Whats Lying on your Workbench MK IV

[pengbuzz]

1 hour ago, Thom said:

@pengbuzz Scribing is still a little like a 'dark art' for me. I can do it, but I'm always unsure about it. There are times I've had to redo the redo, and then the redo! And hey, if it doesn't turn out right, just add a little battle damage!😉

 

Panel lines are one thing, but there are these small tiny rectangular "vents" near the seams on the legs that just got demolished my glue-molten plastic.

[Bolt]

2 hours ago, Thom said:

@pengbuzz Scribing is still a little like a 'dark art' for me. I can do it, but I'm always unsure about it. There are times I've had to redo the redo, and then the redo! And hey, if it doesn't turn out right, just add a little battle damage!😉

 

Indeed. Scribing in panel lines can be quite intimidating. You may notice the gray putty on my Lancer . Those are panel lines i flubbed or hated. But,  re scribing existing or faded lines is usually much easier, as there's usually a faint line for your blade to follow, at least. 

[Thom]

@pengbuzz There are PE templates out, by scale, for those kind of shapes. If not that, then you could try drafting supplies, like at Staples, as they also have metal templates, though the shapes would be a bit less varied, Failing that, you could use thick tape, butting the ends to make triangles or squares and lightly scribing.

 

Edited February 3, 2022 by Thom

[derex3592]

Rant mode ON:  I've been trying to find paints that brush paint well straight out of the jar (Model Master enamels were my go to for years, but they're gone) for months upon months now. I've tried Tamiya Acrylics with paint retarder, Tamiya lacquers, Tamiya enamels, Mr Color lacquers, and Humbrol.. NONE of them lay down anywhere near as perfect as this no name enamel craft paint my wife and her mom randomly picked up at Hobby Lobby for me to touch up a picture frame of hers. EL OH FREAKIN EL. Look at this... One coat, brushed onto bare plastic from the mid 90s..not washed, not primed, nothing! It is perfect. You can see the damn swirls in the plastic. Zero brush strokes. SO.... Here's my question... Whyyyyy do we continue pay for these high dollar purpose made model paints?! I wish these people made every color under the sun I would go buy an entire set and be done for life. I haven't tried airbrushing it yet, but I have a feeling it will be gorgeous....

Rant mode : OFF. 

[pengbuzz]

9 minutes ago, derex3592 said:

Rant mode ON:  I've been trying to find paints that brush paint well straight out of the jar (Model Master enamels were my go to for years, but they're gone) for months upon months now. I've tried Tamiya Acrylics with paint retarder, Tamiya lacquers, Tamiya enamels, Mr Color lacquers, and Humbrol.. NONE of them lay down anywhere near as perfect as this no name enamel craft paint my wife and her mom randomly picked up at Hobby Lobby for me to touch up a picture frame of hers. EL OH FREAKIN EL. Look at this... One coat, brushed onto bare plastic from the mid 90s..not washed, not primed, nothing! It is perfect. You can see the damn swirls in the plastic. Zero brush strokes. SO.... Here's my question... Whyyyyy do we continue pay for these high dollar purpose made model paints?! I wish these people made every color under the sun I would go buy an entire set and be done for life. I haven't tried airbrushing it yet, but I have a feeling it will be gorgeous....

Rant mode : OFF. 

That's why I just go with craft paints (albeit with white or grey primer underneath). The "pro" stuff can often be too much.

[Bolt]

I'm feeling ya @derex3592 ! Brush marks suck ! I use the airbrush most of the time, but it's ridiculous for certain applications. I'm still trying to work out my technique with brushing paint.

[pengbuzz]

10 hours ago, Bolt said:

I'm feeling ya @derex3592 ! Brush marks suck ! I use the airbrush most of the time, but it's ridiculous for certain applications. I'm still trying to work out my technique with brushing paint.

I found using a bit more thinner and letting the paint level itself helps to a certain degree. That said: some paints are just crud no matter what you try.

[Thom]

I try to airbrush as much as I can. When using a brush, it is more often miss than hit for me. There is a spray gun for Gundam paint markers. 

