Sanity is Optional Posted June 1, 2020 Posted June 1, 2020 That is a great job on blocking light leaks, seriously. Quote
arbit Posted June 1, 2020 Posted June 1, 2020 (edited) 10 hours ago, derex3592 said: Full F'N led light test today! BOOM! derex, That is looking AWESOME!!!!!! I want one now... So tell us what process you've used so far to deal with lighting this kit. - Did you drill out more pinholes? What sizes? - Did you need to put anything for diffusion between the led strip and the interior pinholes? Was there a clear kit part along the entire line of pinholes? Edited June 1, 2020 by arbit Quote
derex3592 Posted June 1, 2020 Posted June 1, 2020 Thanks guys, it's coming along. @Sanity is Optional, I haven't actually light blocked anything at this point...and the kit isn't actually "snapped" together entirely in that shot, which is a testament to Bandai's engineering. I do have some problem areas you can't see in that pic around back of the con tower, partially my fault however. @arbit No more pinholes were added, just what's on the kit. I didn't use the clear parts, I didn't see a reason to, but yes, some were included I think. I haven't diffused the strips yet, but I am going to frost them before final seal up with a spray frost from Home Depot. Cheap dimmable LED tape light strips from Amazon, a good soldering iron, 20 or 22 gauge wire, blue wire nuts and a LOT of practice! Quote
joscasle Posted June 1, 2020 Posted June 1, 2020 (edited) wow derex!!!!! Nice!!! Edited June 1, 2020 by joscasle Quote
MechTech Posted June 1, 2020 Posted June 1, 2020 (edited) Pengbuzz - Your Defender looks great! Especially considering its humble beginnings! Regarding the carpal tunnel surgery, there are some potential side effects, but I highly recommend it! I'm posting this here because I know others here suffer from it too. I had it in February this year. Except for leaning on my hand, like to stand up, still being tender, everything else is fine. I lost feeling in my thumb and most finger tips before the surgery. It's just now starting to come back. The longer you wait, you may permanently lose your felling. NZEOD - If the enemy was actually coming at your three amigos, they wouldn't know what they were looking at! The splinter camo really does break them up! Together they look like something other than what they are! Congrats on a terrific trio! Derex - Your model should be a Star Replacer instead of a Destroyer - it's so bright! You'd blind the Rebels before you'd have to shoot them. It's turning out great! Now I can turn my monitor back up... - MT Edited June 1, 2020 by MechTech Quote
NZEOD Posted June 1, 2020 Posted June 1, 2020 2 hours ago, MechTech said: NZEOD - If the enemy was actually coming at your three amigos, they wouldn't know what they were looking at! The splinter camo really does break them up! Together they look like something other than what they are! Congrats on a terrific trio! Still not done yet... once the decalng and decal wear and tear is completed on the grey and green units I need to finish their dioramas. Desert one in a forward operating base tech area in Iraq. Grey one in an urban area, possibly in ruins with a stray dog peeing on its foot. Green one in a park having trashed it moving into position with a civvie woman yelling at an officer at its feet. Quote
pengbuzz Posted June 1, 2020 Posted June 1, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, MechTech said: Pengbuzz - Your Defender looks great! Especially considering its humble beginnings! Thanks! It was a good build (if a bit involved). The last part was a bit hairy: drilling out the barell tips. The plastic is a softer flexible type, so drilling it meant going slow, or risking drilling out the sides of it (or gouging the ends altogether). Edited June 1, 2020 by pengbuzz Quote
Grayson72 Posted June 1, 2020 Posted June 1, 2020 On 6/23/2011 at 1:24 PM, Noyhauser said: Not done, but pretty close. I hope the members down under like it. Hasegawa 1/72 I'll take some more photos with a better Camera when its done. Sweet! I want a 1/32 kit of this baby! Quote
David Hingtgen Posted June 2, 2020 Posted June 2, 2020 Ok, 9 years, that's a pretty big gap to quote a post, but hey, it is a nice-looking 'vark, with the slats out and everything. (and even has the glove opened up) Quote
