Whats Lying on your Workbench MK IV

[Grayson72]

11 minutes ago, peter said:

But the first thing my eyes were drawn to were the seam lines, the gaps, the gun metal colored landing gear (they should be white), that unsightly booster cradle, and other inaccuracies compared to the 1/72 Hasegawa models I made, lol!  It's like I can't unsee them, and this is something that I never noticed when I bought the Max a few years back, when I was still on my hiatus from model building. 

 

 

 

Wow you've got some really nice in-laws.  The reasons you state above is exactly why I don't do toys, too many imperfections that detract from what would be a theoretical "real-world" example of a vehicle.

[Thom]

7 hours ago, peter said:

Oh, that's awesome....is it based off the P51?

Edmoton CANADA!

 

No, Mk XVI XIV (14) Spitfire. It's Airfix's new-tool in the Civilian Schemes boxing. An alright molding, but with problems I don't think a new-mold should have. If I build another Race 80, it'll be with the Academy kit.

 

Edited June 10, 2021 by Thom

[Thom]

55 minutes ago, peter said:

@Thom

@Grayson72

@derex3592

Lol!

Wow, they went all out on that! Any size you can imagine, catered to already.

[pengbuzz]

On 6/8/2021 at 4:11 PM, Photogirl said:

pleased to find this replacement decal sheet in my mail today.
Its not a perfect substitute for the Virgin Road sheet, but it has enough i can use to put the kit into my "Done" list.

Birthday thursday, so i know what i'll be doing. 

BTW: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

  

1 hour ago, Grayson72 said:

Wow you've got some really nice in-laws.  The reasons you state above is exactly why I don't do toys, too many imperfections that detract from what would be a theoretical "real-world" example of a vehicle.

I like doing the toys because they tend to be built stronger than the models. That said: I'm also willing to go to great lengths to correct the imperfections, and will even graft kit parts onto a toy if I deem it necessary.

  

2 hours ago, peter said:

The in-laws sent a care package from Japan a few days ago.  I know it's not a model, but hear me out, it is model related. 

And they threw in a DX Roy and Strike Packs. 

I ordered this ages ago and they decided it was taking up space so they threw it in the box, and I appreciate them doing that but..... 

Strangely, I wasn't as excited about it as I thought I would be. 

I opened the box, pulled the Valk out and attached the Strike packs.... But then it just sat.  I didn't feel compelled to play with it, or transform it. 

Instead, I went back to working on my models - Yamato, the BOP and Grissom.

I bought the DX Max a few years ago when I was in Japan, and I was pretty stoked about it, but I always wanted a Roy since I was a kid.  This was it, my first Roy toy.....but when I finally got it, I wasn't super excited. 

I've been building models on a regular basis during the last year or so and I wonder if my renewed interest in models has become the priority.  

I mean, the toy is awesome, all painted, lots of markings, nice proportions..... But the first thing my eyes were drawn to were the seam lines, the gaps, the gun metal colored landing gear (they should be white), that unsightly booster cradle, and other inaccuracies compared to the 1/72 Hasegawa models I made, lol!  It's like I can't unsee them, and this is something that I never noticed when I bought the Max a few years back, when I was still on my hiatus from model building. 

Has this happened to you guys? 

Maybe I'll appreciated it a bit more after my workbench is cleared... I better, because the wife knows how much I spent on this thing. 

 

 

Well bro...you could always mail it to me.

Edited June 10, 2021 by pengbuzz

[pengbuzz]

Double post

Edited June 10, 2021 by pengbuzz

[peter]

3 hours ago, Thom said:

No, Mk XVI (14) Spitfire. It's Airfix's new-tool in the Civilian Schemes boxing. An alright molding, but with problems I don't think a new-mold should have. If I build another Race 80, it'll be with the Academy kit.

 

OMG, that's embarrassing.  As a kid, I thought I knew my WWII planes, but it's been a long time since I dove into my Time Life - Epic of Flight books.

 

[peter]

2 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

I like doing the toys because they tend to be built stronger than the models. That said: I'm also willing to go to great lengths to correct the imperfections, and will even graft kit parts onto a toy if I deem it necessary.

  Well bro...you could always mail it to me.

Lol, my wife knows I have it, so if I sold it, she would kill me, especially since her parents went to the trouble to send it to me.

That is a VERY good point to remember with toys, that they are built to be played with and will hold up to posing, unlike my Hasegawa models.  

With my Hasegawa and Bandai battroid models, I don't want to touch them again after I finish them because they seem too fragile to pose too many times.

