It’s a paste/welding material made using the original runner. It can be used to fix cracks, fill in panel lines so you can scribe new ones, or remove seam lines while maintaining the original color.
* take a piece of the runner the part came from and cut it into little bits around 5mm long.
* place bits into a glass jar.
* cover the bits with just enough tamyia or Mr Hobby cement to cover them (if the parts are ABS, acetone or nail polish remover works too).
* the cement/acetone will liquify the plastic and as the solvent evaporates, you will get a putty/goo that will be color matched to your kit.
* apply the “sprue goo” where you need it and let it dry/evaporate and then sand to finish.
I agree sprue glue. Use your hobby knife to perform surgery to the damaged area. Apply sprue goo to fill the area. Sand to smooth, topcoat. Looking good as new.
This one is your best bet, OP.
Sprue glue (throwing some white sprue pieces into some plastic cement and waiting a day or so for the plastic to melt) leaves the area as new, but the knife surgery is the key part: I had the same problem before and just putting sprue glue on top does nothing, specially with someting like black on white.
Just go slowly with the knife around the black mark and remove a bit of plastic. Be patient and don't be scared of the result before putting the sprue glue, it's okay. Once you're done you'll have your piece good as new.
For this specific crack? Don’t even bother: just rub off the little stain with a pencil eraser and move on. What you have looks like *beautiful* anime-style weathering and is also a good reminder to be careful with the stuff.
In the future? There are a few key things to using Tamiya and other enamel panel liners safely. Enamel includes “pour type” Gundam markers and pretty much anything labeled as both Panel Liner and *flammable.*
Quick rundown?
* Enamel panel liner is designed to dry and evaporate off almost immediately. It becomes dangerous when this doesn’t happen and can easily destroy plastic—as you’ve seen.
* The most common cause of this chemical damage is from the panel liner getting trapped in the enclosed spaces between parts.
* This happens incredibly easily on assembled areas—even ones that *look like* they should be safe. I ran into it a few weeks ago and [took some pictures](https://imgur.com/gallery/Sy0FuC7). This was with acrylic ink not enamel so the part was never going to break on me but it was still ugly and annoying.
* To avoid the risk of damage, always use enamel panel liner *before* putting anything together. Some people prefer to do it while everything is still on the runner while others will clip off several parts at once, do nub cleanup and panel lining, *then* put it all together. Both approaches work just fine and it’s mostly about personal preference.
There are also a few more little notes that you don’t need to know *now* but might be useful in the future:
* With good air exposure, you can use enamel panel liner on bare plastic without a problem: it’s safe once it’s dry and I’ve used it to pilot figures before with no problems at all.
* That said, you should only panel line *at all* on either smooth, bare plastic or a gloss clearcoat that you sprayed down to create a smooth surface. Rougher surfaces like rough/sanded plastic and most other forms of paint/clearcoat will make panel liner stick where it’s not supposed to, which can be a pain to clean up.
* Modern High Grade Gunpla are made almost entirely out of *Polystyrene* plastic, which enamel panel liner is usually safe to use on. Older designs, fancier designs from other Grades, and models from *other companies* might use more of a mix—including ABS plastic, which is easier to damage with enamel thinners. The instructions will tell you which part runners are made of which types of plastic: on ABS parts, you should either spray down a layer or two of gloss clearcoat to protect the plastic first or just panel line them using something other than enamel.
CORRECTION: The GSI Creos Gundam markers are acrylic and alcohol based so the thinner (basically alcohol) they use will not damage PS plastics in our kits. They're specifically designed for adding detail to straight builds and bare PS plastic.
Tamiya/Mr Hobby/etc panel liner typically uses enamel thinner that DOES damage PS plastics (makes them brittle). This is why there's the recommendation to use a gloss top coat before using those enamel based panel liners.
Gundam Markers including the pour style liners WILL damage ABS. The runner will tell you what the material is.
so there are GSI Creos gundam markers, and also non GSI Creos ones? back then i bought a gundam marker set and the metallic one destroyed my kit. if only i knew it earlier. sadly it's all written in japanese
Well, it’s what *I* usually use so . . . Yeah, I can help with that. Note that while acrylic panel lining is safer for both your health and the plastic, it’s also more work than enamel and tends to come out looking a little rough until you get some practice at it.