Chronocidal Posted June 3, 2020 Posted June 3, 2020 (edited) I'm honestly tempted to pick up the newer kit of all the small Enterprises with the massive decals now. I already have all of the individual ships (minus the NX-01) from two previous kits, and none have anything even remotely like the new decal sets. The TV, Motion Picture, and TNG set was actually a hilarious mis-pricing at a local shop of the version of the kit that included a giant clear acrylic disc that you could insert the models into for a flight display. Think it was like $3.00? But I would love a chance to rebuild all of them in matching scale. Aside from that, I find myself going on a Trek kick as well, and dug out my little Polar Lights 1/1000 TOS, TMP, Reliant, and D7 kits. Really wish they would come out with a 1/1000 K'Tinga to match the TMP Refit though, the 1/350 set is just too big for my current display space. Started with the D7, and it's a nice simple little snap kit. Not a bad fit, but I'm gluing everything, and planning to paint it close as possible to the original film model (been watching build-ups of larger-scale resin kits as a primer). I -might- base it on the updated model built for DS9's Tribble episode, but that one tried to bridge the gap between the D7 and the TMP K'Tinga, so while the shape is the same, they added a multitude of panel lines this kit doesn't have. All the smaller assemblies are pretty much done, but I'm debating adding a stronger plug-in strut for the neck so I can detach it for easier storage/packing when not on display. Other than that, it's all gone together fast and clean. I've made replacement insert panels out of thinner sheet styrene for the leading edges of the wings, since the two options in the kit are either a ribbed vent pattern (which wasn't on the original model) or a flush filler that just leaves a flat surface. Think my biggest concern is going to be blending the seams on the nacelle struts. They're probably the only troublesome joint on the kit, due to the dual layers of pylon having to merge with the dual layers of wing. Not a terrible seam to fill, but getting all the sharp corners shaped correctly is going to take some filler, and the top of the wing will need filling to smooth out some sink-holes where the slots for the pylon mounting tabs are. All in all not a bad little kit though, I like the 1/1000 scale for ease of display, and the ship is pretty sturdy, easy to take apart and put back together, which will make painting the sub-assemblies easier. Will probably start building up the TOS Enterprise next, it's ready to start gluing. Edited June 3, 2020 by Chronocidal Quote
David Hingtgen Posted June 3, 2020 Posted June 3, 2020 I think AMT/Ertl's Klingon Bird of Prey was among their best kits. Watch the wing joint (several options provided), but other than that it's pretty nice. Quote
Chronocidal Posted June 3, 2020 Posted June 3, 2020 (edited) I have that one packed away too, think that one is supposed to be 1/350? I'm half-tempted to ditch the wing joint setup, cut myself a set of custom baffles out of sheet styrene, and implement a working wing joint. The layered baffles on that kit are probably the mushiest detail on the entire thing, I've never liked the look of them. I've got a crazy smattering of unfinished and even incomplete Trek kits, since I grabbed a bunch of cheap partial kits off of ebay years ago for kitbashing. Think I have most of two AMT Reliants, most of two Enterprise-D kits (one with the fiber optic setup), and an Enterprise-B that I haven't started. One other thing I wound up doing last week was actually purchasing a few of the old Playmates toys, I think two of the Enterprise-D, two Vor'cha, and one Romulan warbird, all for something like $20 a piece (not sure whether they all work). I might keep the best ones in one piece, but I'm also considering cannibalizing the electronics to place them into an actual model kit. As much as I love the Diamond Select ships, I've never been a fan of cycling through movie sound clips, and always wanted an updated version of the old Playmates setup of four buttons, each giving a different specific sound. Depending on whether or not we get a re-release of the DS Enterprise D, I might even pull apart my early release (the one they forgot the neck windows on), and do some electronic kitbashing to throw the Playmates sound board into it, and then repaint the entire thing with the full aztec pattern. The paint job on that particular one was pretty sloppy, so I don't feel all that bad redoing it. Edited June 3, 2020 by Chronocidal Quote
MechTech Posted June 3, 2020 Posted June 3, 2020 He he, what I think about when people talk about updating old kits... - MT Quote
slide Posted June 3, 2020 Posted June 3, 2020 1 hour ago, MechTech said: He he, what I think about when people talk about updating old kits... - MT oh Christ... the ZIP-TIES holding that anachronism together are what makes that pic for me!!! Quote
