Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

I had no idea it was called paint thinner :tank: :doubt: :roll: I don't have a hobby shop near me and don't want to wait a month to use it. I read some where about useing mineral sprites. Plus it costs alot for thinner from hobby shops. So I was looking for a brand name of something I can get from ...

I always recommend using the thinners the manufacturer says to use, usually the same brand. You can deviate from this, but not all paints are the same - not even enamels, so you should say what brand you are using. Frankly, since you are learning to airbrush, I'd definitely use the right thinner. Do...

It work for smooth, regular surfaces with thin decals. Anything convoluted or thick decals and the decal won't conform to the surface. Not correct. Take a look at this mid-60s Monogram Helldiver I made last year, using 40 year old decals from the box. The decals were affixed with non-thinned Future...

Well heck-fire.... why didn't he say "Microscale Microflat" in the first place? I think everyone knows about this one. And no, it's not the best thing since sliced bread. It's OK, but not all that.

I too would love to know more as to where I can get this Microflat. I guess Google to the rescue since you're not ponying up on the product info. :? So how did you do at Google? I've looked twice for this on Google, and I'm quite good at coaxing things out of the search engine, but I didn't find th...

How about more information? Link? Manufacturer? Type, as in lacquer, enamel, acrylic?

Hold it upside down and do a few short sprays. When I used Testor's rattle cans, I had to do that all the diddly-danged time. Never had to with Tamiya sprays.

Vallejo is good paint, and I have a pile of it. I've used it for a long time and most of my models have Vallejo in there somewhere. That said, it's not durable. If you can get it to last without damage, you've got a knack that few have found with Vallejo. I know plenty of people who like it even mor...

I run warm water over them, lightly, if needed. I dab off, shake off, any excess water and let them air dry. It's not something I do often.

OK - gave it a test shot in a small area and all looks good! This will tone down the greys and give the effect I was looking for! Sweet.... Kev (Orion paint job - shots to follow...) You should be good then. The Tamiya sprays dry almost instantly. They cure in only slightly more time. Like really d...

There are a multitude of variables. You might do well to give more particulars, since there are so many varieties of foam and the end uses intended for each kind.

I use Walthers Solvaset. Walthers is one of the very first hobby decal makers in the USA. (1932 IIRC) I now make all my own decals and I like Solvaset the best. Some say it's too hot but used right it's GREAT!.....only IMHO.... Solvaset has to be used with great discretion. I consider it the "...

What cuts pastels??? Are they oil based? There are all sorts of pastels. Some are oil based, some are water based, some are standard chalks, some are colored pencil leads.... It should be apparent by it's own characteristics, if you are looking at a pastel in hand. If you suspect it's oil based, it...

It was almost certainly your dull coat. What did you use?

It's an easy fix. Just do it again, whatever you used. Often one coat will frost, but a second of the same product will go clear and fix the first while simultaneously finishing the job.

White spirits would be most likely called mineral spirits in your local hardware store. Mineral spirits are very commonly used by the enamel guys.

Still working my nerve up for oils. Not sure how to use the MiG pigments. Plus, I've become attached to Future and Tamiya flat base, so I'm not sure what those can take and what they can't. Plus, I'm still left needing to wipe away excess after the wash, so I'm not sure anything in shallow panel li...

I tend to prefer water-based paints and so tried using watercolors for some of my earliest attempts at weathering. Frankly, IMO watercolors are teh suxxorz for weathering. I don't use them at all anymore for any stage or step in modeling. For weathering, I use an oil/pigment mix, pre-made by Mig bec...

I am primarily an airplane modeler, so I look at photoetch sets all the time, and I don't know of anything that just has buckles. However, lots of airplane modelers make their own all the time, out of fine wire [very common technique]. There are also lots of tutorials for making seat belts out of ma...

I've never used those particular sprays, but it looks like the metallic paint wasn't cured yet. If the paint was one you hadn't used before, maybe it doesn't dry like regular spray paints. Not uncommon, and it's not uncommon at all for paints like that to need more time.

If you are interested in a PE tool like this, go with something known, like Etchmate. I don't EBay, but a quick look garnered this:

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=etch+mate+

Etchmate is a good, quality tool that will do the job, and last a long time.

Yes, you can.

The easiest thing is to actually mask it. Soft camo is very easy to do, just use Blutak or the generic equivalent. You'll find it at any office supply place with the tape and such. It's used to hang posters, and it's a bit like Silly Putty. Roll it into thin strips, mask, and fill with tape.

It's not metallic, it's a pearly hue. But that might be what you are thinking of as metallic.

I just Googled up this, which shows a model painted with it:

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/inde ... opic=28248

The best product, as you can glean from above, would be Tamiya's Clear Yellow. You can use it straight or add it to some Future.

Use a soft, wide brush. Future can be painted quite easily. It seems to go down a little thick like that, but it self levels and isn't quite so thick once dry. I don't think I'd try it in an old spray bottle on anything important without testing first. I brush it fairly frequently though.

No, I wouldn't, not unless it's a real disaster. If you go to strip the Future, like I said, you'll end up having to do a total repaint. Total. Unless the orange peel is really bad, it's best to just live and learn, and maybe try a light coat over it tomorrow.

Any orange peel means you laid it on a little too thick. It's best to just let that be, if it's in a manageable area. Trying to fix it could make it worse. Or... wait for it to dry entirely, a day or so, then hit that area with one more light, light coat.

Nope, shouldn't look like a sheet of glass. It's just a very nice gloss coat. No, you don't need to thin it. I don't, but I know one fellow who does. Most don't. Yes, Windex will take it off, but it will take the underlying paint, too.

Sounds like you did it right.

Here is a great recent discussion on the subject of modeling and somewhat over-cautious preventive measures at Hyperscale. I know a number of these men posting in the discussion in the 1:1. Many of the posters in the thread are semi-professionals or twice my age - I have no problem taking their word...

I suggest trying it without the booth at first. Of all the modelers I know in the flesh, and I attend two separate clubs and hang out at a hobby shop regularly, one uses a spray booth. The only reason he does is to appease his wife. Spray booths are largely unnecessary. People seem to think that an ...