Urashiman

On 5/22/2025 at 9:25 PM, pengbuzz said:

This is the TOS Enterprise. I no longer have the ability to mold new ones, as my heat gun died some time back and finances are so tight now (thanks to tariffs and such) that buying even model cement is impossible.

  

No, I have no materials for that; all I have now is what is on hand. We're now in "survival mode". Once I run out of supplies, my modeling is over. We just got word today that we may not even have a place to live in the months to come.

It's that bad.

Anyways, this is going on indefinite hiatus, and possibly disposal, as we now need to make some hard choices.

 

Sorry to bother everyone.

Ah crap man… that really sucks. I wish I could help you in any way.

8 hours ago, MechTech said:

@Papa Rat Nice fixes to the rear. By the way, use Milliput when it is still wet. It smooths down great with water and your fingers saving sanding, and trim it with blades while still semi-cured. It is good stuff. It just needs practice like any tool.

@Urashiman Cool! Getting all electronicy too! I looked through my dad's old Lionel train stuff. There was this glob of aluminum with fins about the size of a small matchbox. I asked him what it was. He said, "A diode"! Technology sure has changed! 😁- MT

yeah man ... those big diodes ... They are still around for high voltage/power systems. 

Upgrading over 35 years old TT model trains today. The double deck wagon will receive lights. I had to build in connections so it can draw power from the wheels, and then build a full bridge rectifier from diodes so the light inside is always on (not just one way… because diodes).

hahaha

and I build a new motor into the locomotive. It didn’t work, and took me three hours to figure out the issue. Bad connection to draw power. Hurgh…

doing these for my older brother. I am more the h0 nerd.

14 hours ago, Papa Rat said:

I‘m waiting in this one. Only $13 so what the hell.

 

Ah nice! I had this one a while ago, with the minmay figurine. Was my first macross kit.

Okay, I got mine yesterday.

It has an estimated gazillions runners. This is more intimidating than a Master Grade Gundam.

No water slide decals :S

Flabbergasting 133 steps instructions.

BUT: it is all really nicely laid out. One could probably co-build this. Like arms and legs are just mirrored. Would be fun to sit with the kit and the kid, snapping parts together.

@MechTech & @Papa Rat btw: thanks. I often test around with test prints to see how color or specific glue is holding to them. Except for the bumps, I think I've got the proper primer and color now for properly doing paintjobs on resin prints.

PS:

got new stuff

I did a few quick manual brushes with citadel colours and liquid chrome. Nothing too fancy, so it doesn’t sit around as horrible…

I really need to find time to finish this thing and release it to the public

I had white color left over in my airbrush, so I drenched the VF-9 test print in it (after a shoddy priming).

hahaha it looks horrible.

I found this here, and found it hilarious. You need to watch it with sound on.

7 hours ago, joscasle said:

Well it is in my private warehouse!!! Just a few minutes ago!!

same for me

I am excited!

@Thom & @MechTech

I got the same thing again! Hahaha

16€ this time.

Oh man ...

My super cheap mini compressor died today. RIP, my dear super cheap chinese device...

It worked for 2 years maybe?

The fun part is, it didn't die because the compressor itself broke. It broke because the single action airbrush that came with it failed. The air seal failed and the airbrush color oozed from the color container into the compressor, breaking the whole thing. I tried to take it apart, because hey, maybe I can fix it by cleaning it, but everything in there is just glued onto each other. So no luck with that. It'll do one last trip now ... to the trash can.

I'll see if I can salvage anything useful from the single action air brush. If not, it will have the same fate.

Good I still have my professional airbrush compressor, but this small thingy here was really convenient. Maybe I'll get a new one.

Nice - at least no lobster.

13 hours ago, SteveTheFish said:

Is this the one you are designing yourself? That looks incredible.

OK, here you go!

 

Yep, that’s the one.

8 hours ago, Papa Rat said:

Made a bunch of progress this weekend on the Volks 1:144 V Siren Prominence. 
It’s been a quick and fun one. Only issue I am having is the PC for the head doesn’t hold and I think I’m going to have to glue it. It’s as though the sizing is off. Maybe it’s just me. lol
 

Anyway, I just need to do some detail work, masking/painting and decals and then it’s time for the Plamax VF-1J. I finally got one a few weeks ago for a good price and have been looking forward to it!

I really need to up my photo game. The lighting is garbage.  I swear this isn’t lemon yellow  hahaha  

Reminds me a bit of the mosquito girl from one punch man XD

only a bit…

@Thom thanks!

8 minutes ago, Papa Rat said:

Wow. That looks great! Are you printing these yourself?

CAD and printing by me, so yes

thanks!

It has been a while. I‘ve been fiddling with the VF-9 again and decided I need a test print to check if everything is fitting. I only need to decide what to do with the main landing gear. Anyway… pictures.

And a size comparison.

On 3/6/2025 at 4:50 AM, NoctisTalem said:

Was trying to see if i could even order this from SHapeways but the links seem to redirect, is there a way i could buy the files?

shapeways is basically sunset. I think another company purchased them, but not sure if they'll continue most of the services.

