Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

For making fillets with Aves I've used spheres without handles. I wet them and roll them over the Aves.

http://www.jodyculkin.com/comics-2/intr ... to-arduino

Jody shows us how to make things blink with the popular microcontroller in this Creative Commons comic.

Mike

Years ago I bought polystyrene spheres from U.S. Plastic. I can't find them on the website now. Another plastic supplier should have them. You can glue acrylic with Plastruct's Plastic Weld.

Mike

You can cut polystyrene foam with a hot wire. Just don't ignite it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystyrene#Fire_hazards

Polyurethane foam will release toxic chemicals if it gets too hot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyuretha ... and_safety

Mike

Thanks. I've wondered about it but never tried it. Here's a brief tutorial.

http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/modding/46

A bunch of places sell it online. It looks like you could buy it localy from auto parts and upholstery supply shops.

There is no best. It depends on the effect you want to create, the scale and the techniques you like. 1. Shoot it freehand with an airbrush. 2. Shoot it with an airbrush and a handheld mask. 3. Mask with Blutak or Silly Putty as Harry Joy suggests. 4. Mask with your favorite tape and roll the edges ...

Hi Draven 2,

I stopped using solvent based putties when I started using Aves.

Many people believe 3M's Acryl series of automotive putties are the best. Unfortunately they're only sold in big expensive tubes. Tamiya and Gunze make good solvent based putties too.

Mike

Thanks Beaveranger,

They're so thin the Blue-tac would get on the faces.

I have some small rectangles of thin clear plastic sheet. The smallest are about 1/8" x 3/16" and the largest are about 7/16" x 3/16". They will be windows. They're polished and both sides need to be coated in Future before before they're installed in the model. I've already trie...

Super Clean will remove chrome and the undercoating. It also strips paint. You can buy it in big box stores.

Your best bet is to polish it with Novus before applying the Future.

Mike

Hi Whiteraven_2001,

I've airbrushed Mr. Surfacer on a vinyl kit. It worked fine. If you're worried test it on the pour stubs.

Mike

Those are nice. I like the skirts and your use of mesh.

Mike

Hi raser13,

Many car modelers airbrush nail polish. Here are tutorials.

http://www.briansmodelcars.com/tutorials/tutorial/20

http://www.hotworldcustoms.com/Nailpolish.htm

http://modelpaint.tripod.com/nailpolish101.htm

Info from FSM

http://cs.finescale.com/FSMCS/forums/p/393/935990.aspx

Mike

Did they spam you?

http://www.siteadvisor.com/sites/thefiberopticstore.com

Most hobby paint doesn't have any problem covering black, particularly if you use enough. If you use less than an opaque coat it is a form of preshading. This is popuklar with some people who build gaming figures.

3M respirator with two replaceable cartridges

I have a big fan in the window blowing outward and open windows in other rooms for good ventilation.

You can but a set of children's water color paint at a dollar store. This is my favorite wash over metallics. It works OK over most gloss finishes. You can custom mix colors. If you don't like the result you wipe it off.

Mike

To clean my airbrush after spraying Future I usually use isopropyl alcohol. Regular 70% rubbing alcohol works okay. The 91% and 99% work better.

Mike

Hi Matt1982,

Here's a relevant thread from the summer.

http://www.starshipmodeler.net/talk/vie ... a08404e191

A pair of strap wrenches are perfect for paint bottles.

Mike

Hi radiofrog, I bought one of those last week after my old compressor threw a rod. So far, I've airbrushed with the HF pancake once and I'm happy with it. First, read the instructions pdf on the HF web site. They're different than the instructions that ship with the compressor. The web instructions ...

I bought two jars of Mr. Surfacer at a contest in Shepherdsville Ky yesterday. The dealer said Dragon still imports it but they wait a long time between restocks. He buys as much as he can when it is available.

Mike

I was hoping someone with the Dupont primer would run a test with IPA.

Thanks pocketpencil,

I'd like to know if you can put a bead of Tamiya primer on a seam, let it dry then wipe it down with 99% IPA for a no-sand seam.

Mike

Hi marc111, Are you sure DuPont 131S primer is identical to Mr. Surfacer? Many people claim it is but I've never seen it demonstrated. Can you remove dried DuPont 131S with 91% or 99% isopropyl alcohol? For me this is Mr. Surfacer's greatest benefit. Mr. Surfacer seems optimized for polystyrene and ...

Hi raser13, Disposable one-piece plastic droppers are an alternative to syringes. Model Master sold them through hobby shops. Fill the bulb with CA from the bottle. Heat the tip of the tube with a candle and stretch it like you're stretching sprue. Cut the tip at your desired diameter. When it clogs...

Hi karim, Some of the older larger real space models might have nozzles that are large enough but you'll need to spend a lot of money for a handful of parts. Years ago someone at Wondefest sold large engine bells. Can you use plastic eggs? While styrene and ABS eggs disappeared from the stores aroun...

Do they need to be hollow? You can buy solid spheres from US Plastics and other plastic distributors. They don't have a parting line and they're perfectly round.

Mike

With enough work and some cleverness you can use almost any part. Tank wheels are put to good use here. http://sf3d0.tripod.com/id24.html That said there are a bunch of parts that are hard to conceal. Tank wheels and superchargers certainly make the list. Wheel halves from armored car and military t...