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Advice on Kotobukiya model kits. - Printable Version

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Advice on Kotobukiya model kits. - Sligs234 - 02-17-2012

I've been working on the first Kotobukiya kit, And let me tell you. I can NOT seem to do anything well, when I break the pieces out of the mold with a screwdriver, The sharp bits of plastic sometimes get splintered in my finger. I also seem to accidentally break a few pieces when I try to get them out, and end up having to use glue to put them on the AC.

I've been working for a good three days or so on putting together the arms on a Crest model, Not only do they not want to stay together, but the joints in the shoulders don't stay secure, and usually flail about.

Looking for advice of any kind from anyone who may know more about these kits then a pile of bricks. Such as tools and techniques.

Oh, and another thing. How do I get those REALLY small pieces in? Those things are microscopic, and I can barely hold them, let alone put them in an equally as small space.

-Sligs.

RE: Advice on Kotobukiya model kits. - NiX - 02-17-2012

Hi and welcome to Raven Republic. Smile

We have a whole subforum for plamo heads like yourself right here: http://ravenrepublic.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=75
I'm sure the guys over there can give you lots of advice.

I hope you don't mind but I'll be moving this thread over there soon enough.

RE: Advice on Kotobukiya model kits. - Fox - 02-17-2012

(02-17-2012, 03:33 PM)Sligs234 Wrote: I've been working on the first Kotobukiya kit, And let me tell you. I can NOT seem to do anything well, when I break the pieces out of the mold with a screwdriver, The sharp bits of plastic sometimes get splintered in my finger. I also seem to accidentally break a few pieces when I try to get them out, and end up having to use glue to put them on the AC.

First off, you can ditch the screwdriver and get a pair of plastic clippers from your nearest hobby store. If that's not available, a nail cutter or even a pair of small scissors will do fine. When separating the parts from the frame/sprue, cut away from the main piece, leaving some nubs on it. Afterward, you can get rid of those by trimming them away with a hobby knife or box cutter.



(02-17-2012, 03:33 PM)Sligs234 Wrote: I've been working for a good three days or so on putting together the arms on a Crest model, Not only do they not want to stay together, but the joints in the shoulders don't stay secure, and usually flail about.

Which Crest kit are we talking about? Most of the Crest-made arms are solidly built, unlike the Mirage ones. However, there are a few that have some assembly problems:

* If it's the ones with the CR-A71S2 arms, the shoulder socket has some issues with staying in it's slot. Just superglue that sucker on the plate it's attached to.

* If you're working on kits that use the CR-A92XS arms, you're gonna have a tough time there, as most of us did. The shoulder joint assembly by itself is fine. It's the upper shoulder plates that have a hard time staying put. You can superglue them together during assembly if you're just snapbuilding the kit but if you're gonna be painting it, you better wait until after the painting process.


(02-17-2012, 03:33 PM)Sligs234 Wrote: Looking for advice of any kind from anyone who may know more about these kits then a pile of bricks. Such as tools and techniques.

You can check some tutorials on Youtube or the WIP and Tips and Tricks sections of the forums for advice. You can also post questions there and we'd be glad to answer them for you.


(02-17-2012, 03:33 PM)Sligs234 Wrote: Oh, and another thing. How do I get those REALLY small pieces in? Those things are microscopic, and I can barely hold them, let alone put them in an equally as small space.

Needle-nosed pliers or flat-headed pliers are your best friends for those small parts. Use some white glue on these to keep them from working loose.


Welcome to the forums, BTW. Nice to know that there are still people out there who have an interest in plastic models.

RE: Advice on Kotobukiya model kits. - McCale - 02-17-2012

I realize this is gonna be moved, but something that has not been posted yet. In the event that parts will not join properly, gently use a fine grain sandpaper on the edges- sometimes the plastic is just inherently ridgid, and doesnt want to join. If there is still a gap, a small application of self drying epoxy on the seam can be applied, and sanded down. This will fill the seam, but will usually involve a touch up of paint.

Good luck on the model- hope we can see some pictures when it is done.

