Little tips you have learnt the hard way!

inspired by Ales cock up, and my own rather confusing mistake tonight, I decided to start a thread on little things we have done that cocked a model up, and would never do again!!!

I will start!

Don't use a bulb or cooker to heat a model! For any reason!
All heating on models should be done with a hair dryer, nothing else! You have been warned!


Don't spray the backs of lights with silver paint!
You must spray the recess with silver, or use a silver film! It seems the red needs a little space to shine properly!
I tried painting the back of the Subarus and it looks poor!
Oh well!
:rolleyes:

Seal your masking jobs with base color paint or clear coat. :mad:

Here's a good one:
KEEP TRACK OF THE WINDSHIELD

Heres another.

Don't add decal solution until the decal is in the right place!

Don't think that you can brushpaint large surfaces and it will look good. Spraypainting is the way to go! Trust me...

DONT LEAVE MODELS OUT ON THE TABLE FOR YOUNG 3 YEAR OLDS TO TRY AND HELP OUT WHEN YOU FORGET TO PUT THEM AWAY

Always cut the parts of the "tree" no matter how much of a hurry your in.

When using a spray can...spray the can to get rid of any shit in the nozzel tip before start on the model.

Originally posted by primera man
DONT LEAVE MODELS OUT ON THE TABLE FOR YOUNG 3 YEAR OLDS TO TRY AND HELP OUT WHEN YOU FORGET TO PUT THEM AWAY




I don't have that problem! Never want to either!!!:D

Originally posted by Guiddy


I don't have that problem! Never want to either!!!:D

Thats what i used to say !!!

Another few...

Don't use superglue on any clear parts, not even near them!!!

You MUST key plastic bodies with something like 800 grade wet and dry paper so the paint grips the plastic well enough and won't peel off if you use masking tape!!!

Masking tape must be pressed around the edges with something smooth like your nail, or the edge end of a pen top to seal the edges well enough, and the first coat must a fine spray to seal the edges with paint and stop runs.

Make sure "superglue" is kept away from fingers...doh !!!! (dont ask)

Dont use "electrsol" (it's a cleaner we use at work) to strip paint of cars. It works really well apart from melting the plastic about 30 minutes after you have finshed. :mad: :mad:

Originally posted by primera man
Dont use "electrsol" (it's a cleaner we use at work) to strip paint of cars. It works really well apart from melting the plastic about 30 minutes after you have finshed. :mad: :mad:
Castrol Super Clean, my friend. Like purple magic in a bottle. :D
Make sure "superglue" is kept away from fingers...doh !!!! (dont ask)Off topic: I read once that super glue (cyanoacrylate (sp?)) was invented to bond to skin to plug up flesh wounds. It was during a major war, but I don't remember which.

DON'T attempt to do any modelling if you are not in the mood! You only end up ruining something!:mad:

Always spray in a nice open area that has good ventilation :bloated: :bloated: :p

He's one of my major cock up's :mad:

When spraying the body of the car (i have a home made stand), always make sure the body is well attached to the stand. I use a few layers of masking tape to hold it in place.
This one time, i had removed the body a few times from the stand to do things.
I attached the body back down and got ready to paint.
After doing this brilliant paint job(if you dont mind me saying !!) on the body i was admiring how good it was from every angle when the tape gave way :eek: :eek:
It landed just nicely on its side then rolled over on to its roof on the carpet.
Now having grey carpet and a black car dont go well together.

ONE VERY PISSED WIFE BECAUSE OF THE CARPET !!!!

ONE PISSED OFF MODELER WHO HAD TO START ALL OVER !!!

Lesson from that one: Don't admire your paint job until it is dry!!!:D :D :D

Originally posted by Guiddy
Lesson from that one: Don't admire your paint job until it is dry!!!:D :D :D

LMAO :D :D

always make sure that the nozzle on the spray can is facing AWAY from your self (god did that suck)

modling when half asleep can be verry dangerous (3 stitches in thumb via exacto blade)

supper glue has already been mentioned (too many experences to list )

also all modles should have a warning Caution can be very fustrating!(have ben knowed to pitctch a few very poor quality mobels down the drive way)

and for all of you balsawood airplane makers do no replace the rubber band powered purpultion with a rocket engine. (had to remove the balsa wood that was embeded in my nehbors roof.

Originally posted by olds88
modling when half asleep can be verry dangerous (3 stitches in thumb via exacto blade)I forgot about this one... I've got a decent scar on my left index finger from this. It was a brand-new fresh blade, too! Still had the honing oil on it! :eek:Originally posted by olds88
and for all of you balsawood airplane makers do no replace the rubber band powered purpultion with a rocket engine. (had to remove the balsa wood that was embeded in my nehbors roof. Hahahaha!!!!

Originally posted by olds88

and for all of you balsawood airplane makers do no replace the rubber band powered purpultion with a rocket engine. (had to remove the balsa wood that was embeded in my nehbors roof.

