Whats Lying on your Workbench MK IV

[Gabe Q]

@wm cheng That is soul-crushing! I've had setbacks before but yours seems particularly daunting to fix. Good luck on the repair and just know that it still looks great!

@MechTech Your looks amazing as always. I always like to pore over every detail of your pictures. 

@Goodman Models Lookin' great! I'd like to see what else you're working on!

 

[arbit]

New set now up. 

https://www.patreon.com/posts/flashback-2012-73757209

 

Edited October 25, 2022 by arbit

[MechTech]

@Goodman Models Thank you very much! I originally started out with a base model that Micro Mart USED to sell. They probably discontinued it because of the low quality. Beware of cheap mills from China. The prices look good, but the electronics and quality can be bad. Most have a lot of play that needs to be worked out in them; like mine also had. After the mill I got a Sherline lathe after A LOT of research. Sherline makes the BEST hobby mills and lathes - period. There are some smaller brands, but they don't have the support and all the parts accessories that Sherline has. I've also found their precision to be rock solid.

So I took my old mill and mounted a Sherline vertical piece (for converting your lathe into a mill) with the motorhead and revived my old mill. Sherline's motors are quiet and powerful. They are also variable speed, so you can work styrene without melting it.

If you want to go entry level, get their small lathe (unless you think you'll need the longer one). Then you can buy a conversion piece that will turn it into a small mill. It depends on your budget.

Here's Sherline's info for Canada: https://www.sherline.com/sherline-worldwide-dealers/#ca

Feel free to ask more questions. Other board members have also bought their equipment and like it a lot.

@wm cheng That SUCKS about your over-coat. I'm sorry to hear that happened. I've found the Mr. Hobby stuff to have the best coatings. I LOVE their matt finish. Mine can sit around for a while. So I shake the can for three minutes, even when not full. It almost sounds like you had more solvent and less coating in the spray. It also dries VERY quickly - at least the matt coat. Maybe it didn't mix well? I hope you can revive it!

@arbit I'd title that sculpt, "The Power Couple"! 😁 ANOTHER great sculpt. I'm going to have to get those for some day when I get a 3D printer. - MT

Edited October 25, 2022 by MechTech

[electric indigo]

Now give me the strength to split the world in two yeah

_

@wm cheng I try to avoid the need for a pre-decals gloss coat by using semi-gloss colors for the base coat. With the help of Mr. Mark Softer, I can get away with it in most cases.

 

[wm cheng]

I think I managed to save it by re-piecing the VF-84, but the font is subtly different and because I always know what I did, my eye is always drawn to the paint repair instantly, I hope it doesn't look repaired to the fresh person seeing it.  Its getting there very slowly, very hard to find time to work on it when I'm working.

[Thom]

@wm cheng Not comparing it to what was there before, I don't think there is anything obvious. I think your repairs look good.

[arbit]

Released. 1/72 scale.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/73940842?pr=true

Edited October 29, 2022 by arbit

[derex3592]

Titanic Updates!  ALL photoetch railings on ship. ALL photoetch staircases on ship. ALL lifeboats and lifeboat davits (hangers) painted. Today's fun however... E Z line on the smokestacks.... Run line through the 6 holes on each side, pull through the top. Secure with UV superglue to the underside of the interior part of the stack, rinse and repeat. I secured the other loose ends with Tamiya tape to prevent pulling them back through.... I get to do this 48 times....... YAY!

[Thom]

@derex3592 48 times to get it right!😀

[MechTech]

@wm cheng The good news is that Navy and Marine aircraft aboard ship are dirty! The better news, can't really tell there's anything wrong with your finish except that YOU know the issues. It's looking good!

@arbit MORE great pilot goodness! If only I could print my hair to be like that!😁

@derex3592 Everything is looking GREAT! What sucks about stuff like that is it's never appreciated by most people about how much detail you put into something. Hoever, YOU do know and can appreciate it. We see it too!😉 - MT

[Urashiman]

Some progress on my GWH F-14.

I‘d recommend those clamps to everyone. Really great helper.

2 hours later:

canopy sits without glue, still need to add seats and the pilots.

 

i also stared to prime my vf-19, but my 20+ years old airbrush is leaking air on almost every seal, causing ugly drops to splash all over my kit. Had to sand down the primer again. Ordered two new airbrushes and will wait for them to arrive before doing any further paintjobs.

[Goodman Models]

On 10/25/2022 at 4:32 PM, MechTech said:

@Goodman Models Thank you very much! I originally started out with a base model that Micro Mart USED to sell. They probably discontinued it because of the low quality. Beware of cheap mills from China. The prices look good, but the electronics and quality can be bad. Most have a lot of play that needs to be worked out in them; like mine also had. After the mill I got a Sherline lathe after A LOT of research. Sherline makes the BEST hobby mills and lathes - period. There are some smaller brands, but they don't have the support and all the parts accessories that Sherline has. I've also found their precision to be rock solid.