Chronocidal Posted June 3, 2020 Posted June 3, 2020 (edited) So this is fun.. after a little bit of trial and error with CAD software, and some photos of the Bird of Prey parts, I think I've figured out where the actual pivot point for the wings is.. and it's almost exterior to the hull. I think if I fudge the location a little, I can still get a good hinge completely hidden inside though. I think if I mount the hinge pin to the wing, and press it into a cutout in the hull baffles, the pin should be able to lay directly against the inner wall of the hull. Then I just have to tune the friction of the joint with the layers of the wing mechanism. Going to take a lot of sheet plastic, since my numbers are working out to 23 layers for the hull section, and 22 for each wing. Also, a lot of hand cutting and shaping. I may print a proof of concept to test the fit, but I'm not sure the layered prints would have the strength necessary for that kind of hinge (though the kit is pretty light). I might yet have to look into getting a laser cutter, because I keep finding things I'd like to use one for. Edit: Or, I could find someone that already did it with a sliding hinge instead. According to the notes I'm finding, that wing kit might actually have been made (or produced from someone else's designs) by Cobywan, one of the members here, but I haven't seen him around in a long while. His last post looks like it was in 2015. Edited June 4, 2020 by Chronocidal Quote
electric indigo Posted June 3, 2020 Posted June 3, 2020 Man, those were the days when they still made iconic spaceship designs... Quote
arbit Posted June 3, 2020 Posted June 3, 2020 8 minutes ago, electric indigo said: Man, those were the days when they still made iconic spaceship designs... I was thinking about that the other day. Of course I agree with you, old school is the best school. But maybe it's not a matter of there not being cool designs these days. I think there is just too much: games, movies, anime, fanworks, facebook, twitter, instagram. We are overwhelmed with thousands and thousands of design images, and nothing sticks anymore. Back in the day, we took what we could get, and loved it. Quote
NZEOD Posted June 4, 2020 Posted June 4, 2020 (edited) Is it wrong that when I'm working on my City Park Diorama and looking all the park photo reference materials like St Petersberg and Vancouver and Kyoto that I get an evil grin picturing the destruction I'm modelling of a Destroid forging a path through a picturesque city park tearing up pathways, knocking down trees and flattening flower beds, kids playground equipment and park benches? Just reminds me of my childhood tearing across a golf course on a YZ125! The greens had the perfect jumps! Edited June 4, 2020 by NZEOD Quote
Grayson72 Posted June 4, 2020 Posted June 4, 2020 59 minutes ago, NZEOD said: Is it wrong that when I'm working on my City Park Diorama and looking all the park photo reference materials like St Petersberg and Vancouver and Kyoto that I get an evil grin picturing the destruction I'm modelling of a Destroid forging a path through a picturesque city park tearing up pathways, knocking down trees and flattening flower beds, kids playground equipment and park benches? Just reminds me of my childhood tearing across a golf course on a YZ125! The greens had the perfect jumps! It’s not wrong, but you are going to hell lol Quote
Lt. Z0mBe Posted June 4, 2020 Posted June 4, 2020 Long overdue update on this one. Here's a recap of the description: The idea for this comes from the variety of limited versions of ground vehicles produced and/or field modified for special operations troops on real battlefields. I figure in the Star Wars universe the Empire would have operators whose support vehicles were a little different than the standard fare. As such, I added extra stowage, equipment, cable cutters, spaced applique armor, antennas, sensors and slightly different weapons, much in the same vein as modern Humvees, ATV's and buggies are produced/modified to meet the needs of special operations troops. I added a bit of a dioramatic base, just for fun. The figures have been replaced with 1/48 Tamiya figures and their poses have been custom formed and sculpted. I vacuformed armor for the Scout Troopers from sheet styrene. Other accessories were sculpted from Aves and cyanoacrylate-varnished masking tape. The groundwork is made from tea grounds, sculpted Aves plants, and thermoformed drinking straws among other things. I titled the scene "'200 meters that way, Sergeant!' - AT-SOT in action on Tiolp III." The model is based on the 1/48 Bandai kit. Here's the full album: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1866371406831564&type=3 I took pictures with and without the flash, as my camera seems to wash things out with its flash. I apologize that the images are not better. Comments and criticisms welcome. Kenny Quote
