Whats Lying on your Workbench MK IV

[Photogirl]

On 6/13/2021 at 9:06 PM, arbit said:

I did some more work on the Hikaru Pilot. I think it's good to go.

I'm planning to post the STL, once I do a test print.  So you guys can print at home or at a local printer for your valks.

can you do max and Milia?

[Photogirl]

best i could do with my re-casting skills, but they look fine under the canopy glass.
Its just tacked on with white glue so if better options come along, i can replace them. 

[arbit]

36 minutes ago, Photogirl said:

best i could do with my re-casting skills, but they look fine under the canopy glass.
Its just tacked on with white glue so if better options come along, i can replace them. 

Your painting is GREAT at that scale. Come out a bit with the camera so we can get a fuller look of the two at a better scale.

38 minutes ago, Photogirl said:

can you do max and Milia?

Hmmm... I don't know. They all wear the same uniform and the same helmet, right? So if you paint them differently, that could work.  I can't design anything from scratch, but I can do some things.

What changes would need to be made to the base Hikaru sculpt? Let me know and I will work on it.

Max - He would be just like Hikaru, right? Maybe I could thin the body, but keep the head the same, or slightly thinner.  And add aviator glasses.

Milia - She would be more delicate, thinner and shorter than Max I guess. And then there's the bossom issue...  (Now googling "How to extrude body parts" )

 

Edited June 19, 2021 by arbit

[Photogirl]

14 minutes ago, arbit said:

Your painting is GREAT at that scale. Come out a bit with the camera so we can get a fuller look of the two at a better scale.

Hmmm... I don't know. They all wear the same uniform and the same helmet, right? So if you paint them differently, that could work.

What changes would need to be made to the base Hikaru sculpt? Let me know and I will work on it.

Max - He would be just like Hikaru, right? Maybe I could thin the body, but keep the head the same, or slightly thinner. 

Milia - She would be more delicate, thinner and shorter than Max I guess. And then there's the bossom issue...

 

max would need glasses, or if you do the space version, with the full helmet, that would work for both as well.
Milia always gets a repaint of the male figures. It would just be nice to get a more feminine body frame. she's also been known to let her hair down under her helmet. 

here is a full shot. 1:72

[arbit]

I always wanted 1/3000 valks for my SDF-1. A whole fleet on the way!

Edited June 19, 2021 by arbit

[Thom]

11 hours ago, electric indigo said:

Looks good enough in that photo . What paint did you use?

Thanks! I used AK Interactive Extreme Metal. Sprays pretty good straight out of the bottle and doesn't need a glossy black base.

And @arbit wow, that is one tiny little print!

Edited June 20, 2021 by Thom

[peter]

16 hours ago, Thom said:

@peter Despite their small size, they do come packed with detail. The few that I had bought looked good for that, despite the closed off barrels. Wondering if any of the after-market metal barrel sets, like for secondary guns on larger models, would be small enough to suit the main turrets on them?

Too small for me to even see, hahahaha!  I can barely see these plastic barrels

 

 

[peter]

16 hours ago, Thom said:

Well, main paint is done for the Spit. I had to redo some paint, as I had some lift from masking. A little maddening, but that happens. Now all I have left to finish building are the gear, the exhaust and the prop.

Don't look too close at the paint job. It is my first NMF, and it shows!

 

Wow, talk about a smooth finish!

 

[peter]

10 hours ago, arbit said:

I always wanted 1/3000 valks for my SDF-1. A whole fleet on the way!

Holy crap!!! That would be well beyond my abilities to paint, even with magnification.

[Salamander]

13 hours ago, arbit said:

I always wanted 1/3000 valks for my SDF-1. A whole fleet on the way!

Wouldn't it be easier to print them in white? Then you only have to paint on the details (a few dots of paint I imagine...).

[Thom]

18 hours ago, arbit said:

I always wanted 1/3000 valks for my SDF-1. A whole fleet on the way!

