Whats Lying on your Workbench MK IV

[nightmareB4macross]

Left foot complete.

Edited December 28, 2024 by nightmareB4macross

[MechTech]

@derex3592 I LOVED building that kit with my son! The cannon are awesome how they progressively elevate.

@electric indigo That Corsair is looking GREAT! There are some awesome molds from even 60 years ago! I guess its all in how much effort or skill was put into the mold. A lot of panel lines are too wide in scale, but current tech is limited to what can be done.

@SteveTheFish I love the recon reconfig! It's cool that they made those conversion kits.

@nightmareB4macross Those mods are looking GREAT! That is DEFINITELY going to be an improvement over the stock version - and then some!

@pengbuzz GREAT change of paint on the kit! It does look like the scene you posted.

 

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas (and Hannakuh since it's still going on). I finally got some free time on the workbench and got somewhere on the Dougram kit. The first photo is from the stock Gatling gun barrels. You can see how all the voids molded into the parts REALLY detract from it! So I decided to rebuild it. Filling them neatly would take about as much work!

The first step was to create the clamps and muzzle to hold the barrels together. Here's the muzzle getting hand machined - with a Dremel bit! Can you see how this was made from an old bolt head? See the threads? All three were to keep the colors the same.

And all the pieces together including a center "nut" machined for the muzzle clamp.

Then all the barrels were cut from simple K&S Metals aluminum tubing in two thicknesses. Old air line fittings were machined for various pieces including the bearing holder. A nice gear motor is what drives everything. It's quiet and has some torque.

Then the barrels were blacked with acid. Which had to be redone since the first coat literally came right off!?

Do you see the part on the left? It was an old garden hose fitting - now HEAVILY machined! The back part still has its barbs for the hose. All the parts fit inside of each other like those Russian dolls to keep the parts centered. Note the two LEDs in tandem for double the light output. And then covered to reduce the light.

And everything connected together that slides into the "garden hose housing." The motor couplers were made as well because of the small size.

The bench test (which actually rotates clockwise, but the GIF looks opposite).

And with the light shining through the barrels...

I can't emphasize enough how God was a HUGE help to me on this project! He even pointed out where I messed up with the main shaft. I couldn't figure out where I went wrong since it wobbled more than what you see. So many pieces just came together as I looked through my spare parts - it was no coincidence! I screwed something up, and it ended up working for the good! Especially with the brass pieces.

There's still more to go on this. The handles and base with ammo cans are in the works. Thanks for checking in! - MT

Edited December 29, 2024 by MechTech

[derex3592]

@MechTech Wow that's amazing! Love watching you in action! Nothing short of incredible! 

@pengbuzz Cool BOP! Can't wait to see you work your magic on it! 

Hope everyone has and still is having a great holiday season. 

Over here I finished up the Academy 1/72 Academy A-10. Only thing that didn't work out was somehow a tiny bit of overspray somehow got inside under the canopy. Grrr.. It's not noticeable from a foot away but still annoying. I'm guessing it got in somewhere from the bottom of the kit. Whatever. Still pretty pleased with how this turned out. Added a pilot and modified for in flight display. 

Edited December 29, 2024 by derex3592

[Thom]

Wow, you did some awesome work on that mini gun @MechTech!

@pengbuzz I am in awe of that conversion work! Once you get the hinge figured it'll be perfect.

 @derex3592 Great looking 'hog! A Legend of a plane loaded for bear!

[Chronocidal]

On 12/27/2024 at 10:04 PM, nightmareB4macross said:

Left foot complete.

That may be the best option I've seen for how to get a good toe extension yet.  About time someone actually used that joint for something!

14 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

Okay...REALLY jealous of you night now bro!

Seriously, awesome job on the mini-gun light and motor!! Your Dougram is going to seriously rock!!

-------------------

Meantime, one  of my Christmas gifts:

 

So, with this, you can either choose wings up or wings down, which royally sucks. If they should be able to move, then it should have been molded as such. Instead, you have to buy this kit to accomplish that task:

And at $90.00,  I don't think so, Tim. >_>

So, what about making this hinge myself? Well, counting out 26 slats per section @ 3 sections that have to be done, that would permanently ensure my carpal tunnel would become The Pengbuzz Memorial Carpal Express Freeway, complete with truck stops, on and off ramps, restaurants and a few dozen New Jersey Barriers!!!

