My daughter and I are working on F-18 'Blue Angel' Hornet. We have assembled the main body. Two issues have come up. 1) Some areas of the seams are not closed. Please point me towards existing treads for dealing with this issue or provide advice. 2) The lower portion of the wing did not adhere very well to the upper portion in all areas. Any remedies to fix. It is not hanging down noticeably but I know it is there. Thanks. PS: My first aircraft model in over twenty years. Will also try to post some pictures in the near future.

Glad you came into the AC modeling...

Ok, lot's of them uses putty - Tamiya. etc whatever you like. Squeeze a small amount and place it on the seam.Sand it afterwards until it becomes even and smooth. For me, if the fit is good and the seams are very small, I use Elmer's glue. Place it, then wipe of the excess ones. Sand it afterwards just like putty.

One tip I picked up here for filling seams [from Holdfast I think] is to place pieces of masking tape either side of the seams as close as possible to the gap without touching it. Then after applying the filler the tape can be removed. This will leave the smallest amount of sanding afterwards reducing the amount of surface detail that is affected.
For large gaps I usually glue thin scraps of plastic or stretched sprue into the gap first. This reduces the amount of filler required. For wdie gaps I fill with Humbrol filler, smaller gaps I use Tip-Ex, I think it is called White Out in the States [the white fluid for painting over mistakes when typing or writing].
To remedy the wing parts that have not bonded correctly I would clamp or tape them together and apply liquid glue to the joint with a thin brush. Capilliary action should cause the glue to run down the joint and bond it along the whole seam. If you use tape be careful not to let the glue touch the tape as it may seep under it and cement it to the kit. I usually just do a couple of places away from the tape to sort of "spot weld" the parts and when dry I remove the tape and apply more glue to the rest of the seam.

Here are some threads for you to take a look at:

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/19858&page=1
https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/8135&page=1
https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/13909&page=1

The URLs TinCan left above show a great technique of using nail polish remover on the puttied gap to smooth the putty, look for that one

Yep this is what I do, I also lay down more tape, either side of the filler, again, to protect the surface detail while sanding. For the wing joint, if they are already glued, again just introduce a little filler. The best way to fill seams is to use liquid cement, they gently squeeze the halves together, so that a little of the melted plastic oozes out. Let it dry (over night) then sand. Test fitting first, though, will help to illiminate any fit problems. :-)
Mal

HI SANDBOX
TO ADD A LITTLE MORE TO BRANDYDOGUK'S ADVISE ON THE WINGS, YOU COULD USE GOOD OLD FASHIONED BULLDOG CLIPS, THEY COME IN A VARIETY OF SIZES. I USE THEM QUITE OFTEN.
OR ONCE THE GLUE IS REAPPLIED, THE WING COULD BE GENTLY CLAMPED UP IN A VICE TILL THE GLUE BITES.
CHEERS
PETER

A thing friend, Can you indicate me that manufactures is your F-18?, I know that we'll meet with some problems when we assembling a F-18 of Hasegawa but in the site of ARC, in their gallery of aircraft jet, are analyzed these problems very well in several of them.

[http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Gal-Fea%20Archives/jet_articles/F-18/F-18.htm]ARC[/url]

Goob luck.
Leal Antoniazzi Pedro
[email protected]

Hi Sandbox

I use two fillers nowadays.

First and foremost is "Supafilla" - CA+Talc. I learned about it, courtesy of Zoomie E7 and Scoccia, in the following thread:

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/13610&page=1

I was pretty dubious at first, but it really is far superior to anything else I've tried... It has to rate as the single most useful tip I've learned since joining Armorama!

Secondly, I use Vallejo 400 (or Tipp-Ex) for a "non-structural" filler that won't damage the surrounding plastic.

All the best

Rowan