MechTech

It's not Macross, but the 1/72 Harpy looks great and it's only about $20. - MT

Your paint is looking great! - MT

@derex3592 Nooo, don't go to the dark side! Cool work all the same! @neptunesurvey Thanks! Those look cool with your SSD and help put it in scale. @Convectuoso That's looking great! I never could understand the stickers thing either except that what they do with Gundam for the amateur builders. They're probably cheaper to produce too - MT

@Urashiman Nice catch! Is that the 1/48th VF-1S (the box top doesn't say). This weekend I tackled the task I feared most of all on my ship build, cutting the holes out for the waterjet intakes. Taking a perfectly good boat hull and cutting holes into it is counter-intuitive, but necessary. The waterjets are only sitting in the rails I made for them, they are not sealed and mounted yet. Thank God it's done now! The plastic is fairly thin, but there is a bit of a ramp running into the intakes to help guide the water flow. The trailing edges were smoothed to reduce vortex drag. I am completely redoing the flight deck. It is cracking in places on the slide rails because of how thin it is. Also something else I overlooked. When I punched out all those tie-downs into the deck plate, it was the same as flattening dough when making a tortilla. The deck expanded making it bow up and add further stress to the thin plastic rail problem. This time around I'm doing the rails THEN punching the deck and THEN cutting it to fit onto the rails. So this weekend I started new beefier rails which are now drying. I used Plastruct "C" channel. One side of the channel is too long because of the slope of the hull side, so it had to be trimmed. How do you trim 2 feet of channel and make it look professional? You get jiggy with it! So I modified a jig for cutting square tubing I made and used that to make several passes and cut it (before and after below). The photo below shows the side slope of the ship, the "I" beam the rails slide on and an un-trimmed view of the cut "C" channel with a smaller "C" channel glued into it as a rail. All of this is to make a splash-proof seal on the rear of the ship and make it easy to just slide it off. Thanks for checking in! - MT

@pengbuzz Thanks Pengbuzz! @arbit Thanks Arbit. Some of my paint isn't the cleanest, especially the door and F-86. The wash kept washing out of the door instead of sticking in the recesses. I should have sealed it first. @Gabe Q Thanks Gabe! You are Soooo punny! Your paint is looking good! @Thom Thanks Thom! Lighthouse fetish is a funny way of putting it! I forgot to say the Testors window maker/glue worked great! It just has to be used in low humidity. - MT

@electric indigo More coolness on your workbench! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! May this next year be a brighter one! Here is something FINALLY completed to help light up the new year (pun TOTALLY intended). It's not going to win any awards, but will still look cool next to our club Godzilla build display. This is an iron, Victorian style lighthouse. So I got generous with the rust (real rust). Side notes: Pushing the roof down on the small outside plant building is the main on/off button. The final GIF is hard to see because of frame rate, but pushing the finial on the roof triggers the flashing F-86 machine guns. Thanks for checking in everyone! - MT

That's a cool idea! - MT

That's cool!!! - MT

I keep my paints in an old ammo can. They are well sealed, out of the light, and STILL some paints get jacked up. Yes, my stash of Model Master paints are too.You can't win them all. @Chronocidal I agree. The Model Master paints were much better. Several guys in my club are buying out what they can get before they're gone. I loved their metalizers that you could buff to a shine. @pengbuzz I didn't know Superman was related to Little Orphan Annie!? Where's the original figure's pupils? You made him look MUCH better AND gave him pupils too! @arbit You are right. I think we're losing a lot of the traditional modeling subjects. My children getting Minecraft and Star Wars Christmas ornaments says it all! @derex3592 It's just not you. Acrylics are tough to brush paint, I just did a bunch of it - ONLY- because it didn't have to be smooth. It seems they dry quickly and then the fresh coat picks up the older coat. Enamels like a little thinner and level out better with it. Acrylics only like to be thinned for airbrushing. Sometime you just can't win. Watching NHK Japan on cable TV (its in English, or online below) it looks like the virus may be slowing anything going on in Japan. Their news is every hour on the hour. Maybe Bandai will release some new Star Wars stuff post pandemic. By the way, if you missed the Hayao Miyazake biography on PBS, NHK has it (they were the content creators). - MT https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/

