Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

IWATA will do absolutely everything you need it to do, and will last a long time. I have heard mixed reviews about the NEO beginner series brushes that are advertised as being built "For Iwata". They are about half the price of an authentic Iwata, but sometimes you get what you pay for. Pe...

I don't recommend tube glues at all. If you are comfortable with using the liquid cement, why would you want to switch back?

In a pinch, I have used the Testors cement in the black bottle with the little metal tube applicator. But Tamiya Extra Thin is my favorite.

Paint - I use a lot of Tamiya and Createx Wicked/AutoAir, or Vallejo Model Air paints - all acrylics. Spend more time painting, and less time cleaning up, and I don't have to worry about the fumes from enamels or lacquers. Are you using an air brush? Use the manufacturer's recommended thinners. Stay...

I recommend Tamiya Extra Thin Cement for pretty much all of your basic construction. If you purchased the new release of the kit (molded in clear) then you won't have to worry about drilling out the windows, just paint, and then scratch out the windows you want illuminated. If you have one of the ol...

Whatever it is, it fills seams in vinyl, and sands pretty nice too.

Gorilla CA has micro-beads in it, and remains flexible once cured. I use it on vinyl all the time.

The gray primer will darken your white paint. Probably end up in the neighborhood of "sky gray" or "light camo gray" depending on your white paint. After that, you have several choices for the aztec. Assuming you are not using the decals, you could airbrush AutoAir Pearl White, o...

What about bare metal foil for the visor?

A chisel of some sort would probably be perfect for your wide lines. (Can't see the picture, but understand the description). Should be available at your art supply store that carries wood working / doll house tools - or Micromart. You can also find circular hole saws in various sizes for hobbyists....

Leave the chemistry to the chemists. Buy the correct cements, paints and thinners that are intended for your purpose. Stay away from any kitchen chemistry lab formula you might find on the internet or hear about from a friend. There are reasons these chemicals cost what they do, and are labeled with...

I've sprayed ink-jet prints with clear lacquer with very nice results. Testor's Decal Bonder, or similar product would also work very nicely.
As stated earlier, use light coats.

Heard of it, and used it with some success. I've done it with water-color pencils, and then brushed with water.
Makes nice rust and water stains on ship models

You can also get the Neo, Iwata's "beginner" brush at Hobby Lobby for around $50 or less with one of their coupons. Very nice brush, full stainless steel and chrome parts, includes various interchangeable paint cups, and works with all of the Iwata accessories, and also lasts forever.

Pearl paints is what is typically used on the Refit. And the original was painted with several different colors including red, blue and green, and whatever else he could get his hands on. On your scale model, it is important to keep this VERY SUBTLE. Otherwise it starts looking like a tie-dyed monst...

If they are clear coated, you can use a mild soap and water, and a soft towel.

I've been using the D3000 for about 6 or 7 years. It is a really nice compressor. The tank provides a very smooth air supply, and it is super quiet - really nice for late night painting sessions when the family is asleep.

While I do not recommend Apple Barrel craft paint for airbrushing, they DO offer a Crackle Medium you can mix with your acrylic paint. Paint your base coat as normal, mix the medium with your second color, and as it dries, it shrinks and cracks apart revealing your original base coat.

Yes. Make sure you get the thinner reccomended on the label.

You're welcome. Glad to help.

I knew all that time at art school was good for something!

It could be a couple of things, all of which revolve around how the printer is building the dark blue/black blend. It is using Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black ink to create the fade, and that is not simple. Also, transferring the color info from Photoshop into Word MAY be changing the working color ...

I have found that lava rock from a gas grill makes for some very interesting "asteroid" looking bases. I've epoxied these to wood blocks, or even glass mirrors (usually found in the candle section at the craft store) and drilling a mounting hole into it with a masonry bit for the "sti...

Here's the one I did a couple of years ago.
http://ipmstristate.org/GalleryPictures/tigerf16.JPG

Start with the gray, mask off the area for the tiger stripes, and then the tricky part will be masking off the "tears" and painting those.

I've used Real Space decals with pretty good success, and it looks like they have redesigned the set for 2010 with some really cool details like the elevon covers, and it looks like new artwork for the window surrounds for the cockpit and a few smaller detail bits. http://www.realspacemodels.com/htm...

Rule of Thumb is to give the model a good clear Gloss Coat > Decals> Gloss Coat > Final Coat (dull cote or whatever) Make sure the two Gloss Coats are the same stuff (I usually use acrylic) as a sandwich barrier to protect the decals. Once that is completely dry, hit it with your Finish Coat (lacque...

Check out the main site for a cool article on using 3M tape to "illuminate" your models
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/tech/wireless.htm

The regular Createx ummm, sucks. I used to use a lot of it, would get frustrated, would get mixed results and I usually was not happy with it - before I discovered Tamiya acrylics. The regular Createx turns into "pudding" in your airbrush, and I had countless clogs and did not enjoy using ...

Yes, they do make an adapter for that. I got mine at the local art supply store that sells airbrushing supplies. Looks like a little brass fitting with a different sized thread in each end. If you really want a nice set-up, look into getting a quick-connect. Iwata sells them separately, and I think ...

Pretty much the best tutorial I've read about this technique, and they use that model as the example. Check it out!
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/tech/ms_wash.htm

Remember - The air/paint flow surfaces must be completely smooth in order to maintain peak performance of your brush. They make parts out of triple chrome plated metal and stainless steel for a reason. Go get a new nozzle/needle assembly. I doubt filing did it a lot of good. You're going to get a hi...

Sounds like there is something in the nozzle. It could be a loose bit of dry paint or a metallic flake fluttering around in there. This would cause all sorts of sputtering on the business end, and create backpressure causing your color cup to bubble. Take the head of your brush apart and clean it co...