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Accelerator--Also
known as "kicker" (because of the brand name "Zip Kicker"), an accelerator
is a liquid chemical spray that makes C/A glue (super glue) almost
instantaneous. It is very useful, but it creates heat as it
works and can melt parts as well as weaken the bond between the glue and
parts.
Acrylics--acrylics
are water soluble paints including "craft paints" and many airbrush
paints. Acrylics tend to offer smooth, flat (as opposed to glossy)
applications and are thus good for natural appearance. Acrylics are
almost totally non-toxic (don't drink it of course!) and have little or no
odor. Other options are enamels, oils
and transparents.
Air bubble--air
bubbles are caused by trapped air in the resin. This can leave large
holes or thin skins on kits that must be repaired with
putty.
Bashing--Also
called "kit bashing," refers to the process of modifying kits in general,
but it often means taking parts of various kits and putting them together
in new ways, normally to fabricate diorama elements.
Chalks--see
Pastels.
Cold cast--refers
to a process of casting resin that requires no heat and is often done my
mixing small amounts of porcelain into the resin to hold it together and
give a smooth appearance. Cold casting is sometimes preferred for
casting large one piece kits.
Diorama--technically,
a diorama is a scene that depicts a specific event or interaction between
two or more subjects with a detailed setting or backdrop. More
loosely, it is used to refer to model displayed with an environment to
surrounding the subject to enhance the appeal, though the term
vignette is probably more accurate in this
case. Who cares? Well, mostly IPMS
contest officials who draw two separate categories for contests.
Dry Brushing--
Dry brushing refers to a technique designed to create highlights and
enhance raised detail on a kit like fur and scales. To dry brush,
choose a color (typically a few shades lighter than the underlying base)
and lightly dip a brush into the paint. Then, pull the paint off
with a paper towel or rag until you cannot see much at all on the rag.
Now gently pull the brush over the details and this will bring out the
highlights.
Enamels--enamel
paints are solvent based and must be thinned with paint thinner.
They dry very hard and protect surfaces well, but they are rarely used by
figure modelers and look best on auto models. Some manufacturers
make attractive flat enamels (like Testors
Model Master), but they must be cleaned out of an airbrush immediately
with thinner. (If you have seen the tiny one ounce bottles of
Testors paint in department stores, that is an enamel. You know . .
. the stuff we used to gob on to Auroras.)
Epoxy--a two
part adhesive mixed in equal amounts that sets up in 5 to 10 minutes.
It is most often used for pinning and holding
large heavy models to a base.
Flash--excess
styrene, resin
or vinyl left over from the molding process.
Flat finish--refers
to the quality of the sheen . . . or more accurately in this case, lack of
sheen, carried by the paint. In other words, flats will absorb
rather than reflect light. See gloss finish.
Future Floor Wax--yep.
It is just Future Floor Wax, but it makes a very convincing layer of
saliva or eye wash. I have tried other brands, but really, Future
works best.
Garage Kit (or GK)--a
garage kit now means any model kit produced in small numbers by
independent producers. The term goes back to the early days when the
first kits were literally produced in a person's garage from concept to
casting. Actually, many garage kits are still produced in people's
home studios.
Gloss finish--gloss
refers to a highly light reflective sheen. Glosses are useful
sometimes on teeth, eyes, mouths and other parts that might be wet or
shiny.
Hand cast--to
cast a kit, a mold is created and the material (like resin) is mixed and
poured in the mold. At that point the resin must be distributed
evenly to fill the mold. If a kit is cast by hand, the kit maker
physically shakes and swirls the mold by hand to settle the resin and
reduce the number of air bubbles and pin holes. It is tiring process
and various turning devices have been fashioned to do this.
Hollow cast--just
as it sounds, a hollow cast kit is hollow on the inside, making it lighter
and using less resin. Very few kits are actually hollow cast as it
requires (at least to my knowledge) an involved process of spinning a mold
at every possible angle and at a relatively rapid pace.
Inks--inks are
becoming more commonly used in figure kits. They are thin and spray
well through an airbrush and come in rich colors. They do stain a
kit deeply and are difficult to remove if you make a mistake so it
requires some experimentation and practice.
IPMS--International
Plastic Modelers Society. IPMS is a world-wide organization with
clubs, events and contests at the international, national, regional and
local levels. In recent years, figure kit categories have generally
expanded at IPMS shows, though the vast majority of IPMS modelers are
devoted to military and automobile subjects.
"Kicker/Kicking"--Zip
Kicker is a brand name of a popular type of CA glue
accelerator. Thus, kicking a kit is to apply accelerator of
any type to glue and not to kick it across the room, though I would
imagine that has been done from time to time.
Mold--a mold
is essentially a "negative" latex image of the kit with a front and back
which are put together to create a hollow form. Resin or vinyl is
then poured into the mold and allowed to cure, or harden, into the parts
that make up your kits.
Pastels--recently,
modelers have been experimenting with pastel chalks which are ground into
fine powders with a file or mortar and pestle and then applied lightly
with a round brush (like applying make up to a person's face). The
result can be subtle, especially with skin tones.
