MechTech

I'm not a toy collector, but they did a cool job super-detailing a lot of things on the Alpha. I was trying to figure out what that green thing is, until I realized its a Cyclone. Even the GU-13 looks to have energy cells (I think), though it says sabot rounds on the artwork. Cool details because you can pose them open for "maintenance" being done. That's looking like a $300 toy! - MT

@HWR MKII AWESOME job on the camo pattern! @nightmareB4macross DEFINITELY becoming one of the ultimate Chunky Monkey builds! @pengbuzz Tweaking those badges and them putting them on the stands brings the build up a whole notch! SWEET looking additions. Your friend will LOVE the B-wing! @nonner242 The fluorescent paint is next level cool! It's tiring, but the final outcome will be worth it! @electric indigo I LOVE Tamiya's weathering kits! They take a good paint job and then make it lifelike. Especially when adding dust or dirt weathering. I think you have just the right amount of weathering for a "realistic" Japanese mecha. They keep their weapon systems extra clean, but a mecha like this would even have some wear and it makes the fabric look more realistic too. - MT

@derex3592 I'm praying for you, man! HANG IN THERE! - MT

@pengbuzz I'm sorry man! That sucks! The good news, you KNOW that model now and can make the new one better! YES - that is the very same kit after all these years! Aoshima is just re-popping the old molds. I still think it's the best model of it. The fact that it transforms is cool! I was bummed back in the 80's that the Legioss kit actually transformed. The Valks were only parts-fromers. @nonner242 Cool! I love the Dougram kits. The designs looked possible to go into production. - MT

@nonner242 It's cool to see an old Dougram kit get built up. Is that under the Revell Robetech boxing? @pengbuzz I'm sorry you're having trouble with that kit. It sounds like your having problems with a solvent attacking the plasticizers or something similar. Hang in there and don't give up! I'm on my THIRD iteration of this plane I'm designing. Your build has been looking great so far! @Wewyllenium When looking at models in a show, you always see what details people have added to their kits. You have a couple that REALLY stand out!🤣 ALL of the mods look GREAT! The newer iteration of the SDF looks like a BEAUTIFUL print too! @electric indigo Looking GOOD! Is that the 1/20th scale kit? SECURITY WARNING - It's off-topic, but I thought you guys might like to know that the Temu shopping app is Chinese malware / spyware. Artstechnica did a good online write-up on it and there is a current lawsuit against them. The app has access to your texts and other data it should not have. - MT

@Wewyllenium Your mods should make things fit a lot better! @nonner242 Wow! I haven't touched that kit in decades (bqck in the 80's). Though I did buy one when Wise Guys started selling them. Did you buy a case of them or something? The paint colors look spot on! @pengbuzz First off, finding a model kit in a thrift store is rare. Like I've found one or two in a few years! Then to find exactly what you need -a RARE kit- in a Thrift store!? That is God's Providence - hands down! That's AWESOME! So are all the mods you're making too! The Mospeada scales like all the Orguss model scales are off from the boxes. It's frustrating, but what you gonna do? Especially decades later!😁 I think your work does it justice! KUDOS for hanging in there with it and then kicking butt and taking names! - MT

I'm short on time, so long story short, this is a second V/STOL tilt-wing design. It has a wide fuselage to contribute to lift like Brunelli's and it also comes with its own defensive armament. Best of all, it's designed to operate on the water like a seaplane. It's size allows it to carry a full-sized armored vehicle and more troops than a V-22 Osprey, while being slightly smaller. I first milled a sheet to simulate the airframe's ribs. Evergreen makes these, but not the dimensions I needed. The sheets were glued together, cut to be the correct shape (and be the exact same dimensions), then milled down the center so they could be folded and glued down the middle. This is what makes the stealthy crease down the center. Then they were glued to a bulkhead and a nose was added. The bottom was added and the internal fuel cells / upper seating area. Then the nose area was glued up as well. I had to use a dropper since a brush didn't provide enough cement at once. Regular aircraft floor space can be taken up by cargo and the side "jump seats" get blocked. This design has "stadium seats" on the deck and above the cells. Twice the seating, or more for a full deck of cargo. The flush closing canon hatch and optical sensor window. The turret extended... No canon yet. The wings will scissor to fold up and I made the cockpit too high, so I milled it down. After streamlining the sides and fixing the cockpit, this is where I am now. The rod is the hinge of the turret. Thanks for checking in guys! - MT