So I took my old mill and mounted a Sherline vertical piece (for converting your lathe into a mill) with the motorhead and revived my old mill. Sherline's motors are quiet and powerful. They are also variable speed, so you can work styrene without melting it.

If you want to go entry level, get their small lathe (unless you think you'll need the longer one). Then you can buy a conversion piece that will turn it into a small mill. It depends on your budget.

Here's Sherline's info for Canada: https://www.sherline.com/sherline-worldwide-dealers/#ca

Feel free to ask more questions. Other board members have also bought their equipment and like it a lot.

@wm cheng That SUCKS about your over-coat. I'm sorry to hear that happened. I've found the Mr. Hobby stuff to have the best coatings. I LOVE their matt finish. Mine can sit around for a while. So I shake the can for three minutes, even when not full. It almost sounds like you had more solvent and less coating in the spray. It also dries VERY quickly - at least the matt coat. Maybe it didn't mix well? I hope you can revive it!

@arbit I'd title that sculpt, "The Power Couple"! 😁 ANOTHER great sculpt. I'm going to have to get those for some day when I get a 3D printer. - MT

Thanks for the description! I would love to get into a small mill/lathe. I will definitely check that out.

[Goodman Models]

On 11/1/2022 at 3:12 AM, Urashiman said:

Some progress on my GWH F-14.

I‘d recommend those clamps to everyone. Really great helper.

2 hours later:

canopy sits without glue, still need to add seats and the pilots.

 

i also stared to prime my vf-19, but my 20+ years old airbrush is leaking air on almost every seal, causing ugly drops to splash all over my kit. Had to sand down the primer again. Ordered two new airbrushes and will wait for them to arrive before doing any further paintjobs.

Before giving up on your airbrush try using a bit of beeswax on the threads of each connection - it really helped me seal up brush.

[Goodman Models]

On 7/4/2011 at 12:30 PM, derex3592 said:

Ok Guys.....Here she is...the model I have wanted since childhood...finished. This was my first multiple piece resin kit..different to say the least from a normal kit...aside from the very difficult task of getting the two halves together, I really enjoyed building it. I tried to take my time and I am pleased with how it came out. Pics really don't do the weathering justice...hard to get a good pic of it on the green paint. The kit was made by Wayne at Scale Solutions down in Australia. It was very well done in my opinion. Now I just have to figure out where and how I am going to fit it in my Macross cabinet!

Looks great!

[Thom]

@Urashiman I have those too! A few have broken or snapped, as they can be fragile, but they are cheap with good tension.

[electric indigo]

"There's a car in the field now in a column of flame..."

[arbit]

Minmay Idol Project Cont'd...

I have been meaning to make a Flashback Minmay for a long time, but didn't know enough tricks to model her details.  I think it came out okay. Some clothing creases could be improved, but that's as far as I dare right now.

Free download here as usual.  https://www.patreon.com/arbitscalemodels

  

 

 

 

[arbit]

On 10/31/2022 at 9:08 PM, MechTech said:

MORE great pilot goodness! If only I could print my hair to be like that!😁

Nahhhhh, I always wanted Max's blue hair, but my parents vetoed that idea real quick!

[Thom]

1 hour ago, arbit said:

Nahhhhh, I always wanted Max's blue hair, but my parents vetoed that idea real quick!

But you're an adult now, so the choice yours. Maybe plan this as next years Halloween costume. Get a 'uniform' together, get the hair and shaded aviators, and off you go!😉

[SpacePirateNeko]

got some work in yesterday 

[joscasle]

2 hours ago, SpacePirateNeko said:

got some work in yesterday 

very nice!!!!!

[MechTech]

@electric indigo Nice cannon! Not familiar with the show though.

@arbit She's looking great! I never wanted blue hair. I just want most of the hair I had back!🤣

@SpacePirateNeko That cockpit is looking GREAT! So is your shading. - MT

[Urashiman]

On 11/3/2022 at 3:16 AM, Goodman Models said:

Before giving up on your airbrush try using a bit of beeswax on the threads of each connection - it really helped me seal up brush.

I did not throw it away, but it is way beyond it's operation time. I got a cheap BD130 now and the revell pro.

[SpacePirateNeko]

I went to go grab some weathering supplies and ended up with this.....thanks exchange rate.

 

 

[arbit]

After a test print I found a lot of details need to be accentuated. I've beefed up the pearls and creases in her clothes, widened the scarf, and opened the side ruffles a bit.  Now I'm happy with it...  Here is a before and after.

[Thom]

Some good looking work, @arbit Looks better with those changes.

@SpacePirateNeko Looks like you'll be having fun with that Falcon. What's the scale?

