Beginner's Model Building Construction BASICS

[MechTech]

Beginner's Model Building Construction BASICS

An old question a lot of entry level modelers ask here is, “what should I get if I want to get into model building?” Here is a listing and breakout for the very BASICS ONLY needed for construction and how to use them. This thread is open to EVERYONE’S input and I’m only starting it. Please include your suggestions and ideas, but keep it simple and not confusing. Remember, there will be “newbies” reading this.

This thread is not meant to cover painting or finishing which is another story and can vary with the type of model, to what a person favors for paint (oils, acrylics, enamels, airbrush, brushes etc…) Somebody who REALLY knows what they’re doing with paint please start that one

SAFETY FIRST

You are about to use some chemicals that can cause serious health conditions if used incorrectly. ALWAYS use a well ventilated room with fresh air. Organic cements (such as pictured) are safer, but still give the same bond strength. Other chemicals like super glues or putties can cause cancer or long term mental/neural damage. A respirator mask that handles organic solvents will help when you can’t get another form of ventilation or air evacuation. A simple fan in front of you blowing out the window will help some – just make sure it’s not flowing back into the house. Do I even have to mention safety with sharp objects

***WARNINGS ABOUT RESIN COMPOUNDS***. Resin model dust from sanding can cause alergic reactions in some people and is toxic, more so to some people. It is advisable to wet sand resin kits (see below) and wear some sort of respirator or mask to filter out the particulates. Those who use resin the most are more susceptible than others since the sensitivity actually builds up, versus getting better like normal alergies.

Raw resins that are uncured can cause skin and respitory issues as well. Read all warnings that come with your resin. Like expoxies, resins can make the skin and the respitory tract sensistive. Be sure to wear gloves and respitory protection when using raw resin compounds.

Parts Preparation on the Sprues (Parts Trees)

The very first thing you should do is take a pan/large container with warm soap and water and wash the mold release compound from the parts trees (sprues). Both resin and styrene parts will have mold release on them. Feel the parts before and after and you’ll feel the difference. These waxy or oily substances keep glue and paint from sticking to the parts. Use a SOFT brush to CAREFULLY remove the compounds off the front AND back of parts. Now rinse the parts off in another container of warm water then thoroughly but gently pat dry with a towel. A hairdryer could warp the parts – so fogettabout it! Why a container and not the sink? If a part falls off in the container, you can easily retrieve it. If it goes down the sink, hold a funeral for it because it’s probably gone! Don’t let parts dry in direct sunlight. It will warp them too and cause whites to yellow faster and clear parts to yellow as well.

The BASIC Shopping List

This is the “budget” version of the list and should cost around $25 (USD) on average.

1)Flush Cutters – These are not diagonal wire cutters, but have a completely flat side on one end of the blades to cut the sprue flat - “flush” with the side of the part. You can get these at hobby shops or electronics suppliers. Don’t cut metal with them after purchase. It will put a gap in the blades affecting your clean cut.

2)Hobby Knife – This has a ton of uses, but for now, will be used to clean spare sprue off of the part you just cut off or remove molding flash. Don’t cut too close, use the sanding stick to go to the face of the part.

3)Multi-grit Sanding Stick – This will clean up and smooth over whatever is left on the part. It will also be used to clean up the seam of your assemblies. NOTE: small “Swiss” files can be used too, but will leave undesired gouges if you’re not used to using them on styrene.

4)Thin “Welding” Cement – This cement literally melts or welds the soft styrene together! Some have filler agents, but generally, the melting action is what makes the parts stick. This is the strongest bond for styrene next to molding a whole piece - when done right. This can be used two ways. The first is to clamp, tape or rubber band your parts together. Then use a brush/applicator to flow the cement into the seams. Capillary action draws the cement in. The second way is to wet both halves of the parts in coats, let it set a few seconds and repeat as needed to cement together. Use this for rough seams. The excess glue will mix with the styrene and form a putty of sorts and fill the seam – allow a couple of days for this to dry. Bad seams will need putty or super glue and baking soda. When taping or using rubber bands remember the cement will get in under these and mar the plastic finish. Use cardboard or other materials to space these clamping devices away from the styrene and watch where the glue flows – it’s thinner than water! Your fingers can become applicators too and get glue where you don’t want it – watch where you put those fingers!

5)Super Glue – Super glue sets faster, can fill seams when cured and is also the main glue of choice for gluing resin kits together. Cured super glue is stronger and tougher than the styrene, remember this when sanding or filling gaps as listed below. Think how you will attack your problem before making it worse.

