Techniques for Resin and Etch

In this video, modeler Martin Tärnrot will paint, assemble, and weather a resin and etch model railroad kit. These kits require special attention for cleaning and priming. The model will be a Ford TT truck from the 1920s. The kit contains both resin modeled parts and etched based parts. He is using a kit from Artitech, a Netherlands brand from his local hobby store. The first step is to trim away the mold burr with an exacto blade. All modeled parts in resin have an invisible layer of release agent to remove the casting from the mold. However, this release agent will also prevent the paint from sticking. Luckily, this agent is easy to remove.

Martin uses a toothbrush with soap and water to wash both the resin and etched parts. He prefers to paint all the parts using a solvent-based foundation of black, brown, and turpentine, which sticks best to the resin surface. This mix must be thin to leave no paintbrush lines, so airbrushing the paint on is also a great option. With the primer in place, Martin moves onto painting with standard acrylic paints. He likes to paint details like the rims with a small brush and then moves onto airbrushing the black paint on. A piece of balsa wood and sticky rubber is a good anchor to keep the model in place to avoid messy fingers. He goes on to add paint on the flatbed of the truck, which would have been wood. Next he moves onto the etched parts of the kit. Watch the full video for more tips and tricks for assembly and weathering. For tips for modifying model railways scenery kits, visit the Model Railroad Academy archives.