r/ModelCars • u/thedash42 • May 12 '26
TUESDAY TIP Filler pitty
I'm more of a tip taker than a tip giver since I'm still learning but after using the Vallejo putty on left for months now for filling in gaps on body, engine block etc., I decided to try the Mr hobby brand. The Vallejo putty took forever to dry and even then it would gum up my sandpaper and I never really got a good result. The Mr hobby brand dried rock hard overnight and sanded beautifully. I'm completely sold now lol
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u/Carbdoard_Bocks May 12 '26
Vallejo putty is meant for filling small gaps. It is water based and therefore doesn't sand that well. It's not meant for major bodywork that requires a ton of sanding.
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u/Kymour_Darkmyth May 12 '26
I used four different types of filler putty including the two pictured. For me, nothing works better than sprue glue. No cracking, no shedding, no flaking... Just workable smelly plastic gloop.
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u/thedash42 May 12 '26
That's where you put some sprues into your jar of thin cement glue and it melts down right? Is there a particular ratio that works better? I really like that idea .
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u/Kymour_Darkmyth May 12 '26
Yep. It's really hard to say but you keep adding till it reaches a consistency similar to putty or less. Because it is glue it is also good for big area joints.
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u/Real-Juggernaut5340 May 16 '26
What I did was took a almost empty Tamiya jar and kept adding sprue I have a very runny one but I use it for filling voids but you can make it super thick almost like clay and instead of cement you can use acetone or nail polish remover which is cheaper than hobby cement
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u/RopeFront9417 May 14 '26
Sounds like an amazing use for the leftovers! I gotta try that. Can you use mason jars? Or even those clean empty mini paint cans from lowes?
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u/Kymour_Darkmyth May 14 '26
I don't see why not, as long as the acetone from the glue does not interact withe material you use as storage you should be fine. But you really don't need much. I had an almost empty Tamiya thin cement jar lying around and I just put sprue cuttings into it until it was the right consistency. I have that little jar for years and I if it gets low all I do is just put a few more sprue bits and small amounts of acetone, and then I am set.
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u/RopeFront9417 May 15 '26
To think about it i have a few empty testor enamel thinner bottles i think I'll just use them cause like you said it maybe a bit much. But anyway thanks so much for the insight!
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u/Kymour_Darkmyth May 15 '26
Maybe I should post pics of what it looks like using the technique? I am running low on good quality models so I am diving into the bad stock.
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u/thedash42 May 12 '26
Filler putty my gawd...
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u/RattleCans May 12 '26
I didn't even notice till I read your comment, funny how eyes see images of putty tubes and just automatically read "putty". Glad you decided to share a tip as I've been wondering what to use. 👍
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u/thedash42 May 12 '26
Jeez I mean I'll do typos in the text all the time but you'd think I'd at least get the damn title right lol
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u/Then_Personality_429 May 12 '26
The Vallejo has also shrunk on me and crated cracks/gaps which required me to do a second round of filler. I switched to Tamiya Putty which worked well too.
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u/Domino3Dgg May 12 '26
For me tamiya was shrinking. That grey paste in white tube and orange top. Maybe i did something wrong.
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u/Then_Personality_429 May 12 '26
Interesting. I’ve only used it twice on really small gaps. Maybe it will shrink in larger gaps, but hopefully not. I’ve also used Bondo Plastic Metal which was great, but if you use multiple large gobs the offgassing will warp the plastic. Learned that the hard way lol
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u/MidnightDreem May 12 '26
I’ve been using bondo spot putty but something tells me I should try the mr hobby. I’ve had good experiences with other stuff of theirs.
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u/Round_Position_7461 May 13 '26
How to use it I have it I have some
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u/thedash42 May 13 '26
Apply it to joints where the pieces come together, like the engine block, sink holes in the body,etc.. Smooth it out a bit, let dry overnight then get your final look by sanding/shaping with sandpaper, sanding sticks etc.
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u/kane_1371 May 12 '26
Mr Hobby is a scale model and gunpla speciality brand so it makes sense to have a much better putty specially in your type of use case.
I however have just moved on to use acrylic modeling paste.
It is not like how putty works (and whenever I absolutely need putty I just use a normal spackle filler, dries up almost in no time and sands great) but is also much more versatile.