Photo Etched Details
I have been toying with the idea to add some photo etched details to my Tirpitz, especially railings. I have found a Gold Medal Metal set for Bismark/Tirpitz on Ebay with some spots on the brass. I am wondering about a few things:
a) Do these spots usually come from oxidation, and can be painted over?
b) How much pain is it to attach the railings? I surely do not want to mess up the model.
Thanks,
Ulrich
Hi Ulrich!
The oxidized parts might be lightly sanded with, say, 800 grit and painted over.
For the railings, I have no experience.
Cheers!
With regard to question B.. while I don't want to discourage trying new things, I can say that railings are finicky and quite a hassle until you get a hang of it. Attaching them is best done with super glue / CA glue, and it takes careful planning and a steady hand. Unless the GMM kit for your model differs from their 1/700 scale offerings, then GMM typically does not provide "pre-measured lengths", which means you may have to measure and cut or bend the railings for every corner or section where you want to apply them. This is easier for the hand rail along the gunnel, but still I would highly encourage anyone who has not done railings before to not experiment on a finished model. Perhaps purchase the kit for practice, or search for a set that matches an unbuilt kit you may have, and start there.
My $0.02. I hope it's helpful for you.
A better glue is "Gator Glue" - a white glue that dries invisible, has real "stickiness" and won't come loose, and provides a chance to move things around without making a mess of things. Once you position the part, the glue will "set" and hold quickly, so you won't knock the part out of position.
Hi Spiros and Andrew!
Thanks for your help. I think based on Andrews advice, I will stay away from installing brass railings at this point. I may be able to get some left-over Heller 1/400 railings. I installed these before, and they are within my skill level.
Ulrich
If you get the Gator Glue, Ulrich, the railings are easy if you just take your time. And in my experience with ship models, they really improve the final look. Here's the first ship I did since I was a teenager. I had never done railings before this.
2 attached images. Click to enlarge.
Tom,
Thanks, nice model of HMS Hood.
Ulrich