I wonder if you could add a color pigment to the resin? Have it printed in the base color at least.

Edited June 20, 2021 by Thom

[Thom]

8 hours ago, peter said:

Wow, talk about a smooth finish!

 

AK Extreme Metal does spray really well. The only problem I had with it was the stink, as it's an enamel. I usually work with Tamiya acrylics.

[MechTech]

@peter Your collection of Yamatos and related ships is looking great! Your painting is adding realism to otherwise small kits.

@Thom That Spitfire is looking great! Nice and smooth metalic finish too!

@arbit Awesome looking Valk! Even with ordnance. Just don't sneeze!

@Photogirl Your figures look good. Sadly, they're hard to see under the canopy anyhow.

More work done this week on the mecha. The feet will have "achiles" actuators connected to the feet. So I made brackets with detailed bolts to "hold them down" and the hydraulic looking actuators to connect into them.

 

The gun also needed hydraulic actuators for the absorbers, so those got machined too with bolt heads. The neck joints for the head are so thin, they were cracking. So greeblies like motors got added for strength. The heads are also cleaned up now for clear lenses to be made.

 

Even mecha need protection for their "lunchbox"! So more armor plating was made, attached and bolted for details.

That's it for this week. Thanks for checking in everyone! - MT

[Thom]

@MechTech Great work. That's above and beyond right there.

[arbit]

On 6/19/2021 at 9:31 PM, Photogirl said:

max would need glasses, or if you do the space version, with the full helmet, that would work for both as well.
Milia always gets a repaint of the male figures. It would just be nice to get a more feminine body frame. she's also been known to let her hair down under her helmet. 

This is where I am with M&M. Comments? Of course we are not going to be perfect, but a nudge here or there can make a difference. (The necks aren't joined to the body yet, so don't worry about that.)

 

Edited June 20, 2021 by arbit

[pengbuzz]

On 6/19/2021 at 12:53 PM, Photogirl said:

best i could do with my re-casting skills, but they look fine under the canopy glass.
Its just tacked on with white glue so if better options come along, i can replace them. 

Bettr than what I ould do..

 

Going to be takng a break fr a while folks; health is nt good right now.

[Thom]

6 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

Going to be takng a break fr a while folks; health is nt good right now.

Sorry to hear that Pengbuzz! Do what you need to. The models, and us, will be here! Take care.

[arbit]

6 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

Going to be takng a break fr a while folks; health is nt good right now.

Get well soon bro.

[MechTech]

@Thom Thank you, Tom!

@pengbuzz I hope you're feel better soon bro!

@arbit Great sculpt Arbit! Can you tweak his glasses to have that HUGE 70's, kinda RayBan-ish look? The funny part is I don't believe most military pilots can fly with glasses. Today they have to have Lasik to correct their vision - last I heard for the USAF. - MT

 

[Thom]

1 hour ago, MechTech said:

@Thom Thank you, Tom!

@pengbuzz I hope you're feel better soon bro!

@arbit Great sculpt Arbit! Can you tweak his glasses to have that HUGE 70's, kinda RayBan-ish look? The funny part is I don't believe most military pilots can fly with glasses. Today they have to have Lasik to correct their vision - last I heard for the USAF. - MT

 

Welcome!

As to his glasses, I imagine they would have waived restrictions, considering the situation they were in. And considering how great he was!

[derex3592]

Well, the last month has been crazy life time. Wife's dog had to be put down, then vacation week to the beach, followed up by over 20 days straight of work, 7 of which out in the TX heat and humidity, but hey, what doesn't kill you only makes you wish you were dead right?  Yeh, that's how that goes! LOL! Anywhooo, Runabout detail painting continues when I can, but the heat and humidity haven't been ideal painting conditions..sooo...I broke out the TITANIC and have successfully drilled out ALL the portholes (thank GOD for my little WeCheer electric micro drill!!!) and also drilled holes in the base for wiring.  Going to try to light block and primer the main hull this Friday hopefully (finally getting a day off).  I have also been watching ALL the videos on YouTube that I can find on the Titanic model, and I'm not overflowing with confidence on this build.  It's gonna be a sanding and putty battle, I can feel it coming because of the age of the mold.  I have been shopping online though in order to make my life...easier????...  Got PE parts and PE 1/350 people pre-painted!  Also picked up a newer, better, more accurate set of waterslides!  Of course my modeling buddy Pyewacket ALWAYS has to see what I'm up to....  Stay tuned! 