:D :D :D :D i would love to have seen that....LMAO !!!!

When painting a body shell, always remember to mask the windows before spraying, or you will finish "what is it that look soo extrange on this car???", and just when your friends see the car, is that you realize what you have done.:rolleyes:

i knew you guys would like that one :rolleyes:

Check the can before you buy it! I bought a can of white paint, and not only did it turn out to have no nozzle, but it also is impossible to use any other nozzle with it!!!:devil: Not a happy camper!

Originally posted by ales
Check the can before you buy it! I bought a can of white paint, and not only did it turn out to have no nozzle, but it also is impossible to use any other nozzle with it!!!:devil: Not a happy camper!

Now that's a piss off.:mad: :mad:

Here's one that hasn't been mentioned yet - FUTURE FLOOR WAX.

Now, my model mentor (co-worker who's got about 20 years experience) told me about this stuff, and I've used it on one car only with OK results. I had tried using car wax to get a nice shine on the yellow plastic (I can't paint in yellow for some reason, and wanted a yellow Diablo). It worked OK, but left too many white lines in hard to reach areas. So, thats when I used the Future on it, but it didn't stick too well. When I get to that stage on my current car (1995 Impalla :)) I'll try again.

BTW, thanks for the good tips guys - Merc.

Here is a OT tip. When you are not into a hobby, dont read up on other peoples hobbies. You end up getting hooked. :(

Originally posted by kbslacker
Here is a OT tip. When you are not into a hobby, dont read up on other peoples hobbies. You end up getting hooked. :( You going to the model store, Kris? :hehehe:

I was cutting the trunk of a 68 Mustang when the blade went into my left index finger. The tendon was cut and that was a bunch of stiches.

And also if you paint you're headlights white before you glue them in, they wont turn the color of your body, for those that use typical model glue.

Ouch! That had to hurt... A way to avoid having your lights turn colors, use very little glue. Painting the back takes away from the sparklyness you get from the chrome reflectors in there.

Originally posted by Dillweed
I was cutting the trunk of a 68 Mustang when the blade went into my left index finger. The tendon was cut and that was a bunch of stiches.This has prompted me to post a new thread... :thinkerg: Post about your "battle scars" here. (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=7230) ;)

Spray in a well vented area.

I was spraying a model one day and the dog was inside. After i finshed the dog started going strange after a while......running around like a headless chicken,barking at anything,rolling around on the ground,running into walls etc....i thought it was having a fit on me !!!!
Then i thought.....paint fumes...DOH :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Mr Muscle Oven CLeaner removes Tamiya paint like water! Great stuff! Just spray on, then rinse off and the paint goes with it!

Won't attack the plastic or automotive paint, so useful if mixing mediums!

Originally posted by Guiddy
Mr Muscle Oven CLeaner removes Tamiya paint like water! Great stuff! Just spray on, then rinse off and the paint goes with it!

Won't attack the plastic or automotive paint, so useful if mixing mediums!

Cant say i've tried that before....did you find out when you had your apron/gloves on cleaning the stove...:finger: :finger:...LOL

Always wear eye protection when using a rotary tool, especially a cutting wheel. Hot plastic bits flying towards your eyes is bad, m'kay? :(

DO NOT SPILL MODELLING GLUE ON CLEAR WINDOWS!!!!!

If you do, just leave it alone, you will only make it worse by touching it. Do not use scotch tape on a clear-coated surface shortly afte painting it. Do not spray one heavy coat, two or more light ones. Do not spray 2 or more heavy coats, either.

Can anyone find turn signal amber paint???
Is it possible to attact lights and other clear plastic parts without spilling glue on them and making things look bad.
What type of glue is the best??

Originally posted by Chris
Can anyone find turn signal amber paint???
Is it possible to attact lights and other clear plastic parts without spilling glue on them and making things look bad.
What type of glue is the best?? Yes. Tamiya makes "Clear Orange" in acrylic and I believe Testors makes "Turn Signal Amber" in enamel. Finding them may be a differrent story. My local hobby stores stock the Tamiya paint, so try looking for that instead. It's good stuff. :D

I have switched to using plain white glue to attach clear parts. You don't have to use much, and it works great for set-in parts like headlight and taillight lenses. I messed up my R33 Skyline headlights with model cement. :( I've had mixed results using white glue to attach the windshield canopy. It's usually such a large piece that it never... fits... quite... right... :mad:

The window parts on my MR2 are all one piece, and it has started to come loose at the bottom edge of the windshield; behind the wipers. Next, I'll experiment with cementing an extra piece of plastic to "clip" the window into place... I'll let you guys know...

for strange looking parts such as the window of an MR-2, what i ususally do is just cut the thing up in pieces that do fit together nicer..

and I usually use cement on the top of the clear window part that goes right under the roof of the car, then I cheat and use stronger yet thin masking tape and tape the bottom edges down onto the body of the car.. works great :cool:

Originally posted by Chris
Is it possible to attact lights and other clear plastic parts without spilling glue on them and making things look bad.
What type of glue is the best??

