pengbuzz Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 (edited) 12 hours ago, MechTech said: I'm with Grayson. I was using that old Testor's stuff since the 70's! Then in the late 80's I worked for the now defunct Hobby Shack and learned about all the Zap a Gap glues and accelerators. Then I learned about Micro Weld (Micro Sol, Micro Set). Their HQ was practically next door! I've been in a holding pattern with both of those glues since. For a great thin cement, you GOTTA try Micro Weld. It's non-toxic, but works as good as or better than solvent glues! It's not like the Testor's Blue tube junk either! - MT The blue stuff I think has more polymers in it, plus that annoying ORANGE scent. You may as well be using Elmer's Glue for all the good it will do you. lol I like the liquid cements for certain procedures and tube for others; for tough jobs (like fixing my VF-1S yesterday after the arms snapped off at the bicep rotators! O.o ), I prefer Devcon Plastic Weld. I can literally build parts out of it (two part epoxy like system). Edited July 21, 2020 by pengbuzz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Not a lot of progress on this thing. Just not very motivated to build it like I was with my Macross kits. Lovely fit as per the rest of the kit so far. I have A LOT of sanding, filling and fitting ahead.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 One pylon fits ok, it's stiff and almost a bit too tight. The other one looks like it was meant to be posable. It flops up and down and even rotates. If I didn't buy those fancy Aztec decals, I'd probably throw this kit in the garbage, lol!  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 I've been sanding with 320 and taking my time, but some of these panel lines are pretty stubborn. One on the right is untouched. But I got a little impatient and decided to try 220 on the saucer.....and it barely scratched the surface. Almost threw the sanding pad onto my orbital sander, lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pengbuzz Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 5 minutes ago, peter said: I've been sanding with 320 and taking my time, but some of these panel lines are pretty stubborn. One on the right is untouched. But I got a little impatient and decided to try 220 on the saucer.....and it barely scratched the surface. Almost threw the sanding pad onto my orbital sander, lol! Do yourself a HUGE favor: get a polyester-based filler and fill the panel lines that you don't want. If you try sanding all that off, you're going to be there forever, not to mention you'll run the risk of sanding off detail and drastically changing the shape of the hull. Ask the gang here for a good suggestion on filler putty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 27 minutes ago, pengbuzz said: Do yourself a HUGE favor: get a polyester-based filler and fill the panel lines that you don't want. If you try sanding all that off, you're going to be there forever, not to mention you'll run the risk of sanding off detail and drastically changing the shape of the hull. Ask the gang here for a good suggestion on filler putty. Lol, thankfully I read your post. That definitely will be easier than sanding the hell out of it. Honestly, with the kids at home running amok, working from home because of Covid 19, I'm surviving on average 4 hrs of sleep with model building thrown in. Leads to bad decisions, lol! Going to fill the unwanted lines before going at it with any sanding, lol! Time for more coffee and maybe a nap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MechTech Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 (edited) Yeah, the blue cement should have been called something other than cement. My friend's mom made him use it. It NEVER cured! Micro Weld has an orange smell, but I can use it in the room with my family when we're chillin in front of the TV. It is the bomb! Peter - Looks like that kit is taking you where "No man wants to go" - MT Edited July 21, 2020 by MechTech Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 1 hour ago, MechTech said: Yeah, the blue cement should have been called something other than cement. My friend's mom made him use it. It NEVER cured! Micro Weld has an orange smell, but I can use it in the room with my family when we're chillin in front of the TV. It is the bomb! Peter - Looks like that kit is taking you where "No man wants to go" - MT Lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hingtgen Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 I was always surprised at the level at which AMT kits fit (read: don't fit). It's like---molds decades older, from other companies, have issues, but only AMT seemed able to design brand-new molds in the 80's and 90's, with worse fit than the worst Aurora stuff from the 50's and 60's. It's like, they didn't even CONSIDER how things might meet at an angle, or that slots and tabs should be perpendicular to the PART, and not perpendicular to the bottom of the mold, etc. Plus the raw "well, sprue A is 1/500 scale, sprue B is 1/490 scale, sprue C is 1/510 scale---close enough" that seems to happen. Even simple shapes often don't fit. "Perfectly square piece in a perfectly square hole?" Not really, more like 11x11.5x10x10.25 trapezoid in a 11x11x10x10.5 hole... They're "almost" squares... All kits have fit issues. But AMT is a whole 'nother level most of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Q Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Working on a Miria. I always enjoy getting to the decal stage. It feels like I'm in the home stretch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joscasle Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 On 7/19/2020 at 5:35 PM, Duymon said: been working little by little on the 1/48 VF-1. l love how the kit is mostly snap-fit-ish allowing for a lot of dry-fits. Just wish Hasegawa made closed landing gear doors for their fighter models Instead of building some complex plasticard structure underneath to support the doors I got lazy and just kneaded up a bunch of milliput and then gently pressed the trimmed doors into the milliput until they were aligned as best as they could be. after it cures I can do a little more filling / sanding to make it all flush. Hasegawa 1/48 kits are great Valkyries!