joint the filling is going to be minimal. Good thing about this approach is that you only have a superficial surface fill as the joint has been filled. You do not need a filler to fill a structural joint which can rupture.


For these joints I use Mr Surfacer 500. I brush this along the joint in a very thin worm. http://www.scalemodelshop.co.uk/manufacturers/albion-alloys.html?p=9 This pages in the shop has a great range of mini brushes which are perfect for this work. Clean up brushes etc with IPA.


Depending on the depth of the joint to be filled a number of applications may be necessary to build up level. Between each application you can wet and dry, scrape gently with a Morton knife to level or use IPA with a brush to flatten the filler or just fill on fill. Each coat takes about 30 mins to dry. Nice thing about this filler is that it is about the same softness/hardness as the plastic. Wet and dry the joint and it will flatten the filler with out the edges falling away. It feathers absolutely flat to the plastic edge. Provided it is carried out well after priming you will not see the joint.


Warning after it is primed, using acrylics, the dryers in Mr Surfacer will act as a paint remover if applied over the paint film


For small imperfections and making good after priming I use Vallejo putty filler. Not putty in the sense of putty for glaziers. It is a thin smooth paste. The container comes with a fine long cone producing 1mm diam worm to place the putty exactly in the place you want it. I use a wet finger to smooth the putty into place. After it has hardened you can use IPA to smooth it bearing in mind that IPA is also a good acrylic paint remover in quantity. Provided you are careful you can get away with it. Or use Vallejo thinners which is not so destructive.. While wet or soft water works well.


For very fine blemishes when in the bare plastic stage (before primer) I sometimes use a coat of Mr Surfacer 1000 especially good over Vallejo Putty to give a very smooth finish. It is so thin you do not have a perimeter edge to worry about.


Best to try these out to see if you like this way of filling.


Laurie