Model Building Tips (Part 01)

Use True Surfaces
Sometimes, especially with older kits, you may have small surface areas (such as small edges millimeters thick) that you need to join to another piece. This may be a surprise to you (or not), but a sparing amount of cement can still do the job. The trick is to use a true surface. A true surface is a flat surface with a perpendicular surface. In english, a square piece. Observe the wood block in my photos- they are from a woodworking project I worked on 7 years ago. I saved the excess blocks, and they sure came in handy. The chair/bench in the helicopter model I am building needs to be true, as close as possible. It was glued in the position shown, and left to dry. Sure enough, after the proper curing time, the piece was solid.

Use Relief Holes
If you are gluing pieces to a surface, whose underside will be hidden, you can pretty much do what you want with the side that will not be visible. For example, the floor of the cockpit cabin will not be visible in the final model. The computer console shown had to be glued with the surface area shown. To aid the glue and excess glue spreading (try not to use excess glue), I used a pin vice to drill holes (4-5 small ones) where the surfaces were to be joined. The cement began to work upon contact, and excess seeped into the holes, adding more structural integrity for the part glued.

Use Sparing Amounts of Glue
Always use sparing amounts of glue. There are times to use normal cement, and times to use plastic weld. I use both to good success. Use cement with larger surface areas. Plastic weld is good at joining smaller parts with smaller surface areas.

Test fit Sub-Assemblies
A sub assembly is a section of the model. Eventually, you will assemble these sub-assemblies into the final model. The rotor, rear rotor, exterior accessories, and cockpit are examples of sub assemblies. Test fit the main body of your model to look for fit problems. Prepare for them ahead of time before painting, detailing, and finishing. Hard work before hand along with proper preparation for painting will result in a fantastic result.