MechTech

OK, before buying a tool (especially for $60-$100!), I try to make it myself. It saves money for important things like models. A couple of weeks ago I bought some cheap cutters from the local table-game hobby shop to support them (we have no real hobby shops here). They were a pair of "The Army Painter" cutters. They are not cutters, they pull the part up; the "blades" are so steep. I bought them knowing I'd grind them a new edge. So after all this talk on nippers, I thought this was a good opportunity to try a new type of edge. So before... You can see how much the blade sucks. And after a couple of hours on the bench grinder, a Dremmel, a sharpening stone, and a magnifying glass. They're not going to win any awards, but they work! Compared to regular cutters.... And because a blade cover has always been a good idea, a piece of rubber tubing. Yes, my family borrows my tools - they're so conveniently "there" I have to label the "no go" ones You can also see why the yellow handled ones need replacing. Was it worth the effort? YES! I still have $60 (somewhere) and a better pair of cutters. You can see how this style of blades works much better on a really tough subject (the parts are only 1/8" - 3mm long). So if you're on a budget and have a junky old pair of cutters, you can save some serious dough and make something better out of them. The downside, the blades aren't as tempered, but with a few strokes of a wet stone, they can be resharpened. Hopefully this helps someone save some dough! - MT

@Gabe Q Thanks for posting the links! The Modelling News was great with the close-ups of the cuts and cutters. @wm cheng I have a shop full of Micro Mark tools bought over the past 20+ years, they're great! I guess this is another tool I have to add from them now😧. @derex3592 You're probably right! They're all probably from the same Chinese factory line. Some of them have a rough tooled finish to them too - a signature of Chinese machining (Obviously Meng is in Shenzhen, China). After seeing close-ups of the nippers, I'm going to try and grind a pair of mine down. I usually sharpen them already. Time to get the bench grinder out and a glass of water! - MT

@pengbuzz AWESOME restoration work on those Transformers. Like Thom said, too bad you can't do anything about the awkward look of the toys, but in the 80's - they were da' bomb!!! That metal foil work is fantastic! Looks factory fresh! - MT

Thanks Derex for the link! I'm also seeing that they have them at beauty supply places too. I'll have to get one. @F18LEGIOSS The magnets are a great idea for that kit. It will actually make it work better than the stock design. - MT

@Thom That cockpit is looking fantastic! We had some people in the club build that kit and they love it. @peter Thanks for posting the gun photos for reference! That is a DIRTY muzzle! @derex3592 Thanks for posting the review video and info on the cutters. I can't believe some of them cost that much. I almost got the Citadel ones because they're at the local hobby shop, now I'm glad I didn't - it looks like they stink! All these years I've been using a knife sharpening wet stone and putting a new edge on my cheap cutters. It works, but this looks better. EVERYONE - Since we're talking about sprue-cutters, the most awesome tool I just saw this week to clean up after sprue-cutters is a glass file. I saw them online and ignored them because I have almost every single kind of file. Some that are decades old (like WWII). What difference can a glass file do? A guy in the club brought one to our meeting and let me try it out. I filed a piece of sprue and it came out shiny, like glass. It couldn't have had a more mirrored finish. The one he brought in was from USA Gundamstore, but it looks like they don't carry it anymore. So now I'm trying to find one. The random pattern works better than the lined patterned style. - MT

Thanks Electric Indigo! And speaking of the Battle Frames... I got some color on them now. There is still a lot of paint hoses, cables and hydraulic pistons to add, but at least they don't look like a patchwork quilt anymore. The right unit's gun barrel took the bluing compound (an acid) really well. The left unit didn't do a thing after the acid was brushed and even allowed to sit on it for a while. So obviously it's not just some steel, but an alloy. So I got a torch out and gave it a little color (maybe too much). It can be sanded back if overdone. That's the fun part about scrapping old electronics. You don't always know what you got. Speaking of which, an old drive belt from a printer (already cut up) was used to line the fingers and give them some grip. I cheated. They were hollow and needed filling. Forget the putty and add some grip instead! @electric indigo Those colors do look cool! Why do I feel like putting 80's music on all of a sudden? On a semi-related note, our local comic book store has the Bandai L-Gaim models. I'm tempted to get one. @CrossAir That paint is looking good! I hope it sticks down for you without getting scratched up too badly. - MT

