Whats Lying on your Workbench MK IV

[peter]

10 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

Well, yesterday my darling upstairs neighbors decided to have "Stompfest 2021" upstairs. >:(  They managed to rattle several things right off the table in our apartment (I SWEAR they must be dropping bowling balls and cinderblocks!) ; thankfully, the Tomcat was NOT amongst the items that fell from the table. it was safely in its' storage bin and thus was not a casualty.

 

However... the Refit WAS.

 

As it stands right now, both nacelle pylons are cracked apart from the Secondary hull. Thankfully, they both have a metal reinforcement rod (bent into a "u" shape") that supports the main weight.

That said:... I DID NOT NEED THIS:

I should be able to repair the damage with Plastic Welder; then it's a matter of repainting the areas that got cracked (ugh) and doing my best to hide the damage. But since I haven't slept since it happened (I cannot sleep when I'm upset) When I am a bit calmer, I plan on having a very detailed discussion with our landlord, which will include the price for a new tube of Plastic Welder, as well as any other amenities I may need to effect repairs. This discussion will also include the request for the landlord to issue a written warning against our upstairs neighbors (to be retained in the landlord's files and a copy for our own files), and the future possibility of summoning law enforcement/ legal action concerning them and their less-than-civil behavior.

It's a very small universe when I'm angry with someone.

Stay tuned...

 

 

That's the 537 for you. 

It will crack, bend and sag, even if you reinforce it with the hand of God, so don't feel bad.

I avoid looking at my 537s in case they are already cracked and I just don't know it.

if things really go south on yours and it's no longer salvageable, nuke it from orbit like I did.

[peter]

I think the 15th anniversary issue is a retooling?  The torso is actually quite different.

My childhood build on the left.....just hope the one on the right ends up looking a little bit better.

It's definitely a different shape....wonder why they changed it?  Not like it's a huge improvement, lol!

The top was really naked, void of any detail so after watching Plasmo build his Gundam, I tried and failed to add detail, lol!  Oh well, I just won't display it anywhere near the Hasegawa.

Collapsed the rifle and will use a Hasegawa part to mount it to the arm.

One thing that really bugs me are trigger fingers on the trigger when not firing, so I straightened the finger.  This is for the Hasegawa Battroid, not the Bandai.  I might go with fists for both hands for the Bandai.

Experimenting with black-basing.  Well, in this case, brown-basing and red-basing.  Will see how different the same grey/white will look over these two primers.

Valkyries by Lindt.

This thing looks like Maximilian from the Black Hole.

 

 

[pengbuzz]

4 hours ago, peter said:

That's the 537 for you. 

It will crack, bend and sag, even if you reinforce it with the hand of God, so don't feel bad.

I avoid looking at my 537s in case they are already cracked and I just don't know it.

if things really go south on yours and it's no longer salvageable, nuke it from orbit like I did.

Well, it was fine until the upstairs neighbors banged on the floor so hard that it shook the worktable. ANYTHING is gonna fall and break given those circumstances, and I was prepping it for decals and final paintwork. The pylons were stable and weren't an issue until "leadfoot and the stomp session "upstairs got going!

As for "nuking it from orbit", I will never do a "self-destruct" Enterprise. That just hurt too much watching it in STIII!

Anyways, a small update: I used JB Plastic Bonder to repair the nacelle pylons. I won't be buying that adhesive again, as even with proper mixing and prepping the repair surface (90 percent iso alcohol, bone-dry and grease-free), it took 2 hours to cure and not the "15 minutes to cure, 30 to paint/sand" as the package promised. Several folks on Amazon reviews complained about the same thing as well.

But at least it's fixed. Going to wait until morning to clean up the repair areas on the hull and repaint/redecal.

 

Stay tuned folks

 

Edited April 20, 2021 by pengbuzz

[pengbuzz]

Got the decals for the Refit from Round 2 today:

 

I have to admit: I'm impressed! I remember the old ones being a scant few, and the hull registry was far too small. These I compared to my sized prints and the hull registry is bang on! I think the strongback decals are too blue (for the refit), but a "glaze coat" of transparent yellow might resolve that. They also include the botanical section windows n black, the sensor bands for the saucer rim (complete with docking gangway hatches) and even the "runway" end for the hangar bay and the sections for the nav deflector.

