How to . . . MAKE OLD MODEL PLASTIC GUNS . . . ( look old and real ).

It's simply a matter of taking the parts that make up your model plastic gun and making them looked scratched up and old. ( before and after you glue the parts together.)

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A model plastic gun purchased from your local hobby shop.
• Model glue
• Black solid type shoe polish.( not liquid )
• Small knife
• Some old rags
• Newspaper to cover the area where you are working.
• Board for mounting ( optional )

1. 

   Purchase the model gun of your choice. ( at your local hobby shop )

2. 

   Spread a newspaper on the table where you are going to work. Have your glue, rag, solid type shoe polish and small knife handy.

3. 

   Take all the parts out of the package that contains your model gun, and spread them on the newspaper.

4. 

   Take your small knife and scratch up the plastic parts. Be careful not to break any parts.

5. 

   Put black shoe polish on a rag and rub it into the scratches. Again be careful not to break any parts.

6. 

   Now glue all the parts together as instructed in the directions that are included in your kit. ( Reading any inclosed instructions is always a good idea.)

7. 

   After the model gun is securely glued together. ( and dry ) It might be best to leave it for a day before proceeding. When you are sure that it is securely glued together and dry, you can add more scratches and black shoe polish if needed. When you are satisfied with it then rub it to polish it up. ( be gentle ) YOU WILL BE SURPRISED AS TO HOW REAL YOU CAN MAKE THIS PLASTIC MODEL LOOK BY FOLLOWING THESE INSTRUCTIONS.

Tips & Warnings

• Be patient and gentle in working with the plastic parts.
• You can mount your finished product on a board if you wish. ( Like the picture in step six )
• Don't put too many scratches or too much polish on at once. ( you can always add more after you have glued the gun together )
• As mentioned ( be gentle ) you don't want to break any parts

[maccaskill]

on 2/5/2009 The first thing I would recommend would be that you look up antique firearms photos online -- they're all over -- and examine the wear patterns. You'll see that high spots and corners of frames, the ends of barrels, etc. are the areas that get the most wear on the finish. A dab of silver 'Rub-n-Buff' (sold at craft shops) on a rag, brushed lightly over the high-wear areas will do a nice job of simulating the original bluing worn down to bare metal. If the piece you are modeling is an antique like a pirate flintlock pistol many of the fittings are of brass. There are a number of antiquing kits sold in craft shops that will allow you to brush blue-green verdigris into the deeper corners and crevices and then highlight the raised areas with shiny brass/bronze colors. This merely scratches the surface of doing an effective refinishing of plastic models as there are a lot of little tricks to

[kjv4thee]

on 2/4/2008 As Kat says . . . "It says a lot about todays society." (It's in 2nd Timothy 3:1-4)

[JMOrganizations]

on 2/4/2008 Just don't tell the teens around here. They would love to have a play gun that looks real. Moving to a nice neighborhood doesn't solve things now any more. It's everywhere-this violence. Thank you for your article.

[kjv4thee]

on 1/17/2008 True Kat, It's getting so that just walking downtown could get you killed these days. I know one thing, I wouldn't have a plastic gun if I lived where you live. lol Ron

[KatYares]

on 1/17/2008 Ron, the sad thing about this is that having a toy that looks so real can get you killed real fast. Says a lot about today's society, doesn't it?