That said, the last year, I've found a lot of enjoyment in building models, and sharing my experiences with everyone here

 

[peter]

Despite my messy decal work, and my complete lack of knowledge of this ship, the Grissom is turning out looking not too bad. 

I have two more of these so the next one hopefully comes out better now that I know what to expect.

Will seal these decals in after they all settle.  I had to resort to Tamiya Mark Fit Super Strong for some of the curvy decals.... And they still don't like cold water, despite feeling robust (fragmented a few). 

I may leave these decals out.  They sit on the edge of the pylons, and to my old man eyes, it looks like there isn't enough surface for the decal to cling to.  I think more decal will end up folding over the edge than on the face of the edge.

 

Edited June 10, 2021 by peter

[pengbuzz]

35 minutes ago, peter said:

Despite my messy decal work, and my complete lack of knowledge of this ship, the Grissom is turning out looking not too bad. 

I have two more of these so the next one hopefully comes out better now that I know what to expect.

Will seal these decals in after they all settle.  I had to resort to Tamiya Mark Fit Super Strong for some of the curvy decals.... And they still don't like cold water, despite feeling robust (fragmented a few). 

I may leave these decals out.  They sit on the edge of the pylons, and to my old man eyes, it looks like there isn't enough surface for the decal to cling to.  I think more decal will end up folding over the edge than on the face of the edge.

 

Honestly, I would just paint the blue on the edges and use a sharpy fineline marker if you feel you need it. otherwise, I'd just leave it off if I were you. It's going to be a pain that you just don't need bro.

[Thom]

2 hours ago, peter said:

OMG, that's embarrassing.  As a kid, I thought I knew my WWII planes, but it's been a long time since I dove into my Time Life - Epic of Flight books.

 

The later types of both planes do have similar lines, what with the lowered back and the bubble canopy. You can be forgiven!

As for the Grissom-build, I didn't bother with those edge decals either. Far too fiddly for me.

 

[Dobber]

In Grissom news…. at Wonderfest last weekend, R2 announced a 1/350 Grissom kit!

 

Chris

Edit: whoops serves me right for not checking the previous page, @Thom already showed this. Sorry Thom.

Edited June 11, 2021 by Dobber

[peter]

48 minutes ago, Dobber said:

In Grissom news…. at Wonderfest last weekend, R2 announced a 1/350 Grissom kit!

 

Chris

Edit: whoops serves me right for not checking the previous page, @Thom already showed this. Sorry Thom.

I wonder how they treated this area of the ship, wondering if it will be a physical grill or decal.

[Thom]

@Dobber No problem at all!!

@peter And at that size, it better be grooved plastic.

[Dobber]

Even at 1/350 it’s still going to be pretty small. R2 used the lower end of the size estimate. Like what was discussed over at SSM, I “PERSONALLY” won’t view this one as 1/350. Maybe more like 1/500-1/650.

Chris

[Thom]

49 minutes ago, Dobber said:

Even at 1/350 it’s still going to be pretty small. R2 used the lower end of the size estimate. Like what was discussed over at SSM, I “PERSONALLY” won’t view this one as 1/350. Maybe more like 1/500-1/650.

Chris

Me too! That is exactly what I'm thinking, and how I view the '1/1000' Pikerprise and the Kelvin, so they should all fit well together.  

Edited June 11, 2021 by Thom

[Chronocidal]

25 minutes ago, Thom said:

Me too! That is exactly what I'm thinking, and how I view the '1/1000' Pikerprise and the Kelvin, so they should all fit well together.  

I don't even want to pretend to understand what the nonsense with the different scales is at this point.  Far as I'm concerned, the Pike version is the same scale as the ancient 18" TOS Enterprise.  Until I see someone drawing complete deck diagrams that show me why a pseudo-military ship has 30 foot bay windows, I'm just going to run on my own headcanon that the Enterprise has always been the same size, and the current generation of writers has absolutely no comprehension of scale as a concept.

Edited June 11, 2021 by Chronocidal

[peter]

26 minutes ago, Thom said:

Me too! That is exactly what I'm thinking, and how I view the '1/1000' Pikerprise and the Kelvin, so they should all fit well together.  

The Pikerprise/Discoprise scale irks me.

I haven't watched STD so I didn't know about the weird scaling issue, I only bought the 1/2500 scale kit because the box described it as 12" long and I figured it would look good with the 1/1000 scale TOS and Refit.

