Beginner's Model Building Construction BASICS

[derex3592]

Has anyone here used a clear coating that won't make Sharpie perm ink pens run? - MT

Future is fine or Model Master Clear Acrylic Flat, Semi Gloss, and Gloss are all ok to use over Sharpie Perm marker. Tested by me, back when I did the Misa Hayase figure model.

[SchizophrenicMC]

I don't know anywhere you can get Mr Hobby in America. Shipping paint via parcel carrier is prohibited in the US, and there's certainly nobody local who can procure Mr Hobby on freight shipments.

You might try a floor polish, mixed with Tamiya flat base. That should at least create a base clear coat that you can lay a proper flat coat on without risking your sharpie running with alcohol-thinned or enamel-based clear coats.

[Quagga]

Hi Quagga... sorry for the late reply.

I'd go with a second hand compressor and a Iwata Revolution CR. Its a higher quality AB than the NEO, and can be found at really reasonable prices second hand. Its how I started modelling seriously... and I still use the CR to this day for large area painting. I guess I would suggest you do a fair bit of research on a model before you buy it. I bought a Senco PC1010, which is a really highly regarded compressor at a really reasonable price in the U.S. However it might not be as cheap in Europe. Really it is a question of what might be available for you.

Since the painting set-up, i.e. airbrush + compressor + some sort of a home-brewed booth, is by far the biggest modelling investment, I'm going to follow this bit of advice. THANKS

I'm a bit late, but happy new years Macross World!

[MechTech]

Thanks guys! Testors I can get easily and other paints you can still get through mail (even Mr Hobby). Scalehobbyist.com carries their primers. It just has to be shipped via surface. Thanks again guys!-MT

[modelglue]

+1 on Scale Hobbyist. My go-to for most of my kits from the aircraft genre.

[Skull Leader]

Question -- say I wanted to get into the game of printing my own decals?

Are there reasonably priced printers that are good for the job?

What sort of decal paper works best?

*most* printers on the market today will handle 80% of decal printing reasonably well... Laserjet printers can make them a little more crisp if they're really small.

A couple of things to bear in mind:

1. 98% of readily available printers in the world don't print white. They rely on the paper to provide any white areas.

2. There are printers by a company called ALPS that DO print white ink (they require special ink cartridges) but these printers are hard to find, painfully expensive, and may not even be commercially available any more, I don't know.

Testors decal films come in white and transparent, so if you're careful about your decal layout,you can work around the whole "no white" thing.

The Testors stuff is readily available and works pretty well... I'd recommend starting with that.

[GU-11]

Just a quick question:

Is it normal for my compressor's psi to drop 5-7 psi when I press down on the airbrush's trigger? I set the psi to 25, and it would fall to 20 when I start airbrushing. I know that a small drop in psi is normal when you've got the trigger pressed down, but most people was that the normally accepted drop is 3 psi. There was one guy who said that a 7psi drop is normal for 0.3mm airbrushes.

It's been almost six months since I last did any airbrushing, but I seem to recall that the pressure only dropped by 3 psi until recently. Can't be certain, though.

My compressor's a relatively new Sparmax TC-610 that I've only used less than a dozen times since I bought it, and I'm using an Iwata HP-CS.

Thanks for any advice!

Edited January 29, 2015 by GU-11

[mickyg]

My setup is very similar to yours and I get that kind of drop as well. It has a lot to do with the length and diameter of the hose. Have you changed the hose recently?

The more important question is whether it's affecting how your brush sprays or how the paint looks?

Edited January 29, 2015 by mickyg

[GU-11]

My setup is very similar to yours and I get that kind of drop as well. It has a lot to do with the length and diameter of the hose. Have you changed the hose recently?

The more important question is whether it's affecting how your brush sprays or how the paint looks?

Thanks for replying, Micky!

I feel a lot better knowing it's not just my compressor. I haven't changed the hose or anything on my compressor. I do keep it coiled while airbrushing, though--not sure if that makes a difference.

As for how whether it's affecting how my airbrush works, not at all. Other than the 7 psi drop when pressing the trigger, the pressure's been consistent. The drop does swings between 5-7 psi depending on whether the cormpressor's topping off the tank, but other than that, I don't notice anything wrong.

UPDATE:

I just remembered something. I had tried to use my Tamiya Spraywork Basic Airbrush on the compressor. I'd fitted it with a bleed valve, but the valve kept leaking air even with the dial turned all the way down. I shut off the compressor while it was still filling the tank, and removed the basic AB and bleed valve, before switching to my HP-CS.

I'm pretty sure that turning it off like that can't have done any damage to my compressor, but I just thought I should mention it just in case.

