MechTech

Bueno Ranka-Killer! Yeah, the re-releases just have uncut stickers! I think the stickers vs decals was a hint to Nichimo's demise. I agree with Shawn, in fact, I really like all of their 1/200 sculpts. It was one BIG reason I did the 1/200th Daedalus. They looked so good, I thought they would look even better in a realistic setting. - MT

Looking good NZEOD! For models, it gets more complicated than that You have Revell Germany which is much better than Revell (USA). Revell USA is also now Revell-Monogram. Monogram had cool subjects, but equally uncool seam lines. I keep seeing their kits at Michaels and Hobby Lobby. Then I say, "I'm not crazy enough to buy that." Like Electric Indigo said, Tamiya is re-releasing a lot of Italeri kits to include their F-16, Sea Cobra, MD-500, and much more! Sadly, the hobby is decreasing and companies are too. Molds from the 50's are being sold to companies like Atlantis who is capitalizing on them. The good news is we have some great kits now and aftermarket stuff that is better than the kits its meant for. What do you guys think? - MT

That's cool, thanks Big F! - MT

Looks like someone really had the need, the need for speed! Powder blue stripes!? Evidently that's what they used in the movie though. If you gotta throw in some blue, I think VX-23 did it better IMHO. - MT

Big F - That's the pits - sorry! I empathize with you. A widow was selling all the tools in her deceased husband's shop VERY cheap. I lost out on a new mill and lathe because I was unemployed. On the other hand, you can use alternatives for cheap. That's why I posted this. Xigfrid - Go for it! You can buy kits really cheap or just buy reels that are cheap. You can even use a USB adapter if the voltage is right. I've seen a lot of Detolfs lit up with strips. For them I would highly recommend using angle pieces around the lights like I did here. In most of the Detolf photos I've seen, it's hard to see the display because the glare is so bad. Plus, looking straight into LEDs is bad for your eyes. Shining downwards helps even further. - MT

Foclslain - I have to agree with everyone about the Tamiya masking tape - it's the best! Painter's tape helps with large areas or filling in between the Tamiya tape edges if you don't like paper. If you're serious, go with the airbrush! If you're lazy or on a budget, the rattle cans will be better than hand painting. Just get the GOOD automotive types with the fancy nozzles. Those brands usually lay down smoother. I use a lot of canned paint since my ship finishes have to withstand water and abrasions. Other paints are OK, just test first on spoons or cheap plastic signs you get from stores - they are usually polystyrene plastic like your model. WM Cheng - That cockpit looks real enough to jump in and fly off a carrier - until you realize its only the size of your thumb and you crushed it! Great, clean detail work! Thanks guys! To clarify with the Plexiglas (generic acrylic or Lexan sheets), it actually sits on the inside of the window frame. The original glass windows are outside and open outward. So I can close the window and the house has its original seal. When I need to vent, the window opens and the plastic sheet acts as a temporary seal. I bought a 5' roll of white Velcro (male and female) and cut it with scissors the whole length (then clean the gum off the scissors ). That 1/4" fit into the available frame area perfectly and you can't see it. The Velcro allows the plastic to be removed and the screen put back in. The Velcro makes a good seal to keep out bugs too. On that note, the vent exterior has a piece of screen on it too to keep out bugs when the window is open. Summer is coming and so will the bugs. The mosquitoes are here already, and I don't mean the cool one by Tamiya! - MT

Hey guys, I'm posting this in case some of you can use the window venting idea. Two years ago someone gave me their spray booth after they built a large custom one into their house (must have been nice). I FINALLY got around to fixing it and making a vent for it. They are so simple you can build one from a cardboard box and a fan! The first issue is that the fan sounds like a turbine starting up - no kidding! Ear protection will have to be worn when using this until I can get a new fan. Fiberglass insulation was added to help deaden the sound and silicone rubber was used on the seams to deaden the rattling from them. The original styrene outlet was brittle and broken so a new one was made from an in-floor vent boot. There is no where for it to vent outside so I got thin Plexiglas, trimmed it to fit the window frame and used white velcro (it blends nicely into the frame color) to temporarily hold it to the window frame and seal it from bugs. This makes it easily removable. Then I got an exit port and tubing. The port is two-pieced allowing the vent to be pulled off the Plexiglas window. The vent tube is only about a foot long. Most of you guys could do this in your house without getting killed by your wives since the Plexiglas (or Lexan) can be removed. Then yes, I spray painted the spray booth to cover years of paint that didn't quite make it inside. The inside was left alone except to drop a household A/C filter into it to help catch particles from collecting on the fan that already has a ton of paint on it. A $6.00 LED light sticks to the roof and an old microwave carousel will hold most projects. I haven't airbrushed anything in years, now I can begin again without any issues (except the noise). Hopefully this is of use to you guys. - MT

