I am currently working on the Revell RMS Queen Mary and I have come across a problem that has been racking my nerves. The small window portholes above the deck I have tried using a toothpick dipped in black paint to paint them and have constantly had to scrub of messed up attempts with dried paint solvent and a lint free cloth. I am getting nowhere and I don’t want to erode the detail on the model windows any further. What would experienced model makers like y’all suggest?
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First of all welcome to the forum.
The way I would do it is to drill them out and place some black card behind them.
But there may be other simple solutions.
But as I have built a few ships in my time I still haven't been bothered to do that.
But that's just me -
Thanks for the welcome, how exactly would I go about drilling? These holes must be like a millimeter and a half wideComment
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If you search for drill bits in scale model shop there should be plenty to choose from.Comment
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Hi Robert
You need a micro drill set and a pin vice to do what Peter has suggested. Drills can be purchased down to 0,2 mm if you look around, but the most cost effective way to get them is in a micro drill box. You will break some, everyone does. I would then purchase individual drills to replace breakages, and get several of your most used size. The Modelcraft set PDR4001 from the scale-models shop will set you up with drill bits, and a couple of the English pattern pin vices from the same source will set you up to drill the holes. Other sources of tools and bits are available, Eileen’s emporium, Proops, and Shestoes come to mind, but the Scale-Models shop pays for this site so is worth supporting.
Don’t bother with a Dremel type power drill for these small drill bits, by the way. They are not necessary for drilling plastic and will just break the small bite really quickly. I have had a modelcraft one for about twenty five years and have used it no more than a couple of dozen times for drilling plastic.
Cheers
TimComment
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I went out and purchased a pin vice with drill bits at my local hobby lobby (Sorry, I will consider buying products from this site in the future, might be hard considering I’m in the United States and this site is based in the United Kingdom.) and have begun the hole drilling process. It is a tricky one considering on the Queen Mary a lot of windows are bunched together and the holes are sometimes drilled unevenly, what is good way to make the holes look straight or a way to line the drilling sites up better?Comment
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Fix a piece of masking tape along the bottom edge of where you need the windows to go and line up the edge of your drill on the tape. If there are raised portholes, draw a straight line along your tape and when you fix it in place make sure the line passes across the centre of the window - although I suspect this may be trickier than it sounds unless you use transparent tape - that will give you a consistent horizontal mark for your drill. You will have to judge the vertical centre by eye, but that shouldn't be impossible.
Failing that, have you thought of trying a good quality paint pen? Copic make a range of sizes and as long as you hold it vertical, just a single dab with the right size pen and you're done.Comment
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Hi Robert
Sorry, didn’t realise you were US based or I would have given you a US reference........
With respect to the holes, are you marking the centres before you drill? In engineering, the correct way to drill is to center punch the piece before drilling. Obviously in plastic a center punch is too aggressive, so I use a sharp implement like a scriber (a school compass would do if you don’t yet have one) to mark the center of the hole. I press it in to get a small indent. If it isn’t dead center you can adjust this before you start drilling. This stops the drill wandering when you start the process and improves accuracy. The other thing it lets you do is concentrate on keeping the drill vertical as you know the point is in the right place. Once you start drilling just turn the bit a couple of times, then check the hole is being made dead center. If it isn’t, then adjust the drill center by angling the drill towards the middle. This will make the first few holes a little slow to drill out, but you will get better with practice and will soon speed up. It really is one of those things that is easier to do than to explain....
Good luck.
TimComment
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Drilled out all of the windows and then placed an index card that I blackened with sharpie behind them and I am very satisfied with the outcome, thanks for that tip y’all. Now what I am wondering about is her masts. My experience with model ships such as the RMS Titanic has made me realize that the thin, flimsy plastic masts that come with the kits normally don’t last long. What are good sturdy substitutes that you guys use when dealing with ocean liners or battleship models?Comment
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Hi Robert
Glad that worked out for you....as to masts, I am not a ship builder, but if I was I would investigate the many sources of hard brass rod and tube that are available....not sure of US sources though...and be aware that some of the masts and spars are probably tapered, giving you an interesting filing job....
Best bet to start with is to have a look around the forum at other finished builds and ask the builders what they did....Comment
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