MechTech

@derex3592 The screen work looks authentic! OCD about wiring is a GOOD thing! It means you'll have an easier time assembling and troubleshooting later. @peter Thanks Peter! Sorry, it doesn't actually work. There might be pyrotechnic effects elsewhere though Way to go with the 'ole school special effects! That looks cool! @pengbuzz That looks awesome! Are you sure you didn't steel that from a movie screenshot @arbit Thank you, I appreciate it! This is some of the smallest work I've done since moving on from 1/350 scale back to good ole' 1/72. I STILL need a magnifying glass though! - MT

@Gabe Q That's funny! I hope you like it. It's too bad Hasegawa never came through with an accurate kit. Is that the cruiser mode kit like Pengbuzz asked? - MT

Wow! Just the VF-1Ds are around $70-$100 on their own! No matter the packaging, that is STILL the best SDF-1 TV version model kit. The coloring book pages put it at about $200 worth of stuff!

Thank you, Thom, I appreciate it! I'm hoping to finish all the detail pieces soon. - MT

Derex - I'm glad it worked out! Is that a screw post electrical bus going in there? For those wondering what I was making, it's the next weapon system for my ship. It's the Mk-32 (Mod 14) torpedo tubes. It's finally finished today! I'm actually not sure where I'm going to put it, but thank God I decided not to make two of them! Lots of little details to include the side hand knobs which are smaller than a pin head. Different wires didn't work until I tried some old jumper wire. That's what was around the right size and actually held super glue well. Some details are actually too big because of tooling limitations. Like the bolts across the tube sides. There are twenty bolts, but I could only fit 15 - after several attempts with different bits. The model is less than two inches long making it a scale nightmare for details all round it. But it's built from Navy drawings and was scaled down according to dimensions. Reference photos are confusing because there are so many mod versions of it. Feedback and ideas are welcome! - MT

@Gabe Q Cool! That's a win-win! You're welcome. - MT

Urashiman - Cool work! Those things need some practice. Arbit - Thanks for sharing! That guy should just use styrene Derex - Sorry man, that stinks! Get creative I guess and cover it up with something? - MT

Gabe - I thought those looked familiar. They are from the 1/40 variable Orguss model. - MT

Chas - Thanks for posting that! It's almost like someone threw down the gantlet and challenged me! I have an old Aztec airbrush that looks like Peter's Enterprise now The compressor looks cool too for a workout before you airbrush! At least it's nearly whisper quiet. The larger fish tank air pumps will work too. Peter - Would you be insulted if I called that a WRECK? Your work paid off! Creative touches with everything. - MT

Nice catch! - MT

Those look great NZEOD! The shots outside really show the colors off better. Peter - Your damage looks even better (that still sounds wrong)! The details all will work together - you'll like the work you put into it. Dobber - Your pencil work looks superb! That would definitely have me bored out of my gourd doing all that! My family has been watching Halloween Wars on Food Network. So I spent some hours in the shop working on this project beforehand, then was watching the show with them. Bad combo! Later that night I was dreaming of building this project out of cake frosting! It was frustrating too! I finally found a "real world" use for the Minus Molds from Kotobukiya. For those trying to figure out what I'm working on, they are not photon torpedoes but... Still only about 2/3rds done now. - MT

It may be a little too obvious now what it is, but its only half way done. - MT

He he, school portraits! Model photography is tough anyhow focusing on something so small and losing depth. - MT

You don't have enough cars Peter! Nice shelving! - MT

WM Cheng - I have to agree! Very PROFESSIONAL finish. And on everything that is tough to do. White, red and gray masking all together with flying surfaces - and - sharp lines! That is tough to do right. That totally sucks about the canopy though! Two choices, put it in a DARK room forever, or get out the razor blade. It looks like you glued down that canopy tight though. - MT

NZEOD - Now that's a set of suits I want in my wardrobe! They look great! Convectuoso - Great color on the Tomahawk. - MT

