I think I've finally found the right material to use for 3-D preparation, on those areas that have bad "stair-stepping".
I'm testing out Sally Hansen's "Hard as Nails" clear nail polish, which apparently has nylon in it, so I figured it would be compatible with the WSF material.
It's designed to fill in and smooth ridges in fingernails, so I thought it might do the same for small miniatures too.
Still testing tonight, but it looks promising.
One coat definitely smoothed out the texture considerably, and it didn't dissolve the plastic, so that is a plus.
Hasn't completely hardened yet, but I'm testing it on a small piece of spare sprue.
They recommend using several coats.
The stuff is quite thick, but can be thinned as you brush it on, by just continuing to brush the excess away. I also removed a lot by pushing the brush against the inside neck of the bottle, to remove excess liquid, before applying to the test piece, just like you do with paint.
One coat alone has certainly made the surface a lot smoother. I suspect 2 – 3 coats might completely do that.
It is also supposed to strengthen the nails too, so will probably do the same for the WSF minis.
What I like about this the most is that it can be applied by brush directly to areas where needed, unlike spray primers or gloss coats, which are usually applied to the entire model, which might cover up important detailing. It can also be applied very thinly, or left a bit thicker, as needed too, I suspect.
I'm letting this test piece dry, and then will apply another coat or two, just to see how it goes, but hope it works well.
It may be just what I need to get those 1/144th scale vehicles I've had sitting for a while prepped, and ready for painting.
Of course, normal spray primer gloss coats might work too, along with primers, for models needing total coverage, and smoothing out.
I doubt I'd want to cover entire models with this stuff, since applying it all over could be very time consuming, but it appears to be a very useful material for filling in those problem areas, so that then the minis can be primed, and/or sealed with a gloss coating, prior to painting, as desired.
Don't know if this stuff is compatible with the FUD and other materials, so I recommend testing on a bit of sprue for that as well, to avoid possibly ruining your minis, if it isn't.
The real plus is most drug stores, and Walmart carry it, so you don't have to make a special trip to the hobby store, or to order it on-line, and then wait for delivery.
As far as hobby materials go too, it is relatively inexpensive.
Don't know if it can be thinned, or not, and not sure it needs to be, but I may test that a little too. 91% rubbing alcohol is recommended as a thinner for some nail polishes, so I suspect using a drop or two of that with this stuff might also work as well.
