Whats Lying on your Workbench MK IV

[Thom]

4 hours ago, peter said:

Not much going on with the NX apart from gloss clear for now.... Was even too lazy to load the airbrush with Pledge, decided to rattle can it instead. 

As for the TOS, I decided to try something I haven't seen yet.  Trying that splotchy marbled effect on a model devoid of surface detail.  I usually only do this for models with lots of panel lines or one I'm going to cover in decals only.  

Taking a risk here. 

Gradually add more layers. 

OK, so it doesn't look like a total potato. 

Also doing something the screen accurate purists will probably get triggered by.  Added blue to just behind the deflector dish. 

Also added blue to the chillers. Crossing my fingers and hope the end result doesn't look too wierd.

The Botany Bay is totally getting half-@$$ed and just not worth posting a picture of, lol! 

The blue on the chillers is looking good, and I like the blue behind the dish.

[MechTech]

@derex3592 That came out superb! The lighting is just fantastic and helps bring it all home. The base is a great idea and also brings it up to another level. Congrats Derex on another great build!

@peter The blotchiness was a nice touch to an otherwise boring surface. Really, no panel lines? That's cheap. Is that glitter I see in the photo!? - MT

[Chronocidal]

1 hour ago, MechTech said:

@peter The blotchiness was a nice touch to an otherwise boring surface. Really, no panel lines? That's cheap. Is that glitter I see in the photo!? - MT

The lack of panel lines is accurate though.  It's a pretty hefty point of contention about the TOS Enterprise, but the filming model didn't actually have those sorts of details originally.  The Polar Lights kits are pretty dead-on for accuracy.  Even the 1/350 kit doesn't have much in the way of panel lines, and the ones that are there were so hotly debated that they tended to cause flame wars on modeling forums.

[peter]

2 hours ago, MechTech said:

@derex3592 That came out superb! The lighting is just fantastic and helps bring it all home. The base is a great idea and also brings it up to another level. Congrats Derex on another great build!

@peter The blotchiness was a nice touch to an otherwise boring surface. Really, no panel lines? That's cheap. Is that glitter I see in the photo!? - MT

Oh man, you spotted the stripper glitter!  One my my kids brought that $hit home one day and I tried to ban it, but the wife let him have it for arts and crafts.

Of course everything in the house is covered in it and no matter what, it seems to find its way everywhere.

[peter]

1 hour ago, Chronocidal said:

The lack of panel lines is accurate though.  It's a pretty hefty point of contention about the TOS Enterprise, but the filming model didn't actually have those sorts of details originally.  The Polar Lights kits are pretty dead-on for accuracy.  Even the 1/350 kit doesn't have much in the way of panel lines, and the ones that are there were so hotly debated that they tended to cause flame wars on modeling forums.

Oh tell me about it.

I honestly can't tell what's going on with the gridlines on the saucer.  I think the rest of the ship definitely did not have panel lines anywhere, but the hot debate is the saucer. 

Pretty sure this was pre-Smithsonian restoration.  Apparently it was "touched up" sometime after the original series stopped filming and that's when the gridlines were either added or highlighted.

And I'm pretty sure this was after the restoration.  The grids on the hull and nacelles are noticeably absent, but the saucer still appears to have some, though very faint.

I think this is post restoration.  The grids are still there on the saucer, but very faint.

Polar Lights released a 350 scale version with gridlines, then the released a version of the saucer alone without the grids so I have no idea what to think.  

Personally, I would appreciate some more detail to the ship, but that's why we have the Discoprise.

[Chronocidal]

So, I think the original original design had lines drawn in pencil on it, and either not weathered/shaded at all, or done so subtly they never appeared on-camera.

I don't mind the subtle panel lining so much on the major hull sections, but I think the saucer grid gets overdone in many cases.

Worse yet is when Diamond Select's shoddy printing process prints the lines, and misaligns them. 😜 

[MechTech]

3 hours ago, peter said:

Oh man, you spotted the stripper glitter!  One my my kids brought that $hit home one day and I tried to ban it, but the wife let him have it for arts and crafts.

Of course everything in the house is covered in it and no matter what, it seems to find its way everywhere.

🤣 Funny!!!

I can't believe there is that little detail on the original Enterprise! Things were more different then I guess. - MT

[David Hingtgen]

Does food count? 

