Whats Lying on your Workbench MK IV

[derex3592]

42 minutes ago, MechTech said:

@derex3592 GREAT looking stacks! I think the color looks authentic. Its MUCH better than the school bus orange of my old Chevy Vega when I was in high school (photo not my car, but the right color).

BALLER STATUS of @MechTech in high school ----- LEGENDARY! 🤣

@electric indigo - That looks like a REAL ship! Don't know what it's from but I love it. 

Edited March 20, 2022 by derex3592

[derex3592]

In other news, I learned why you do not buy the cheapest $15 airbrush cleaning pot on Amazon...it lasted barely a month and the threads don't screw down anymore. I found out this inconvenient fact when it literally came off and the ICK inside splashed all over me and my clean work area. Fast forward and I now spent $25 on the Iwata version and it rocks! Much better design.  

Also, after watching Barbitos Rex break out an old school single action Paacshe model and paint with it, it occurred to me that I should invest in a quick disconnect for my Iwata and buy 2 adaptors for my old Paacshe's so I can use them again! My dad brought me the old wooden handle model H from his works graphics dept back in about 1988 so I could start using it on models.  The double action I bought in about 2010. Gonna bring them out of retirement next weekend and try them out! 

[arbit]

2 hours ago, electric indigo said:

Meanwhile, back in space:

Sweet backdrop and photo!

Thanks for influencing us to learn more about these designs. As a Nadia fan, I'm seeing a lot of influence from the Cordoba on the Super Space Battleship Neo Nautilus. Thunderbirds is always mentioned as an influence on the Neo Nautilus, but a lot seems to come from the Cordoba too.

Studio Nue is credited on the Cordoba model kit page. But if I were to guess, I would say Miyatake probably designed it, not Kawamori... just based on the design details and it being a capital ship. But what do I know...

(FYI,  Kawamori is said to make a cameo in Nadia, as a very technical science-minded crew member of the Nautilus. He looks just like him to me.)

20 hours ago, derex3592 said:

There's a wide spread idea that Titanic's smokestacks were light or faded orange.. This is incorrect however...They were painted in a color called "StarLine Buff"..

Amazing work. I'm sure you're having fun researching every aspect of this old beast of a ship.

But would it hurt your feelings if I said the stacks look "light faded orange" to me🤪  

Bring on the Titanic memes. I loved that movie. Should I find a rock to hide under???

 

2 hours ago, MechTech said:

 

@MechTech was cooler than I was in high school. Lots cooler. Dang what a ride!

1 hour ago, derex3592 said:

What a classic! Looks like what graphics designers used to use.

[joscasle]

 

Wow!! great job all. I love the cleanliness of your work tables. Mine is always a mess :(

 

I newe "update"  with my Minerva. All decals applyed, al weapons rdy.

 

[pengbuzz]

UPDATE:

I needed some bridge work:

I managed to finally mold a canopy for the bridge using the end of a needle file handle and some soda bottle plastic (stays clearer at smaller scales and much thinner). I also decided to do the internal bridge "stack":

At this scale, the internal bridge stack is just a jagged piece of plastic; but in the tower and with the canopy, it really looks good: (although you can barely see it unless you're close up):

 

 

On that note: not happy about the chunky sliders they used for the bridge slide mechanism. So with that said, I devised my own system:

 

Two nails (one shown here in progress) act as slider posts, while the Bridge modules have slots cut into them:

In place, they ride the posts inward and outward, while allowing me to fill in and remove the chunks left behind when they are deployed:

 

And they meet in the middle, as they should:

It just needs some adjustments, as well as plastic filler pieces and "post tops" to ensure the bridge modules don't wobble all over the place loose!

Some used sliders (ketchup and fries not included):

Also took a moment to finally carve in the elevator pathways/ cutouts on Prometheus:

 

They look a little soft right now, but as soon as I have a dry day (rained here), I'll burnish them down and sharpen the edges!

At any rate, working on the thighs and shins right now as well; becoming satisfied with how they look and the length:

 

Added to that: I also managed to salvage the gun emplacement s on the boom shoulder hubs , as well as some detail towards the lower end of the hubs. I cut these from their plastic housing, ground down the underlying plastic, and glues them into place on the new wooden booms:

 

So overall, the Macross is coming along quite well. My next challenge on this is a bicep pivot on the shoulders, and looking into how feasible it would be to rework the shoulder/ bicep transform. I'd like to get this as close to the anime TV version as possible, since I'm this far now.

And of course, them pesky shoulder rail-guns!

Stay tuned...The SDF-1 is sleepwalking again!

