Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

I've got stuff that's over a year old. As long as the bottles are out of direct sunlight and tightly closed, no problem.

Dan

I've used both the blue and pink foams in building nosecones for my larger rockets. A few tips: Get a hot wire cutter. Either build or buy, but they are invaluable when carving large sections. Google around, there are plans to make one, or Woodland scenics makes one. I've laminated fiberglass cloth ...

The orange Ambroid glue is meant for wood models. I've used it on stick-and-tissue free flight birds. Really nice for that sort of thing, but I'd imagine it would stink for plastics. It's meant to get into something somewhat porous and bond that way.

Methinks you got the wrong stuff.

Dan

I picked up a set of airbrush cleaning brushes from the local art store for about $8. They are like pipe cleaners, but they have smaller wires, and the brushes won't leave fibers. I've had the bubbling a couple of times, it's always either been a clogged tip, or in the case of the siphon feed, the a...

I hear diapers work well too. Yeah, but you don't want the polishing compound. BTW--I've used newsprint before on polishing, and it works OK, but there are better things out there--you don't want to use the stuff with ink on it though, go to a packing store, they have oodles of the stuff cheap. Any...

I've got the Tamiya scriber, with the Olfa cutter. Really like it, as Blappy has said, it'll do fine or wide lines with ease.

I personally like the clunky handly, it give a lot of surface area for gripping--my hand shakes when I try and do fine work, so the more I can rest my hand on the better.

Dan

Farm and Fleet stores also carry cheap pipettes and syringes...used in vetrinary care of livestock.

Dan

Depending on the glue, I've also heard putting it in the freezer overnight can do the trick.

Dan

Woodland scenics now has a set of bendable plastic trees that foilage sticks to very well. A little drybrushing, and they look quite realistic. I saw them at a train show a week ago and was impressed.

Dan

Owen E Oulton wrote:If you're looking at removing the plating from a Polar Lights kit, forget it - it won't come off, no matter waht you try, short of sanding it off.

Really? The Mr. Clean trick took the plating right off the D-7 kit I've got. I'm gonna hit the HomerMobile and the Ecto-1 next...

Dan

I've had good luck with Mr. Clean, others report bleach works well too.

Dan

I've got an Iwata Eclipse side bottle setup. I really like the side bottle because I can have it spray gravity or siphon--different paints seem to like different setups. Just another data point. I don't see many people use the side setup--also look at the Badger 360 -- it can also operate in both mo...

I use a solution of Simple Green, Distilled water, and Windex. I think it's mixed 10:20:5. I found it on the Finescale.com forum. It's my flush mixture, but for the cleaning at the end of the session, I use Testor's acrylic cleaner, reduced 50% with distilled water. I haven't found anything that cut...

Dried paint solvent and thinner are really two different animals. Suffice it to say they arn't the same. Using saliva--you must have water based paints. Good. I thought you had enamels. Acrylics are trickier to brush paint well with, but the techniques are the same. Instead of saliva, use distilled ...

Nothing wrong with dipping directly into the pot--I do it if I'm painting small areas that brush marks typically don't show up. I've gotten cheap palettes by using the lid of yogurt containers, also craft stores and Wally World have 6 well pallettes for under a buck. If I want to add just a few drop...

Don't use the non-toxic Testors stuff--a post it note is stickier. If you want something non-toxic, get a bottle of Microscale's Micro Weld. I know you can get it at best1hobby.net, but I don't know about anywhere else. As far as brush painting, here's what I've had pretty good luck with: Get a high...

If you put any sort of gloss over a metallic, it will dull it down a bit.

Just warning you--although the Future will protect it quite nicely, some metallics don't need it.

Dan

Tamiya and Gunze Sangyo: 99% Isopropyl alcohol. Just enough thinner to get the viscosity right - maybe 10-15% I've had trouble using straight IPA with these two lines of paints. They seem to dry out a bit too quick. Adding a little Liquitex Slo-Dri does help (a drop or two per airbrush paint cup). ...

On the MM Acryl, I previously used distilled water, Testor's airbrush cleaner, and windshield wiper fluid. They've all worked to some degree, it kinda depends on what you are going to do with it. For handpainting, water seemed OK. For airbrushing, I'd go with either the airbrush cleaner, or the wipe...