RE: Advice on Kotobukiya model kits. - Sligs234 - 02-18-2012

Thank you for advice. And by the way it's a Crest C98E2 model. I'll go to a hobby store and see if they have any tools I can buy that you fellas reccomended. Diggin' the advice.

RE: Advice on Kotobukiya model kits. - Fox - 02-21-2012

(02-18-2012, 07:04 AM)Sligs234 Wrote: Thank you for advice. And by the way it's a Crest C98E2 model. I'll go to a hobby store and see if they have any tools I can buy that you fellas reccomended. Diggin' the advice.

Good choice on that particular kit. There's a bunch of rather-loose details on the legs (specifically, the vents on the knees) that you might want to glue in place to prevent from losing them.

Trust me, i found that out the hard way. Glare

RE: Advice on Kotobukiya model kits. - Serene - 02-21-2012

Welcome to RR Sligs, its better late than to take me forever. Ahaha.

When trimming, don't trim off chunks. Do it little by little.

In my case, I use a small, sharp box cutter, but based on your posts, you must have really big hands, so I don't know if you should try using a cutter since it takes a lot of time and practice to get used to controlling blades. You could try the tips and tricks we have, I think somebody already posted a link.

RE: Advice on Kotobukiya model kits. - Zefyr - 02-21-2012

Just a little trick I've found, you can use nail cutters. The shape kind of lets you trim the excess plastic right off. You can just sand it or rub it against something rough if you want to nub it down some more o3o

RE: Advice on Kotobukiya model kits. - Fox - 02-21-2012

(02-21-2012, 09:21 PM)Zefyr Wrote: Just a little trick I've found, you can use nail cutters. The shape kind of lets you trim the excess plastic right off. You can just sand it or rub it against something rough if you want to nub it down some more o3o

(02-17-2012, 08:37 PM)Fox Wrote: If that's not available, a nail cutter or even a pair of small scissors will do fine.

Ummm, yeah. Tongue

RE: Advice on Kotobukiya model kits. - Black Dragon - 02-22-2012

(02-21-2012, 09:21 PM)Zefyr Wrote: Just a little trick I've found, you can use nail cutters. The shape kind of lets you trim the excess plastic right off. You can just sand it or rub it against something rough if you want to nub it down some more o3o

Hobby knives would be a lot better in my opinion, so long as you don't force it too much (too much force would damage the part).

Still waiting on my C98E2 Ninebreaker, should've picked EMS.

RE: Advice on Kotobukiya model kits. - lumiere - 04-02-2012

reading your post make me cringe, for the model kit
anyway
the least you can do to a model kit, always remove it from the tree with AT LEAST A NAIL CLIPPER. it is recommended to buy a tamiya sharp pointed cutter

its expensive (not really, 30U$), its a good investment if you plan to build alot of models, DO NOT cut anything that is not plastick with this plier, the blade are really sharp to the point it will broke if you cut anything that is tougher than model kit plastick or drop it on to the floor

buy a tamiya cement thin, this thing is your bread & butter for gluing model kit, BECAREFUL when applying it, make sure your hand do not touch the cement, or if you did, do not touch any plastick model, this thing is built to melt plastick, it won;t melt you, but your fingerprint will be left on the surface of anything you touched
this thing also take time to work, around 20 second to set & 6 hour to fully cure, don't wiggle the glued part too much bfore it cure

also, if you want to re-assembly kit, during building, cut the male peg short, short enough to not break, long enough to stay sturdy for a while

i'm guessing you build zinaida crest arm, am i rite?, i've build mine, advice
[Image: 10066874z.jpg]
glue part H51

[Image: 10066874z2.jpg]
glue part H48 if you can't risk missing it, its big, but there is a chance it could lost

[Image: 10066874z3.jpg]
glue part K47 of step 19th

[Image: 10066874z4.jpg]
glue part K46 of step 22nd
part K19 of step 23rd

i think that will be it, those part i suggest glued, i have lost them -_-, so any small detail is better glued after it was cut from the tree