HobbyBoss Russian Akula

[Onkel Neal]

I'm waiting on paints for the Ohio so I've set it aside and I'm working on an Akula. Everything was going pretty well until I started adding the photo-etched hatches. Super glue, right? Jeesh, it was really hard. Very tiny pieces. I got them cut out, picked them up with my finest set of tweezers, and dabbed them on a bubble of superglue. Then place the piece and hold for a while.... when I release the tweezers, 9 times out of 10 the piece was stuck to my tweezers!

I carefully clean the tweezers, repeat. Eventually I got all the hatches on but it's really messy looking



I'm going to try and use a different glue next time, someone steered me to Mig Ultra Glue for PE and clear plastic parts.

Primed and painted the bottom half, happy with the tape job but of course some of the primer came off with the tape


I guess when I mask off the bottom half to paint the top half, I'll shoot another coat of primer first.

I bought 2 of these Akula models so this is a practice run!

[ET2SN]

Originally Posted by Onkel Neal

I bought 2 of these Akula models so this is a practice run!

You've figured out how the Pros do it.
One trick for P/E is figuring out what type of glue to use and when to use it.
CA glue is not the ideal solution. It crystalizes when it cures which results in a bond that looks permanent but really isn't. Apply enough force to the glue joint and the bond will fail quickly causing the P/E to "ping" away and fall into The Carpet of Eternity.

Your other option is to recognize that you're gluing metal to plastic which never forms a true bond. Acrylic-based glues are a good option as long as you realize that the P/E-to-plastic joint will always be weak. Open a jar/pot of acrylic paint and you'll understand why these glues are effective. The acrylic part forms a fairly hard and solid mass once it cures. Add that notion to your tool kit.

The best way to glue P/E metal parts to each other is solder and heat. This process is extremely "fiddly" and does nothing when you want a bond between metal and plastic or resin.

So, you need to get creative. Recognize that P/E is going to be a hassle. Do you really need to use it? I've had some luck using CA glue to "tack" the P/E to plastic then using an acrylic type glue (even the Tamiya "clear" acrylic paints can make a good glue) as the main part of the glue joint. If possible, a pin vise with a small drill bit and a shirt/sewing pin can make that glue joint much stronger. The pin acts like a nail plus the glue joint is much larger and spread out.

We should also touch on two part epoxy. This should be the best alternative for bonding metal to plastic. The problem is that even the thinnest liquid epoxies start out as two puddles of goop and get mixed together into one large puddle of goop. Epoxy does not shrink as it cures, like acrylics do, so whatever winds up on your model is going to stay there.

This does bring up an idea that is totally impractical, but I have thought about it. Clear coat. In the car modelling world, two part or "2K" clear coats are all the rage. This is basically a two part, extremely thin epoxy that cures super clear and glossy. Along those same lines would be "dental bonding agent". This is the clear water-like fluid that cures when exposed to concentrated UV light. Eight million dentists can't be wrong. This stuff bonds metal, hybrid resins, porcelain, what ever, to tooth enamel.
It also has to last in a fairly hostile environment for many years. UV bonding agent was all the rage with airplane modelers for a couple of years (gluing the clear canopy parts to the fuselage) before things went quiet.

[Onkel Neal]

Thanks, that's a mini-encyclopedia of bonding info and I can use it. Yes, one of the hazards of using these tiny PR bits is they are found of springing free of the tweezers and launching themselves into space, and once you lose one, it's either try to cut out a replacement from the PE sprue or move on without it.

I picked up a couple of tips on handling small PE parts from this guy.

[mapuc]

HMS Hood was the first model on which I used PE I learned that ordinary plastic glue wasn't good. I used ordinary allround glue which I had laying in one of my draws.

Paiting-Here I need to find a colour that fits these shinny metal.
(So I don't have to paint same piece 4-5 times)

Yes my HMS hood is covered with unpainted PE. It looks beautiful with all the shinny brass..But it's not historical correct and this irritate me.

Markus

[mapuc]

I made a search to find best advise on which glue to PE

and I found this page

https://daviddoylebooks.com/blog/201...-parts-by-jeff

Markus

[Onkel Neal]

Thanks! I need to get a tile like that.