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joscasle Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 37 minutes ago, Gabe Q said: Working on a Miria. I always enjoy getting to the decal stage. It feels like I'm in the home stretch. Nice!!!!! Love the Miria scheme!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MechTech Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 David - It takes skill to make a 11x11.5x10x10.25 trapezoid in a 11x11x10x10.5 hole... That's some precision numbers there Maybe they're converting from metric to SAE by rounding off Gabe - You're valk is looking clean! Especially with red and white paint together. - MT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 1 hour ago, Gabe Q said: Working on a Miria. I always enjoy getting to the decal stage. It feels like I'm in the home stretch. Cool, another Miria! Show more pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 (edited) 15 hours ago, Gabe Q said: Working on a Miria. I always enjoy getting to the decal stage. It feels like I'm in the home stretch. Looks good, nice and clean! I wish I could pull off such clean lines. There's a Max and Milia set that's been sitting at the local hobby shop near my wife's place in Japan. The kit's been there for years, maybe almost 10 and it's there everytime I visit. Maybe I'll put it out of its misery and buy it next time I'm there, lol! Anyway, I too love that feeling of finally getting to the decals, that feeling of nearing completion. Especially if it's been a rough build, lol! Those Hasegawa 1/72s scared me off model building for years, but after building a few, they weren't that bad compared to what I'm up against currently. Edited July 22, 2020 by peter Edited for spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 The current $hit-show I'm in now: The saucer did indeed require that much tape and clamps to lock it all down when gluing it. What a clusterfuk. I hate this thing, lol! So, I was going to listen to you guys and dig out my Mr. Surfacer, but that may have dried out 10 years ago and I may have thrown it out. So I was about to visit the local hobby shop and find some filler, but there was ice cold beer in the fridge. I stayed for one beer and one beer became two. Out came the orbital sander and I went to town on the saucer. When the dust cleared, all of the panel lines were still visible but definitely knocked down a bit. I promise no beer tomorrow and I'll go find some Mr. Surfacer tomorrow. That saucer is ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
electric indigo Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 Peter, I suggest setting that E on fire. It will just give you more pleasure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 8 hours ago, peter said: Looks good, nice and clean! I wish I could pull off such clean lines. There's a Max and Milia set that's been sitting at the local hobby shop near my wife's place in Japan. The kit's been there for years, maybe almost 10 and it's there everytime I visit. Maybe I'll put it out of its misery and buy it next time I'm there, lol! Anyway, I too love that feeling of funky getting to the decals, that feeling of nearing completion. Especially if it's been a rough build, lol! Those Hasegawa 1/72s scared me off model building for years, but after building a few, they weren't that bad compared to what I'm up against currently. 10 years 10% off..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 8 hours ago, peter said: The current $hit-show I'm in now: The saucer did indeed require that much tape and clamps to lock it all down when gluing it. What a clusterfuk. I hate this thing, lol! So, I was going to listen to you guys and dig out my Mr. Surfacer, but that may have dried out 10 years ago and I may have thrown it out. So I was about to visit the local hobby shop and find some filler, but there was ice cold beer in the fridge. I stayed for one beer and one beer became two. Out came the orbital sander and I went to town on the saucer. When the dust cleared, all of the panel lines were still visible but definitely knocked down a bit. I promise no beer tomorrow and I'll go find some Mr. Surfacer tomorrow. That saucer is ridiculous. Sometimes you have to surrender before the battle can be won. Here's to hoping you start liking it soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pengbuzz Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 10 hours ago, peter said: The current $hit-show I'm in now: The saucer did indeed require that much tape and clamps to lock it all down when gluing it. What a clusterfuk. I hate this thing, lol! So, I was going to listen to you guys and dig out my Mr. Surfacer, but that may have dried out 10 years ago and I may have thrown it