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Old 06-11-2018, 07:58 PM
buckeye81 buckeye81 is offline
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My first model: Saturn V

So I'm brand new to this and decided to first build Julius Perdana's 1:300 Saturn V and launch pad. Learning quickly. Thanks to all who directed me towards 176 gsm paper. Working great. Here's what I've learned so far.

1. Less is more when it comes to glue (thank you dwright54). Using Elmer's Craft Bond paper craft glue gel, dries clear, quick set.

2. These hidden corner tabs are tough!! Need long pencils to apply pressure to get them to stick. My fingers are too big. (pic1)

3. Assembling a box with two halves means getting the corners just right or the white of the paper shows through. I colored this exposed edge with a black marker but I’m not real happy with it. (pic2)

4. I get to practice making this again because I should have glued the piece inside this hole first. NOTE: think through everything before getting glue-happy. (pic3)

5. At first I thought I’d lightly score fold lines to get them started but that cuts into the paper, exposing white after the bend. So I got out my embossing stylus set and used the very finest tip I have. This works great! Creates enough of a weakness in the paper to force the bend where it is supposed to go, without the white line when I used the semi-cut technique. I’ll be sticking with this. (pic4)
Attached Thumbnails
My first model: Saturn V-img_6036.jpg   My first model: Saturn V-img_6037.jpg   My first model: Saturn V-img_6038.jpg   My first model: Saturn V-img_6040.jpg  
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Old 06-11-2018, 09:16 PM
elliott elliott is offline
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Couple of suggestions.
Color parts edges before gluing them in place. The exposed white edges can ruin a models appearance. People use markers, children's paint sets, expensive brush-and-pen sets, whatever tickles your fancy. I use gray coloring pencils. You'd be surprised at how well gray blends with colors.


Dry fit, dry fit, dry fit.
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Old 06-11-2018, 11:07 PM
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dhanners dhanners is offline
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Indeed, edge-coloring can hide quite a few sins. And as Elliot noted, a light gray blends quite well with many colors. But when you use markers (particularly oil-based ones) keep in mind that they will often color the edge in a darker shade than what the pen's cap indicates. It's just the way the ink bleeds into the paper. When in doubt, experiment, but it is generally wise to go with a lighter color than what you think. And experiment first.

As far as gluing long tabs (like on long, cylindrical rocket bodies) is concerned, those are the bane of modelers everywhere. Many of us have collected a variety of rods -- dowels, brass tubing, knitting needles, etc. -- in various diameters. The key is pre-shaping, and rolling the part to a smaller diameter than what it will be when finally glued up.

The other key is practice. All of us have built plenty of models we'll never show to anyone....
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Old 06-12-2018, 02:50 PM
buckeye81 buckeye81 is offline
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Thanks, guys. I like it when I see plans where the designer has gone ahead and used color on the glue tabs, not leaving them plain white.
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Old 06-12-2018, 03:04 PM
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dhanners dhanners is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by buckeye81 View Post
Thanks, guys. I like it when I see plans where the designer has gone ahead and used color on the glue tabs, not leaving them plain white.
As you get more experience, you'll find that most glue tabs are more trouble than they are worth, and joining strips and butt joints will be your new best friends....
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Old 06-12-2018, 05:42 PM
buckeye81 buckeye81 is offline
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As you get more experience, you'll find that most glue tabs are more trouble than they are worth, and joining strips and butt joints will be your new best friends....
I can see that. I've got another plan that has exactly what you are saying. However, for non-butt joints (e.g. 90 degree bends), I think a tab is better because there is no "white" paper edge that requires coloring.
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Old 06-12-2018, 06:13 PM
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beckychestney beckychestney is offline
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You can apply glue to a butt-joint with a toothpick, bamboo BBQ skewer of other another type of pointy stick just a tiny bit at a time. It will end up looking a bit like "caulk" while it's drying.
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Old 06-13-2018, 01:04 AM
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Paper Kosmonaut Paper Kosmonaut is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by buckeye81 View Post
I can see that. I've got another plan that has exactly what you are saying. However, for non-butt joints (e.g. 90 degree bends), I think a tab is better because there is no "white" paper edge that requires coloring.

I think in the longer run you will find that joining strips are the way to go. Even for 90º engles, a joining strip reinforces a corner better and more evenly.

As for edge colouring, there are so many edges in a model you will keep seeing, even joined parts sometimes can show white in the seams. Get yourself a nice box of non-toxic watercolour pencils. For good edge colouring I find them essential. Give the point a lick and colour that edge. You can even use two or more colours to mix it for a better match. When you have applied the colour(s), use a wet fingertip to blend it evenly across the edge.
Unlike felt tips, there is no bleeding and you can match colours much better.
I also use them for some weathering here and there (exhaust stains on WW2 prop planes, for example).
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Old 06-16-2018, 11:45 AM
sparky00 sparky00 is offline
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I'll second the watercolor pencils. Ihey are the best thing I've found for coloring edges. I have a set of 12 Prismacolors that have worked for 99% of the edges I've colored.

For scoring, I use an old Xacto #11 blade that I have ground the edge off of. I gave it its own handle to avoid "incidents". It follows a metal straightedge perfectly & easily.

I also highly recommend an NT Cutter iC-1500P circle cutter. I haven't found anything that is even close to its speed, accuracy and ease of use for cutting circles. It is very easy to adjust for cutting perfectly sized formers for tubes. It makes my rockets round! I ordered mine from Japan, but it may be available elsewhere.

Welcome to an excellent and interesting hobby. There is a great community of folks here to help.
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