Whats Lying on your Workbench MK IV

[Big s]

2 hours ago, F18LEGIOSS2 said:

What paint should I use in order to avoid paint scratches, especially the arms? 

Lacquer paints are usually pretty tough and self level thinly. You could also try pre sanding areas that will rub so there’s a little more room before painting 

[pengbuzz]

UPDATE: more detailing on the U.S.S. Callisto-

Will be doing more details (phaser strips, photon/quantum torpedo tubes, windows, etc) and decalling soon.

Stay tuned...

[Thom]

Good looking work there! A nice follow-up to the original design.

[Big s]

On 12/1/2024 at 11:55 PM, pengbuzz said:

UPDATE: more detailing on the U.S.S. Callisto-

Will be doing more details (phaser strips, photon/quantum torpedo tubes, windows, etc) and decalling soon.

Stay tuned...

Keep up the fun builds

[electric indigo]

On 11/28/2024 at 12:12 AM, MechTech said:

COOL! An Air Force Corsair! That cockpit looks great too! An Air Force livery Corsair is a rare bird. - MT

Some more progress; ready for the second color. Going for the later grey scheme.

[MechTech]

@F18LEGIOSS2 Everything will scratch - sadly! However, Big s is absolutely right. In fact, sanding will give the paint more bite into the surface. I build a lot of parts like that and always try to get the correct color plastic so scratches won't show easily. But that's obviously not gonna work in your case. Like Big s said, try the lacquer paints. Maybe even an automotive rattle can if you can find them. Best wished with your paint!

@pengbuzz Is that another masking masterpiece!? That looks cool and the detailing on the surface really adds to the depth of it! - MT

[derex3592]

I'd like to add to the 1/72 aircraft updates finally... Academy A-10 painted up over the weekend, and all ordinance assembled and painted. Light Ghost Grey on the bottom and Dark Ghost Grey on the top more or less, layed down in light coats over the white on black mottling, the two greys are suppose to look more pronounced than they came out but mehh, whatever, all the online pics look like it's all about the same shade in the real world. Forgot what a pain 1/72 ordinance is.. Haha. Hopefully clear coat decals and detail painting this weekend! 😊 

[pengbuzz]

12 hours ago, derex3592 said:

I'd like to add to the 1/72 aircraft updates finally... Academy A-10 painted up over the weekend, and all ordinance assembled and painted. Light Ghost Grey on the bottom and Dark Ghost Grey on the top more or less, layed down in light coats over the white on black mottling, the two greys are suppose to look more pronounced than they came out but mehh, whatever, all the online pics look like it's all about the same shade in the real world. Forgot what a pain 1/72 ordinance is.. Haha. Hopefully clear coat decals and detail painting this weekend! 😊 

Nice job so far! I think the clear coat will bring out the dark and lighter gray's differences a bit more when you apply it to the model! And yeah: I despise 1/72 ordnance too. >_>

Edited December 4 by pengbuzz

[MechTech]

@derex3592 Paint looks smooth! Just watched one of those flying over and hitting targets in Syria. There's no replacement for that plane! - MT

[pengbuzz]

On 12/3/2024 at 3:29 PM, MechTech said:

@pengbuzz Is that another masking masterpiece!? That looks cool and the detailing on the surface really adds to the depth of it! - MT

Yup; it's the U.S.S. CALLISTO (NCC-51804) from my series Star Trek: Alpha Centauri. It was the ship my character served on as First Officer (and promoted to Captain when the former captain was killed). It's a new build of this old ship (which was ruined during the infamous Labor Day 2022 Ceiling Leak Incident  at our old place:

By necessity, I had to modify some stuff from the old design (although I had wanted to do an exact reproduction) due to design/ support issues and materials constraints.

On 12/2/2024 at 8:38 PM, Thom said:

Good looking work there! A nice follow-up to the original design.

On 12/3/2024 at 3:16 AM, Big s said:

Keep up the fun builds

Thanks guys; will do! Meantime...

UPDATE:

More detailing and mods:

Started some more hull detailing (panel lines/ shield grid, RCS quads, etc.); still kind of rough, but beginning to smooth out the lumpiness and whatnot. I also redid the warp nacelle bussards and nacelle rear ends:

I'd still like to bend the flux chiller grills around the back and underneath the rear fairings (which I stripped down to the cardboard shells and then relines with wood and hot melt glue for reinforcement), but I'll have to see if I can do that and make it all look one contiguous piece.

Hoping to get to decalling and such later this week.

Stay tuned...

[Thom]

All the details are making it pop! @pengbuzz

[Cheese3]

Quick lil project in between projects!

[electric indigo]

Little progress in the sparse moments of daylight.

[Big s]

On 12/4/2024 at 6:17 PM, Cheese3 said:

Quick lil project in between projects!

Is that one of the nichimo kits?

[Cheese3]

21 hours ago, Big s said:

Is that one of the nichimo kits?

Sure is! 

[Big s]

2 hours ago, Cheese3 said:

Sure is! 

Cool, you don’t see enough builds with these anymore 

[Cheese3]

Current projects! 

