Test Fitting
As good as the kit is, there is a wide gap inside her skirt. It's not very visible so you may ignore it, but a gap is a gap. | |
Here is a vaseline chapstick. I apply some on Misato's body where the leg joins. I don't actually smear the chapstick on directly, instead I apply some to my finger and transfer them to the piece. |
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The yellow stuff I smear on her leg is polyester putty. (I use Mori Mori; Bondo and Tamiya Polyester putty are more readily available in the States) This type of putty hardens by chemical reaction between the putty paste and the hardening agent. It doesn't shrink and will become solid in 20-30 minutes. You can use modeling putty such as Squadron or Tamiya, but the problem is they shrink in volume when they dry, so it's not very suitable for the job. |
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After the putty has reacted a little bit, I snap the leg back into the body and hold until the putty has completely hardened. | |
In the meantime you can redistribute some putty to improve fit and remove unwanted putty. | |
After the putty has almost completely hardened, pull the pieces apart again. As you can see, very little putty is on the body, because vaseline prevents the putty from sticking on the body. | |
Smooth out the hardened putty with sanding. | |
The gap is almost gone! Remember to wash off the vaseline. | |
The second problem is the vest. The two halves don't seem to fit. | |
The piece is thin, so you can bend it into shape. I take a hair dryer and heat the piece. I have the hair dryer on high for about 10-15 seconds until the piece is malleable. |
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Applying pressure with my fingers, I gradually bend the resin into shape. Be very careful here, or you'll break the piece! If you don't feel you're making progress, heat more. | |
Now the pieces fit together. |