Learnt something new tonight. And it was all because of the Academy's 1/48 F-117 Stealth Fighter kit which I am entering for the SFTPMS Group Build. The problem was in gluing the wings. Apparently, my 10-year old Mr. Cement which I found from my AMT Price Xizoer's ship is considered thick cement. In those days, these were your 'normal' standard off the shelf stuff, apart from that Tenax-7R (The Space-age welder) which was like a miracle glue. Knowing my Mr. Cement, which surprisingly has still not gone bad or dried up, would dry itself halfway when I finished applying one side of the wings. And so, by the time I have applied the glue on the remaining wing, all I have are just two slightly glue-marred plastic parts. What I need is a glue which can really glue those two damn long, stupid, irritating, and black wings together.
Ideally, the Tenax-7R is the answer as it acts like thin superglue, which seeps into the plastic's cracks and unreachable places via capillary action. And unlike superglue, it literally welds the plastic together. If you're not careful, any plastic that unintentionally comes into contact with it also melts of have some horrible consequences.
Oh, and it causes cancer. Don't believe me? The label said so; "This product contains a chemical known the state of California to cause cancer, birth defect, or other reproductive harm.". And so, years later, they became harder and harder to get and some even say it was discontinued.
Then came along Tamiya' Thin Cement, as shown to me by rayloke from ICW. Since I have not used Tenax before, I would have to guess that the Tamiya is almost the same. Because when I applied it to the joints, the glue disappeared and moments later, the joints felt as if it was a single part...
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| I was so happy because it solved my problem with the Stealth Fighter's wings. |
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| All I have to do is clamp the the wings and then apply the thin cement part by part. |
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| Oh-oh... why is it that good things are always bad? |
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