What is the best glue/cement to use when assembling a plastic model kit? There are several factors to consider, but the type of plastic the model is made from is an important factor. Short story is that model glues/cements work by dissolving the plastic parts. This is what creates the bond, so its important for a glue/cement to react with the plastic for a good bond.
For my test, I only used liquid model glues/cements. I did not try any of the thick or gel types.
Even though there are many brands available to the modeler, I only have the following glues/cements to use for testing:
+ Mr. Cement
+ Plastruct Plastic Weld
+ Revell
+ Tamiya
+ Tamiya Extra Thin
+ Testor
+ Tenax-7R
The plastic I used for testing is the plastic Rubicon Models uses to make their kits. To be more specific, I only used the dark green plastic and not the newer gray plastic, but Rubicon Models has stated that there is no difference between the two other than color. The reason I used the dark green plastic was because at the time (several months ago) this was the only Rubicon Models plastic I had to work with. Yes, I had glued these plastic pieces together sometime ago, and they have been sitting on my shelf. Not only has the glue completely set, but has aged a little.
What I did was cut equal lengths of plastic from the extra sprue and glued/cemented two of them together. After sitting for several months, I performed some simple stress tests (pulling on them) to see how easy the pieces came apart. To make a long story short, some where more easily pulled apart then others.
I got the best results from Tenax-7R and Tamiya extra thin, and while Revell worked, the bond was not as strong as others. That being said, all the glues/cements worked, but Tenax-7R and Tamiya Extra Thin were the clear winners. The Tamiya Extra Thin cement was even a bit better than the normal Tamiya cement!
When I assemble a Rubicon Model, I only use Tenax-7R or Tamiya cement, but I also use Tamiya Extra Thin cement whenever I can. The reality is, I really like this Tamiya Extra Thin. For those that have not used Tamiya Extra Thin yet, I would like to pass on a suggestion. I found it works best if you install the part first and then use the Tamiya Extra Thin. For tiny parts, apply a very thin coat of Tamiya Extra Thin - just enough to make the plastic sticky - then use tweezers to install the part. Once the part is in place, use a little Tamiya Extra Thin to secure it as you adjust the part's position.
What glues have you been using to build your Rubicon Models, and what sort of results have you been getting?
