-Products

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

 

  
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
 

Note for new visitors to this site. Everything we stock is for 1/24th scale (or 1/25th scale where marked) plastic or resin construction kits ONLY.

Sorry, but we do not cater for ANY diecast scales or 1/32nd plastic, or the larger Mongram 1/16th or any of the RC scales.

Kit Form Services, 7 Horbling Lane, Stickney, Boston, Lincs,

PE22-8DG, England.

01205 480766

E mail address kfs1@btinternet.com

Are you new to working with resin, photoetch parts or larger than normal waterslide decals? If so then read on

[cleaning] [reshaping] [gluing] [painting resin] [decals] [exhaust] [weathering] [dry brushing] [etch detailing]

Above: Western Star 4864FX by Howard Whitehead showing many aftermarket parts in use. Auslowe conversion kit with Auslowe bullbar & bull lights, stoneguard, bug deflector, ram tubes, real aluminium wings, winch kit, rear light brackets & lights, KFS exhaust stacks, KFS & Kangaroo decals, KFS fuel tank steps, aluminium tanks, KFS work lights.

Storage (Cab Transkits & Large Castings)

When you purchase any resin transkit, or any of the larger multi part kits, it will have been carefully packed to ensure both safe storage & safe transit. It is vitally important that if you open your kit & then decide to re-package it & store it for later use that you follow these guidelines;-

  • Never wrap a cab shell or large thin casting tightly in bubble wrap, only wrap it loosely.
  • Ensure that no other item or piece of packaging puts pressure, however light, on the cab roof. Resin is pressure sensitive & will change shape over time if pressure is applied.
  • Never store a resin kit in a loft or roof space. These areas can become incredibly hot in summertime. Remember resin is heat sensitive & will rapidly change shape if overheated. This problem is compounded if the item is tightly wrapped or has pressure applied from packaging or other boxes.
  • Never store resin in a cardboard box in damp conditions. The packaging chips may be the bio-degradable type & will rot if wet. The box may collapse under the weight of other boxes stored on top. You may have decals in the box with the kit.
  • And remember, once you have built your model DO NOT store it under any of the conditions mentioned above, DO NOT display it in directly sunlight (especially in a glass display case) DO NOT display the model above fireplaces or heating radiators.

Cleaning

It is certainly no secret that working with resin can be more difficult than using straightforward plastic kit parts. But with care & a little patience a far more unique & interesting model can be the end result. Always ensure that resin parts are thoroughly cleaned of any silicone release agent by gently scrubbing all areas with a rich solution of warm (not too hot) soapy water (an old tooth brush with neat washing up liquid is ideal for this purpose) & allowed to dry naturally. Ordinary white spirit is also useful for removing any release agent. Cellulose thinners should NOT be used. Lightly flatting parts back with a fine wet`n`dry paper will also help prevent any potential `fisheye` paint problems caused by silicone contamination. Flatting also provides a much better paint finish & a good key for primers.

Another very useful tip for cleaning & flatting resin (or plastic for that matter) is to lightly scrub the parts with Vim or Ajax bathroom scouring powder. It must be the powder form though rather than the cream version. Simply wet the model, sprinkle on the Ajax & scrub with an old tooth brush, rinse under the tap. The result is a clean matt finish surface ready to accept a primer.[top]


Reshaping

Resin is very heat sensitive, only use very hot water or a hair dryer when you need to reshape a distorted part. Slight distortion of resin parts when demoulding or during storage is quite common & can easily be corrected by immersing the distorted part in hot water for a few seconds, re-shaping as required by hand & then immersing in cold water to `fix` the new shape. The hotter the water & the thinner the part the quicker a part will soften, bear this in mind on thin items such as wings or cab panels. [top]


Gluing

Resin can be sanded, sawn, drilled, filled & filed as required but a face mask should always be worn during these operations, avoid breathing in resin dust. Superglue or 5 minute epoxy resin should be used when attaching resin to resin, metal or plastic. Ordinary liquid poly cements will not work with resin or white metal components. It is also a good idea to lightly sand all mating surfaces when attaching resin to other resin, metal or plastic parts. When working with photoetched metal parts use 5 minute epoxy rather than superglue if possible as `smoke marks` can often occur. [top]


Painting Resin

Resin is a very versatile modelling medium that will accept any form of paint topcoat but it is vital to use the correct primer & undercoat to begin with. For best results on both resin & plastic parts use an auto acrylic primer first.


A) ENAMELS. Remember an enamel based primer will only accept an enamel topcoat....anything else will attack the enamel primer. Likewise if you apply an auto acrylic or a cellulose finish over an enamel topcoat finish this will also `pickle` the enamel. It is quite safe however to apply enamel on top of any auto acrylic or cellulose paint. When applying a second coat of a thinned enamel by airbrush or spray gun this must be done either after the first coat is not only dry but `hard`, this can take a week......or......it must be done within 10 minutes of applying the first coat. The reason for this is that the thinners in the second coat will often attack & wrinkle (known as pickling) the skin that has started to form on the first coat.


