I'm currently using Tamiya putty to fill and smooth out an area between two joined surfaces. It's no more than 1 mm thick in areas (that's a very highside estimation, much closer to fractions of 1 mm), though I'm starting to wonder about long term shrinkage. The stuff seems to be aluminized or metal filled (I clearly see metal flecks), which from my experience means it's dimensionally/temperature stable. But Googling seems to indicate shrinkage issues over time (some of the topics go way back and I can only assume Tamiya hasn't changed the formulation of the Basic Gray). That being said, what's your experience? Will this stuff bite me in years time?

Furthermore, if Tamiya Basic Gray isn't the best use in this application, what would be? And specifically what I've done is I've increased the wingspan on a 1/48 airplane by cutting the wing and adding a section in styrene. I'm using the putty to smooth out the slight differences between the existing and added wing sections, so we're talking very thin applications.

So, is Tamiya Gray OK? If not, what is?

I've been using Tamiya gray (they also make a white) for about ten years now, semi-replacing the red Bondo I used for 40 years prior. I've never had a problem with shrinkage, but occasionally will have some cracking on models that I leave on the bench for long periods without topcoats (I'm a very slow builder with three to four projects going at once). I've found for very small gaps, Mr. Surfacer 500, 1000, or 1200 also works well, and it works well to seal Tamiya gray. Having said that, the red Bondo I buy in my local auto parts store has never failed me. Sometimes I'll use a combination of putties over large areas, starting with the red Bondo, and finishing with Tamiya gray.
VR, Russ

Being a lacquer base - it will have a lot of initial shrinkage as it cures out since a lot of its mass is solvent .
But I've never had any issue with further shrinkage -- there is no chemical reason for that .

Cracking at filled joints will be due to movement of the bordering parts if that occurs -- it is not flexible like an acrylic putty .

Here is the MSDS ( Stanbridges Hobby used to have a ton of MSDS on all the Tamiya products up on their website , but have truncated that list way down for some reason )

This MSDS is from MSDS Online : https://www.msdsonline.com/sign-up/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=brand%20-%20head%20-%20exact&utm_content=msds%20online%20-%20exact&utm_term=msds%20online&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyf3c7bbN1QIV1juBCh3imAfeEAAYASAAEgIcHvD_BwE




... maybe if you topcoat it before it is cured you'd have issues , though that would apply to most substances .


The white and the gray are the same with the exception of the pigment

That's interesting, because I have both and I find the white to be much thinner than the grey, and doesn't seem to dry as hard.

One thing I've noticed about Tamiya putty, is that depending on the age, you might get a different consistency. This goes for Squadron Green and White putty as well. I used to use Squadron putty and Bondo exclusively until about ten years ago, but I found the Squadron tended to dry out rapidly. I had a friend tell me many shops keep it on the shelves for long periods, and as it ages the formulation tends to dry. I've experienced this with Tamiya too-- and used to buy my putty through a LHS, but they went out of business-- I now buy Tamiya at Hobby Lobby or Hobbytown-- and I've noticed they tend to keep a pretty "fresh" stock-- maybe its rotated more frequently. I like Tamiya for small jobs,but for big jobs I use Red Bondo-- I have a tube that's 12 years old which I keep in my un-heated/un-cooled garage, where my workbench is-- it's still the same consistency it was 12 years ago when I bought it-- to bad they don't make it in Gray or white!
VR, Russ

Lots of great info here. Seems like I'll continue on my current tack with more confidence.

Oh -
You can't use it on flying things . Only armor

But that reminds me ,
I just put my name in the hat for this beauty :


need to wait till November for it though
https://hlj.com/product/ARFA06105

That's the Airfix Sea Fury? Yeah, waiting on that one too!