Whats Lying on your Workbench MK IV

[electric indigo]

@derex3592 Great job on the B-1! It's still the best looking bird in the current US inventory.

[Thom]

Dang, @derex3592, that's a good looking Bone! Academy made a nice kit, but you finished it out in fine fashion.

[electric indigo]

It's getting more intruder-ish

[derex3592]

6 hours ago, electric indigo said:

 

Love the Intruder! Looking forward to seeing yours! 

For those keeping track, 4 years ago these poor pilots got sealed into the cat's eye. Today they were freed! Got both broken winglet parts glued back on today and now I'm going to cleanup around the cockpit. I still believe I can save this awesome Moscato kit! 😁 

[Thom]

Cool seeing a Catseye back on the table! @derex3592. Those pilots look really good. 

[505thAirborne]

Making progress. Now for the two sections I always struggle with, carefully glueing on the front section of the Canopy and then the landing gear... those tiny little parts for the gear/struts are hard with big old fingers. 

The last steps will be ordering in the proper decals for the ATF program & then a wash with some Flory's. 

 

[derex3592]

@505thAirborne - BIG OLDER GUY fingers need little itty bitty helpers bruh...either one of these sets I HIGHLY recommend! YF-23 is looking GREAT! Very smoooooth and seamless! 

Amazon.com: 6PCS Precision Tweezers Set, Upgraded Anti-Static Stainless Steel Curved of Tweezers, for Electronics, Laboratory Work, Jewelry-Making, Craft, Soldering, etc, by kaverme. : Tools & Home Improvement

Amazon.com : Majestic Bombay Fine Point + Slant Tweezers for Women and Men – Splinter Ticks, Facial, Brow and Ingrown Hair Removal–Sharp, Needle Nose, Surgical Tweezers Precision best tweezers for chin hair : Beauty & Personal Care

[pengbuzz]

Question for the gang here:

How would you folks go about lightening a paintjob on a model kit that already has decals on it, without stripping the old set/ paintjob?

The paintjob is just a little dark on the model (darkened when clearcoat was applied), and I wanted to fade it a little bit.

Suggestions welcome (kind ones, please! :p)

[SteveTheFish]

On 12/19/2023 at 8:34 AM, 505thAirborne said:

Making progress. Now for the two sections I always struggle with, carefully glueing on the front section of the Canopy and then the landing gear... those tiny little parts for the gear/struts are hard with big old fingers. 

Nice! I love the YF-23. For a while, the Japanese government was considering resurrecting the YF-23 and adopt it as their stealth fighters to eventually replace the Mitsubishi F-2 (their bigger, beefed-up version of the F-16). I was excited at this prospect, but they ultimately decided to instead invest in an all-new design rather than resurrecting a 20+ year old fighter.

I bought the old Dragon 1:72 scale YF-23 kit. It's not as accurate, but it's cheap. I ended up not using the decal sheet at all, and instead used a bunch of spare decals to instead build mine as a hypothetical JASDF F-23 as though Japan had gone ahead and adopted it into Japan's air force. Here is my build. I did a meticulous digital camo scheme from scratch.

https://stevethefishdotnet.tumblr.com/post/691120707641507841/dragon-172-yf-23-hypothetical-jasdf-plastic-model

[HWR MKII]

Some more projects finished. Kronos 1 for a major project. And the Reaper class Tank mech from the game Generation zero. 

 

 

[Big s]

10 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

Question for the gang here:

How would you folks go about lightening a paintjob on a model kit that already has decals on it, without stripping the old set/ paintjob?

The paintjob is just a little dark on the model (darkened when clearcoat was applied), and I wanted to fade it a little bit.

Suggestions welcome (kind ones, please! :p)

Sorry it’s a bit late, but you could try mixing white with clear and it should lighten up the paint job. It may lighten the decals as well though 

[derex3592]

Mr Finishing Surfacer Black and Tamiya Flat White for pre-(I've been baking in the desert 🏜 sun for a few years)- shading have gone down on the Tamiya 1/35 M2A2 Bradley. Got this idea from Andy over at Andy's Hobby Headquarters YouTube channel armor builds... 

