Beginner's Model Building Construction BASICS

[MechTech]

Thanks for the link!-MT

[Mr Bomber]

excellent guide! thx a lot

[Mintox]

No more spills!

IMG_5242 (Medium).JPG

That is awesome the number of times I have knocked these bottles over.

[arbit]

I'm using Testors Cement for clear parts, but find it really doesn't hold.

Anyone have advice?

Edited December 7, 2015 by arbit

[chyll2]

has anyone used water soluble/mix-able Oil paints for panel wash? I dont have access to odorless turpenoid from weber that seems to be the only plastic safe thinner for oil paint so I am considering these water mixable oil paint since I am sure that water will never harm the plastic or paint.

[NZEOD]

I'm working with Florys Clay based washes.

http://www.florymodels.co.uk/

Edited March 3, 2016 by NZEOD

[chyll2]

I did order that but unfortunately, i didnt get the item. I was reimbursed back though.

I am curious though on the water mixable oil paint since it is readily available here.

[MechTech]

Here's some ideas that I hope helps you (oil paint and other mediums): - MT

Edited March 5, 2016 by MechTech

[chyll2]

I have re-ordered a black and light grey wash(Concrete) again on Flory's. It really looks like it is the best option out there.

[NZEOD]

First time handling resin, what is the safest way to remove it from the block/sprue? And apparently, that very thin plastic is the canopy. The upper part portion is fortunately, is not warped, so this means I just need to cut it using scissors?

A Belt sander works brilliantly for removing excess resin and keeping things flat

[Duymon]

Make sure you buy a good mask before you start doing anything with that resin. Resin particles def not good for the body

[chyll2]

i forgot to say, I am dropping or shelving that project. I found out that the tools I have is not enough and I dont want to invest more tools.

[Duymon]

Tools are one of the most fun parts of modelling though, as long as you organize everything.

Latest set of "tools" i got were 3 sets of Tamiya Photo-etched saws for rescribing panel lines

[chyll2]

I have to agree on that, but I want to enjoy the trip going there (and I am being cheap lol). Right now. I am settling on normal repaint and masking with a few panel re-scribing (if needed). My last set of hobby supplies was soft pastel for weathering and panel lining (experiment)

[NZEOD]

i forgot to say, I am dropping or shelving that project. I found out that the tools I have is not enough and I dont want to invest more tools.

What resin model is it?

[chyll2]

A 1/144 vf5000g. Already forgot the price but I got it cheap back then.

[TMBounty_Hunter]

What's best way to glue those clear parts that are supposed to be glued on top of silver paint? 

[derex3592]

Some have suggested you can use Future floor polish to stick on small clear parts and it will work and not cloud up.  I myself prefer good old Emler's white glue applied very sparingly with a toothpick. 

[TMBounty_Hunter]

Clouding up I'm not too worried about. It's the silver paint being either a barrier to strong adhesion or the glue attacking/smudging the silver paint.

White Glue doesn't seem like it would be strong enough to hold the clear parts for sanding them flush with the surface and itself does not sand very well.

[pengbuzz]

I just use model cement and polish the parts once applied with toothpaste and a cotton swab.

[TMBounty_Hunter]

But doesn't model cement eat through paint? Seems like it would just dissolve and squeeze out all the silver paint if used in such a case.

[pengbuzz]

It can;I usually take and back-paint my clear parts with silver, then clear coat the backs. I usually have good luck with that.

[TMBounty_Hunter]

Ah, so you add a sacrificial clear layer. Didn't think of that. Thanks!

What brand/type of cement do you use though?

[pengbuzz]

Just testors, and I use it sparingly. And yeah: the clear layer gives it something to dissolve and bind to.

[MechTech]

For those of you looking to do some vacu-forming, its been a couple of years since I did my last project using it.  I forgot some things and wasted a lot of plastic thinking I was having temperature issues with the plastic.  Long story short, think of a blanket.  When you droop a BIG blanket over something, you get webbing in between where the blanket hugs whatever you are drooping it over.  I did some research and was like "DUH" - forgot about that!"  So I took the vacu-forming box I made and added a plate with a hole in it to reduce the plastic available to pull over the mold or "buck".  Plus less plastic means I wasted less.  So a quick walk through for anyone wanting to do vacu-forming.

First I made the "buck" on my lathe and machined the gun port into it.  In order for the plastic to get into nooks and cranny's, you need air holes for the vacuum to reach in there and pull the plastic in.  This will be a 1/72nd Oto Melara 76mm ship's turret.

Next is a photo of the buck and original turret I made like 15 years ago.  Long story short, it is WAY too big and kinda heavy to go on an R/C boat.

The photo with a pulled (molded) piece on the lathe shows the failure of having TOO much plastic around the buck causing webbing and ruining the part.  To add insult to injury, I still had to cut it off too!

Next photos are the vacuum box with frame to hold the plastic.  Since the adapter makes a smaller hole that is hard to line up with the buck, the light helps you see and align them up.  The next photos show successful pulls and how they were cut off on the lathe.

The last photo shows the buck and molding.  Note the holes in the buck to suck the plastic into the gun port.

(sorry, photos wouldn't load in order no matter what I tried)

Hopefully this helps someone and you don't waste a couple feet of plastic like I did! - MT

[pengbuzz]

Great post; some days, i wish I had my own machine shop. I'm lucky to have a dremel tool.

[chyll2]

I was looking for the Toy FAQs but can't find it. I think this is the closest thread where I can ask.

 

Has there been any effort made before to make the valkyrie attached upside down to the Yamato Launch arm? I was thinking that with 3D printing, one can make a custom super/strike bracket that connects to the yamato stand.

[JagimusPrime]

This was great to go through, thank you so much as I will be referring back to this often!

[Sildani]

An open question: is there a tool anyone would recommend to remove the screw covers from Yamato/Bandai toys? Plastic spudgers might break, some of them are on so tightly. Thanks!

[MechTech]

The only thing I can think of is to carefully glue a piece of sprue onto the cover with a TINY drop of CA and pull it out. Then just clean it up afterward carefully with sandpaper and a bit of buffing. - MT

[Checkmate]

Tamiya Panel Line Accent:

This thing works really well until I used it on my MG Patlabor for panel lining. What happens is the paint would jump from the tip of the brush to the model like Venom's symbiote latching on to his host. It would jump outside of the panel line before there's contact between the surface and the brush. Once there's contact the liquid will do it's thing and fill the cavity but some paint would creep out of the panel crevice. has anyone experienced this with their Tamiya Panel line accent?

[electric indigo]

Perhaps static electricity was the problem?

[MechTech]

That is weird! I think Electric Indigo is right. I have that kit and it has a lot of ABS plastic. ABS is great at creating a static electricity charge. - MT

[wm cheng]

To the people who use Flory washes - I love it after discovering it.  Now however a few years later, I find some of them really thick, what do you use to thin them down again - is it just water?  They seem to bead up more than flow.  Also even after a lot of shaking, I find a lot of the pigments seem to be clumping and not mixing finely enough (or at least you can see the "grit") - at least not like it was when it was new a few years ago (it was smooth like watery paint when new).  Is there a proper way of "refreshing it"?

[chyll2]

^

I read before but I no longer remember where is it, but it was recommended to use very tiny bit of liquid soap. I also tried adding water but it beads up on the model.