Building Structures

[LukeM]

Hi

I was wondering about what most people use to glue and hold buildings together as i am trying to build one and cant find something that will hold it together.

Thanks
Luke

[rich1998]

What is the material? You did not say.

Rich

[Grumpy468]

The Tamiya glue is what i use 99% of the time. The regular glue is perfect for plastic structures. The thin stuff runs into cracks as soon as you touch the surface. And the Mercury glue and kicker is for things that need more strength and set quickly. I used the Mercury glue to attach the bras etched parts to the plastic on the kit i am currently building. Its a super glue that gives you a couple seconds to get it right. The kicker spray makes it stick instantly. The Revlon nail boards are a must for this hobby. Two grits, one fine one course. I sand all my mating surfaces before gluing. makes for a better bond.

[Len]

Everyone has their personal favorites. Mine are:

Faller 'Expert' and 'Super Expert' for styrene kits. Both have super fine applicator tips.
Plastruct 'Plastiweld' for kits containing dissimilar plastics, e.g., styrene, butyrate or acrylic.
Plastruct 'Bondene' for kits containing ABS type plastics.
Plastruct 'WOC-3 Weld-On for straight acrylic to acrylic jobs.
Testors 'Clear Parts Cement' for windows, windshields and aircraft canopies you don't want to get foggy.
4 Minute epoxy for some resin kit parts.
CA glues for general resin kit building and wood kits.
Tite-Bond II wood glue for wood kits. Apply with a toothpick.
Roket glue for card stock structures and ships.

I'm sure others will be along to share their preferences.

Len

[Grumpy468]

Anything to do with wood, i use yellow Elmers construction glue.

[plint]

For 4 corner pieces, use a large elastic over the piece after it's been glued, then add a little more glue after the elastic has been added.  This is always the toughest part to get the piece square.  This always helps.   You must definitely sand the parts flush after removing from the sprue.

[LukeM]

Thanks for all the help will give some of them a try.

Thanks
Luke

[Trainman203]

Only the minimal amount of glue in spots is really needed.  You might want to take the building apart in the future for modifications of one kind or another, like adding lights.

I've bought assembled buildings from estates and some of those guys appeared to use an entire tube of plastic cement on one corner.  No H-bomb could ever get them apart.

[Len]

If you'll be building a lot of structures, there are some jigs and tools that can be handy to have around. I'm listing these from Micro-Mark because they have all of them listed in one place. If you shop around you can sometimes find similar items with better prices. These are in addition to the basic straight edge, knives, clamps, etc., you should have.

I use this one quite a bit: Magnetic Gluing Jig, 10-1/4 Inch Square:
https://www.micromark.com/Magnetic-Gluing-Jig-10-1-4-Inch-Square

I build a lot of cardstock structures, so find this 1 x 1 x 1 Inch Angle Plate handy for getting square corners:
https://www.micromark.com/1-x-1-x-1-Inch-Angle-Plate

When I do a building using DPM or Small Town USA walls a square similar to this is handy. The wide base helps keep it upright:
https://www.micromark.com/Wide-Base-2-Vertical-Steel-Square

For longer stuctures, this is similar to the first jig I listed, but longer and without the lip around the edge:
https://www.micromark.com/MAGNETIC-GLUING-JIG-6-X-24

These aren't things you need to run out and buy all at once. I accumulated mine over a period of years. Hind-sight being 20/20, if I were going to start with one, it would be a 1x1x1 or 2x2x2 Angle plate for square corners and vertical walls.

Len

[Grumpy468]

You beat me to it Len. lol I have that Jig and magnet kit, plus i bought 6 heavy machinist blocks. they are a handy tool.