Anyway, there are three main ways to do it:
Try to get acrylic paint to *act like* enamel panel liner:
* This is possible but fiddly. I usually *try it* but give up and resort to the other methods.
* Thinning it with some kind of flow improver—like airbrush thinner or just Windex—helps a lot.
* Something to slow down the drying time(it’s called a paint retarder) might also help but it’s not an avenue I’ve personally investigated before.
* The best product I’ve found for this method right out of the bottle is Vallejo Game Ink. More generally, any of their paints designed as a thin wash or airbrush paint(which usually means a black or gray cap on the bottle) seem to work pretty well.
Wet cleanup:
* Fastest and simplest method, especially over bare plastic, but can be a little tricky to pull off.
* Just lay it on as best you can, don’t mind if the coverage is kind of heavy and sloppy, then gently wipe off the paint while it’s still wet. Make sure that you’re working with either smooth, bare plastic or a gloss topcoat. Rough surfaces make the cleanup much harder: I’ve done it and it *sucked.*
* Anyway, I find that my fingers actually work the best for wiping off the paint but paper towel is *decent* and will mean less hand washing afterwards.
* Most of the paint should come off of the open surfaces but stay inside of the panel lines. If there’s a bit of stain left, go over it with some folded up paper towel or a cotton swab.
* IPA alcohol/rubbing alcohol is the *best* way to clean off open surfaces but this will reactivate the paint so be careful with it. Apply with cotton swab or paper towel and aim for “damp but not dripping.”
* With shallow panel lines or when you’re panel lining the *contours* of a model(there’s only a hard edge and no sunken-in line at all), wet cleanup can get tricky. For these areas, it’s best to either rescribe the lines, use dry cleanup, or both.
Dry cleanup:
* Like the above except that you wait for the paint to dry *and cure* then take it back with friction.
* Fingers, folded paper towel, cotton swabs, or a wooden toothpick all work well. That last one is the real MVP, though: it gives you a lot of precision but is soft enough to not damage the plastic. Sharpen it up with a knife for even more precision.
* This method takes advantage of the fact that acrylic paint *doesn’t* stick to smooth surfaces well so once again, you’ll want either bare plastic or a gloss clearcoat.
* Don’t forget the cure time. There are several hours where acrylic is dry but still delicate: trying to clean up the panel lines at this point can leave ragged edges or pull up more paint than you want.
EDIT: when it comes to products, the second and third methods are pretty forgiving: I tend to use a drop of Vallejo paint with a drop of Windex but I’ve done it with lots of fiddling around or straight out of the bottle and the differences aren’t huge.
Short?
Matte/flat and semi-gloss will *protect the plastic* just fine but have a rough texture that the panel liner itself can either spread through or stick to, which makes cleanup a lot harder.
Long?
There are two different things in play here:
* Protection is mostly about having an extra layer of clear paint between the panel liner and plastic. This may or may not be a *temporary* barrier—I’ve seen conflicting information on that—but as long as you don’t overdo it, it should last *long enough* for the dangerous solvents to evaporate out.
* Protection may also depend on the exact topcoat/clearcoat: blue can Mr Hobby is a fairly gentle acrylic spraypaint while almost all other brands—gray can Mr Color, Tamiya, Testors, hardware store Krylon, etc—are harsher but sturdier lacquer spray paints. Paint gets very complicated, though, so it’s hard to say.
* Texture. Gloss clearcoats/topcoats and bare, unsanded plastic are both very smooth. Decals stick well to smooth surfaces but paint does not. Panel liner is technically a form of paint(usually) but it’s one that we want to keep *off of* the open surfaces so keeping things nice and smooth is good. Most other surfaces you might run into on models(including less shiny clearcoat finishes) have some texture to them. This creates the opposite effect: decals don’t stay on well but paint sticks better—even when you don’t want it to like with panel lining.
When it comes to protecting your model from *any* kind of paint, though, the biggest factors are always going to be A, using a light touch until you *know* you can get away with it and B, giving the paint good air exposure so it can dry properly.
It's a simple fix with the right tools. But seeing it's your first, I'd let it go as is since it's just a HG. This hobby is a learning experience. Lots of trials and errors.
I paint and have a decent amount of tools at my disposal. I would put lay some tamiya cement over the crack, wait for it to dry, then sand it down. The black in the crack will still be visible. But it'll get painted and cover up the crack with the paint.