I'd love to see what they could do in designing an all-new kit of the Refit; seeing that Round 2 was recently purchased by another company, that could provide funds for them or it could stall them. We'll see.

[Convectuoso]

Well, this was a fun build. Took me about 3 hours to build it.

Now I wonder if there's some Rush toy or figure that scales well with this.

[derex3592]

Here's some better daytime/evening pics of the project to this point. Trust me when I tell you, that was as close as those 2 halves were getting even with massive clamping and brass parts "spreading" the upper part apart for assembly.   Overall, I'm happy with the result considering what I had to work with.  Light leaks around the seam really are minor and the majority of the work will be on the front nose section of the ship. Time once again to break out the files, sandpaper, putty and ohh dear god the scribing tool....stay tuned! 

[electric indigo]

Is it too late to vote for a Chris Foss scheme on the shuttle? The design wouldn't look out of place on those great 70's SF book covers.

Good luck with the final steps!

_

I'm still busy wrestling the alignment of this resin madness

[pengbuzz]

UPDATE 1:

Final on the Tomcat:

Calling this one "done" (whew!)

 

UPDATE 2:

Got this far on the Refit after someone using a car horn as a "doorbell" made me dump half a bottle of Microsol:

Beginning the Aztec pattern, but not using pencil...

 

...freehanding in pearlescent paint. We'll see how it goes...

On that note: wasn't a big fan of blackened botanical garden windows... so I did some "gardening"...
 

Planning to do a light blue glaze to simulate the lights on in there.

 

Stay tuned...

[Thom]

3 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

UPDATE 1:

Final on the Tomcat:

Calling this one "done" (whew!)

 

UPDATE 2:

Got this far on the Refit after someone using a car horn as a "doorbell" made me dump half a bottle of Microsol:

Beginning the Aztec pattern, but not using pencil...

 

...freehanding in pearlescent paint. We'll see how it goes...

On that note: wasn't a big fan of blackened botanical garden windows... so I did some "gardening"...
 

Planning to do a light blue glaze to simulate the lights on in there.

 

Stay tuned...

Nice finish on the 'cat! Feels good to finally get it done right?! And good looking repair on the Refit.

[Ignacio Ocamica]

Quoted wrong post!

Edited April 22, 2021 by Ignacio Ocamica

[Ignacio Ocamica]

On 4/10/2021 at 10:33 PM, 505thAirborne said:

Looking good everyone! 

A couple quick shots of the 31A & 19. Pretty much calling the Kairos done, while the 19 has a few more additions to add on. 

 

 

 

Loving them both!!!

[peter]

On 4/20/2021 at 9:53 PM, Convectuoso said:

Well, this was a fun build. Took me about 3 hours to build it.

Now I wonder if there's some Rush toy or figure that scales well with this.

Mega Man!  I am long overdue for a fun and easy build, lol! 

[peter]

On 4/21/2021 at 5:52 AM, derex3592 said:

Here's some better daytime/evening pics of the project to this point. Trust me when I tell you, that was as close as those 2 halves were getting even with massive clamping and brass parts "spreading" the upper part apart for assembly.   Overall, I'm happy with the result considering what I had to work with.  Light leaks around the seam really are minor and the majority of the work will be on the front nose section of the ship. Time once again to break out the files, sandpaper, putty and ohh dear god the scribing tool....stay tuned! 

It still boggles my mind how you crammed all that detail on the inside of that shuttle, let alone light it. 

[peter]

@pengbuzz

That Tomcat is awesome.  

I would totally woosh that around the room, especially while watching Topgun. 

[derex3592]

23 minutes ago, peter said:

It still boggles my mind how you crammed all that detail on the inside of that shuttle, let alone light it. 

@peterLOTS and LOTS of trial and error my friend! I looked back at my Google photos the other day and realized I've been working on this (slowly, admittingly) since about the 1st of September last year! Time flies! 

 

EDIT: Now that I've done it, honestly, the lighting is NOT the hard part, I'm not scared of that anymore. It's the designing and getting the custom interior to fit in that took the time on this one (not to mention the absolutely atrocious fit of the kit) 

Edited April 22, 2021 by derex3592

[peter]

Some more progress on the pair of Battroids.  Some attempt at pre-shading. 