6)Baking Soda – Not mandatory, but will accelerate super glue’s curing time and can be “piled on” to fill-in nasty seams or bad goof ups in assembly with super glue coats in between layers.

7)Filler Putty – This is the other way to fill bad seams in or cover up goofs you gouged into your kit. Let it dry thoroughly and ensure the area is clean of oils that will inhibit adhesion.

8)Sanding Block – When your parts are together, the sanding stick has sanded the seam over, use this to bring a near glossy finish back to the plastic. Rubbing an old clean and SOFT rag can buff it to gloss.

Making It “Seam Easy”

The most frustrating part of model assembly is when you glue two pieces together and you can see the seam. The seam of the parts can simply need mild sanding and it’s gone. In other cases though, the parts will have a bad gap. Here’s some pointers to help out.

1)Test fit the parts together; yeah, the instructions say it for a reason. Parts that don’t fit right may only need a little rough sanding and they’re good to go. A lot of earlier models have machine marks in the mold making the seam potted and not smooth. Sometime the fit pins don’t line up and have to be removed. A sanded seam also has better adhesion.

2)If there’s a small gap, the method above under “Welding Cement” will help. A few applied/semi-dried layers of weld cement will fill it in as the cement becomes like putty. Allow at least two days for seams like this to dry though. Maybe more if there’s a lot of it on the kit.

3)If your scale model has a mini Grand Canyon in it, super glue, super glue and filler (like baking soda) or filler putty can fill it in. If strength is an issue, super glue on its own is the way to go and will give the best strength. It also dries clear after sanding.

Smooth Moves

“Are there marks on my model that will only show up after painting?” Heck yeah! That’s the part that sucks worse than sanding seams! A magnifying glass with a bright light or sunlight will show shadows as you move parts around. If you’re going to paint, a coat of primer will show the “error of your ways” and even fill in minor scratches from sanding. Pull out your sanding block and clean them up as needed.

Getting It Wet

You can always dry sand your parts, but the paper/blocks/stick clogs up quickly and the effect can be uneven across your work area. Make sure your sander is certified "wet or dry" ti use with water. Most blocks are. Experiment if you're not sure. If the sanding substrate comes off the block easily when wet, then your sander is best suited for dry use. Try getting a small dish of water and dipping the sander into it. Sand as normal, but occasionally dampen and clear out the sander "pores." The water also cools if you're aggressive and can even help smooth off the finish better with fine grits. Putty is more notorious than styrene for clogging up the sanding substrate. It can also absorb the water becoming like mud on the model (once again, brands and types vary). Try some experiments first before destroying your rare or expensive kits. A damp cloth is great for wiping up sanding "goop" leftovers.

Where Can I Get This Stuff?

Many of us (like me) don’t have a hobby shop around us. In the U.S., Radio Shack carries many of the same tools or craft stores such as Hobby Lobby, Michaels or Joann Fabrics for the majority of it. Beauty supply stores are good for sponge blocks, sanding sticks, and even super glue. They also have filler for the super glues if you don’t like baking soda. The putty is best gotten online if you can’t find it locally. There are many brands on the market. Depending on who you ask, Tamiya and Squadron (pictured) sell well. There are also various grades of putties too such as fine or medium. Check out your local hardware stores too. They will have many of these items too, only maybe larger for DIY projects.

If you have other information, ideas or techniques, PLEASE contribute and share it with the community! - MT

Edited March 25, 2013 by MechTech

[Kaldar5]

Thank you for writing this!

This thread is not meant to cover painting or finishing which is another story and can vary with the type of model, to what a person favors for paint (oils, acrylics, enamels, airbrush, brushes etc…) Somebody who REALLY knows what they’re doing with paint please start that one

Yes please!
I'm completely astounded by the people here that know exactly when and what acrylics, enamels, and ever self dyed furniture polish go over what others, and what can and cannot mix with what for the best effect.

[Benson13]

Awesome I've been waiting for something like this for years. Thanks so much.

[Jefuemon]

Painting- it's easy, if you remember this-cold goes on top of hot, but hot doesn't go on top of cold.

Acrylics can be considered "cold". Clean up with water only. Easy to use, but not very durable.

Enamel would be "medium". Little more durable, but also a little more dangerous, fume wise. Clean up with paint thinner.

Lacquer would be the "hot". Very durable, but also the most dangerous fume wise. Definitely use an organic vapors respirator mask when airbrushing this!

So, if you're painting with acrylic, only put acrylic on top of that.

