Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

Appaloza is touted to be compatible with any printer and promises in-browser editing of files. You might try going to them and registering for their alpha.

www.appaloza.com

Kenny

Soak it in Super Clean. It will turn the putty into something along the times of wax candy at which point you can scrape and pop it list. Kenny Really? I have have to give that a try. Would Simple Green work too? I've never tried Simple Green. Super Clean I learned about by accident whilst strippin...

I just lightly sand them. Most of the time the printing is a thin layer of vinyl lettering.

Kenny

Soak it in Super Clean. It will turn the putty into something along the times of wax candy at which point you can scrape and pop it list.

Kenny

Andrew Gorman wrote:Good sharp scissors have always worked for me. Sometimes a brand new X-Acto knife.

Seconded. I use the super sharp scissors made for trimming nose and ear hair. Also, I cut on a big old piece of tempered glass that covers my bench

Kenny

The answer is "it depends." I take the same approach as I do with regards to painting stuff before or after assembly. It all boils down to whether the gap between the subassemblies is there on the "real" item AND is in scale. Once decaled, you ain't going to be cleaning up seams....

If I had to guess I would say the can wasn't shaken enough on the first coat of the top and had an abundance of solvent. Second coat likely wasn't shaken enough too. This means you have a solvent-heavy first coat which would still possibly be outgassing. The second coat also has an abundance of solv...

Kylwell wrote:If not I can source you 42g wire....

Yeah, tiny fine.

Making details for 1/2500 figures again?

Kenny

I would try two places: 1.) Nylon finhing monofilament - some of the lighter test ones are thin and look like kind of gray or blue. 2.) The jewelry/craft store or section of Wallyworld. There are a BUNCH of different shades of really thin wire in various metallic colors available for jewelery crafte...

Here's another video. This guy has used "Folk Art Extreme Glitter" to get the effect that I'm after. Think I might do this, or maybe try the PearlEx pigments. Maybe even try to make my own glitter paint with micro glitter. Check it out... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj_Uc_7MTpQ This gu...

It's excellent for getting that look some anime and Star Wars vehicles have. It looks awesome trying to shoot a cool white or light gray over black. Preshading's already done AND it's really easy to get panel variation and splotchiness with light colors over black.

Kenny

I would still probably go with gloss black if you're looking for the mirror look. If not then you can get great effects by using a red undercoat (for a warm gold) or white (for a brassy/titanium look). A flat base coat will definitely flatten the look of the metallic coat though, which can be good ...

Are you really going after a patent? Last time I checked you could expect legal fees in the $5000 range. I already filed a provisional utility patent. As a small entity, the search and filing cost me just a few hundred bucks. If...IF it takes off, I have a year to convert the provisional to a full-...

I am taking the plunge...well I am putting my little toe in. I have had a lot of encouragement from you guys here, some offline contacts and some I consider mentors in modeling. Given the response, I whipped up a few to sell on etsy. May I introduce the Airbrush Torpedo . I am going to post a formal...

Will it work on any airbrush? Might be interested... I happen to like ancient Aerographs, and they are finicky when it comes to being clean. -Rog Should work just fine with them. I've tested with a 155, an IWata, a cheapo Harbor Freight and a big, old Paasche VLS. I think the only ones it wouldn't ...

I guess w/o seeing specifics I couldn't tell you. It's been years since I bent a needle. Partially due to Iwata using spring steel for their needles, partially because of my infrequent deep cleaning. And I rarely back flush. Usually only when using Tamiya's chunky metalics. Appreciate the honesty, ...

The answer is "IT depends." On canopies or for individual panels, I mask with Tamiya tape, burnished down. If it's something like a really recessed area or the opposite side of the piece, and is a small area, I don't worry about it. I have an Iwata HP-CH and a Badger 155. Both can give pre...

I guess w/o seeing specifics I couldn't tell you. It's been years since I bent a needle. Partially due to Iwata using spring steel for their needles, partially because of my infrequent deep cleaning. And I rarely back flush. Usually only when using Tamiya's chunky metalics. Appreciate the honesty, ...

Guessing what you're talking about I have to ask, "is it easier and/or better than the tip of your finger pressed against the nozzle?" 1000-percent better - safer for you and the needle. :) It's an all-in-one solution - clean the needle, protect it, backflush all at the same time - aaand ...

SSMers, This is a totally unscientific, anectdotal bit of market research on behalf of yours truly. I know we all deal with tip dry and have all bent a needle while cleaning an airbrush. After making my own fix at my bench, I decided to see how the world liked it. I am curious what your thoughts on ...

DeltaVee wrote:Thanks Kenny,
Great info. Have you used the Dupont primer surfacer and found out that it performs the same? Is it more like the 1000 stuff or the 500 stuff? 1000 seems thinner.

The only difference I can see is the DuPont doesn't seem to dry as quickly when you apply with a brush.

Kenny

Thanks. So has anyone tried to find primer surfacer in the cheaper auto body primer quantities? ...Like the Lucite stuff mentioned above? I bought some DuPont 131S a while back after hearing from Dave Merriman that Mr. Surfacer was re-packaged 131S. I may have the document around here somewhere. It...

It's the Tamiya itself. Their flat does that with ISO. I thin Tamiya flats (dark flats do the same thing sometimes) with denatured alcohol instead of ISO. I figured out if the frosting isn't too bad a lot of times a light coat of Future will take care of it. Then you can try something else. I hope t...

While not drilling for fiber I still needed to drill at low speeds. What I did was get some extension cord pieces, a dimmer and a junction box and made my own speed controller. DO NOT DO THIS IF YOUR DREMEL ALREADY HAS A SPEED CONTROLLER BUILT IN. Now I can dial my Dremel down to very low speeds. If...

Epoxy could be used but as others have said it would be expensive. If you're wanting something in that ballpark, you might also consider Gorilla Glue. You just dampen each surface with a bit of water from a wash cloth or brush, apply the glue to each surface and clamp everything together. It will no...

I made a little mistake on the X-Wing I am working on and had to remove some parts. Needless to say, I had a couple of seams pop and need filling. I never tried this with the Wave, but you can actually feather this stuff a pretty good amount for about 10 or 15 seconds. I have applying it with a smal...

While regular Gorilla Glue is awesome stuff it requires water to activate. Generally spread a very thin coat on one side, dampen the other and clamp together. It's also normally a wood glue tho' you can also glue foam together with it. Gorilla Glue's CA formula is what I talk about for gap filling ...

Echoing Joe's remarks here. Also, usually you will get better results if you actually stir your paint with a stick than only shaking. I have paints that are 20+ years old that I have dipped into. Shaking them, you'd think they were toast. But, give them a thorough stir and then some shaking after th...

Kylwell wrote:Yup, love that Gorilla Glue. It's the only CA I use anymore.

Used it for the first time this week. As for how I like it let me put it this way: If I were single, I think I would move to Maine or Massachusetts and marry it.

Kenny

And getting paint of brushes? Ive used gas, paint thinner. Nothing seems to work really well to get it all off. Depends on the paint: Acrylics - Windex or windshield washer fluid. Windex has ammonia and both have different alcohols that shred acrylics. Sometimes one or the other only will work. Don...