Building Tips - Removing Seams

The Strike Freedom rail cannons and wings are very tricky to paint if you want to remove seams. I try to remove as many seams as possible because I think it detracts from the model and makes it look.... well.... unfinished. Here I'll depict how I went through the preocess of removing the seams on the rail cannons.

First we start with the unpainted piece. The gold part in the middle has already been painted and panel lined. So the goal here is to get everything done without damaging the paint job on the gold part. Notice the ugly sheen on the blue plastic...

I separate the part a little bit and apply Tamiya Extra Thin Cement into the groove between the parts. Let it sit for a couple of seconds and squeeze. You should see the cement squeezing out from in between the parts. Let it dry for at least 15 minutes, I usually let it sit overnight to make sure it is competely dry.

Sand the glue away, usually people end up with no seam at all after this but for some reason I always end up with a little part that is not completely filled. You can use primer to see where the seam has not been completely filled.

I use Tamiya basic putty to make sure that the seam is completely filled. I try to apply a thin layer of this stuff running along the seam. You have to be carefull not get any putty on the gold part and also this stuff dries quickly so move fast. Again with the putty I let it sit overnight.

Sand away the putty and this should be your end result, notice the silver line next to the gold. That was a seam that had not been completely filled with the plastic cement. After this just mask the gold part and paint.