Fillers for card building kits?

[WuZhuiQiu]

Hi, I have been working on a Sankei building kit, and due to slight warping, etc., I can foresee the need to use some filler at a couple of corners. What would be a suitable filler - something like polyfilla?

[Bernard]

Hi WuZhuiQiu - Would it be possible to post some photos of what you are describing....and what material are the kits made of?

[WuZhuiQiu]

I don't have any photographs of the corner, but think of a 90 degree lap joint between two sheets of thin card. The two sheets do not quite meet evenly, so there is a slight gap that needs filling.

Sankei building kits are made of a very thin kind of board, like thin cardboard.

[cteno4]

WuZhuiQiu

for corners i have used basswood strip material to strengthen joints. you can also use them as horizontal and vertical supports to keep things flat as well. Ive been looking at doing some stiffening like this with my larger sankei buildings that i have not yet built. the little ones have held up well as there are few large flat sections that have a lot right angle pieces to keep things square and flat.

another option is to cut some 020 sheet stryene a tad smaller than the inside dimensions of the walls and cut out openings a bit bigger to they are out of site. a nibbler tool really helps do this quickly.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-COMPUTER-CASE-NIBBLER-NIBBLING-METAL-CUTTING-TOOL-/270806101345?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f0d4d2d61#ht_1466wt_795

glueing these to the inside of the walls and then adding some corner braces should really make things flat and stiff.

this is the one issue with papercarft or chip board buildings like this as humidity can warp walls with time. the layering that sankei usually does to build up detail also helps strengthen the walls from warping.

cheers

jeff

[WuZhuiQiu]

Thanks for the suggestions, Jeff! Yes, I had been thinking of using corner bracing, which I will try on my next Sankei kit.

Now that this model is partly assembled, though, I am trying to find a filler that I might use at the lower edge of each corner, where the "stone" foundation is. Polyfilla may work, but may not be smooth or flexible enough. I am not sure what else to try.

[cteno4]

WuZhuiQiu

ok i getcha. you just need to fill some gaps in your joints then? im guessing some glue or model putty would do it. problem is color as you would then need to paint any that shows through the gap. spackles/plaster type stuff might crumble with time with the flexible chipboard.

another idea might be to use polymer clays you can get at the craft store. you can get them in a wide range in colors to match your parts and they have a smooth and flexible texture. then back them with some glue to hold them in place. only down side i could think is they might bleed some oil into the chipboard with time and discolor it. not sure if the poly clays do this or not. i think i remember seeing some of them have it as a feature they wont bleed anything into other things they come in contact with.

cheers

jeff