Is it me or does the acquisition of specialty tools, glues, and paints make up an large part of this hobby?

[ET2SN]

Originally Posted by Onkel Neal

Is it me or does the acquisition of specialty tools, glues, and paints make up an large part of this hobby?

On the front end, yes. You also need to factor in the time it takes to learn how use them (and how not to).

The good news is that tools should last forever, as long as you're using them right. Keep that airbrush clean and maintained and it should last you for many years. Your only "consumables" in the tool dept. should be Xacto blades, pin vise drill bits, and masking tape. In my experience the tools don't wear out, someone just makes "a better mouse trap".

Paints can sit on the shelf for years before you'll need to think of replacing them.

Glues can be tricky. Once you open the jar or the tube, they defiantly have a shelf life.

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by ET2SN

On the front end, yes. You also need to factor in the time it takes to learn how use them (and how not to).

The good news is that tools should last forever, as long as you're using them right. Keep that airbrush clean and maintained and it should last you for many years. Your only "consumables" in the tool dept. should be Xacto blades, pin vise drill bits, and masking tape. In my experience the tools don't wear out, someone just makes "a better mouse trap".

Paints can sit on the shelf for years before you'll need to think of replacing them.

Glues can be tricky. Once you open the jar or the tube, they defiantly have a shelf life.

I was thinking about posting a comment about painting but my experience with airbrush is not as good with ordinary brushes in my tips and hint thread.

Markus

[ET2SN]

Originally Posted by mapuc

I was thinking about posting a comment about painting but my experience with airbrush is not as good with ordinary brushes in my tips and hint thread.

Markus

Living in an apartment does not mix well with owning an airbrush.
Not unless you enjoy taking your security deposit and just setting it on fire.

There's no such thing as an ordinary brush. I've had good camel hair brushes fall apart in a week and I have some el cheapos I've been using for over 10 years. Brush painting is also the best way to learn how to mix and thin paint.

Meanwhile, the mail just showed up and I should be able to finish the Shelby GT 350 project now. I even managed to find that black flocking for the carpet.

I'm thinking that I'll be a little distracted for a couple of days.

[Onkel Neal]

Finished painting the "practice" Akula. Naturally, some of the hull paint came off with the masking tape. Now that's gonna be a dilemma; I custom mixed that color with red and a bit of black...creating a new mix that matches is going to be tough. I may just repaint the entire lower hull again. Knowing my luck, I will mess up the masking lines then

In the meantime, I concocted a tiered mini-shelf for my bookcase. Now I can squeeze 6 or 7 1/350 scale subs there.

[mapuc]

There are special made masking tape that doesn't remove the paint on where you have put this tape.

Like Tamiya masking tape.
There are masking type for curves and tape that's only 1 mm wide.

The paint has of course to be dry..

Oh forgot
Your model looks great..In no time you will master it.

Markus

[Onkel Neal]

It's yellow model tape but I'm not sure if it's Tamiya. I'll have to try that. Also trying to pull the tape off at a sharp angle, some say that helps.

Thanks, let's see how my paint matching skills are.

[ET2SN]

Well, for starters, a little primer usually doesn't hurt.
The other thing I can think of, Hobby Boss has a history of using mold release.
This is usually a silicone spray. So, washing your parts prior to assembly is also a good idea. Just get a bucket of warm water and add a little Dawn (degreasing) dishwashing soap. Scrub gently then rinse and pat dry.

BTW, several years ago someone posted pictures of Akulas or Sierras being transported from Kamchatka and they had the dark gray anti-fouling paint.
I used either Tamiya's NATO Black or German Dark Gray to get that look.

[Onkel Neal]

Oh yes, I primered the model before I started with the red, check the image in my first post. Some of the primer came off.

Then some of the red came off!

I will definitely wash the next model, thanks.

[Onkel Neal]

So, my touch up job isn't quite good but it is good enough to continue on to decals and then masts.

Let's just call this "weathering effects", this Akula had some repairs done in Bucharest.

The other side is the "show side".