Edited March 22, 2022 by pengbuzz

[arbit]

Concept WIP. Sharon Apple w/ Isamu Bike - Bike by Xigfrid. 1/48 3.6cm. Amateur Fan Art.

Edited March 22, 2022 by arbit

[Urashiman]

Some digital workbench stuff for me as well.

Progress on the VF-9. I wasn't happy with the engines/legs of my VF-9 so decided to delete the old ones and make new ones. I think I am slowly getting there. One by one.

 

And presenting my side project. Whenever I am fed up with the VF-9, I am working on this. A VF-1P with a GU-11D gunpod. This is heavy early progress. It started out as a testbed for modelling techniques but got a little bit bigger now.

[arbit]

30 minutes ago, Urashiman said:

Some digital workbench stuff for me as well.

Progress on the VF-9. I wasn't happy with the engines/legs of my VF-9 so decided to delete the old ones and make new ones. I think I am slowly getting there. One by one.

Your VF-9 is absolutely gorgeous! Beautiful soft lines.

[Thom]

@derex3592 Been buying el-cheapos from ebay for years. They always served well enough, though I did buy an iwata NEO some short time ago. Still haven't used it all that much.

@joscasle Great work on the Minerva!

@pengbuzz As usual, Mr. Buzz, you do impress. Your SDF is looking outstanding.

@arbit One weird looking bike, but pretty cool though.

@Urashiman Wow, really liking the lines of that VF-1P.

 

[GMK]

More work on a scratch printed 1:16 Boxer cavalry reconnaissance vehicle. 
 

 

Just the rough hull shape, at the moment. 
Here’s the parent design. 
 

Lots of work to come. 

[Urashiman]

9 hours ago, arbit said:

Your VF-9 is absolutely gorgeous! Beautiful soft lines.

Thanks a lot! I'm giving it my best. this has been a multi year project now. I mean, I am fiddling on that thing since 2010...

@Thom The VF-1P as a quite different panel lining compared to the normal VF-1. Everything is a bit more "stealth like" and the engine exhausts are more like the ones of a VF-0. The canopy pushes out a bit more as well. Will be interesting to compare to another VF-1 when done.

@GMK Can't wait to see this fully printed and finished. I've been following your progress on it since the start.

Edited March 23, 2022 by Urashiman

[arbit]

8 hours ago, Thom said:

 

@arbit One weird looking bike, but pretty cool though.

Do you mean the 3D desgin is weird, or are you just not familiar with Macross Plus?  In any case, I agree the design is heavily pixelated, which prints "good enough" in small 1/60 scale.  But any larger scale definitely needs smoothing.

I finally finished! It took me many years to gain the confidence to paint this little thing.

Xigfrid's 1/60 Isamu Bike and Ghost-9.

 

1 hour ago, Urashiman said:

Thanks a lot! I'm giving it my best. this has been a multi year project now. I mean, I am fiddling on that thing since 2010...

That's a lot of years of work champ, I just hope you've enjoyed it.

And since you are so familiar with the VF-9 design and 3D Modeling, I am interested in hearing your review of this VF-9 by Senovis on Cults3D.  

[Urashiman]

2 hours ago, arbit said:

Do you mean the 3D desgin is weird, or are you just not familiar with Macross Plus?  In any case, I agree the design is heavily pixelated, which prints "good enough" in small 1/60 scale.  But any larger scale definitely needs smoothing.

I finally finished! It took me many years to gain the confidence to paint this little thing.

Xigfrid's 1/60 Isamu Bike and Ghost-9.

 

That's a lot of years of work champ, I just hope you've enjoyed it.

And since you are so familiar with the VF-9 design and 3D Modeling, I am interested in hearing your review of this VF-9 by Senovis on Cults3D.  

I've been chatting with Senovis on Facebook about the VF-9 and showed a bit of my work on the VF-9 as well. He was impressed with mine. His is really good, thinking of the time it took him to put it together, but there are some things that don't really fit kawamoris line art. Some obvious inaccuracies here and there. Like the panel lines are rounded on the edges, due to the modelling style. It happens with his other models too. It isn't as details as mine, and missing landing gears and so, but that is okay. there is very little information on the landing gear of the VF-9. I know how the front landing gear looks like since that Macross Delta episode were we see mirage at jenius air in the VF-9, but I am still in the dark about the back landing gear. I probably have to improvise there. Was thinking of F-16/18 style gear.