 

(Don't laugh; my wrists ache just from looking at that pic!! O.O  )

 

So.... how to proceed?

 

I remember a smaller KBoP model kit from the "Adversary" model set Ertl had a while back:

 

They actually managed to hinge the wings on the smaller version, ad from what I saw of it, it looked and worked just fine:

So, if they can do it on the small one... then why not on the BIG one?

I got to work:

First thing I did was to take the two sets of both "up" and "down" hinges, and trim the lower baffles from the wings down version, and the upper baffles from the wings up version. This way, I would have the full length needed on both, and have the extra material needed to ensure the wings could hinge up and down to their full extent.

I then took and slotted the grooves on the upper baffles so they'd slide easily over the ridges on the lower baffles:

 

A pic of the underside (sorry about the lighting!):

Test fit for the wing during the initial fabrication:

At this point, I had taken the rear end plates for the upper baffles and ground down (and sanded) them to less than half their original thickness (due to the "blocks" inside for attachment and lips/ nubs for the same purpose). If you follow along on this, be careful while grinding this, as the indented detail on the outsides will become paper thin!!!

A look at the extended-position end plates for the lower baffles:

I glued this and left it overnight to dry; this was to make sure the unit was strong before testing it out in the main body, as it is a main structural unit. I'm planning on using sprue before final assembly to reinforce this "box" and make sure it doesn't come apart once finished.

Upper baffle wing boxes (with and without camera flash:

You can see the light through the "vents" at the end; that's how thin the parts were ground down! I had to remove everything that would interfere with the lower baffles sliding up into there.

On that note: a warning about fitting the wings:

The areas I circled in red are a major concern: you have to widen this space with a needle file and/ or hacksaw blade. Otherwise, it will be too narrow for it to accept the edge of the rear upper baffle end plate (also circled in red in the second photo):

Speaking of the baffle end plates: I had to use a section from the other baffle sets (about 3 ribs in from the front, three ribs total taken) to extend the upper baffle boxes to accept the lower wing baffle "cassettes":

This also required a slight modification of the "upper radiation shields" (per the instructions), trimming away some material from the inside curve to accommodate the extended baffle boxes:

The baffle ridges will be sanded/ filed to conformity with the rest, once the glue is fully set and dry.

I then added the front end plate to the baffle boxes on both sides:

  

 

FIt-up tests for the wings (Starboard side one shown here):

I just have to figure out the actual hinge for the wing; I built the body before planning anything so I could see what kind of space and obstructions I would encounter. I also needed to see where the actual pivot for the wing would be (inside the wing itself or inside the main body), so I could decide where placement and attachment would be.

Stay tuned...

Really awesome work with that hinge, I've been plotting how to do something like the add-on kit myself for a few years, and never got around to it, but your solution looks like a great alternative.

For the actual internal hinge, depending on the actual range of motion you want, you might want to see if you can find a few small LEGO hinges to just glue in place.  If you can get a few of the old clicky ones that would be pretty ideal, so long as the clicks line up with where you want them.  They should fit inside the wing baffles easily, and I think three one-stud wide hinges should be enough for each side (two hinges might be enough, I forget how heavy the wings are).

I wouldn't suggest buying a set just for them, but you might be able to get a few of the hinges on their own for a few bucks through a reseller (I might have some spares myself, but can't look through my supply until next week).  I'll see what I can find later, if you think that's worth looking at.

[Cheese3]

Xmas! I got the falcon and a vf-1j! Finished the Minerva too!

[The Original Cobywan]

15 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

Okay...REALLY jealous of you night now bro!

Seriously, awesome job on the mini-gun light and motor!! Your Dougram is going to seriously rock!!

-------------------

Meantime, one  of my Christmas gifts:

 

So, with this, you can either choose wings up or wings down, which royally sucks. If they should be able to move, then it should have been molded as such. Instead, you have to buy this kit to accomplish that task:

And at $90.00,  I don't think so, Tim. >_>

So, what about making this hinge myself? Well, counting out 26 slats per section @ 3 sections that have to be done, that would permanently ensure my carpal tunnel would become The Pengbuzz Memorial Carpal Express Freeway, complete with truck stops, on and off ramps, restaurants and a few dozen New Jersey Barriers!!!