 

[Thom]

Captain Pyewacket! Overlooking the fitting out of his next command. Any 'berg crosses his path and he will protec!!

[arbit]

On 6/20/2021 at 4:52 PM, MechTech said:

That's it for this week. Thanks for checking in everyone! - MT

Dang MT, you're putting on a clinic!  Lathing and forming skills are getting better and cleaner.

 

14 hours ago, derex3592 said:

I broke out the TITANIC and have successfully drilled out ALL the portholes (thank GOD for my little WeCheer electric micro drill!!!)

Now where have I seen that before? 

Good little drill when you don't want the power of a Dremel.

But the torque can be weak, if it stops and wont start, I plug it into the power cord for it to reset itself.

I also use a Dremel white cotton sanding tip to clean model parts. But very gently.

14 hours ago, derex3592 said:

Got PE parts and PE 1/350 people pre-painted! 

Oh no, tell me you're not going to add all that PE. You're going to need really small fingers for those. Good luck!

[arbit]

On 6/21/2021 at 5:51 PM, MechTech said:

Great sculpt Arbit! Can you tweak his glasses to have that HUGE 70's, kinda RayBan-ish look?

Grumble, grumble, yes I need to do better than those Harry Potter glasses I ripped. Maybe I can pull and stretch them. Here is a different type.

This 3D printing stuff is a serious addiction. The possibilities are endless, even without experience.

This guy did a Zeta Cockpit for the first time designing anything. I need to learn how to do this with Z-Brush. I'm really struggling with Blender. 

 

Edited June 23, 2021 by arbit

[peter]

On 6/20/2021 at 5:52 AM, MechTech said:

@peter Your collection of Yamatos and related ships is looking great! Your painting is adding realism to otherwise small kits.

@Thom That Spitfire is looking great! Nice and smooth metalic finish too!

@arbit Awesome looking Valk! Even with ordnance. Just don't sneeze!

@Photogirl Your figures look good. Sadly, they're hard to see under the canopy anyhow.

More work done this week on the mecha. The feet will have "achiles" actuators connected to the feet. So I made brackets with detailed bolts to "hold them down" and the hydraulic looking actuators to connect into them.

 

The gun also needed hydraulic actuators for the absorbers, so those got machined too with bolt heads. The neck joints for the head are so thin, they were cracking. So greeblies like motors got added for strength. The heads are also cleaned up now for clear lenses to be made.

 

Even mecha need protection for their "lunchbox"! So more armor plating was made, attached and bolted for details.

That's it for this week. Thanks for checking in everyone! - MT

That is the biggest groin protector I have ever seen, hahahaha! 

[peter]

On 6/20/2021 at 10:53 PM, pengbuzz said:

Bettr than what I ould do..

 

Going to be takng a break fr a while folks; health is nt good right now.

Take care man, looking forward to seeing your builds when you get back. 

[peter]

On 6/21/2021 at 6:51 AM, MechTech said:

@Thom Thank you, Tom!

@pengbuzz I hope you're feel better soon bro!

@arbit Great sculpt Arbit! Can you tweak his glasses to have that HUGE 70's, kinda RayBan-ish look? The funny part is I don't believe most military pilots can fly with glasses. Today they have to have Lasik to correct their vision - last I heard for the USAF. - MT

 

Most militaries wouldn't accept that long hippie-dippy hair either, hahahaha! 

