Gunpla 101: Removing Seam lines

Removing seam lines from your kits is essential in improving the overall finish of the model. Commonly found in HG kits, manufacturers have always had a habit of putting seams where they are most visible on a kit, hence a need to remove them from view. In this tutorial, I will demonstrate the method I use to remove seam lines from my kits.

What you will need :

1. The piece you are planning on removing the seams from.
2. Sanding supplies. I use Sand papers with numbers 320 and 1200.
3. Plastic Cement

Let's Build!

After assembling your piece (and don't like disassembling again), you might notice a very visible seam line.

To seal the visible seam line, I use a Glue/Cement that dries quickly. Tamiya Extra thin cement does a good job.

Apply a thin cement over the seam line. One or two coats will be good..,after that, set the piece aside for 1 or 2 hours.
The extra thin cement dries quickly on the outside but takes some time to completely "cure" the melted plastic.

Next, use your hobby knife to clean or remove the excess dried cement.

Sandpaper is next. First I use the one numbered 320 to permanently remove any seam marks and dried cement.
There are a variety of sandpapers to choose from and you may select one with a coarse surface to easily clean any unnecessary marks. Sand away until the glue has gone and the seam line cannot be seen or felt with your fingernails.

You can see that the seam line was completely removed.,yet the surface was rough. This is the part where we need to use the finishing sand paper. Mine was numbered 1200. Sand until you are satisfied with the smoothness of the surface.

If properly executed, you will see a clean and shiny surface...and you may not need to prime this piece.

The finished parts...



Thank you for viewing.

Comments are very much appreciated.

If you have any suggestions at all regarding this, other tutorials or possible suggestions for future tutorials, please send me an email and let me know.