Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

I'm an acryl fan, have to make it to Wonderfest one year so I can get drunk and argue the point with Erin some year. Though every move I make seems to get me farther from St. Louis. For a first really easy to use very versatile one I'd have previously said the Badger 350. Now, the Paasche H. Whole friggin set with 3 tips (fine, medium, not so medium), bunch 'o' jars (lift one in my name), braided hose, etc for $50. 50 bucks. That's chicken ≠♀§#&@(§ money. Single action external mix brushes are the bomb. Think of a highly adjustable spray can. Don't believe me, the H is the brush of choice of D. Merriman. Say what you like, the guy is an incredible model maker.

I think the camera flash plays a big role in the effect you're seeing on those pictures.

Not familiar with the compressor, the Scorpion has auto on/off, a feature I love, and the moisture trap lends to very even pressure. I just thin the paint with the highest percent isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) I can find, so it's kinda like skim milk. Never had a problem.

Thanks for the info, I'm debating stripping the kits, since there's only minor weathering. Thankfully I seem to have been a minimalist as a youth. No excess glue, in fact some of the seams have come apart, and no excess paint. Thinking I might just smooth the surface and prime. Everything's in good ...

Sounds like the compressor, I love Tamiya acrylics, and use a 350 all the time, with a Silentaire Scorpion 1 compressor. Shoots perfectly, its fool proof. The pressure seems a tad low though that you're using. The Scorp shoots something like 20 PSI constantly through a moisture trap.

I have the same airbrush and am tres impressed with the quality, it does seem to be knock off of the 150, in almost every way. With the weird generic packaging I almost wonder if it is a 150, the trigger feel is as good as any Badger brush I've used. As for if Badger parts will fit, only one way to ...

Sorry if this has been asked before. I'm lloking into re-doing a bunch of kits (did you know kits grow in bunches?) and want to remove the decals. I'm not worried about saving them. I can't find anyhting made for this, looked in a few train shops, wondering if anyone has any ideas? I was thinking of...

I'd second stingray, I've done yellow over gray primer, the blue in the primer made the subject greenish, it took 3 coats got get a yellow colour.

You could look for it in scientific supply houses since it was made for science labs. We used it like saran wrap, stretched it over jar tops and the like to seal them. Don't know what you'd use it for in modeling. After using the stuff for a few years I'd say there had to be better stuff for modelin...

Doesn't 2 whole bottles add up to something less than 6 bucks? The only time I've seen Acryl is in an airbrush set I got. I don't think there is a real equivalent, Testors have a far broader range of acrylic paint than do Tamiya. Then again I much prefer Tamiya paints. Can't get them around here tho...

Interesting point regarding auto paints. My 1:1 scale Intrigue in Bright White is still pure white after 6 years. And it's sat in the sun in Texas, Arizona and Utah (the worst, at close to 1 mile elevation the sun's really frackin intense). It is clear coated, don't know if that makes a difference.

White flat latex interior could prolly serve as primer if you're using acrylic paints. Modern latex paints are just called that out of tradition, they're acrylic, likely due to allergies to latex and such. Other than that craft and hobby acrylics can be used. Though I've had far better luck with mod...

The Olds Aurora was available in pearl white. If it's for an Enterprise I'd look for the pearl White of a 1999 Aurora. That's what I'm gonna use. Has that gold/yellow cast (all pearl white's have some colour cast to them) seen on the Ent.

I have a Delta combo disc/belt sander. I was looking for the one with the 4 or 5" disc, but ended up with the one with the 8" disc. In the end I do like the larger disc, an 8" disc still only has 4 inches of usable space. Built like a tank, a total bastitch to assemble, loud enough to...

I've seen it used primarily over tissue paper on a rib and tissue paper aircraft, makes the paper hard without adding a lot of weight.

I found the future coat great to put the mucky weathering on. For that I used cheap hobby paints, Apple Barrel or Delta, thinned down with water to real thin. Work on one area at a time, if I didn't like the way it was going it was really easy to wash/wipe clean. A flat coat would make removing stuf...

If foamcore is that stuff with cardboard on each side I'd be cautious with Gorilla Glue, or any urethane glue. One part has to be wet, or at least damp (I've found slightly wetter than damp works better) which cardboard doens't like being. I'd go for WeldBond, the makers say it's not PVA, but a resi...

Not tried Zap, have used Flash, similar hobby-type super glue. You know Loc-tite Quick-tite super glue is pretty well the same, every bit as good. The thick gel is like treacle. You can get it from WalMart.

You could try All Electronics, I think they have a site, Marg got a catalog, prolly to do with getting a bunch of miniature lighting from Cir-Kit for a dollhouse, they have a load of stuff like that.

Given how cheap glue is I get a new bottle of Soupey glue for every project. Works far better in the long run. One scratch build took so long, sumink like 600 hours, and I ended up getting 4 bottles of glue throughout the project, but at 3 or so bucks a bottle it aint a major expense.

When thinning for airbrushing (to quote Mr. David Merriman: Don't have a spraybrush? Get one) is there a brushable type you can thin down? Sounds like something I'd like to try. You don't have to thin for airbrushing. It's already thinned to be sprayed. Try it. :) Kenny So I guess there's a version...

Once things are as they should be I tend to prefer either Scotchbrite (very fine) or even four-O steel wool to sandpaper on the last primer coat. Very lightly applied.

Isoprop works well with Tamiya acrylics, since it's the solvent used. Other acrylics have curdled with the alcohol and blown out of the brush in lumps. Testors (not Model Master) acrylic specifies thinning with distilled water, so that's what I'd go with.

Lt. Z0mBe wrote: and it's great on chips.


Kenny

I prefer salt and vinegar mesen.

The colour does matter, unless you want to put a very heavy basecoat over it. Grey primers lend a blue undertone to the colours over it. So lets say you want yellow (The Betty in my case), I found I ended up with a weird greenish colour. Red would have a purple colour etc. I found by spraying a much...

I got a scroll saw from Harbor Freight, but haven't tried it yet, it was only sumink like 40 buckazoids, so you can't really go wrong.

Yep, craft store, or even more specifically a scrap booking store. They sell punches and the like in almost every shape and size. None near you, there's tons on line, and I know you have internet access, you posted here.

Check this out, using electric guiater strings, as mentioned:

http://www.spacemodelmania.com/models/g ... _sbike.htm

For larger diameters bass strings could be used. WalMart sell's 'em too, don't know how good they sound, but for this application who cares? And they're cheap as chips.

...You know I've never spilled Tenax or Ambroid... Then you obviously aren't building fast enough :lol: No, I build slowly, like to tack things together, in the right orientation (hopefully), with Testors thin in the black sci-fi shaped plastic bottle (BTW, the Testors and the Testors Model Master ...

Thanks for the replies, sounds like something worth looking into. Dougal certainly thinks so.