out. So I was about to visit the local hobby shop and find some filler, but there was ice cold beer in the fridge. I stayed for one beer and one beer became two. Out came the orbital sander and I went to town on the saucer. When the dust cleared, all of the panel lines were still visible but definitely knocked down a bit. I promise no beer tomorrow and I'll go find some Mr. Surfacer tomorrow. That saucer is ridiculous. On those pylons, you're going to want at least an epoxy to glue them into place (trust me on this). And when you do, you may want to set this so that after gluing the pylons (but before they cure) you can align the warp engines so they don't go in weird directions and adjust the pylons as they cure. Those tabs and the plastic they slide into are not very strong, so REINFORCE THE HELL out of them before you commit. You'll be doing yourself and the model a huge favor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joscasle Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 11 hours ago, peter said: The current $hit-show I'm in now: The saucer did indeed require that much tape and clamps to lock it all down when gluing it. What a clusterfuk. I hate this thing, lol! So, I was going to listen to you guys and dig out my Mr. Surfacer, but that may have dried out 10 years ago and I may have thrown it out. So I was about to visit the local hobby shop and find some filler, but there was ice cold beer in the fridge. I stayed for one beer and one beer became two. Out came the orbital sander and I went to town on the saucer. When the dust cleared, all of the panel lines were still visible but definitely knocked down a bit. I promise no beer tomorrow and I'll go find some Mr. Surfacer tomorrow. That saucer is ridiculous. Stay at home !!! There are many web stores where you can buy Mr. Surfacer. By the way, just put a little Mr. Thinner in that old Mr.Surfacer, it will come alive again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 10 hours ago, electric indigo said: Peter, I suggest setting that E on fire. It will just give you more pleasure. Looks like I did set fire to one of these kits I built when I was a kid. Probably after the pylons broke, I decided to do an auto destruct Enterprise (didn't do a very good job). Under the battle damaged one is probably the third and last AMT 1/537 I built, meant to replace my broken one. The replacement clearly broke at one point in time, pylons if course. Yikes these are embarassing to look at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 3 hours ago, pengbuzz said: On those pylons, you're going to want at least an epoxy to glue them into place (trust me on this). And when you do, you may want to set this so that after gluing the pylons (but before they cure) you can align the warp engines so they don't go in weird directions and adjust the pylons as they cure. Those tabs and the plastic they slide into are not very strong, so REINFORCE THE HELL out of them before you commit. You'll be doing yourself and the model a huge favor. Yeah, lol, I will definitely reinforce the pylons. Filed a channel and glued a hex key into each pylon, definitely stronger than those flimsy tabs, but yeah, will have to goop on epoxy and let it set properly. Lol, back when I was a kid, I probably bashed out this kit in less than two days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 2 hours ago, joscasle said: Stay at home !!! There are many web stores where you can buy Mr. Surfacer. By the way, just put a little Mr. Thinner in that old Mr.Surfacer, it will come alive again! Lol, will do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MechTech Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 Peter - I was going to suggest a version that the Klingons took down, but it looks like you already took that trek. - MT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 1 hour ago, MechTech said: Peter - I was going to suggest a version that the Klingons took down, but it looks like you already took that trek. - MT Lol, my latest build may end up like another STIII auto destruct version if it goes bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Q Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 @peterWow! Remind me to never attempt to build a Star Trek kit! I admire your perseverance! @Thom, @MechTech, and @joscasle thanks for the kind words! Here's a little more progress.! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 4 minutes ago, Gabe Q said: @peterWow! Remind me to never attempt to build a Star Trek kit! I admire your perseverance! @Thom, @MechTech, and @joscasle thanks for the kind words! Here's a little more progress.! I haven't built any TV stuff since I got back into model building, but this sure is inspiring to do it. I know there have been tons of TV builds earlier in this this thread, but ever since I joined Macrossworld, I've only poked my nose in here occasionally. Anyway, I'll have to look into what other 1/72s I have buried in my mountain of kits to build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 (edited) Mr. Surfacer is flammable right? Might be handy in case I feel the need to have this thing re-enter the atmosphere. Excuse the mess, the last few models I've built (Hasegawa) were relatively clean build, clean enough to build on the dining table, but this one....wow, I've never been covered in so much dust every time I touch the thing. I honestly don't recall prepping the surface this much on any kit I've built. Go easy guys, I honestly have no idea what I'm doing. I