 

(Don't laugh; my wrists ache just from looking at that pic!! O.O  )

 

So.... how to proceed?

 

I remember a smaller KBoP model kit from the "Adversary" model set Ertl had a while back:

 

They actually managed to hinge the wings on the smaller version, ad from what I saw of it, it looked and worked just fine:

So, if they can do it on the small one... then why not on the BIG one?

I got to work:

First thing I did was to take the two sets of both "up" and "down" hinges, and trim the lower baffles from the wings down version, and the upper baffles from the wings up version. This way, I would have the full length needed on both, and have the extra material needed to ensure the wings could hinge up and down to their full extent.

I then took and slotted the grooves on the upper baffles so they'd slide easily over the ridges on the lower baffles:

 

A pic of the underside (sorry about the lighting!):

Test fit for the wing during the initial fabrication:

At this point, I had taken the rear end plates for the upper baffles and ground down (and sanded) them to less than half their original thickness (due to the "blocks" inside for attachment and lips/ nubs for the same purpose). If you follow along on this, be careful while grinding this, as the indented detail on the outsides will become paper thin!!!

A look at the extended-position end plates for the lower baffles:

I glued this and left it overnight to dry; this was to make sure the unit was strong before testing it out in the main body, as it is a main structural unit. I'm planning on using sprue before final assembly to reinforce this "box" and make sure it doesn't come apart once finished.

Upper baffle wing boxes (with and without camera flash:

You can see the light through the "vents" at the end; that's how thin the parts were ground down! I had to remove everything that would interfere with the lower baffles sliding up into there.

On that note: a warning about fitting the wings:

The areas I circled in red are a major concern: you have to widen this space with a needle file and/ or hacksaw blade. Otherwise, it will be too narrow for it to accept the edge of the rear upper baffle end plate (also circled in red in the second photo):

Speaking of the baffle end plates: I had to use a section from the other baffle sets (about 3 ribs in from the front, three ribs total taken) to extend the upper baffle boxes to accept the lower wing baffle "cassettes":

This also required a slight modification of the "upper radiation shields" (per the instructions), trimming away some material from the inside curve to accommodate the extended baffle boxes:

The baffle ridges will be sanded/ filed to conformity with the rest, once the glue is fully set and dry.

I then added the front end plate to the baffle boxes on both sides:

  

 

FIt-up tests for the wings (Starboard side one shown here):

I just have to figure out the actual hinge for the wing; I built the body before planning anything so I could see what kind of space and obstructions I would encounter. I also needed to see where the actual pivot for the wing would be (inside the wing itself or inside the main body), so I could decide where placement and attachment would be.

Stay tuned...

I created that hinge upgrade kit decades ago.  Sold the patterns shortly after.  I wonder how many hands they've passed through over the years.  That price isn't that far off of what I was asking back in the 20th century.

[Big s]

21 hours ago, MechTech said:

@derex3592 I LOVED building that kit with my son! The cannon are awesome how they progressively elevate.

@electric indigo That Corsair is looking GREAT! There are some awesome molds from even 60 years ago! I guess its all in how much effort or skill was put into the mold. A lot of panel lines are too wide in scale, but current tech is limited to what can be done.

@SteveTheFish I love the recon reconfig! It's cool that they made those conversion kits.

@nightmareB4macross Those mods are looking GREAT! That is DEFINITELY going to be an improvement over the stock version - and then some!

@pengbuzz GREAT change of paint on the kit! It does look like the scene you posted.

 

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas (and Hannakuh since it's still going on). I finally got some free time on the workbench and got somewhere on the Dougram kit. The first photo is from the stock Gatling gun barrels. You can see how all the voids molded into the parts REALLY detract from it! So I decided to rebuild it. Filling them neatly would take about as much work!

The first step was to create the clamps and muzzle to hold the barrels together. Here's the muzzle getting hand machined - with a Dremel bit! Can you see how this was made from an old bolt head? See the threads? All three were to keep the colors the same.