Pinning (Posting)--this
refers to the process of reinforcing kit parts, particularly with large
and/or heavy kits, by securing a post like a nail, screw or piece of coat
hanger as structural support between the two kit parts. This often
has to be done to animal tails or leg connections. For a how to on
pinning, see CreatureScape #2.
Primer
(Prime/Priming)--priming is the process of applying a universal
undercoat to the model before the main painting begins. Generally
speaking, spray cans of sandable auto primer will do just fine, though
some people will insist on primers applied through an airbrush.
Priming does three things: (a) it gives the paint a surface to
adhere to; (b) it makes the model all one color to receive the paint
evenly; (c) reveals gaps, cracks, ridges, pinholes and other places that
need sanding or putty before continuing.
Putty--a putty
is simply a patching material that can come premixed such as the Testors
tube putty or as two part putties.
Oils--oil
paints are designed for canvas applications but many modelers use them
because they provide a smooth finish and rich color. They are
naturally thick and dry slowly and should be thinned with mineral spirits
or paint thinner to be used effectively. Oils are commonly sold in
tubes and will last a long time.
Oil Wash--a
solution combining a small amount of oil paint
and mineral spirits or paint thinner. Oil washes are used to
seep into cracks and crevices and leave a typically darker stain in the
recesses to create convincing shadows while at the same time unifying the
overall colors and "toning things down." A heavy oil wash may be 10
parts thinner to 1 part paint, though more commonly a wash is much thinner
than that.
Overspray--overspray
is when your airbrush line is wider than your target or when you
accidentally hit a part of your kit you do not intend to while working on
it.
Patching--simply
refers the process of filling holes or damaged sections of a kit with
putty.
Pin holes--a
pin hole is a tiny hole in the kit caused by an air bubble in the casting
process. This is most likely to occur in a kit that has been
hand cast as opposed to
pressure cast.
Pressure cast--pressure
casting is the process of casting kits with a compression chamber--a
device which creates high pressure against the mold
and shapes the resin more reliably. It is preferred by modelers
because it leaves fewer defects and creates less trimming and filling
work.
Primer--most
people have in mind cans of "Sandable Auto Primer" when using this term,
but you can buy airbrush primers as well. The point of a primer is
to (a) give an undifferentiated surface color for the paint to go on so it
looks natural; (b) allow paints to adhere better (and not peel off); to
reveal areas of the kit that need additional seaming, patching, trimming
and sanding.
PSI (psi)--Literally,
"per square inch." The term refers to air pressure in pounds per
square inch as it comes from a compressed air source like a CO2 tank or a
standard air compressor. It is the same psi that you see listed on
the side of your tires, though typically much lower numbers are what you
want for your airbrush. Most modelers run between 8 and 20 psi for
most applications, but lower psi is good for detailed application.
Putty--putty
is material that dries hard and is applied between cracks in seaming a kit
or other areas like pin holes that need to be
filled to make the kit look correct.
Resin--a hard
polymer based plastic commonly used in garage kits. Most GK kits are
now done in resin.
Sealing--to
protect a paint job, you should seal your kit with a clear acrylic coat.
This is often done between stages (like after base coating, detailing, and
oil washes) so that paint does not change color or re-liquefy.
Testors Dulcote is the most commonly used brand as it leaves a nice
flat finish, is readily available in cans,
and protects the kit admirably.
Seaming--Seaming
is the process of hiding seams of the kit to look more natural. Most
of the time this is done with a two part putty
and a texture stamp.
Seamlines---a
gap or ridge left where the two halves of a mold
come together or where two parts do not match evenly in the case of a
styrene kit.
Styrene--this
is essentially a rigid plastic used in larger companies like AMT, Revell
and the old Aurora kits to create models. Styrene leaves sharp
seamlines and often the fit is not that great. It is only cost
effective if it can be produced and sold in large numbers. Few
figure kits (especially quality ones) are made in styrene, though Polar
Lights, Tamiya and Bandai have produced very nice kits that are exceptions
to the rule.
Texture Stamp--a
texture stamp is a latex imprint of texture details on a kit (like scales,
fur, skin textures) and is typically used in repairs and
seaming. Texture stamps can be created with various products
such as Alchemy Work's Repliscale, but basically the process requires
mixing a two part latex and applying it directly to a section of the kit
you wish to replicate. After a few minutes, the latex can be peeled
away revealing a mirror image of the details. By pressing this down
on soft putty between joining parts, you can disguise the seams.
Transparents--a
"transparent" paint allows light to shine through the tint and therefore
reveals the colors painted underneath. Light applications of
transparents can blend and unify a paint job while heaver applications can
transform colors. This is often used on fleshy areas to provide
depth in the kit's appearance.
Two Part Putty--two
part putties like Magic Sculpt and Wonder Putty are mixed together in
equal parts by kneading the base material with the hardener, producing a
strip of pliable putty for seaming and other
processes. They remain soft for an hour or more which allows for
molding.
Vinyl--vinyl
is a soft plastic that some modelers prefer because it allows for easy
repositioning and modification. Vinyl is no longer common for
American or European kit makers, but is still in wide use in Japan where
companies are larger and vinyl is more cost-effective.
Wash--most of
the time a modeler uses this term to mean an oil
wash or perhaps an acrylic wash.
This is a thin paint solution designed to create shadows and blend paint
schemes by seeping into the crevices and unifying the paint.
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