I found that Tamiya Sky Gray does not easily cover the red...... Or maybe my mix was just too opaque. 

But it eventually got there. 

I got brave and also tried my hand at post shading, but I guess I could have gotten a bit more aggressive with it. 

Now the chocolate Hasegawa.  Since the Mahogany (brown primer) was pretty dark to begin with, I didn't pre-shade. 

My mix of grayish white was producing a decent marbling effect on the brown. 

Does anybody else get sores or cramps from airbrushing too long?  Lol, maybe I should try to relax a bit more. 

I think the brown was easier to work with in terms of layering on color. 

Flat black on brown can produce some interesting results. 

I don't care if the color isn't line/screen accurate, I know it's supposed to be black, but I sort of like this color. 

The grey completely masked the brown so I got a chance to practice post-shading a bit more. 

Hasegawa GU-11 compared to Bandai one I did when I was a kid.

Will clear/pledge these parts then onto decals when the clear cures.

 

 

[peter]

50 minutes ago, derex3592 said:

@petert to mention the absolutely atrocious fit of the kit) 

It's AMT right?  Haha, did they ever make anything that fit? 

[Chronocidal]

19 minutes ago, peter said:

It's AMT right?  Haha, did they ever make anything that fit? 

I've heard their Bird of Prey kit praised as one of the best they made, actually, and the fit looks pretty nice from what I can see, but I haven't attempted to actually assemble anything yet, since I'm waiting until I work up a rotation mechanism for the wings.

[arbit]

Mechtech, Sorry, it's top secret 

Pengbuz, The finish on that Tomcat looks great. I bet your showing that off to everyone who will look!

Peter, Looks like you  have a dozen awesome projects on at the same time. All good stuff from way way back. Childhood builds are the best if you still have them.

Electric Indigo, glad to see another FSS build. Can't beat rein for the smooth finish compared to 3D printing these days.

Derex, the interior figures and lighting looks great! Glad to hear you're not afraid the lighting anymore, it opens up a lot of potential ideas.

As for me, I'm working on my airlock door.  I'm trying out several new skills here. Originally I planned to get a really good gloss coat on it so that I can try some oil weathering. The gloss coat with Future came out to a mirror finish. This is actually my first ever successful gloss coat. I think I can safely lay oils on this without it seeping into the paint like it usually does.  I have never really been able to weather anything before. Unless I get an inch thick gloss like this, my oils just don't behave as they do with those tutorials online (You know, where they spray on a quick coat of glosss, or none at all, before weathering and panel-lining. Yeah right! That never works.)

But now that I got this finish, I'm thinking of not weathering it at all and leaving it like this, because it gives it a cool metallic look.  What do  you guys think? I'm wondering if I can do a bit of weathering and then glossing it again like this.

 

 

Edited April 22, 2021 by arbit

[Thom]

New model on the table!

[derex3592]

4 hours ago, arbit said:

 

But now that I got this finish, I'm thinking of not weathering it at all and leaving it like this, because it gives it a cool metallic look.  What do  you guys think? I'm wondering if I can do a bit of weathering and then glossing it again like this.

 

 

I for one love the glossy metallic sheen going on there! 

[peter]

16 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

UPDATE 1:

Final on the Tomcat:

Calling this one "done" (whew!)

 

UPDATE 2:

Got this far on the Refit after someone using a car horn as a "doorbell" made me dump half a bottle of Microsol:

Beginning the Aztec pattern, but not using pencil...

 

...freehanding in pearlescent paint. We'll see how it goes...

On that note: wasn't a big fan of blackened botanical garden windows... so I did some "gardening"...
 

Planning to do a light blue glaze to simulate the lights on in there.

 

Stay tuned...

I just realized, after all that destruction..........

 

my arboretum is still lit, lol! 

[peter]

4 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

I've heard their Bird of Prey kit praised as one of the best they made, actually, and the fit looks pretty nice from what I can see, but I haven't attempted to actually assemble anything yet, since I'm waiting until I work up a rotation mechanism for the wings.