And all the pieces together including a center "nut" machined for the muzzle clamp.

Then all the barrels were cut from simple K&S Metals aluminum tubing in two thicknesses. Old air line fittings were machined for various pieces including the bearing holder. A nice gear motor is what drives everything. It's quiet and has some torque.

Then the barrels were blacked with acid. Which had to be redone since the first coat literally came right off!?

Do you see the part on the left? It was an old garden hose fitting - now HEAVILY machined! The back part still has its barbs for the hose. All the parts fit inside of each other like those Russian dolls to keep the parts centered. Note the two LEDs in tandem for double the light output. And then covered to reduce the light.

And everything connected together that slides into the "garden hose housing." The motor couplers were made as well because of the small size.

The bench test (which actually rotates clockwise, but the GIF looks opposite).

And with the light shining through the barrels...

I can't emphasize enough how God was a HUGE help to me on this project! He even pointed out where I messed up with the main shaft. I couldn't figure out where I went wrong since it wobbled more than what you see. So many pieces just came together as I looked through my spare parts - it was no coincidence! I screwed something up, and it ended up working for the good! Especially with the brass pieces.

There's still more to go on this. The handles and base with ammo cans are in the works. Thanks for checking in! - MT

I don’t have the tools nor the skills for that. It looks absolutely awesome.

[Nyankodevice]

hi everyone been some time since i posted something... been busy with life and stuff..

here is a kitbash i made with some scratchbuild parts

if any of you want. heres a link to download the stl files

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6893163

and here are some pictures of the spaceship

have a good day...

[MechTech]

@pengbuzz AWESOME job modifying that Bird of Prey! I was thinking of using good ole' K&S brass tubes, but @Chronocidal has a great idea for Lego hinges! BrickLink or similar may have them individually for cheap. If you do go that way, you'll need Acetone to melt the Lego ABS to the styrene, but it will work.

@derex3592 That's a GREAT looking A-10! Sorry about the over under-spray on the canopy; that sucks! All the same, it looks great in "Beast Mode" with all the armaments!

@Thom Thank you, Thom, I appreciate it!

@Cheese3 Wow! You are mixing different genre - and with alcohol! That's asking for trouble🤣 Congrats on getting some great looking builds done before the end of the year!

@The Original Cobywan Wow! you're still alive! I haven't seen a post from you in years! That's cool you created that conversion kit!

@Big s Thank you, Big s, I appreciate it!

@Nyankodevice That's a BEAUTIFUL sculpt and drawing! It's good to see you back on the boards too! - MT

 

[wm cheng]

OMG @MechTech that Gatling Gun is just so many kinds of awesome that I'm speechless.  Fantastic work, just the machining would be enough, but to get it to rotate and then you go and light up just the firing barrel was just over the top and now you're just really toying with us.  If you can combine forces with @derex3592 on that awesome A-10 and be able to miniaturize that gun to fit into his A-10 nose then I'll give up modeling for good 😛  Wow just amazing work everyone!!!

OK @MechTech the next step is to add smoke and slave to tracking - have you seen this?

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/12FsTWag4YL/

 

A little more disaster on that never-ending (16month long project) 1/72 Hasegawa VT-1 - seems like everything that can happen to it did (including that horrible paint crackling reaction after the decals!), so now we had to replace our hot water tank in our basement over Christmas, it started leaking, then they repaired it, then it literally exploded and sprayed hot scalding water everywhere until I could shut it off.  Unfortunately, this happens to be right behind my workbench in the basement.  So they came to replace it with a tankless system, what I didn't know was that they needed to drill a new hole in the basement to vent the new tankless system, so instead of going to the wall closest to the unit, they tubed above and decided to drill and vent out the opposite wall right above my modeling workbench.  My entire bench including all my airbrushes, paint brushes and every tool and pieces of model is now coated with a fine layer of brick dust over everything!  It will take days to vacuum and clean everything out (especially all my brushes which were standing on end with the bristles upward now coated with fine rock particles fallen into them).  From a guy who used to get freaked out if there was a speck of dust or hair on the paint - now just another reason to delay finishing up that model... if ever.