think the saucer was a real guinea pig because it probably has three or four different methods of trying to get rid of the panel lines, lol! I think I hand sanded 1/4, puttied another 1/4, then took the orbital to the whole thing and now I'm using 500 surfacer. It's going to look craptacular, lol! I'm watching Polar Lights 1/350 builds on YouTube and I'm just amazed at the detail and accuracy. Edited July 23, 2020 by peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Convectuoso Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 On 7/18/2020 at 2:32 PM, David Hingtgen said: Did you build it? I took more pics of mine: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pengbuzz Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 10 hours ago, peter said: Mr. Surfacer is flammable right? Might be handy in case I feel the need to have this thing re-enter the atmosphere. Excuse the mess, the last few models I've built (Hasegawa) were relatively clean build, clean enough to build on the dining table, but this one....wow, I've never been covered in so much dust every time I touch the thing. I honestly don't recall prepping the surface this much on any kit I've built. Go easy guys, I honestly have no idea what I'm doing. I think the saucer was a real guinea pig because it probably has three or four different methods of trying to get rid of the panel lines, lol! I think I hand sanded 1/4, puttied another 1/4, then took the orbital to the whole thing and now I'm using 500 surfacer. It's going to look craptacular, lol! I'm watching Polar Lights 1/350 builds on YouTube and I'm just amazed at the detail and accuracy. You're doing fine so far; it's going to need a lot of surface prep to remove those engraved panels, so just let the process "be the process" and work to get it finished. Take it slow and don't rush to complete any sections. if you need to, take some time off for a little bit and switch to another project. Mine is still in primer and re-re-reworking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pengbuzz Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 On 7/1/2020 at 7:59 PM, MechTech said: Pengbuzz - The weathering looks great on that! The nozzles are cool. I don't think I've seen a valk with discolored nozzles (besides the fast packs) before which is an overlooked idea. Is that the fully transformable valk you built a while back? If so, what did you do for the leg joint connections? I searched our boards and found an old post for it, but the photos are no longer linked. Went back to look at older posts and saw I didn't fully answer your qeustion! OOPS!!! I used the post connection that came with the Bandai over-engineered VF-1S kit, and simply drilled a square hole (reinforced to take the post) for it to slip into. Kind of a pain though; I should have done the swing-bar instead like Yamato. Maybe someday i'll get a 1/60 when my ship comes in (and doesn't sink on the way! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 11 hours ago, peter said: Mr. Surfacer is flammable right? Might be handy in case I feel the need to have this thing re-enter the atmosphere. Excuse the mess, the last few models I've built (Hasegawa) were relatively clean build, clean enough to build on the dining table, but this one....wow, I've never been covered in so much dust every time I touch the thing. I honestly don't recall prepping the surface this much on any kit I've built. Go easy guys, I honestly have no idea what I'm doing. I think the saucer was a real guinea pig because it probably has three or four different methods of trying to get rid of the panel lines, lol! I think I hand sanded 1/4, puttied another 1/4, then took the orbital to the whole thing and now I'm using 500 surfacer. It's going to look craptacular, lol! I'm watching Polar Lights 1/350 builds on YouTube and I'm just amazed at the detail and accuracy. Don't let the current look of it get to you. It is 'In Process' which is a normal part of any build. Some are cleaner - and some are messy as fuk! No matter how it looks now, remember the Mythbusters shining turds. 12 hours ago, Gabe Q said: @peterWow! Remind me to never attempt to build a Star Trek kit! I admire your perseverance! @Thom, @MechTech, and @joscasle thanks for the kind words! Here's a little more progress.! Fantastic coloring on those parts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duymon Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 (edited) Making more copies of the Sentinel Legioss pilot for use as fixed-pose figures (resin is too weak for ball joints so just trimmed everything off and will be doing Paperclip Pins + super glue.) Original is on the left, still deciding if I want to paint him as stick , or use one of the copies as a stick pilot figure instead Edited July 23, 2020 by Duymon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 8 hours ago, pengbuzz said: You're doing fine so far; it's going to need a lot of surface prep to remove those engraved panels, so just let the process "be the process" and work to get it finished. Take it slow and don't rush to complete any sections. if you need to, take some time off for a little bit and switch to another project. Mine is still in primer and re-re-reworking! Good advice. Always a feels good to walk away for a bit, and refresh. I just have to be careful not to walk away for 17 years like I did the last time I took a break from model making, hahaha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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