Thanks for sharing your tips Electric Indigo! The Galctica looks like it could start cruising in space. - MT

This is "super duper cool!" Although in reality, light inside the cockpit from the shoulders would glare off the windshield. Still cool though. - MT

@derex3592 The Runabout is looking great! All those colors. They looked so blah in the series - or maybe its just my memory. @peter Thanks, Peter. The tape is just around the doorway. People like to stick stuff there and block it. The tape helps say "no." As far as looking like the Daedalus, they are both boxy looking! Maybe the ramp for destroids, errr, ah a turtle too. - MT

@peter Your Enterprise came out great! Did you say it has STDs?😅 Seriously, it is sad how much it cost. I think we're going to see prices fluctuate. The Chinese Communist Party is cracking down on freedom in Honk Kong. They are already responsible for shutting down several companies including some model companies. A lot of kits for other companies were made there too. As new sources have to be found, including home grown molding, we may see higher costs - even for age old molds. @Dobber Those look great! I love the lighting on the Enterprise. @Thom That looks great with paint! You can't tell its a kitbash! Speaking of kitbashing... Thank God the weather was great today! We had a huge thunderstorm yesterday (not Elsa) that brought a colder front behind it. Humidity was just on the line of what's safe. Thankfully this is a matt paint job and not gloss or things may not have worked out good. I got all the parts painted. Just in time too! My wife was grilling burgers for dinner (in the background) and I just had time to get cleaned up. This time I got smart. I painted two spoons to test clear coats. That 1/144 F-86 I did got jacked up by incompatible coatings. Another project on the workbench - and it is partly styrene - is a sunning platform for our aquatic turtle. Long story short, the old aquarium filter died and the new one didn't fit right. I also wanted to give her more swimming room so I moved the sunning area ABOVE the tank. Which meant a new platform AND a top! The platform is made out of styrene egg crate also known as a defuser. It is the grid that sits up in fluorescent light fixtures in the ceiling to defuse the light. It is great for making sci-phi backgrounds or as structural material in dioramas with styrene sheet. You get one guess what I glued it with. I didn't want to waste my good Tamiya cement on this thing. It would use a lot. And the BIG pain in my rear. The above tank "expansion" where the sunning area goes. Aquatic turtles must have access to sunlight or simulated sun light to dry off and get vitamin D. If they stay in the water too long, disease can set in. And besides, everyone needs vitamin D! All the clear glass and plastic on the right side got messed up by my camera. That's it for now everyone! Thanks for checking in. - MT

@electric indigo Cool colors! I rather be given the eye than the finger @peter Great progress! The problem with the instructions not being for anyone on the planet is they are all out in space That's some spiffy glue gunning! @Thom Your racer came out beautiful! The paint is smooth and clean. The tires look realistic too! Too bad about the prop decals. - MT

@derex3592 Two great looking ships in the yards! That glass base is GREAT and will add a nice touch to your model. Might even be show-worthy (some shows have different rules). @Thom Thank you, Thom! They're getting there... One more item to build for the group. @peter Thank you, Peter! I think your Enterprise scale problem is that they were using the metric system - MT

@505thAirborne That is dark blue! It does look smooth too! @arbit That print looks awesome! Have a good summer! @Thom That is looking beautiful! It's actually nice to see a civilian paint job for once - but don't quote me on that For all my fellow "Yanks," HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!! This weekend I got the lower torso done and added the defensive sensors. These are the main parts used. Note the ABS stairs. I glued them to the styrene using simple acetone. It worked great. One of the completed units ready to go. Side view without the legs mounted. 3/4 rear view. With the legs mounted. Does this make my butt look big!? 3/4 rear all together with smoke / decoy cannisters Rear sensors mounted. And the collar sensors for the front. That"s it everyone! Thank you for checking in.