I open the box and I'm thinking *uck me, they forgot the model, all I see are the instructions.  I flip the instructions off and I see this tiny thing in the same size box that the other 1/1000 Enterprises came in.  This thing looked like it could have come in a box about 1/3 the size.  

To this day, I am peeved about the printing error on the box.  I would not have spent $45 if I knew it was going to be that tiny.

[Chronocidal]

6 minutes ago, peter said:

The Pikerprise/Discoprise scale irks me.

I haven't watched STD so I didn't know about the weird scaling issue, I only bought the 1/2500 scale kit because the box described it as 12" long and I figured it would look good with the 1/1000 scale TOS and Refit.

I open the box and I'm thinking *uck me, they forgot the model, all I see are the instructions.  I flip the instructions off and I see this tiny thing in the same size box that the other 1/1000 Enterprises came in.  This thing looked like it could have come in a box about 1/3 the size.  

To this day, I am peeved about the printing error on the box.  I would not have spent $45 if I knew it was going to be that tiny.

Yeah.... those models were an insult.  And really, the scaling isn't something you would even notice in the show, even if you did watch it.  I watched someone unbox one and just stare at the camera baffled for several minutes.  Even setting aside the ludicrous pricing for such a tiny lump of plastic, it begs the question, why couldn't they have just kept the same sizes?  It's like they just want to do everything in their power to make as little sense as possible.

It's frustrating because I actually really like the updated TOS 1701 design in Discovery, and would love to get that kit someday, but the pricing has driven me away repeatedly, and I can't justify it for something that doesn't even come with the aztec decals.  Frankly, I was never going to decorate it as the show version anyway.. if I get one, I'm painting it straight-up TOS gray with a spare set of classic decals.

Edited June 11, 2021 by Chronocidal

[peter]

1 minute ago, Chronocidal said:

Yeah.... those models were an insult.  I watched someone unbox it and just stare at the camera baffled for several minutes.  Even setting aside the ludicrous pricing for such a tiny lump of plastic, it begs the question, why couldn't they have just kept the same sizes?  It's like they just want to do everything in their power to make as little sense as possible.

It's frustrating because I actually really like the updated TOS 1701 design in Discovery, and would love to get that kit someday, but the pricing has driven me away repeatedly, and I can't justify it for something that doesn't even come with the aztec decals.  Frankly, I was never going to decorate it as the show version anyway.. if I get one, I'm painting it straight-up TOS gray with a spare set of classic decals.

That would have been awesome.  I'd love to see it in TOS colors.

I like the look too, I think it was done tastefully.  The upscaling baffled me a bit, but then after reading about the BOP, nothing in ST surprises me anymore.

[Dobber]

The 1/1000 kit is definitely worth it if I am say so. 

 

 

[Chronocidal]

3 minutes ago, peter said:

That would have been awesome.  I'd love to see it in TOS colors.

I like the look too, I think it was done tastefully.  The upscaling baffled me a bit, but then after reading about the BOP, nothing in ST surprises me anymore.

So.. I can -mostly- give the BoP a pass.  The reason its scale is so inconsistent is because they didn't have the budget for new ships, and used the same model in a wide variety of situations.  It's not the only ship that happened with, and the BoP was about as good a situation as you can get for that, because it really didn't have any major external details that indicated a particular size, like clearly defined rows of windows.

The modern version has no excuse whatsoever.  It's all digital.  JJ pulled a JJ, and said, "Why don't we just make this bigger?", without even considering that someone had already drawn the full schematic of the ship.  There's a -reason- that the windows on the JJ-prise are in the same spaces as the TMP refit.. the ship was supposed to be the same size.. but noooooo.... they had to go bigger.  They grabbed a TMP-scaled ship, and clicked the "scale" button.  

They did the same thing with the Discoprise... sort of.  I've watched comparisons of the deck layout where people compare the window alignments, and it looks a lot like you could just call that version what I'm going to dub a "Pre-fit" 1701, like a transitional model between the TOS and TMP versions.

The thing that baffles me about the Discovery Enterprise though is that the bridge... doesn't fit.  I don't know what that bridge is supposed to be.  The original upper dome was a single story module, set atop a larger deck that looked like it was also a single deck.  I have no idea how that dome on the Discovery design works.  Did they submerge the actual bridge into the subdeck?  What's with that huge freaking bay window on the front?  The bridge was always a single room in that dome, but now the room must be massive.  What is even going on?

Sorry to derail things with scale ranting, but to bring things back on subject...