Enamel, use either enamel or acrylic.

Lacquer, use whatever you want! I myself use Mr. Color pretty much exclusively, and that is a lacquer based paint. Doing the old-style wash, I'd use a very diluted flat black enamel. Did no harm to the original paint job.

But, if you were to try and use that enamel on an acrylic paint job, be prepared for stripped paint and frustration.

Hope that helps!!

[MechTech]

Thanks guys! I've been meaning to do this for a while now. A HUGE THANK YOU to Jefuemon for making the paint types easy to remember and our mod benefactor who pinned this!

I forgot two important items, resin safety and wet sanding so those have been added. We've had hobbiest die across the world because of alergies to resins. The dust got in the lungs after years of use and they just died unexpectedly. Other shave alergies to it outright and can't breathe the fumes or touch the stuff without having serious issues.

Thanks guys and keep your additons coming! - MT

[EXO]

Me. I can't work with liquid resin. I can work with hardened but I use a mask no matter what. I'm trying to get a down draft table in any case when I need to take the old dremel to a sizable chunk of resin. But I got allergic from the liquid form resin touching my skin not from breathing it. I wore gloves but you know those store bought vinyls only go up so far.

I was pretty much in bed for months... Trained Jasonc to finish up my projects. Thanks Jason!

As much as I've been painting for a while now, professorially even... I still run into issues with hot/cold paint. Mostly because some companies don't label their paint as Acrylic, Enamel or Laquer. This happens when I'm looking for a specific color. I've pretty much resloved to mix my own colors. The most important reason is you'll probably need the extra paint for touch up. I've done the whole spray the can into a small container bit. The last time, I thought I let the compressed air fizzle out of the paint so I closed the container and the next day I went to work on the model and the paint had popped leaving small specks of color on the model. Of course I had to strip and sand the beautiful finish I already had laid on there...

Also, I'm starting to notice different properties of the same paint. For example, I've notice that Tamiya yellow doesn't last as long as the rest of the brand. You're better off buying the small bottles than trying to save money with the big, unless you paint a lot or use a lot of yellow.

[Kaldar5]

Personally I was wondering about gloss vs semi-gloss vs matte.

Non gloss paint has a microscopic texture that messes with decals?
And metallic paint does not look good over matte, so if you want it to be matte, paint a high gloss, paint the metallic, then clear coat matte over it?

[EXO]

Think of your hand pressing underneath glass. The part that touches the glass is clearer than the parts not touching it. Gloss is smooth so it mazimizes the surface that the decal is going to touch and adhere to. You can apply any type sheen clear coat on top to matte or gloss it again. But gloss reduces what's called the silvering effect.

Also, when you apply decals, try to cut as close to the outline as possible, if you can't stay on the line, error on the inside. That way you won't be able to see the edges.

[Jefuemon]

Painting tip- If you've got access to those disposable bamboo chopsticks, slap a piece of double-sided tape at the thick end, and you've got yourself a neat way to hold small parts while you're painting.

also, as you can see in the pictures, if you take a cardboard box, cut it into strips, then tape the strips together, you get a place to put your stick while it dries.

[ivorysniper]

Thank you very much, fellows !!!. I really appreciate your will to share your invaluable knowledge with us, the beginners. I've been cranking the engines to start the aircraft modelling for several weeks and I was kind of stuck on the part of buying the right tools. Thank you all !!!.

Edited March 27, 2013 by ivorysniper

[GU-11]

Thanks MT for creating the thread, and Jefuemon and EXO for contributing! I know I'll be a frequent visitor to this thread.

Personally I was wondering about gloss vs semi-gloss vs matte.

Non gloss paint has a microscopic texture that messes with decals?
And metallic paint does not look good over matte, so if you want it to be matte, paint a high gloss, paint the metallic, then clear coat matte over it?

If only I'd seen this before painting up that engine part with the textured surface. Looked like ass when I AB'ed some Tamiya gun metal over it. The other engine part that had a smooth texture looked gorgeous.

I'm trying to save it by coating it with some Tamiya smoke when after the paint's fully cured--hopefully the darker tone will give it a grungy but still metallic look.

Either that or I'll just spray over it with a coat of German gray and dry brush it.

Any advice?

[Kaldar5]

I only learned that much from reading wm cheng's posts on metallics. He seems to have a instinctual knowledge based on long experience.

