Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

A bit of soap and scrub with a soft toothbrush maybe?

I use transparent watercolors for weathering panel lines just like many use the fine oils. Dilute in 50% water, 25% Flo-Aid, 25% Slo-Dri for maximum workability. This might be overkill. When doing panel lines of course use over highly glossed surface. Residual can be removed with barely dampened cot...

I think Dream Pod 9 uses their spincasters for both metal and resin. Great resin casting that way, but the molds are BIG.

Another problem can be the way Tamiya Flat paints look. They have so much opaque agent in them it always seems like you've got a good coat with one pass. You don't. You will need a couple coats. Recently I have been adding Future to Tamiya flat paints, just to give them some extra glossyness and med...

Super Sculpy? I'd be careful. At craft stores you can get silicone mold putty, it comes in two jars. You knead and then press over the part - or vice versa. There's also an interesting heat-melt mold which is very promising. Remember Envirotex Light take quite a while to cure unless it's a thin laye...

Some acrylics need to be thinned to be properly used. Gaming acrylics, particularly. Also, some paints are a bit thick to airbrush - and some can evaporate over time, I've found that with Tamiya in particular.

Not all use similar thinners, though.

Gloss
Decal
Gloss
Dull

Don't expect a single coat of dull to do the trick, two or more light coats will do the trick.

I've used Vallejo's primers, and while they airbrush very well they don't adhere nearly as well... OTOH, most acrylic paints I've used from Tamiya, Gunze and Testors did adhere quite nicely. If I don't have a lot of resin and metal on the plastic, I'll just paint. If I do, it's Tamiya or Gunze's pri...

GLOVES! ALWAYS GLOVES!

(Caps intended) You would not believe (or maybe you would) how many models get bounced from awards by fingerprints.

Future can work, but if it builds up it will attack the sharpie. I have had no problems with Micron pens, though. But be careful and apply light coats. Polyscale flat works well, bit it's matte.

Goo Gone might work too. If the acrylic paint is well enough cured, it should be safe.

I usually make a paste of the salt, a little water and a tiny amount of dish soap. Then apply with a brush. Be careful not to get much salt water on your model, it likely will show up under the paint. Here's a heavily salt-weathered model: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ter-or/sets/72157603704701438/...

I've done this: Base coat acrylic. Micron pen black on panel lines. (Similar to Sharpie ink) Overcoat with post-shading, also acrylic. Did not need to do panel line washes, the overcoat tinted the black very nicely. Hotter solvent paints like lacquer might be a little more tricky, but maybe not. You...

Two weeks ago I did this with a resin model:

Testors Acryl White Primer
Next day: Testors Acryl Green gloss.
Two days later: Testors Model Master British Racing Green Metallic.
Three days later: Future Acrylic gloss.

And it looks great, no problems at all.

http://www.starshipmodeler.net/talk/vie ... hp?t=60853

There's a whole thread for clear coats.

Oh, and use different shades of gray - some are blueish, some green. Where it makes sense, panel them off - you can always lightly overcoat with your base again to blend them back.

This thread should be in Finishing.

Save the black ink for the deep details, use Neutral Gray or Payne's Gray for most other paneling etc. - and don't forget if you've got a color other than gray as your base to wash with a darkened base color, not black! Shading is paramount to give depth. You can start dark and work light, or start ...

Polyurethane glue, baby.

But beware of urethane finish and exposure to UV from the sun. It will last a few years, but eventually will peel like a ginger's skin. I've got a set of Adirondack chairs to sand and refinish, and those were never in the full sun.

Another tip I'll share - using something like Mr. Surfacer or another fillable primer type thing. Don't try to sand down to where you only see the filling in the gap. That's too far. Sand down until you have a smooth layer of the fill OVER the gap. The rubberized CA does tend to avoid this problem a...

I'll tell you what I use: Badger's Omni 4000 (replaces a siphon-feed 3000). The old Vega Omni line are built well, inexpensive to maintain and very easy to use and clean. I'm thinking of relegating it to metallics since it's a pain to clean the other brushes. Iwata Revolution. Works OK, a real pain ...

http://www.starshipmodeler.net/talk/vie ... php?t=4204

Airbrush Survey.

And there's another thread right now asking the same question - see that for some cogent replies.

The Airbrush Survey here is a good resource for you. No hyperbole or selling - just honest opinions on some standard questions. That's why I initiated it years ago. http://www.starshipmodeler.net/talk/viewtopic.php?t=4204 Joseph's right - Get a quality brush - at least mid-range - from any of the bi...

Polyurethane glue is my first choice when woodworking, and it does bond pretty much anything. It's great stuff. Clean up quickly, though. I've used it on models occasionally.

I have found their CA to be of better than average quality, too.

Wug has the best solution. Be careful not to load them with too much epoxy, though, you don't want them to overheat.

That black wet/dry can be epoxied to sticks, dowels, strips, marble slabs, etc. I still use the hobby shop strips, too. Though I did see a tip to epoxy egg carton styrofoam to a harder surface and sandpaper to make your own.

That's why we're here. And remember - practice! Don't make mistakes on your big project - try new techniques with old decals or misprints and a kit you can strip again. If you're using aftermarket decals try emailing the guys, they may have some misprints they can send you. I've got sheets from Wond...

That gloss coat protects the paint below - some weathering can be a bit harsh, the panel line (pinwashing) needs gloss so you can easily remove excess. Gloss coat also protects during masking secondary colors etc. as the tape is far less likely to pull up paint with a hard glosscoat.

If it's a good styrene kit which doesn't have a lot of filler, photoetch etc. you don't need primer. Resin I always prime, and I love the Gunze-Sangyo 1000 or 1200 because it's mirror smooth. Another tip you'll pick up looking at the forums is sealing coats before complex masking. I like a light coa...

Here's one of the shots I know I have.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ter-or/235 ... 192488450/

Yes, Zog did work on the original Star Trek series making props, at least for the pilots. Some of his work is at the Smithsonian.