Area 88 1/144: Rocky Arrival (DC-3)

[strobez]

In fairness, after spending a bit more time playing with the glue while putting together the fuselage for my DC-10 sister-project, I think I might've figured out the problem... user error. 

 

Because it's a quick set glue, it doesn't take well well you "butter one side of the bread" and then try to slap it together.  I think by the time you do that, the sweet spot for adhesion has already past. When you're just running a bead down a thin seam and squeezing it shut right away, it works fine.  I guess I'll just have to be more diligent about using the proper glue for the proper job and not trying to have one solution for every challenge.

[TheChronicOne]

I've had the same things happen to me. It's a race against the clock and even on the best of days sometimes the real estate to be covered is the determining factor. You could be Johnny Lightning but if you have 10 miles of stuff to glue it won't matter.

I had mentioned this and I think it was Chris, in fact, that brought up the slower drying gel type glue... like Testors tube stuff. I'm going to be trying that myself next time I have a big build.

Another thing to consider about the Tamiya extra thin... I've always heard that this was best used via the capillary method. In other words, the parts are already slapped together, clamped and held properly, then just brush the seam and capillary actions draws the glue into the gap and welds the plastic. It would be easier to be quicker doing it this way, for sure! I've never tried it meself, however. (I don't have any glorious Tamiya extra thine, either though  lol  ) 

[PR19_Kit]

Another thing to consider about the Tamiya extra thin... I've always heard that this was best used via the capillary method. In other words, the parts are already slapped together, clamped and held properly, then just brush the seam and capillary actions draws the glue into the gap and welds the plastic. It would be easier to be quicker doing it this way, for sure! I've never tried it meself, however. (I don't have any glorious Tamiya extra thine, either though  lol  )

The capillary method's been the recommended way of doing using MekPak liquid glue for ages. But parts that don't fit exactly make it difficult sometimes.

That's one reason why I developed my 2-stage method, first using Revell Contacta along the whole length or any seam, putting it together and then running a brushfull of MekPak along the seam after it's assembled. That 're-energises' the Contacta and makes a good joint, most of the time anyway.

[Scotaidh]

I used to have a bottle of some kind of liquid cement - until I knocked it over ...     I once used 'regular' Testor's glue - you know, in the triangular-ish squeeze bottle with the metal tube nozzle - to sort of spot-weld along the fuselage-joint seam, then brushed the liquid stuff over that, in hopes that the famed capillary effect would, in fact, work.  It might have, but the damage caused by the cement being brushed over the joint convinced me to abandon that gluing method ...   

Using the principle of 'going with what I know', I now use the triangle squeeze-bottle glue for pretty much everything.  In the same way, I brush paint because I can't stand the extra work of masking, the expense of spraying, and the heart-break of finding, post spray, that one place I forgot to mask.   

[NARSES2]

That's one reason why I developed my 2-stage method, first using Revell Contacta along the whole length or any seam, putting it together and then running a brushfull of MekPak along the seam after it's assembled. That 're-energises' the Contacta and makes a good joint, most of the time anyway.

I've never really got on with MekPak, however I may well try this method. Of course any success will be given the due credits 

[TheChronicOne]

Another thing to consider about the Tamiya extra thin... I've always heard that this was best used via the capillary method. In other words, the parts are already slapped together, clamped and held properly, then just brush the seam and capillary actions draws the glue into the gap and welds the plastic. It would be easier to be quicker doing it this way, for sure! I've never tried it meself, however. (I don't have any glorious Tamiya extra thine, either though  lol  )

The capillary method's been the recommended way of doing using MekPak liquid glue for ages. But parts that don't fit exactly make it difficult sometimes.

That's one reason why I developed my 2-stage method, first using Revell Contacta along the whole length or any seam, putting it together and then running a brushfull of MekPak along the seam after it's assembled. That 're-energises' the Contacta and makes a good joint, most of the time anyway.

