Search found 564 matches
- Thu Jul 30, 2020 1:00 am
- Forum: Scratchbuilding
- Topic: Using Blender and other 3D drawing tools for builds
- Replies: 16
- Views: 75247
Re: Using Blender and other 3D drawing tools for builds
Sounds like a lovely idea to me. Plus, I have a lot of experience making and unfolding papercraft models, so I could contribute my own tips and tricks.
- Wed Jul 29, 2020 9:26 pm
- Forum: Scratchbuilding
- Topic: Using Blender and other 3D drawing tools for builds
- Replies: 16
- Views: 75247
Re: Using Blender and other 3D drawing tools for builds
This really needs to be pinned. Lots of useful information here!
- Wed Jul 15, 2020 1:34 pm
- Forum: Finishing
- Topic: Getting rid of the undercoat on chromed parts?
- Replies: 26
- Views: 215181
Re: Getting rid of the undercoat on chromed parts?
Ooooh, good to know! I looked at Reddit alongside asking here, and some people have suggested soaking in alcohol for 2 hours to get rid of the lacquer. Is that very effective in your experience?
- Wed Jul 15, 2020 12:13 pm
- Forum: Finishing
- Topic: Getting rid of the undercoat on chromed parts?
- Replies: 26
- Views: 215181
Re: Getting rid of the undercoat on chromed parts?
Thanks for all the tips! I think I'll try bleach. I have been having success with Easy Off, but it hasn't been that good at getting rid of the lacquer undercoat on its own for some of these parts, AMT parts, in particular... some of these parts like the grilles and hubcaps are really stubborn with t...
- Sat Jul 11, 2020 7:29 pm
- Forum: Finishing
- Topic: Getting rid of the undercoat on chromed parts?
- Replies: 26
- Views: 215181
Getting rid of the undercoat on chromed parts?
So, I have a stack of car parts I got in a massive box some rando left at the model store several months ago. I've gotten the rest of the parts cut from the sprues and sorted, and I'd like to do the same for these. But I've had poor success in the past with stripping the chrome of chromed parts. I c...
- Fri Jul 10, 2020 7:29 am
- Forum: Lighting & Electronics
- Topic: LEDs & Other Low voltage, Low power lighting
- Replies: 52
- Views: 179532
Re: LEDs & Other Low voltage, Low power lighting
You didn’t file down into the diode itself, did you? There’s no exposed metal? (Go ahead and laugh, I managed to do that once.) Lol, no. I learned that lesson the hard way too many times! It's not that the LEDs don't light up, it's that they're noticeably dimmer than they were before modification. ...
- Thu Jul 02, 2020 4:45 pm
- Forum: Lighting & Electronics
- Topic: LEDs & Other Low voltage, Low power lighting
- Replies: 52
- Views: 179532
Re: LEDs & Other Low voltage, Low power lighting
The LEDs were flat to begin with.
- Thu Jul 02, 2020 3:45 am
- Forum: Lighting & Electronics
- Topic: LEDs & Other Low voltage, Low power lighting
- Replies: 52
- Views: 179532
Re: LEDs & Other Low voltage, Low power lighting
I bought some super bright (10,000mcd) LEDs for my Millennium Falcon's engines, and they didn't fit in the space I'd created for the circuit boards, so I used a sanding stick to file them down to a lower height. When I did this they were dimmer, so I polished them back to crystal clear, but they're ...
- Tue Jun 23, 2020 11:15 pm
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: Rubber for molds
- Replies: 85
- Views: 274616
Re: Rubber for molds
I bought some silicone spray to coat masters with before molding them as I've been having tearing issues even with baby powder. Being the cheap-skate that I am, I was trying to get away with something inexpensive so I picked up a can of this for $12: https://www.amazon.com/Sprayway-SW946-Silicone-Sp...
- Tue Jun 23, 2020 11:04 pm
- Forum: Important Site News
- Topic: Mark Yungblut Has Passed
- Replies: 15
- Views: 88898
Re: Mark Yungblut Has Passed
Ah man... my condolences to his family for their loss.
- Tue May 05, 2020 6:50 am
- Forum: Finishing
- Topic: alclad rubbing off
- Replies: 6
- Views: 24644
Re: alclad rubbing off
I'm going to give Molotow a try once I get to a position where I can afford it. I like Alclad Chrome, but it's really difficult to get a mirror finish with it, and some parts really need a mirror finish.