Hi Focslain, you sound frustrated? If that is the case, I would recommend masking tape to help you out. Even free-handing large areas will be aided by masking tape. Yes, it takes longer, but the results will be worth it. If you don't like your paint (once again guessing your tone from written text), that's no problem either. Paint can be stripped safely off models. I think most of us regulars here have done it. Life is definitely not perfect! Speaking of masking tape, the alternative is using a rattle can after you mask off your areas - assuming you don't have an airbrush? I usually use cans myself due to size of the projects. Five of these? That will be a lot of paint. Sounds like a job for some kind of spray (airbrush or can). - MT

Four years ago I got the top half of a mirrored hutch without the shelves for only $25. It was scratched, incomplete, and needed some love. I wanted a display case for my models, but $800 on average for a decent curio was out of the question. So I saw this case and got it to fix it up. I finally got around to it last weekend. I photographed the process so those of you interested in making a cheap display case out of almost anything could see how easily and cheaply it can be to light it up. You can use a solid bookcase, the good ole' Ikea Detolf cases, or whatever you may have lying around like a bunch of fruit crates nailed together. My last display case (back in the 1990's) was just a solid book case with Plexiglas over the front! Use your imagination for what you have available. The LEDs were bought at Five Below for only $5.00 USD (Photo 0). They are intended for lockers as you can see on the instructions. The "quality" is so high, there is spilled solder on the reel. None the less, they are bright white and provide near natural white light. They are 4,5 volts battery powered, but can be powered with an AC to 4.5v DC adapter soldered in as I did. Three reels (about seven feet long each) were used and then trimmed to fit the width. One was attached to the top, and the other two were built into the shelf supports. The key is that each strip shines downward on the shelf below it providing direct and indirect light. The original shelves were supposed to be sold glass. I didn't have the budget for that either. So I got inexpensive aluminum angles (Hillman 1/2" wide at most American hardware stores) and cut them to shape to fit into the cabinet (photos 1,2 and 3). They were then painted flat brown primer to match the wood. The LEDs were laid down on the angle so they would shine downward. Why the angle stock aluminum? 1. It shields the light directly from your eyes. 2. It reflects the light onto your displays. 3. Adds strength to support the thin shelves. The drawback with painting aluminum - the paint will scratch off if you look at it the wrong way - even after prepping! The only thing available locally to help with this was Flex Tape (one of the more expensive items in the build)! My preference would have been silicone tape, but I couldn't find any locally. The tape is 4" wide so it was unreeled against parchment paper and cut into 1/2" strips to cover the angled surfaces where the shelves would touch (photo 4). The rubber tape also helps the shelves slide a little less (the tape has adhesive on only one side). Next step was measuring and cutting shelves to fit into the cabinet. I used 2mm acrylic for its lowest cost locally. Thicker stock like 1/4" (6mm) works better, but also costs three times more (photo 5). I also added feet and casters to the cabinet. It raised it up a little and allows easy floor cleaning of the work area or rearrangement. Finally the case unlit and lit (photos 6 and 7). There was a small light that came with the case, it is near worthless, but adds a little color. You can see how near natural the light is and it doesn't hit you in the face like some lighting units. There is some reflection from the back mirror, but it is minimized by the angled stock. Alternately, you can use "C" channel to cut back the glare and direct the light even more, but it also reduces the angle of light available for your case. Hopefully this inspires or helps someone wanting to do a similar project like this. - MT

That F-18 is looking great! I should get one of those books. I already use one at work for Pantone colors and that thing is priceless for matching and creating project theme colors. - MT

Derx - Your Enterprise looks great! Nice n clean! The colors do look awkward, but on TV the colors never really looked like that-it was always dark in the "out in space shots." It may have been colored like that on purpose for lighting. Yeah, that was the "Love Boat" version of Star Trek - even if Kirk got all the women! Joscale - Electric Indigo is right, it does look like its from a model magazine! Very professionally weathered. - MT

That looks a lot better Mog! Your changes made it more realistic and cleaned it up. The Daedalus has been messed up in a lot of toys and kits. I wouldn't have noticed though if I didn't spend so much time building my model. As far as the blue color goes, it makes it easier on the artists painting the animation cells My family has been watching the Macross saga and I keep asking myself the same questions about the blue. Blue is so non-military; ya know? - MT