B) CELLULOSE. Cellulose primer will not attach itself to plastic or resin surfaces. It may look like it has gone on OK but all you have created is an egg shell over the model. Although you can apply any form of paint over a cellulose primer there is a good chance it will crack & break away from the model in flakes right down to the bare plastic or resin, especially when removing any masking tape. If you must use a cellulose top coat then it can only be safely applied over an auto acrylic primer. Auto acrylics & enamels are quite safe to apply on top of a cellulose surface.


C) AUTO ACRYLICS. Not to be confused with water based acrylics such as those made by Tamiya. The main supplier for good auto acrylic in the UK is Hycote. The Halfords own brand of auto acrylic is also made by Hycote. Grey primer is recommended for darker colours such as a dark green, blue or black. Lighter colours benefit from the use of white primer, especially red or yellow. White primer has the ability of keeping the top coats `bright` whereas a grey primer used under a red will often affect the end colour result. Cellulose or enamels can be applied over auto acrylic quite safely. Try to stay away from red primer & remember that metallics will always require at least one coat of laquer to bring out the best in the paint.


D) TWIN PACKS & LAQUERS. A twin pack is a paint that requires a special thinner plus a measured amount of hardener to be added to the paint to make it cure. These are largely for professional auto use & require special breathing apparatus. Stay away from twin packs unless you have no choice, you can quite often recognise a twin pack paint as it smells strongly of pear drops. The use of laquers to improve a gloss finish is largely up to the individual. In my humble opinion Humbrol clear gloss varnish No35 is about the best available for general modelling use. The satin varnish No135 is also good for curtains where a gloss is not required. These are both safe to apply over any paint finish & any brand of decals. Other laquers however, especially aerosols, may well pickle & ruin your decals, this is because decal inks are treated with a clear varnish coat during production. Some decals use a cellulose varnish & some (all KFS decals) an enamel varnish. If in doubt use an enamel varnish such as Humbrol. [top]



Decal and Weathering Tips

Decals Tip: When fitting any decals & especially fine decals such as KFS pinstriping use a little washing up liquid in your decal water. This really does make a difference , the decals will slide a lot easier & be less prone to sticking & curling under. In the average size saucer you only need 2-3 drops that's all. This also works for much larger area decals such as on trailer decal sets. It allows the decal to be moved around for longer & makes the removal of water from under the decal a lot easier. Large decals should always be lacquered over to prevent cracking later on. Allow at least a week for drying before lacquering [top]
Exhaust Tip: To produce curved exhaust stack ends simply take a piece of scrap sprue close to the inside diameter of the pipe & insert this into the end of the aluminium pipe. Gently tease the pipe between the thumb & first finger to about 45 degrees. Do not make the bend too sharp as this will kink the pipe. Once curved, twist out the sprue & cut the pipe in line with the upright using a razor saw. Trim up the pipe with a scalpel & wet-n-dry, polish to a high shine with metal polish. [top]

Above: Auslowe winch kit & real aluminium fuel tanks. KFS tank steps, chain box & rolled sheet exhaust pipes

Weathering Tip: Subtle dry brushing can often improve the look of a model & take away the toy like appearance given by too glossy a paint job. It will always improve the look of high detail areas such as engines,suspension, axles & rivet detail on chassis`s. See below for the method. [top]

Dry brushing: Use a matt aluminium or pale grey for highlighting. Stir the paint well & apply just a little to a piece of scrap card. Take quite a stiff brush (an oil paint brush is ideal or even an old tooth brush) & just touch the end of the bristles into the paint. Now wipe away as much of the paint as you can from the bristles using a rag or tissue. Now brush the detail area on the model quite briskly with the virtually dry brush. A tiny amount of paint will be deposited on to the high points of the model, giving just enough colour change to highlight the detail parts. Practice makes perfect but remember, a tiny amount of paint goes a long long way. [top]

Etch Detail Tip: To highlight half etched detail in photoetched parts. Just flood coat the area to be coloured with the paint colour of your choice. When the paint is dry but not hard lay the part face down on a piece of clean white paper (back of an old photograph is perfect) dampened with white spirit. Now rub the part around in a circular motion to remove the paint from the raised areas. This now leaves chromed raised areas & coloured half etch areas. See Western Star mudflaps in the top picture for an example. [top]

If you have any queries about the products on this site or in our catalogue or the service we offer please do not hesitate to call. Happy modelling !

[cleaning] [reshaping] [gluing] [painting resin] [decals] [exhaust] [weathering] [dry brushing] [etch detailing] [top]