Edited January 29, 2015 by GU-11

[GU-11]

Would air regulators be usable with compressors of different brands? For instance, would a regulator from Anest Iwata be usable on a Sparmax compressor?

I was just thinking that since the connection joints between the compressors and regulators are all universal sizes (1/4"), and regulators simply control how much air flows from the source into the hose, it shouldn't matter what brand it's from.

This recent thing with the compressor just got me thinking is all.

Oh, and one more thing!

When I turned on my comrpessor this morning, I caught a slight hiss for LITERALLY a split second around the area of the regulator--I repeated turning my compressor on and off (draining the tank and turning the power off, and turning it back on), and it only happens during startup. I wrapped some Teflon tape around the threads of the joint that connects the regulator to the airbrush's air hose, which solved the hissing, but the needle still drops by 7 psi.

Could this be a faulty hose, after all?

Edited January 30, 2015 by GU-11

[SchizophrenicMC]

I always set my compressor pressure with the trigger held down, so it's set to actual pressure. The regulator on the compressor is designed to set the pressure around 5psi higher than the flow setting, so the compressor isn't working all the time. It lets the compressor catch up, and the tank will be able to give you even pressure for several seconds before it drops below the threshold and turns the compressor back on.

Also your diagnostic theory is all off. If you had a leak, it would cause a pressure drop across the range. It only happens when you open the air valve in the brush, which is all the way at the very end of the hose. So you can easily diagnose that leaks aren't your culprit, even without knowing the regulator logic.

[GU-11]

I gladly stand corrected.

So...I guess it's safe to say that there's really nothing wrong with my compressor?

[SchizophrenicMC]

Yeah that's normal behavior.

[GU-11]

Many thanks! That's a huge relief.

[Noyhauser]

Would air regulators be usable with compressors of different brands? For instance, would a regulator from Anest Iwata be usable on a Sparmax compressor?

I was just thinking that since the connection joints between the compressors and regulators are all universal sizes (1/4"), and regulators simply control how much air flows from the source into the hose, it shouldn't matter what brand it's from.

It really depends on the connectors; if they fit they fit. Air pressure is air pressure after all.

Oh, and one more thing!

When I turned on my comrpessor this morning, I caught a slight hiss for LITERALLY a split second around the area of the regulator--I repeated turning my compressor on and off (draining the tank and turning the power off, and turning it back on), and it only happens during startup. I wrapped some Teflon tape around the threads of the joint that connects the regulator to the airbrush's air hose, which solved the hissing, but the needle still drops by 7 psi.

Could this be a faulty hose, after all?

Do you have a water trap? they need to hit a certain pressure before the valve seals, which is pretty common.

Edited January 31, 2015 by Noyhauser

[GU-11]

It really depends on the connectors; if they fit they fit. Air pressure is air pressure after all.

Do you have a water trap? they need to hit a certain pressure before the valve seals, which is pretty common.

Thanks for the heads up!

Well, I guess there's nothing a bit of Teflon tape can't tighten up.

As for the water trap, yeah, the regulator on my compressor has one built into it. I didn't know they had to get up to a certain pressure before sealing.

[SchizophrenicMC]

They do, but it's usually the minimum regulator pressure. For example, my regulator's minimum setting is 8psi. It won't set any lower. 8psi is also roughly where I'd expect the moisture trap seals to seat fully. And sure enough, you can hear a bit of air hissing around it until the needle first twitches off the 8psi mark, then it's just the sound of the tank filling.

But I do recommend sealing tape- it'll keep any small clearances from leaking. Can't hurt. Also the disassembly to seal everything will make you more familiar with your equipment, which is always good.

[GU-11]

But I do recommend sealing tape- it'll keep any small clearances from leaking. Can't hurt. Also the disassembly to seal everything will make you more familiar with your equipment, which is always good.

That's very true. Truth be told, I'm always a little apprehensive about taking expensive equipment apart. Took me a full 6 months (and my basic trigger airbrush leaking air when attached to the compressor) for me to finally start using my HP-CS. I know it's stupid, but I was deathly afraid of having to disassemble the thing. Must have read too many horror stories of people breaking stuff at modeler's forums.

But once I got disassembled the HP-CS for cleaning the first time, it's not nearly as harrowing an experience as I first thought. The drop-in nozzle really helps, since you don't have to worry about removing that tiny nozzle tip.

BTW, how many times should you wrap Teflon tape around the threads? I saw a youtube video made by a professional plumber, and he recommends only wrapping the tape just one turn around the threads. Others say you should at least wrap around the threads about 2-3 times.

[SchizophrenicMC]

I tend to wrap once, I never wrap more than twice.

[GU-11]

Got it, thanks!