Thanks guys. I'm showed the chains because I've NEVER seen them that tiny before. @pengbuzz I'll see what I can find. I don't think I have those parts anymore, but will look. One of my projects is the first attempt at V/STOL aircraft. I'm putting this one on hold because the cabin really isn't big enough for most missions like ferrying cargo to and from a small ship. You can see the mock-up and get the idea though. It is meant to be a tilt-wing design. No engines yet. The cabin windows were milled out of a tube. The cabin is LARGE styrene tubing you used to be able to purchase - no more though😕 Side floats / fuel tanks with gear doors opened up. Completed floats and them glued to the sides. And the nose roughly held together. The doors actually fit great into all the parts. That's on hold now. You'll see why with the next photos. - MT

My problem - I ran out of "LIKES" for everyone's cool builds! There's a LOT of cool stuff on the boards right now! My apologies for the delay in posting about builds, real life has been busy lately. @arbit Your Macross Plus kick is paying off! All three of your figures look great! You have become the master at 3D sculpting!😎 @SteveTheFish Your Macross lineup looks great! It's great to see some actual Macross kits get built in this thread😁 @nightmareB4macross Spoiler Alert - those look GREAT! It's cool to see a fully articulated set of wings! It will be the penultimate "Chunky Monkey". @pengbuzz Your Street Hawk build looks AWESOME! People are gonna see that and have flashbacks big time! Can you post a photo with the bad arm pieces. I'm sorry you're having trouble with that kit. I might have spares from an old one. It was cool how many Japanese model companies sold their excess kits to American companies in the 80's and many were rebranded as something else - like the GoBot models and Battletech game stuff. I had both too. I remember seeing them in Toys R Us and saying, "Hey, I know what those are REALLY from!" And bought them since that was the only way to get my hands on Mospeada kits. The Cykill kit DID blow superior!🤣 It was cool that they made it into a model kit though all the same. @HWR MKII AWESOME finish and effects on your figures! From heavy metal tanks to delicate figure painting - great range of talent! Here are some helps for EVERYONE I recently came across. I recently lost the most important tool in my shop - my stereo system! The sub-woofer speaker foam surround dry-rotted. It sounded so good originally, I decided to get a new foam surround kit for it. I HIGHLY recommend you try it too if you lost yours or its dying. You can see my rubber cement job isn't the cleanest, but it still works as good as new! Well worth the $20 instead of a new speaker system and it's not too tough. One of our club members brought this in to the meeting this week. It's UV curing filler putty! No more waiting hours for putty to cure. It also has NO shrinkage when curing like most putties do. You can use a UV flashlight or the sun too. I'm gonna have to try some. And finally, while at Hobby Lobby, I came across this chain. It's SOOOO tiny, I've never see chain that small. Why would you care? Perfect tie-downs for your 1/72nd carrier model. Also other detailing like on mecha. This is more in scale than most tiny chains. $2.50 for a little over a foot isn't bad either. I'll post my builds in a bit! - MT

@pengbuzz It's Mini Me Rex Smith!!! Great sculpt fixes including the helmet! Aahhh, synth music of the 80's!😁 @arbit Your Guld looks awesome! Nice details in the suit too. - MT

@pengbuzz That sucks about your figure. Can't tell you how many times I redid something to make it more accurate. It will be worth it to you in the long run. I'll take a look for one! @nightmareB4macross I think you're doing a GREAT job at keeping it accurate, but adding the bells and whistles we WISH we had on ours in our youth. I bought mine in my late teens. When I said it was for my "nephew", the lady behind the counter was like, "Sure it is!" She knew I was lying trying to not look like a geek - which now its cool to be😁 At least I looked cool with my spikey, jelled hair. Now I need more hair🤣 - MT

@Urashiman That Valk looks COOL! Nice 80's throwback - without the SEAMS! I'm surprised they went "cartoon" style with that sculpt instead of lineart accurate. COOL all the same! Cool little figure too! @pengbuzz Your Street Hawk looks awesome! Only YOU could take a toy and make it look COOL like dat! Did you mean a Hasegawa air crew truck? Do you still need it? @nightmareB4macross Your Chunky Monkey mods are brilliant on that ole' ABS baby! They make it look MUCH better. You'll have the ultimate version when you're done! @SteveTheFish "Hey, hey, my face is up here!" 😄 Beautiful eyes on Asuka! Looks like a decal, but its' not! Sorry guys, been busy with real life stuff, but still working on a couple fo aircraft designs for the ship. I'll post when I get something worth posting. - MT

Cool! It looks like they over-did the parts number, but the detail looks great! - MT

REALLY COOL!!! - MT

@pengbuzz I knew it! Somebody's on an 80's kick😉😁 @joscasle That looks cool! Not something you wanna stare at for awhile, it might start looking like it's moving on its own! - MT