Whats Lying on your Workbench MK IV

[Big s]

3 hours ago, SteveTheFish said:

I've seen several mentions of IPMS. I attended one meeting in the Chandler, AZ area in 2011, the year before I moved back to Japan. I found that the atmosphere there was not very friendly towards sci-fi modeling, as if it wasn't respected as a legitimate form of modeling. Do you guys get flack for being Macross modelers? I've heard that it's pretty hit-and-miss, depending on who's running the local chapter. Some are welcoming of SF modeling while others treat such subjects with disdain.

Sci fi modeling is in these days. Everything from Gundam to Warhammer and Macross to Star Trek. Even the car guys are doing a lot of Mad Max style customs from standard car kits. The historical stuff is still there, but it’s almost a 50/50 thing to the Sci fi these days 

[nightmareB4macross]

On 4/29/2025 at 5:43 PM, Big s said:

Here’s a pic of the underside gear up

and a 1A with those basic missiles. It’s jut from a quick search though and I’m sure you could get more pics in a simple google search I’d double check though because I don’t remember the backs of the missiles being so red

Macross is such a weird one to try and find consistency in colts and other details 

found the dx version of the weapon set. It’s definitely closer to what I remember

Took me a while to find this, but here is the reason red is prominent in TV missiles.

[Big s]

32 minutes ago, nightmareB4macross said:

Took me a while to find this, but here is the reason red is prominent in TV missiles.

I e been noticing that the red is a here and there thing depending on the scene or screenshot. Sometimes they’re more white and other times a bit red on the back and other times red on front and back

[MechTech]

@Papa Rat That Monster is looking good! Lots of love and attention. Some seams you may be able to fix before-hand. When you can, if you sand the edges flat, like on a piece of sand paper mounted to a board, they'll join better. Then use a ton of glue to make the seams "wet". Then put them together. It will take a day or two to dry, but you may be able to eliminate some puttying (which also requires waiting time). Plus the seam is stronger.

@SteveTheFish and ALCON: Still to this day, a lot of the IPMS founders are stuck in their ways. I've heard fellow club members who read their literature complain about it. That includes techniques too. Don't get them started on 3D printing either! But like Big S said, there is a big group of Sci-fi modellers, mostly Gunpla modellers who are forcing them to change. Our last convention had A LOT of sci-fi kits. Even our die-hard aircraft guys are getting a Gundam just to see what they're all about and understand them better. The last two shows/conventions I was at even had a large group of Gunpla club members en force representing and taking photos together.

The downside, the judges know how easy they can be made to look good. So they get more attention in judging now😉 - MT

 

[Papa Rat]

@MechTech

thanks for the tip. I’ll give it a try. 

[Papa Rat]

So this is a PSA from my bench. Get yourself a ceramic “blade” tool. I wasn’t sure about it but once I started using one I was changed forever. lol not only good for mold lines, it’s also great for smoothing/scraping without cutting if that makes sense?

 

Edited Wednesday at 03:01 AM by Papa Rat

[Big s]

43 minutes ago, Papa Rat said:

So this is a PSA from my bench. Get yourself a ceramic “blade” tool. I wasn’t sure about it but once I started using one I was changed forever. lol not only good for mold lines, it’s also great for smoothing/scraping without cutting if that makes sense?

 

Never used one, but lately everyone has something new worth trying. I’ll keep an eye out. The newest stuff I’ve tried that I love are glass files and water color pencils and both of those work great. I’ll definitely give one of these a try and see how it goes 

[SteveTheFish]

15 hours ago, MechTech said:

@SteveTheFish and ALCON: Still to this day, a lot of the IPMS founders are stuck in their ways. I've heard fellow club members who read their literature complain about it.

That's how I remember them to be, so it's why I asked. I went to the IPMS national convention in Phoenix, AZ in 2010 and the showroom was row after row of models built exactly as they are supposed to be built. Not so much inspiration or originality. The SF section was just along one table and that was it. The IPMS club I attended once was mostly just grumpy old geezers who couldn't appreciate anything SF. I'm glad to hear that it's changed, but the contest judging remains obstinate from what I hear. My friend in Canada built a Bandai A-Wing to look just like the Ralph McQuarrie concept art. It looked beautiful with the blue and white scheme, and displayed it for the IPMS event there in Calgary or wherever it was. He was demerited because it "wasn't weathered enough." Well, tell that to Ralph McQuarrie. I'm sure that the judges know Star Wars, but beyond that they probably didn't even know what they were looking at.

Anyhow, my Rei and Asuka are done. I have them both placed on a wooden plaque. I'm thinking that I might paint the plaque and print out an Evangelion or Nerv logo decal (although I honestly don't really care for the show). Yesterday it was 34 degrees C (I think that would be 91F) and last night I saw that Asuka was leaning forward. Drat! It's because of the way their feet are made, in segments. If they were just one piece, I could fill them with plaster better. As it is, sofubi tends to bend when warm. I removed the 2mm copper rod and I will replace it with a much longer one to give her leg more support.

