help wit putties!!

[aznkid69]

tamiya has 4 kinds of putties which one should i get basic, sculpting, polyester or expoxy for making a body kit? or are there better putties from other manufaturers such as milliput? this my first time making my own body kit kinda nervous

[hirofkd]

Epoxy sculpting putty and Epoxy Putty are essentially the same kind, so there are three kinds you can choose from.
Eventually, you'll need all of them, depending of the purpose, and they don't have to be tamiya brand. The Tamiya Basic putty can be substituted with Tester or Squadron, epoxy putty can be replaced with Milliput or plumbing putty, and Bondo automotive body filler works just like Tamiya Polyester. Just pick the ones available in your area.
For the body kit, I recommend polyester putty, because it doesn't shrink and cures fast. It doesn't handle as easy as epoxy, which you can shape with your fingers, but you take advantage of fast curing time, and repeat the carve and apply process to get to the final shape quickly. (in a matter of few hours)
2nd choice is Epoxy putty. You can sculpt the desired shape with your fingers, and after sculpting is done, moisten your fingers and rub the surface to make it as smooth as possible, so that the sanding will be easier. It cures slow, so you have plenty of working time. After 6 - 8 hours, the putty'll be ready to sand, and start with coarse sand paper such as 600 grit and work the way up to 1500 grit.
After sanding, you might find sink marks, pin holes or a gap between putty and plastic. If it's small, use Basic putty or superglue to fix it.
Finally, brush paint Mr. Surfacer or primer to fill the scratches, smooth the surface with 1500 grit sand paper, then, spray the primer to make the surface texture uniform. If you skip this body prep part, the texture will show up after the body is painted. Unless you desire to create the texturing effect (such as chip guard), don't skip the body prep process.