[arbit]

4 hours ago, Urashiman said:

I've been chatting with Senovis on Facebook about the VF-9 and showed a bit of my work on the VF-9 as well. He was impressed with mine. His is really good, thinking of the time it took him to put it together, but there are some things that don't really fit kawamoris line art. Some obvious inaccuracies here and there. Like the panel lines are rounded on the edges, due to the modelling style. It happens with his other models too. It isn't as details as mine, and missing landing gears and so, but that is okay. there is very little information on the landing gear of the VF-9. I know how the front landing gear looks like since that Macross Delta episode were we see mirage at jenius air in the VF-9, but I am still in the dark about the back landing gear. I probably have to improvise there. Was thinking of F-16/18 style gear.

Cool. Sounds about right to me. His valks are great if you need a quick solution for a diorama, and you're not bothered about little details. And he has a wide variety of rare valks for completists.

[nightmareB4macross]

On 3/20/2022 at 5:59 PM, pengbuzz said:

UPDATE:

I needed some bridge work:

I managed to finally mold a canopy for the bridge using the end of a needle file handle and some soda bottle plastic (stays clearer at smaller scales and much thinner). I also decided to do the internal bridge "stack":

At this scale, the internal bridge stack is just a jagged piece of plastic; but in the tower and with the canopy, it really looks good: (although you can barely see it unless you're close up):

 

 

On that note: not happy about the chunky sliders they used for the bridge slide mechanism. So with that said, I devised my own system:

 

Two nails (one shown here in progress) act as slider posts, while the Bridge modules have slots cut into them:

In place, they ride the posts inward and outward, while allowing me to fill in and remove the chunks left behind when they are deployed:

 

And they meet in the middle, as they should:

It just needs some adjustments, as well as plastic filler pieces and "post tops" to ensure the bridge modules don't wobble all over the place loose!

Some used sliders (ketchup and fries not included):

Also took a moment to finally carve in the elevator pathways/ cutouts on Prometheus:

 

They look a little soft right now, but as soon as I have a dry day (rained here), I'll burnish them down and sharpen the edges!

At any rate, working on the thighs and shins right now as well; becoming satisfied with how they look and the length:

 

Added to that: I also managed to salvage the gun emplacement s on the boom shoulder hubs , as well as some detail towards the lower end of the hubs. I cut these from their plastic housing, ground down the underlying plastic, and glues them into place on the new wooden booms:

 

So overall, the Macross is coming along quite well. My next challenge on this is a bicep pivot on the shoulders, and looking into how feasible it would be to rework the shoulder/ bicep transform. I'd like to get this as close to the anime TV version as possible, since I'm this far now.

And of course, them pesky shoulder rail-guns!

Stay tuned...The SDF-1 is sleepwalking again!

Looking good!

Nice job on the bridge windshield.

[pengbuzz]

18 hours ago, Thom said:

@pengbuzz As usual, Mr. Buzz, you do impress. Your SDF is looking outstanding.

49 minutes ago, nightmareB4macross said:

Looking good!

Nice job on the bridge windshield.

Thanks guys! Sadly, I had to undo the nails and go back to the old sliders, as the nails kept popping out and were tearing up the plastic. I thought it best to re-use the tried and true system rather than risk a catastrophe.

UPDATE: I recently got new paint brushes, and was undecided on what to do with the old ones. While contemplating this, I was working on the SDF-1, prepping the shoulder gun stubs so that I could eventually do something with them.

So... what happens when preparedness meets opportunity?

Answer:

Stay tuned...

Edited March 23, 2022 by pengbuzz

[Thom]

13 hours ago, Urashiman said:

Thanks a lot! I'm giving it my best. this has been a multi year project now. I mean, I am fiddling on that thing since 2010...

@Thom The VF-1P as a quite different panel lining compared to the normal VF-1. Everything is a bit more "stealth like" and the engine exhausts are more like the ones of a VF-0. The canopy pushes out a bit more as well. Will be interesting to compare to another VF-1 when done.

@GMK Can't wait to see this fully printed and finished. I've been following your progress on it since the start.

Little differences can make big changes. It looks like a SuperValkyrie. And I love those Zero-inspired exhausts.

10 hours ago, arbit said:

Do you mean the 3D desgin is weird, or are you just not familiar with Macross Plus?  In any case, I agree the design is heavily pixelated, which prints "good enough" in small 1/60 scale.  But any larger scale definitely needs smoothing.

I finally finished! It took me many years to gain the confidence to paint this little thing.

Xigfrid's 1/60 Isamu Bike and Ghost-9.

 

That's a lot of years of work champ, I just hope you've enjoyed it.

