What putty do you use for filling? The Tamiya Basic type,white type,or mr white putty?
I tried all of them but found out that tamiya white putty seem to take a long time to dry and mr white putty seem to be not sticky enough,what do you think?
because i want to use white putty so that i don't have to spray primer for light base color models
thx

I use Squadrons MMD White putty. Dries fairly quick and easy to sand. Its also the only one I can pick up locally .
Andy

Hi Tim

I use a lot of fillers for different task. I'll try not to go too deep into details here. Most small gaps are treated with Mr. Surfacer 500 (cleaned up with a Q-tip dipped in Mr. Thinner). Larger gaps are filled with Tamiya putty (the silver-grey stuff -- you must watch out not to try to cover too large gaps as all puttys shrink (Tamiya beeing one of the best here).. better fill the gaps with styrene or use Miliput or Magic Sculp (cool stuff). I have squadrons white putty, but Ive not tested it yet .. smells pretty strong and should grip pretty well to th plastic.

I have also tried the Light curing putty from Tamiya, which is quite usable, esp. for larger flat areas .. some trial and error is unavoidable here.

I will not comment on Super glue as I do not like the extensive use propagated by some .. I have made too much bad experiences. Others may know more ...

you should always prime your models especially when usin very light colours. Plastic and putty may(will) react differently to the colours and the putty areas will look flatter that the rest...

And again --- you won't like it --- practice makes the master ...

just my 2 € ct

cheers

Steffen

so you think that the best one is the basic type Tamiya Putty?

Hi Tim

I do not think there is "THE best". I like Mr. Surfacer and Tamiya putty. Andy loves the Squadron stuff, Rowan is a big fan of CA and another one might prefer wax (no kidding) ...

You will just have to find out what is best for you.

cheers

Steffen

and would there be any problems if i only prime the areas with putty on?

Hmm, I do not see the advantage .. if you have the primer in the airgun, you can just spray the whole model ... but I think it is better than leaving the putty uncovered.

Hi Tim I use Squadron White or green putty it drys fast , sands very smooth and takes paint very well and doesn't shink .

It depends on what gap I need to fill. I primarily use Revell's Plasto but just lately I've been trialling Mr Dissolved Putty and Mr Surfacer (500, 1000 & 1200). As for Priming I would agree with others and prime the entire model (after masking certain areas. this would give a uniform base to apply successive coats of paint to and will also help to identify any further areas that need more work.

Hope this helps

Allen

do you guys know if i can get squadron white putty in Hong Kong? cause i really need that for my plane and i have found none of the shops carry that.....please help

Hi Tim

First for your question: mailorder from Squadron. I would use a brand that is locally available as I do not want to get stuck in a project because I have to wait a few weeks for the filler/putty.

Hmm .. the longer I follow the thread the less I see what you want?? What do you want to use the putty for? How long is a too long drying time? IMO it is preferable to wait at least 12-24 hours to let the putty set (remember the stuff shrinks when the thinner evaporates, which itself could ruin the finish you applied on top of the filler) ...

Steffen

Hi all,

My own preferences are Styrene for big gaps, Tamiya basic for smaller gaps and Mr. Surfacer 500 as a kind of finishing filler for small scratches, usually after the first coat of primer. I sometimes use Mr Surfacer 1200 for priming but it can be a bit volatile when thinning and therefore gives a poor finish. Normally though for priming I use Halfords car primer.

LuckyModel sells Squadron white (and green) putty.

I use Squadron Green for larger gaps - it's easier to work with when thinned a little with liquid cement or lacquer thinner (but shrinks a little more).

For smaller areas I use layers of Tamiya Liquid Surface primer (it's similar to Mr Surfacer) This comes in grey or white. I also have some Tamiya Polyester putty which I haven't tried yet

when using the tamiya basic type,it only takes me like 10 minutes until i can sand it
and how long does it take for the squadron white to dry?

Squadrons white putty dries very fast , but it depends on how much you use . the more putty the longer the drying time . Even though you are using tamiya putty you should wait longer then ten minutes before sanding . I always wait a good half hour before I start sanding some times even 24 hours depending on how much has been applied

My favorite.

I like the office supply product used to cover mistakes on paper. Called "wite-out" (BIC) or "Liquid Paper" (SANFORD) here in the states...works pretty good on small gaps. I would wait a while before sanding.

I find another way of cleaning liquid paper (sometimes known as Tippex in UK)is to wipe it off with a Qtip (cotton bud)dipped in white spirit this works days after application of the liquid paper and you dont need to sand as much.
I also sometimes in emergency use talcum powder mixed with paint of the colour I'm going to use just mix it to a paste and apply.

I have found that my tamiya putty tend to dry up in the tube before I have used it up.As the stuff is expensive here in South Africa and not always available I sometimes us stretched sprue, and I have an old cement bottle into which I pour liquid cement and chopped up sprue which,after a while, dissolves into a goo which I paint on.
Buy the way,thanks for the photo of the glazing putty as I am looking out for it.