[derex3592]

13 hours ago, SpacePirateNeko said:

I went to go grab some weathering supplies and ended up with this.....thanks exchange rate.

 

 

@Thom It's 1:72.

 

@SpacePirateNeko Congrats!!! I'm surprised you found one, you don't see those much anymore! I built it years ago, It's still one of my favs. It's still a GREAT kit. Everything fits perfectly.  Yes, the Bandai 1/72 is slightly better detailed, but I maintain the FineMolds folks got the shape of the cockpit way more accurate! Also, on the Finemolds one you build up the parts on the ship one at a time, it's a very satisfying build and not as insanely expensive as the Bandai offering. Have fun! 

[Rock]

A few corrections left. Mainly on the visor for the RIO and the rubberized coating on the forward pilot's helmet. Those mishaps fixed results in the base colors being done. Next on to shading, detailing, washes- the fun parts! Before the next kitty, I'll need to invest in some new even finer brushes.

[MechTech]

@SpacePirateNeko Yeah, the current exchange rate has $75 model kits around $54. Nice "weathering" set!😁

@arbit Great sculpt! I had to look hard for the fixes you made. The original looked great too!

@Rock Your pilots are looking good! I hate figure painting! Almost as much as sanding those deep seem lines that take forever to clean up.

 

It's been slow, one step forward, two steps back, but I'm getting there. As you know, I need three turrets. Two for the ship, and one to go with it as a cutaway for the gun interior. So I vacu-formed a new turret. Notice how rounded and pronounced the corners and wood grain are? While the plastic is still on the buck, I wet sanded the sides down and cleaned that all up. The plastic is .060, so thick enough to allow me take some material down while sanding.

So here's "Plan A" for the base pieces. I need to recreate all the detail on the bottom of the Oto Melara 76mm turret in the yellow circle. The ribs under the turret and the bearing ring.

So I made the funny looking oval pieces out of .080 (2mm) styrene. Then the rings to go around them.

Machining the pieces just failed miserably. The big problem, cutting into a radius does NOT make straight lines (except for your cutting path. It just didn't work out. You can see in the actual turret photo how thin those ribs are. So I'm going to have to go old school and glue the rib pieces around the circle on the bottom. Here's the blanks for that. Even had to cut my own strips!

The interior workings of the third turret had to be modified. I had to trim it down the diameter on the lathe. Sadly, the outer ring is no longer even all the way around, but it may not be seen either depending on how I mount this in a display. I did find a line of AWESOME bolt heads from Tichy Train Group. So don't tell anyone, but I accidentally got the old fashioned four sided nuts instead of the modern hexagonal nuts. That's how small they are. But they are VERY accurate, nut, bolt and washer.

Also in the ringed photo above is what I believe to be the bearing the turret sits on. I racked my brain how to remake that in styrene. So this is what I came up with.

Using my modified Dremmel saw blade (ground down on a grinder while spinning in a Dremmel), I cut a .011" slit around the outer rim (not all of these photos are in order since I was experimenting).

Next I milled out the lower band.

Then the outer rim was notched 73 times ever so slightly (every 5 degrees).

After cleaning all the cuttings off (which took as long as machining), I glued a .011 x .020" strip around the outer rim. This is a finished piece (which STILL needs a little cleanup). My shoulder was so sore after doing all of that cranking away!

That's it for now. I'm hoping to FINALLY do the ribs this week. I've been trying to get them done for three weeks now. But at least the bearing rings came out. Take care everyone! - MT

[Thom]

A phenomenal level of work @MechTech!

[Urashiman]

On 11/6/2022 at 6:44 AM, Rock said:

A few corrections left. Mainly on the visor for the RIO and the rubberized coating on the forward pilot's helmet. Those mishaps fixed results in the base colors being done. Next on to shading, detailing, washes- the fun parts! Before the next kitty, I'll need to invest in some new even finer brushes.

Nice F-14 man

[wm cheng]

@Urashiman I love the GWH 1/72 F-14 its one of the best kits out there I believe (I have a stash of Hasegawas that I don't think I'll ever build and 2 FineMolds that I will have to see if it measures up to the GWH).  Great fine detail and shape, great landing gears, just too bad the RIO coaming seems really narrow if you plan on opening the canopy (reason I left mine shut) just don't use their decals, some of the stenciling and hooks data are out of scale and the instructions have mistakes especially on the Sparrow lines, just be careful and look at real photo references (I went by their instructions and made the mistakes - at least on their VF-1 Wolfpack kit and decals).  Love your clips, where did you get them?

@Rock Nice big 1/48 scale, the Tamiya was such a nice kit that I broke my only 1/72 rule and got one as well.  If you've clear coated gloss or semi-gloss the figures, then do a pin wash / Flory wash (what I use) and the black will flow into the crevices and neaten up your painting on the figures as well as add shading/shadow/dirt to the outfits, do a little dry brushing over top with a lighter colour to pick out the highlights and it will make the pilots pop.  Great work so far BTW!