[Big s]

34 minutes ago, Cheese3 said:

Current projects! 

Some interesting figures there. 

[Urashiman]

Got this on my workbench now:

 

[Big s]

1 hour ago, Urashiman said:

Got this on my workbench now:

 

Can’t wait to see how it turns out 

[derex3592]

Flory's Grime all over and panel line wash got done and decals on the A-10 were started over the weekend and went down great. Apparently 2004 Academy decals are much better to work with than much much newer Academy decals.. (The more modern F-18's were just very very difficult I think due to the much much thinner film maybe?) whatever, these go down like a dream! 😀 Pressing on! 

Edited December 9 by derex3592

[MechTech]

@pengbuzz That's cool! You continue to show that you are THE MASTER with a roll of tape!

@electric indigo Beautiful looking paint and weathering on that SLUF!

@Cheese3 For a second I thought you were building the Minerva and the related tank for Crusher Joe😁 You've also reminded me why I wouldn't let my children drink beer, play with guns, and ride German armor - all at the same time🤣

@derex3592 Great paint and panel lining!

 

If you guys recall, I told you how the 1/35th Dougram kit has voids molded into a lot of parts. Roll bars or whatever you want to call them ALL were like that. What a pain. I tried filling them with the Vallejo filler and it SUCKS! I tossed it out since it dried like rubber and had MAJOR sinkage as it dried. So I've been trying to rebuild these dumb bars! I tried styrene. Its impossible to get the same temperature and bending radius. I litterally wasted several feet of styrene rod and sprue. I tried heavy electrical wire, but it wouldn't hold the paint with its flexible insulation. The only option was to bend 1/8" (3mm) thick brass rod. I encountered the same problems with it too. I finally realized I needed a wire bender. Sometimes you need a special tool for a special job.

I watched some videos online and figured out the simplest version. Just three pieces for the whole thing! The base is a solid bolt body that the bottom half had filed away two sides so it would lock into a bech-top vice. Then that has a channel cut through it for the wire to go through. And finally, a socket head screw was threaded into it. Here's the parts with a couple of tests.

And a close-up to see how simple it really is. You can see I filed away some of one side to work out the radius angles.

Four weeks later, I FINALLY got a full set of roll bars! Thank God they came out OK and are done!

This is where each roll bar goes...

I think its on to the weapons back-pack next. Thanks for checking in guys! - MT

[Big s]

56 minutes ago, MechTech said:

@pengbuzz That's cool! You continue to show that you are THE MASTER with a roll of tape!

@electric indigo Beautiful looking paint and weathering on that SLUF!

@Cheese3 For a second I thought you were building the Minerva and the related tank for Crusher Joe😁 You've also reminded me why I wouldn't let my children drink beer, play with guns, and ride German armor - all at the same time🤣

@derex3592 Great paint and panel lining!

 

If you guys recall, I told you how the 1/35th Dougram kit has voids molded into a lot of parts. Roll bars or whatever you want to call them ALL were like that. What a pain. I tried filling them with the Vallejo filler and it SUCKS! I tossed it out since it dried like rubber and had MAJOR sinkage as it dried. So I've been trying to rebuild these dumb bars! I tried styrene. Its impossible to get the same temperature and bending radius. I litterally wasted several feet of styrene rod and sprue. I tried heavy electrical wire, but it wouldn't hold the paint with its flexible insulation. The only option was to bend 1/8" (3mm) thick brass rod. I encountered the same problems with it too. I finally realized I needed a wire bender. Sometimes you need a special tool for a special job.

I watched some videos online and figured out the simplest version. Just three pieces for the whole thing! The base is a solid bolt body that the bottom half had filed away two sides so it would lock into a bech-top vice. Then that has a channel cut through it for the wire to go through. And finally, a socket head screw was threaded into it. Here's the parts with a couple of tests.

And a close-up to see how simple it really is. You can see I filed away some of one side to work out the radius angles.

Four weeks later, I FINALLY got a full set of roll bars! Thank God they came out OK and are done!

This is where each roll bar goes...

I think its on to the weapons back-pack next. Thanks for checking in guys! - MT

They came out great. Keep up the work, it’s great to see 

[Chas]

Yep ! Great job on those. I too have sworn off the Vellejo putty. Same problem as you loads of shrinkage and it never hardens just turns rubbery.

[MechTech]

@Big s @Chas Thank you guys! I'm glad it's just not me! Whoever formulated that putty was on crack - or crack was part of the formula🤣 How are you supposed to sand rubber? That stuff would have been fine for calking tiny bathrooms, but not model building, that's for sure. - MT

[Big s]

46 minutes ago, MechTech said:

@Big s @Chas Thank you guys! I'm glad it's just not me! Whoever formulated that putty was on crack - or crack was part of the formula🤣 How are you supposed to sand rubber? That stuff would have been fine for calking tiny bathrooms, but not model building, that's for sure. - MT

If I’m not mistaken with the Vallejo putty, you don’t sand it. From what I’ve seen , it’s used with water and something like a q-tip or tissue to smooth it out. I don’t use the stuff and the only thing similar that I’ve tried is perfect plastic putty. Although even though the name says perfect, it’s far less than perfect. My understanding is that the Vallejo consistency is supposed to grip edges better and stick so it reduces the leftover lines in the areas that need filling.

