Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

Do you have a spray booth for your airbrush? I don't...I just use a cardboard shield, hence why I don't airbrush much. I have switched to acrylics a long time ago though.

This is a question following up on my "Pop-out Washes" thread below. I'm seeing repliers mention "after the gloss coat and before I spray the Dullcoate." I've read quite a few things in model magazines and on the forums over the years about after painting, one sprays on gloss coa...

Terry, thanks. Your advice on Future washes makes sense. One surely wants to wipe away the wash!

Nice Klingon BoP! The wash really brings out those panel lines!

Thanks for the advice, guys!

Thanks for the tips, guys. I often use a brush and paint over everything, letting the paint settle in the nooks and crannies for my wash. This doesn't work well with Vallejos as Vallejos puddle all over the place. I know and have used Gundam markers. They're OK for Gundams with their thick indented ...

Sorry for asking this question again... I've Vallejos, enamels, artist acrylics, Windsor and Newton in both acrylic and oil mediums, and Testors and Tamiya. What I normally use is a "black wash" of Vallejos, but that dries to dull pencil lead not much different from the Vallejo black on th...

Is there a good way to paint the "window" on a resin block when it has no interior and one cannot see through? (Think of wargaming miniatures). I see most "windows" are painted black. How about glossy black? Some paint them blue with white wavys as if reflecting the sky. Would ad...

From Saumur 2006... http://spmaquettes.com/images/phocagallery/saumur2006/thumbs/phoca_thumb_l_14.jpg http://spmaquettes.com/images/phocagallery/saumur2006/thumbs/phoca_thumb_l_18.jpg http://spmaquettes.com/images/phocagallery/saumur2006/thumbs/phoca_thumb_l_16.jpg http://spmaquettes.com/images/phoc...

Looking good!

Just curious...how many SSMers have enrolled in this challenge?

Cenebar Please do enter- the more the merry. DEC Entering depends on how many resources I have since I don't want to spend money to buy more kits for this specific challenge. I'll have to check to see what I have... Tony is correct though. Hovertanks don't need to look like tanks at all, nor do the...

DEC, good discussion. My approach to sci-fi modeling is: "As long as it looks cool!" :D I think one of the main aspects towards designing is what time period and how high-tech one wants to make it. If one is thinking of Japanese mecha, then the Japanese designs do not use anything recogniz...

Old Wombat, good questions... I also agree with HWR MKII. Finding a hull bottom and top is one of the hardest thing to make a hovertank from, which is why many hovertank builders use existing tank kits because not many kits offer such large hull pieces. (the designer of MaK SF3D uses an old iron). I...

Or can be be a military vehicle that hovers like an APC or logistics truck or recon hover bike? Does it have to be military? How about civilian? And cannot be a kit, right? Cannot be the Bandai hovertruck...has to be a kitbash, correct? I think the rule description pretty much explains it, but I'd t...

Old Crow Models makes some hovertanks...

This goes along with my "Why Are Somethings Just Not Made?" thread on this forum. Yeah, WHERE are the hovertanks and anti-grav vehicles? Anyway, a friend and I have been asking the same thing years ago so I kitbashed a hovertank using spare parts. I'm not sure if I'll enter this time as I ...

A bit off topic here...how about chrome plating? I haven't tried it so I don't know how it'll work.

Does one send the parts or built model for plating? And after plating, how does one remove the chrome for detail painting?

I think the problem may be the solvents from one spray can eating away at the enamel silver base coat. I can understand spraying enamel silver as a basecoat and then using Tamiya acrylic as the translucent color with an airbrush. I tested long ago and found that the Tamiya acrylic works, but is so s...

A Gundam modeler in Asia painted some great models using Tamiya translucent paints (Stoplight red, Amber Orange, Clear Blue, etc.) over a chrome silver base coat. The results look dazzling...like a candy-shell Lowrider car. Has anyone tried this, and if so, what are the best paints to use? I want to...

I like the Vallejo silver acrylics in a bottle. Vallejo sells many silver colors: chrome, steel, gunmetal, etc.

I find Tamiya paints hard to brush on...

I had the same problem with Testors. I switched to Vallejos (can buy them via mail-order) and for the same price, the Vallejos are vastly superior. The Vallejo eyedropper bottles allow for a shelf-life of several years compared to Testors which seemingly have a shelf life of a couple of years. Once ...

I used a CO2 "dry ice" can used to blast air on computer keyboards to clear the canopy before I sprayed so I assumed all dust was literally "blasted off."

I'm going to wipe the lacquer all away and try again. Thanks for the advice.

I sprayed TESTORS "Window Tint" on a clear canopy and to my dismay, the paint trapped a lot of dust on it.

I'm wondering if I should use buffing compound or just use thinner and wipe all the paint away (I don't care to save it).

Does spraying tint from a can often cause this problem?

I just preshaded a few builds with black using an airbrush. I was wondering if I can spray the basecoat over the black using a spray can because it's the faster easier method. (I know the common convention is to airbrush the basecoat over preshading). Would the spray can work, or should I stick to t...

Cool, thanks! Someone mentioned using pigments to highlight the edges. I have to try that.

No, you got it...you're exactly correct in your description. I want both effects on the edges...is that possible or realistic? I first drybrushed, then I painted chipping, and now I seemed to have "lost" seeing the edges of the model obtained through drybrushing. Can I get the "best o...

I handbrushed paint chipping (gray primer shows) to the edges of my sci-fi vehicle. The result looks pretty good, but how do I highlight the edges again? I drybrushed the edges before I handbrushed the paint chips. Now with the added paint chipping, it looks as if I haven't drybrushed and defined th...

I sanded down the sprue marks and reprimed...couldn't think of any better method or shortcut.

I got everything smooth the second time around.

Sometimes I just have to work to make it right. .

Yep, I use the sanding sticks. I sand the sprue marks flat, but I still see them, which kind of makes me wonder if I need to sand them down until they totally disappear. To do so makes me wonder if I've gone too far and lost detail, not to mention one side with the sprue mark will be lower than the ...

Actually, I meant sprue marks .

Does the saying, "Sand it down until you don't see it anymore" true?