@arbit I agree. The Testors paints don't last long even unopened. I STILL have Tamiya paints from 20+ years ago! That's just ONE reason Testors is failing. Enamels are also less "convenient" needing thinner for cleanup. They also have more competition than ever. The hobby industries main problem is less people building models. The hobby industry has actually been shrinking since the 80's. We had issues when I was working in a hobby shop back then. Virtual reality is replacing reality - sadly. As an example, we decided to carry Legend of Zelda game cartridges even though we didn't sell video games. We had people coming in out of the wood work for them. But an R/C car or even a model kit was a hard sell! Fewer people buying models today. You KNOW I build models with my children on occasion, but they spend most of their free time on video games even though they do like models. @pengbuzz Yeah, They were bought out a while ago. I personally think they are making a mistake. Testors is a decades old American name, but the Model Master Line usually had better quality and selection. They also had nice innovations. I STILL have a cool Model Master hobby knife from the 80's that also had blade storage in the handle. We'll see... I commented earlier on buying the window maker/glue like @derex3592 bought. His has the Model Master label on it, mine has the Testors label on it - same exact package and glue. Maybe there is STILL hope for Testors! Just so no one thinks I'm anti-Testors or anti-American hobby industry... - MT

@pengbuzz @arbit Thanks guys! I'll have to put something together, maybe a pictorial with drawings to show everything. @derex3592 Nice catch! Funny, I just got the clear window cement earlier today to put windows on the lighthouse. Hope it works good! Speaking of Model Master, for all of you Model Master Fans, they're goin' bye bye! - MT "As a manufacturer of paint products, we have a long history of producing hobby kits and supplies. To that, we are evolving our strategy to focus more keenly on Testors, our flagship brand and are discontinuing our Pactra, Aztek, and Model Master Brands as the demand for these products continue to decline".

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! For those in the Commonwealth, HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!! Have you ever finished building something and it didn't work like it was supposed to? I put the compressor all back together and it was WAY more noisy than before I hacked it. I was really confused. Went to sleep on it and the next day realized the air filter somehow disconnected which makes it totally noisy! Thank God it works great now! Here is what I started with, a PM-7 Nebulizer (from Picclick). Here are the tanks with the bracket I made to support them in the case with the valve rounded out to easily fit in a round hole in the case. I took the original case front, cut out/moved the air filter (because it will get in the way), then I cut everything out but the "frame" going around it. That was covered with metal screen. You can see here where the filter was moved to the side and glued in place (Acetone is awesome ABS glue). Then the tanks and screened cover all fit into place. The updated and "tactical" version (because it has a handle). The handle also helps protect the air bleed valve. The power switch was moved to the top and the air bleed valve is easy to get to. Two partial holes were drilled around the switch and filled in with red/green permanent pen for stop and go. It actually works! Now the air flows smooth and there is a little buffer under load between triggering the brush. Now I can finish the lighthouse. If you guys are interested, I can do a tutorial for other machines too. Thanks for checking in guys! - MT

@Ignacio Ocamica Your sculpt is looking awesome! I'm looking forward to seeing the completed model. @electric indigo The color change looks good. - MT

@Type R #126 That's cool, thanks for sharing! @Aztek Those are some small joints! You can try these (below) I have them and they work well, but are limited in how many per package you get. The alternative is the second link, but I think they no longer make them. I have both sets and they work. The MSG set has limited movement and can be loose though. - MT https://www.hlj.com/ball-joints-ylsppc-tn28 https://www.ebay.com/itm/KOTOBUKIYA-M-S-G-Pla-Unit-D-101-BALL-JOINT-S-Detail-Up-Parts-Model-Kit-NEW-Japan-/133227389257

Sorry about your breaks! If that is ABS plastic, the best glue is simple Acetone. It will melt the plastic like model cement. It will also mess up paint and markings so surgically apply it with a tiny brush or similar tool. Then let it cure a couple of days to solidify. - MT

