Hi guys,

I'm in the process of building an SR-71A kit from a Testors kit. I noticed that the kit has a lot of imperfections, such as large bumps where I assume the mold was injected and light scratches on large/smooth surfaces that probably came about from being moved against other parts in the box.

I'm trying to make this model as perfect as I can. What can I do for the bumps once they're removed? What sort of a putty would you recommend I use to fill the whatever amount of negative space remains.

As for the surface scratches, what's the best way to go about them? Is it best to sand them with a fine grit - if so, what grit? 600? 800? - or to paint - then sand - and then paint a couple of more coats?

Please note that I don't have a primer and will be using a spray-paint flat black for the final coat. I believe Testors make the paint.

P.S. It's a fairly large kit...around 30 inches when completed. Sorry, don't know the scale.

Thank you in advance and I hope I have not posted this in the wrong forum.

Cheers!

Henry

Hello Scubyfan, welcome aboard.
First sand the bumps down, then for a putty what i use is Squadrons putty. A hobby filler for models. It comes in white and green, to me their the same. Let it dry, then sand it. you may have to rescrib a few panel lines. About the surface scratches, how light are they. Can you feel them, if so start off with 600 and apply light pressure while sanding then go to 800 to clean it up.

Hello Joseph,

Thanks for your reply! The scratches cannot be felt, but probably deep enough that they would appear if just painted over. I will try the grits that you recommended and see what they do.

Cheers!