- Tue May 05, 2020 1:29 am
- Forum: Finishing
- Topic: Applying weathering over MM metalizers?
- Replies: 0
- Views: 71859
Applying weathering over MM metalizers?
So I'm working on a set of engine parts and I've base-coated them with MM metalizer lacquers. I am working them into a really nice metallic sheen, over which I plan on putting on some weathering in the form of a grime pass using Tamiya acrylics and an oil scrub wash that's been thinned with odorless...
- Sun Mar 15, 2020 6:23 pm
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: Fitting acetate to window frames?
- Replies: 6
- Views: 26274
Re: Fitting acetate to window frames?
Okay, so that leads into another question. After cutting it, what's the best way to get it to match the curve? I thought about taping it to the side of the cockpit cone and then running hot water over it, but after doing some tests I found that it was tricky to get a good temperature for this. If it...
- Sun Mar 15, 2020 2:19 am
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: Fitting acetate to window frames?
- Replies: 6
- Views: 26274
Fitting acetate to window frames?
Is there a good trick to fitting sheets of acetate to curved window frames? I am working on my DeAgostini Falcon and the windows in the kit are atrocious, toylike garbage. I'm trying to cut panes of clear acetate to fit them, but it's hard to get a good fit and it's starting to test my patience. I w...
- Wed Dec 25, 2019 7:31 pm
- Forum: Finishing
- Topic: Using acrylics to protect Bandai plastic from enamels/oils?
- Replies: 4
- Views: 19123
Using acrylics to protect Bandai plastic from enamels/oils?
Is it feasible to protect a Bandai kit's plastic from enamel thinners, lacquers and other known harsh chemicals by first coating the model in acrylic primer or clear varnish? I'd like to think that it would, but those who have worked with paints more than I have probably would be able to tell better.
- Tue Nov 26, 2019 2:50 pm
- Forum: Finishing
- Topic: Good cloth to wipe a model down after a wash?
- Replies: 3
- Views: 18019
Good cloth to wipe a model down after a wash?
I have a TON of detail on this turbolaser tower I'm modeling which will get knocked off if I don't use a good cloth of some kind to wipe down the model after a wash. Since this is a one-off made from thousands of tiny paper parts that could be ripped away from the model if I use something that is to...
- Fri Oct 04, 2019 10:31 pm
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: Trying to mimic "high-impact" and "rubbery" plastic used in toys
- Replies: 7
- Views: 28128
Re: Trying to mimic "high-impact" and "rubbery" plastic used in toys
I don't mind a little math. I'm not sure that HDPE or MDPE are used in toys, at least not the Hasbro/Kenner ones I'm trying to mimic. The hard plastic responds to plastic welder, so I think it might be ABS. I'm not sure what the soft, more rubbery plastic is made from, though.
- Wed Oct 02, 2019 11:41 pm
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: Trying to mimic "high-impact" and "rubbery" plastic used in toys
- Replies: 7
- Views: 28128
Re: Trying to mimic "high-impact" and "rubbery" plastic used in toys
The thing is, I'm wanting to make a Star Wars toy circa 1995 or so, and my idea is to build a master out of styrene, then cast the parts in resin to give them the proper tint (including those weird black specks floating around in the gray) with the poky bits cast in that rubbery plastic they used fo...
- Wed Oct 02, 2019 3:37 pm
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: Trying to mimic "high-impact" and "rubbery" plastic used in toys
- Replies: 7
- Views: 28128
Trying to mimic "high-impact" and "rubbery" plastic used in toys
So I've been googling this, but I'm not sure I'm getting the right information. At least, the info I've been getting has been confusing, to say the least. I'm wanting to make a toy starship, right down to the kind of plastic used, but lacking an injection molding machine, I was thinking I could find...
- Mon Sep 09, 2019 9:41 pm
- Forum: Lighting & Electronics
- Topic: Glow-In-The-Dark paint for fiber optics /light pipes?
- Replies: 8
- Views: 40624
Re: Glow-In-The-Dark paint for fiber optics /light pipes?
