MechTech

Just do it!😁 @Sanity is Optional You're right. It is actually mixed media, but Cardboard Craziness sounds better!😁 He used laser cut plywood, metal bits, wood skewers and metal bits along with cardboard and clear plastic sheet. - MT

"Saw this the other day and thought it was awesome. " Cardboard CRAZINESS!!! Swap the cardboard out for styrene and it would be AWESOMENESS!!😁 - MT

Thanks for posting! I haven't been to our Aldi in forever. I'll have to check them out now. Stock might vary too between Europe and the states. Produce and baked goods certainly do. - MT

Thank you guys, I appreciate it! Love the puns too! @CrossAir That looks great! I guess that's what they replaced the ole' Toyota Hilux model with. It had a BIG metal gearbox with shiftable gears! Needed at leats three channels to run. No, you would never see that baby over in Europe (maybe Iceland for touring). The Panther finish looks great too! Running it outside will help with "weathering" it realistically😄 - MT

That looks great! I'd guess those "bumps" are for exhaust pipes. There's 8 of them. A V-8 would be ample power for that aircraft - especially with "new technology". - MT

Got more work done on the stand today. It's getting there... Milled out a pocket for the battery box to go into. Then milled out a slot for the wires to go up and into the pedestal through. I forgot to show earlier, but I drilled through the base of the 20mm round and tapped it to fit over the bored-out screw on the base. I still need to bore out the tip of the round. And the 20mm "pedestal" screwed down onto the base. The base was then covered with aluminum sheet. The sheet then had a battery cover area cut out and a cover to match it made. The sheet was drilled out and riveted. There are holes in the base for the rivets to sit in, but they are not riveted into it. Its just sitting loosely on top for now (with a little warp until glued down). The sheet metal work is to simulate the skin of an aircraft. It will be painted up and weathered to look like aircraft skin too. A second 20mm casing will sit as you see here with the model title on it. Some type of switch will sit where you see this one with a label. I'm looking for a better switch to go here. That's it for now. Thanks for checking in everyone! - MT

@electric indigo Does it have Corinthian leather seats? Sorry, just had to ask! She looks AWESOME! Great photography and lighting too! - MT

It will be great to see this in 1/60! I might be game! I miss my old 1/200 one 😁 - MT

@pengbuzz Your improvements make the "toy" look a LOT BETTER! Many aspects of it are more line art accurate now, especially the main guns. I think the ships dimensions look better too. Not to mention better coloration too! A movie version would be cool too. - MT

@arbit Thanks! I blew it and didn't spoon test the paint first (didn't I just do that with the LAST project too?!). The primers I usually use are great! This wasn't for some reason. Plus, it's not really a primer. It's OK, it sanded down fine. I just have to paint now. @pengbuzz That is an AWESOME looking base! You wouldn't know it isn't part of the whole model! - MT

Tinting canopies can be fun. Spraying the coating may become uneven and look unrealistic - hand brushing is worse! Get some Future or Pledge floor cleaner/coating (depending on where you live). Its good for coating the model as a final sealing coat and over your decals (airbrushed). It's also great for tinting large clear parts. Clean your canopy and get a small cup of Future/Pledge and add a tint to it. Tamiya clear paints are fine. Then dip your canopy in it and let it dry. I've used that technique and its great! - MT

It IS good to see those old figures seeing some love. They really aren't that bad. They do need some careful time spent on them. My old Misa has Little Orphan Annie lookin' eyes though! - MT

I thought before going any further, it would be good to build the base to ensure everything fits properly. So here is the base and a connector for the stand bored through for the wires. Like Pengbuzz was saying, working with wood is messy! Just routing this made about two cups of sawdust that I swept up from all over the floor (and me)! It will be worth it when done - I hope! Thanks for checking in everyone! - MT

I just saw the new GBP scheme. Pretty cool! They even named the mission for it too. You KNOW there will be more versions. The dairy farmers of Wisconsin could learn from Hasegawa how to milk molds!😁 - MT

@pengbuzz WOW!!! Looking much better than factory already! Your colors look spot-on and the weathering helps give it depth. I look forward to you finishing it! - MT

I haven't got much work done the last couple of weeks, but here's what is done so far. Made new gun barrels for the wings. Not exactly "canon" (heh heh😁 - see what I did), but then again, what is on this plane! Oh, and a coat of Fusion Satin Pewter Gray. OK paint, WORST ever to use as a primer! VERY splotchy. I should have sprayed a spoon first to test it. The barrels test fit too. The exhaust came out great (IMHO). REAL stainless steal and REAL heat. Doesn't get any more REAL than that! A micro connector was made from cutting one of those strips as you see on older hard drive connectors. I added plastic to help ensure it is "keyed" to prevent reversing polarity. It is actually rounded and will fit into the joint that will support it. Still a LOT to do! Must sand it down now and fix some panel lines from thick paint. That's it for now! Thanks for checking in guys! - MT