 

[pengbuzz]

5 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

The lack of panel lines is accurate though.  It's a pretty hefty point of contention about the TOS Enterprise, but the filming model didn't actually have those sorts of details originally.  The Polar Lights kits are pretty dead-on for accuracy.  Even the 1/350 kit doesn't have much in the way of panel lines, and the ones that are there were so hotly debated that they tended to cause flame wars on modeling forums.

Yeah, I remember those wars; seriously, all that flame over a detail? You could have barbecued a few dozen whole chickens with the heat that came from those!

[MechTech]

@David Hingtgen Only if it's styrene😅

Adding more hardware to the twins now. The feet got hoses and a hydraulic "hamstring" each. In the one foot photo I didn't see the hose was sticking out the front until I saw the photo  The hydraulic is bolted in with two black styrene bolts.

Next I used old tank tracks to make ammo chutes feeding the gun in the back of the arm (the elbow area). A meshed hose was added in as well for more detail.

Well, I guess I really hosed-up my model! - MT

[David Hingtgen]

I noticed the tray to "mold the parts" was vac-formed.  But the overall experience was like half-way between making Kool-Aid, and playing with Play-Doh.   Turned out pretty well though, closer to how it looked on the box than I expected.  

[Gabe Q]

@MechTech your project is coming along nicely! I really like your attention to detail! The way you fabricate these details with so much precision is super impressive. You're my hero! 

[Thom]

@MechTech Really liking the additional details.

[peter]

On 8/5/2021 at 1:13 PM, David Hingtgen said:

Does food count? 

 

Yup.  If that's the same kit my kid got, there is no nutritional a value in there whatsoever, lol! 

 

He also has the sushi kit, as well as the donut kit. 

[peter]

On 8/5/2021 at 3:28 PM, MechTech said:

@David Hingtgen Only if it's styrene😅

Adding more hardware to the twins now. The feet got hoses and a hydraulic "hamstring" each. In the one foot photo I didn't see the hose was sticking out the front until I saw the photo  The hydraulic is bolted in with two black styrene bolts.

Next I used old tank tracks to make ammo chutes feeding the gun in the back of the arm (the elbow area). A meshed hose was added in as well for more detail.

Well, I guess I really hosed-up my model! - MT

Who loves hardware now? 

Hahaha! 

Sooo...... You have belt ammo running through the feeder there?   Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if you did..... 

 

[peter]

TOS mocked up.  Of course I broke the tab that keeps the Starboard nacelle on.  Crazy Glue and Putty and Star Trek kits go so well together. 

Got these decals from Gus Snipes. 

Absolutely amazing decals.  They sucked right in without any decal setter. 

I may have requested decals a bit too light, probably should have gone with the medium or darker set. 

I think Gus' decals are even better than the kit decals..

Back to the TOS....these decals are actually not studio model correct.... Can anyone say why?  🤣

Something else to trigger the screen accurate purists.  I never liked the domes on the ends of the nacelles SO I'm using the tail caps from the pilot. 

I was even tempted to use some of the pilot decals.  Shame these weren't carried through to the production version. 

 

More to follow. 

[pengbuzz]

1 hour ago, peter said:

TOS mocked up.  Of course I broke the tab that keeps the Starboard nacelle on.  Crazy Glue and Putty and Star Trek kits go so well together. 

Got these decals from Gus Snipes. 

Absolutely amazing decals.  They sucked right in without any decal setter. 

I may have requested decals a bit too light, probably should have gone with the medium or darker set. 

I think Gus' decals are even better than the kit decals..

Back to the TOS....these decals are actually not studio model correct.... Can anyone say why?  🤣

Something else to trigger the screen accurate purists.  I never liked the domes on the ends of the nacelles SO I'm using the tail caps from the pilot. 

I was even tempted to use some of the pilot decals.  Shame these weren't carried through to the production version. 

 

More to follow. 

You know, on the NX model, you could do the darker ones and leave a few lighter ones to alternate the look and have a less-homogenized aztec pattern.

[Gabe Q]

@peter I always enjoy seeing your updates and I love it when decals behave nicely. You're amassing quite a fleet of Star Trek ships there!

Currently, I'm working on a Hasegawa Battroid Kakizaki version, an old Bandai variable 1/72 kit in CF livery, and a Tamiya 1/48 Spitfire. It feels great getting back to the workbench. 

[Thom]

@peter I think the decals are very nice and subtle. Don't want to go too stark. And just between you and me, I prefer those end caps too!😁

@Gabe Q Nice, a little work on a classic VF!

