Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

Hover Tanks don't really have to look like a bar of soap all the time. That's boring to see. Those Tachikomas configurations from 'Ghost In The Shell' are considered 'tanks' and would be a nice starting point to something original. Replace the wheels with hover pads and re-work the body/leg/cockpit ...

Somewhere out there in the wrecks contest, you'll find my post apocalyptic Chevy with mangled boot. This was done by cutting the panel from the car, and then molding fairly thick aluminium foil over it. This was then bent and dented and super glued into place. The foil used came from the bottom of ...

Thinning Gorilla Glue is just too much work. You need this type of super-thin CA:
http://www.votawtool.com/zcom.asp?pg=pr ... =jmrqlnmpo

Ive done some searches, and Im sorry if I have missed this question somewhere, but why should one use an airbrush vs a regular paintbrush? With the exception of primer, I have always used a paint brush and a bottle of paint (even base coats). Id like to think Im pretty good with a nice sable brush....

Wow nice tip!! I'll try that out. Thank you!

This is exactly one of the reasons why I chucked my Azteks. I was getting air bleed where the head screws onto the body. All it needed was a little tightening but eventually I got tired of tweaking that finicky Aztek and bought a Badger Airbrush. Maybe you could use a little wax on the threads to he...

Put the tube on a flat surface and roll the blade gently yet firmly over where you want to cut it.
Eventually after several rolls the tube will cut cleanly.

This only works for smaller diameter tubes.

Personally I've had really excellent results with SuperCal using Epson waterproof inks. I admit I've not tried any other inkjet decal paper.

"Gee Tony, were'd ya get the copies from?" :? " I... Um,I mean," "We no make no stink'n copies!" :twisted:.....I've been modeling for about 18 years and the stuff that guy does on the tapes just blows my freakin' mind! That's right....you found those copies for me. Yea...

I just watched the first episode/installment of David Fisher's Figure Building DVDs...... I knew I forgot to add those DVD's to my list of ' Wonderfest things I need to Get'. I have old VHS copies of those very cool David Fisher programs but the audio is so poor on them. I still have a pair of thos...

I've sprayed the "Grey" form the can before and it went on smooth as silk. What I'd like to do with the black is shoot it into a bottle and airbrush it on. Anybody ever Airbrush this stuff? Btw it seems that the black "auto primer" is a little thicker than the grey "craft p...

I think you can find it at PepBoys if I'm not mistaken. I love that primer.

The WalMarts near me don't seem to carry them anymore. [homer]dumb stupid walmart[/homer]

I've been trying to find a paint that you can brush on that creates a chrome finish, or as near to one as possible. I know there are airbrush effects like alclad II and some spray paint brands have similar effects, but I'm trying to find a brush on version, hopefully acrylic or enamel based, that w...

Barâ„¢ wrote:I use Sculpey.
Primarily for figures, but starships can be done too...

Bar, that Solo Carbonite sculpt looks fantastic!

You could try using those small undercounter AC fluorescent light bars that plug into each other. I don't know a thing about electronics either but you could find those small lighting kits at your local home store.

You could try getting some .010 styrene sheet and cut extremely thin strips to use. Just use some liquid cement and boom your done.

I use SuperCal decal paper made specifically for inkjet printers. My printer is and older Epson C80 which uses waterproof inks which is perfect for decals. Unfortunately it doesn't print 'white' like the ALPS printer does. I'm not sure what this frisket you bought has to do with photoshop/decal maki...

I find the stuff very difficult to work with when I need to 're-sculpt' limbs and clothing in re-posed figures. It's just too sticky even after cutting it with talc. For me Aves is best for filling seams since it doesn't shrink like the Squadron Green putties do. If you want to try a different 2 par...

Another way to cut panels into styrene is to drill a series of holes inside or outside the perimeter of the panel you want to cut out at close intervals. Then you can use a sprue cutter to snip away at the material between the holes you drilled. You can than smooth over the rough edges with a series...

jmagee wrote:how would I make a good scrape look as well as weather look on my models?

I give up. How would I make a good scrape look as well as weather look on my models?

Just kidding.

Seriously what kind of a model are you trying to weather?

Interesting information.

I found these links here and here to Zinc Primer.

It's just one color being sprayed. The pressure is right (15psi) and the paint seems to be thinned correctly because these areas are the only places this is happening. It's not sticky or anything, but you do need to use fine sandpaper to get it off. I think you are airbrushing too far from the mode...

Excellent tips but.....


....where the hell did he learn to hold an air-brush like that? I've never seen that kind of an airbrush holding technique before.

Does he write that way too? ;D

I find that pencils adhere better to flat coats rather than glossy ones.
The flatter the paint or clear coat the better.

justcrash wrote:....So does anyone use and airbrush with no venilation in the room?

I would NEVER do airbrush painting in an unventilated room. That's dangerous and a really stupid thing to do.
Is there no way for you to do a little room modification to attach some sort of an air vent that leads out of that space?

I've only had experiance with Gunze Sangyo clear flats. I've never had a problem with that particular clear finish yellowing. I prefer those acrylic flats than Testors lacquer Dullcotes which in time will yellow especially if the model is white.

I spray Easy-Off oven cleaner to remove old enamel and acrylic paints. Dump the painted parts in a large (more than a gallon) zip-lock plastic bag or if the model is too large a large plastic bin with a cover. This stuff is very caustic and kind of stings if you touch or accidently take in a whiff s...

It sounds like something is clogged inside the tip of the airbrush itself where the needle tip fit into the front. Maybe you have to really soak the inside tip and clean it out with an extremely fine brass wire. I've always had problems with acylics clogging my airbrushes and causing blowback. The p...

Dollar stores have the coolest stuff for bashing. Check out the toy sections and the kitchen/bathroom sections for those cheapo styrene shapes. If you are lucky to have an American Science and Surplus near you, they also have all sorts of neat gizmos and things like that. Also try going to those One...

Its NOT a flat overcoat. Its ment to be mixed into Tamyia gloss paints to make them flat. If you apply it direct to a model you with get a white frosty mess. Several years ago I found that out in the worst way possible. I thought it was a clear flat and ruined a meticulous 'Betty Page Jungle Fever'...