And since you are so familiar with the VF-9 design and 3D Modeling, I am interested in hearing your review of this VF-9 by Senovis on Cults3D.  

Weird, as in unfamiliar. At least with Macross Plus. I'm familiar with the VF-19 and the -21, but little less from that one.

2 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

Thanks guys! Sadly, I had to undo the nails and go back to the old sliders, as the nails kept popping out and were tearing up the plastic. I thought it best to re-use the tried and true system rather than risk a catastrophe.

UPDATE: I recently got new paint brushes, and was undecided on what to do with the old ones. While contemplating this, I was working on the SDF-1, prepping the shoulder gun stubs so that I could eventually do something with them.

So... what happens when preparedness meets opportunity?

Answer:

Stay tuned...

Cool, you got some shoulder cannon!!

@GMK Great work on the scratch Boxer!

[arbit]

9 hours ago, Thom said:

Weird, as in unfamiliar. At least with Macross Plus. I'm familiar with the VF-19 and the -21, but little less from that one.

Well if you like aerial combat, put on Macross Plus Movie Edition this weekend, and you can thank me later.

[Thom]

4 hours ago, arbit said:

Well if you like aerial combat, put on Macross Plus Movie Edition this weekend, and you can thank me later.

That, and Zero, have some incredible dogfight sequences!

[pengbuzz]

On 3/23/2022 at 6:33 PM, Thom said:

Cool, you got some shoulder cannon!!

Yup; and now I have the bridge radar:

And... a bridge for Prometheus:

Edited March 25, 2022 by pengbuzz

[Bolt]

Very impressed with the 3d work guys. Been a fan for some time. 
And that SDF-1 upgrade action...totally awesome 👍🏼
 

[MechTech]

@Urashiman Your 3D renderings are look REALLY good! The VF-9 especially!

@GMK That Boxer is really starting to take shape. I look forward to seeing more progress on it! Are you going to get a metal barrel for it?

@arbit Sharon Apple can ride a bike!? 😄 Your sculpt of her looks realistic! Great work on the bike too! It's good to see some rare subjects become models now.

@pengbuzz Sorry for the setbacks man! The good news is how you are kicking butt over those mods! I DEFINITELY think there are big improvements in your work vs the original molding. Yours will take more wear and tear too. - MT

[pengbuzz]

22 minutes ago, MechTech said:

@pengbuzz Sorry for the setbacks man! The good news is how you are kicking butt over those mods! I DEFINITELY think there are big improvements in your work vs the original molding. Yours will take more wear and tear too. - MT

Thanks, but I have some bad news: while checking the clearance on the booms,  I accidentally sheared off the radar array and wrecked it. 😠

Going to be rebuilding it...this time, out of metal.

16 hours ago, Bolt said:

And that SDF-1 upgrade action...totally awesome 👍🏼

Thanks! Doing my level best here!

One thing I'm definitely going to be trying new stuff on is the paint job.

[pengbuzz]

4 hours ago, derex3593 said:

@pengbuzz - I got locked out of my old account over the weekend somehow!  So if you responded to my last PM, I never got it! 

 

derex3592 

I did respond bro; it's all good. I'll just resend my reply here:

Yeah, I'd still like it! Please though: let me know what shipping is and we'll go from there bro!

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by pengbuzz

[MechTech]

I haven't got much work done the last couple of weeks, but here's what is done so far.

Made new gun barrels for the wings. Not exactly "canon" (heh heh😁 - see what I did), but then again, what is on this plane!

Oh, and a coat of Fusion Satin Pewter Gray. OK paint, WORST ever to use as a primer! VERY splotchy. I should have sprayed a spoon first to test it. The barrels test fit too.

The exhaust came out great (IMHO). REAL stainless steal and REAL heat. Doesn't get any more REAL than that!

A micro connector was made from cutting one of those strips as you see on older hard drive connectors. I added plastic to help ensure it is "keyed" to prevent reversing polarity. It is actually rounded and will fit into the joint that will support it.

 

Still a LOT to do! Must sand it down now and fix some panel lines from thick paint. That's it for now! Thanks for checking in guys! - MT

[pengbuzz]

5 hours ago, MechTech said:

I haven't got much work done the last couple of weeks, but here's what is done so far.

Made new gun barrels for the wings. Not exactly "canon" (heh heh😁 - see what I did), but then again, what is on this plane!

Oh, and a coat of Fusion Satin Pewter Gray. OK paint, WORST ever to use as a primer! VERY splotchy. I should have sprayed a spoon first to test it. The barrels test fit too.