[derex3592]

       Probably around 8 years ago now, (jeez time flies) I purchased my first high end airbrush. The Iwata Eclipse HP-CS. Coming from a good old double action Paasche, this was quiet the upgrade and it painted a LOT of kits over the years.  Well, as the years went on, the trigger kept getting sticky and that was annoying, no matter how many times I cleaned it and lubricated the trigger, the problem would always return. About 2 months ago, I went to use it and the trigger didn't push down anymore. Uhh--Ohh!  So I decided it was time to try taking apart the air valve assembly and replace it, I ASSUMED that was the issue. So, I ordered ALL the air valve replacement parts along with the two O rings and thought to myself, "This will be SWEET!" It'll be like brand new again! Now I've got my GSI Creos' now and didn't REALLY need the Iwata anymore, but I couldn't let it go out like that! After all, it still is my most expensive airbrush.... Got the new parts in and got the valve parts out with a pair of cheap tweezers, (if you don't ever have to do this...DON'T), and replaced all the old parts with the new ones aaaaand......The trigger now feels like new again, HOWEVER, only like 1/5 of the air was coming out of the brush compared to how it used to spray...HMMMMM.....Long story short, after another online Iwata parts order, I got a new nozzle, because why not at this point, along with the ONLY other part that could be shot, being the Needle Pack Screw. Now I honestly didn't think I could get it out, Lord only knows how much dried paint was in there from 8 years of accidents and whatever else, So I shot WD-40 down there and let it set for a few hours and it actually DID come out. PRO TIP - Jewlers flat head screw driver set that I just happened to have in my tool pouch from years ago was the ONLY reason I got it out. Veeeery small screw and a long reach down there to get to it!  So I got that in, then had to watch a YouTube video on how to set it, I didn't realize that was a thing. BUT IT SO IS!  Gotta back if off a turn or two and then veeery fine adjustments to make the needle slide in and out smoothly but firmly.  OK! CHECK! Here we GO! To the bench! Yeh....not so fast.  STILL was losing air but this time I could here it coming out around the trigger and into the body so I deduced I hadn't gotten the valve screw back in tight enough...and I mean TIGHT. So back to find a slightly angled set of cheap tweezers I don't care about and could grip down tight close the bottom of the valve and tightened it up REAL tight.  BAAAAMMMM!!!!! WE HAVE A WORKING IWATA AGAIN. Now before you guys say it, yeh, the Iwata is now BY FAR my most expensive airbrush....LOOOL! Basically over $100 in new parts plus two shipping charges, but once I was down the rabbit hole, I was NOT going to be denied.  I also upgraded to the newer back handle for the airbrush with the locking screw on the back like you get with most brushes worth a crap today. 

 

I am now NOT AFRAID to take any airbrush ALL the way apart.   Hilariously, now my GSI Creos .03 trigger is starting to be sticky ALREADY....GRRRRR........I swear once you have a bad day and get paint in the back of these high end tools, they don't really ever seem the same again, no matter how much you clean them.  I case anyone needs it, here is a great diagram of the Iwata with all the parts labeled. Spraygunner has all the parts.  

 

Hope you guys all have a very Merry Christmas!!! 

 

 

 

Edited December 24, 2023 by derex3592

[Big s]

3 hours ago, derex3592 said:

Long story short

Never trust that anyone saying this really means it

[Gabe Q]

@derex3592 Out of all the things you did to fix the sticky trigger, which of them did the trick? I have the same problem with the same airbrush.  I read it all but you didn't really say which step was the solution. 

[Big s]

52 minutes ago, Gabe Q said:

@derex3592 Out of all the things you did to fix the sticky trigger, which of them did the trick? I have the same problem with the same airbrush.  I read it all but you didn't really say which step was the solution. 

After reading the short story long, it seems like a disassembly and cleaning of the parts

[Thom]

@HWR MKII Great work on that Kronos One! Love all the detail and the lights.

@derex3592 Sounds more like a short story with a loong happy ending! Sure you could have just bought a new one, but where's the sense of victory in just buying something..?

[derex3592]

5 hours ago, Gabe Q said:

@derex3592 Out of all the things you did to fix the sticky trigger, which of them did the trick? I have the same problem with the same airbrush.  I read it all but you didn't really say which step was the solution. 