 Personally I don’t use these kind of putties because of my dislike for perfect plastic putty. I’ve really only had a couple of successes with it and most of the time I’ve had to just add super glue to fix it. Although, at least it doesn’t melt the project the way a solvent type like Tamiya can. 

[pengbuzz]

2 hours ago, MechTech said:

@Big s @Chas Thank you guys! I'm glad it's just not me! Whoever formulated that putty was on crack - or crack was part of the formula🤣 How are you supposed to sand rubber? That stuff would have been fine for calking tiny bathrooms, but not model building, that's for sure. - MT

youd be bettr off usng hot mlt glue

[electric indigo]

Too little daylight to finish the Corsair, so I started the Airfix Fairey Gannet.

This is not your Dad's Airfix anymore, btw. The engineering is perfect, details in abundance, and a thoroughly enjoyable build so far.

Now I just need to get some depleted Uranium to meet the nose weight requirements...

[derex3592]

Regarding the Vallejo Putty, I LOVE it. It's the only one I use anymore. Tried the Perfect Plastic Putty, Tamiya, others, and I like the Vallejo the best. It's not meant to fill the grand canyon or anything, but very small seams. Yes, there is a little shrinkage sometimes, but I always expect to have to add a little more to a problem area. You really don't have to sand it unless you just feel the need to. Apply, gently wipe off any excess with a moist q-tip and you're good to go. YMMV. 

[Big s]

5 hours ago, derex3592 said:

Regarding the Vallejo Putty, I LOVE it. It's the only one I use anymore. Tried the Perfect Plastic Putty, Tamiya, others, and I like the Vallejo the best. It's not meant to fill the grand canyon or anything, but very small seams. Yes, there is a little shrinkage sometimes, but I always expect to have to add a little more to a problem area. You really don't have to sand it unless you just feel the need to. Apply, gently wipe off any excess with a moist q-tip and you're good to go. YMMV. 

It seems to be a love it or hate it kind of product. I’ve seen a lot of people that swear by it and others that can’t seem to make a seam disappear with it. I personally haven’t tried it out yet and really can’t speak for it other than what I’ve seen from other people’s experiences.

How long do you wait to wipe it away?
I got a couple older kits that have a couple tough spots to get to and was wondering about some tips on the process from someone that’s actually had success with it since I’m not sure how to sand a super tight spot and the seam bugs me

[derex3592]

@Big s - Pretty much right away after applying it. Usually with a small slightly moist q-tip or just a moist finger. 

[MechTech]

Thanks guys! Yeah, the voids molded into the parts class as grand canyon gaps. I filled it way over the void to sand and it STILL had major shrinkage. The water evaporates and nothing is there to take its place in the formula. It's probably good for thin seam fills, but as Big s said, I just use CA myself. CA and Baking Soda for thicker expanses. Oh well, the voids are gone now😁

@electric indigo That is a BEAUTIFUL kit! Someone brought it in to our club meeting a little further along than yours and the cockpit details look awesome (out of the box). - MT

Edited December 12 by MechTech

[Urashiman]

Workbench stuff. After the VB-6, I am Building something more „traditional“.

I haven’t build anything 1/48 in ages. Totally forgot how big 1/48 stuff is haha.

Anyway, this seems like hasegawa took everything they did wrong with the 1/72 and fixed it. Like a revision B, just in 1/48. would be cool if they could update their 1/72 mold with the improvements the 1/48 has. Just dreaming.

As the 1/72, it can be broken down into build groups. So I am doing this group by group.

[Big s]

3 hours ago, MechTech said:

Thanks guys! Yeah, the voids molded into the parts class as grand canyon gaps. I filled it way over the void to sand and it STILL had major shrinkage. The water evaporates and nothing is there to take its place in the formula. It's probably good for thin seam fills, but as Big s said, I just use CA myself. CA and Baking Soda for thicker expanses. Oh well, the voids are gone now😁

@electric indigo That is a BEAUTIFUL kit! Someone brought it in to our club meeting a little further along than yours and the cockpit details look awesome (out of the box). - MT

Even the stuff I’ve seen where people were successful with the product, they basically said it wasn’t for larger gaps. It seems more for smaller areas and spots where there is a lot of detail that could accidentally be sanded away.

[pengbuzz]

UPDATE: no ink for decals, no usable decal paper and such, I finally got sick of it and just printed decals for the Callisto on printer paper and glued it on.

(rest of the model is half paper anyways).

No class name as of yet; with that though, I'm calling this one done-

Dorsal and Ventral views:

 

Primary Hull Registry:

 

Warp Nacelle Pennant and Registry:

 

Impulse Engines and Stellar Observatory/ Cartography Dome:

 

Navigational deflector:

 

Secondary Hull rear sensor suite:

 

Bussards in daylight:

 

Stand for the model (no blueprints this time):

See everyone next project!

-Pengbuzz

 

Edited December 13 by pengbuzz