[Major Focker]

recently stumbled into this: http://dc23-mecharts.blogspot.sg/p/my-tutorials.html

mix of guides from basic to advanced

[MechTech]

You're welcome guys and thank you Focker for posting that link! Somebody else figured out the "no seam" liquid cement trick (and posted pictures). - MT

[Jefuemon]

DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR SPRUES UNTIL YOU ARE 100% FINISHED WITH A KIT!!!

There's been 3 or 4 kits where I've accidentally thrown out a small part because I was trying to tidy up my workspace a bit.

Some people like to hang onto any unused parts from a kit- I don't. The only thing I save is any extra/unused decals. Always have a need for those.

[Chas]

left over sprue is also useful in a couple of different ways:

1) I use it as a source for solid styrene rods - comes in handy very often! (I mod a lot of kits!)

2) It can also be used to make your own styrene filler/putty. Just leave it in a close container of Ambroid or Tennax.

Granted both of these a slightly more 'advanced' uses, but I thought it was worth mentioning here.

[GU-11]

Tin foil makes an excellent masking material for large areas. While you obviously still have to mask the edges, you can simply wrap tin foil around a large area you don't want to get paint on, instead of disassembling the whole figure. It's pliable but retains its shape, making it perfect for the job. It's also cheaper than Tamiya tape, saves time and effort, and doesn't leave any glue residue, not to mention that there's no risk of lifting the paint when you remove it.

I've been using it during paint sessions for a FOC Jazz repaint; it was a great help, as unlike model kits, there are quite a few parts you just can't separate in a TF.

Just fold in the edges so they don't scratch the newly-painted area when removing the foil.

[derex3592]

Tin foil......that's absolutely freakin brilliant!!!

[Checkmate]

While building my 1:48 Hasegawa kit, I've learned a few tricks. : )

Verniers: I painted them in advance then filled it with White tack to mask it.

Kite decal: Have you applied those kites to your kit only to notice that the base color is showing through the white Kite?

1. airbrush the approximate spot where you're Kite needs to be applied with white paint.

2. affix the round sticker. this will act as a mask.

3. airbrush the base coat.

Canopy: The kit came with two canopies. I attached the more rounded canopy on the kit with white glue. Used this while painting the rest of the kit.

Paint brush: I have been airbrushing fro years and never thought of using an old paint brush to clean the insides of the AB's paint cup. Learned this trick from Flory's pro-modeller website.

Yellow latex gloves: This is a godsend! I've always used latex gloves from work. But those kind gets melted easily by lacquer thinner. You can buy the yellow ones from any CVS or Rite aid for $1 a pair.

3M respirator: I have been using this since I started airbrushing. If you don't have one, get one now. Save your lungs!

Resources: The internet. EVERYTHING I needed to get started on airbrushing, model building I learned from the internet. oops, also some old issues of Fine Scale modelling.

Edited May 19, 2013 by Checkmate

[Noyhauser]

Great thread... I've got a few.

Tin foil makes an excellent masking material for large areas. While you obviously still have to mask the edges, you can simply wrap tin foil around a large area you don't want to get paint on, instead of disassembling the whole figure. It's pliable but retains its shape, making it perfect for the job. It's also cheaper than Tamiya tape, saves time and effort, and doesn't leave any glue residue, not to mention that there's no risk of lifting the paint when you remove it.

I've been using it during paint sessions for a FOC Jazz repaint; it was a great help, as unlike model kits, there are quite a few parts you just can't separate in a TF.

Just fold in the edges so they don't scratch the newly-painted area when removing the foil.

A different approach that works for some aircraft models is to actually photocopy the instruction sheet to the correct size, then cut out the various colours. IT really works well with ones that are flat in planform rather than one that curves alot. The VF-1 would be a good example of a generally flatter planform... something like an typical airliner (747) is probably not the best because of its tube fuselage... though you;ll usually get the wings done through this method. You'll need to correct for where the aircraft shape changes. Alot of instructions will clearly say what percentange it is reduced by, thereby making it easy to identify what you need to do. you just tape on the mask you've cut out, and volia; super cheap and easy mask.

left over sprue is also useful in a couple of different ways:

1) I use it as a source for solid styrene rods - comes in handy very often! (I mod a lot of kits!)

2) It can also be used to make your own styrene filler/putty. Just leave it in a close container of Ambroid or Tennax.

Granted both of these a slightly more 'advanced' uses, but I thought it was worth mentioning here.

Also an awesome source of stretched sprue (heated up over a flame and pulled apart) which is what I make all of my aerials, pipes, fuel lines ect on aircraft.