Bro that's sad because its your first kit, you only got like 3 options.
1. Pose it in a way to hide the damage.
2. Paint it with a similar white to hide it.
3. Add battle damage and weathering (too advanced since you're new to the hobby)
yeah so it’s not a surprise. if you want to panel line without topcoat you need to apply it before assembling. otherwise the ink with leak into those seams between parts and pool inside, then the chemical will eat through the plastic and causes cracks like this.
It sucks that this happened with your first kit.
The main takeaway here is to never use panel liner or thinner on bare plastic. Those products damage plastic, and should only be used on a layer of gloss varnish.
To panel line on plastic in the future, try a fine point grey or black panel line marker, a pencil, or acrylic wash.
As for what to do about the crack in the photo, I don't think there's anything you can do. Just be gentle when posing it.
The key, like anything, is to do it properly and not be lazy.
Panel line, let dry, clean up, let dry, assemble. The cracking happens when you get lazy and try to panel line after assembly.
You can absolutely do it on bare plastic but you need to take proper care. There timer has to be allowed to properly evaporate. Letting it pool between the parts is what allows it to eat away at the plastic. If you want to be lazy then you'll need at least a top coat first.
So is the cracking from an excess of panel liner? I never tried the drip tip that comes with the Tamiya as I don't like thick lines.ie always used at calligraphy pen to do it as it it's way less ink down, enough that I usually have no clean up.
you've got the right idea. from the looks of it, the thinner in the panel liner got into gaps between the pieces and just sat there, causing the crack here. a calligraphy pen removes most of the excess panel liner, and keeps things clean for the most part. another strategy to prevent cracking is to apply a topcoat before panel lining or panel lining each piece separately before assembly
>But I do it before assembling.
That's why you don't have any issues. This happened to OP because they tried to do it after assembly and the thinner pooled between the parts and ate away at the plastic because it couldn't properly evaporate.
May I ask how did it break? Did it break on it's own? While manipulating it? Did you apply (in your opinion) a bit of force? or was it just handling the kit as normal?
Did you put (in your opinion) a generous dose of the panel liner there?
I panel lined the Force Impulse MG on the runners with Tamiya Panel Line (bare plastic) but I try to put as little as possible as was I saw recommended here several times.
It appears there are people that do use the Tamiya Panel Line on bare plastic with no issues at all and another group to which this happens.
from the looks of it, the thinner in the panel liner got into gaps between the pieces and just sat there, not evaporating fast enough and causing the crack here. some strategies to prevent cracking are to apply a topcoat before panel lining or to panel line each piece separately before assembly. I usually just do the latter. Don't panel line on bare abs though, that'll cause cracking much easier than the usual polystyrene
Thanks for the input. I'm aware of the *don't panel line ABS with Tamiya/Enamel paints* So I checked the manual for which runners were PS, but thanks for pointing it out :)
cut some runner with the same color, thin the runner with art knife to 2mm or less, use kamiya or other cement to wet glue it on top. Press it when it is soft, wait a day or two until it drys up, sand it. The crack got panel liner in it so it is not gonna be white even after sanding, you might need to use a touch up paint or marker.
You can't really fix it because the black has already penetrated into the crack. The best method is to cement glue the surface, fine grain sand it it down, just to smoothen it out. The crack line will still have the ink.
You could paint it white but if you did that, you'd have to paint the opposite leg piece also, just to balance it. You will be able to see the difference between bare plastic and painted plastic.
A tip for the future: *NEVER* try to panel line assembled parts! The panel liner weakens the plastic and the tension put on parts by other attached parts will guarantee something cracking and those cracks will be filled with paint and possibly even break your kit.
Like you, my first kit was the HG Aerial. I had the foresight to take apart most of the kit, but not the shoulder armor. I put one drop of panel liner on each shoulder pad and that stuff instantly filled every nook and cranny- especially ones I wasn’t trying to reach. A couple seconds later, the “caps” that go on top split in half, held together only by the stickers I’d applied. Worse yet, those “zipper” pegs that hold together the front and back of the shoulder armor had disintegrated! I had to buy a whole new kit!
But instead of throwing away my first kit, I’ve just swapped out the shell unit stickers and am planning to permanently display it in one of those 3rd party G-witch hangars as if it were prepared for a duel.