 

[MechTech]

@pengbuzz If the area is tiny, you can also use a chisel and roll it side to side to etch too. I rarely have the right size chisel, so I'll sharpen an old Xacto knife blade with a file or sandpaper. I've used other softer scrap metals too like from can lids. That's the cool part about styrene, it's soft and blades last a while.

@derex3592 Thanks for sharing! That paint has been around for decades!!! I remember my mom using that stuff back in the 70's. I always see it and ignore it because I don't do anything gold for some reason - always chrome colored if anything at all. - MT

[pengbuzz]

1 minute ago, MechTech said:

@pengbuzz If the area is tiny, you can also use a chisel and roll it side to side to etch too. I rarely have the right size chisel, so I'll sharpen an old Xacto knife blade with a file or sandpaper. I've used other softer scrap metals too like from can lids. That's the cool part about styrene, it's soft and blades last a while.

@derex3592 Thanks for sharing! That paint has been around for decades!!! I remember my mom using that stuff back in the 70's. I always see it and ignore it because I don't do anything gold for some reason - always chrome colored if anything at all. - MT

Okay, I'll give that a try! I'm just feeling clumsy because I wanted to do a "clean: build" (as in no glue drips or mistakes), but even when applying as little glue as possible, it always seems to smoosh out.

[MechTech]

I HATE painting an entire model - unless I have to. The paint gets scratched or wears off as I'm working on parts of it. What I do like to do, when I can, is cover over seams and areas with a similar colored paint in matt. It looks like dirt and it negates priming and painting the whole thing.

By the way, there is no such thing as a clean build unless its gunpla right out of the box with no paint or glue😁. That's called beginner or lazy😄. - MT

[Rock]

7 hours ago, MechTech said:

...there is no such thing as a clean build unless its gunpla right out of the box with no paint or glue.

I cannot say that I agree with that at all. Clean=time+skill(effort)

 

 

[pengbuzz]

11 hours ago, Rock said:

I cannot say that I agree with that at all. Clean=time+skill(effort)

When you have a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), it makes it a thousand times harder. In my case, depth perception issues along with nerve injuries (same incident) complicate matters.

I do the best I can with what I have to work with; still struggling with my injuries since 2007.

 

Edited February 5, 2022 by pengbuzz

[electric indigo]

Harrier is packing

[Rock]

2 hours ago, electric indigo said:

Harrier is packing

How many in you fleet is that now? You a production factory R!

 

6 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

When you have a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), it makes it a thousand times harder. In my case, depth perception issues along with nerve injuries (same incident) complicate matters.

I do the best I can with what I have to work with; still struggling with my injuries since 2007.

 

It was more geared toward MT. It sound unbelievably difficult. But we must remember not to discredit other's efforts to keep the hobby forward and upward no matter how much we sometimes struggle. It's really true for any hobby, skill or craft. It can be so easy to just put yourself (and others) down when we are feeling down ourselves even if we don't mean to. 

This is a special hobby that doesn't play favorites. The times I've been embarrassed in ability by someone younger, someone less fortunate is absurd. I can still remember the heartbreak of the first time I entered a gunpla competition only to get swept by someone 1/2 my age with 1/2 the experience, with 1/2 the scale and 1/2 the $$$ invested in a kit. Or the complete opposite happen when a 92 year old WW2 vet at an IPMS gathering who was gravely injured, couldn't even hold a brush steady and blew everyone away using that as an advantage in his weathering. 

With the magic of the internet and the advances in social connection it is really easy to be discouraged.  In an age where people tend to only share the best things in their life and their successes in It's hard not to compare yourself to others. We're not seeing the many times when that superglue tube exploded when we needed a dab, spilled paint, lost parts or failed projects that just seemingly disappear from the internet. These struggles are things that get fixed in time when effort is applied and we learn from the past.  

