jardann

Prayers and good wishes are definitely sent your way for your family and everyone in the country. I hope that your family stays safe and that there are no more lives lost in the tragedy. Thanks for the update! The figures look fantastic. I don't know if you caught it, but there was a thread over on SSM about the need for seated pilot figures. Those figures will fill a definite need even if only in the Macross universe. Take all the time you need while you have more important matters to watch over.

The detergent may be hurting you adhesion problems. I've never used detergent in the water for my decals. Sometimes adding a little white glue or Future floor polish can help the decals adhere better. For those shoulder decals, that is where a decal setting solution will really help you out. Microsol or Microset is the brand that is mentioned most. They will help the decal "melt" around those corners and lay flat. Several applications may be necessary depending on the details that the decal needs to conform over. If you go this route, just be sure to put the decal into position, try to remove as much of the water as you can with a cotton swab and gently press the decal into place with the tip of the swab. Then apply the setting solution and walk away. Do Not Touch the Decal after you have applied the solution! The solution will wrinkle the decal and it will look like it is ruining it, but as it dries it will flatten out and suck down onto all the little details and curves on the part. If you come back after about eight hours or so and the decal is still not completely conformed to the part, you can do another application of the solution unitl it fits the way you want it to. Hope this info helps!

If you're careful, you should be able to gently score through the clear carrier film on the edge of the decal, but not cut all the way through the paper. That way you will have an area for your tweezers to grip. Once the decal begins to soften, you can push away the trimmed edge bits with a soft brush or a cotton swab. Be careful not to get the waste tangled up with the actual decal. Most times, I cut all the way through around most of the decal, and then just trim lightly along one edge. That way I don't have a lot of the clear decal edge to pull off of the paper. I have a lot of older kits where I did not use any kind of extra setting solution and many that I didn't even put on a final clear coat and most of the decals are still well stuck onto the model. They may be scratched up a bit, but they aren't coming off. Most decals (once completely dry) should stick pretty well without any extra solutions. The setting solutions will mostly just help the decal look better on the kit. Put a clear coat (flat or gloss whichever you prefer) and they should be quite durable for a long time. Good luck with the kit!

I don't know, but it may be possible that the sandpaper you picked up at the auto store just isn't of good enough quality, or the grit is still of a different type and not gentle enough for your purpose. Check out a hobby shop for some very fine wet-or-dry sandpaper. Testors sells a small pack that has an assortment of different colored sheets of different grit papers. It is a pretty common item, so even if you don't have a true model shop around, places like Hobby Lobby, Michaels or other craft stores or even WalMart usually has this little pack by the model kits. Also, are you wet sanding? Wet the surface and the paper and keep it wet as you sand so that the sanding residue forms into a kind of slush of water and plastic particles. This will help keep your sandpaper clear and will greatly help with the final finish on the part. IF you don't have the wet-or-dry paper, you'll know pretty quick because the paper will turn soggy and the grit will start to flake right off. I know this little detail wasn't explained much in this thread up until now. Sorry about that. Hope this helps.

Yeah, use the highest count (finest) sandpaper you can get. To get a nice polished look, you may want to try polishing the part with an old (almost worn out and very soft) t-shirt or similar undergarment type cloth.

Check this out from the L-Gaim range that might fit. http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10015246 I don't know about this retailer, but those L-Gaim kits are usually pretty cheap anywhere you can find them. Also check for 1/72 scale armor kits. There is a huge variety of kits in that scale, and they can easily be modified to fit into your desired scale.

Skonchboy, don't take the schizoMC too seriously. Your posts have all been pretty relevant and they each draw new fresh conversation from other forum members. Also, you reply in a timely manner and keep the threads on track as well. If you are doing anything that needs to be changed, a mod will let you know. I'm sure they will let you know in a much more polite manner and with some helpful suggestions too.

I picked up a nice pair of flush cutters from Radio Shack a while ago. They cut very well. About half the time I have to run an exacto blade along the cut spot, but I also usually don't try to get the cutters right up against the part just to make sure they don't bite out too much.

Using Tamiya cement for thinning putty is supposed to be a good method, though I've never done it myself. Just be sure to put it on in thin layers so that the solvent in the cement doesn't melt or warp the underlying plastic. Another product to use is Mr Surfacer (if you have a LHS that carries it, or can get it over the internet.) Places like Michaels or Hobby Lobby will not have it. It is basically thinned putty and it comes in three grades that range from an extra think paint consistency to something that is almost thin enough to airbrush. The thinner stuff is supposed to be a great primer, while the thicker stuff works as a nice thin putty for filling small seams and surface imperfections. It is pretty strong stuff though, and needs to be thinned with lacquer thinner or it's own specific brand of thinning compound.