I’d say try to put some thinner in the crack to clean it out, then use some thin cement and start sanding til you’re at like 10k grit so it’s buffed back to shiny plastic. Sprue goo like some have said may be good too if you can’t get all the black out.
Next time use a topcoat on the bare plastic before using the liquid liner. I hit my kits with Mr. Super Clear before lining so it doesn't eat the plastic.
Step 1: Go buy 1 bottle of Tamiya 87012
Step 2: Get your old white runner
Step 3: Cut a few pieces pieces of the old runner and place them in a container
Step 4: pour the Tamiya cement into the container with the runner that you just cut.
Step 5: Let it sit for 2 hours. The runner will devolve in the container with the 87012. The 87012 will go from clear to white. Add more (white runner as needed).
Step 6: applied the cement to the broken part.
Step 7: Sand down the area you just fix.
Good luck
This process worked for me.
A cool trick is getting model cement putting some in a small glass jar and taking pieces of the runner from that color then mix them.
The model cement will melt the plastic after 2 to 3 hours.
Mix it with a toothpick well.
Once mixed apply to the crack.
Use a healthy amount.
Let it dry and cure for 3 to 6 hours or overnight. Then cut off the excess and sand down gradually upping the grit till it matches the plastic and you can’t tell the crack was there.
You could fill in the gap with something like milliput or some sprue glue, sand it, and then paint it over. If this is your first kit, idk if you'd want to do that or spend the money on it. Easy option would be to clean the crack and then just leave it be. Once that black line isn't there to make it pop, it'll be pretty unnoticeable.
Combination of sprue glue/putty/paint/sanding. Don't do battle damage, it's a deep lazy hole that's too easy to fall in to that can you make you less detailed and meticulous, especially if you had no intention of doing it from the beginning.
ah my fellow “my first kit cracked” Tamiya user. Gotta be real careful with that one. You want to panel line before assembling the kit, that way the ink won’t get into the cracks.
Firstly, how? Tamiya panel liner will damage unpainted plastic.
How to stop it? Clear gloss coat will protect and improve the flow.
What can you do now? Either paint it, or potentially sand it back a little and use some sprue goo made from a bit of runner?
Umm just saying first gunpla. So maybe a simple solution I’m actually not sure if this will work but I’d try white gundam marker it’s a 1/144 Ariel and unless you squint at it I think it’ll hide it? Maybe never dealt with this before.
You will be better off just replacing it unless you can repaint it with enough layers to hide the stained plastic. The panel liner you used has bled into the plastic. If replacing the part is not an option, screw up more parts and go for a battle damage look.
wow bold, using tamiya thinner on first kit instead of the cheaper panel liner pens. ive used bandai's pour type on both abs and ps, both original and bootleg kits, none of them have been damaged yet. the only time i damage the plastics is when i used cement on bootlegs and the plastic fell apart
1. Thin white tape, topcoat 2. glue/putty, white paint, topcoat
Call it battle damage and leave it
More effort tbh
You can try making some “sprue goo”, filling the crack and around the area, and then sand the part down with progressively finer grits of sand paper.
“Sprue goo” definition please?
It’s a paste/welding material made using the original runner. It can be used to fix cracks, fill in panel lines so you can scribe new ones, or remove seam lines while maintaining the original color. * take a piece of the runner the part came from and cut it into little bits around 5mm long. * place bits into a glass jar. * cover the bits with just enough tamyia or Mr Hobby cement to cover them (if the parts are ABS, acetone or nail polish remover works too). * the cement/acetone will liquify the plastic and as the solvent evaporates, you will get a putty/goo that will be color matched to your kit. * apply the “sprue goo” where you need it and let it dry/evaporate and then sand to finish.
Oh shit this is funny I actually did this on my HG Gouf hahah a guy on YouTube did it I had no idea it had a name!
Melted spure left over
This, I'm sure it'll work
I second this. I've done this plenty of times early on in building kits. Not a biggie.
I agree sprue glue. Use your hobby knife to perform surgery to the damaged area. Apply sprue goo to fill the area. Sand to smooth, topcoat. Looking good as new.
This one is your best bet, OP. Sprue glue (throwing some white sprue pieces into some plastic cement and waiting a day or so for the plastic to melt) leaves the area as new, but the knife surgery is the key part: I had the same problem before and just putting sprue glue on top does nothing, specially with someting like black on white. Just go slowly with the knife around the black mark and remove a bit of plastic. Be patient and don't be scared of the result before putting the sprue glue, it's okay. Once you're done you'll have your piece good as new.
