Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

It is with heavy heart I bring sad news. Our own Clyde "Zog" or "En'til'Zog" Jones has passed away. He had been battling health problems for years. Clyde was a founding member of the IPMS Techmages, and an exceptional individual. He'll be missed. I know Zog was active here in the...

Any of those plastic containers/shippers can be backed with epoxy putty to make them very rigid - and depending on the plastic, you might just get away with using them directly. Otherwise, a simple mold is all you need for a one-off model.

White is the worst. It's best if you can use a white primer or a very light gray primer. I had this same issue with the Meteor Sweeper - talk about a LOT of white hobby paint.

The Grex brushes are good. The pistol grip are very comfortable to use. They're on par with Iwata, from what I gather.

Very amusing! I like it.

Get a cheap kit to use for practice. You can clean it off - windex works great for most acrylics. Don't be a noob on your first kit, get the feel of the airbrush and paint first.

One of the sticky topics is on airbrushing, it's worth a read.

I never had any luck with those enamels, they always stayed tacky. Probably I didn't thin enough - you can really push material through a Paashe H....

Looks like you're going to need a regulator. One with a built-in moisture trap is probably best.

http://www.modelexpo-online.com/product.asp?ITEMNO=HSF2

Make a solution 50% water, 25% Liquitex Flo-Aid, 25% Liquitex Slo-Dri and use that to extend your paints for dry-brushing. The better acrylic painters don't drybrush, but apply many fine layers of nearly transparent paints to get the effects they want. It takes practice. And Vallejo, Reaper, etc. ma...

Check power and amperage ratings on the LEDs you want to use, add the requisite resistors, weather-seal the wiring and you'll be OK. You might find some existing replacement bulbs, though, which will work well.

Whatever you do, don't over-do it. Subtle is the rule at this scale. I'd avoid the "grunge" wash. It's appropriately named - usually it makes things look grungy.

Using Aves means you don't have to get the holes exact. I drove myself nuts pinning stabilizers on 1/72 Macross fighters until I figured that out. Get some nice sculpting tools and you can use Aves for sanding-free gap filling and adhesive. Here are some epoxy techniques in use: Fixing a bad joint: ...

Did we mention you need to pin your joints? Here's a trick: Drill the holes larger than necessary. Put a little ball of Aves in each hole, insert the pin and set your joint. You can use a drop of CA to fix the joint, or use more CA than necessary so it squeezes out and you can trim to fit. A bit of ...

I usually suggest people rely more on shading than weathering with that scale and subject. Every ship will leak lubricants etc - but the scale kills most any application. Think of when you're on an airliner and look at the spoilers and ailerons etc. You see the dirt caught on the lubricants streakin...

You might want to look for pearlescent powders which you can mix into a clear gloss. That might be an easier solution. House of Kolor does this kind of thing, and I'm sure others do. http://www.houseofkolor.com/products/specialty.jsp Also, Testors makes acrylic pearl paints - they're tricky to use, ...

Thanks for sharing.

You can get great results with India Inks in Future as well.

Spraycan over acrylic paint ruined a couple planes I did years back. Personally I use PolyScale acrylic through the airbrush now.

Alclad is outstanding. You have to see the Dark Aluminum in person. It doesn't take great pictures but it is sexy as hell. Airframe Aluminum is up there, too.

I used to thin it all the time with water and isopropyl alcohol. Now I'll add some Flow-aid and water. And reduce the air pressure.

You can also pen them in with a drafting/micron pen then overpaint with a weathering layer. Easy for major panel lines, but it doesn't work too well with access panels etc. which are usually finer.

Have a look at Model Expo, they have great tools.

http://www.modelexpo-online.com/product ... O=SN8403SD

I haven't had the opportunity to use a Patriot, but I've examined them at shows. They look great. I have an older Omni which operates much the same way and threatens to run forever. Get the gravity feed. You'll be happier in the long run. You can shoot small amounts and more dilute paints at lower p...

I haven't used metallizer for a while, but I seem to remember the stuff really worked better with sealant before decals. And after, of course. Seal those down well for the ages.

I think the Paashe H was most people's first airbrush. I only moved away from it because I wanted to do more color blending and effects. That said, one of the best modelers I know uses one almost exclusively.

Take care of it, and keep it clean - like any tool.

Thanks a bunch, Ken. And I stil use my Omni as my workhorse airbrush.

There's a whole thread about this. It really depends on what I'm trying to fill. I use 3-4 different materials, including Liquid Paper. No sh&t, Liquid Paper? What kind of seams/gaps can you fill with that? Is it self leveling, sandable? Man I tell you I learn something new everyday in this wor...

There's a whole thread about this. It really depends on what I'm trying to fill. I use 3-4 different materials, including Liquid Paper.

If you are airbrushing, there are great acrylic choices. You will need to practice, though, they do not always behave as the lacquer based products do. They are far more gentle to the base though.

I get great results with PolyScale acrylic flat.

Go with gravity feed. Badger's customer service is very good. I have an Omni I use all the time, it's a solid brush with inexpensive replacement parts.

Itwatas are better built, but more expensive parts. I don't have enough experience to say whether the parts last longer, offsetting that benefit.