Use Micro Kristal Clear.
Its a white glue but dries clear....use it on all windows and lights.....does not attack the paint

Thanks all.

If you can .....paint during the day and not at night.

The light during the day is easier to work with.

At night i find the light is not as good and its easy to miss little bits of the part that you are painting

Put your painted model bodies (I'm talking die-cast here) somewhere they can't fall off from (LIKE THE FLOOR!), and also there shouldn't be anything that can fall on them. It sucks twice as much when a nice black car falls on the nice white-primered car and the former gets a huge scratch on the roof, and the latter gets it's scratch-built DTM rear wing knocked off!!!

But it's OK now...

Yet another Ales Cock up!:rolleyes:

No, just a minor setback. It's OK now. :finger: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Good tip for those hard to get off lids on Tamiya Acrylic paints....you know the ones where you sweat/swear at etc etc and the lids wont un-screw.

Put them in the microwave for 10-15 sec. It softens up the paint and the lid then comes of nice :)

I put them over a candle:D

Good tip for those hard to get off lids on Tamiya Acrylic paints....you know the ones where you sweat/swear at etc etc and the lids wont un-screw.

Put them in the microwave for 10-15 sec. It softens up the paint and the lid then comes of nice
If you have fear of putting metal objects in microwave ovens then just run hot water over the lid of the paint for a minute, it will usually twist right off.

Blow-torches work, too:D

Originally posted by Chris
Blow-torches work, too:D

LOL :p :p ...WONDER WHAT WOULD BE LEFT ??

All that matters is that the thing opens!!

Do not start the next coat of paint until the first coat is dry.
Do not start the next coat of paint until the first coat is dry.

Argh! :(

I think someone has painted prematurely before.

Here's one, Do not leave kits where animals, younger siblings, or brainless sister-in-laws can handle them. I have had problems with all of the above.

Be careful with sharp knifes.

After being a big hero and saying how i've never done anything to hurt myself while doing a kit.....today it all changed :( :(

I'm doing the Tamiya WRX kit and had been to work to use the lathe to make up some small rim spacer's for some different rims i'm fitting to the kit.

When i got home i had to scrape away a small bit of plastic from one of the tiny bushes i had made.
Well......the knife slipped and i managed to bury the end of the knife into the tip of my thumb very deeply..... *@!&^%

I'm not a happy camper. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Oh, poor old man :( Want a hug? :)

Seriously, be careful guys.

This one is pretty obvious, but be careful about leaving paints open, unattended, even for a second, especially with pets and smaller siblings.

Cleaning Gloss Black paint out of my carpet, was not fun :mad:

Heres a real good one.

If you need to strip the paint off a kit. DO NOT USE BRAKE CLEANER :mad:

I sprayed down a 97 Ford Explorer kit that Ive had for a while, and it had some fat runs in it, so i sprayed it with break cleaner, put it in a bucket to soak, came back 20min lator and all that was left was a pile of odd colored slop :(

Always use Castrol Super Clean to strip kits, as mentioned by others. I highly suggest against experimentation, unless you like melted kits :(

Really? I'd always heard good things about using brake cleaner, but when it came down to it I got CSC just because it was biodegradeable, and I wouldn't have to worry about how to get rid of it. That sucks, dude! :cry:

Just a thought Jay

Just for a bit of fun.

We need to have a *WALLY* of the week award for our cock ups.

Maybe you being the Mod here, you could decide and that person has to put something in his sig saying..*Wally of the week*

Originally posted by jay@af
Really? I'd always heard good things about using brake cleaner, but when it came down to it I got CSC just because it was biodegradeable, and I wouldn't have to worry about how to get rid of it. That sucks, dude! :cry:

Yes, and it was an 85% finished kit. It was just the fact that I saw some runs on the body, and overall it was not well done, and not shiny.

Maybe some other brake cleaners are ok, but avoid this one:

Lloyds Brake / Parts Cleaner

Damn. Back walking to the hobby store tomorrow to pick up another explorer kit. it was gonna be lowered and everything.

Edit:
Originally posted by primera man
Just a thought Jay

Just for a bit of fun.

We need to have a *WALLY* of the week award for our cock ups.

Maybe you being the Mod here, you could decide and that person has to put something in his sig saying..*Wally of the week*

Put my name in the hat for this award.

Originally posted by primera man
Just a thought Jay

Just for a bit of fun.

We need to have a *WALLY* of the week award for our cock ups.

Maybe you being the Mod here, you could decide and that person has to put something in his sig saying..*Wally of the week* LOL! Funny, but I think were better off without it. Positivity and encouragement have served us well in here, and kept us growing. :)

Posting in this thread is enough! ;)

Originally posted by jay@af
LOL! Funny, but I think were better off without it. Positivity and encouragement have served us well in here, and kept us growing. :)

Posting in this thread is enough! ;)


O.K

And let's face it... we all post in here eventually. :( :rolleyes: