buglips

I avoided the throw-outs, garage sales, organizing, spring cleaning, and etc. However, I did manage to lose an entire bunker of cobra figures. I buried them and forgot where. I dug and dug and never found 'em. They're probably still in that tomb... I had Jetfire, but only for 3 days. Best toy ever. But he was faulty and fell apart. I didn't abuse him or anything, I was good with my toys. Anyway, we returned him to the store where they determined it was, indeed, defective. Unfortunately, they were all sold out so they couldn't replace him. Worst birthday ever. I never did get Jetfire again, but now I have a Bandai re-issue Max and Millia set so it's "Jetfire who?" Thanks, Bandai!!!

It's not the best method, but Tamiya acrylic can be removed with bleach. You need to soak the painted parts for about 30 minutes then rinse under warm water. It should simply all wash off. However, there are some problems: 1. It's harsh and smells real bad. 2. If the underlying plastic was white, it may remain stained (such as if you used a red paint). In which case, after rinsing, nothing will get the staining out. 3. While the bleach probably won't hurt the plastic or metal there's no guarantees. It may also react with various glues or undercoats in unpredictable ways. In short, it CAN be done... but I would strongly recommend trying something else first. This is just for additional information based on things I have personally tried.

HWR Mk II, you do nice armor. I was building 1/35 german armor for a while but I switched exclusivley to 25mm miniatures. I got like 350, with 220 painted since Oct 2004.

Hey, I answered your early questions to the best of my knowledge/experience. If you want specific information about plastikote or krylon you have to wait until somebody who actually knows the stuff comes along. That may take more than a day. I never used it, so I can't give you advice. I'm certainly not going to take a guess and risk you ruining the piece you're working on. You're just going to have to be patient and wait for an answer... or find out on your own. That's all there is to it. We can't tell you what we don't know.

Well according to mahq the movie version is approximately 17.1 meters, some 56.1 feet (don’t know if that includes the antenna). At 1/60 the thing should be 28,5 cm, which is what my Q-Rau is approximately (if you count the antenna it's almost 31 cm tall, some 12.1 inches). So you can say it’s virtually 100% 1/60. 396440[/snapback] Thank you for clarifying that.

Does the Qrau actually scale to 1/60? I've been looking at getting one (though I might repaint it to TV version), but from the pics I've seen it doesn't look big enough to actually be in scale. I just figured that it was in the "close enough" range to go with the VF's, but not actually to scale. But I haven't seen a direct comparison or measurements either, so I don't actually know how big it really is. Probably doesn't matter since it's big enough for what I want, I was just curious.

I was glued to the Comillia Jenius thread. Ryuji, I have got to say you have some excellent talent. I can't wait to watch this one unfold. You've inspired me to give figure sculpting a try myself, but I'm still in the experimental stage trying to get a feel for what materials I work with best. And finding my first subject. And coming up with a plan. Maybe by the end of the year I'll actually get some work done too. I'll have to put on my student hat and pay close attention to this project!

Enamels vs. acrylics probably comes down to individual factors. I've noticed when I model that acrylics handle much better without wearing while I'm building than enamels do. But someone else might prefer enamels. A lot of it might depend on your personal style and method, so it's hard to judge. At least in my opinion. Primer and sealer will certainly help against paint wear, but remember that every layer of primer, paint, and sealer between tight-fitting movable parts is just asking for chipping, peeling, and wear when you move the joints. You can probably help offset most of this by disassembling as much as you can before painting any of it, and leaving abutting pieces as paint free as you can manage. There's no way to prevent transformation wear no matter what paint you use, all you can do is change the degree to which paint wear occurs.

I love it. I'm not a real fan of the flagship, but if he makes a destroyer (what are they called. Y'know... they look like a scout ship on steroids... dang that's gonna haunt me all day) or a Quiltra-Queleal I'd be a happy, happy person. What is the name of that destroyer? Argh!

The company reputation point is worth repeating too. When I found out about the Hasegawa valkyries it went kind of like this: "Dude, did you know there's new valkyries coming out?" Me: "Meh" *shrug* "They're done by Hasegawa" Me: "Really?" *perks up* So for me hasegawa's reputation sealed the deal and made me curious (very curious) to find out more. Still haven't bought one yet, but my lack of hobby fundings doesn't mitigate the fact that the mention of Hasegawa increased my interest substantially. So reputation counts for a lot, as mentioned.

If you plan to transform it, I don't think any paint will really be long-term durable. If I'm wrong, somebody will correct me on that. From my own experience I would say acrylics may be slightly more durable than enamels. But the difference probably isn't vast. The main difference between the two types are the kinds of thinner used in the product. Different brands within a category (like Tamiya or Gunze Sangyo for acrylics) might have different durability qualities. In short, I don't know of any perfect paint (though a dye might work better) that will stand up to many transformations. If your goal is just a display piece, however, then I think any kind of model paint will do the job.

I've built the bandai 1J Max, but haven't built a Hase VF kit yet. I liked the Bandai in fighter mode and gerwalk, but it was awfully skinny and tall in battroid. That was a 3-way variable kit. It wound up glued permanently as a fighter. I think the Hase. fighters have serious "sex appeal". They look like they mean business. Maybe they are a little "off" the lineart, or maybe not. Bottom line is they look like they can soar and fight. Any kit, by any company, is always going to be a compromise. Whether it's tanks, planes, or whatever. There is no such thing as the "perfect kit" for any subject. It's all subjective shades of 'better' or 'worse'. If you want a variable model, build a bandai. I still see 'em on ebay frequently. Personally, I'm happy just to have new macross kits coming out after a long dry spell. If new kits want to experiment a little, have at it! Buy what you like, and don't buy what you don't like. Path to inner peace and happiness.

Whoops, you're right. I forgot to add that. (I was trying to figure out my steps and explain them, it's easier when I just do 'em) Yes, future the decal spot before you apply the decal (or otherwise make it glossy) and then I future seal over it.

I'm a brush painter too. For anything except feathered camo, it's handpaint all the way. I know it's silly, but airbrushing just feels like cheating to me. Anyway, I too have seen the aforementioned horror stories. So now I've developed a simple plan solution. First, as always, wash all the parts. Second, use a fresh brush whenever possible. I still only use old-school testors white handle mediums, and average four per kit. I try to keep each brush within a similar color range (i.e. not using it for white and then red later). Third, I tossed enamels unless I really, really, really need a color or I'm doing metal colors. I almost exclusively use Tamiya flats, and unless I need a very bright color I will undercoat with thinned dark yellow. This is very effective if the top coat will be red. Thin the paint just a little bit. Nowhere near as thin as airbrush quality, just a tiny bit to improve flow and minimize chunking on the brush. Then do a light coat in even directional strokes, working from inside out (like on a wing). Picking the direction is important, so try to use the outside edge of the piece as a linear guide. It will probably take 3-4 coats this method, but the finish will be mar-free and at least the equal of an airbrush job. When all this is done, place your decals as normal but do it by section. Start with, say, a wing and apply all the decals. When they are about 20 minutes dry I brush on some Future to pull them into the crevices. I follow this up about a half hour later with a second coat of future. But only on the decals and the edges of the decals. Once all this is done, make sure any clear parts like the canopy are masked, and then give it a light dusting of cheap old flat finish spray from someplace like wal-mart. If the first coat is insufficient, do another light dusting. That's how I solve those problems, and I'm happy with the results I've gotten.

I had Jetfire as a Transformer the year before Robotech hit the air here, so I thought he was just a way cool transformer. Then I put it together that Jetfire was a veritech... but couldn't figure out why. Then I found out Jetfire wasn't Jetfire, a transformer, or a veritech... but a Macross valkyrie! And on top of all that, the Battletech goons even had a slice of the pie. That whole licensing mess of the 80's left me with scars. Genuine mental scars.

I've heard about the Vallejo paints, I know some pro mini painters who swear by them. Since the Tamiya consistency problem came up, it jogged my memory about another problem (though infrequent) with Tamiya. Color inconsistency. Dark Yellow, for example, can be as much as five shades off between 3 or four bottles. Not good if you're looking for surface coverage over time. Of course, the easy solution to this (and one I use), is to dump all the bottles into a glass jar, mix 'em, and use 'em as fast as you can. I've noticed this with Dark Yellow, Deck Tan, Buff, JA Grey, JN Grey, and Red Brown. The only other problem I've noticed is that Flat Flesh has a real nasty tendency to turn an orange shade after application. Doesn't always do this, but I got a giant who's looking a bit like an angry cheezy right now and needs a redo.