@Gabe QIt's my belief that you need to take the valve assembly out and give it a thorough cleaning.  Watch out for the little tiny washer (part 7) in the top though. Very easily lost. This SHOULD cure sticky triggers. You might not need to take part 8 out, just run a cleaner brush and Q-tip up through it, depending on the situation. Also, maybe something other than the Iwata "SuperLube" might be better to lube the trigger plunger. I find that stuff over times gets gummy and you're back to square one. 

Edited December 24, 2023 by derex3592

[Chas]

Been working on the 1:144th Bandai Grendizer and it's almost there. Still some touch-ups and details left, but it's  coming along. Here's  a shot of where It is at the moment with a stock web photo of What it looked like out of the box.

Compared to:

Edited December 24, 2023 by Chas

[pengbuzz]

While waiting to find a solution to lightening up the paint job on my Tomcat (suggestions welcome folks!), I started a Christmas project  a little early (my wife let me open one of my gifts a day or so in advance):

She got me a pre-painted 1/6 Horizon Robocop model that I had been asking for (I wanted any version of it really, but she found this one for me!) for Christmas. The basis behind this project is to cut apart the armor and mount it on a 1/6 body, making it into a fully poseable 1/6 figure.

*Note: 500+ dollars for a 1/6 figure from Hot Toys is well out of my price range!!! O.O Even 60 bucks is a bit much (which this cost)!*

So, got the armor cut apart and test mounted:

Most of the parts fit okay, with the chest being a primary area of concern. It's a bit wide for any of the 1/6 figures, and after comparing it to screenshots and still pics I have, it needed some reworking. Thankfully, vinyl figures can be reshaped via a heat gun or hair dryer (note: if you're cutting a vinyl figure,  it stands a very good chance of cracking unless you heat the material first).

Next, time to sew up the body suit:

This was a couple of pieces of Spandex/ Lycra from an old piece of clothing my wife no longer wears (a top that had this under a layer of lace that wore out), that I ended up harvesting for this project. I hand-stitched the pants and top for the undersuit, after which I slid the armor parts into place. Some were tacked into position with hot melt glue, while others I put furniture cushion foam in between the outer shell and the inner bodysuit both to hold it and cushion the figure from any abrasiveness from the vinyl:

  

My work so far (apologies for the blurry pics; will try to get better ones tonight with a fresh set of batteries):

  

The helmet comes off the figure, revealing Murphy's face underneath. I'm planning on finding a cost-effective way to make a mold of the head sans helmet; after than, I will case a new face and rework it to exclude the chin guard and show a better portrait of Peter Weller in the role. The plan is for two interchangeable heads; this way, I can permanently glue the helmet to the original and fill the head so it remains stable, and have the option of switching the heads:

Stay tuned...

 

Edited December 24, 2023 by pengbuzz

[Gabe Q]

5 hours ago, derex3592 said:

@Gabe QIt's my belief that you need to take the valve assembly out and give it a thorough cleaning.  Watch out for the little tiny washer (part 7) in the top though. Very easily lost. This SHOULD cure sticky triggers. You might not need to take part 8 out, just run a cleaner brush and Q-tip up through it, depending on the situation. Also, maybe something other than the Iwata "SuperLube" might be better to lube the trigger plunger. I find that stuff over times gets gummy and you're back to square one. 

I think I've identified the cause of my problem. I've been using the Iwata brand lube this whole time. I guess I'll clean it out and lube with a different brand. Thanks for taking the time to post, I think this will really help with a problem that's been bugging me.

[Big s]

4 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

While waiting to find a solution to lightening up the paint job on my Tomcat (suggestions welcome folks!), I started a Christmas project  a little early (my wife let me open one of my gifts a day or so in advance):

She got me a pre-painted 1/6 Horizon Robocop model that I had been asking for (I wanted any version of it really, but she found this one for me!) for Christmas. The basis behind this project is to cut apart the armor and mount it on a 1/6 body, making it into a fully poseable 1/6 figure.

*Note: 500+ dollars for a 1/6 figure from Hot Toys is well out of my price range!!! O.O Even 60 bucks is a bit much (which this cost)!*

So, got the armor cut apart and test mounted:

Most of the parts fit okay, with the chest being a primary area of concern. It's a bit wide for any of the 1/6 figures, and after comparing it to screenshots and still pics I have, it needed some reworking. Thankfully, vinyl figures can be reshaped via a heat gun or hair dryer (note: if you're cutting a vinyl figure,  it stands a very good chance of cracking unless you heat the material first).