I'm on the fence about that one. If I did, it would only be to make it easier to paint them - MT

@505thAirborne @derex3592 Looking good guys! The weatherman says its supposed to cool down and lower humidity today. Maybe I can join the "paint club" today too! - MT

@derex3592 I hear you Derex! Sadly, Imai was probably the closest company to get out a near complete line of kits / products for the period. The 1/285th gaming pieces seem to be catching up now for Macross. Smoke if you got 'em! Smoke and decoy canister launchers for the mecha. This is a segment of machined 1/4" styrene square rod machined with angles and angled holes drilled into the tops. The canisters are resin copies from a Geara Doga I made also around 25 years ago. Some here are bubbled rejects for a test fit. They're kinda big, so I'm thinking about something smaller that will fit the launchers. - MT

@peter Your Enterprise looks great! Putting Macross decals on a Star Trek model!? Looks cool! I think you might have made a hole in the time space continuum. @derex3592 Your light choice for lighting the Titanic is realistic and I think a good choice! All lighting was "yellow" back then, electric or oil/gas. Your shuttle is looking good too! I'm glad the paint retarder is working. I should try that myself. Airbrushing is smooth, but a pain for just bit painting. @505thAirborne Great improvements over the original work. I hope the paint sticks solid! @Chronocidal Those little kits are great! I'm kicking myself now for not getting them back then. I just don't have many kits in that scale, so it didn't make sense. - MT @pengbuzz I'm glad you're back! That's weird you got bumped off the site. - MT

@arbit Great looking prints! What happened to break dancing MinMei?😅 Which printer are you using? Are you going to put the "big arrow" on your Yamato figures to help with painting? - MT

@derex3592 @peter The guys in my club swear by "Wonder Wire." It is 0.006 mil, great for rigging 1/48 and 1/72 aircraft, useful as well for armor vehicle antennas or aircraft that have aerial wires running from antenna to antenna. Here is the contact info for the guy that sells the stuff. He only takes credit card order over the phone (ol' yankee Vermonter for ya...), no web site or eBay: Precision Enterprises Unlimited 802- 885- 3094. We made a group order in the club and the guys love it! They say it is like ceramic ( I wonder if it's fiber optic, I haven't seen it under a magnifier). You don't cut it, you score it and break it, but it does flex. I have not ordered any myself, but once again, the guys in my club sweat by it. They have made several biplanes rigged and aircraft wire antennas with it and love it. There are other "filaments" you can search for on modeling sites. Even HLJ has some. Stretching sprue over heat works, but it is weak and will droop with age, especially if any heat like sunlight is involved. @Chronocidal That's a cool looking kit! The magnets being included are a nice touch instead of having to be modified that way. @derex3592 Your ship is looking good and it looks like you will get plenty of help "rigging" your ship (don't use a ball of yarn) @peter Looks like your shipyards are turning out more great ships! The clear parts look cool. @Thom Your Spitfire is looking slick! - MT

The engineering in the legs for the gear and exhaust nozzles is cool! - MT

Looking good so far! - MT

@Thom Thank you, Tom! @pengbuzz I hope you're feel better soon bro! @arbit Great sculpt Arbit! Can you tweak his glasses to have that HUGE 70's, kinda RayBan-ish look? The funny part is I don't believe most military pilots can fly with glasses. Today they have to have Lasik to correct their vision - last I heard for the USAF. - MT

@peter Your collection of Yamatos and related ships is looking great! Your painting is adding realism to otherwise small kits. @Thom That Spitfire is looking great! Nice and smooth metalic finish too! @arbit Awesome looking Valk! Even with ordnance. Just don't sneeze! @Photogirl Your figures look good. Sadly, they're hard to see under the canopy anyhow. More work done this week on the mecha. The feet will have "achiles" actuators connected to the feet. So I made brackets with detailed bolts to "hold them down" and the hydraulic looking actuators to connect into them. The gun also needed hydraulic actuators for the absorbers, so those got machined too with bolt heads. The neck joints for the head are so thin, they were cracking. So greeblies like motors got added for strength. The heads are also cleaned up now for clear lenses to be made. Even mecha need protection for their "lunchbox"! So more armor plating was made, attached and bolted for details. That's it for this week. Thanks for checking in everyone! - MT

@joscasle Great looking plane! Photography is tough. If you can't get the lighting and exposure right, you can always fix it in Photoshop (most of the time). The white back dropped Tomcat looks a little orange. You can filter that in Photoshop. Orange and blue are opposites. Blue will help filter that out. So will lightening it. @arbit What are you using for a camera and settings? It sounds like you have too much exposure. I usually use my cellphone for here and find it like low light better than too much. Its weird. @peter Looks like the shipyards are running smooth despite the whole shortage of materials across the globe How is that plastic putty? Is it thick enough to build with, or is it more of a gap filler?

That came out great! Just enough weathering to look realistic. - MT