Edited December 30, 2024 by wm cheng

[Thom]

@wm cheng Dang, here's to the light at the end of the tunnel appearing - and it's not a train...

[Big s]

4 hours ago, wm cheng said:

A little more disaster on that never-ending (16month long project) 1/72 Hasegawa VT-1 - seems like everything that can happen to it did (including that horrible paint crackling reaction after the decals!), so now we had to replace our hot water tank in our basement over Christmas, it started leaking, then they repaired it, then it literally exploded and sprayed hot scalding water everywhere until I could shut it off.  Unfortunately, this happens to be right behind my workbench in the basement.  So they came to replace it with a tankless system, what I didn't know was that they needed to drill a new hole in the basement to vent the new tankless system, so instead of going to the wall closest to the unit, they tubed above and decided to drill and vent out the opposite wall right above my modeling workbench.  My entire bench including all my airbrushes, paint brushes and every tool and pieces of model is now coated with a fine layer of brick dust over everything!  It will take days to vacuum and clean everything out (especially all my brushes which were standing on end with the bristles upward now coated with fine rock particles fallen into them).  From a guy who used to get freaked out if there was a speck of dust or hair on the paint - now just another reason to delay finishing up that model... if ever.

That’s hardcore bad luck, but at least things are just dirty and not melted. It’s gonna be a cleaning job for sure, but just keep in mind it could’ve been far far worse. I’ve even seen entire homes explode 

[SteveTheFish]

On 12/29/2024 at 10:55 AM, pengbuzz said:

I remember a smaller KBoP model kit from the "Adversary" model set Ertl had a while back:

Yes, I built that kit when I was in high school. I hand-painted it all with Testors enamel paints and it more or less didn't look too bad. It came with the Ferengi ship and the big Romulan ship too.

So this is what I put together last night. I've never bought any Frame Arms Girls kits or anything like that. On a whim, I bought a Bandai 30 Minutes Sisters kit with a pretty dark complexion. I also bought some option parts to give her black pigtails and sexy tits.

I'm on vacation at the in-laws' place this week. We have our room here with a TV and such, and I have a modeling table with various modeling supplies I keep here to work on models whenever we stay here. What I need to do is pop the parts apart and sand down the gates better. When I get home, I plan to do a flat coat on the flesh parts. I can use a Faber Castel pencil to do some shading on her butt cheeks and underboobs, then give it another flat coat to seal it in. I think I'll also do a wash of Tamiya panel line accent color on her hair to give it more life, then do a flat coat on that too. Maybe do a semigloss finish on her outfit.

After sanding work, I may need to use some plastic polish to smooth it, or just very high grit sanding sponges. After a clear coat, it should have a painted look.

Edited December 31, 2024 by SteveTheFish

[Big s]

16 minutes ago, SteveTheFish said:

I can use a Faber Castel pencil to do some shading on her butt cheeks and underboobs, then give it another flat coat to seal it in.

You should try water color pencils. They’re pretty cheap for a full set of colors and work very similar to color pencils when dry and can be used for washes when wet. Just do a quick flat coat if you use them like a pencil so it adheres to the surface and then another top coat to seal it in. They’re kind of a newer thing I’ve been playing around with lately after my daughter informed me about their existence 

[Mog]

So, I finally got the Haslab Star Wars Ghost (for their 3.75” figure line).

Even though it’s a premium item, I wound up using almost every custom technique (and then some) in my personal toolbox to tweak the ship and included figures.

* Opened up the ship and wired in some lights, including lights for the cockpit and for the engines.  Placed switches on the outside of the ship for easier access and to allow for removing/replacing the batteries down the line:

* Dirtied up and painted in some details on the bottom center fuselage, as it was pretty much blank and unpainted:

* Added scorching to each of the gun turret barrels:

* Tweaked these figures ever so slightly to make them more in-line with their appearances in Rebels:

* Manually added killmarks to the canopy (including one significant one from the series finale):

* Created stickers of the Ghost logo and added them to the ship:

* I had a spot in mind to place it, but holy crap!  The completed ship is friggin’ huge!!:

Still, so glad to finally have one of personal holy grails in-hand!

 

[SteveTheFish]

Wow, that's amazing!

