Reville 1/72 boat deck question

[Guest]

iv been working on this model for quite some time now. Im ready to lay the deck. there are gaps at the end where there are gaps.
Should I put the glue down and use a clamp to hold tight?

[Jim R]

Hi Erik
Welcome to the forum. It's a little hard to give advice without seeing the problem. Maybe you could post a photo. Gaps caused by poor fitting parts rarely close well just with clamps. It is best to try to improve the fit. It may be that the gap has to be filled in some way - either filler or letting in pieces of styrene. If the gap is caused by a part that is slightly warped then clamping and leaving to set will work.
Others may well have some more suggestions.
Jim

[Guest]

I agree with Jim: if you can be a bit more specific, we can probably supply some tips. Telling us the name and scale of the kit and preferably posting a photo of the fit problems (you can do that by hitting the Attach files button below the text box in which you type your message) should help a lot. As the question stands now, though, we simply can’t tell where the problem lies and thus, only make generic recommendations for fixing it.

[Guest]

[ATTACH]309659[/ATTACH]

[Guest]

its a Revelle 1/72 U 505.
I got all the gaps filled and cleaned up the excess. As you can probably tell I am a novice and this is my first model.
I slid the back part of the deck on first (pictured) because it had a lip for the middle portion to sit on. The glue on the back piece dried before I could make final adjustment.
Im thinking I should be able to mask the unevenness when I do my weathering.

[Jim R]

Hi Erik
For the problem you show filler was probably the answer and it will be less noticeable with paint and weathering.
When gluing parts this is what I do to ensure accuracy. Firstly clean up the parts and dry fit to make sure all fits well. Then hold the parts in place with fingers, tape, clamps etc. Now using a fine brush wick some thin styrene cement in along the join. If the join is long then you may have to glue in sections. Hopefully this means that adjustments do not have to be made after the glue is applied. The brush will go hard but as soon as you dip it in the glue again it will soften. I don't know what glue you are using but Tamiya Extra Thin or EMA Plastic Weld are examples of thin glues which wick well and dry quickly. If you do need a slightly slower setting glue for when wicking in is not appropriate try Revell Contacta.
Above all have fun and enjoy building.
Jim

[Guest]

its a Revelle 1/72 U 505.
I got all the gaps filled and cleaned up the excess.

That’s not looking too bad. The parts are misaligned, but after painting it probably will only be noticeable if you look closely, so no big deal.

its a Revelle 1/72 U 505.
As you can probably tell I am a novice and this is my first model.

You’re not doing badly, by the looks of it. You’re filling gaps, for one thing

its a Revelle 1/72 U 505.
The glue on the back piece dried before I could make final adjustment.

The best way to install large pieces like this, in my experience, is to first of all keep dry-fitting and adjusting them until they fit as well as you can make them. Don’t be afraid to scrape or file material away if you notice parts rubbing together in one area so that gaps result in another. (Cutting with a knife is not recommended, because it’s too easy to remove more than you wanted to.)

You can keep unwieldy parts, like (I suppose) hull halves of a boat, together with some sticky tape until you’re ready to glue.

Next, glue only one side into place, preferably the one that fits best, and make sure it stays where it should with some more tape, clamps, and/or rubber bands (whatever works best on that particular model). Then you can make sure the other sides fit and glue them down as well, again adding tape etc. as needed to keep everything lined up.

Also: use thin cement, the kind that comes in a bottle and is applied with a brush. Cement from a tube has its uses, but for parts like these you’re much better off if you can let the glue flow into the join between the parts, because this gives you the opportunity to fit them together first (again, with tape, rubber bands, and/or clamps) and only add the glue when the parts are properly aligned.

[Guest]

can anyone suggest what color to paint the deck

[Guest]

Not my area of expertise, but a bit of searching turns up a page with PDF files about U-boats. The first one, The Wolf Pack: A Collection Of U-Boat Modelling Articles seems to have good information on the colours of these boats.