MechTech

Thanks 505th! That's cool to know. - MT

First off, thanks guys for keeping us up to date on this! Second, would it be out of line to call this sexy? Looks good. The FP's might be off, but some from an old Bandai or Hase could substitute. The ordinance selection and the optional hardpoionts are a GREAT idea! I think they're doing great so far. No kit seems to get everythign right. Even the 1/72nd -25's weren't to the right scale! I guess you win some and lose some. Then again, it's not in production yet. - MT

Thanks guys, the lathe is a blessing and worth the ten year wait! I'm gonna have to get some of that wash Jefuemon, that's coming along great. With the Tomcats gone the way of the Dodo, I'm glad to see you're building one 505th - and with a Macross Zero twist! Looking great so far! Which pilots are those? - MT

That's TOTALLY AWESOME WORK - and - missilicious!!! My son said, "if they wanted a lot of missiles on there, they went too far!" Don't worry, I corrected him Congrats on this new additon to your collection. Now just don't let it get broken. - MT

This will look great when lit! - MT

Thanks Hikaru! Warmer weather will allow more painting. - MT

That civil defense Tomahawk IS cool looking! I could see that actually being used today. Congrat Wasabi-san on the marriage! You've gotta post photos of the egg plane and chessboard when done! The Raptor came out great! I like your diorama with the tooling. It makes it more believable! Being blessed with tax a good return and a very understanding wife, I was FIANLLY able to purchase a lathe. More on that in another thread, but it needed a base to attach to. All my drawers are getting filled with other tooling so I thought I'd make a cabinet with a drawer instead of just sticking the lathe on a shelf piece. Now it all fits together it's portable (40lbs) so I can use it wherever needed. I cheated, I simply went to Lowes, got oak planks (oak for strength) and boarding the right length and saved 2/3rds the time! I did have to make an oak dowel to plug the front screw holes (shown). Then I used a wax finish. The cabinet will be subject to lubricants for cutting metal and the wax will protect it the best without marring. After seeing thousand year old pine benches in English churches protected with wax, I figured I couldn't go wrong! And for those of you saying, "dude, where's the styrene?" it's in there too. The last photo is making a part for the 1/350 Monster. - MT

I'll second the Draken! It was a pioneering concept for it's time and still cool looking after all these years. - MT

Congratulations! It came out great! This is something to be proud of - both owning AND actually completing it! - MT

Those look great! I can't wait to see them all with paint! - MT

Congrats! If it doesn't have to totally glossy, sometimes clear gloss (can) over the flat helps; especially to make decals lay down better. Then another coat on top "seals the deal." I hate glosses - good thing I mostly do military stuff! - MT

Nice paint scheme 505th! I like the colors. That sucks Derex! I feel for ya man! I've had a few crashes like that. As of Saturday, my scratchbuilt 1/100 Monster is now three barreled and a little "skinny" because I wasn't watching the table I set it on and bumped into it. Time for some glue and paint patching - MT

OK kids, hide your eyes, Ryuji's modeling naked figures again Welcome back Ryuji! We look forward to your work! -MT

I feel your pain guys! That's why you don't see a lot of painted models I do here! Traditionally, the flat coats are harder to "screw up." Glossy - that's another story. The yellow fanliner and a scrap piece I painted (to test for "dryenss") years ago with Testor's gloss yellow took a WEEK to cure! Everyday it was tacky until a week was up! But it came out smooth. Gloss is usually tougher to smooth out and reacts to humidity more - especially oil based. The rule of thumb is that the thinned paint should be the same consitency as milk. Don't ask if that's whole or skim milk Show us what you've been up to. - MT

That will all look GREAT together! - MT

Those are cool prices, BUT if they have free shipping on Black Friday - it always averages half the cost of what I ordered! It's like ordering one and a half items each order! Getting something for JUST what it costs would be AWESOME!!! - MT

I haven't used those decals myself, but for the stubborn ones, I've used Solvaset under the decal and then on top. That and giving it a little time to absorb in; sometimes giving it multiple coats. I hope that helps! - MT

Do you have a brand name and type they used? Nope, it's not as simple as you might have thought Different types actually cure differently. In most cases though (in the event you can't find out), the epoxy will remain strong. It usually doesn't crack, but the different types can be more brittel than others. As long as the area is not stressed, the bond should remain in place and the part keep it's strength and shape. The epoxy is usually more brittel and tougher than styrene, so the two can disbond under stress. So just don't "play" with it I have models over ten years old I've done epoxy putty work on without any changes or issues. Most putties are long lasting. - MT

Looks great and congrats! - MT

Worst case scenario, stay with the battery pack or Badger used to make an adaptor to use on spare tires (using the air inside of them) - MT

Hey Dimis, the BIG question is what type of putty is it and the brand name? Is it filler putty or epoxy putty? - MT

Grapetang's illustration is great! The diodes will help with the voltage and regualate the flow. Also keep in mind that a DC motor like that is not as sensitive to the voltage. You can go down a little, and up a little. If the motor is the same as in Tamiya's R/C cars, it should take another "cell" like the cars do. That would put it at 8.4VDC. Just watch the temperature (if you can access the motor). Hopefully you have a voltmeter to check the polarity like Grapetang mentioned. - MT

Switch gears and check out your local computer stores. Maybe you can find a power supply there. I spent 17 years overseas and all over the place! Try finding stuff in Iceland! I learned to check "other" sources for stuff. The local thrift store came in handy for some things and was cheap too! "Think outside the box", or, open your wallet Most of what I order from HLJ I pay half the value of in shipping, but it's good stuuf so I figure the sacrifice is worth it. - MT

Metal parts will be awesome if that's what the production run becomes! - MT

Thanks for sharing your progress WM Cheng, your build came out awesome even if the kit wasn't so easy! Now put that sucker in a case and keep the youngins away! - MT