[Nyankodevice]

i have updated the ship, i found some weakspots

and have fixed that

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6893163/files

Edited December 31, 2024 by Nyankodevice

[The Original Cobywan]

22 hours ago, MechTech said:

 

@The Original Cobywan Wow! you're still alive! I haven't seen a post from you in years! That's cool you created that conversion kit!

 

 

I've posted some stuff in the Fan Works section.  I came back about two years ago when I left Facebook.  ( I ended up going back to it last year.)

[MechTech]

@wm cheng I'm REALLY sorry to hear about your water heater and then the mess on your bench! I've seen the Mythbusters blow up some water heaters (and "houses"), so thankfully your wasn't worse! It also sounds like the water heater techs were not very professional. They should've covered everything up.

Thank you very much for the compliment! No, I have not seen that Cobra. That is really AWESOME, especially the other stuff that guy did.

@Mog Those mods really added a lot more character! The only thing I'd recommend would be to panel line it. There's so much surface detail on it showcase. Overall, it looks great!

@cobywan That's cool! I'm just usually around the model building section due to a lack of time. - MT

[nightmareB4macross]

Loving this build.

[Thom]

2 hours ago, nightmareB4macross said:

Loving this build.

Some real nice mods going on!

[nightmareB4macross]

Gimmicks.

[505thAirborne]

2 hours ago, nightmareB4macross said:

Gimmicks.

The Ultimate 1/55 VF-1S. 

[Big s]

55 minutes ago, pengbuzz said:

UPDATE: while waiting on parts for my KBoP, I proceeded with another project-

Beginning figure: G.I. Joe Battle Force 2000 "Maverick" Pilot:

Process- cut and extend legs, sand down and fill torso:

Fill and shape torso, ass collar and flare:

Reshape face and add hair:

Scale comparison to other figures:

 

Completed modifications:

Primer:

 

Paint (stage 1)

Progress to this point:

Still needs work and touch ups, but at least this brings the pilots together!

Stay tuned...

 

Looks like someone needs a steak dinner 

[electric indigo]

FEED THE STASH

[Thom]

@pengbuzz Very nice work on Ben!

and some good looking additions to the Stash @electric indigo!

[Chas]

On 1/4/2025 at 2:58 PM, nightmareB4macross said:

Gimmicks.

Holy crap! That looks sooo awesome!

Best looking 1/55 I've ever seen!

 

[Big s]

37 minutes ago, pengbuzz said:

Thanks Thom!

On that note: finished painting in his eyes (looked weird both with and without eyebrows, so I did them pencil thin!!). While I was at it,i also finished Max and Millia:

Max was relatively easy to do (up until I got to his glasses!): Millia, I struggled with trying to get her look down. I ultimately just settled for what would work (I suspect the sculpts are pretty off to begin with. ) I made Ben a bit taller than them, but not as tall as Roy ; you can only do so much before the figures look out of proportion entirely!

On that note- the whole gang so far:

Next up: Minmay/ Minmei, Claudia and the Bridge Bunnies (tough time sourcing figures, so this may take a while).

Stay tuned...

That’s a pretty cool group of customs

[MechTech]

@nightmareB4macross That '55 just keeps getting better and better!!!

@pengbuzz YOU are an AWESOME sculpter! I cannot sculpt people to save my life! But your figures look AWESOME! Especially considering what they used to be! Congrats on expanding your ship's crew. - MT

[Thom]

@pengbuzz Hey, don't forget Breetai, Exedor, Khyron, Azonia, Rico, Bron, Konda, Dolza, Misa's dad, Minmay's little cousin and Kyle and their parents...

 

😁

 

 

 

Edited January 6 by Thom

[Thom]

3 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

I already have Breetai:

 

HAHA!!

[nightmareB4macross]

Landing gear. Not yet set but making sure everything will work together and hold once set no matter the armor configuration.

[Big s]

7 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

I already have Breetai:

Looks like a scene out of Robot Chicken 

[Thom]

8 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

I already have Breetai:

I chortle more for the fact that you already have him, and I think I knew that, but totally forgot! Who was the base figure, because he does look dang good!

 

 

Edited January 7 by Thom