Hi Guys (and Gals),
I have just bought Wespe Models resin kit or monty`s caravan and was wondering what would be the best type of adhesive to hold it together.I am not a complete novice to modelling,having been "sticking" things together for 31 years,but with the size and cost of this Beastie i do`nt want to screw it up.
Any advice would be gratefully received (but please bear in mind i`m here in the UK so USA stuff would be difficult to get hold of).
Yours,in anticipation,A Fellow Modeller.

something that is really sticky and cements very fast

Hey Danny,
Any good quality CA glue would work.
Sometimes I've used 2 part epoxy glue, it can be a bit messy but it cures slower than CA and can fill any big gaps.
Cheers

jjumbo

Any cyanoacrylate glue will work, but beware--it will cure INSTANTLY on contact with resin (faster than on contact with styrene), so you have absolutely no time to reposition anything. If a part is even slightly misaligned, you'll just have to live with it or chisel it off (any solvent that dissolves superglue will usually dissolve resin, too).
If you want your build to be a little less hair raising, any two-part, five-minute epoxy glue gives you reasonable wiggle time to position things, and it is usually sticky enough to hold parts together while it cures. Older types were smelly, but most current brands have little or no odor. If fit is particularly lousy, Milliputt or Tamiya epoxy putty can be used to glue and fill the resin parts at the same time.

If I can offer a less gloomy scenario than my buddy Gerald: cyanoacrylate glues (super glues) come in three viscosities that have differing use times. Thin, medium and thick.

The thin stuff is like water -- it runs all over the place and cures instantly like Gerald states.

The thick stuff comes in a gel form and will cure in about 15 seconds.

What I use exclusively is the medium stuff. It has the consistency of thick cream and has a setting time of 7-8 seconds. You can place a dab onto your part and you'll have a bit of time to adjust it.

I've built tons of resin and really have no probs using the medium viscosity stuff. Your local hobby shop will have all three available. Buy the smallest bottle as the stuff doesn't have a long shelf life

I use the medium viscosity CA (cyanoacrylate) glue as well. The super-thin stuff bonds almost instantly, but as Roy has said, the medium type has more than a few seconds of 'wiggle room' before it sets. CA glue does set quicker with resin than it does with styrene, so be careful because it's a really good bond and you could break the resin parts if you try and separate the parts to redo an accidental bad fit.

Any hobby shop will carry most types. If you're not sure, get the slowest setting time glue you can get and try it out on some of the spare pour blocks from the parts. You'll get the hang of it pretty quickly.

Any CA glue (or crazy-glue, super-glue etc) will instantly bond skin and is very dangerous if you splash it in your eyes so wear eye protection (good advice with almost all aspects of this hobby). It's a good idea to have a bottle of acetone handy or a bottle of nail polish remover that has acetone in it. Acetone will de-bond CA glue and can be useful if you make a mistake with gluing the parts together.

I CA glued my finger to my nose once. I must have had a small drop on my index finger and didn't notice. My nose got itchly and before I could think....well, you get the rest. The 'Minister of the Interior' (sometimes known as the War Department) had to help out with a little bit of nail polish remover. I wasn't saved from further embarassment as it still gets brought up at family gatherings....

Enjoy your model...

Bob

I've built a few resin conversions ... 1/35 and 1/16. Both 5 minute epoxy and a medium CA along with an accelerator works very well, but it really depends on the situation and the parts you are gluing together. It is a very good idea to rough up the area where glue is to stick to for obvious reasons, it gives it something to bite on. Even on bigger projects, I drill tiny holes for a better anchor, but that only if the material is thick enough.

Best thing to do is get some spare sprues or styrene and work with both glues until you find a comfort level you can work with. Through the build and in time your techniques will improve and change as well.

Hope this helped.

The above routes is the one I take works well and you can use an accelerator also if you feel you need more time to get something in the right spot but not as much as the thick will provide you a little spritz or dab and it instantly sets... I have glues my fingers to a coffee cup and to each other and the occasional baby wipe but that is just part of the fun.. and you can get hours of fun trying to get the bits of paper back off your fingers..

Gloves are essential. There's always an accident when you least expect it. I even have a paper towel with some 70% isopropyl alcohol if I get epoxy on my hands. Cleans them in a hurry.

If you work with a lot of CA and the kicker make sure your room is well ventilated too.

Zap-A-Gap green is the brand you want to look for. Seems pricey, but a bottle will last a really long time. A bottel of Zip-Kicker Accelerator is a good idea, too. While you're at the LHS, get some micro brushes to apply the accelerator. It comes with a spray top, but that applies an excessive amount and gets all over the place.
Be warned, however, applying accelerator to super glues increases the rate of the chemical reactions and produces a significant amount of heat. Use these together very sparingly when deailing with plastic.