So on Monday’s, I’m going to start a series I’m calling “Mack’s Hacks*”. It’ll be a quick post about a product or technique that I use that I think others will get use of. It may be something for 3D printing, wargaming, model building or all of the above!
For the inaugural run, I’ll be talking about Perfect Plastic Putty.
Perfect Plastic Putty (3P) is a water-soluble finishing putty similar in consistency to Tamiya Extra Fine putty. However—unlike the Tamiya stuff—it’s odorless, which makes it a winner right there in my book. More useful is that 3P is water clean-up. Meaning after it dries, rather than sanding you can use a wet cloth or wet cotton bud (q-tip) to remove excess putty and smooth it. Great for those tricky wing-to-fuselage joints on aircraft and other troublesome to reach/sand areas.
I also mix it with water right out of the tube to thin it up a little and allow it to…well not exactly flow but better reach tricky nooks and crannies. It also works great to help smooth 3D print lines.
For a quick example, I decided to use to fill in the slot holes on some old Games Workshop 25mm “Slotta Bases” that were attached to some second-hand Tyranid Genestealers I purchased for product pictures.



I also used some to help blend in the missile launchers on Iron Wind Metals 28mm Scale BattleTech Clan Battle Armor.




I’m a big fan of 3P, its an incredibly useful tool and can make a lot of daunting tasks far more manageable. It does have some limitations: wet sanding for one can wear down the putty more than you might be intending and it does seem to be a bit softer than other putties, but a coat of primer takes care of both those things pretty nicely.
Now I’ve heard Vallejo putty has similar qualities, but I haven’t yet had a chance to confirm it.
Now with added Video!
Please let me know if you found this useful, and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me!
Mack
*Shout out to Dale from Table Top Gun for helping name this series!
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