Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

I have some Golden's "Iridescent Pearl" that looks to have quite a fine grain to it. Just thin it with Future (Klear, whatever), add a couple drops of retarder and you should be good to go. (This should also work with other non-model brands of acrylics. "Airbrush medium" is effec...

Is acrylic a "must-have" criteria? If not, I highly recommend Floquil Reefer White. Thinned with a bit of lacquer thinner it goes on butter smooth, covers in just a few coats, and is a nice bright white. Amen to that! That paint - in fact any of the railroad colors - are a major part of a...

One thing you can try that will eliminate some of the variables is to shoot straight water tinted with a couple of drops of food coloring. Use some white paper as a target. That'll save your paint and pretty much eliminate cleanup hassles. As to the cause of the problem - I don't know much about tha...

Watch crystal cement.
Dries perfectly clear and is tough as all get out.

Blacken It
It'll work if they're uncoated, i.e. no varnish.

Misting the air with water prior to working can help, too - gets the dust and such to stop floating around.

You could try warming the can in a bowl of hot (faucet-hot, that is) water while outside.

Something to watch out for as well- Some types of vinyl/rubber used for those tracks (and potentially on other parts as well) does not react well to certain types of paint. By this, I mean that they will possibly disintigrate within a month or two :shock: . And no, I'm not exaggerating. It's usually...

I agree with SpaceDuck.
A simple search in your local Yellow Pages should net you a couple quickly.
OR- Check your local GM dealer parts department

I just checked Plasti-Kote's website , and it looks like the paints are from two different lines - home decor and automotive - but the descriptions make them seem close in capabilities. Both are laquer, both are compatible with most topcoats, etc. I don't see where you couldn't use them interchangab...

To add to Tony, try any of the auto parts stores (AutoZone, etc.).
Also, Meijer's, K-Mart, Home Depot, etc., should carry stuff like that.

I agree w/ macfrank - some paints take a while to reach their true color. PollyScale (& Polly S) paints are notorious for it
What I've been doing is painting the caps of my bottles with what's inside - makes it easy to tell what's really in the bottle.

Looks like an uneven coat of a clear flat may be in order, as well as the previous color recommendations.

Damp (not dripping wet) bathroom tissue should work, IMHO. If you don't pack it in too tightly, it should just pop out when dry. You may have to touch-up the very edges of the wells, but not more than a tiny bit. Alternately, you could put the damp tissue in (a couple of layers) like you were making...

Something tells me the ratio was either 10 paint/3 water/2 soap or 5/3/1 (same order), but my memory can be tricky at times :? Try both ratioa on some spare part with decent detail and a gloss (must be gloss to work) finish. It should rub off the high points fairly easily with a cotton swab. Adjust ...

CaptainHawk1- Yes on both the regulator and trap. If you look around, you can find them relatively cheaply, but consider that they most likely will never wear out and are a one-time investment. Get the best that you can comfortably afford. One other must-have is a quick-disconnect. That way, you can...

The one I have is an oil-less 1 gallon, 100 PSI compressor and is LOUD when it's charging but only takes about a minute to charge and will automatically recharge at or below 80 PSI which gives me a start and sometimes I'll drop the airbrush, the model or both. I have a very similar compressor that ...

How about clear 5-minute epoxy?

A word, Bert - never trust colors you see on a website. Probably every computer monitor is adjusted differently, so what may appear "too green" to you may appear "too blue" to the next person. However, you can generally trust Tamiya lid colors to be fairly close to the paint colo...

Yeah, Neb- I remember seeing that site when I was searching for gels to make an IR-pass filter for a floodlight (don't ask :twisted: ). I found a source locally, so the cost basically balanced out - cost here vs. their cost + S&H. Gotta tell ya - that stuff is EASY to work with... thin, soft, an...

To add to what Neb said -
If you find out what color(s) you need, a 21"x24" sheet of the stuff only costs about $7US... and that's enough material for a lifetime or two of kits
You can find it in theater supply stores, btw.

Possibly not without priming, but I really don't know for certain. What you -might- want to try is going over the surface with the finest steel wool you can find. If it's fine enough, it won't leave any scratches, it'll just take the shine off the plastic. That'll give the paint more to adhere to - ...

Tamiya sprays are good :) They level quite well and dry quickly. The AS and TS are just different colors, matched to different standards (F.S. vs. generic vs. naval, etc.)... not different types of paint. They should work well together. As to a primer - that's your choice. They seem to adhere decent...

If you find out what's causing it, maybe it can be bottled and sold :D What you can try is to let what you've done cure for a while - maybe a week, maybe more - to let everything finish outgassing (or whatever). Then try using an acrylic flat finish... it shouldn't react with whatever's already on t...

Just make sure they're closed up good and tight. Otherwise, your bottles may become permanently affixed to whatever they're on (speaking from first-hand experience, here )