MechTech

About paint. I have NEVER liked the Testor's stuff except for their paint markers (love the flat black). Their buffable metalizers are pretty good too. Other than that, I've stuck to Tamiya for the past 25 years or so. I used to co-manage a Hobby Shack (now Hobby People) and the stuff was staring me in the face everyday so I tried it out. Their spray paint is awesome too and worth the price (when you can get it). The bonus of water clean up for me menat my family no longer ragged on me about the smell of paint thinners, or the mess of trying ot get it off my hands with a scouring pad. Testor's has missed out big time in their formulations if you ask me. I was born in California and I'm ashamed of all the blasted beuracracy that goes on there. My drill press of all things has a big warning label on it that "Some chemicals are known to the state of California to produce cancer...yada yada yada." Really!? Are we that dumb? Good thing SOME San Franciscan's want to ban french fries from Happy meals. I wouldn't want my kids to get fat that one time a month we eat at Micky D's! (Steps down off soap box) Hey how about that RX-78!? Put a cloud background on it and would like the giant one! It looks great as does the decal job. Sharoin, $10 for that set is good (and so is the set)! I love their 1/72nd scale weapons too, I still have some. The gunpod decals are so 80's - MT

Thanks Ahab for the tip! The Transformers custom came out great Maiden Japan! Looking great Neptune! That cockpit will hopefully visible for the diorama! And a little Sakura Wars love; looks good! My daughter will appreciate that, I'll have to show her. - MT

She looks great! If I still built in that scale I'd have to get one! Thanks for keeping us posted. - MT

Congratulations as well! It came out great and the casting looks clean too. It will go great with your other miniatures. Now you just have to paint one up - MT

Thanks Tojiro for asking us! I'd ask, "What si your most favorite project to have worked on?" - MT

Welcome vf1s24! Your work looks great. Do keep us posted! - MT

What glue works with PETG? I've never used that before (I think). Looking good! - MT

Everything looks spot on to me - and great! - MT

The only good advice I can give is trila and error. Thick styrene (.060) gets gloppy and burns with the right speed pass to cut through. I got .040 to cut, but also got a bevel on it (what's up with that)! I got thinner plastic to cut clean (.020) for skinning frames (made big things lighter). The thin can be cut without burning or marring. You just need to adjust the speed and power settings to get it work. The acrylic (because of its properties) should cut clean through. I cut 1/4" acrylic with paper covered sheets and made trophies or plaques. Then there's adding LED light to the edges for affect... Try the moistened paper tape. I also found sometimes on straight plastic (regardles of thickness) that a second/third pass could cause flameups/fire. But paper lined could take the power on a single slow/hot pass with minimum flame. The paper also protects the plastic from marring and you only have to peel the tape up afterwards. The attached photo object was a rectangle cut from 3/16" acrylic (rastor etching and vector cutting used). Clean, glossy edges. You could make some REALLY awesome stands for your models with that laser! - MT Edit - why does my camera warp all straight edges!!??

Check out Micro Mark (link in my signature block). Their papers are great and I've used them for years. Then Micro Sol's stuff is great too! All of their line to include cement. - MT

I'm thinking 3D drawing and printing are the way to go! Keep up the great work! It looks just about perfect. - MT

More great stuff guys! I'll post some pictures when I can of my 30th anniversary tribute. It's a secret so far, but the detailed turbine I built is 7mm long The Daedalus is on hold for weather to stabilize and me to find the right color paint. I'm gonna need about a half gallon! I can't find the right color rattle can stuff which is what I'm going for. Airbrushing would take all day! You guys have any ideas, let me know! - MT

Cool! I like the designs - all of them! - MT

That was a LOT of hard work and looks great! - MT

Looks good! - MT

I was waiting on a Monster! Make sure you have two on either side of the SDF's "head" as in the final battle sequences. Great build! - MT

Looks great Valkyrie! I've cut styrene and acrylic on a laser (35W). One trick I learned was to coat both sides with the paper tape that is the same consistency as the paper on plexiglas. Then I got a sponge and dampened the paper. It stops flame ups and minimizes the cleanup after cutting through areas. I wish I had a laser Keep up the great work and posts! - MT

LOTS of great stuff guys! A little bit of everything, and its all GOOD! - MT

Nice paint job! - MT

I can vouch for the Microscale Liquid Decal Film. I've been using the same bottle for like 20 years! All of their stuff is great and all of the decals I have made have not yellowed on paper or model (I have decals I made over 15 years ago and coated them with it). They've been making the same stuff now for decades. - MT

That's a nice looking Gadessa (it's a little shadowed in the photo so I hope I ID'd it right). I never saw that series, but thought it looked cool at a local hobby shop so I picked one up. - MT

Somehow I JUST saw this - it looks stupendous! Great design. Customs like that stand out! - MT

Welcome Mech Dude! Those look great! I've been wanting to do that myself since I build a lot in 1/350th. I just can't go buy Macross items in that scale. - MT

Nice set of some -1A lovin'! Looks like your camera is like mine, picky with the lighting. - MT

Spitfire has an idea. Get the old 1/72nd scale B-52 and "modify it" a little The lines do look similar now that he mentions it. - MT