[peter]

21 hours ago, derex3592 said:

Well, the last month has been crazy life time. Wife's dog had to be put down, then vacation week to the beach, followed up by over 20 days straight of work, 7 of which out in the TX heat and humidity, but hey, what doesn't kill you only makes you wish you were dead right?  Yeh, that's how that goes! LOL! Anywhooo, Runabout detail painting continues when I can, but the heat and humidity haven't been ideal painting conditions..sooo...I broke out the TITANIC and have successfully drilled out ALL the portholes (thank GOD for my little WeCheer electric micro drill!!!) and also drilled holes in the base for wiring.  Going to try to light block and primer the main hull this Friday hopefully (finally getting a day off).  I have also been watching ALL the videos on YouTube that I can find on the Titanic model, and I'm not overflowing with confidence on this build.  It's gonna be a sanding and putty battle, I can feel it coming because of the age of the mold.  I have been shopping online though in order to make my life...easier????...  Got PE parts and PE 1/350 people pre-painted!  Also picked up a newer, better, more accurate set of waterslides!  Of course my modeling buddy Pyewacket ALWAYS has to see what I'm up to....  Stay tuned! 

 

Woah, a Titanic build!  Awesome.  I built a Titanic kid in grade 4 or 5 and it suuuuuuuuucked.

Not sure I'm even cut out for ship models now.  Rigging and PE intimidate me, even at larger scales. 

There is a Doyusha 1/250 Musashi kit a local guy has for $100CAD and I am tempted, but not sure I could do it justice.  Older kit, might need a lot of aftermarket accuratization.  Might just buy it for the box art, lol! 

 

[derex3592]

Honestly the rigging is what scares me the most. I can get through the other fit issues and PE with enough time and patience.  I've never attempted ships rigging before, I'm for dang sure not using the black thread that came with the kit. I believe I was watching a build from a guy doing the 1:200 Missouri and he had some more modern wire he used that looked good.  Maybe someone like @MechTech can point me in the right direction???

[peter]

Photo dump:

Made a mess of the chillers.  They actually have large flat black surfaces with a slit of light peaking through.  When I was a kid, the whole thing looked blue to me. 

Anyway, I tried various ways to simulate the blue behind the black, but without a light source there was no way to see the blue in the thin trenches of the chillers so I just cleaned the black off completely.  Not lighting this one so simulated it is. 

The last Refit I built was a 1/2500 and I painted it pure white and it looked pasty, even with the Aztec wallpaper decals.  For this one, I wanted to experiment and see if I could get some unevenness with the panels, so gray primer, white with a drop of gray and then I painted each panel one by one with varying degree of opacity. 

Got the Aztec kit for this and Reliant. 

One of the best decals I have ever come across. 

They sucked right in, even around odd shapes, bends and edges.  With the wallpaper decals though, you can barely tell the base paint isn't even. 

The pylon Aztecs didn't come with the triangles precut. 

I found it easier to apply the decal first, let it settle a bit, then cut them out after instead of trying to measure and cut them first. 

The decals that came with the kit must be a different manufacturer or different batch because although they were ok, they weren't as awesome as the Aztecs.  They just didn't conform around curves and edges as well, though I shouldn't complain as they didn't shatter into a million pieces like some other Round 2 decals. 

If I ever build another 1/1000, I'll sand off the nubs on the RCS thrusters so the decal doesn't need to wrap around it. 

The phaser emitters on the stern were a bit of a pain too.  Just let them sit on a drop of Mr. Mark Softer and as the liquid evaporates, it sucked the decal down.... With some help of some tweezers.  As you can see, I still have trouble lining up the Strongback decals.  I just hope I don't have this problem when it comes to the 350.

Dug the 350 out for fun.  Sometimes I forget I have this monster.

The strong back decal is as big as a 1/1000 nacelle. 

While watching the decals dry on the Refit, I dug my Defiant out. A sandwich within a sandwich, with clear parts captured inside... Yuck. 

Lazy masking. 

