BY Mr. G_net

Here is my attempt at starting this tutorial thread. just want to share what we know with each other. i feel this would be better for the hobby community. hope you all find this useful... even a little bit would justify me doing it no? haha! ^_^

as the title suggest.. basic tools anyone would need to build a model kit... not specifically gundams but any plastic model kit. the bare neccesities... if you have more money... buy more tools!this makes your life easier... :D

Plastic side cutter and regular blade...cutter whatever you call it. from tamiya which would cost you a bomb...around RM50 for it.. or u could use a nailclipper!
the blade is useful for cleaning up excess sprue..


here we have the good old super glue...cant deny its usefulness.. dries quick and hard... has a strong but brittle hold.. if u understand what that means <_<


and of course we need something to smoothen rough andshoddy work don't we? sandpaper...different grades.. here i have 600 which cleans fast but leaves some scratches.. touch it up later with 800 then 1200... or use a file... fastest.. and roughest!


there we have the current tools i'm using to build my MG Ball... thats all you need actually for an oob build... so let me know if this is ok... will try to update it step by step as i build the ball.. not expecting much reply since this is a self explanatory thread but comments to improve it is always welcome... more pics... more detailed explanation of it's use?

 IP Address: 219.95.167.43

By Mr. G_net

ok this weeks update on basic building!! removing of parts from the sprues or "trees". keep in mind this is only my way of doing things and there are other ways to get the job done... just a rough guide on the general things.. end results should be the same.. clean removal without any scars or holes... or leftover sprue marks on the part. Lets begin!


this is how the parts should be removed.. try cutting at a slant so as not to "pull' the plastic. Cut closer to the tree side rather than the parts side... you should be left with a little sharp bit on the part.


thats the little sharp bit i was mentioning. you should have a part that looks roughly like this..


this can easily be removed with a cutter like this...


then you can trim it closer with the blade or hobby knife whichever you intend to use.. cut slowly and bit by bit or else you might end up cutting too much and have a dent on your part!! or worse injure yourself!! i have many times..


there!! the part after going under the knife!   nice and clean.... if you did a good enough job you can stop here... but if you want it even smoother...


sand the areas with a fine grit sandpaper... i use 1200 as the last one.. (so hard to take a picture with one hand!! :wacko: )


there we have it.. nice clean parts ready for assembling.. the basics apply to most parts in general... hey.. this is a begginers build so i think this is sufficient for now.. any questions pls post at the questions thread?  i know some ppl will fall asleep reading this!! haha!! but i'm doing this for my own satisfaction of taking pictures!! hope you all don't mind me taking up space over here!

 IP Address: 219.95.167.43

By Mr. G_net

hi everyone... time for another small update from where we left off last time!! hahah! like tuition teacher!!   after removing your parts from the sprue or trees or plastic frames whichever you like to call them... and cleaning them as shown in the last section has been done we can move on to glueing them together!

Here is a part from the MG ball ver Ka... its the only part on the whole kit that has an obvious seam line believe it or not...(thats what i call MG) using super glue (what i use) or plastic cement apply to areas which are to be joined... i have even darkened the areas with marker for a clearer picture... you'll notice sometime some parts require no glue.. like areas that cant be seen! this you'll learn from experience!


Then you join the 2 pieces together and hold them until they dry... super glue dries fast... if using plastic cement you'll have to wait awhile for the plastic to soften then press together. The melted plastic will then join together. I'm lazy to hold so i use clips!


For clearer pics i used another part from MG wing. This is what your part should look like after joining. Super glue should ooze out... the same with plastic cement, the joining line should be like this...


If you want to make double sure you have all seams covered... put more glue!!  better be sure than double work!!


after that you should have a super glue covered part like this... glued fingers.. and a nice kind of high if you have taken deap breaths during this process!! hahaha!