MechTech Posted June 4, 2020 Posted June 4, 2020 Great work Kenny! I like how you made the flora and fonna with common items. The AT-AT is believable too. The mods you made to it fit right in visually (whether its canon or not in the series). Great diorama all the way around! We need more here on MW! - MT Quote
Lt. Z0mBe Posted June 4, 2020 Posted June 4, 2020 (edited) I appreciate the kind words! Praise from masters, indeed. @MechTech Thanks for noticing the flora’s common theme. I figured on that planet, for whatever reason, evolution followed “tubes” as a building method instead of “stems” as the driving factor. I had lots of tubes lying around. Maybe the greater surface area allows certain gases to be absorbed better while giving more strength to the plants But thanks again for noticing. Kenny Edited June 4, 2020 by Lt. Z0mBe Quote
arbit Posted June 4, 2020 Posted June 4, 2020 28 minutes ago, Lt. Z0mBe said: I appreciate the kind words! Praise from masters, indeed. @MechTech Thanks for noticing the flora’s common theme. I figured on that planet, for whatever reason, evolution followed “tubes” as a building method instead of “stems” as the driving factor. I had lots of tubes lying around. Maybe the greater surface area allows certain gases to be absorbed better while giving more strength to the plants But thanks again for noticing. Kenny A beautiful diorama. Actually I would like to see more photos and a build log! Quote
Lt. Z0mBe Posted June 4, 2020 Posted June 4, 2020 1 hour ago, arbit said: A beautiful diorama. Actually I would like to see more photos and a build log! Thanks! I appreciate it. If you check out the link to the album in the post, you can see a lot of the build progress. Kenny Quote
electric indigo Posted June 4, 2020 Posted June 4, 2020 I love the detailed weathering and low contrast on the AT-ST. It makes the model look very real and "scale-less". Quote
big F Posted June 5, 2020 Posted June 5, 2020 9 hours ago, electric indigo said: I love the detailed weathering and low contrast on the AT-ST. It makes the model look very real and "scale-less". My thoughts too. When I saw it I thought oh special products devision variant. There is as much detail in the diorama as the AT-ST. Top work. Quote
Thom Posted June 5, 2020 Posted June 5, 2020 @Lt. Z0mBe Real cool looking AT-ST! I like the additions and the paint and weathering look great. Quote
CrossAir Posted June 9, 2020 Posted June 9, 2020 Completed my first resin figure: Ange from 'Cross Ange'. In the beginning I had read a lot of horror stories about working with resin, especially concerning painting, so I was quite anxious about it. But after a lot of cleaning, filling, sanding and priming I am quite happy with the result. Painting and glueing were no issue in the end and although the kit seems to be a knock-off the resin parts had a smooth surface and were free of any bubbles. Now that I'm thinking about doing another resin kit I'd like to go for Macross 7 or Macross II related stuff. But this seems to be getting pricey Quote
neptunesurvey Posted June 10, 2020 Posted June 10, 2020 Had a Stargate SG1 buildfest. These are 1/2500 from Bad Azz. I think they are small for that scale but are nicely detailed. Hope you enjoy. Quote
neptunesurvey Posted June 10, 2020 Posted June 10, 2020 Nicely lit star destroyer. Is that the Bandai 1/5000 kit? Quote
electric indigo Posted June 10, 2020 Posted June 10, 2020 @CrossAir Very clean paint job, congratulations. Do you hand paint or airbrush? I suggest adding a tad of gloss to your paint to get nice highlights. Quote
CrossAir Posted June 10, 2020 Posted June 10, 2020 12 minutes ago, electric indigo said: @CrossAir Very clean paint job, congratulations. Do you hand paint or airbrush? I suggest adding a tad of gloss to your paint to get nice highlights. Today I try to do most parts by airbrush. Black and white paint were semi gloss but I sprayed several layers of matte clear coat. Maybe I overdid it a little bit in the end Quote
MechTech Posted June 10, 2020 Posted June 10, 2020 Nice-n-clean Cross Air! She has a nice anime look to her like coming right off the drawn cell. Nice stand to make the whole project look great! Neptunesurvey - Great metallic finish in your models! What did you use? Is that one stand from a paper roll holder? - MT Quote
neptunesurvey Posted June 12, 2020 Posted June 12, 2020 Mechtech, the paper roll holder is something I found in the garbage at work. It falls out of some of our old shipping tubes that we use. The metallic paint is Vallejo Chrome. I have moved away from enamels and found that Vallejo paints work for me. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.