Whats Lying on your Workbench MK IV

[pengbuzz]

2 hours ago, peter said:

I think AMT should be charged with crimes against humanity for giving us decals of this quality.

And also for giving us the 1/537 Refit.

This decal cracked just soaking in the water.

Just a friggin cluster fuk.

The saucer top of the Enterprise was in about 3-4 pieces.

Reliant bottom wasn't much better.

I sort of salvaged them, but the Reliant marking is pooched. 

It was just too far gone and there was no saving it. Good thing this is the bottom.

 

More to follow.

I got very good at realigning shattered decals thanks to projects like that one! lol

At least I don't have to worry about that anymore....

[Urashiman]

5 hours ago, peter said:

I think AMT should be charged with crimes against humanity for giving us decals of this quality.

And also for giving us the 1/537 Refit.

This decal cracked just soaking in the water.

Just a friggin cluster fuk.

The saucer top of the Enterprise was in about 3-4 pieces.

Reliant bottom wasn't much better.

I sort of salvaged them, but the Reliant marking is pooched. 

It was just too far gone and there was no saving it. Good thing this is the bottom.

 

More to follow.

okay .... not going to buy this set then haha

[Thom]

@peter Congrats on transitioning to the airbrush, and jumping right in with a double-action at that! The first ones I used were single-action siphon feeds, but gotta say that the double-action grav feeds are the best! Best of luck with it.

As for those decals, would coating them with a gloss coat before-hand help in applying them? Or cutting them into far smaller chunks?

[derex3592]

Anyone building those Star Trek kits needs to know you have got to cut those saucer decals up into at least 6 different sections to apply them. I highly recommend going back and reading my build logs in this forum when I got to the decals.  Warm water with a drop of dish soap in it. I like to keep the water warm!  I have a small warming plate I put a bowl of water on.  Also, don't start from the sides, start from the center and work your way out...LOTS and LOTS of Microsol. They are a pain, no doubt. I didn't have any tear on me though. 

 

In other Star Trek related news...Runabout crew and guest stars of the week are ready to go! 

Edited February 22, 2021 by derex3592

[MechTech]

@peter That sucks about the decals, but your work looks great despite the issues. Use MicroSol Super Film to cover your decals. You can just hand brush it on. It will reinforce them and is also good for coating your own decals too.

@derex3592 Your crew is looking great Derex! I'm going out on a limb, but my bet is that the "red shirts" are the first to get "written off" the show! - MT

[Kelsain]

Does redoing the entire space that my workbench lives in count?

[Sanity is Optional]

I think your work area is about the same size as my entire condo.

I am jelly.

[derex3592]

uhhhh YEH!!! Totally jelly here! NICE! 

[peter]

18 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

I got very good at realigning shattered decals thanks to projects like that one! lol

At least I don't have to worry about that anymore....

Lol, it's a good skill to have

[peter]

15 hours ago, Urashiman said:

okay .... not going to buy this set then haha

Lol, if you like stress, this is the kit for you

[peter]

14 hours ago, Thom said:

@peter Congrats on transitioning to the airbrush, and jumping right in with a double-action at that! The first ones I used were single-action siphon feeds, but gotta say that the double-action grav feeds are the best! Best of luck with it.

As for those decals, would coating them with a gloss coat before-hand help in applying them? Or cutting them into far smaller chunks?

I dabbled with an airbrush 25 or so years ago, but it wasn't mine.  

 

I honestly don't know any airbrush terminology, lol!  My buddy sent me a link for a decent one and I ordered it along with a compressor.  It seems like good quality and I'm getting the hang of it.  I like to keep my tools clean so I've actually done a bit more research on that than how to use it, lol!

 

So far though, it's a lot of fun and I love watching how smooth the paint goes on

[peter]

14 hours ago, derex3592 said:

Anyone building those Star Trek kits needs to know you have got to cut those saucer decals up into at least 6 different sections to apply them. I highly recommend going back and reading my build logs in this forum when I got to the decals.  Warm water with a drop of dish soap in it. I like to keep the water warm!  I have a small warming plate I put a bowl of water on.  Also, don't start from the sides, start from the center and work your way out...LOTS and LOTS of Microsol. They are a pain, no doubt. I didn't have any tear on me though. 

 

In other Star Trek related news...Runabout crew and guest stars of the week are ready to go! 

Going back to read everything you did.  Looks like way back around page 220 or so (Jan2020) is when you started.

I was watching Model Chili and he sort of inspired me to buy the Enterprise set.  Lol, he made it seem less crappy an experience, hahahaha!!

Edited February 23, 2021 by peter
Edited for spelling

[peter]

7 hours ago, MechTech said:

@peter That sucks about the decals, but your work looks great despite the issues. Use MicroSol Super Film to cover your decals. You can just hand brush it on. It will reinforce them and is also good for coating your own decals too.

