Model Forum / General / Models / January 2009

Washing the casting is a good idea.  Some casters use a lot of greasy
release agents, others don't, but it is better to hedge and wash anyway.

Hi.

Personally, I would NOT start with a Verlinden
set for your first aftermarket resin attempt.
They *can* (and quite often do) have serious fit issues,
and be a general pain with the limited directions VLS provides.
That said, just be sure to wash the parts, and when
removing excess material, be sure to test fit many
many times first before committing to gluing. It really
pays to measure/fit and get the fit right ahead of time,
I cant stress this enough.

Several ways. One, finish the model, decals and all, but
with a final gloss coat over the decals you can then...
Mix 1 part dark gray, or burnt umber to at least 10 parts
thinner. You can expirement here to get the desired opacity.
(use oil paint here) and than using a small brush, paint
over all the panel lines on the kit. Wait a few minutes,
(max one hour)and wipe off the excess with a clean cloth.
You might have to dampen the cloth with thinner to get the
excess off. Allow to dry at least 24 hours, than coat with
your desired final finish.

You can also finish as above, and then instead of using
a wash, you can *draw* in the panel lines with a sharp
pointed No 2 pencil. (I use a mechanical pencil) Use sandpaper
to keep the point sharp. This can make very fine lines.
Clear coat with your desired finish coat.

Find an old kit to expirement with these techniques.

Happy modeling :)

You'll probably want a razor saw, various grit sandpapers, and some
thick CA glue.  Other than that and an that resin is a bit more brittle
(depending on the variety) I treat resin pretty much like any other
plastic part - but I use enamel paints, YMMV with acrylics.  Just take
care with the small parts so you don't crack them - saw and sand everything.

As for the etched parts - always glue them to bare resin or plastic
first, then paint.  The glue (CA) is stronger than the paint and they'll
only flake off later if you try and glue etch over paint.

I like to use a pencil for doing panel lines - I use a .3mm Pentel with
an HB lead, or a .5mm and sand the tip of the lead to an elliptical
point to get into finely engraved lines.  Standard pencil lead looks
great, but you can also use an umber artist's pencil if you'd like a bit
different color - just choose the color you want.

The other thing I like about using pencils is that if you make a mistake
you can just erase it and try again.  Paint the model and apply the
decals, then pencil in the panel lines, then apply your top coat - matte
or gloss.  Umber will likely look better against your sea blues than
plain graphite.

As for making paint washes - I use the base color tinted with burnt
umber to darken it.  More thinner, the better.  I make washes in small
amounts, and apply with a #1 artist's brush.  Practice on a scrap part
to get the hang, but it's not that difficult - just takes some practice
to develop an eye for what you want to shade.  You can also use artist's
pencils in paces you might otherwise use washes...

...and now that you've made me think, I think I have both these kits
myself...nope, not the resin, but the Eduard etch...may get inspired to
follow you along on this one...