For those of you who don't like to paint, this is always an option! This is a COOL idea!!! - MT

Don't "woosh" your models around the room when you can make them fly on the computer😄 Great build and diorama (they're coming after Arbit's build). - MT

Great build and I think you got the weathering just right! The color choice looks good too. The lights are a nice touch too!😁- MT

@Urashiman Your 3D renderings are look REALLY good! The VF-9 especially! @GMK That Boxer is really starting to take shape. I look forward to seeing more progress on it! Are you going to get a metal barrel for it? @arbit Sharon Apple can ride a bike!? 😄 Your sculpt of her looks realistic! Great work on the bike too! It's good to see some rare subjects become models now. @pengbuzz Sorry for the setbacks man! The good news is how you are kicking butt over those mods! I DEFINITELY think there are big improvements in your work vs the original molding. Yours will take more wear and tear too. - MT

@derex3592 GREAT looking stacks! I think the color looks authentic. Its MUCH better than the school bus orange of my old Chevy Vega when I was in high school (photo not my car, but the right color). @pengbuzz Your Macross is really coming together great! More and more hardware too! It's getting bulletproof!😁 But it will be nice and hardy, no teasily broken like a lot of toys. @electric indigo The Cordoba looks very realistic! It just needs some Macross music as it comes out of the shadows. - MT

@pengbuzz Great looking work! The carriers kick butt over the old ones even roughly done! - MT

@arbit That bike is great! I was waiting on him making a Kaneda out of straws!😄 ALL - Thanks guys! I just use Tamiya paints or similar acrylics. In this case, I took Tamiya paints and created a color that almost exactly matches the styrene color. The WHOLE model was lightly blotched with the paint and "dry sponged" (like dry brushing). The flat coat brought it all together as a single layer. @joscasle Your Minerva is looking good! I agree with Electric Indigo on the weathering. - MT

@pengbuzz Thank you! You may be right about the paint solvent. It was nearly empty so it got tossed just to be sure! Thanks for the catch on the SDF-1 too. Ha ha @Gabe Q Thank you! @Big s Thank you! I figured that's what you did. Since they're round, maybe I can drill the hole with the correct bit/file and then use a round Dremmel bit in a handvice to help make a good fit for them. @electric indigo Thank you! The paint is looking good on the Cordoba! Every time I see that name, I have to think of this (and the Corinthian Leather): @arbit Thank you! Good idea for the white. I was thinking of doing that for the Ingram model too. It would help break up the solid color. @Thom Thank you! Someone in my model club showed me the opening for "Skycrawlers" and said my plane reminded him of that. I have to agree. The props look like their designs. - MT

I'm just catching up on two pages of threads! Lots of stuff guys! @Big s Great looking pod build! What size drill did you use for the clear red sensors. I might steal your idea - if that's OK. @Photogirl Your SDF-1 came out great! Nice-n-clean finish! I can't undo what Pengbuzz said about the end of the Beetlejuice movie with the shrunken head!😄 @pengbuzz Your SDF-1 mods are looking good!!! I'm glad you decided to make the Daedalus with all the "goodies" on it. All of that effort, I would go the distance on that too. By the way, happy birthday Sunday (according to the last page)! @derex3592 Your ship is looking great! Some reflective shiny foils may help with directing the light around too. That Testors window maker works great too in case you want to go that far. What a coincidence! Here's some more "Capital J" stuff: This Harpy was a fun build! I didn't put a lot into it. The canopy gave me issues. The black paint I used did this - with the window completely cleaned. Something must have gone wrong with the paint. It orange-peeled by melting the plastic like this! I had to sand it down, remask and paint. The canopy is awesome! Nice color and it has grooves around the frame that your X-acto can easily follow. The cockpit is great with a HUD and decals to go on it to simulate it. The BEST part - the canopy AND cockpit can go in last. Nice-n-easy! I DID NOT paint this. The colors are as molded with only minor trim painting on the engine parts. I panel lined it (Gundam marker-they're cool), weathered it and put a matt coat on it. This is how it came out: Then on to the "Turbo-fire" (that I might call the "Battle Axe" as a step up from "Spitfire" 😁 Here's the plane with modified tail and plane wings. And then a little wing work... And nearly done with the "body-work" for the mod. The exhaust is stainless steel tube that was "squashed" a bit to make it streamlined. I'm going to try heating it up for that heated exhaust look. The white is Milliput that thankfully I decided to crack open. Its starting to go off, so it needs to be used up. That's it for now. Thanks for checking in everyone! - MT