Working with Pla Plate: Designing and Adding Details

One of the more advanced modification techniques in plamo is using pla-plate (plastic sheet) to change the appearance of a kit. This gives the modeler free rein in redesigning the armor and even the proportions of a model. With so much freedom to make a design of your own, it is often difficult to imagine what shapes would look good on a certain part. Here's a simple technique on how to draft a design without wasting precious plastic.

What you will need:

1. Scissors
2. Acetate or transparency film (the kind used for projectors)
3. Marker or pen that can write on the acetate
4. Hobby knife and/or Scriber
5. Compass needle
6. Metal ruler
7. Plastic cement

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1. Cut a piece of acetate/transparency and place it on the part you want to detail. Sketch your design onto the acetate using a marker.

2. Once you are happy with your design, place the acetate onto your pla plate. Secure it with some masking tape, and punch dots through the corners of the sketch down into the pla-plate with a compass needle.

3. Remove the acetate, and use a hobby knife to cut and connect the dots you made in step 2. Use moderate pressure when cutting. A metal ruler or other hard straight edge will help guide your knife, while the dots should stop the knife from sliding beyond the corners. For thicker pla plate, use a scriber to trace the pattern and pop the shape out (i'll explain how to do this in another tutorial)

*Tip: Connect the dots first with a pen so you can easily see the shape for cutting.

4. Clean the edges of your shape with some sandpaper, then use plastic cement to glue the finished piece onto the kit.

*Add layers of pla plate, or combine with scribing for even more detail

This technique is fairly simple and you can do a whole lot in a short amount of time - but never forget the golden rule of customization: The more you add, the more you have to clean up. Putty and sand away imperfections and scratches. Clean up excess glue and rough surfaces. If something looks messy before paint, it will not look any better once it's painted. Give the parts a quick wash before painting to remove any sanding debris and oil. Even the most heavily modified kits can end up looking half-assed if the mods are untidy. Anyone can glue pieces of plastic to a model, but it takes some finesse and a bit of OCD to blend the mods seamlessly into the design.

Here's the video tutorial by Kriz Kreations where this method was adapted from:

Until next time, keep building plamo!