This sounds excellent....  I'm going to have to try this. I bet it helps with the seam later, too. Probably don't have to come back later to fill them as much this way? Sounds reasonable anyway .. . .

[TheChronicOne]

I used to have a bottle of some kind of liquid cement - until I knocked it over ...     I once used 'regular' Testor's glue - you know, in the triangular-ish squeeze bottle with the metal tube nozzle - to sort of spot-weld along the fuselage-joint seam, then brushed the liquid stuff over that, in hopes that the famed capillary effect would, in fact, work.  It might have, but the damage caused by the cement being brushed over the joint convinced me to abandon that gluing method ...   

Using the principle of 'going with what I know', I now use the triangle squeeze-bottle glue for pretty much everything.  In the same way, I brush paint because I can't stand the extra work of masking, the expense of spraying, and the heart-break of finding, post spray, that one place I forgot to mask.   

I use those traingle ish needle bottles meself and love 'em. 

[zenrat]

I prefer them to Revell Contacta but find them hard to get.

[Scotaidh]

I prefer them to Revell Contacta but find them hard to get.

Really?  Where do you live?  When a modeling friend moved to Hawaii she found no modeling sources near where she lived (Hilo), so her friends banded together to send Care packages ... But I imagine you can get the stuff on-line, no?

[strobez]

Now I know how Rickshaw felt in his Swap Shop thread... 

In a pathetic attempt to stay relevant in this thread, I made sure to pose my DC-3 on the aforementioned bottle of Tamiya glue... 

Anyway, after endless putty, sanding, repeating, I decided to give it some paint to check the seams.  Not bad, but it looks like there's a bit more work to be done.  There's a bit more of a gap on the bottom, but there was less on the top than I expected.



It's subtle, but even without a gap, there's still a ghost of the seam. I'm struggling with this even more on my DC-10 build, so I guess I can't complain too much here.  It's tricky to sand without losing too much of the details.

[TheChronicOne]

Looks good!! I read once that the firm that produced this kit for Minicraft was a new one and didn't do it properly and blah blah blah but.....  I dunno man, sure looks just fine to me. I looked at mine and, same, looks good to me. It may not be perfectly accurate but it looks quite alright and looks like a DC 3 to me. SHRUG .   

Thoughts on overall buildabillity? (that's a funny word, I don't think it exists, but it ought to..  lol  )  How's it go together??

[NARSES2]

In a pathetic attempt to stay relevant in this thread, I made sure to pose my DC-3 on the aforementioned bottle of Tamiya glue... 

On this site that's near impossible. And I won't go into details of the model shop I found by accident whilst on holiday on Oahu once 

[zenrat]

I prefer them to Revell Contacta but find them hard to get.

Really?  Where do you live?  When a modeling friend moved to Hawaii she found no modeling sources near where she lived (Hilo), so her friends banded together to send Care packages ... But I imagine you can get the stuff on-line, no?

Melbourne(ish).  I must admit I don't look too hard as the difference isn't huge IMO.  However it is noticeable that Testors products are not common in hobby shops here and when I need them (specific enamel paints for example) I do get them on line.

When on holiday in Honolulu I engineered a trip to the North Shore just so I could "discover" we were passing close enough to a model shop that it would be a shame not to drop in.

[NARSES2]

When on holiday in Honolulu I engineered a trip to the North Shore just so I could "discover" we were passing close enough to a model shop that it would be a shame not to drop in.

Ah. The one I found was out Kaneohe way.

[strobez]

Allow me to interrupt with a quick update. 

Unfortunately not much of one.  I finished painting the first coat of bare metal on the fuselage.  Then I gave it a coat of Future to seal it in for phase two... the hairspray technique! I WILL conquer this technique, and this is just the build to do it!  Anyway, before I could proceed, I needed to give the engines a bit of a wash and seal them up inside the cowlings.

They're ITTY BITTY BITTY!



This baby is really starting to look like a plane. I'm a little nervous about what I'm going to find once I peel off the masking on the windshield... fingers crossed.