Modeling Putty

By Anthony Karl Erdelji

There are a number of products available to fill in gaps to seemliness. Which one to use is mainly up to you. I recommend you try a couple of different ones and find the one you like the best.

Squadron White Putty

Everyone should have a tube of this stuff on their work desk. Its been a staple for model builders and painters for years. Squadron Putty comes in tubes of green or white putty, but I've always used the white. Its greatest attributes are its easy to use and dries quickly. Squeeze a small blob onto a piece of card and using a small screwdriver or old knife, spread it onto the area. After its applied and smoothed into place, you can clean up the area even more with a cotton swab dipped into some acetone. When the putty is dry, wash and prime the model as usual.

Another way to use it is by mixing it with acetone and use a old brush to brush it on. This is very helpful in hard to reach area. You want about a 60%/40% putty to acetone ratio, but you can adjust that till your happy. Whichever brush you use to apply it, don't expect to use it for any painting again.

The one down side of Squadron white putty is that it shrinks as it dries. Meaning that on large gaps you have to use another products.

Testors Model Master Red Putty

Testors Red Putty is somewhat new to the hobby, but it quickly found a home on my painting desk. Its attributes are basically the same as Squadron Putty, but with two differences. The first (and most important) is that Testors Red Putty does not shrink. This means it can be used on larger gaps than the Squadron can be used on. The second difference is that it fairly coarse, so it may need some minor sanding depending on its application.

Epoxy Putty

Several different companies make epoxy putty. Magic Sculpt (My favorite), A & B, Milliput to name a few, and you can find it at hardware stores where its called plumbers putty. All have  slightly different characteristics to them, but they are all basically the same. Each come with a putty, and a hardener. These two have to be kneaded together before they can be used.

Mix the two halves together for a couple of minutes. Then sit the putty aside for about 20 minutes. Its easier to work with after it hardens a bit. The putty then can be applied with a toothpick or knife and can be smoothed in place with just a bit of water. Its dries completely in about 3 hours. More or less depending on the amount of putty used.

Epoxy putty can also be used to replace lost texture on a model such as hair, fur, or the like. By using a toothpick dipped in water, it can be sculpted into almost any shape. You can also add additional detail to the model. For example, you can turn a model with short hair into one with long hair with just a bit of putty, a toothpick, and five minutes of sculpting.

Magic Sculpt was used to extend the hair from this witch elf head I used for a saddle. Testors Red Putty thinned with acetone help to smooth out the rough spots. Thinned Testors Red Putty work very well for filling in gaps on rough surfaces such as scales or fur.

The downside of epoxy putty is that its toxic as heck! Wash your hands after handing it and follow the warnings carefully. Keep it locked up in a high cabinet if you have any pets or children.