Perfect plastic putty, third hands and Mr Surfacer.

[smokeriderdon]

I figured I would do all three products in one shot. With a single pic as well.



Lets start with the Perfect Plastic Putty. I have wrestled with different gap fillers for years. The ones I used back in the 90s were not much different from the ones I picked up when I returned to the hobby recently. Many of them the same actually. Hard to work with. If you are not precise you have to sand large areas and end up sanding detail off. If the seam is an awkward area, even worse.

So, I was reading an article in one the model mags, and the writer mentioned this stuff and how easy it was to work with. He claimed it cleaned up with water! OK, I am all in. Go to Ebay, find some and order. And eagerly await.

This stuff is flipping GREAT! Slather it on. Fill the gaps. Scrape off major excess. Then simply take a wet qtip and remove the rest. Voila! It does take some practice as you can easily remove some or all of the putty from the seam if you get carried away with the qtip. I can not recommend this stuff highly enough.

I am sure many of you have used Mr Surfacer before. Back when, this stuff was not around, or was and I had not heard of it, there being limited interwebs at the time. My purchase of this was also spurred by reading an article in a magazine. For that matter, all three items were. Imagine that, a magazine these days. But I digress.

I am currently working on a C141 model and decided to try this out on it. I got the 1200 shown and 1500 in black. If you dont know, the numbers refer to the fineness, just like grit on sand paper. The 141 is in 1/200, so it definitely requires something that fine. I used the 1200 as it is grey and I did not want to try to cover black on a model this small. I had done some minor sanding on the wing roots. When I sprayed this on, it settled right into the fine scratches and smoothed it right out. And it has given a perfect surface for the paint to adhere to. I wish I had had this years ago. Love it!

Finally the third hands. You will notice I have two. One with and one without magnifier. I have also seen them with magnifier AND a light. I need one of those. LOL These things are great. So simple, yet so handy. it allows me to steady my hand while I am painting small parts. Same for gluing those fiddly little cock pit pieces and the like. Again, I am quite sure many of you already know of these, but those that dont, GET ONE. Or several. You wont regret it.

 

[the Baron]

Thanks for posting your reviews!

I have Mr Surfacer 1000 and 1200, but in jars. I didn't know it was available in a rattle can, too. And I agree with how useful the third hand tool is. I have one with the magnifier. I second your recommendations for these tools/productions, they are very useful.

I've never used Perfect Plastic Putty but it does sound like it makes filling seams easier. Water clean-up is a plus. I use Squadron putty now for this, with acetone. I don't mind it, but I have to be careful with the acetone.

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

Vallejo putty can be cleaned up with water as well, I think it is pretty similar to the "perfect putty"

 

[smokeriderdon]

Baron, I would worry about the acetone damaging the plastic. Far too easy to do so for my tastes.

I have never read anything or dealt with the Vallejo product. I may have to try it and compare the two.

 

[Biskup]

I have the third hand for many years now and honestly I haven't used it once. But that's just might be the way how I work.
Thanks for sharing on the Perfect Plastic Putty.

 

[WebbyNZ]

I'm a big fan of the Vallejo putty, it is also easier to source than the perfect plastic round here.
I also got third hands when I got back into the hobby and honestly only use them for the magnifying glass when painting tiny details or fiddly PE etc.
Wish it was easier to get the spray Mr Surfacer here :-(

 

[the Baron]

Baron, I would worry about the acetone damaging the plastic. Far too easy to do so for my tastes.

I use it to thin the putty in one of two ways. I will apply the putty to the surface and then soak a cotton swab in acetone and use it to remove excess, or I'll put a blob of putty in a well on my palette and then add a couple of drops of acetone with an eyedropper, and make a thick liquid that I can apply to the work with an old brush. I call it my homemade Mr Surfacer; it's thicker than the thickest grade.

Either way, it doesn't attack the plastic, the amount of the solvent is too small.

 

[smokeriderdon]

Ah, I see. I just get antsy when someone mentions acetone around plastic. LOL I keep a can of it handy for removing gunk from coins, but it stays away from my models.