All of these questions are valid and please feel free to continue asking or ask for clarification if you don't understand something that's been said here. You will need glue to join two parts of a model. Putty alone will not be strong enough. In fact, if a model has very good fitting parts, you may not need any putty. Just a little bit of glue and a light sanding is sometimes all it takes. (not usually when I build a model though ) For resin kits you will need super glue (cyanoacrylate glue) to hold the parts together. Sometimes people use a two part epoxy for resin kits too (especially for bigger parts that need a very strong bond) Then you may still need some putty to smooth out any seams or flaws etc. I would suggest you stick with plastic kits at first. I use the Testors (I think it is Model Master) brand model cement in the black bottle with black label. It has a long metal tube applicator that works pretty well and is convenient. Stay away from the bottle with the orange label though! It has a plastic tube that will clog up after one or two uses and is just a worthless PITA! As it is, you can really get as involved or as simple as you want with a kit. With just an exacto knife and some model glue you can get a model assembled without too many problems. Add some paint at the appropriate points and you can get it to a very nice finish. As you practice, your skills will improve and you will be able to add new tools and techniques to your process.

Well Shiro, even though this subject comes up often, there are many sites with dedicated sections or threads that give basic tips and guidelines for new model builders. If you want to create your own tutorial then by all means, go for it, but the resources are pretty much out there already. It is often a good idea to rewash a kit after the build process. As you handle the kit your fingers will leave skin oils on the plastic. Sanding/scraping may leave plastic particles in unwanted places. Or dust may just have built up. You should be able to wash and rinse a model kit carefully with no problem. Do this before adding small parts such as landing gear or antennae etc. I don't know what kind of glue you were using, but normal model solvent type or super glues or even putties should not weaken or crack under a gentle cleaning with mild soap and water. Just make sure the glue and putty have had a day or more to completely set up and cure. There are also some products, I think one is called Plastic Prep that can be used with a swab or something to go over the plastic of a kit to clean and prepare it for painting. The best advice for new kit builders though is just to build some stuff. Be aware that your first projects aren't going to be WM Cheng masterpieces, but enjoy the process and try to learn something new from each experience. Pretty soon, you will know what works for you and will be able to spot problems before they arise.

Definitely an improvement, but where are the heatshields?

I could be wrong since I don't actually have one, but I think the kit is black, and the gold is all decals. So just don't use the decals and you should have what you want with no fuss. I'm assuming you are talking about the model kit. If you are thinking of the Yamato toy, then I have no idea about how that is decorated.

Your modelling skills have reached the master's level I think! That baby is awesome!! She looks well used and worn, but not worn out, broken down or neglected. Fantastic job and inspirational pics!

Great stuff! Thanks for the links. I'll have to take some time to go through all that stuff.

Looks cool TSP. I don't think I've seen this kit built by anyone other than Ryuji. It'll be good to see another one finished. I've got his Lisa and Valk cockpit set. It is awesome, but I have absolutely Zero experience with large scale figures so she is waay down on the to do list.

Dude! that thing turned out fantastic! I had to save those pics for reference. The canopy looks perfect IMHO and really shows off those figures inside. I really like the look of your finish as well. The slightly glossy sheen and only slight touch of weathering is perfect for the Super O. Great job as usual.

Really awesome stuff. The Star Wars stuff kicks ass! It looks waay better than the old Death Star playset. Having that as a kid would have been the ultimate in cool. Let your kids know they've got it pretty good. Is there any way you could share those graphics etc.? (I would understand if you want to keep it for yourself though, I imagine there's a fair bit of work involved) I would love to know more about how you construct those things. They look deceptively simple and sturdy. There really could be a market for some of that stuff. You should try creating a more generic one and see what kind of bites you get on EvilBay.

Welcome to MacrossWorld! That is quite the impressive first post. Awesome work on those! That's a great way to make an interesting inexpensive backdrop for your kits. Those are perfect, because while they look really good, they will not take too much attention away from the valk kits. I really like the lauch bay "box" area/control center. I think it looks like a structure that would be on a remote airbase after the war was over and humans started spreading out around the planet again. I'd love to see more. It might be nice to have a completely two dimensional option that could be used for a simple background piece.

Thanks for the extra pics. It looks great! Looks like you did a super clean construction job. The finish looks clean too (I'm sure the bright light washes out some of the weathering.) The battroid pic could be right out of the animation! Those pictures do show one of the big differences between these and a Hasegawa valk. All the extra panel lines and details give the Hasegawa a bit more realistic and interesting look. These Bandai kits do transform though, which I consider a major feat of engineering skill especially for something produced with 80s technology! The fun factor of these kits is extremely high. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with either an old school Bandai transformable or with a Hasegawa. Both kits will give you a lot of enjoyment of a great subject.

I've got an old VF-1J that I built when I was a kid and I've got a 1S, 1J, and 1A each in the stash. I think they were great kits at the time they were originally released and they are still good today. Fun to build and pretty easy too as long as you take your time and go easy with glue around the moving parts. len_d69 that looks like a real nice build. I'd love to see some pictures with a little bit brighter lighting so that we can see some of the details.

That's what I find amazing. If I ever tried to build with Legos without instructions, the best I ended up with would be just a box with wings. That's a good job on the Tomahawk. The opening hatches are awesome. Neat stuff all around.

Wow! That is really a work of art. I hope I can get one to turn out even half that well. You did an amazing job on it. Thanks for posting the finished pics.

That's a bunch of great stuff guys! Keep up the inspirational work!

Impressive work! I especially like the battle damage on the panel with the unit insignia/number. The wear on the hatch edges looks great too.