I think what I might do eventually is grab the Discovery Enterprise model, replace the bridge with a more TMP/TOS hybrid design, and just paint it up in light grays that look like a mix of TOS and TMP details.  I might straight up print myself a new bridge design, if I can get the resolution to do it.

[peter]

Lazy builds done. 

No putty, no seam filling (though I should have, hahahaha!), and no masking on the BOP.

I barely know anything about the Grissom other than it turned into a white cotton ball in STIII.  In fact, I didn't really research the studio models of either of these two ships and just wanted to slap together a stress free build. 

They are far from screen accurate, full of mistakes and my laziness is pretty evident (please don't zoom in, there is some seriously messy decal work and huge gaping seam lines), but they both turned out far better than I was expecting so I'm pleasantly surprised by them. 

Yamato:  come get some.

Grissom:  lol! 

BOP:  wtf. 

[peter]

1 hour ago, Dobber said:

The 1/1000 kit is definitely worth it if I am say so. 

 

 

 

41A0F83C-A838-4202-B1BE-F7BF5B9635C5.MOV 57.12 MB · 0 downloads

Never get tired of looking at your build.  

[Dobber]

Sweet builds Peter!

Chris

[Dobber]

1 hour ago, Chronocidal said:

So.. I can -mostly- give the BoP a pass.  The reason its scale is so inconsistent is because they didn't have the budget for new ships, and used the same model in a wide variety of situations.  It's not the only ship that happened with, and the BoP was about as good a situation as you can get for that, because it really didn't have any major external details that indicated a particular size, like clearly defined rows of windows.

The modern version has no excuse whatsoever.  It's all digital.  JJ pulled a JJ, and said, "Why don't we just make this bigger?", without even considering that someone had already drawn the full schematic of the ship.  There's a -reason- that the windows on the JJ-prise are in the same spaces as the TMP refit.. the ship was supposed to be the same size.. but noooooo.... they had to go bigger.  They grabbed a TMP-scaled ship, and clicked the "scale" button.  

They did the same thing with the Discoprise... sort of.  I've watched comparisons of the deck layout where people compare the window alignments, and it looks a lot like you could just call that version what I'm going to dub a "Pre-fit" 1701, like a transitional model between the TOS and TMP versions.

The thing that baffles me about the Discovery Enterprise though is that the bridge... doesn't fit.  I don't know what that bridge is supposed to be.  The original upper dome was a single story module, set atop a larger deck that looked like it was also a single deck.  I have no idea how that dome on the Discovery design works.  Did they submerge the actual bridge into the subdeck?  What's with that huge freaking bay window on the front?  The bridge was always a single room in that dome, but now the room must be massive.  What is even going on?

Sorry to derail things with scale ranting, but to bring things back on subject...

I think what I might do eventually is grab the Discovery Enterprise model, replace the bridge with a more TMP/TOS hybrid design, and just paint it up in light grays that look like a mix of TOS and TMP details.  I might straight up print myself a new bridge design, if I can get the resolution to do it.

I actually have a second kit minus the light kit and bought some after market parts for it including a refit-ish bridge module meant for the old TOS 1/650 kit that, size-wise, fits pretty well. Just need to get around to building it. Plan on painting it more like the Refit though.

Chris

Edited June 11, 2021 by Dobber

[Thom]

2 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

I don't even want to pretend to understand what the nonsense with the different scales is at this point.  Far as I'm concerned, the Pike version is the same scale as the ancient 18" TOS Enterprise.  Until I see someone drawing complete deck diagrams that show me why a pseudo-military ship has 30 foot bay windows, I'm just going to run on my own headcanon that the Enterprise has always been the same size, and the current generation of writers has absolutely no comprehension of scale as a concept.

I just ignore all the scale nonsense too. It was a stupid decision in the first place to muck about with it, and that all started with the 2009 Star Trek. (Good movie, IMO.) I think I recall them saying that that movie's Enterprise was the same size as a Galaxy Class ship!?! But then it would need to be in order fit the refinery/engine room on it... Nowadays, I just look at them as all being the same size as the TOS ship, and don't give it another thought. As long as they look good size-wise next to each other, then I'm happy.

And since the Disco Enterprise model is basically the same size as the old AMT kit, that means to me that the '1/1000' Pikerprise is really around /600 to /650 in scale. It looks good beside the old kit, it looks good beside the Kelvin, and it'll probably look good beside the Grissom. So me happy!

2 hours ago, peter said:

The Pikerprise/Discoprise scale irks me.

