Customising TF advice - what tools to use?

[CBratron]

My advice, start small. Do minor alterations or mods at first. Maybe just a simple repaint like painting the blue stripes on Entertainment Pack Bumblebee black or buy a junker to practice on (goodness knows there are enough $10 deluxe transformers out there).

Do you have any miniature sculpting or painting experience?

[Iriorne]

Tamiya putty is great for filling gaps but I wouldn't suggest trying to sculpt with it as in my experience, the consistency is too thin. It doesn't hold it's shape out of the tube and once it starts to cure it becomes crumbly if you try and work it. Maybe I'm doing it wrong?

I've heard good things about a two-part mixture called Kneadatite Blue-Yellow, commonly known as Green Stuff. It comes in sealed strips with yellow and blue putty - cut off the amount you want and knead together, then you have an hour or so to sculpt. You could also try using polymer clay, which will remain workable until you bake it, though it won't have any adhesive properties. I think Green Stuff is a US product but you can get it off Australian Ebay sellers if there's no local distributor.

For scratch building details, I'd recommend sheet or strip styrene from a model/hobby shop. It comes in sheets or packs of varying widths and thicknesses and is pretty easy to work with.

Check out the range of paints available in the hobby shop too, if it's something you're interested in doing. You'll find you get much better results using modelling paints than cheap cans of spray paint, which will tend to go on thick and cover up any fine detail. Decent masking tape (I recommend Tamiya) is a must if you're using spray paints.

[iamirondude]

yeah i read the top wrong, DON'T use the tamiya putty for shaping but i found it to the best when you fill gaps and need to smooth a surface over and redo panel lines etc. the sheet styrene is the word i was looking for earlier, so grab some and you can do your tailfins with that. it's easy to trace your parts on and cut out and it's easy to work with and strong also.