Squadron Green Putty

[Luke Skyvader]

I've used up the last of my Squadron Green putty and it looks like it's no longer available....I love that stuff. One thing I really like is that it "melts" and bonds so well with styrene....and it's green so I can see it. Does Tamiya white putty work the same way? I've had good luck in the past with tubes of Bondo glazing and spot putty.

I always liked Squadron, bonded well, sanded well...hated testors, it always seemed to dry too fast as I was working with it.

Looking for some input over the loss of an old friend.

 

[Analyzer]

Perfect Plastic Putty is pretty nice

It is what I use

 

[edge10]

Perfect Plastic Putty is great, I just have a problem with it drying out, between uses. Solve that problem and it's wonderful.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

My personal favorite is Bondo spot filling putty. I haven't found anything that works better.

 

[TazMan2000]

Tamiya is nice putty. The solvent inside melts to the styrene and you get a nice finish when sanding. The stuff shrinks a lot though. Unsure if it's because of the solvent, or what. I'm using squadron I'm using the Squadron White right now and it's also my go to. Not as nice of a finish and not as hard as styrene though, but sands easily and dries quickly.

TazMan2000

 

[anamorphicWayne]

I use to use the Squadron White Putty (red label), which worked very well, until my hobby shop dropped it and had to use the newer versions (grey and white). But I've had nothing but bad results from them. The grey dries before I can apply it and white came out in a liquid goo and doesn't dry at all. Probably a bad batch?? For the grey, I had to add liquid cement to thin it out, but that just waste glue.

I did use Testor contour putty for awhile until my shop dropped it as well. Taz suggested Elmers ProBond Max wood filler for larger fills and it works great. My neighbor using Bondo for his RC planes, so I'll try that. But as for modeling putty, I'm also looking for a replacement.

 

[dkaniel]

I used to use Squadron Putty exclusively until I couldn't get any more and now use the Tamiya Putty. The majority of my use is on plastic model kits and I like it better than the old Squadron stuff.

 

[mcusanelli]

You may want to try an epoxy putty like Magic Sculpt or Aves apoxy clay. They give you a lot of working time and you can smooth them out with water, eliminating a lot of sanding afterward. Lock -Tite Superglue mixed with a bit of cornstarch gives a nice hard surface- you’ll have to experiment with it, the cornstarch speeds up the hardening time. It sands great too. You can also mix it with baking soda, I personally don’t like it but it’s an old modelers trick, and it’s good to reinforce thin parts or a weak joint.

 

[TazMan2000]

I seem to recall someone either using cornstarch or baking sofa and they had some issues after storage…there was some powdery coating over the paint at the places it was used(?).

I tend to use resin dust, or PLA dust from my palm sander for large fill areas.

TazMan2000

 

[TazMan2000]

Found the thread.

CA Glue and Baking Soda Problems

Hello all! I was recently talking to my dad and he told me something interesting. He was looking through his attic and found one of my first models, a T-Rex from Jurassic Park which he had helped me with. The interesting part was that he found crystalline growth from every place we used CA...

www.therpf.com

TazMan2000

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

I use to use the Squadron White Putty (red label), which worked very well, until my hobby shop dropped it and had to use the newer versions (grey and white). But I've had nothing but bad results from them. The grey dries before I can apply it and white came out in a liquid goo and doesn't dry at all. Probably a bad batch?? For the grey, I had to add liquid cement to thin it out, but that just waste glue.

I did use Testor contour putty for awhile until my shop dropped it as well. Taz suggested Elmers ProBond Max wood filler for larger fills and it works great. My neighbor using Bondo for his RC planes, so I'll try that. But as for modeling putty, I'm also looking for a replacement.

If I remember correctly, the Testors contour putty is the same Bondo spot filler putty I mentioned. That's how I found out it was actually rebranded/licensed Bondo.

 

[anamorphicWayne]

If I remember correctly, the Testors contour putty is the same Bondo spot filler putty I mentioned. That's how I found out it was actually rebranded/licensed Bondo.

Ha, no wonder it worked so well.

 

[Millenniumf]

Does Bondo harden over time? The spot filler feels like I could easily scratch it with my fingernail the next day.

 

[Luke Skyvader]

Thanks guys. I grabbed a tube of Bondo & Tamiya locally. Bondo touch up filler has a similar feel & workability so that's good. Tamiya I've used in the past. Goes on a little to thin, shrinks quite a bit, and hardens more than I'd like. Working with both seems manageable and, I guess for me, the new normal. I do use magic sculpt and 2 part epoxies but they wouldn't be my first choices when it comes to seams & holes.

Edit: BTW I'll look into the Perfect Putty. Years ago a local hobby shop was closing it's doors and I bought what was left of the squadron, among other stuff. My model & prop building has kinda waned these past years but I'm now I'm semi retired and want to tackle a bunch of old kits I've neglected....still have a bunch of props from the ol' Toothpaste Company days.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Does Bondo harden over time? The spot filler feels like I could easily scratch it with my fingernail the next day.

I don't know how hard it gets, but I've never had any problem with anything getting damaged that I've built. I've used it on models and props. Remember it's made to use on cars, not this stuff, so it's gotta be pretty durable.

 

[Duncanator]

I use Evercoat brand catalyzed body filler for the majority of seams and gaps.
I only use putty for filling pin-holes. My favorite is 3M Acryl glazing putty. It comes in 3 colors: red, green and white - red seems to dry the fastest.

 

[Luke Skyvader]

I can't believe what happened today. Pulled down a box of scrap styrene, lo and behold, inside was a fresh unopened tube of the green stuff...go figure.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

I use Evercoat brand catalyzed body filler for the majority of seams and gaps.
I only use putty for filling pin-holes. My favorite is 3M Acryl glazing putty. It comes in 3 colors: red, green and white - red seems to dry the fastest.

The ONLY thing I ever had any success filling pin holes with was Mr. Surfacer. They are the bane of my modeling existence!