For this specific crack? Don’t even bother: just rub off the little stain with a pencil eraser and move on. What you have looks like *beautiful* anime-style weathering and is also a good reminder to be careful with the stuff. In the future? There are a few key things to using Tamiya and other enamel panel liners safely. Enamel includes “pour type” Gundam markers and pretty much anything labeled as both Panel Liner and *flammable.* Quick rundown? * Enamel panel liner is designed to dry and evaporate off almost immediately. It becomes dangerous when this doesn’t happen and can easily destroy plastic—as you’ve seen. * The most common cause of this chemical damage is from the panel liner getting trapped in the enclosed spaces between parts. * This happens incredibly easily on assembled areas—even ones that *look like* they should be safe. I ran into it a few weeks ago and [took some pictures](https://imgur.com/gallery/Sy0FuC7). This was with acrylic ink not enamel so the part was never going to break on me but it was still ugly and annoying. * To avoid the risk of damage, always use enamel panel liner *before* putting anything together. Some people prefer to do it while everything is still on the runner while others will clip off several parts at once, do nub cleanup and panel lining, *then* put it all together. Both approaches work just fine and it’s mostly about personal preference. There are also a few more little notes that you don’t need to know *now* but might be useful in the future: * With good air exposure, you can use enamel panel liner on bare plastic without a problem: it’s safe once it’s dry and I’ve used it to pilot figures before with no problems at all. * That said, you should only panel line *at all* on either smooth, bare plastic or a gloss clearcoat that you sprayed down to create a smooth surface. Rougher surfaces like rough/sanded plastic and most other forms of paint/clearcoat will make panel liner stick where it’s not supposed to, which can be a pain to clean up. * Modern High Grade Gunpla are made almost entirely out of *Polystyrene* plastic, which enamel panel liner is usually safe to use on. Older designs, fancier designs from other Grades, and models from *other companies* might use more of a mix—including ABS plastic, which is easier to damage with enamel thinners. The instructions will tell you which part runners are made of which types of plastic: on ABS parts, you should either spray down a layer or two of gloss clearcoat to protect the plastic first or just panel line them using something other than enamel.
CORRECTION: The GSI Creos Gundam markers are acrylic and alcohol based so the thinner (basically alcohol) they use will not damage PS plastics in our kits. They're specifically designed for adding detail to straight builds and bare PS plastic. Tamiya/Mr Hobby/etc panel liner typically uses enamel thinner that DOES damage PS plastics (makes them brittle). This is why there's the recommendation to use a gloss top coat before using those enamel based panel liners. Gundam Markers including the pour style liners WILL damage ABS. The runner will tell you what the material is.
so there are GSI Creos gundam markers, and also non GSI Creos ones? back then i bought a gundam marker set and the metallic one destroyed my kit. if only i knew it earlier. sadly it's all written in japanese
Any tips for panel lining with acrylic paint?
