Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

I have this little Imperial Officer figure that came with my 1/48 Fine Molds TIE, and I got the idea to repaint him as Krennic from Rogue One. Thing is, that means little buddy's gonna need a cape :p What would be a good material to use on such a small figure? What's the best way to shape it and hav...

I have a resin kit that has extra resin gunking up the attachment slot:
http://i.imgur.com/A33chR9.jpg
What tools do you suggest to clean that out? I have a dremel rotary tool but I’m not sure if I have the proper attachments for this kind of job.

Is there a way to calculate what size rod to use when mounting a kit on a display stand? I have a Starcrafts Saber class kit that's nearing completion-- it weighs about 150g / 5.5 oz, what would be a good diameter brass rod to use that wouldn't bend?

I'm trying to make a similar piece, but from a non-regular cone though. I want to create the part circled in red: http://m.imgur.com/fXvuqSm It's the same kind of truncated cone shape, but the cone it's based on is tapered more sharply on one side, and the base is an egg shape instead of a circle. H...

Thanks for the reply. I'll just wash the styrene with dish soap like you said, to be on the safe side.

I'm working on a kitbash that includes both styrene kit parts and resin aftermarket pieces. I know I should clean resin parts by soaking them in comet cleaner; can I clean styrene in the same way or is it too harsh?

Hi all, Kind of a weird question but does anyone know what kind of plastic highlighters are made of, and what paint would apply well to that kind of material? I want to attempt a Springfield-class build and according to this article the nacelles were made from "Stabilo" highlighter markers.

Okay, my question didn't get answered, but it was like last or next to last on the previous page. What is the best way to clean Future from the airbrush? Windex? Lacquer thinner? I use Windex with no problems. Can you also use windex to take future off a clear coated (styrene) model as well? The pa...

I've used a scotchbrite scrubbing pad to 'frost' the inside of the clear pieces (basically, scrub the inside of the part until it looks evenly 'frosty'). I prefer using that method because there is less chance of some kind of paint/plastic reaction. Then, I put in white synthetic fiber 'fuzz' that ...

Thanks for the link, it's exactly what I was looking for! Could I use that type of alcohol to clean off the clumpy coat of paint that's already on the model? Like if I soaked the parts in the alcohol, could I wipe off the paint? You're welcome. I don't think soaking in alcohol will allow you to rem...

Tamiya is one of the worse for brush painting. Doesn't level well and dries very quickly which makes it clumpy. Actually, you have to know how to thin it properly. This technique works like a champ! Used it for detail painting on my Monkeemobile blower, which Kylwell saw right after I painted it. h...

Ah, I thought I was just doing it wrong.

I guess the quick-drying qualities make it better for airbrushing then?
What's a good brand for brushing on a base coat for a fairly small model then?

Another question: I'm brushing on a coat of Tamyia paint and for whatever reason, brushing over the same area twice rips up the paint and turns it into a clumpy mess. The only way i can get a somewhat even coat is if I start off with like a ton of paint on the brush. Does anybody else get that?

Man, Testors website is being a pain. Here's the actual (enamel!!!) primer I used: http://www.testors.com/product/0/2737/_/Semi-Gloss_Primer_MM_-_12_oz._Bottle Anyhoo, I got home tonight and whaddya know, the primer dried finally. Looks like I just needed to kvetch about it on the internet. :D Still...

Ahh, I see. I'll clean the parts off and try priming it again with legit thinner instead of hardware store varsol, then.

Thanks!

Hmmm, looking at the Testors website, it looks like what I used was actually the Grey Primer Acryl, which my LHS apparently places amongst the enamels to confuse poor hapless fools... Additional info that I probably should have mentioned in the first place :P : - I was painting using brushes over re...

Kind of a noob question, but what exactly is the difference between primer and regular paints? Like, is there a difference between a grey primer and regular grey paint? Also, I just primed a model a couple of days ago with Model Master primer, and it still has a very slight stickiness to it, is that...

I'm up near Montreal, and even if we hadn't just come off a -40 cold spell, I still wouldn't risk any outdoor spray painting-- I tried it once ages ago, and the results were pretty ghastly (craquelure all over the place!!!) There's always this, which you should be able to afford unless you're sleepi...

So it's winter now, and it's really putting a crimp in my model building progress. I have a bunch of models partially assembled but I don't have any way to paint them. My usual strategery to paint was to set up a table outside and lay down coats of paint with rattlecans, as I am a poor person with n...

Is it possible to do a wash of enamel paint thinned with something like varsol over an acrylic base coat? I'm painting the engines on my Venator and I thought a a Testors jet exhaust wash over a Tamiya gunmetal base coat might be an interesting look... Can I attempt it with these paints or should I ...

How do you guys approach drilling out groups of tall skinny windows that are grouped tightly together, like on the TNG-era ships: http://images.wikia.com/memoryalpha/en/images/e/e3/Enterprise-d_extreme_closeup.jpg http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb57526/memoryalpha/en/images/a/a0/Sovereign_class...

Question for Trek modelers: Is there a particular font size to use when you're creating custom registry numbers and pennants and such? I'm working on a 1/1000 scale TMP-era model and I need to redo the "united federation of planets" text that goes between the banner stripes, like in this p...

The pastel chalks are the way to go, but I'd suggest putting a matte spray coat down first, like a light, misty coat of Testors Dullcoat. I use a piece of 60 grit sandpaper, with white ground down on the sandpaper on one side and black on the other. You can drag each color together to make various ...

Thanks for the advice, guys!

I'm afraid I don't have access to an airbrush, so I think I'm going to try the pastel shading, with maybe a grey grunge wash beforehand. I'll let you know how it goes.

I need some advice. I'm working on a Federation model kit ( here is the WIP thread), and I'm pretty much done the paintjob. The thing is, it looks really stark and I think it would benefit from weathering. On the other hand, Star Trek ships are usually very pristine and clean looking, so I'm just lo...