[derex3592]

@Gabe Q - Looks great!  How do you cut such perfect little circles in the Tamiya Masking Tape???  A skill that is something that still eludes me! 

[peter]

18 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

You know, on the NX model, you could do the darker ones and leave a few lighter ones to alternate the look and have a less-homogenized aztec pattern.

I thought about that too, but I noticed that the Aztecs are visible from some angles and not from others. 

 

It's an interesting effect and hard to pick up on the camera.  Let's see how it looks once the flat clear goes on, I still have another one of these kits if it turns into garbage after

[peter]

3 hours ago, Gabe Q said:

@peter I always enjoy seeing your updates and I love it when decals behave nicely. You're amassing quite a fleet of Star Trek ships there!

Currently, I'm working on a Hasegawa Battroid Kakizaki version, an old Bandai variable 1/72 kit in CF livery, and a Tamiya 1/48 Spitfire. It feels great getting back to the workbench. 

Oh nice, ok, I should build a Macross kit next.... Seeing as how this is Macrossworld, hahahaha! 

Bandai Variable!  I have two of those and I have such little motivation to build them, lol!  Maybe if I see you build yours, it might egg me on. 

[peter]

I wish I had the intelligence to light this kit. 

Just watching the Pledge cure.

 

Flat clear later tonight.

[pengbuzz]

7 hours ago, peter said:

I wish I had the intelligence to light this kit. 

Just watching the Pledge cure.

 

Flat clear later tonight.

On the note of Star Trek: I came across this little gem a while back-

 

[peter]

1 hour ago, pengbuzz said:

On the note of Star Trek: I came across this little gem a while back-

 

Lol, I thought this was real:

 

[peter]

TOS and NX done

On the right is what's left of the TOS I built as a kid 35 yrs ago.  I did that 1/2500 not that long ago so this is the 3rd TOS I've done. 

Second NX.  That little one is the 1/2500 that came with the Enterprise set. 

Again, the G-Cal decals were awesome.  The Aztecs are visible from one angle, and invisible from others.

Such a lazy build...hard to unsee the seam lines once you know where to look.  I didn't fill a single seam line, lol! 

OK, this was also not my proudest build, but in my defense, I wasn't even going to build it

At least I mostly got rid of the seams between the pylons, but I missed a bunch of others.

The purists should have a meltdown after seeing this. 

I know, the nacelle end aps are from the Pilot, lol! 

My three 1/1000 Enterprises. 

[Thom]

3 hours ago, peter said:

TOS and NX done

On the right is what's left of the TOS I built as a kid 35 yrs ago.  I did that 1/2500 not that long ago so this is the 3rd TOS I've done. 

Second NX.  That little one is the 1/2500 that came with the Enterprise set. 

Again, the G-Cal decals were awesome.  The Aztecs are visible from one angle, and invisible from others.

Such a lazy build...hard to unsee the seam lines once you know where to look.  I didn't fill a single seam line, lol! 

OK, this was also not my proudest build, but in my defense, I wasn't even going to build it

At least I mostly got rid of the seams between the pylons, but I missed a bunch of others.

The purists should have a meltdown after seeing this. 

I know, the nacelle end aps are from the Pilot, lol! 

My three 1/1000 Enterprises. 

Dude, I'm trying to find things to call you to task for, but I am having zero success! That is a great looking fleet, even the poor Enterprise from the M-5 incident.

[MechTech]

@Gabe Q Thank you for the kind words! Your valks are looking great! Nice and clean paint!

@Thom Thank you!

I've been saving detail bits up every time I see something that looks like it would work on a model. This project is actually using a lot of those parts up - what wasn't machined.

@peter Yes, I was thinking of how much hardware I have on this now compared to your builds. I don't think I actually went to a hardware store for any of mine though. Some of it is jewelry 😄 But it's being used in a more macho way now! Sorry, the tank treads are just plastic tank treads.

Your Star Trek models look great! Those decals DO look good too! Yes, time to build something Macross now, though my next build might be Patlabor - I'm still thinking about it.

Not much work this weekend - back to school shopping time! Added a hose to the "lighter" gun and did more washing with some "Army Painter" washes from the local hobby shop to support them. They are actually really good and wiped off easy with isopropyl where I slipped-up with the paint brush. Normally you clear coat and then wash. I skipped that so that some of the wash runs out further. That realistically produces what happens when oil coats an area and dirt gets sucked into it.