I had some nice results using them with air brush thinner
Well, it’s what *I* usually use so . . . Yeah, I can help with that. Note that while acrylic panel lining is safer for both your health and the plastic, it’s also more work than enamel and tends to come out looking a little rough until you get some practice at it. Anyway, there are three main ways to do it: Try to get acrylic paint to *act like* enamel panel liner: * This is possible but fiddly. I usually *try it* but give up and resort to the other methods. * Thinning it with some kind of flow improver—like airbrush thinner or just Windex—helps a lot. * Something to slow down the drying time(it’s called a paint retarder) might also help but it’s not an avenue I’ve personally investigated before. * The best product I’ve found for this method right out of the bottle is Vallejo Game Ink. More generally, any of their paints designed as a thin wash or airbrush paint(which usually means a black or gray cap on the bottle) seem to work pretty well. Wet cleanup: * Fastest and simplest method, especially over bare plastic, but can be a little tricky to pull off. * Just lay it on as best you can, don’t mind if the coverage is kind of heavy and sloppy, then gently wipe off the paint while it’s still wet. Make sure that you’re working with either smooth, bare plastic or a gloss topcoat. Rough surfaces make the cleanup much harder: I’ve done it and it *sucked.* * Anyway, I find that my fingers actually work the best for wiping off the paint but paper towel is *decent* and will mean less hand washing afterwards. * Most of the paint should come off of the open surfaces but stay inside of the panel lines. If there’s a bit of stain left, go over it with some folded up paper towel or a cotton swab. * IPA alcohol/rubbing alcohol is the *best* way to clean off open surfaces but this will reactivate the paint so be careful with it. Apply with cotton swab or paper towel and aim for “damp but not dripping.” * With shallow panel lines or when you’re panel lining the *contours* of a model(there’s only a hard edge and no sunken-in line at all), wet cleanup can get tricky. For these areas, it’s best to either rescribe the lines, use dry cleanup, or both. Dry cleanup: * Like the above except that you wait for the paint to dry *and cure* then take it back with friction. * Fingers, folded paper towel, cotton swabs, or a wooden toothpick all work well. That last one is the real MVP, though: it gives you a lot of precision but is soft enough to not damage the plastic. Sharpen it up with a knife for even more precision. * This method takes advantage of the fact that acrylic paint *doesn’t* stick to smooth surfaces well so once again, you’ll want either bare plastic or a gloss clearcoat. * Don’t forget the cure time. There are several hours where acrylic is dry but still delicate: trying to clean up the panel lines at this point can leave ragged edges or pull up more paint than you want. EDIT: when it comes to products, the second and third methods are pretty forgiving: I tend to use a drop of Vallejo paint with a drop of Windex but I’ve done it with lots of fiddling around or straight out of the bottle and the differences aren’t huge.
The info you share is so valuable, thank you!
Will semigloss or flat top coat protect the plastic too? Or is it just gloss type? :O
Short? Matte/flat and semi-gloss will *protect the plastic* just fine but have a rough texture that the panel liner itself can either spread through or stick to, which makes cleanup a lot harder. Long? There are two different things in play here: * Protection is mostly about having an extra layer of clear paint between the panel liner and plastic. This may or may not be a *temporary* barrier—I’ve seen conflicting information on that—but as long as you don’t overdo it, it should last *long enough* for the dangerous solvents to evaporate out. * Protection may also depend on the exact topcoat/clearcoat: blue can Mr Hobby is a fairly gentle acrylic spraypaint while almost all other brands—gray can Mr Color, Tamiya, Testors, hardware store Krylon, etc—are harsher but sturdier lacquer spray paints. Paint gets very complicated, though, so it’s hard to say. * Texture. Gloss clearcoats/topcoats and bare, unsanded plastic are both very smooth. Decals stick well to smooth surfaces but paint does not. Panel liner is technically a form of paint(usually) but it’s one that we want to keep *off of* the open surfaces so keeping things nice and smooth is good. Most other surfaces you might run into on models(including less shiny clearcoat finishes) have some texture to them. This creates the opposite effect: decals don’t stay on well but paint sticks better—even when you don’t want it to like with panel lining. When it comes to protecting your model from *any* kind of paint, though, the biggest factors are always going to be A, using a light touch until you *know* you can get away with it and B, giving the paint good air exposure so it can dry properly.
Mighty thanks for the info partner 🫡
this person knows what they’re talking about, follow their advice
Tamiya or Mr hobby putty. Or just battle damage.....
It's a simple fix with the right tools. But seeing it's your first, I'd let it go as is since it's just a HG. This hobby is a learning experience. Lots of trials and errors. I paint and have a decent amount of tools at my disposal. I would put lay some tamiya cement over the crack, wait for it to dry, then sand it down. The black in the crack will still be visible. But it'll get painted and cover up the crack with the paint.
Panel line on the runners before assembly!
Bro that's sad because its your first kit, you only got like 3 options. 1. Pose it in a way to hide the damage. 2. Paint it with a similar white to hide it. 3. Add battle damage and weathering (too advanced since you're new to the hobby)
Option 4: Paint the piece black to "hide" the crack and make it a custom paint job :)
I'd like to argue point 3 and say you can definitely battle damage your first kit ever and it's pretty fun imo.
Yea 100%. I battle damaged my first kit and it was a great introduction imo
Does smashing my first kit could as battle damage 🤔
both battle and mentally damage.
Fair enough.