Great finish and photos! Like everyone else said, perfect balance of both color and weathering. - MT

Derex - I guess it's drawing you in to work on NOW after all? The interior of that thing is going to look way better than what most people do to the outside at this rate! Next assembly for the ship. 180 engraved dots all around the tubes. Any guesses? - MT

About vitamin D. Research shows you should have some exposure to natural sunlight for about 10 to 15 minutes a day. It is not just vitamin D, it helps your eyes too. In fact, recent research shows red light to help your eyes regenerate. Sitting inside all day also causes nearsightedness by your eyes not getting what they need. It kinda sucks. Too much sun breaks you down, not enough screws you up. Nothing is ever simple. About yellowing. Your problem is not just UV light, you're breathing it in right now. Oxygen will also oxidize plastics without UV light. It's not as simple as keeping them in the dark, but sealed air tight. And that's not the only issue. You can still have issues because plastic formulations vary as much as there are types of cheese! Some plastic is cheap and just destabilizes with time. I've had the same problem with stuff kept in boxes, in the closet, smoke free house, and it still goes yellow. I've studied a lot on plastics and engineer a lot with them. Sometimes you just can't win. Buy your your toy, enjoy the new toy smell, and then don't get your hopes up too high I'd say. - MT

That looks great! Yeah, bring on more photos. - MT

Thank you Macross Junkie, I appreciate it! I updated my last post in response to your post for WM Cheng. That is a great photo. It looks like the squadron all had that scheme, not just the CAG's plane. It is unusually clean for a Navy plane too! - MT

NZEOD - The male armor looks great! Painting that small is a lot of "fun." WM Cheng - Thank you very much, I appreciate it! I love doing styrene work, so this is fun. This is still the same ship for the last two years or so! I've spent most of that time trying to make a cap cannon that works and looks right. Now I'm catching up on the actual ship. I actually volunteer doing graphics for the local naval air museum, but no models. No one would hire me because I don't have any experience Oh well, at least it's fun and not a job this way. That Tomcat looks amazing! I wish the 1/32nd scale Revell kit I did in the 80's (with REAL rubber tires) looked like that! Same decals too. We used to joke that the Navy didn't know what aircraft soap was. Looking at the photos and Macross Junkies post after this, looks like they kept them clean. The photo below isn't even the CAG's plane, and it's clean! But the wheels wells and struts have some dirt on them. Pengbuzz - Wouldn't it have been easier to feed that figure some 'roids? That is an AWESOME looking sculpt! I'm having 80's flash backs! "By the power of masking tape!!!" Derex - Those look cool! Just don't forget the fruit bowl - MT

That's some awesome work! The hand does look beautiful - first time I think I ever said that It's funny how the thumb is almost as big as the 1/72 scale hand all by itself. What size hole goes through the fingers? I'm thinking maybe a screw to go through it? The screw head / bolt head may even add an aspect of detail. Just an idea, and you can tighten it too. The ratchet joint looks great too! Two makes it much more positive - great for the load that will be placed on it. Great design and idea! Styrene is not very strong, but for this tiny guy, it worked. The advantage of subtractive machining is you clean your work as you go along vs additive processes where it may need further processing to erase the bias marks. But 3D printing has more advantages. That's why I need to get into it. I'm thinking of going SLA printer for detail. The resins are usually acrylic based and so more brittle, but they are superior for detail, which is what I'll be shooting for. I'm glad you were able to work on stuff while deployed. I brought my model stuff with me and never touched it! Just too busy doing other stuff. - MT

Looking good NZEOD! It's a good anime lookin' color. It's time to get down to the nuts n bolts! I took a punch I made for large squares and drilled a tiny 1/16th inch hole in it. Punch a similar sized Allen wrench and you get bolt heads. They are actually two-sided. One side is narrow and the other larger. Came out weird. But as you can see, the same heads look like two different sizes when flipped over. Still more work to go on it... - MT

Lookin cool! - MT