That's looking great! I know what I want for Christmas! Even if it's next year. I think you're using an SLA printer, correct? That's a drag with acrylic based printing - brittleness. And it gets worse with age too. The Hobby Base joints are nice too. I have a few of their sets: - MT https://www.hlj.com/search/?q=hobby+base+ball+joints

@arbit That's cool! I would try vacuuming the resin in the cup and in the mold. You may find that the volume of resin changes depending on the mold size and shape. Keep us updated! - MT

@Gabe QThanks Gabe! Another classic kit comes to life! @arbit Evil Great minds think alike! I bought one of those fairly recently too at a thrift store for the same exact purpose (my wife got rid of our old one)! I haven't used it (this time around ) yet. I don't think it gets the draw of -29/-30 of mercury that is recommended for casting, but I think it would sure be an improvement! Check this dude's tiny vacuum out: https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/degassing-epoxy-resin-on-the-very-cheap/ You MUST use slow setting resin though. That stuff with a 5 minute pot life will cure before you can get the air out. That I HAVE tried and failed miserably! Years ago I vacuumed the resin and then mixed it too. Also failed. As soon as you mix it in the air, that 7 plus atmospheric PSI forces air back in during the mix. I even thought of making a mixer/poorer that worked in a vacuum chamber to further minimize bubbles. Another thing to remember is that the molds need to be made that way too. The vacuum will take air bubbles in your cured mold and make them tiny balloons which will distort your shape. The last time I tried was nearly 20 years ago and I also knew little about casting back then. Let us know how it goes! - MT

Thank you guys for your inputs and comments! Maybe this should become a tutorial? Decades ago I used to have one of those Badger piston pump airbrush compressors. Two problems with it. 1) it was noisy enough to wake the dead! 2) It pulsed the output air which affects your coverage and spray shape. As you know, piston pumps have so much power they can compress an air cylinder. So you have to have an air regulator or valve to allow some air to bleed-off or it will blow up your air line (or turn your airbrush into a mini-tornado). I also have a small shop air compressor with regulator, but once again, it will wake the dead! There are two QUIET and less expensive air compressors ($20s-$40s new) you can use for airbrushing, Nebulizers and the larger aquarium air pumps. Most nebulizers use a small plastic/rubber piston and most aquarium pumps are usually an electromagnetic armature on a rubber diaphragm. Neither of them can be put under too much strain or they will blow themselves apart! So I am using a bleed valve on this compressor set-up. The attached photo is my bleed valve. Note the hole in the bottom. You can use an aquarium valve to do the same thing with some hose, mine is left over from the Badger. Originally I used the plastic nebulizer line and drilled a hole in it to bleed off as you'll see in the first link. I did a quick search and found some people who did the same thing (saved me taking photos): http://plasticcaffeine.blogspot.com/2010/08/spray-heaven.html http://nelman.blogspot.com/2009/07/poor-mans-modeling-neb-kit-hose-hack.html http://otakuonabudget.blogspot.com/2014/06/poor-mans-airbrush-setup.html You can see in the first post that the lines are not smooth, they are kinda dotted from the pulse. That's OK, I touched up a 1/1 scale Tomahawk cruise missile model and it worked great doing that. It will still work for covering paint over a certain sized area, but it may affect doing fine lines. So you need some sort of air capacitor to absorb the pulse. You can use soda bottles with plumbing (like the last link), or you can use an old tank of some kind. Once again, the air will ALWAYS be bled-off until it goes through the airbrush, so this is low pressure. That's where my tank project came in. It fits inside the nebulizer and SHOULD (I hope) clean up the pulses. All air compressors can put water in your line (bad for lacquers), so a small filter like the second linked guy used is a good idea. My shop compressor has a water trap on it and they do catch a lot of water, especially in humid areas. Winter weather with the heater on making the air dry will greatly reduce the humidity. When I spent hours touching up the Tomahawk there was no condensation in the line and the compressor didn't get hot (like a piston pump would). I'll post more as I get time to work on this. Any ideas or suggestions you guys have are welcome as always! - MT

