Puttying Tutorial

I've been asked by many, what is putty? Putty is a filler material used to fill in gaps or uneven surfaces. This tutorial provides a basic puttying method for filling up those gaps in the plastic, including seam lines. One of my 1/144th scale models was used as a test subject. Please note, I don't have much puttying or filling experience. Also, the putty I will be using is Testor's contour putty. It has a gritty feel to it and drys fast. Take note, that there are better puttying and filling materials out there. You can use the Testor's Contour putty as a start.

Step 1

First you should prepare the piece or pieces you want to fill. If the pieces fit together with no play between the pieces, it is ready for the filler. However, if the pieces are not fitting together and are loose, use some plastic cement or crazy glue (usually my favorite) to stick the pieces together. Once the pieces are snug and fit well, you are ready to fill in those seams.

Step 2

With the piece ready to be filled, use the putty of choice. I used Testors contour putty. You can use a flat tool (like the end of a nail file or a utility knife) to apply putty to the piece. Try and get as much putty in those seams and don't worry about making a mess (not to messy or you'll have a hard time cleaning it up). Let it dry and then begin cleaning and sanding. Testors contour putty takes about 24 hours to dry. If you miss a spot (like I did to the Heavyarm's gun) reapply more putty to fill in the gap. I used 600 grit sandpaper to sand away the excess putty. Sand the putty away until you have a completely smooth surface.

Step 3

When you are finished with the filling and sanding process, you can paint the piece. If you take a look at the Heavyarms's gun I filled and painted, you can notice that the seam lines are filed; However, the surface looks uneven where the two pieces came together. Unfortunately, I am not perfect and still learning to use filling materials. In addition, the 1/144th Heavyarms' pieces don't exactly align properly. This is the reason why the gun's surface looks uneven. Although I never got the Heavyarms' gun perfect, I did better work on the 1/144th Wingzero's legs and the 1/144th Heavyarms' legs. Well, good luck with filling. Note, I also began drybrushing the gun with a little silver paint to create a little damage effect. Well, at least you can check out the results in the gallery.