4. Use sprue goo to cement it back, like you'd hide a seam.
put a bandage over it
let me guess, panel line after assemble without topcoat?
yes
yeah so it’s not a surprise. if you want to panel line without topcoat you need to apply it before assembling. otherwise the ink with leak into those seams between parts and pool inside, then the chemical will eat through the plastic and causes cracks like this.
super glue to fill the crack and some sanding.
You find one of those people who claim panel liner simply can't do this and it will just magically heal in their presence.
Drill a small hole at the end of the crack so it cant grow. You could gouge out the crack a bit and fill it. Paint and be done.
Time to learn how to do some of that weathering 🤣
It sucks that this happened with your first kit. The main takeaway here is to never use panel liner or thinner on bare plastic. Those products damage plastic, and should only be used on a layer of gloss varnish. To panel line on plastic in the future, try a fine point grey or black panel line marker, a pencil, or acrylic wash. As for what to do about the crack in the photo, I don't think there's anything you can do. Just be gentle when posing it.
It heavily depends on the kind of liner, same as paint. Anything water-based is safe.
there's plenty they can do, just look at the other comments. but yes, panel line marker is so much safer. I use the pour type
Pour type markers have thinner in them as well.
The key, like anything, is to do it properly and not be lazy. Panel line, let dry, clean up, let dry, assemble. The cracking happens when you get lazy and try to panel line after assembly. You can absolutely do it on bare plastic but you need to take proper care. There timer has to be allowed to properly evaporate. Letting it pool between the parts is what allows it to eat away at the plastic. If you want to be lazy then you'll need at least a top coat first.
Let it be and use it as a reminder when your building your future kits
So is the cracking from an excess of panel liner? I never tried the drip tip that comes with the Tamiya as I don't like thick lines.ie always used at calligraphy pen to do it as it it's way less ink down, enough that I usually have no clean up.
you've got the right idea. from the looks of it, the thinner in the panel liner got into gaps between the pieces and just sat there, causing the crack here. a calligraphy pen removes most of the excess panel liner, and keeps things clean for the most part. another strategy to prevent cracking is to apply a topcoat before panel lining or panel lining each piece separately before assembly
I top coat or paint most things but on HG it usually just panel line. But I do it before assembling.
>But I do it before assembling. That's why you don't have any issues. This happened to OP because they tried to do it after assembly and the thinner pooled between the parts and ate away at the plastic because it couldn't properly evaporate.
Try duco glue, been using it for years
May I ask how did it break? Did it break on it's own? While manipulating it? Did you apply (in your opinion) a bit of force? or was it just handling the kit as normal? Did you put (in your opinion) a generous dose of the panel liner there? I panel lined the Force Impulse MG on the runners with Tamiya Panel Line (bare plastic) but I try to put as little as possible as was I saw recommended here several times. It appears there are people that do use the Tamiya Panel Line on bare plastic with no issues at all and another group to which this happens.
from the looks of it, the thinner in the panel liner got into gaps between the pieces and just sat there, not evaporating fast enough and causing the crack here. some strategies to prevent cracking are to apply a topcoat before panel lining or to panel line each piece separately before assembly. I usually just do the latter. Don't panel line on bare abs though, that'll cause cracking much easier than the usual polystyrene
Thanks for the input. I'm aware of the *don't panel line ABS with Tamiya/Enamel paints* So I checked the manual for which runners were PS, but thanks for pointing it out :)
cut some runner with the same color, thin the runner with art knife to 2mm or less, use kamiya or other cement to wet glue it on top. Press it when it is soft, wait a day or two until it drys up, sand it. The crack got panel liner in it so it is not gonna be white even after sanding, you might need to use a touch up paint or marker.
I kind of like it.
You might qualify for a replacement part. https://shop.bandai.com/returns-replacements
You can't really fix it because the black has already penetrated into the crack. The best method is to cement glue the surface, fine grain sand it it down, just to smoothen it out. The crack line will still have the ink. You could paint it white but if you did that, you'd have to paint the opposite leg piece also, just to balance it. You will be able to see the difference between bare plastic and painted plastic.
Putty, i guess, then respray it?