I haven't watched STD so I didn't know about the weird scaling issue, I only bought the 1/2500 scale kit because the box described it as 12" long and I figured it would look good with the 1/1000 scale TOS and Refit.

I open the box and I'm thinking *uck me, they forgot the model, all I see are the instructions.  I flip the instructions off and I see this tiny thing in the same size box that the other 1/1000 Enterprises came in.  This thing looked like it could have come in a box about 1/3 the size.  

To this day, I am peeved about the printing error on the box.  I would not have spent $45 if I knew it was going to be that tiny.

I bought both of the /2500 scale kits, more in the spirit of showing my interest in the genre and future models than any real intent to build them. But, the whole size things comes into play with these too, only this time in a good way. I don't really collect any /2500 scale ships, but if I view them as 1/1000 scale parts and bash them together...

I still haven't finished it yet, but this is my idea for a 1/1000 escort destroyer, the Sprite. Pikerprise's nacelles, sensor dish and shuttle bay, and Shenzou's main hull and struts. In fact, if they ever do come out with a '1/1000' Shenzou then this could be done in large scale also.

As to using different parts, such as with the bridge dome, have you seen Modelwerkshop yet?

https://modelwerkshop.com/

They can be a little pricey for their full conversion kits, but their small parts, such as new bridge decks or saucer mounted dishes, are priced pretty good.

 

[Thom]

@peter Your Grissom and BOP look great! They don't look just thrown together, esp with the paint on both. The BOP especially. Nicely done.

[Dobber]

@Thom I really like that custom you’re making.

Chris

[arbit]

Minmay Project continued...

I'm also working on a Hikaru Pilot figure. You could call this a kitbash, since I can't design anything, I've combined an aviator body, with an anime head, and a Macross helmet!

[Thom]

@Dobber Thanks! I really need to get back to it at some point.

@arbit Really neat work on that Hikaru figure. Nice.

[peter]

4 hours ago, arbit said:

Minmay Project continued...

I'm also working on a Hikaru Pilot figure. You could call this a kitbash, since I can't design anything, I've combined an aviator body, with an anime head, and a Macross helmet!

Wow, those are awesome. 

 

Man, technology these days.... 

[peter]

Light test. 

Musashi's sister ship Yamato is almost done. 

[peter]

Space Battleship Yamato and her sister ship Space Battleship Musashi done. 

Musashi never appeared on screen or anywhere official as far as I know. Neither of these builds are screen accurate anyway. 

Bandai 1/1000 Space Battleship Yamato 2203 version painted IJN Gray, Sasebo Arsenal, where Musashi was built.  The deck was painted a dark gray to match her appearance in Operation Sho Go.  Below the waterline is Tamiya Hull Red with a red Oxide primer beneath. 

Bandai 1/1000 Space Battleship Yamato Final Battle Version painted IJN Gray, Kure Arsenal, where Yamato was built.  The deck was painted a lighter gray than Musashi to simulate her appearance for Operation Ten Go.  Below the waterline is Tamiya Hull Red, but on top of a gray primer, it almost looks brown.  The Final Battle Version has more AA Guns and armored up turrets, which more resemble her WWII appearance. 

So easy to light up. 

 

 

[arbit]

1 hour ago, peter said:

Space Battleship Yamato and her sister ship Space Battleship Musashi done. 

Peter, Always nice to see more Yamato. I was raised on it. My first anime.

I've zoomed in on your images to enjoy the details. Your build is flawless. Everything looks good. My 1/1000 cannot stand up to such close photography

But I have a question: In some images, the hull panel pre-shading looks dark, like tiger stripes. In other images the pre-shading looks light in tone. So my question is, how do the ships look in real life? I know lighting and photography changes colors and shadows a lot.

[peter]

1 hour ago, arbit said:

Peter, Always nice to see more Yamato. I was raised on it. My first anime.

I've zoomed in on your images to enjoy the details. Your build is flawless. Everything looks good. My 1/1000 cannot stand up to such close photography

But I have a question: In some images, the hull panel pre-shading looks dark, like tiger stripes. In other images the pre-shading looks light in tone. So my question is, how do the ships look in real life? I know lighting and photography changes colors and shadows a lot.

Thanks! 

Man, they do come out in photos looking like tiger stripes.  

In person, it's definitely more subdued alike this photo:

I think part of the difficulty was the 2202 version added so many extra panel lines over the 2199 version.  

I'm also struggling between learning to shade and keeping that sense of scale.

I hope they make a 1/500 scale 2202 version because these old man eyes make it hard to build these smaller scale ships, hahahaha!