 IP Address: 219.95.167.43

By Mr. G_net

continiuing from before...after you have your parts glued together you have to clean up the mess! this is where sanding comes in... and where most ppl give up cos it takes up just too much time and energy!! :wacko:   once you've done enough of it you'll start looking for ways to shortcut!! but when nicely done it will make the difference between a nice kit and an excellent kit! B)

this was the MG ball arm which i glued earlier.. now im sanding off the excess glue with a 500-600 grit sandpaper. it works fast but doesn't leave too much scratches. beware of the shape of the part!! this area is round so i use sandpaper by hand to achieve a round finish.


this part is flat... using the previous method might give you rounded edges later so i use a flat file... keeps the surface nice and flat.


another flat part....


If you have no file stick sandpaper to an ice-cream stick... just the same... you can have different rades of files too this way!!


sanding parts is a tiring and time consuming process but it shows the effort put into your work... something which will give you an end result you can be proud of! After awhile you'll learn new ways of doing it, maybe even your own way which you find easiest! i'm always looking for the easiest way out coz i'm lazy!!

 IP Address: 219.95.167.43

By Mr. G_net

The last part to the glueing, sanding and puttying tutorial!! This part shows how putty can be used to cover cracks, dents, scratches or holes you accidently cut into your model.  ;)  it's just one way of doing it... putty has many uses but here the purpose is to cover seams and make surfaces smooth.

you just can't win...  :angry: even with all the superglue you put in, you have to miss a part!! arrrghhh!! :wacko:  here i have just painted a layer of surfacer, (you can use putty diluted in thinner as well), over the jointed areas.This will bring out mistakes and make them easier to see. And you'll see i din't do a good job! i still left a pretty big seam which is not obvious until you prime or surface the parts. thats one way to check for mistakes.


this is where the putty comes in... layer it on the area... you can used undiluted surfacer to paint as well.. similiar properties. I put on quite a bit this time just to make sure once and for all!! <_<


Here is an example of a glued and sanded part vs one that is just snapfit. After painting or surfacing as shown here the seam sticks out like a sore thumb! not very nice! :angry:


After the surfacer or putty has been sanded off just as you did earlier in the sanding part, you'll be left with a part that looks something like that on the left. the other part not glued will have putty showing the uneveness off the part. One side is higher hence the part with left over putty or surfacer.



Here you see the putty at work. It has seeped into the seamline... making things smooth as babies bottoms!! hahaha!!   Here you'll need to use the finest grit sandpaper you have... (i use only up to 1200 as anything above that is pointless..) ^_^  because nothing  left but a layer of paint to go over your great sanding job!


hope this has all been entertaining for you guys... questions as usual are welcomed to PM me... i'll do my best to help everyone... except of course the masters who are better than me 10 times!! haha!! thats about it for a basic start in modelling... get these steps right and the rest will only make things better. Mess up here... well... no amount of expert painting can cover up bad basics if you ask me...

 IP Address: 219.95.167.43

By Mr. G_net

Small update on the tools as i mentioned before.

Here guys we have a tool that comes in very handy
at times. It make your sanding work much more bearable
and your sandpaper last longer as well.



It is also very useful to get those flat surfaces and
sharp edges very nicely done.



Remember before when i reccomended you use ice-cream
stick for sanding sticks? well the good thing is they are cheap,
the bad news is they are made of wood and wood tends
to warp or bend. this will make whatever you sand crooked
as well! Disaster! also it is not waterproof... for wet sanding
purposes...



This one i scratchbuilt out of locally produced pla-plates which are 1.5mm thick. These are alot cheaper than tamiya's so not that
sakit hati when you use it to make sanding tools! It responds well to superglue and very well to plastic cement.



These were made using plastic cement and the hold on the joint is
very strong. You can really use these hard and it wont break off.
Sandpaper was stuck on with ordinary double sided tape. These can be
removed easily by just tearing off but it holds well.



Two pieces were glued to the sides of the "handle" to provide a bigger area to glue it to the bottom part. Just a precaution to make sure it really sticks!


There hope it helps those who are looking for a better method to sand
their seamlines away or sharpen round edges! And yes we do have this
pla-plate for sale at a much cheaper price than tamiya's. i have been using it and testing it's properties and they seem to be similiar..only different color. Check my upcoming work to see other uses....

 IP Address: 219.95.167.43

Really need to thanx a million to G_net for the great support & nice Basic Tutorial.

 IP Address: 219.95.167.43