Want that kit... So bad, but not paying Fleabay scalper prices.  Will wait for the reissue. 

 

Also want this kit for the variable wings:

 

https://hdamodelworx.com/Klingon-Bird-of-Prey--B´Rel-Class--Radiators-Moving-Parts-for-the-AMT-350-Scale-Model-kit-Kit-by-GREEN-STRAWBERRY-_p_920.html

 

 

[Chronocidal]

You know, I've looked through the instructions on how that wing hinge works, and I know I've seen an entirely different mechanism for the same system that used stacks of individual panels cut from acrylic sheet, and tied together with a pair of metal rods that formed a sliding hinge, rather than a rotation about a point.

I've built up the design roughly in CAD, so I might try and make something myself... someday.  

[peter]

4 hours ago, arbit said:

 

 

 

I want one....... Hahahaha! 

[peter]

1 hour ago, Thom said:

New model on the table!

WWII aircraft..... My guess...... 

[Convectuoso]

Ok, I've finished this one at last. The stickers were a nightmare, so it's a mix of stickers, paint and custom decals.

 

[Chronocidal]

Looks good!  I picked up a bundle of those kits when they came out since they were so cheap, but I took one look at the decals and decided then and there to just do my own schemes for them all.

[pengbuzz]

8 hours ago, Thom said:

New model on the table!

P-51 Mustang?

[Thom]

10 hours ago, peter said:

WWII aircraft..... My guess...... 

Ding, ding, ding! But post war.

3 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

P-51 Mustang?

In the same class. Spitfire.

[MechTech]

@peter Great progress on the Valks! It is funny how things have changed over the years. That's interesting how the cockpits changed on the battroid kit over the two versions. I remember it being flat too in the back.

@derex3592 Is that a model I'm looking at or photos of the Grand Canyon! Nothing on you, Derex. Those kits are horrifically designed! Maybe that's why I haven't built any since I was a kid (and not being a huge Trek fan). All in all, you did an awesome job with the seams, sorry you have more to go.

@pengbuzz CONGRATS on finishing your Cat! I like the coloring you used for the boots around the wings - a lot of people miss that and it drives me nuts   Nice mod to the Enterprise decals too! I wouldn't know the difference between the original and modified unless you said something.

@arbit Keeping the piano secret eh I don't think space is that dirty. I think you can leave that panel clean - if it matches everything else around it.

@Convectuoso Nice clean finish - despite the troubles you had with the markings. - MT

[Convectuoso]

1 hour ago, MechTech said:

@Convectuoso Nice clean finish - despite the troubles you had with the markings. - MT

Thanks

12 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

Looks good!  I picked up a bundle of those kits when they came out since they were so cheap, but I took one look at the decals and decided then and there to just do my own schemes for them all.

Thanks

[Chronocidal]

Bit more progress with my Excalibur print, I've gotten all of the major components sanded down and polished, though I still have a few rough spots to fill and smooth out.

Decided to take a break from that process, and throw together a quick display stand.  I might print another of these later, since I cranked up the layer thickness on this one to 0.3mm to speed up the print to about two and a half hours, and the quality suffered a bit (and the model could probably do with a few more polygons to round it out as well).  I'd like to get the lettering a bit more refined as well, since some of the layers flaked off.  

Still, came out nicely, and looks like it'll be pretty sturdy, clipping around the back of the wing between the engines similar to how Eaglemoss makes their stands for Trek ships, but hidden a lot better.  

[Salamander]

On 4/22/2021 at 10:21 PM, derex3592 said:

@peterLOTS and LOTS of trial and error my friend! I looked back at my Google photos the other day and realized I've been working on this (slowly, admittingly) since about the 1st of September last year! Time flies! 

 

EDIT: Now that I've done it, honestly, the lighting is NOT the hard part, I'm not scared of that anymore. It's the designing and getting the custom interior to fit in that took the time on this one (not to mention the absolutely atrocious fit of the kit) 

Strange, I have an older release of that kit (not build yet) and I don't remember the fit being that bad. In fact, I just checked and the front end fits together really well. Maybe the molds are wearing out?

[derex3592]

@Salamander - consider yourself fortunate and count your blessings!