Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

There is also gap filling CA and baking soda. The results are fairly hard and it can be used to build up as well as fill. Very true. My only issue with that was some very, very odd outgassing if the CA/baking soda mix was exposed to much water. I used the mix to fill some gaps on a Warbird kit, and...

Just out of curiosity, what are you printing out, Richard?

Alternate solution: Find a very thin styrene sheet and place it between the two halves (you'll want to do this on both sides), kind of like putting meat between two pieces of bread. Apply liquid cement where the seams would come together, let that cure for a day, then you could come back with a fres...

You know those brown paper bags grocers used before going all plastic? Very, very fine sandpaper, that. Try it

Very neat! Thanks for sharing

All of those methods are outstanding. One of my favorites is to mix Future with water colors. It's a great way to quickly achieve dark panel lines. The only drawback is sealing the stuff with flat clear lacquer: Unless you are very careful and do many, many super light misting coats, chances are goo...

All, I know this seems like a silly question, but I am in a serious rut lately and I'm struggling with some of the simplest things. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7413/16569204576_d6f7849e25_s.jpg IMG_20140408_185450_409 by Brazen Jackal I am trying to duplicate these twin "holes" on a muc...

Thanks for the solid feedback, all of you. My stuff completely hardened in four, maybe five days, and I agree with y'all: it's more trouble than it's worth. I wish I'd just used Milliput or Tamiya epoxy (need to get me some Aves, I know). But the results weren't so bad. If anything, they were pretty...

Folks, Per another modeler's advice, I used liquid cement and a partially melted styrene solution to fill some large gaps in which I needed something sturdier than air-dry putty but with more control than epoxy putty. Several days later, those areas remain somewhat soft; I can take a fingernail and ...

Don't know. I've primed vinyl parts with lacquer based paints in the past, thick hard parts. It either sticks quite nicely or slumps off like mold on a rock. Interesting. I'll experiment on some of that it's massive "flash" parts. What about thoroughly (albeit gradually, with many, many m...

Gentlemen,

What would happen if one tried to prime, and paint for that matter, a vinyl kit with MM Acryls thinned with lacquer thinner ... or did I misunderstand something?!

All, I'm at a complete loss. I just started airbrushing again after a long modeling hiatus. I had intestinal surgery and "acquired" a colostomy bag, albeit only temporarily. I should have the reversal surgery and see my guts be completely put back together in two months or so. But I alread...

Gents, While I'm not yet to this stage with one of my BoPs, I eventually want to convert a pair of old disruptor pylons into these guns, from Trek V: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3826/8941068542_79f43ec70a_o.jpg Do you see all of the hoses and wires in the pic? Imagine putting those on the 10"...

All, I've been drooling over Nick Sagan's Delta Quadrant Klingon D-5 for a couple of weeks now. The kit uses decals for the raised panels. Nick printed the decal pattern out on vinyl and applied those to his model instead of the decals. http://www.starshipmodeler.net/talk/viewtopic.php?t=103896 I mu...

Anybody know if it's safe to use Testor's semi gloss clear lacquer over their model master enamels? I'd doing a 1/350 PL refit (with aztec decals) and the detail painting is all enamels. I'd like to cover all the dedals with a semi-gloss but I don't want to screw up the detailng. I've been told tha...

AJ, I appreciate the input. I stupidly miscommunicated what I meant to say; i.e., I can produce styrene rods and tubes of comparable length, but when it comes to slicing little tiny pieces diagonally , I have problems. The sharper the blade, the fewer the problems, but it still takes several tries.

Couldn't you just buy small sized styrene tubes and rods and cut thin sections from them? :-k I actually tried that first. Even when I couldn't get tubes small enough, I'd stretch them with a flame 'til I got the diameter necessary. My main problem with cutting small tubes and rods (or larger ones,...

I just sharpen the end of a K&S brass tube and punch the hole or piece I need. You can sharpen to the inside, or outside edge, then drill a dowel or block of wood to make a "T" handle. I have a whole series of them I keep in the drawer. :o This sounds like the most affordable option f...

kryptosdaddy wrote:Punch set could be your best investment-

as far as the colored sheets, go to a lighting company- the type that sells band lighting gear and check out the 'cells' colored sheets that change the color of the lights- maybe there you can find something sturdy enough.

Interesting.

Thank you!

What you want is a micro punch & die set. The only one I can dig up @ the moment is the MicroMark one http://www.micromark.com/micro-punch-set,8603.html There are a few others out there, none that'll do a donut in a single punch but you can easily do the smaller hole then the larger one. Ah, I ...

All, I need a tool, like a hole-puncher, that can make various-sized little round bits from styrene sheet, as little as a mm or two wide. Ideally, I would also like something that could punch out small doughnut-like circles. Am I looking for something like a tap and die set? I'm embarrassed to ask, ...

Gents,

How long do you usually wait before you lift masking tape if you're using enamels? Also, is a higher psi or lower better for masked-off areas?

I've just started using this stuff http://www.florymodels.co.uk/weathering-wash/ It's like the oil washes but totally water soluble. Great stuff! I ordered those and like them a lot. Great product. I'm also a fan of Future glazes/washes, but I take great pains to not let that run into very tight co...

Cenebar, About all I can say is that I used the Future method to pick out the panel lines (and actually went on to weather) this Adv. Set KBoP I went nuts on several years ago: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1094/5123823769_c30a593184_b.jpg I don't think you'd have the clear smooth streak problem, i...

Cenebar, The best wash I've found that meets your criteria is Future mixed with either water colors or inks. It's a pretty easy way to darken edges and recessed areas while keeping everything else clean. I can't really recommend specific Future to water color or ink ratios; you might take a piece of...

I have no direct experience with this specific paint brand, but fluorescent paints generally need a white primer underneath them. White enamel or lacquer is a great primer. The primer should be matte or semi-gloss to give the acrylic paint something to grab onto. Shoot light coats with your airbrus...

I have a fluorescent orange and yellow from these folks: http://shop.modernmasters.com/products/category/4107.0.1.1.81268.81269.81270.0.0?pkey=af648a07c4b5b8e3c4791130aebd6d30&ckey=81268.81269.81270.0.0 They would be quite literally perfect for painting an unlit KBoP model's engines, but the thi...

I was at my local Hobby Lobby today...and seen some of these for sale.......and was wondering if any of you have used any of these types of paints...... Mainly I was thinking in terms of using them for weathering.....but any exerience with them will be helpful....... Thanks............ Are they the...

It's VERY permanent once cured (that can take a few days to cure really hard). If you apply too much at once it can dry a bit mlky, but if you're careful with it this should not be a problem. It can be airbrushed without thinning, but do not have your airbrush too far away (the mist will dry before...

All, I like mixing watercolors or inks with Future for various glazes and washes. The beauty of the technique is that it flows incredibly well, looks the same wet as when fully cured and it dries very quickly. As I discovered, however, if the Future's applied too thickly, a curious thing happens whe...