Next, time to sew up the body suit:

This was a couple of pieces of Spandex/ Lycra from an old piece of clothing my wife no longer wears (a top that had this under a layer of lace that wore out), that I ended up harvesting for this project. I hand-stitched the pants and top for the undersuit, after which I slid the armor parts into place. Some were tacked into position with hot melt glue, while others I put furniture cushion foam in between the outer shell and the inner bodysuit both to hold it and cushion the figure from any abrasiveness from the vinyl:

  

My work so far (apologies for the blurry pics; will try to get better ones tonight with a fresh set of batteries):

  

The helmet comes off the figure, revealing Murphy's face underneath. I'm planning on finding a cost-effective way to make a mold of the head sans helmet; after than, I will case a new face and rework it to exclude the chin guard and show a better portrait of Peter Weller in the role. The plan is for two interchangeable heads; this way, I can permanently glue the helmet to the original and fill the head so it remains stable, and have the option of switching the heads:

Stay tuned...

 

This looks like a very entertaining project. Personally I’m not big on the Hot toys prices either. They are usually pretty great looking, but I never have the cash for them

[electric indigo]

@Chas Very nice retro-fit! I understood Bandai's idea of modernizing the simple shapes of the old Super-Robo designs, but the results were not entirely convincing IMO. You prove that you can still get a good figure from these kits.

[Chas]

Thanks.

While I was filling and sanding all the extra 'detail' on this kit, trying to make it smooth,  I had flashbacks to the old AMT refit Enterprise with it's horrible panel detail.

I just ordered the Getter Dragon from the same kit line, so I guess I'm a glutton for punishment.  (Looking at pics online, that one will need a fair bit of re-sculpting of the head/face.)

@pengbuzz love what you're doing with that Robocop. I totally agree with your take on the toys too -way too expensive- and for me all the fun is in the building anyway. Can I ask where the figure is from? I got a project in my head that might benefit from acquiring one of those.

Edited December 25, 2023 by Chas

[MechTech]

Looks like the elves have been busy in their workshops!😁 Merry Christmas everyone! - MT

[Thom]

18 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

While waiting to find a solution to lightening up the paint job on my Tomcat (suggestions welcome folks!), I started a Christmas project  a little early (my wife let me open one of my gifts a day or so in advance):

She got me a pre-painted 1/6 Horizon Robocop model that I had been asking for (I wanted any version of it really, but she found this one for me!) for Christmas. The basis behind this project is to cut apart the armor and mount it on a 1/6 body, making it into a fully poseable 1/6 figure.

*Note: 500+ dollars for a 1/6 figure from Hot Toys is well out of my price range!!! O.O Even 60 bucks is a bit much (which this cost)!*

So, got the armor cut apart and test mounted:

Most of the parts fit okay, with the chest being a primary area of concern. It's a bit wide for any of the 1/6 figures, and after comparing it to screenshots and still pics I have, it needed some reworking. Thankfully, vinyl figures can be reshaped via a heat gun or hair dryer (note: if you're cutting a vinyl figure,  it stands a very good chance of cracking unless you heat the material first).

Next, time to sew up the body suit:

This was a couple of pieces of Spandex/ Lycra from an old piece of clothing my wife no longer wears (a top that had this under a layer of lace that wore out), that I ended up harvesting for this project. I hand-stitched the pants and top for the undersuit, after which I slid the armor parts into place. Some were tacked into position with hot melt glue, while others I put furniture cushion foam in between the outer shell and the inner bodysuit both to hold it and cushion the figure from any abrasiveness from the vinyl:

  

My work so far (apologies for the blurry pics; will try to get better ones tonight with a fresh set of batteries):

  

The helmet comes off the figure, revealing Murphy's face underneath. I'm planning on finding a cost-effective way to make a mold of the head sans helmet; after than, I will case a new face and rework it to exclude the chin guard and show a better portrait of Peter Weller in the role. The plan is for two interchangeable heads; this way, I can permanently glue the helmet to the original and fill the head so it remains stable, and have the option of switching the heads:

Stay tuned...

 

Some truly great work there, @pengbuzz! Love the new articulation! Can't wait to see what you do with the head.

[pengbuzz]

4 hours ago, Chas said:

@pengbuzz love what you're doing with that Robocop. I totally agree with your take on the toys too -way too expensive- and for me all the fun is in the building anyway. Can I ask where the figure is from? I got a project in my head that might benefit from acquiring one of those.