[Noyhauser]

One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give is do your research. If its a real life aircraft, find photos and note what you see. I'll give an example. A few years ago a friend gave me a tub of documents on his grandfather's war service. I'm trying to model every aircraft he flew. This is probably one of my favorites:

It wasn't a final model... looking at the photo I quickly noticed that my landing gear was backwards. I could have done better with doing different variations in colour on the fuselage too (its not as uniform on the RL aircraft.) A lot of modellers start collecting reference material. I know HWR on the board keeps photos of different scratching and effects on tank hulls so he can model them. I photograph and collect photos of planes in colour to get a sense of what they looked like in different stages of wear.

Also, let me post a little guide to different effects you can have with Alclad, which is a common natural metal finish paint more advanced modellers use. Its difficult, but probably provides the best range of effects.

I've tried quite a few different approaches to NMF... these are organized chronologically, so it kinda shows the learning process I went through.

Plain Primer + gloss coat + medium oil wash.

First attempt at masking (standard on almost all subsequent models)

Alclad Buffing + Gloss coat + light Oil wash.

Alclad + Rub&Buff (on wing-walks) + light oil wash.

Probably the best finish I've had for a shinier model...

Alclad primer + Alclad + light Oil wash/streaks +Future cut with Tamiya matte.

heavy streaking and mottled effect

Alclad + glosscoat + heavy oil wash

Best finish I had with a matte BMF

Alclad + light oil wash/streaks + post shading + matte coat

One other one I've started using since I posted this is a different primer colours, and a form of preshading. Basically the deep green give the subsequent aluminum a different hue... which is a bit more realistic than straight black. you then don't completely fill in the entire airplane, just the main areas of the panels; the panel lines are left a little underpainted so that the primer shows through... barely. It gives a more weathered effect without having to use heavy panel lining.

Hope that helps!

Edited May 19, 2013 by Noyhauser

[Noyhauser]

Personally I was wondering about gloss vs semi-gloss vs matte.

Non gloss paint has a microscopic texture that messes with decals?

And metallic paint does not look good over matte, so if you want it to be matte, paint a high gloss, paint the metallic, then clear coat matte over it?

Metallics over matte paint isn't necessarily a bad thing, provided its a fine matte, not a very rough one. What it does is create a matte texture for the metal... which in some cases is okay like if there is excessive wear. For the most part however, it isn't as most aircraft are not beaten up in this way. As I note above, you can actually get a better effect by using a bit thicker oil wash, and leaving a bit on at the end. That gives you a more realistic matte look for certain circumstances. A variation for me for this is: Primer-alclad-decal-gloss-oil. In other cases, primer-alclad-decal-gloss-matte, works fine as well.

[Noyhauser]

Painting-

Lacquer, use whatever you want! I myself use Mr. Color pretty much exclusively, and that is a lacquer based paint. Doing the old-style wash, I'd use a very diluted flat black enamel. Did no harm to the original paint job.

A minor quibble: Mr Color isn't actually a lacquer... its a solvent based acrylic. It uses a lacquer based thinner, but the paint itself is acrylic. Lacquer paints use a different binding method to acrylic... or so its been explained to me.

Regardless, I love the stuff. I used to use tamiya and now I only by Gunze.

[GU-11]

@Noyhauser: You mentioned cutting Future with Tamiya matte. Can I still hand-brush it onto the model like unmixed Future? I've heard unconfirmed comments that the Tamiya matte might mess with Future's self-leveling properties.

I do have an airbrush, but it's a very basic single-action one with non-adjustable air pressure, so AB'ing Future might be too difficult with such equipment. Besides, I don't want to risk having any of it drying inside the AB.

BTW, those are some very beautifully built planes!

[Noyhauser]

@Noyhauser: You mentioned cutting Future with Tamiya matte. Can I still hand-brush it onto the model like unmixed Future? I've heard unconfirmed comments that the Tamiya matte might mess with Future's self-leveling properties.

I do have an airbrush, but it's a very basic single-action one with non-adjustable air pressure, so AB'ing Future might be too difficult with such equipment. Besides, I don't want to risk having any of it drying inside the AB.

BTW, those are some very beautifully built planes!

Hmm... I've never tried applying it by hand brushing. If there is a problem, this is one approach I can suggest you try off the top of my head. I used to thin future with windex to retard its drying because I got pebbling with the AB. I later figured out how to avoid that issue so I stopped using windex. I suspect that Windex + future + tamiya matte might alleviate any possible issues with hand brushing. The other option is to do multiple thin coats, though that can be tougher.