You can do some experiments to test this idea, but I think the effect would be too unnoticeable to be worth all the effort. LEDs would make better sense, and there's plenty of room inside the engine bay for whole LEDs to power each engine for a really nice and bright effect.
- Fri Sep 06, 2019 8:07 pm
- Forum: Scratchbuilding
- Topic: Source for large cylinders with round ends?
- Replies: 10
- Views: 38329
Source for large cylinders with round ends?
I'd like to make a space freighter in large scale, and I need a source for large cylinders that have round caps. I'd prefer spherical caps, but spheroid and "rounded" are acceptable. I'd like to stay away from kit parts to save money, but if you find something that'll work for an enormous ...
- Thu Aug 01, 2019 9:57 am
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: Decanting Rustoleum for airbrush
- Replies: 1
- Views: 15790
Re: Decanting Rustoleum for airbrush
I have decanted Rustoleum before, and it works just fine for me right out of the bottle with no thinner. YMMV, of course.
- Thu Aug 01, 2019 9:49 am
- Forum: Scratchbuilding
- Topic: Mechwarrior Timberwolf PC
- Replies: 11
- Views: 40622
Re: Mechwarrior Timberwolf PC
Interesting choice going with wood. I'm curious to see where you're going to mount the PC bits in the mech.
- Wed May 22, 2019 10:30 pm
- Forum: Scratchbuilding
- Topic: re-scratching a 1/350 kit part
- Replies: 7
- Views: 25828
Re: re-scratching a 1/350 kit part
If it were me, I would use my drill press to hollow out most of the interior of the hammerhead, then after that I would rough-cut the bridge window and file it open. Finally, I would use my dremel to carve out more and more of the interior, using the window as a guide for how much resin is left to c...
- Wed Apr 10, 2019 11:26 pm
- Forum: Scratchbuilding
- Topic: need glue for most plastics
- Replies: 13
- Views: 46481
Re: need glue for most plastics
One mixture I've been using for a while for really small styrene parts is to mix a 1:1 ratio of acetone and lacquer thinner. I read this in Jamie's blog on building the K'Tinga, and it works really well for joining delicate parts that would liquefy using something like MEK or Flex-i-file's welder.
- Thu Dec 20, 2018 11:10 pm
- Forum: Scratchbuilding
- Topic: Greeblie Organization!
- Replies: 14
- Views: 56644
Re: Greeblie Organization!
I have my kit parts sorted by type: aircraft, cars, armor, warships, sci-fi, Star Trek, Star Wars, miscellaneous. Each of these is subdivided into part types: armor - long bits, armor - medium bits, armor - small bits, armor - tread links, armor - clear bits, armor - figures, armor - hulls. I also h...
- Thu Dec 20, 2018 11:06 pm
- Forum: Scratchbuilding
- Topic: Scratchbuilding with Adam Savage
- Replies: 1
- Views: 12208
Re: Scratchbuilding with Adam Savage
Great build showing just how easy it can be to scratchbuild something from styrene and a few kit parts!
- Fri Dec 14, 2018 12:32 pm
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: "hotness" of plastic glues?
- Replies: 5
- Views: 26004
Re: "hotness" of plastic glues?
One of my favorite go-to "low-temp" welders is actually lacquer thinner. This stuff is amazing because it'll bond small parts without liquifying them like Tenax. I like to use it when welding thin styrene strips and tiny kit parts because there's no risk of it marring the sharp edges and i...
- Fri Dec 14, 2018 12:26 pm
- Forum: Construction
- Topic: Using putty to fill gaps and seams
- Replies: 15
- Views: 59307
Re: Using putty to fill gaps and seams
I tend to switch between using Bondo auto filler and liquified styrene. Often what I will do is stretch some sprue after heating it, then finding a section that's a hair bigger than the seam. I lay it down on the seam and brush on a liberal amount of very "hot" solvent, usually just plasti...
- Sun Aug 19, 2018 9:00 pm
- Forum: Lighting & Electronics
- Topic: DC from one supply works, but not the other?
- Replies: 8
- Views: 26453
Re: DC from one supply works, but not the other?
Actually... no. I hadn't thought of that. :oops: Since the interior circuitry is inaccessible there's not much else you can do to troubleshoot this problem. One other thing you can do with things as they are now is check the current from the batteries and transformer to the circuits by putting the D...