That's looking good Sqidd! Don't sweat the painting. It just take a little practice. Thanks Tekering for posting all that on the Mr. Hobby stuff. I haven't used that stuff, but considered it. - MT

That's cool Derex! "Buzz-Buzz-Buzz-Lightyear to the Rescue!" I didn't even know that was a kit! Big F, depending on how you're going to use it, clear decal sheet with your "interior" color first then your primer and top coat colors so the thickness and shades match your paint (paint the paper when you paint your model coats). White decal paper where white for the interior is OK and works too. Micro Sol clear coat for decals over the top of that to ensure it doesn't chip, will help. Use a SHARP knife to cut your stripes and panels! A dull one will chip or rip the paper. My favorite medium is metal foil. Pre-cut strips can even be embossed with rivet detail. The foil can be polished to a high, glossy shine too. The foil can be carefully painted too and or chipped to weather it. The "NASPLANE" racing Shinden fighter plane I did used a lot of polished foil and a metal spinner to "cheat" making high-gloss metal finished parts of the plane without having to mess with laquers and special paint techniques. - MT

Thanks anyhow Pengbuzz! That's cool Electric Indigo. As far as canopies go, I don't mess around with painting them. I paint decal paper and apply it. The other option is I use trimmed metal foil to make frames that are natural and on clean, smoothed canopies. - MT

Thanks Pengbuzz. It's actually a Takara Dougram Hasty. The knees are on a hinged angled piece. The angle broke making it impossible to fix unless it is torn apart. Electric Indigo - Nope, nothing shiny. This is for matt paint. In our last meeting, one guy held the jar up to the camera and it is about 80% - 90% thinner. They just make a ton of passes to keep it thin and hold detail. It also helps with mottling the surface to add scale to panels and keeping details clear. - MT

That came out great Jason! Nice engineering and execution with the modifications. - MT

Sorry about the fit issues wmcheng! One of our club builders is having the same issues. He's about to get covers for all the vents! He's even coated the interior with latex which now looks like Derex's nacelles. I HATE sanding too! Your model is looking great with the flying surfaces cut out. That sucks Derex! Once again, great recovery! And it's probably smoother than an androids butt, but I have nothing to compare to. Electric Indigo, your finish is smooth as always! What ratio of paint to thinner do you use? We have some guys in our club that thin down something like 8:1. They do a ton of coats to build it up. Their bottles look like thinner with a thin layer of paint at the bottom. Kelsain, I agree, go brass with the joints (or ABS sprue). I built my classic 1/48 Hasty knowing the stock knee joints needed reinforcing. I finished the model and the knee broke after completely finishing it off. To make it worse, wires run through it for batteries in the feet. I just can't rip it all up now to fix it without doing major surgery. - MT

That looks really good Gatsu. The paint has a nice anime-looking feel to it. It is heavily weathered, like it was used heavily in the series flying daily sorties. I can see you put a lot of thought and effort into your build! - MT

That's cool Shawn! I always wanted to get those paints back in the day, but no one carried them. I was happy just to find Tamiya paints in stock anywhere. - MT

That Tomcat looks great Joscale. The color variations look realistic. - MT

@ Delta One One Trent's Hobby Shop or Burton on Trent (that's a good shop)? I STILL have paint with Beatie's price tags on it and some styrene sheets. Your valk looks like it's coming along great. - MT

If your making pizza on your workbench (real or styrene), it counts! - MT

Your trainer is looking good. Arbit did this with lights: Yeah, the Battletech kits were cool! Some were reboxed Nichimo and Nitto kits. I had a few too including the Minerva. I spent a total of ten years in the U.K. Sadly, there hardly was any Macross stuff there. I think it was Beatties that slashed a bunch of Southern Cross kits on sale. I scooped them up! - MT

Thanks for sharing guys! I love the Nichimo kits too! Its too bad they folded. Thankfully I got one of the re-issued box sets. They still don't have all the cool stuff like the rubber stamps. I also have some of the Testors reboxed kits from Nichimo with suction cups and green clear backdrops. The Nichimo box art is beautiful still today. When I was back in Southern California, I found a comic book shop around 1990. They had a bunch of kits not selling so they marked them down cheap. Same thing, way back in the "attic" of the store where no one would see them. I bought all could afford! There were several Imai Macross kits and Mospeda kits. Then there were smaller toy stores selling off other anime kits like Orguss really cheap too. Ahhh, those were the good ole' days. - MT