 

The figure is a 21st Century Toys 1/6 figure (they had a run with 2 different types of bodies; this is the second with the multi-jointed elbows, knees and torso).  They used to be plentiful in the 2000's, then everyone got away from 1/6 in the lower market for some odd reason. O.o

[strikevalk]

On 12/24/2023 at 10:57 AM, pengbuzz said:

While waiting to find a solution to lightening up the paint job on my Tomcat (suggestions welcome folks!), I started a Christmas project  a little early (my wife let me open one of my gifts a day or so in advance):

She got me a pre-painted 1/6 Horizon Robocop model that I had been asking for (I wanted any version of it really, but she found this one for me!) for Christmas. The basis behind this project is to cut apart the armor and mount it on a 1/6 body, making it into a fully poseable 1/6 figure.

*Note: 500+ dollars for a 1/6 figure from Hot Toys is well out of my price range!!! O.O Even 60 bucks is a bit much (which this cost)!*

So, got the armor cut apart and test mounted:

Most of the parts fit okay, with the chest being a primary area of concern. It's a bit wide for any of the 1/6 figures, and after comparing it to screenshots and still pics I have, it needed some reworking. Thankfully, vinyl figures can be reshaped via a heat gun or hair dryer (note: if you're cutting a vinyl figure,  it stands a very good chance of cracking unless you heat the material first).

Next, time to sew up the body suit:

This was a couple of pieces of Spandex/ Lycra from an old piece of clothing my wife no longer wears (a top that had this under a layer of lace that wore out), that I ended up harvesting for this project. I hand-stitched the pants and top for the undersuit, after which I slid the armor parts into place. Some were tacked into position with hot melt glue, while others I put furniture cushion foam in between the outer shell and the inner bodysuit both to hold it and cushion the figure from any abrasiveness from the vinyl:

  

My work so far (apologies for the blurry pics; will try to get better ones tonight with a fresh set of batteries):

  

The helmet comes off the figure, revealing Murphy's face underneath. I'm planning on finding a cost-effective way to make a mold of the head sans helmet; after than, I will case a new face and rework it to exclude the chin guard and show a better portrait of Peter Weller in the role. The plan is for two interchangeable heads; this way, I can permanently glue the helmet to the original and fill the head so it remains stable, and have the option of switching the heads:

Stay tuned...

 

Awesome job!  Love the WIP!

[Big s]

5 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

The figure is a 21st Century Toys 1/6 figure (they had a run with 2 different types of bodies; this is the second with the multi-jointed elbows, knees and torso).  They used to be plentiful in the 2000's, then everyone got away from 1/6 in the lower market for some odd reason. O.o

I’ve noticed that as well. The 1/6th thing is mostly for the rich kids these days and the 1/12thing is starting to get up there as well. Even a lot of 1/18th figures are up there these days. Toys are expensive these days 

[Chas]

Detail paint done, dull coat on looks much better. Think I'm gonna call this one done.

[Big s]

4 hours ago, Chas said:

Detail paint done, dull coat on looks much better. Think I'm gonna call this one done.

Looks nice

[Goodman Models]

Here’s a Gundam Hazel Advanced Kai I’m just about to wrap up. Then onto a Moscato project!

[Chas]

Nice job on that! Simple and clean always looks great. Love the simple wood block base the colour really  sets off the model. Congrats.

Built and finished this little guy today. It's  box scale, but I found an old 1:100 scale figure that I chopped up and threw some paint on and it looks OK ( for what can be seen through the canopy).

[derex3592]

The Modeling Santa was good to me this year!!! 😁

[Big s]

4 hours ago, Chas said:

Nice job on that! Simple and clean always looks great. Love the simple wood block base the colour really  sets off the model. Congrats.

Built and finished this little guy today. It's  box scale, but I found an old 1:100 scale figure that I chopped up and threw some paint on and it looks OK ( for what can be seen through the canopy).

When the model doesn’t come with what you need, sometimes you just gotta make do with what you got on hand. If you hadn’t pointed it out, I might has e actually thought that was an included pilot figure for Ken. It’s more obvious once pointed out when I saw a bottom to the helmet but like I said above, I didn’t notice until it was mentioned