Question for the Modellers Here

[knight errant00]

So, for Christmas I got the reissue kit of the AMT Interplanetary UFO model, not only one of the first models I made as a kid, but one of my favorites.

amtamt622.jpg

I haven't assembled a model kit since jr high, so before I botch this one up, I have a few questions:

1) what kind fof glue to use? Someone told me they don't make the old model glue any more -- what's replaced it? Or was I misinformed?

2) any tips on painting? My idea for the kit is to weather the surface, go with an old, long-missing ghost ship kind of feel. Normally I'd do that in washes, but I want to make sure the glow-in-the-dark is still visible and glowing (because that's part of what made the original so darn cool). Any input on things to do/avoid? Normally, if I screwed up a wash, I could paint over it -- not really an option for this, since I want the plastic of the huill to show through..

3) I'm also thinking about trying to light it -- something simple, mind you, like in the engines. Any good advice or resources for that? And by resources, I mean places to get a kit or LEDs or whatever you think works.

Much appreciated!

-- Pat

[enyawd72]

Hey Knight!

I'm a 20+ year modeler (award winning to boot!) and have written a few articles for various model mags.

To answer your questions...

1. They absolutely still make the old model glue...Testors liquid cement comes in a red and white tube. Wal-Mart is actually carrying it now. Another option is Tenax 7R or Plastruct plastic weld. Both are much faster, and will melt styrene together instantly, minimizing your seam work.

2. To weather your kit and still let the glow plastic show through, don't paint it. Use Testors clear dullcoat as a primer, and do your weathering using charcoal pencil. I rub the pencil on a piece of sandpaper to get a nice pile of powder, then use a soft dry brush to gently shade crevices, panel lines, etc. and seal with another layer of dullcoat. Below is a photo of a Star Wars AT-AT I finished using this method...as you can see it's VERY realistic. I also used railroad weathering powders on this one for the rust.

3. Any hobby shop or Radio Shack will have LED lighting kits...some online model shops even sell custom aftermarket lighting kits designed for specific models. Hope that helps!

[knight errant00]

^^ VERY helpful, enyawd! I love the charcoal suggestion -- mixing media always makes it more fun! I'll look into lighting kits more (did a bit online and got to a "huh?" point with them). Hey, another point I forgot to bring up -- ideas on puttying any seams? Again, the glow-in-the-dark makes that trickier.

Love the look on the AT-AT -- picture that with the grey plates glowing, and that's what I'm going for.

Thanks so much. Appreciate it tremendously!

-- Pat

[enyawd72]

No problem! Unless there's a glow putty out there that I don't know about, I wouldn't use any on the seams, otherwise it'll stand out like a sore thumb when it's glowing. I used Tenax 7R on the AT-AT, and there's not a speck of putty on that entire kit. It really hides the seams that well.

[ctc]

Say!

I just finished that one! It's got the stickers for the UFO version (from the 70's) and the original one (from the 60's?)

>what kind fof glue to use? Someone told me they don't make the old model glue any more

They still make it, plus a few variants. There's a non-toxic version.... which is useless. There's a new one from Testors; it comes in what looks like a little oil can, it's a lot more liquidy thatn the regular stuff, and it's fantastic. It takes a little getting used to, and it's a lot stornger than the old stuff.... especially in the fumes department. Make sure you got some ventilation.

>any tips on painting? My idea for the kit is to weather the surface, go with an old, long-missing ghost ship kind of feel. Normally I'd do that in washes,

Washes won't look right on big, open areas. Airbrushes are good, but that's a whole other thing. The charcoal or railway chalk works quite well once you get the hang of it. Some drybrushing is good too. For the vents, slowly build up your colour with thin washes, then drybrush over them to even it out with the base colour. If you feel ambitious, a trick I use is to snap off some straight pieces of sprue, set the nds on fire, and hold the kit over them to get streaks and scuff marks. If you try this DO IT OUTSIDE! The smoke is unhealthy, and you get clouds of smudgy black ash that'll float around inside forever. Be careful; if you hold the kit too close it'll warp or burn. The marks are very fragile too; blow off the extra and seal them up right away.

The glow thing is easier to deal with than you'd think. Hit the hardware stores for luminescent safety paint. Most brands dry clear, or with a slight yellowish tinge. They glow in the dark like the plastic. If you use this stuff you can fill, prime and paint like normal and still have a glow when done. Use it as the uppermost coat, after a duffing of Testors mat.

I have all sorts of stuff that glows, just 'cos of that paint.

>I'm also thinking about trying to light it -- something simple, mind you, like in the engines. Any good advice or resources for that?

Lights can be tricky. Definitely go LED.... you can probably find some good kits at any hobby shop. (Or online if you don't have anything nearby.) If you plan to do the port holes or things like that, I'd recommend a heavy black primer for the insides of the parts; that way you get light through the holes only; without any bleeding through the sides.

Lighting the engines on this one would be weird; but a good project for someone with ambition and minimal experience. The engines aren't detailed very much; they're essentially sleeves.

Don C.

[toys2cool]

wow that At At came out amazing

[knight errant00]

Thanks again, enyawd. If I have any seam problems, maybe I can use them as part of the weathering effect on the hull.

Don --

I wonder if the little tin of model glue is like the stuff my uncle used to use when we'd build models with him -- rather than the tube of goo regular stuff, he would buy a little glass jar that had a brush cap and the glue itself was really thin, almost like water. But I remember it held a lot better than the tube stuff.

The actual burring and pitting approach both intrigues and frightens me for the potential unwanted damage to the kit. I'll have to practice it a but on sprue or any parts I'm not using (if any) before attempting. I like the idea of using the powder to streak it here and there. I was also planning on doing some simple, subtle hull plating by masking off the hull here and there, hitting it with a gloss coat, then peeling off the masking and hitting it with a dull coat -- everything would still glow, bu the reflectivey would be different on different panels. Then I'd start the decaling and weathering

I'm not thinking of lighting the whole thing -- just the engines and maybe running a line to the conning tower -- going for something where the ship looks dark and abandoned (letting me just black out the windows) then a light on just in the pilot house when the engines are on., so it still seems mostly abandoned. My idea's like an episode of Star Trek or Doctor Who, where we've stumbled across a long-lost explorer ship

Reading up on it last night, I found out AMT/Round Two has also reissued the original kit the Mystery Ship came from, The Leif Ericson. And that one has a lighting kit for the engines. I wrote to them (fingers crossed) to see if there's any way to buy the lighting kit on its own. They do have a part replacement policy, so with any luck, maybe there's a spare they'll be OK with selling. I should probably ask for the decal sheet, too -- I kinda like the name Leif Ericson for an old explorer ship. Although the Yuri Gegarin, which does come with the kit I have, has a funky ghost ship vibe to it while still hearkening back to early space exploration.

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys. This is all very helpful!

[knight errant00]

I've been looking around the web, and here's a guy's build (full story and pics) of the Leif Ericson. Some very cool stuff. Love what he did with the conning tower dome.


LeifEricson024small.jpg LeifEricson028small.jpg

[J.B.]

I also built that one back in the day. Be sure to post picks when you're done.

[ctc]

>he would buy a little glass jar that had a brush cap

That's still around too. I don't use it for gluing parts together; I use it for buffing out scratches, file marks and seams. The new stuff is something completely different from any of the older stuff.

Don C.

[mazinz]

I've been looking around the web, and here's a guy's build (full story and pics) of the Leif Ericson. Some very cool stuff. Love what he did with the conning tower dome.


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that link with what he did to it is absolutely amazing