@derex3592 Your crew is looking great Derex! I'm going out on a limb, but my bet is that the "red shirts" are the first to get "written off" the show! - MT

Actually, I sort of figured out these decals after posting my rant.

Cut them into smaller pieces, especially the large saucer sections, and even the nacelle sections. 

Let them soak in the water longer, almost to the point when they want to float away from the paper backing.

Lots of water on the surface of where they are going.

Don't fiddle when them too much because if you much as fart, they will break.

A lot of decal softener.

It's like they printed these decals on Nori (that brittle seaweed they use for sushi), lol!

Edited February 23, 2021 by peter
Grammar

[peter]

6 hours ago, Kelsain said:

Does redoing the entire space that my workbench lives in count?

That looks like a lot more work than my little decal problem, hahahahaha!

[peter]

Please don't zoom in, lol!

[peter]

I noticed that these decals have a different finish than the set that comes with the 7 Enterprise set.

The ones that come with the Cadet Series have a flat look to them.

When I opened the 7 ship Enterprise set, they have a glossy look to them.  I think they may be printed on different decal paper.  

When Model Chili was building his kit, he was pulling saucer sized decals off the backing without them ripping or cracking.

Anyway, for the rest of this kit, I've sort of learned how to handle the decals.

Cut them into tiny manageable pieces.

Let the decals tell me when they are ready to come off the paper, in this case I just let them float right off, lol!

They don't break as easy, but are still sort of stuff as hell.

But after drowning them in Mr. mark Softer, they eventually suck right in.

Don't zoom in.

Lol, honestly, the camera picks up more stuff than I can actually see with my eyes. 

 In other words, they don't look this crappy in person, hahahahahaha!

 

Edited February 23, 2021 by peter
Edited for spelling

[Kelsain]

10 hours ago, Sanity is Optional said:

I think your work area is about the same size as my entire condo.

I am jelly.

I wish the whole place was for me! It’s also a family room (left), lego & game area (table), and a shared hobby & 3d printing space for the wife & I (cabinet/workbench). But it will have several display cabinets for my models & toys, once IKEA has stock again.

it’s about 500 sq ft, so it’ll be cozy;  but a great place to hang out with friends after quarantine and to do fun stuff.

[derex3592]

@peter - Glad you are getting the hang of the decal situation! It's looking pretty good! I totally get where you are coming from! All decals are different from different companies, age is a factor as well. Looks like you are doing great all things considered! And yes, Model Chili also inspired me to buy the Enterprise set! He made it look much easier! LOL! They are definitely a "look at them from 3 feet away" kinda set once they are finished! 

[electric indigo]

1983's Future Fighter

[MechTech]

20 hours ago, Kelsain said:

Does redoing the entire space that my workbench lives in count?

You get EXTRA credit Kelsain for doing contract work too! - MT

[derex3592]

1 hour ago, electric indigo said:

1983's Future Fighter

Comment HERE if you think @electric indigo should do a YouTube video channel on painting....

[peter]

1 hour ago, derex3592 said:

Comment HERE if you think @electric indigo should do a YouTube video channel on painting....

Definitely!

 

[Thom]

3 hours ago, electric indigo said:

1983's Future Fighter

Saw that, and I went ooooh! Very interesting. This a short-run or garage kit? And what of!?

 

2 hours ago, derex3592 said:

Comment HERE if you think @electric indigo should do a YouTube video channel on painting....

Thirds!

[electric indigo]

@Thom That's the MiG 1.44, the kit is from Zvezda, but also saw a wide release by Revell. You should be able to find it in online stores or on The Bay. The 1.44 or MFI was MiG's venture into 4.5 generation fighter design, before the Su-47 somewhat stole the show.

Not so sure about the YouTube thing (as I'm lacking a third arm), but I'll do my best to document the proceedings for the next color. Is there already an All Things Airbrush thread?

 

[wm cheng]

On 2/23/2021 at 2:37 PM, derex3592 said:

Comment HERE if you think @electric indigo should do a YouTube video channel on painting....

I would be glued to that channel!

 

[Gabe Q]

On 2/23/2021 at 11:37 AM, derex3592 said:

Comment HERE if you think @electric indigo should do a YouTube video channel on painting....

I would 'like' and 'subscribe'!

[derex3592]

If you guys haven't yet, check out Takeoff Models Full Build videos on his channel. He's good. Very good. The Osprey is the newest vid. I watched it at lunch today. I've learned a few good little tips and tricks from watching his videos. 