Hope this works, lol! 

Not a bad looking ship

I was thinking about experimenting with illumination, but decided I wanted to woosh it around the room more than have it wired to the stand, so no lights. 

Should I make it a UN Spacy vessel?  Hahahaha! 

More to follow

 

Edited June 23, 2021 by peter
edited for spelling

[peter]

18 minutes ago, derex3592 said:

Honestly the rigging is what scares me the most. I can get through the other fit issues and PE with enough time and patience.  I've never attempted ships rigging before, I'm for dang sure not using the black thread that came with the kit. I believe I was watching a build from a guy doing the 1:200 Missouri and he had some more modern wire he used that looked good.  Maybe someone like @MechTech can point me in the right direction???

When I was a kid, I took spruces held over a candle and stretched them out until they were super thin, but I had inconsistent results and made a mess of gluing them onto the ship. 

Not sure I could do much better today. 

[Thom]

5 hours ago, peter said:

Photo dump:

Made a mess of the chillers.  They actually have large flat black surfaces with a slit of light peaking through.  When I was a kid, the whole thing looked blue to me. 

Anyway, I tried various ways to simulate the blue behind the black, but without a light source there was no way to see the blue in the thin trenches of the chillers so I just cleaned the black off completely.  Not lighting this one so simulated it is. 

The last Refit I built was a 1/2500 and I painted it pure white and it looked pasty, even with the Aztec wallpaper decals.  For this one, I wanted to experiment and see if I could get some unevenness with the panels, so gray primer, white with a drop of gray and then I painted each panel one by one with varying degree of opacity. 

Got the Aztec kit for this and Reliant. 

One of the best decals I have ever come across. 

They sucked right in, even around odd shapes, bends and edges.  With the wallpaper decals though, you can barely tell the base paint isn't even. 

The pylon Aztecs didn't come with the triangles precut. 

I found it easier to apply the decal first, let it settle a bit, then cut them out after instead of trying to measure and cut them first. 

The decals that came with the kit must be a different manufacturer or different batch because although they were ok, they weren't as awesome as the Aztecs.  They just didn't conform around curves and edges as well, though I shouldn't complain as they didn't shatter into a million pieces like some other Round 2 decals. 

If I ever build another 1/1000, I'll sand off the nubs on the RCS thrusters so the decal doesn't need to wrap around it. 

The phased emitters on the stern were a bit of a pain too.  Just let them sit on a drop of Mr. Mark Softer and as the liquid evaporates, it sucked the decal down.... With some help of some tweezers. 

Dug the 350 out for fun.  Sometimes I forget I have this monster.

The strong back decal is as big as a 1/1000 nacelle. 

While watching the decals dry on the Refit, I dug my Defiant out. A sandwich within a sandwich, with clear parts captured inside... Yuck. 

Lazy masking. 

Hope this works, lol! 

Not a bad looking ship

I was thinking about experimenting with illumination, but decided I wanted to woosh it around the room more than have it wired to the stand, so no lights. 

Should I make it a UN Spacy vessel?  Hahahaha! 

More to follow

 

The painting and decals on that Refit look excellent!

As to the Defiant, I think those skull and crossbones should find a home somewhere on the nose!

[Dobber]

Awesome work Peter! I’ve been thinking of trying something similar too with starting with a non-uniform base hull color and then building up from there to help tone down the heavy contrast of the wallpaper decals. I don’t always feel like drawing on the panels. 

Chris

[Thom]

Decalling started on Race 80. There aren't many and most of the surfaces are nice and flat. I did cut the long decal in half to help in placing it better, which had the added bonus of getting the maple leaf over the closed camera port easier. I think that decal is a little long, so the cut ends were doubled up a bit, which isn't even noticeable.

I'll let those dry before I start putting the rest on.

Model on!

Thom

[Dobber]

I love the Spitfire and this is looking real nice. Though I never did care for the clipped wing versions, but that has nothing to do with your build. Great work!

Chris