These days, we're very lucky to have the aftermarket manufacturers to produce some outstanding parts and detail sets in resin.  Working with these parts is pretty easy once you get the hang of it, but if you're new to resin parts, there are a few things to keep in mind.  We'll discuss the necessary tools, how to remove parts from the pour stubs, as well as gluing and painting the parts.  For this exercise, we'll use the excellent F-14A Tomcat cockpit set by Black Box.

The Tools:

You'll see above that the only tools you really need to work with resin sets are as follows, left to right:  and X-Acto knife with a #11 blade, a scalpel (not really required, but I like to use it in certain situations), another X-Acto handle with a razor saw blade, a scriber, sanding sticks, and of course, don't forget to wear a dust mask, and keep a rag handy as well (to wipe the parts off to check your work as you go).  I'll discuss some more advanced tools as we go, but this is really all you need.

The Parts:

If you've never worked with resin parts before, you'll notice that the parts are of a much different consistency than injection molded plastic (they have very little flex, and the small parts are very brittle).  You'll also notice that most (if not all) of the parts come attached to large pour stubs called 'gates', which are an unfortunate by-product of the resin casting process.  To remove small parts from the gates, use either a scriber, and scribe through the gate, carefully snapping it off, or use a razor saw blade to remove the parts.  For removal of large amounts of stock on the bigger parts, attach a sheet of sandpaper to a flat surface, and sand the part in a 'figure-8' motion until the desired amount of stock is removed.  Also, remember to keep your rag handy to wipe the part off as you work.  This will make it easier to keep track of your progress.

Advanced Tools:

 I have to add a little disclaimer here about using power tools on resin parts.  First, I've been using these methods for a long time, and while they work for me, they may not work for you - try it out on an old part that you don't need....just in case.  Second, please - whatever you do, take the proper safety precautions when working with power tools.  Use safety glasses, and a dust mask, because you'll wind up generating a lot of airborne dust very quickly.

  On to the tools:  For removal of large amounts of stock on big parts, I use a bench grinder to take down the stock, and then do the fine-tuning work with sandpaper and sanding sticks.  Be very careful using this method, because you'll remove a lot of the resin very quickly, and if you're not careful, all that will be left will be a pile of resin dust on the floor!  For removing smaller parts from their gates, I use a flexible sanding disk chucked in my Dremel tool (note: be sure to use the flexible disk, and not the hard cut-off wheels, as you have much more control with the paper disks.  These disks cut through the resin very quickly and cleanly, and all that is left to do is to clean up the part with sandpaper after you have freed it from the gate.

Assembly and Painting:

Once you've cleaned up all of the parts, it's time to put them together.  Follow the manufacturer's assembly instructions, and remember, only cyanoacrylate (Super Glue) will work on resin parts, so leave your Tenax on the shelf!  Due to the slightly porous nature of the resin itself, you'll have very little time to work with the parts before the glue sets, so I'd suggest using a slow-cure, gel-type superglue on resin parts.  This will at least give you a few seconds to play with the fit.  When everything is assembled to your liking, of course the next thing to do is to get some paint on it.  I've found that resin parts need no special attention when painting, you can use any type of paint you like, and best of all, resin parts take very well to hand brushing, leaving no brush streaks!  Also, if you make a major boo-boo, you can actually use Tenax as a paint stripper, as it has no effect whatsoever on the resin parts. Here, the Black Box set is in the beginning stage of painting (the tub has been hand brushed in Light Gull Gray, and you'd never know it wasn't airbrushed), and the detail work is just about ready to commence.  I'm gradually switching over to Model Master Acrylics, but you can use enamels, laquers, or whatever your personal preference may be.

Conclusion:

I hope that this article has helped to 'de-mystify' aftermarket resin parts for some of the newer modelers out there, and hopefully, it's been of some help.  If you haven't tried using resin detail parts yet, by all means give them a shot.  You'll teach yourself a new technique while working with them, and you'll also be able to take your aircraft models to a new level of detail.

Happy Modeling!

Steve Filak, Sr.