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General instructions on building a white-metal kit
.....there you have it, you couldn't find the model you wanted. There was no ready-made model, not in plastic, not in die-cast. And there wasn't a plastic kit either. And now you are stuck with a box filled with metal parts and maybe vac-formed glazing and plastic wheels. Where do you start....
Metal 87 Hispano-Suiza H6 kit.
First of all, to assemble a white-metal kit, you do not need any special skills, tools or equipment. Every modeller that has ever built a plastic kit probably already owns the recommended tools:
- several small files
- sandpaper
- brushes & paint
- superglue
- filler and spatula
The following two might come in handy, but aren't really necessary:
- airbrush
- small electric drill e.g. a dremel tool
Step by step procedure:
- Lay out all the parts of the kit on a smooth, clean surface. Check if all parts are included.
- Remove flash, clean up parts. Be carefull though, small details may look like flash.
- Assemble the cleaned-up parts but do not use glue, just test-fit the parts. Do not use force to put the parts together, but use a file or sandpaper to carefully remove excess material to reach a proper fit.
- If all part fit perfectly, examine the surface of the parts. Look for holes caused by airbubbles and other surface defects. Use a nitro-filler to fill the holes and defects. After the filler has dried, carefully use files or sandpaper to smoothen the surface. If you work carefully, you won't be able to feel where the metal stops and the filler starts.
- If all parts are prepared, use water and a dishwashing detergent to clean all parts and remove wax residue that may have been left from the moulds. Dry the parts.
- After the parts have dried, they are ready to paint. You can use small brushes or, if you have one, an airbrush. Please be carefull, and don't apply too much paint, paint will cause the parts to be thicker, therefore it is usefull to make preassemblies of parts that will be painted in the same colour.
- After painting, use the superglue to complete the model.
- As a finishing touch use a small brush to highlight details like chrome trim, lights and so on. Add decals. Finally, seal the model with a coat of gloss varnish to protect the decals and the paint.
That is all there is to it, and before you know
it you will have another nice model to add to your collection .....
