Whats Lying on your Workbench MK IV

[Papa Rat]

Finally got my basement bench up and running in our new place. I have a 1:72 Regult I need to finish up but got sidetracked by this Wave Corp FSS 1:144 Engage SR1. All primed up and ready to rock. Armor already has first layers down with a little purple crystal color on there cuz we are fancy around here. Haha

Not much to see I suppose but I’m just sharing my joy of getting back to work on some kits. ✌️

[Bolt]

27 minutes ago, Papa Rat said:

Finally got my basement bench up and running in our new place. I have a 1:72 Regult I need to finish up but got sidetracked by this Wave Corp FSS 1:144 Engage SR1. All primed up and ready to rock. Armor already has first layers down with a little purple crystal color on there cuz we are fancy around here. Haha

Not much to see I suppose but I’m just sharing my joy of getting back to work on some kits. ✌️

Right on @Papa Rat , same here, just finally cleaned off my workbench after an embarrassing year of inactivity.

Here's about a third of the kits iv'e picked up or started and need finishing..

There's still two Moscato kits in the line up. Zentradi Recon battle pod and Glaug. Funny story about the ARII 1/100 Defender. I picked that up at a local warehouse that's an ongoing rummage/estate sale. He had a whole pallet of models one day , mostly military, and i started rummaging through it with my fingers crossed. And sure enough, there was that little gem! I don't really do 1/100 scale kits, but for the nostalgia and unique circumstances, I'll do this one 

I paid 2 bucks for it 

[Papa Rat]

1 minute ago, Bolt said:

Right on @Papa Rat , same here, just finally cleaned off my workbench after an embarrassing year of inactivity.

Here's about a third of the kits iv'e picked up or started and need finishing..

There's still two Moscato kits in the line up. Zentradi Recon battle pod and Glaug. Funny story about the ARII 1/100 Defender. I picked that up at a local warehouse that's an ongoing rummage/estate sale. He had a whole pallet of models one day , mostly military, and i started rummaging through it with my fingers crossed. And sure enough, there was that little gem! I don't really do 1/100 scale kits, but for the nostalgia and unique circumstances, I'll do this one 

I paid 2 bucks for it 

Congrats to you too. Feels good to clean off the cobwebs and dive into it. Also thanks for sharing your story. What a steal on that Destroid! Never know what you will find.

I see that VF-1J sitting there. I also have a couple of those Armored Valkyries waiting in the wings. The VF-1J and 1A. Very excited for those big boys. 

[Bolt]

1 minute ago, Papa Rat said:

Congrats to you too. Feels good to clean off the cobwebs and dive into it. Also thanks for sharing your story. What a steal on that Destroid! Never know what you will find.

I see that VF-1J sitting there. I also have a couple of those Armored Valkyries waiting in the wings. The VF-1J and 1A. Very excited for those big boys. 

Yes, the armored is going to get the SV-41 treatment.  I love that kit. I've got an armored 1A version on the way too.  Best of luck with your projects mate 

[Thom]

@electric indigo Real cool seeing your plane catching some 'air!'

@F18LEGIOSS2 Nice match on the color. Looks spot on.

@Papa Rat Good news on your paint booth back up and running.

@Bolt I think on outdid you on inactivity! I got nothing across the finish line last year! Here's to hoping trying to get back into it soon.

[SteveTheFish]

3 hours ago, Papa Rat said:

Finally got my basement bench up and running in our new place. I have a 1:72 Regult I need to finish up but got sidetracked by this Wave Corp FSS 1:144 Engage SR1. All primed up and ready to rock. Armor already has first layers down with a little purple crystal color on there cuz we are fancy around here. Haha

Not much to see I suppose but I’m just sharing my joy of getting back to work on some kits. ✌️

 

Looks comfy!

[electric indigo]

Meanwhile, back in '46...

[Bolt]

1 hour ago, electric indigo said:

Meanwhile, back in '46...

Very nice 

[nightmareB4macross]

You guys are all amazing builders with some extremely well honed talents. I just try my best to keep up with you guys.

I sincerely thank you all for the very kind words.

I can only imagine when this project is done.

Just messing with edit tools on my IPhone.

