Styrene Cement

Both kits are styrene plastic and any good styrene cement, such Testors, Tamiya, Revell, Faller, etc. will work. I prefer liquid cement for these type of kits and my go to is Tamiya Extra Thin for this type of kit.  Having said that, every styrene kit builder has their own favorite glues and as long as it is formulated for styrene, it will work.

Plastruck glue might work, but is usually used for bonding ABS together or styrene to ABS, but I've never used it for gluing styrene to styrene-  I'd test it first. Canopy cement will work fine for the clear plastic parts, but won't hold well on the rest of the styrene parts. CA (I believe EZ bond is CA) will also work, but it does not allow for adjusting alignments and I only use it when I need a strong, fast drying join.  I've not used the Microscale cement for years, but found it lacking strength (the formula may have changed by now so I will defer to anyone with more recent experience. I would never use contact cement on a plastic kit as there's not ability to adjust it.

Lou

Depending on the job

I mostly use a thin liquid plastic glue like Tenax or Plastruct, a thicker plastic cement like Testors Model masters, sometimes  CA glue, and clear glue like GS Hypo. I might occasionally use 2 part epoxy, and for wooden models yellow carpenter's glue or Titebond.For gluing down flextrack I like caulking compound in tubes. .....DaveB

Thanks!!!

Really appreciate the helpful advice, guys! And thanks for that detailed overview of the various types of glues, Louie. The only thing I know about modeling glues is that you can't use CA glue on windows since it will fog them up. I found the Tamiya cement you recommended at Amazon here. Tamiya's modeling products are generally pretty good stuff, so I'll probably just go with that.

I also know that modelers often recommend the Tamiya masking tapes as well. I found this two-pack also on Amazon here. Not sure which sizes would be most convenient. Maybe a 2mm tape and a 10mm tape? They make 2mm and 5mm tape labeled explicitly for curves, so I'm guessing they're more flexible than the Tamiya tapes which aren't labeled specifically for curves? I do have to mask some curved contours on the Space Shuttle model to paint the heat-tiles.

I use...

...plain old MEK you can buy at hardware and paint stores. You can buy a gallon for less than 10 bucks as opposed to 5-6 bucks for the hobby glues!

Just try not to breath in the fumes. I use a small fan to blow it away.

Works as good if not better than the hobby glues!

MEK for me too!

Hi Metrolink,

I use all of the above adhesives and solvents.  My first go to is MEK in an old 2 oz. paint bottle and a fine brush.  Try some on some sprue, I bet you'll like the results.

With especially uncooperative and usually dissimilar material parts CA with a kicker is very handy too.

Nick

I haven't found any

I haven't found any difference in Tamiya tape over the widths. Don't forget that you cancut 10mm down to 2mm.I tend to only buy 10mm and cut it to suit.

I am a great fan of MEK - grew up with it as a kid and still use it. The only problem I have found with the Tamiya glue is that - eventually - the brush won't reach the glue so you are back to using an old paint brush and decanting the glue into an old Tamiya paint bottle.

Check out my scale modelling blog at http://www.gsmblog.co.uk for lots of info on my trials and tribulations making scale plastic models. Also, have a look at my local club web site (I am the web master) at

http://www.ipms-clacton.org.uk

Tamiya Extra Thin

As the other have said, MEK will work, but I work inside and my sweet wife is very sensitive to strong smells, so I prefer not to use MEK.  

Regarding the Tamiya liquid cement bottle cap brush, I never use it.  I have two  old paint brushes dedicated only for gluing. The smaller one, at some one point is it's life, was a 0000 brush and I use it the most as I can control the flow better.  The other is a #1 brush that I use for larger area.  I wrapped masking tape around the handles to identify them as my glue only brushes.

David's suggestions on the Tamiya masking (i.e Kabuki) tape are spot on. There are other brands of Kabuki tape that some modelers use with good results, but steer clear of the cheaper ones- you get what you pay for. Tamiya also has a white Kabuki tape for masking curves- it works well but takes a little practice to get the mask right.

 Bonus tip- if you buy the larger rolls (Tamiya tape comes up to 40 mm wide - 1 1/2") and want to cut it down, use a straight edge, a new knife or razor blade and a piece of glass to cut on- this will give you a sharp masking edge.

I went to my local glass

I went to my local glass merchant (as it happens an ex-customer of my now closed model shop) and had him cut a piece of mirror and grind the edges. It is useful for cutting tape and squaringupscratch built walls, etc.

Testors Plastic Cement

Hi Metrolink, I've been using Testors Plastic Cement (Liquid not gel) for years without any issue. I prefer to use a double 0 paint brush, instead of the brush supplied in the bottle lid for applying the cement and let it capillary into the seam.

When I originally started building model cars and trucks I used the Testors Plastic Cement gel, but found it hard to control and you know what happens when you get too much glue on a part. 

I've had great success with both products, but prefer the liquid over the gel.