Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

Thanks Robb! You're my hero!


Kenny,

Squadron doesn't carry Alclad, AFAIK

I'm in need of paint.

There are no worthwhile LHSs in my area, and I'd like to get it all in one shipment if possible.

Does anyone know of a decent online store that ships:

Alclad Lacquer
Mr. Surfacer in Rattle Can
Polyscale paint

Ideas?

Will, How "Real" does the Mr. Color look? It's hard to tell from a photograph. My project involves a very "real" looking subject, and I'm going to be using real glass and other real materials, so the paint needs to have that same quality. I may give the alclad pale gold a try (I ...

I would check out some of the hobby paints, in your big craft stores. What about using baremetal foil, or if budget is no concern how about real gold leaf? BMF would be a good solution, but the parts I'll be working with will need full-wrap-around and there will be nowhere to hide the seam. Gold-le...

I'm looking for the Alclad of Gold paint. I know about Alclad "Pale Gold" I need opinions about its suitability for a 1:1 scale model of something that is supposed to be made out of real gold. The "pale" is a little concerning as well, as I'm really looking for more of an "A...

Also PolyScale "Scale Black" cut with Future or with PolyScale "Flat Clear" works pretty well.

TER-OR wrote:
Nice trick, ain't it?

Yep! I especially like using the modification with the nesting sleeve to create a perfect pin-joint

Pin it: Drill a hole the same diameter of the pin ( a shortish metal rod), insert and glue the rod into the hole. drill a hole into the other part larger than the pin. Mix some Aves (2-part putty) and put it in the hole, insert the pin, glue the mating surfaces with superglue. When the aves cures, i...

I think the problem with Aztecs is that ultimately, they are molded, not machined. The plastic makes a huge difference in consistency, so some people can make the brush work fine, and for some, the brush simply never works. I stayed away from airbrushing for years, mainly because I thought I sucked ...

Not styrene, but how about this: Get a spherical balloon and inflate it to the desired diameter. Mask off a circle around the balloon to mark the desired bottom edge of the dome. Pour resin over the balloon until you get a thin, even coat. Allow to harden. Repeat until desired thickness is achieved....

For larger silicone pour projects I've got a set of plastic bowls I use. The only problem is getting the bowls clean afterwards. I use MicroMark 1:1. Anyway tonight I decided to try Goo Off, a product I picked up at Home Depot, and it worked great! Cleaned the white a blue goo right out of the bowl...

Personally, I've had nothing by trouble with MM Arcyl paints. I've used Poly Scale paint for the last few years and have had nothing but joy with them. Even better, PolyScale clear flat appears to be perfectly compatible with future, so you can mix the two in-brush for a series of progressively flat...

How cold/hot is it on Planet Blortch? Could environmental factors (heat, humidity, pressure) have played a role?

I've never seen it do anything even remotely like you describe. Bad batch? I guess so.

Another good way is to use 1/4" audio jacks.

My moldy crow was built with a base that holds 4 AA batteries. I also added in a DC socket with interrupt pin, so that I can plug in a 6v adaptor. Works fine. The socket automatically disconnects the battery circuit when the adaptor is plugged in. The socket was about $2 at Radio Shack There's no he...

Anyone know of a good source for pearl-additive for acrylic paint (Polyscale)?

Thanks dude. Looks like I'll be keeping the transparent colors for a while and switching back to Polyscale for everything else :) I do love those bottles tho. I'll prolly dump out the basic colors and reuse the bottles for pre-mixed Polyscale ;) Funny thing is, short of sanding, I STILL can't get th...

Bar wrote:Is it going to be "as first built", or will it have a more realistic heavily weathered look?
If so, it will all look fine eventually.
Bar.

Nope. This one is going to be pristine.

Well, they come with a ball bearing in the bottle and I shook it pretty well. Color is Opaque White. I hadn't over coat it with anything, but I washed it all off, and tried another coat. This time, I shot my final coat with a little future mixed in (I figure, it will make a decent binder). I'm going...

Anybody every used it? I bought a few bottles at WF to try it out, but I'm having a weird problem with it. It appears to be totally water soluable, even after its dried. I tried to do a little wet-sanding and it all came off, clean, down to the Mr. Surfacer primer. It just melted away. Is this stuff...

Thought of that... though with the viper, the dark area is flat dark gray, not darkened white... its really two seperate solid colors.

I guess I'll try some liquid latex as a masking.

I've been working hard to get a nice, shiny surface on my Mk2 Viper, and I'm ready to paint. What's the best strategy for painting this bugger? I'm particularly curious about handling the dark gray recessed greebly areas right next to the bright white hull. These areas are very small... I'm not exac...

A coat of Black paint, with a heavy coat of White paint over it.

Use Black CA . Amazing stuff. I was using some brass rod to hold some parts for painting and without thinking glued two parts to opposite ends of a piece of brass rod... Instead of removing one, I simply glued the rod cross-wise to another piece of brass rod using Black CA... It has not only held th...

Don't bother with an Aztek. total waste of money.

I've had a VL for a while, and I did like it... it was my workhorse. I've replaced it with a Badger 100. So far, I do like the 100.

The VL is a bit finniky... but I think that may be normal for siphon feeds. I like gravity feeds better.

Harbor Freight has a set of 1/8" and 1/16" letter punches for pretty cheap.

just ordered some.

BTW... WHat a crappy website!

What is the best mail/online order source for Mr. Surfacer?

I like slush-casting, because its a pretty good way of getting good casts if you aren't invested in vacuum/pressure pots, and only want a couple of pulls

It's also a neat way to leave lighting space in the part.

I used it for the engines for my Moldy Crow scratch.

I really like my VL for broad coverage, but I think it finally may be dead. I'm painting the basecoat of my entry for WF, and all of a sudden, my VL starts spitting. Checked the needle & nozzle (clean). Checked the pressure (good). Checked the paint thinness (just right). So I break it down, swa...