The exhaust came out great (IMHO). REAL stainless steal and REAL heat. Doesn't get any more REAL than that!

A micro connector was made from cutting one of those strips as you see on older hard drive connectors. I added plastic to help ensure it is "keyed" to prevent reversing polarity. It is actually rounded and will fit into the joint that will support it.

 

Still a LOT to do! Must sand it down now and fix some panel lines from thick paint. That's it for now! Thanks for checking in guys! - MT

Yeah; Fusion has certain requirements to apply it, and even then it doesn't go on exactly like normal paint. I only use it for projects where I  either have metal sliding parts, or parts that transform and I can't have them chip/ peel/flake/ see Will Smith coming and run for dear life!

[pengbuzz]

UPDATE: "first colors"-

 

 

 

This is by no means finished, but rather, the first of the painting processes it's going through. The booms and carriers are removable and are not permanent (unless I wish them to be). The initial panel lines are a bit heavy; those will be toned down as I go; meantime, the carriers (particularly Prometheus ) were treated more like real carriers; I avoided the blue used on the anime's flight deck, in favor of a more realistic grey-black tone, with appropriate deck markings.

Just don't let them pesky Battlefortresses near your drink cup....

Stay tuned...

[Thom]

@pengbuzzWhat really matters is what is in the cup!? Cool looking SDF there Pengbuzz! Not done yet, but looking worlds better than what you started with.

[pengbuzz]

28 minutes ago, Thome said:

@pengbuzzWhat really matters is what is in the cup!? Cool looking SDF there Pengbuzz! Not done yet, but looking worlds better than what you started with.

That is a specially blended mixture of lemons, sugar and water, with some frozen water added in the shape of small squares....

[MechTech]

@pengbuzz WOW!!! Looking much better than factory already! Your colors look spot-on and the weathering helps give it depth. I look forward to you finishing it! - MT

[pengbuzz]

8 hours ago, MechTech said:

@pengbuzz WOW!!! Looking much better than factory already! Your colors look spot-on and the weathering helps give it depth. I look forward to you finishing it! - MT

Thanks MT: the blue to me though looks like it could use some green in it, but rather than go with one shade of blue or white, I'm going to be doing paneling on it with a trio of different blues, all slightly differing from the initial shade.

I also have a base I'm working on, using materials a friend sent me recently. I'll have a pic up later; right now, I discovered the spray paint on the SDF-1 was still tacky after 3 days drying time, so I'm giving it time to dry properly (and using a hair dryer to bake it as well) as to lot let the paint smear, crack or otherwise self-destruct.

[MechTech]

I thought before going any further, it would be good to build the base to ensure everything fits properly. So here is the base and a connector for the stand bored through for the wires.

Like Pengbuzz was saying, working with wood is messy! Just routing this made about two cups of sawdust that I swept up from all over the floor (and me)! It will be worth it when done - I hope!

Thanks for checking in everyone! - MT

[arbit]

3 minutes ago, MechTech said:

Thanks for checking in everyone! - MT

Thanks for keeping us up to date.

On 3/29/2022 at 2:19 AM, MechTech said:

Oh, and a coat of Fusion Satin Pewter Gray. OK paint, WORST ever to use as a primer! VERY splotchy. I should have sprayed a spoon first to test it. The barrels test fit too.

Ouch.  I keep those hardware store primers for painting bases and diorama walls and big clunky stuff like that.  

I've been using Vallejo polyurethane primers a lot recently on detailed parts, now that I have figured out how to use them. Since they don't sand well at all, you have to thin them real well and lay them down with confidence.  But they go on soft, glossy and smooth, no dust or residue at all like lacquer primers.  Great for figures and parts that don't need sanding. 

If I will need sanding, like for a valk with seam lines, then I use lacquer hobby primers.

And a lot of times I don't use a primer at all. I just lay down very thin layers of acrylic on well-cleaned parts and build up after they dry.

[pengbuzz]

UPDATE: while waiting on materials for weathering the SDF-1, I kludged together a base/ stand for it:

Amazing what you can accomplish with the lid for an old wooden cigar box, a piece of plastic grate for a fluorescent light, and a small plastic base from an acrylic baseball display cube. Now, i just need a post to display the ship in both modes.

Stay tuned...

[MechTech]

@arbit Thanks! I blew it and didn't spoon test the paint first (didn't I just do that with the LAST project too?!). The primers I usually use are great! This wasn't for some reason. Plus, it's not really a primer. It's OK, it sanded down fine. I just have to paint now.

@pengbuzz That is an AWESOME looking base! You wouldn't know it isn't part of the whole model! - MT