Different kinds of plastic...

[Lufbery]

Hi all,

I'm working on a Glencoe 1/74 scale Martin MB-2 bomber. I'm just now at the beginning stages and I'm doing a lot of cleaning up of the wings.

I've noticed that the plastic on this kit is harder than the plastic of the last kit I built. As a result, it is more difficult to clean up the parts than I expected.

Has anyone else noticed that softer plastic tend to be easier to use? It sounds obvious when I put it that way, but this is the first time I've experienced this problem first-hand.

Does anyone have any tips for working with harder plastic? I realize I'll need more elbow grease.

Thanks,

-Drew

P.S. If you're wondering about this kit, check out the following link:
http://www.crossandcockade.com/WNW/MB2.htm

[Barker]

Get with Stephen Lawson, Drew.
DML's quad of lovelies everyone still wants are pretty tough stuff.
He's done tons of these.

What I knowd was a file/sand stick rather than a blade or if a blade, turn it 90 degrees to surface and use it very lightly as a burnisher for seam lines, the like.

Blue Max is what I know of the other end of things.
Soft, easily harmed but can be a joy to work with.

It's a haircut.
You can always take more off but it doesn't go back on as easy.

[Lufbery]

Barker,

Thanks for the reply. I've had some luck carving off the offending ejector pin marks (raised) and mold flaws with a sharp #11 blade and then carefully sanding the residue off.

Most of the parts are pretty clean, but the wings need a fair amount of work.

Regards,

[Barker]

Here's what I recall about DML: The tiny flaws or areas you wanted to address were so smooth and hard they didn't get along that well with putty.

Seems you sculpt those things more than else. Working with what you have, which is wonderful, unless it isn't.

Sanding.
Gently, progressively.
yep.

The softer ltd's don't really like sanding and seem to want that kind of burnish/shave/carve, whathave.

Real tough plastic is kind of peculiar, almost like lucite or something.
Chips, fractures, but does not really carve.
But it will sand.

[StephenLawson]

Greetings all. For ejector pin problems I have used the Waldron punch set to carve out some various sized disks and glued them over the pin marks then sanding carefully. I find that filler is not needed in most cases. The disks can also serve as access plates for engine compartment applications. On the hardness of plastics you will find the smaller or newer companies in the past used the softer plastic. Glencoe was never a hughe company but I remember doing their 1/48 Alb. D.III kit and the plastic was super easy to carve.