The big gun got more barrel painted and washed. The ejection port got painted too. All that black didn't look right since all the parts are usually the same color.

I haven't done a model with a "competition" finish before. I'm trying this time around to build up my skills. I can build, but my finishes have been lackluster in the past. Thanks for checking in! - MT

 

[peter]

4 hours ago, MechTech said:

@Gabe Q Thank you for the kind words! Your valks are looking great! Nice and clean paint!

@Thom Thank you!

I've been saving detail bits up every time I see something that looks like it would work on a model. This project is actually using a lot of those parts up - what wasn't machined.

@peter Yes, I was thinking of how much hardware I have on this now compared to your builds. I don't think I actually went to a hardware store for any of mine though. Some of it is jewelry 😄 But it's being used in a more macho way now! Sorry, the tank treads are just plastic tank treads.

Your Star Trek models look great! Those decals DO look good too! Yes, time to build something Macross now, though my next build might be Patlabor - I'm still thinking about it.

Not much work this weekend - back to school shopping time! Added a hose to the "lighter" gun and did more washing with some "Army Painter" washes from the local hobby shop to support them. They are actually really good and wiped off easy with isopropyl where I slipped-up with the paint brush. Normally you clear coat and then wash. I skipped that so that some of the wash runs out further. That realistically produces what happens when oil coats an area and dirt gets sucked into it.

The big gun got more barrel painted and washed. The ejection port got painted too. All that black didn't look right since all the parts are usually the same color.

I haven't done a model with a "competition" finish before. I'm trying this time around to build up my skills. I can build, but my finishes have been lackluster in the past. Thanks for checking in! - MT

 

Tank treads!  When I saw the picture on my phone, the image was hard to make out, but I thought those were supposed to be the feed belts for the link ammo into the gun.

EIther way, it looks awesome, all of it.  I don't understand, competition finish.  Your builds have always been competition finish, at least to me.

[Gabe Q]

@Thom Thank you! 

On 8/7/2021 at 4:24 PM, derex3592 said:

@Gabe Q - Looks great!  How do you cut such perfect little circles in the Tamiya Masking Tape???  A skill that is something that still eludes me! 

@derex3592 I use a circle cutting template. It's easy and takes just a few seconds.  

23 hours ago, peter said:

I wish I had the intelligence to light this kit. 

Just watching the Pledge cure.

 

Flat clear later tonight.

@peter I'm sure you're intelligent enough to light the kit, judging by how good all your kits come out. I think what you lack is maybe patience? I'm very intimidated with the whole lighting a kit thing. 

I haven't made much progress on the variable kit but still chugging along. Almost done with the battroid though. 

[peter]

1 hour ago, Gabe Q said:

@Thom Thank you! 

@derex3592 I use a circle cutting template. It's easy and takes just a few seconds.  

@peter I'm sure you're intelligent enough to light the kit, judging by how good all your kits come out. I think what you lack is maybe patience? I'm very intimidated with the whole lighting a kit thing. 

I haven't made much progress on the variable kit but still chugging along. Almost done with the battroid though. 

OK, as I suspected, the variable kit would probably use up a roll of masking tape.  

With all the joints and sections captured in other sections, I always take forever to figure out how to fill the seams and get paint onto parts trapped in other parts. 

Battroid looks good.... I think I have another Hasegawa in the pile somewhere

Edited August 9, 2021 by peter

[peter]

Ok, I did the joints on my 1/72 chunky Battroids sort of like this guy did for his variable:

 

 

[Gabe Q]

What an awesome video! Thanks for posting that. The thigh joints are a great idea but look a little bit difficult to pull off. 

I was looking through the rest of his videos and looks like he also built a nice looking Q-Rau.

[peter]

1 hour ago, Gabe Q said:

What an awesome video! Thanks for posting that. The thigh joints are a great idea but look a little bit difficult to pull off. 

I was looking through the rest of his videos and looks like he also built a nice looking Q-Rau.

Oh yeah, the thigh joints.... That looks like a lot of work. 

 

I did the same arm thing for my chunkies just for ease of paint, but it left them a bit floppy. 

Can sort of see it here.  Talk about a mangled mess, lol! 

[peter]

His build does look good though.  I would dare say it looks less awkward that Bandai's newest 1/72 Variable