Epoxy glues are two part glues, with a resin and a hardener. The two parts are mixed together and then applied like regular glue. I take a small square of heavy duty aluminum foil and mix the glue on that using large tooth picks or BBQ skewers. I usually squirt two equal amounts about the size of a small coin and mix them together. The resin is very clear and the hardener is a little cloudy. When mixed there is a subtle color change. Apply with a toothpick, a sturdy one.
This is a five minute epoxy, meaning it typically will stay usable for about five minutes. Longer if it is colder, shorter if is it hotter. Expoy is very good for soft metal kits and resin kits. It gap fills well, especially if you wait for four minutes before applying. Both surfaces should be a little bit rough for best adhesion, even just a tiny brush with a fine sandpaper is fine. It holds very well and I also us it to fill air bubble holes in resin models.
There are many brands, and many price ranges and they all work a bit differently. Most cure slower than five minutes, 20, 30 or even 60 minutes being typical, but I find when model building I want the parts to join quickly so I can go on to the next one.
GOO from Walthers is sold at model railroad stores. It is a very strong rubber cement. It will hold soft plastic figures reasonably well for years but is it a brick brown color and looks bad unless the glue and figure are painted over. It is cheap and very sticky, so it grips very well. This also works pretty well for larger resin parts. Goo can be used as a contact cement, put a bit on both parts, press them together, pull them apart, wait 30 seconds and then press them together exactly as you want them because they are not coming apart again easily! Very good for large metal or resin parts that you want stuck together without much holding.
Insta-cure, odorless, gap filling super glue is very helpful. It is very good for small resin parts and very good for soft plastic figure conversions that are made of plastic that does not glue with regular model glue. Gap filling helps to fill in spaces between to parts that don't match up well. Odorless is nice because I hate the smell of superglues.
While the tube was purchased at Brookhurst Hobbies, in Garden Grove, CA is is actually distributed by another company that re-marks the package. Bob Smith Industries has a great website that will tell you more about superglues than you ever want to know.
The rumor is that the superglues made for plastic use an activator made of N-Heptane to prepare the surface and then a regular formula superglue can affix the two plastic parts. I purchased some Bestine solvent at an art supply store and used it with my superglue on plastic and it worked fine. Simply paint on the odorless, colorless, clear, very flammable N-Heptane on both parts, using a cheap brush, in the spot to be glued. Then apply the superglue as normal. Seems to work fine. It is way cheaper than the special plastic glue.
As with all these glues, read the directions, heed the precautions, wear eye protection, get plenty of ventilation and be careful of fire, pets and little kids. Finally keep this hobby prayer in mind when working with glue: What has just been joined, let no man put asunder.