Despite the cold, got a couple of rattle can coats of paint on the lighthouse. Then quickly brought it inside to cure and stink up my shop A long time ago I bought a nebulizer from a thrift store. (if you don't go to thrift stores, I HIGHLY recommend you do). It works awesome as an airbrush compressor. Only problem is I was jerry-rigging the hose for it and it has a slight pulse to the airflow (like most straight compressors do without a tank. With the cold weather, I thought now is a good time to make the compressor work right for its new job. I've seen people add old soda bottles in-line with the airflow to act as a capacitor and eliminate the pulses. So I thought I'd do the same, but more rugged. So I got some 1" copper pipe fittings since they were the cheapest way to make a metal tank (low pressure tank). Then I machined male/female rims into the edges to make them easy to solder together securely. Here are the two tanks joined together with the ribbed inlet and the outlet tube which is rough until I add the fitting to it. The output will always bleed off, so this is a low pressure sett up. There is a tank connector built into the inside end caps. Here is how everything will fit into the existing case. The power switch and outlet will all be on top to make it easier to use. I'm adding a handle to the top to make it tactical too. Thanks for checking in everyone! - MT

@neptunesurvey Someone's been busy printin'! Those came out great! Your lighting looks realistic too! @electric indigo Nice-n-clean paint as usual! @derex3592 Looking good! That's a cool way of blacking out and connecting your LEDs. - MT

I just told my son about this and he said, "Yeah, don't you remember this. I paused the movie for you to see it." I TOTALLY forgot about it! Thanks for sharing Pontus! - MT

@pengbuzz I like your styling and color scheme. It looks great! @Photogirl It's a Christmas miracle you even got that set; they're always out everywhere. @derex3592 Your interior looks great! It will really give people something to look for inside. Now you lifted the bar, the outside has to look as good. @electric indigo Your paint job makes even that gross color look good! The Soviets had some crazy ideas about colors to include their interiors. - MT

@Bolt Thanks Bolt! @derex3592 I think you can liken it to Texas. Yeah, Texas. If you ask people what state reminds them of crude oil production, BBQ, and guns, everyone would be like, "Texas." I just asked my teenage son and he said the same things! It's the reputation I suppose and a lot of good model memories. Hasegawa has been around for decades and (most of us) have been building their kits for that long. They have a good reputation for quality. They are not perfect, but have made a lot of cool subjects over the past decades and now Macross kits (which many were excited about when they first started). For example, I have an original 1/72 Hasegawa Kawanishi "Emily" H8K2. It's a big kit originally tooled in 1967! It is still a great kit with lots of extras like a tractor, moving flying surfaces, and the flaps actually extend out on rails like real aircraft. Of course it's outdated and now retooled. Hasegawa's quality has been consistently good over the decades. I am currently building a 1/72 Humber Mk II armored car (on the side) originally tooled in 1975. It has excellent fit and detailing. The axles are metal and the wheels actually spin freely on the axles. It is still probably one of the best models of that subject in that scale. This will be the third time I have built this kit over the years and I forgot how nice it is. Hasegawa has also put out a lot of cool accessories and stuff that no one else did yet like ground crews, weapons and ground support vehicles. Only Tamiya had done that in the earlier days as separately sold accessories. Hasegawa is still doing it with Macross weapons and detailing sets today. Like I said, they are not perfect. Most of my modeling club members say that if you put Tamiya parts in a bad and shake it, it just comes together on its own. Hasegawa probably comes in second along with the high-end Eduard kits. Sorry for the "book," but it is a "story" going back several decades. - MT

@TMBounty_Hunter We probably all have Hasegawa kits sitting in our stash or on the workbench originally dating back to the 70's that we're working on. There's another data point for you. Their quality has staying power over the years and they're doing a good job competing with all the variety and cheap kits coming out of China. It's tough managing a hobby company these days. It's not a job I would take (unless it was in R&D). - MT