It is crazy how much sanding the 1/48 VF-1 needs. I am building a VF-1J at the moment, and man ... I am not happy.

happy happy joy joy

On 2/21/2025 at 10:00 AM, Graham said:

Resurrecting a just over 20 year old topic.....LOL 😅

Just installed the "redream" Dreamcast emulator on my S24 Ultra Android phone and download the ROM of Macross M3.

Game runs fine, but game play is just as bad as I remember it from all those years ago. 😂

Still, It's nice to be able to play it again just for nostalgia's sake, as my Dreamcast died about 15+ years ago.

I think I still have 2 original copies of the M3 game at home somewhere, including one which is unopened.

 

Oh yes ... the game is horrible to play, especially with the tight time limit to missions. I managed to churn through it anyway. I just recently restored my DC and played the game.

On 2/24/2025 at 6:10 AM, Graham said:

I just finished the final Chaos DLC mission with SS grade.

Eternal Walküre Part 2 

永遠のワルキューレ(後編)

And I got a VF-31J Kai with Mirage markings after completing the mission, which I didn't even know existed in the game. I've never seen it mentioned online before in any of the reviews or guides or videos.

 

oooh ... sexy

I played Delta yesterday on my Vita TV. First two extra missions and the first Delta mission, and I purchased the destroid, and got my first two trophies. haha

The controls are a bit weird to me at the moment, but I like the way things are animated in Delta Scramble. Has more of an anime like vibe, exaggerating physics and so on.

11 hours ago, arbit said:

Hey buddy.  You're the chemist not me.  But I have found divided opinions.  Some say it is from the UV, some say it is from Oxygen (which is why it can yellow even in a dark room in a box).  Is it from both?

Well, yes - both is right. I'll try to explain it.

Oxygen can form "free radicals" (not sure if this is the proper English term for that here, correct me if I am wrong, please). Basically, the double binding electrons in the 2p orbitals of O2 (usually a stable bond) can break with added energy (e.g. UV light). Both oxygen atoms have two spaces for valence electrons in the 2p orbital, but they cannot be filled permanently (not the most scientific accurate explanation here). So both atoms "fight" for a neutral state. The stable state would be to have only one electron in the valence electron binding with the same spin. In case you add energy (the UV light), exciting the outer electrons, they start to switch around, and bam... you can oxidize things. That makes oxygen so much fun to work with. Fun fact: due to this behavior, human body cells degrade. What keeps you alive, slowly unalives you as well.

So - what happens with the yellowing?

The polymer chains in plastic are degrading. Plastic consists of chains of molecules. The bond between those chains breaks and forms other bonds, so your polymer plastic degrades to lesser polymers or monomers with different color and different properties. Even those monomers can break down.

If your plastic is exposed to oxygen (like in air, the gas), the degrading is getting faster. Even if there is no oxygen (again, in the air surrounding the plastic, not the oxygen in the polycarbonate), yellowing can happen due to unstable bonds in the polymers. So - in any case, your plastic will slowly degrade and decompose due to subatomic effects.

The process is speed up by external energy in form of UV light, heat or other forms of radiation. Energy added to the oxygen "radicalizes" the oxygen, and then the free radicals break the (stable and meta stable) bonds.

So what do we learn from the above?

Keep your plastics stored in a low energy, low oxidizing agent environment to slow down degradation. (read: in a box in a cold basement)

@F18LEGIOSS2 Use UltiMaker Cura. That should do the trick.

5 hours ago, arbit said:

A question on fixing yellowed chogokin.

I am planning to try the "peroxide cream/gel method".  I won't be submersing the toy, I will be brushing on some peroxide gel to the affected areas and placing in a plastic bag.

Does peroxide actually speed up yellowing in the future?

Does peroxide damage Tampo decals?

arbit

ah good good good ... finally me studying chemistry is helpful.

Peroxide (I assume hydrogenperoxide, H2O2) is an acid and a heavy oxidizing agent. I can easily break down any organic compounds. Most decals (let's think waterslide decals first) use light adhesives and carriers. Those will absolutely be dissolved by H2O2.

Depending on the material used, you can be sure that H2O2 has an effect on it. Expect your decals to at least be discolored due to the color oxidizing. From there it only goes downhill: reduced adhesion, decal lifting or peeling, or destruction of the decals.

If you really want to be sure, use low concentration H2O2 and UV lights to recover yellowed plastics. There is no guarantee though. You might want to investigate on how to remove and re-apply tampo decals.

Background: The plastic is yellowing due to UV light. It is breaking down or altering the polycarbonate plastic, causing bonds in the plastics that break light differently and therefore giving it the characteristic yellow color. The H2O2 process "reverting" the effect by simply bleaching the yellowed layer of plastic. It is not repairing the plastic to it's old structure. UV impacted plastic can be more brittle.

As far as I know, the process wouldn't speed up yellowing. It is just that plastic layers under the top layer might already be impacted slightly by UV light, and if they are kept under UV exposure, they would yellow as well, giving the impression the yellowing is speeding up.

26 minutes ago, electric indigo said:

Not any more... 😄

Lol… hahahhaha