Do you mean the blue tube or the orange tube? Blue tube smells like oranges and is utterly useless except as makeshift filler. Really tube glue is pretty primitive anyways, but the orange tube Testors is the kind that melts the plastic to form a bond. The blue tube... well... I held a part in place for ten minutes and it still wasn't stuck. That's not glue, that's just torture. Krazy glue (and other cyanoacrylates) are good, yup. I love 'em. Even if I sometimes wind up with a dragon wing glued to my head.

I have a multi-purpose workbench. It used to be a kitchen table for like a huge pioneer family or something years ago because it's a monster. I'd only run into trouble if I was working on something longer than 12 feet and wider than four. Now that I'm pretty much only painting 28mm miniatures... I have an awful lot of leftover space. All those years of kits and no space, and now I have space and no kits. Irony, people. It'll bite you in the end. It's well ventilated but I do any spray clearcoating in a different room so my cat doesn't suffer brain damage. I figure I'm a lost cause already (mmm... testors glue) and the cat already runs into walls enough as it is. Kitty needs a helmet.

The only really, really, really good advice I should pass on about Tamiya is MAKE SURE YOU NEVER DRINK IT!!!! It's a long story. Well, actually it isn't a long story, it's a stupid story. Suffice it to say that although it actually tastes better than one might think, it is NOT non-toxic. The moral of the story: always read the label before taking a bet. Side note: I used testors tube glue in an enclosed small area for ten years before I finally read the label. "vapor harmful". Prolly shoulda read that many years before. I tried the non-toxic stuff my last kit but for some reason building just... didn't seem to be as much... fun... *insert gratuitous "White Rabbit" music here*

Yeah, I was doing an N scale CN Gp-9. Normally when I use a red or an orange color I like to basecoat with some Taimya deck tan to make sure I get good red coverage without making it too bright by using a straight white. That accu-paint stuff really is thin, mine was like water with a drop of food coloring in it. On the plus side, the GP-9 was a cheap thing to lose... I need to build a macross kit so I have something to show off here. All my modelling is totally off-topic.

I had a large stockpile of Tamiya colours when I started painting miniatures again, so I used what was at hand. Generally once I get used to a product's quirks I'll stick with it rather than experiment with new things. I should also note that most of the miniatures I paint are designed to go straight from the bench into play and can get heavy use. This, combined with the fact that I need to do vast numbers of them (something close to 300 in the last year) means that while the quality is good it's not like they're painted to contest standards. They also wind up with a nice seal of gloss for hardness, and the gloss tends to work very well with the Tamiya colours to blend them nicely. So for this specific task, Tamiya is the best tool for the job for my needs. Tamiya has some ups and some downs, just like any paint brand. I like to use it in combination with other acrylics and enamels, and have found it to work well for me. However, I can totally relate to anyone having problems with a paint brand they're not familiar with. For a project some months back I bought some "Accu-paint". Never used it before, but it was the exact colour I needed. It has interesting side effects with a Tamiya undercoat, I discovered. Not good ones, either. It ate through the model!

The closest straight out of the bottle would probably be Tamiya XF-63 "German Grey". I don't know how accurate that actually is without mixing, though.

I swear by Tamiya as well, even though I've pretty much switched entirely from plastic models to metal fantasy miniatures. But when I was building plastic, nothing beat Tamiya except possibly for color selection. But then mixing always was the most fun part. Yes, master cheng, Citadel is a miniature paint. That stuff is great, too. I still have usable bottles opened since 1989. A bit on the thick side compared to Tamiya, but it covers well and the colors resist fading, streaking, and mottling very well.

Mr. Cheng... you are a true craftsman! I've been tuning in to your step-by-steps daily and I'm hooked. I can honestly say this is the best instruction I've ever read, and it's FREE! You could show the Kalmbach crowd a thing or two about how it's done, seriously. If memory serves, you can submit articles of your kits and keep the kits. They have some photography rules, but that's it. At the very least, you might consider contributing to one of their "how to build sci-fi models" books so they might actually be worth the cover price. Anyway, maybe you might check in on their submission guidelines. If anyone deserves to make money doing what they love, your articles here clearly demonstrate that you're one of them!

Sorry, I don't have any pics of that VT-1D. I built it in 1991 after finding it at a yard sale, so it's longggggg gone. The only model I have any pics of is that Snowberry kit before I gave it away. A lot of the things I build are either gifts or ones someone else bought. I had the fun of modelling without the expense or clutter. It might be a while before I have anything to take pics of. I need to replenish my workshop supplies and get a project. But there's nothing I love more than using my digital camera, so there'll be plenty of pics then! I figure... maybe early December I should be ready to start in.