[Wewyllenium]

Painting Isamu's YF-29 super parts for Rod's Percival. Next will be buffing, black trims and other details. 

 

Edited Saturday at 10:32 AM by Wewyllenium
Added details.

[nightmareB4macross]

Modifications to the chest, intakes, and hinge housing for the legs.

I think the look is coming along nicely.

[edstuff]

17 hours ago, nightmareB4macross said:

Modifications to the chest, intakes, and hinge housing for the legs.

I think the look is coming along nicely.

Oooh and old chunkie! What are you turning it into?

[nightmareB4macross]

11 minutes ago, edstuff said:

Oooh and old chunkie! What are you turning it into?

I’m currently leaning towards a SDFM VF-1S Haikaru and on the fence about making the Super Parts.

[Thom]

On 2/1/2025 at 5:31 AM, Wewyllenium said:

Painting Isamu's YF-29 super parts for Rod's Percival. Next will be buffing, black trims and other details. 

 

The color on that looks fantastic. 

[nightmareB4macross]

Intake covers for the chest. I figures why not since new details will be created in these spaces.

[Wewyllenium]

15 hours ago, Thom said:

The color on that looks fantastic. 

Thanks. I'm currently buffing the paint before adding some black details. I can't find paint for the light blue accents.

[MechTech]

@SteveTheFish If you're going to strip the paint off that, "LA's Totally Awesome" (at the Dollar Store) is one of the best and safest agents to clean all that off. You just need to wash the residue off with soap and water. It won't attack glue or the joints either. Have fun with it!

@electric indigo Cool Photoshop of your SLUF and paint of your Luftwaffe "What If"!

@Wewyllenium Sweet metalics and colors on your paint job.

@nightmareB4macross It may not be for a couple more years at this rate, but you're gonna have to have a party when you finish that! Cool intake covers!

 

Years ago some hobby shop was trying to get rid of their Tamiya brass ammo for various models. So I bought a bunch of it on sale KNOWING I would use it some day. So maybe its been about 25 years now, but I found a use for it! The diameter of the barrels and the size of the cannon body dictated what size the ammo would have to be. So I took Sherman 75mm brass and had to machine it down to a shorter length. They make this brass on computerized lathes that cost thousands of dollars. I had to do with a couple of dollars worth of ground tool steel. Thankfully my idea worked!

Next came the ammo chute to feed the cannon. This is where photo etch would be king! But I don't have the stuff to do it, so styrene was CAREFULLY used. The parts are THIN and clean-up after milling them by hand took hours. Here's the parts (one side glued together) and all the pieces glued together along with the cannon body treated with "Brass Black" which is an acid. It beats painting and is much more durable.

The ammo chute still needs more work on it along with the drum magazine.

That's it for now, thanks for checking in! - MT

[Thom]

As always @MechTech your metal-FU is outstanding!

 

[Papa Rat]

Getting closer to wrapping this one up. Just need to gloss it up, panel line/decal and glue it together. Having a blast with it but still struggling on proper air brush techniques. Doing a bit of candy color on the purple cockpit 

Edited yesterday at 12:04 AM by Papa Rat
Spelling

[F18LEGIOSS2]

Has anyone used charcoal powder or any other fine powder to fill panel lines and fixed them with a gloss coat instead of using Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color?

This idea came to my mind when I used baby powder to make the details pop on my VF-0S model kit in order to avoid sanding down the panel lines by mistake

 

Edited yesterday at 01:48 AM by F18LEGIOSS2

[nightmareB4macross]

2 hours ago, F18LEGIOSS2 said:

Has anyone used charcoal powder or any other fine powder to fill panel lines and fixed them with a gloss coat instead of using Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color?

This idea came to my mind when I used baby powder to make the details pop on my VF-0S model kit in order to avoid sanding down the panel lines by mistake

 

I would use dish soap and mix with powder to pronounce details. It also serves well to create grease stains depending on the color of the powder. Best part is you apply it to your finished and sealed model. If you aren’t happy with the result, you can always remove it easily with a damp or dry cloth.

[nightmareB4macross]

@MechTech I figured as much. Not really in a huge rush to get this done. Just trying to incorporate ideas to this old mold to not only improve it but to create most every gimmick that has never been done e before.

Plus it’s a great way to pass the time and get creative.