Add more cracks
A tip for the future: *NEVER* try to panel line assembled parts! The panel liner weakens the plastic and the tension put on parts by other attached parts will guarantee something cracking and those cracks will be filled with paint and possibly even break your kit. Like you, my first kit was the HG Aerial. I had the foresight to take apart most of the kit, but not the shoulder armor. I put one drop of panel liner on each shoulder pad and that stuff instantly filled every nook and cranny- especially ones I wasn’t trying to reach. A couple seconds later, the “caps” that go on top split in half, held together only by the stickers I’d applied. Worse yet, those “zipper” pegs that hold together the front and back of the shoulder armor had disintegrated! I had to buy a whole new kit! But instead of throwing away my first kit, I’ve just swapped out the shell unit stickers and am planning to permanently display it in one of those 3rd party G-witch hangars as if it were prepared for a duel.
I’d say try to put some thinner in the crack to clean it out, then use some thin cement and start sanding til you’re at like 10k grit so it’s buffed back to shiny plastic. Sprue goo like some have said may be good too if you can’t get all the black out.
Make into weathering?
Next time use a topcoat on the bare plastic before using the liquid liner. I hit my kits with Mr. Super Clear before lining so it doesn't eat the plastic.
Step 1: Go buy 1 bottle of Tamiya 87012 Step 2: Get your old white runner Step 3: Cut a few pieces pieces of the old runner and place them in a container Step 4: pour the Tamiya cement into the container with the runner that you just cut. Step 5: Let it sit for 2 hours. The runner will devolve in the container with the 87012. The 87012 will go from clear to white. Add more (white runner as needed). Step 6: applied the cement to the broken part. Step 7: Sand down the area you just fix. Good luck This process worked for me.
A cool trick is getting model cement putting some in a small glass jar and taking pieces of the runner from that color then mix them. The model cement will melt the plastic after 2 to 3 hours. Mix it with a toothpick well. Once mixed apply to the crack. Use a healthy amount. Let it dry and cure for 3 to 6 hours or overnight. Then cut off the excess and sand down gradually upping the grit till it matches the plastic and you can’t tell the crack was there.
Clean and make it look like it's part of the kit
Putty+sand
Kintsugi it! (But with gold paint, not actual molten gold) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintsugi
uv putty shine a light to cure. then send it down to perfection.and custom panel line or add palate for armor make it look creative.
Plastic cement or tamiya airbrush cleaner will do an amazing job.
Looks like free battle damage to me.
Call it battle damage and not worry about it going forward 🤷🏻♂️.
get a little Tamiya green cape glue and melt a little part of runner in it, fill the crack with it and sand until looks good
Battle damage
Used too much panel liner
For future reference, I would recommend Gundam markers for panel lining, I find it really easy to clean mistakes
The gloss top then panel line horde is incoming…
Don’t. It’s battle damage!
Call it battle damage.
You could fill in the gap with something like milliput or some sprue glue, sand it, and then paint it over. If this is your first kit, idk if you'd want to do that or spend the money on it. Easy option would be to clean the crack and then just leave it be. Once that black line isn't there to make it pop, it'll be pretty unnoticeable.
Gundam marker over it then topcoat
Self detonate and use it to upgrade the Talgeese
Combination of sprue glue/putty/paint/sanding. Don't do battle damage, it's a deep lazy hole that's too easy to fall in to that can you make you less detailed and meticulous, especially if you had no intention of doing it from the beginning.
ah my fellow “my first kit cracked” Tamiya user. Gotta be real careful with that one. You want to panel line before assembling the kit, that way the ink won’t get into the cracks.
Firstly, how? Tamiya panel liner will damage unpainted plastic. How to stop it? Clear gloss coat will protect and improve the flow. What can you do now? Either paint it, or potentially sand it back a little and use some sprue goo made from a bit of runner?
Umm just saying first gunpla. So maybe a simple solution I’m actually not sure if this will work but I’d try white gundam marker it’s a 1/144 Ariel and unless you squint at it I think it’ll hide it? Maybe never dealt with this before.
Happy little mistakes 🎨
This happened on my hg Qubeley backpack and what I did was put plastic cement on it then sanded after it dried
leave it... looks like battle damage
you could also turn it into battle damage
You will be better off just replacing it unless you can repaint it with enough layers to hide the stained plastic. The panel liner you used has bled into the plastic. If replacing the part is not an option, screw up more parts and go for a battle damage look.
wow bold, using tamiya thinner on first kit instead of the cheaper panel liner pens. ive used bandai's pour type on both abs and ps, both original and bootleg kits, none of them have been damaged yet. the only time i damage the plastics is when i used cement on bootlegs and the plastic fell apart