[chyll2]

anyone here have a scan of decals for 1/72 armored or super parts of VF 25? I need it so that I can trace the shapes and print a copy of it. A higher resolution copy is appreciated as well.

Second, did anyone knows what Font to use for the SMS body number? (SMS 001, SMS 007, SMS 027, etc)

[chyll2]

Anyone knows a guide or quick step on how to paint missile cluster in the shoulder (aka, lego brick of V1) for macross 25 Super/armors?

[MechTech]

I've heard of people either using shallow trays with paint or paint laden felt or sponges that you lay the missiles on.

I think MW Cheng made those up once too.- MT

[chyll2]

thanks for the idea about the tray. I think I get the overall picture now on how it was done.

[TMBounty_Hunter]

Not sure if this is the right place but....has anyone ever built a Hasegawa VF-1 in fighter mode using the ever-so-slightly fatter legs and arms from the battroid or gerwalk kits? What would that look like?

[ce25254]

I'm thinking about replacing my airbrush after the discussion on the Workbench thread.

I have an order that needs to ship soon from HLJ and I noticed they have the Iwata HP-M2 is in stock, and it's 2/3 the cost of an Iwata HP-CS. The HP-M2 is single action, but since I'm used to my Paasche H I don't think that would be a problem for me.

Does anyone have experience with this one or advice against it?

Thanks

[derex3592]

If you can swing it, get a double action brush. Your world will open up to a whole new level of possibilities!!! I was nervous going from my old Model H to a double action Paasche which I have used for about 4 years now, and I have done some amazing jobs with it and never looked back. The Iwata stuff is even better. Kinda like going from a Chevy (nice, dependable)...to a Lexus.(VERY nice and dependable).

Edited April 17, 2015 by derex3592

[GU-11]

I have to agree with Derex here. Double action airbrushes allow you to do so much more with them. The HP-M2 is a good airbrush, though, as far as single-action goes. While I'm using an HP-CS myself, I've seen Dr. Cranky use one of these in his youtube tutorials, and he seems pretty satisfied with it.

[ce25254]

I don't doubt the double-action is better… I'm still thinking about it.

I'm impressed by the reviews of the HP-M2 or M1 (actually thinking that the M1 would be a better choice for small work). My old Paasche H has the trigger limiting screw that allows me to treat it kind of like a simplified double-action. Will I miss this? I don't know! Maybe I should get two :-D

[GU-11]

Well, getting two airbrushes is probably a good idea, actually. One double-action one for the more complex stuff, and one for base coats, silver and primer. After having to do a deep clean on my HP-CS the few time I used metallic paints on it, I'd since switched back to my Tamiya basic trigger-type airbrush for metallics and hard-to-clean stuffs like primer. The Tamiya is far easier to clean, as you can strip it down to its component parts and just soak the central block in lacquer thinner without worry.

[Galaxy_Stranger]

Howdy ho! I have two issues to address.

First, does anybody know of a brand of lacquer based paints out there?

Second, recently I looked for a way to remove the chrome off of plastic model kits - wheels and other car parts, etc. Apparently, this can be done by immersing the parts in Coca-Cola for a week or so. I didn't want to wait that long, so I kept looking and found this Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMm8iWW2FK4

As you can see, he's using Super Clean automotive degreaser. I found out that they have it at Wal-Mart, so I got some and tried it out. It works really well. After soaking for a few minutes and agitating it a few times, the chrome comes right off. Some parts I had to let soak all night - but they got cleaned off.

As a side-effect, I noticed that it cleans grease really well! The plastic parts that I had cleaned with it REALLY cleans the plastic off - and without eating it. Of course, then I have to go over the parts with soapy water to get the Super Clean off...

[GU-11]

Howdy ho! I have two issues to address.

First, does anybody know of a brand of lacquer based paints out there?

Hi!

Gunze Sangyo's Mr. Color paints are lacquer-based, and you can get Tamiya acrylic paints to act like lacquer paints by thinning them with their own brand of lacquer thinner (with emphasis on using Tamiya's OWN brand of lacquer thinner; other brands might produce unpredictable or disastrous results). I think most automotive paints are either lacquer or urethane based.

Edited April 23, 2015 by GU-11

[Galaxy_Stranger]

Yeah, Lacquers are hard for me to find and even Mr. Color isn't all that easy, even with the Internet.

[GU-11]

Thing is, you can't ship solvents (not internationally, at least). That's why HLJ only sells Vallejo paints.

[SchizophrenicMC]

You can't ship paints and solvents via postal service or parcel carrier in the US, or via air freight to the US. I don't know about other countries. Getting paint here requires a middleman with their own freight infrastructure. Most hobby stores can order Vallejo and Tamiya, but Mr. Color can be incredibly difficult to find.