[Big s]

5 hours ago, F18LEGIOSS2 said:

Has anyone used charcoal powder or any other fine powder to fill panel lines and fixed them with a gloss coat instead of using Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color?

This idea came to my mind when I used baby powder to make the details pop on my VF-0S model kit in order to avoid sanding down the panel lines by mistake

 

Not so much charcoal for me, but have used crushed pastels

[Urashiman]

Awesome stuff everyone!

 

I did something not so awesome recently. My kid likes choppers, so I build up a Hughes 500C without paint etc. (because he doesn't care for paint).

Horrible Revell kit. The windows were too small and didn’t fit into the frame (check the last and second last picture, you can see the gap there). Not to speak about the terrible fit. Had to clamp down everything…

 

Edited yesterday at 11:47 AM by Urashiman
General Grammar, picture order

[Big s]

2 hours ago, Urashiman said:

Awesome stuff everyone!

 

I did something not so awesome recently. My kid likes choppers, so I build up a Hughes 500C without paint etc. (because he doesn't care for paint).

Horrible Revell kit. The windows were too small and didn’t fit into the frame (check the last and second last picture, you can see the gap there). Not to speak about the terrible fit. Had to clamp down everything…

 

I don’t remember the company, but when I was younger I had an older Hughes 500 kit that was 1/72 in military green with rocket pods. That thing was tiny compared to this one. But it kinda brought back memories of it

[Papa Rat]

3 hours ago, Urashiman said:

Awesome stuff everyone!

 

I did something not so awesome recently. My kid likes choppers, so I build up a Hughes 500C without paint etc. (because he doesn't care for paint).

Horrible Revell kit. The windows were too small and didn’t fit into the frame (check the last and second last picture, you can see the gap there). Not to speak about the terrible fit. Had to clamp down everything…

 

The joys of building with and or for your child is the best. I set up a small bench next to mine for my kid. They are rocking out entry grade kits for now but interested in more complex builds. Such a fun hobby to share with loved ones. ✌️♥️

[MechTech]

@Thom Thanks. Thom!

@Papa Rat The paint is looking smooth on that head.

@F18LEGIOSS2 I haven't tried pastels or charcoal, but that sounds like a great idea!  As @nightmareB4macross mentioned, with water and soap (similar to Flory's, but they use clay too) would probably work. I have a model I may do where solvents can't be used in the final wash. This might work!

@Urashiman The theme to "Magnum PI" plays in my head when I see those photos.😎 That's the original "Loach" kit of a Vietnam era version. Loach as in the speedy and slick fish that's hard to catch. It probably has the aerodynamic pod and mini-gun (gatling gun) in it, unless they cut it off the sprues. I built that kit decades ago! The fit frustrated me too, but I always loved that sleek design.

In my childhood home, my neighbor had one and we didn't know it! He invited us on a flight one Easter Sunday. He had it to work his silver mine down in Mexico. It had to be flown and ran up every week or two to keep the turbine seals moist with fuel and oil. So, he invited us out for a flight! It was cool! He was like, "Hang on to the doors, don't let them open in the opposite direction, those hinges cost $1000.00 each (that was back in the 80's).

I met a guy who was shot down TWICE in those things back in Vietnam! One time the pilot just got the bird down safely before dying. He got struck with a cannon round! He had some crazy stories! - MT

[Urashiman]

@Big s & @MechTech oh man - I didn't expect to trigger people's memories with this one. Haha

Yeah, it has some optional parts that ended up in the bin, because I had no use for them. One seemed to reassemble a gatling gun ... but that is Revell quality. Just a blob of plastic haha.

I know only one guy that was in Vietnam, the dad from one of my best friends. But he was on the other side and got an award of honor because he ended a few US soldiers. He never really spoke about it, until I went to military services in Germany. He took me aside and said "war is not good. first thing a soldier should learn is to drop the weapon and raise hands." He told me a few things about the war, and gave me some valued advise. My friend was totally flabbergasted as his dad never told stories about the war.

... and man flying in one sounds awesome

@Papa Rat Yeah, I let him cut and glue some pieces from time to time, but his hands are still a bit too much uncontrolled. He builds tons of stuff with (Lego) bricks though.