And on a personal level, pengbuzz it is also important to remember that your building things really fast from scratch and in one go. That is amazing Take a look at something like the design sketch of a car. A team spends months and years just sketching and sculpting 'scrap' before the final project is designed. You may not be happy with your Batmobile model but, it also could just be your first draft if you choose. Sometimes we cannot really understand what we are working on until we physically have it in front of us to use as a model, for measurements, or a more through understanding of the often more complex design in a non-2D form.  It simply is hard. But, it is your choice whether to pick yourself back up or not.  It may take more time than someone else, more resources, more money, more tries, and more heart. So set that heart on fire. Ignite the passion or let burn with envy. Either way we will be here, looking forward to what you may do next.

 

[Big s]

I think MechTech was making a simple joke. The smiley faces show. And my Char ‘s rg Zaku is a pretty good example and honestly I think I even described it as a lazy build. No seam lines to remove, some decals, an oil wash and the only thing out of the ordinary was some chrome paint behind the lenses and then covered with clear red.

Even though I consider it a lazy build, someone else could have put in the same amount of work and thought of it as a masterpiece. Everyone has a different skill set and amount of free time and if it takes a few hours straight out of the box or a couple years adding parts and custom lighting, I appreciate what people are willing to show of their hobby life and I hope people keep uploading their work success or fail.

[MechTech]

Thank you guys! @Big s is correct, I was merely joking. In fact, I was kidding and encouraging @pengbuzz to press on with his build.

I have NEVER put down or discredited someone's modeling skills or build and never will. For everyone that thinks they are better than someone else, there will be someone to come along and put them in their place. The problem with written words is that they are easy to be misunderstood. So if anyone ever reads my comments as negative or a put-down, please correct your thoughts. I am in a modelling club full of people that kick my butt in builds! It helps keep me humble and encourages me to do better.😁

@electric indigo Your Harrier is looking great! It keeps reminding me of my time in the UK when they were still in service and flying.

@Big s Your Zaku doesn't look like a lazy build at all! I wouldn't have known it if you didn't say anything😄

I decided to press on with the Ingram since the Spitfire is too late for a club project.

OK, this IS lazy, a quick painting of the interior, even though it's hardly seen. I made the rear bulkhead white to help reflect the flashing lights. The chrome marker is alcohol based. So when I put the clear green on it, things didn't come out great. But it will hardly be seen, so I let it go as is,

The winch looked very plain so I decided to detail it up some. The stock piece, and then with actual steel cable and a hook made from the spares box. Steel cable is TOUGH to wind and glue down - in case anyone ever tries it.

The mesh molded into the cooling inlets is TOUGH to paint. I did it once before, and I forgot how I did it! So I chiseled the details out and trimmed some fine mesh to go in its place. Then carefully trimmed some sprue to go partially through the middle like the stock part. I got smart this time and left the parts on the sprues to work with. It was better than a vice!

 

Most of this weekend was spent doing household chores. That's my work so far - humbly - submitted for your review! 😁 Have a good weeks guys! - MT

Edited February 6, 2022 by MechTech

[derex3592]

Titanic Upate... Spent yesterday afternoon at the new spray booth airbrushing Mr Surfacer 1500 primer onto a million little parts. Thinned about 70/30 with Mr Color Leveling Thinner.  You go through quite a lot of it I must say.  Also front deck coloring is finished and a little hand painted details are there now. Also remember the gold craft paint??? Yuppers..airbrushes like a dream, thinned 50/50 with Mr Color Leveling Thinner. It lays down like an old Model Master Metalizer. Beautiful. The white spoon is my 1st try with Tamiya Lacquer Racing White again thinned 50/50 with Mr Color Leveling Thinner. Lays down extremely well. This will be the color I use on all the upper deck parts. Stay tuned! 

[MechTech]

@derex3592 Now that's a "Golden Spoon"! The deck detail adds a lot of realism to the model. - MT

[electric indigo]

Final touches on the Harrier

 

See you in a bit...

[derex3592]

@electric indigo -- still waiting for that electric indigo YouTube model building/painting channel...I kid, I kid, but dang man your builds are always sooo silky smooth and for lack of a better word..perfect. .. Great job once again! 

