Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

Acrylicos Vallejo has a bunch of clear washes. They're more glaze than wash, but nice.

You can use a make-up sponge to wipe the area down, or you can lightly buff it.

I'd skip the white glue, too. That liquid film should be a good insurance, though.

Did you scan the decals just in case?

I use knead-a-mold frequently, tis a useful product.

I'm getting used to the Vallejo Model-Air. It applies more thickly than Gunze or Tamiya, you'll have to get used to it. It dries down very well and tends not to change color like PolyScale. Plus, it's not super-flat like Tamiya.

So far, so good though. I've used it on two aircraft to good effect.

Ink in future is essentially a glaze. Use it in detailed areas and it will sink into recesses. It's fantastic. It's great to grime up areas like gear bays etc. because it spreads evenly or recesses with gravity creating shadow effects. It's not good as a wash, because that Future doesn't wipe away. ...

Speaking as a chemist, kit chrome is crap. Remove it and foil or Alclad it.

I've done it, it's tricky. Be prepared to waste a lot of plastic...

Wear heat-resistant gloves, too. Evenly heat the plastic, and pull evenly over the piece - which must be secure.

NO black, NO white. Shading instead of harsher drybrushing. Remember, the smaller the model scale the farther the viewer is from the subject.

Wine bottle foil is great for those exit wounds and ripped/torn metal.

No lazers in the NuBSG universe, so it's all projectiles - though some may be explosive and might leave some soot. Decide where the hydraulics, lubricants etc. run and you can stream some bleeding back from various spots.

I like using three layers. First a grimy streak back whichever way the blast went. Grease etc. will flow and stick. Second, a translucent oily color closer around the impact, directed the same way but a bit more local. third, after the dullcoat, a more opaque oil or pastel char in the hole and immed...

You might be in for some quality buffing time with a very fine pad and water, Father Rob. Been there...more than once.

Too thick is SO easy to do with clear coats. Be super careful.

I've used it for...concrete.

It's warm, it has a bit of tan to it.

Moving this to finishing.

Testors paints here:
Aggressor grey looks good for neutral. Medium's not bad either.

Warm damp cloth and time will soften the decal. You can apply some Future with a foam swab and work it down. In the future (temporal not brand name), seal those decals down with Future (brand not temporal) before dullcoating. I wrote a simple "watchlist" for decals a few years back. I thin...

1/48 and 1/32 WW2 photoetch aircraft sets. The older Eduard sets, particularly.

Sometimes a little extra heat will do the job. Leave it near the oven, place it on the windowsill etc...

Be careful if you use the stand-off method, airbrush perpendicular to the mask. You can get a doubling effect if you're not careful.

Another way is to hard-mask then come back over with a fine-line airbrush and "fuzz up" the edges.

I have thinned the sculpt with alcohol to the point where I could brush or syringe it into a gap. It was not as strong as full-strength epoxy putty or moderately thinned. I'd experiment with that if I were you.

The little makeup sponge brushes are great for working with Future- you can remove the excess easily and don't run the risk of cotton fibers from a swab.

starmanmm wrote:
Also... see if the company you got it from has tech help and pick their brains... ask them what they recommend.

My 2 cents

That would be our very own Tom Grossman. I think that's his forum name, too.

I airbrush PolyScale's acrylic clear coat. VERY THIN multiple coats are required. Gunze Sangyo's acrylic matte coat is OK, but a bit fidgity.

Here's a thread:
http://www.starshipmodeler.net/talk/vie ... hp?t=42752

with the previous formula one part would separate and had to be mixed for a while on its own. From what I understand, that's been fixed now.

Almost exclusively hand-brushed.

it's about thinning to transparency and layering so on and so on. Also about understanding color theory and making it work for you.

How they thin:
http://www.reapermini.com/TheCraft/15

Mark, that's one I remember as the first truly outstanding lighting effect miniature. I've seen lanterns, "magic missiles" and such since.

Yeah, it's humbling. I know these people do this as a primary hobby so they get really good at it. Still, it's phenomenal.

Do like the miniatures painters, many layers building to the color. http://www.coolminiornot.com/233996 http://www.coolminiornot.com/103554 http://www.coolminiornot.com/42876 http://www.coolminiornot.com/177196 http://www.coolminiornot.com/129820 and then there's this: http://www.coolminiornot.com/2...

I use a little dropper bottle of water with some slo-dri and flow-aid to extend the paint. These game paints are designed to be thinned and then you can do all kinds of things with them.

Seal with Future or another incompatible clear coat.
I don't like paints as panel washes - there's a whole thread here on alternatives. I like transparent watercolors, myself.