@MechTech Your machining never ceases to amaze me, making stuff from scratch is unfathomable to me.  I usually get every aftermarket set for a kit just to avoid having to make stuff myself.  Your stuff looks so pristine and perfect, it really calms me and gives me a happy warm feeling just seeing it because I can never get so perfect, there are so many mistakes in mine that I am always correcting it and fixing flaws.

 

OK I've finally gotten my F-4 to a stage where I can sit back and take a little breather/rest.  Unfortunately, when I took off the mask for the canopy, a bunch of paint flaked off, as though the primer and paint didn't bite into the clear parts (only the canopy, this happened to my F-15 as well, I think my Alclad grey primer doesn't bite into clear parts as well and I had to hand brush fix a lot of chipped edges on the canopy unfortunately.  So much detail into the cockpit that is hidden in the photos, at least you can see a lot more with the naked eye.  I've always wanted a VF-84 Phantom (now I've got to do a VF-84 FineMolds F-14 to go with it).  Gotta say FineMolds did an excellent job with the gears and gear wells, although they are nicely augmented with Eduard PE parts.  I do love the Quinta 3D cockpit panels, much better than PE parts - just wished they did more in 1/72 scale.  I'm going to take a break down to do chores while I figure a way to weather the fuel tanks properly and build and paint the missiles which are a separate thing.  Thanks for looking.

[Goodman Models]

On 11/6/2022 at 2:22 PM, MechTech said:

@SpacePirateNeko Yeah, the current exchange rate has $75 model kits around $54. Nice "weathering" set!😁

@arbit Great sculpt! I had to look hard for the fixes you made. The original looked great too!

@Rock Your pilots are looking good! I hate figure painting! Almost as much as sanding those deep seem lines that take forever to clean up.

 

It's been slow, one step forward, two steps back, but I'm getting there. As you know, I need three turrets. Two for the ship, and one to go with it as a cutaway for the gun interior. So I vacu-formed a new turret. Notice how rounded and pronounced the corners and wood grain are? While the plastic is still on the buck, I wet sanded the sides down and cleaned that all up. The plastic is .060, so thick enough to allow me take some material down while sanding.

So here's "Plan A" for the base pieces. I need to recreate all the detail on the bottom of the Oto Melara 76mm turret in the yellow circle. The ribs under the turret and the bearing ring.

So I made the funny looking oval pieces out of .080 (2mm) styrene. Then the rings to go around them.

Machining the pieces just failed miserably. The big problem, cutting into a radius does NOT make straight lines (except for your cutting path. It just didn't work out. You can see in the actual turret photo how thin those ribs are. So I'm going to have to go old school and glue the rib pieces around the circle on the bottom. Here's the blanks for that. Even had to cut my own strips!

The interior workings of the third turret had to be modified. I had to trim it down the diameter on the lathe. Sadly, the outer ring is no longer even all the way around, but it may not be seen either depending on how I mount this in a display. I did find a line of AWESOME bolt heads from Tichy Train Group. So don't tell anyone, but I accidentally got the old fashioned four sided nuts instead of the modern hexagonal nuts. That's how small they are. But they are VERY accurate, nut, bolt and washer.

Also in the ringed photo above is what I believe to be the bearing the turret sits on. I racked my brain how to remake that in styrene. So this is what I came up with.

Using my modified Dremmel saw blade (ground down on a grinder while spinning in a Dremmel), I cut a .011" slit around the outer rim (not all of these photos are in order since I was experimenting).

Next I milled out the lower band.

Then the outer rim was notched 73 times ever so slightly (every 5 degrees).

After cleaning all the cuttings off (which took as long as machining), I glued a .011 x .020" strip around the outer rim. This is a finished piece (which STILL needs a little cleanup). My shoulder was so sore after doing all of that cranking away!

That's it for now. I'm hoping to FINALLY do the ribs this week. I've been trying to get them done for three weeks now. But at least the bearing rings came out. Take care everyone! - MT

I'm loving this build! This is some really great modelling craftsmanship! 

[Thom]

@wm cheng that is one Phantastic Phantom!

[Urashiman]

@wm cheng yeah, the gwh f-14 is super awesome so far. I like it. The detail is awesome and it fits together nicely. The Finemolds F-14 has more open panel options though and I found the finemolds one to have better panel accuracy in general. I am going to use Hasegawa Macross Zero F-14 decals (purchased them as a reproduction from some Chinese company).

I got the clips off of eBay. They are like 8-10€ish.

Now on to my favourite task (not). Canopy masking!

And after that, it was prime time!

This is my first time using Alclad II lacquer primer. This stuff is really rising the game compared to any other lacquer primer I used before. 100% recommended for anyone still using lacquer paint.

Edited November 8, 2022 by Urashiman