 

 

Edited February 25, 2021 by derex3592

[electric indigo]

@derex3592 Thanks for posting the video, I'm taking the same steps in airbrushing that the modeler does, only I'm usually try to limit the surface colors to two passes (flat dark base & semi-gloss light panel shade).

For the heck of it, I tried to document this with my camera, but it's pretty tedious to watch without the FFWD effect:

Hop to Flickr to see the action (2 min).

The greatest weakness of the MiG 1.44 was apparently it's boring late cold war paint scheme that must have killed the project once the officials laid their eyes on the proposal. I set out to rectify that by applying Sukhoj's ghost pixel scheme...

Got the great Su-57 masks from Arma Hobby, cut them apart and fitted them on the MFI:

The masked area got a base layer of Dark Sea Grey:

Then came the actual color pass. As you can see in the video, it is applied panel by panel and took about 45 minutes. I also try to give some structure to uniform surfaces like the huge wings by wiggling the airbrush while I paint streaks lengthwise.

Et voilá: Instant air superiority:

 

[CrossAir]

37 minutes ago, electric indigo said:

@derex3592 Thanks for posting the video, I'm taking the same steps in airbrushing that the modeler does, only I'm usually try to limit the surface colors to two passes (flat dark base & semi-gloss light panel shade).

For the heck of it, I tried to document this with my camera, but it's pretty tedious to watch without the FFWD effect:

Hop to Flickr to see the action (2 min).

The greatest weakness of the MiG 1.44 was apparently it's boring late cold war paint scheme that must have killed the project once the officials laid their eyes on the proposal. I set out to rectify that by applying Sukhoj's ghost pixel scheme...

Got the great Su-57 masks from Arma Hobby, cut them apart and fitted them on the MFI:

The masked area got a base layer of Dark Sea Grey:

Then came the actual color pass. As you can see in the video, it is applied panel by panel and took about 45 minutes. I also try to give some structure to uniform surfaces like the huge wings by wiggling the airbrush while I paint streaks lengthwise.

Et voilá: Instant air superiority:

 

That is really good looking color scheme for this birdie! Great work 

And thanks @all for sharing the videos and links, hopefully I learned new things to add to my painting skills.

[derex3592]

Looking epic as usual @electric indigo! Love the paint scheme! 

[derex3592]

The crew and VIP guest passengers of the Runabout have boarded and are ready for departure... 

[arbit]

On 2/26/2021 at 7:57 PM, electric indigo said:

For the heck of it, I tried to document this with my camera, but it's pretty tedious to watch without the FFWD effect:

Hop to Flickr to see the action (2 min).

Cool. Thanks for that. I actually like to see airbrushing in real time to understand how people lay down their paint.

I would be afraid to spray with your technique. I always get splatter (or afraid I will), so I keep the air going, and pull back when I want paint.

[electric indigo]

That's the problem with gravity feed double-action airbrushes, when the needle is pulled back without airflow, paint collects at the tip. Unless I'm spraying very delicate gradients, I always use my unbreakable single-action Badger. You need to twist the tip to adjust the amount of paint, but once you have the right setting, you can just use it like a little spray can. You can get very close to the surface if you reduce the amount of paint accordingly.

[peter]

They're getting there.

 

Decals are cracked and fractured to hell, a lots of silvering.  I should have gotten the surface smoother and more glossy for the decals to adhere to.  Will have to remember for next time.

Got a little brave with the Gundam marker to draw in the intakes for the nacelles.

That was a mistake.  Shaky hands and bad eyes equals crooked lines, lol!  Plus the uneven surface from my bad decal application.

I still have another Refit of the same size with the Enterprise set so I'll try to remember trying to pen them in before decals.

 

[peter]

Still have to gloss coat these things to seal the decals in, then dull coat them to give them the flat look.

I may weather the K'tinga, but if the Reliant and Refit still look like garbage after the dull coat, I may have to kill them both with some Wrath of Khan battle damage.

In the mean time, I dug out another relic from my childhood. 

I started this kit wayyyyyy back in grade 6 or 7, so easily 30+ years ago.  Not sure where I was going with this back then, but it looks like I brush painted the parts black while still on the runners.

Have a feeling this might be another hate-build.  There is barely anything holding these parts together, no pegs or holes....just a bunch of long rounded tabs and some flat surfaces that sort of line up.

Roy's looking around like "WTF is this mess?"

Apparently these two are both 1/100 scale, so those Speeders are TINY!!

I still don't know why I brush painted the whole thing black, but it worked out great because I've seen people do this so it was a good chance for me to experiment and practice with my new airbrush.

 

Have no idea what I'm doing.  But it was a good learning experience and get some trigger time on the airbrush.

Still have more to do, but I can already see the advantages over brush painting larger surfaces and even rattle cans.

Not a horrible start.

Edited March 1, 2021 by peter
Edited for spelling