Accurate Miniatures Yak 1b - 1/48

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Wurger I use Tamiya Super Thin for the build, to fill the original scribe I used hobby CA, Bob Smith industries i believe, at least the packaging looks like this (picture grabbed from uncle google);



We don't have "Nitro" as in Poland, the closest thing to it is Lacquer Thinner Lacquer Thinner - Anti-freeze, windshield wash, solvents, Global supplier of automotive liquids household chemicals - Recochem Inc. I guess I could add some acetone to it and make Nitro. Why do you ask?

CrimeaRiver Thanks for the tip on the saws, I didn't think of that. I generally just use a new, sharp scalpel blade to cut the first light line and then go in with scribing tools.

Luke
 
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I understood. I have asked about the Nitro thinner because it is a good base for making your own polistyrene putty. Of course all thin glues for polystyrene that contain the acetone can be too. The trick is to mix some of the clear thin glue or thinner with some of the polistyrene you can get if you use pieces of the model sprues. Usually it can be done in a small bottle you should close tightly with a cap. The mixture should be quite thick but not too much. The more polystyrene you add the thicker mixture is. Of course it is not one-day procedure. Each portion of plastic must be dissolved entirely before you can add the next one. When the putty is made you can apply it as a thin layer into the panel line using a wooden toothpic for instance. It is good if you can wait for some of time before applying the next layer. The process has to be repeated a couple of times until the panel lines are filled fully. Then you have to wait for a couple of days until the thinner is evaporated and the putty is hardened completely. As a result you will get the filling of panel lines made of the same polystyrene your model was made of. What is more the filling becomes solid plastic so no peeling off when engraving new panel lines. I'm sure I don't have to mention about sanding and preparing the surface for making recessed panel lines. Judging by your pics here you know all the process very well.

Also.. for engraving shapes of such panel lines you need, it is better to use a template made of a piece of aluminium plate taken from a beer can for instance.
 
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Thanks Wurger - I will give this method a try, I really hated leaving the panel line as is. BTW, for the template I used a plastic adhesive ribbon tape from the old style punch label makers, the adhesive prevents the edge from moving and is flexible enough to adhere to curves.
 
Yes the adhesive tape is a good help for making panel lines but sometimes you need to engrave hatches of a quite complex shape. Then these templates are more useful than the tape.

Here is an example... made for 1/72 scale Fw 190A-6.


















 
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Oh.. by the way the aluminium plate used for soft drink cans seems to be a little bit thinner than the one for beer cans. So it is much easier to cut it and bend for fitting to the fuselage curvature for instance.
 
So the method for filling the panel lines described by Wojtek reminds me of another similar way. I'm not familiar with "nitro thinner" but another thing to try is to stretch some sprue to a thread that's slightly larger in diameter than the width of the panel line and apply it to your line with Tamiya Extra Thin cement or equivalent acetone based cement. Working along the line, the plastic will dissolve into the void and completely fill it. Once dry, the plastic can be filed and sanded smooth and will be of the same hardness as the base material.
 
Yep.. the way for filling the panel lines described above by Andy is a good one too. Just the point is that we have to add some of plastic and make the area of solid one. So the Nitro or Tri thinner is much better than a glue because it is a clear solvent while a glue is a mixture of a clear diluter with fillings that are not necessarily polystyrene. So, when the dissolvent is evaporated, there is a solid plastic left only at the area it was applied.
 
The polystyrene filler is curing on the nose, in the meanwhile, I tackled the landing gear. As far as I can deduce the ones included in the AM kit represent cast parts used in Yak 1 and earlier Yak 1b series, I decided to model the gear legs after welded tube type as on the Yak 1b on display in the Saratov museum.

Cast undercarriage example


Welded type


And here is my attempt made out of some tubing, syringes and a beer can - one completed strut and parts for the second one, as well as the original kit part.


Cheers,
Luke
 
Is it all glued together or soldered?
Click to expand...
Glued with CA, although I may solder for a stronger joint. I have to test whether the beer can can be soldered or not.

This morning I rescribed the panel line around the trough, i think the procedure worked, although I still have some clean up to do.

This is prior to filling sanding and rescribing


And now
 
That good progress, it would seem little but the level of detail is very illustrative.

What good ideas !!

Saludos cordiales Luke!!
 
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