As for Air Brushing Future, its not as tough as it seems, even with a single action. Probably the "Eureka" moment for me was when I pulled the airbrush away from the model about a foot or more that what I normally paint it with... the best way I can describe the situation is that you're hitting the model with a heavy mist rather than a spray. After about two or three applications spread five to ten minutes apart (or even four or more) you should have a nice, consistent coverage. Also don't be afraid to do one side only, then do the other later. This approach is much more forgiving as well, since the rate of application is actually kinda low. IT shouldn't be that hard with a single action... especially if you clean the AB after. (also remember that Future is pretty easy to attack with a whole host of cleaners, from windex to lacquer thinner.

I also touch up areas with a clean brush (I have one that I only use for this) dipped in microscale decal setter (or softener... the one with the red lettering). Future often just does what it wants, with areas that unexpectedly accumulate, so this allows you to move around dry or drying future.

There are other products as well that are just as good. A new one is Alclad aqua gloss, which goes on with really easy consistently. I've heard people discuss the xtradecal stuff in good terms. Its really finding what is good for you. I've tended to stay with future because it can go on a bit thicker, which helps to mask decal carrier film better, which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine.

Edited May 20, 2013 by Noyhauser

[GU-11]

Many thanks for the tips, Noyhauser!

I'll try out that Future/Windex/Tamiya matte mixture one of these days, and report back later. They don't sell Windex here; I'll try using Kao Magiclean window cleaner, which is said to be a good enough substitute for Windex when hand-brushing Tamiya paints. Should do the trick.

As for airbrushing, I'm a little concerned about using Future through my AB, after reading some articles saying that ammonia damages the copper interior of the airbrush. Some say that just back-flushing ammonia-based cleaners is safe, but I think I'll wait until I have an extra AB before trying it out. Planning to get one of those HG airbrushes from Tamiya this Christmas, anyway. I can then use the old plastic one to AB Future.

BTW, is Alclad aqua gloss acrylic based? With only a small spray booth and no respirator, I try to avoid AB'ing enamels or lacquers is possible.

[Noyhauser]

I don't think future itself has ammonia (though I could be wrong.) I don't use windex to thin anymore either since I went to heavy misting. It can be cleaned with alcohol too. Future is pretty versatile which is why it was favored for so long

Aquagloss is acrylic as well AFAIK.

[Major Focker]

love the pics! very informative. thanks for that.

[GU-11]

I don't think future itself has ammonia (though I could be wrong.) I don't use windex to thin anymore either since I went to heavy misting. It can be cleaned with alcohol too. Future is pretty versatile which is why it was favored for so long

Aquagloss is acrylic as well AFAIK.

Sorry, my bad. I meant to say that the window cleaners used to clean off the Future are ammonia-based. But if alcohol is good enough to clean out Future, then it's problem solved.

BTW, can I use methylated spirits instead of alcohol? It's the closest thing to alcohol that my local hardware store sells, and the pharmacies don't carry IPA for some reason.

[Noyhauser]

hmmmm I don't have an answer for that... I've never tried it (If its mineral spirits I keep that stuff for washes because of its cost.) Thinking about it, maybe not, since it doesn't react to the gloss coat underneath (Which is why I use it for a sludgewash. Again that is if its mineral spirits I'm not sure.

[GU-11]

I did a bit of googling, and methylated spirits is also known as denatured alcohol. Basically, it's alcohol with methyl added to make it undrinkable.

Would that work?

[Noyhauser]

Most likely, yes, it should work. Another trick is to test. I've got a lot of scrap models or big plastic pieces (old CD Cases primed with Mr Surfacer in my case) to try out different things if needed. This would be a good opportunity to do that.

[locidm]

Will tamiya polycarbonate spray paint be compatible with enamel paint? I'm planning to buy some tamiya spray paint as base coat and then use my existing enamel paint to do touchups and details, and not sure whether to go with lacquer or polycarbonate.

Any input?

[MechTech]

I missed out on this thread growing! Denatured alcohol does not work well with thinning or cleaning like isopropyl. I've found out the hard way.

Iocidm, I DO know that the Tamiya Polycarbonate paints are dsesigned to flex. I've actually seen it sheet off plastic before (when an R/C car body was hammered - BADLY). I would stick with the enamel sprays even though the polycarbonates seems to be everywhere thanks to R/C cars being more popular. - MT

[locidm]

Thanks MechTech. Does Tamiya offer enamel spray? I only see polycarbonate and lacquer available from Tamiya.