Since I've started doing reviews on some resin kits that I've built, I figured it would also be a good idea to give some helpful hints and tips for those of you who are new to building this unique form of models. I can then refer back to these articles without re-quoting the same text over and over again.
My next article is going to cover warped parts.
No, not WARP parts, but instead those parts you get that may be slightly bent the wrong way.
Although, most resin kit makers are very careful when they package your model, mistakes do sometimes get through. Sometimes those mistakes happen after the part was shipped to you. Resin is susceptible to heat and can warp under the wrong circumstances.
Resin neck bent during one particularly hot day.
Some resin kit makers are real good about replacing damaged parts, but the reality is, you don't need to go through the hassle of returning that defective part and holding off on your glorious build.
As I mentioned, resin can be affected by extreme heat, and this can work in your advantage.
Boil a pot of water. Make sure the container has enough water to safely submerge the affected part without touching the bottom of the pot.
Using some sort of tongs,not THONGS like my one article reads, briefly dip the warped piece into the water.
You probably don't want to do this for more than ten seconds. You then use whatever method you can to adjust the part.
For a couple issues I've had in the past, I simply placed the parts on a flat plate and let gravity do its thing.
You may need to re-dip and re-bend if necessary. Once you have your issue corrected, run the part under cold water for ten seconds to reset the resin.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Just be careful that while you are softening your resin, that other parts don't mis-align themselves. On one of my kits, the hull of the ship was slightly bent, making it impossible to connect it to the other part of the hull. Unfortunately, the nacelles and nacelle struts were also part of this piece. So I really had to watch that my nacelles and nacelle struts didn't droop in the process of straightening out the hull.
And that really is all there is too it. By taking this little detour in your build process, you will save yourself some issues of parts not lining up correctly as well as lost time in returning the defective part.
I hope you found this article as useful and informative as I did while writing it. Please feel free to leave any comments, questions or suggestions below.
So for now, "Live Long And Prosper!"
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