[electric indigo]

@derex3592 You'd probably be disappointed about the lack of black magic in the proceedings 😀

But for a short summary: Basic materials are Tamiya acrylics thinned 2:1 to 1:1 with Tamiya alcohol, good compressor (works 25 years now, so the money is well invested), affordable Badger 350 airbrush (also works for 25 years). I avoid primer unless I want bright, saturated final colors or work on strongly colored kit parts.

While Airbrushing, work away from already coated surfaces and avoid multiple passes until the paint has dried. Trying to get a reflection of a window or light source while spraying will give you a good sense of the buildup of paint. Stay close to the surface so the paint doesn't dry mid-air.

There's still that video from last year of me doing panel highlights:

[Big s]

It’s really looking good 

[electric indigo]

Album is up: Harrier GR3

[Bolt]

Great job @electric indigo !

[wm cheng]

Amazing and silky smooth as always @electric indigo!

[derex3592]

@electric indigo That looks fantastic. You sir have TALENT.  Using an external mix single action airbrush and getting the results you do, boils down to raw talent coupled with 25 years of experience! Period. Looking forward to your next build! 

[MechTech]

@electric indigo That looks realistic! I keep looking for the exhaust plumes coming out of the rear exhaust, but there is none! - MT

[electric indigo]

Always a pleasure to entertain you, guys.

 

How it started - - - > How it's going

 

[anubis20]

Friend wanted a muddy R2. First time trying to weather a model 😅

[Big s]

A muddy R2 he wants , a muddy R2 he gets.

You could add a bit of flavor by adding a light dry brush over the higher areas with a lighter color to show places where the mud may have dried

[MechTech]

@anubis20 Great job on the mud! It looks muddy alright!

 

I got some more work done on the Ingram. The pistol looks cool, but I thought the frame would look better with the rails and other parts actually cut out. The barrel was also bored larger too. The original slide molded muzzle was cool, but too small to go with the cylinder hole sizes.

Here's the back with everything installed. It's a tight squeeze, but its all there. Now you know why I'm NOT a surgeon! The black cable going up to the head is for the LED in the "eye". That's new too. I actually lathed an LED to fit in the "eye" socket.

A few things. I had a BEAUTIFULLY green tinted visor for the head. I used Mop N Glo with some Tamiya paint in it and dipped the visor in it a few times. Looked just like tinted glass. Then it got scratched during assembly. So I re-tinted it again. Its much lighter, but does have a slight tint to it. The top head sensor maintains its green tint.

The shoulder lights are finally glued together. I used cement to hopefully get no seam lines when sanded.

The "eye" piece is coated in chromed paint and the eye socket hollowed out to take an LED. The LED was covered with scrap Bandai decal foil to light-proof it.

The windows in the chest were carefully cut out and opened up. All the details on this kit and they made them solid?

That's it for now! Hopefully this will be assembled soon. The Spitfire should be fully cured by now. Thanks for checking in! - MT

Edited February 13, 2022 by MechTech

[Lolicon]

My old Bandai Enterprise kit's lights have been on the fritz for years, so I spent all Saturday afternoon resoldering and fixing the wiring on this old kit. I was actually quite sick when I did this build years ago and kinda half-assed some of it. I also don't recommend handling a soldering iron when you are struggling to maintain an upright position. 

The Enterprise was attacked by some unknown space creature during its refit.

 

The original crappy stock incandescent bulbs were replaced with blue and white LEDs.

So despite fixing up my original shoddy wiring job, I still couldn't get the lights working properly. After much trial and error, I found the reason: the poorly designed metal conductors Bandai designed for the inside of the secondary hull. They're held in place solely by friction and over time they shift out of place and won't stay put, which of course breaks the electrical connections.

Like many of Bandai's design flaws, it was fixed with a generous dab of super glue. 

She's fully operational again!

 

Of course now I have to fix a bunch of light leaks. 

[Thom]

Great looking rehabilitation, @Lolicon!

[derex3592]

Looks GREAT! Gotta watch out for those giant space creature attacks! SHIELDS UP! RED ALERT!