Also, the two girls have those life support backpacks or whatever they are. On Rei, I  put some superglue in the wrong place and it turned out messy. It's that semigloss black section on her back. I wetsanded most of it off and now it doesn't look so bad. I'm not sure if I should risk trying to remove more or not. 

[Papa Rat]

17 minutes ago, Big s said:

Never used one, but lately everyone has something new worth trying. I’ll keep an eye out. The newest stuff I’ve tried that I love are glass files and water color pencils and both of those work great. I’ll definitely give one of these a try and see how it goes 

Nice thing about the ceramic blade is that it has either 4 or 5 flat sides depending if it has a curve. Sort of like an ink knife or mud knife for drywall. Make sense? It can’t cut your skin but at the correct angle it shaves off plastic with ease and never gets dull. I guess it can be a bit fragile and break if dropped?

Edited Wednesday at 04:00 AM by Papa Rat

[woodsider]

@Papa Rat @Thom @MechTech Thanks guys! Yes the show was good to me.  @SteveTheFish Yes IPMS has come a long way when it comes to Japanese SciFi/Gundam modeling, but in my experience there's still the old timers who couldn't care less. Besides SCGMC, IPMS is pretty much the only game in town in terms of exhibitions. I'd like to see one of those IPMS guys put that Monster together and then let's what they say!

[pengbuzz]

On 6/17/2025 at 11:55 PM, SteveTheFish said:

That's how I remember them to be, so it's why I asked. I went to the IPMS national convention in Phoenix, AZ in 2010 and the showroom was row after row of models built exactly as they are supposed to be built. Not so much inspiration or originality. The SF section was just along one table and that was it. The IPMS club I attended once was mostly just grumpy old geezers who couldn't appreciate anything SF. I'm glad to hear that it's changed, but the contest judging remains obstinate from what I hear. My friend in Canada built a Bandai A-Wing to look just like the Ralph McQuarrie concept art. It looked beautiful with the blue and white scheme, and displayed it for the IPMS event there in Calgary or wherever it was. He was demerited because it "wasn't weathered enough." Well, tell that to Ralph McQuarrie. I'm sure that the judges know Star Wars, but beyond that they probably didn't even know what they were looking at.

This is one reason why I don't enter contests or shows: too many "judges" I feel are so stodgy or set in their ways that their criteria for decisions is way off, 

They'd utterly hate how much masking tape I use on my stuff.

[Papa Rat]

I’d still like to have the experience of the model show at least once since I’m so curious about it. At the end of the day building is for me since it’s fun, personal and challenging. It’s not to be better than someone else. I like the idea of sharing the work I do/have done with others who are interested. 😊

Edited Thursday at 04:34 PM by Papa Rat

[pengbuzz]

7 minutes ago, Papa Rat said:

I’d still like to have the experience of the model show at least once since I’m so curious about it. At the end of the day building is for me since it’s fun, personal and challenging. It’s not to be better than someone else. I like the idea of sharing the work I do/have done with others who are interested. 😊

Understood; I feel the same way about my work, I just don't like it being judged by folks whose criteria is so esoteric that it was formed back when you had to make your own models out of stones and sticks! 

[Papa Rat]

Hahahaha 

[MechTech]

@SteveTheFish That's sad. Marking down for "not weathered enough" is not cool. That choice is up to the modeller. That can also be fixed by noting what you did on the judging sheet and why. A lot of people don't know that they SHOULD make special notes.

The last contest I judged, someone did some Gundams with a wood finish to them. We didn't mark them down because that's not what a Gundam looks like, but the wood effect was very bad.

Like @woodsider said, things are changing A LOT! VERY rarely are models made out of wood anymore. They are now plastic. That's a paradigm shift. Sci-fi becoming VERY popular is the latest shift. Allowing 3D printed models in Gundam competitions is the next one. 😉

@pengbuzz Judges Pengbuzz's model and notes, "Left masking tape on model." 🤣 - MT

[pengbuzz]

4 hours ago, MechTech said:

@SteveTheFish That's sad. Marking down for "not weathered enough" is not cool. That choice is up to the modeller. That can also be fixed by noting what you did on the judging sheet and why. A lot of people don't know that they SHOULD make special notes.

The last contest I judged, someone did some Gundams with a wood finish to them. We didn't mark them down because that's not what a Gundam looks like, but the wood effect was very bad.

Like @woodsider said, things are changing A LOT! VERY rarely are models made out of wood anymore. They are now plastic. That's a paradigm shift. Sci-fi becoming VERY popular is the latest shift. Allowing 3D printed models in Gundam competitions is the next one. 😉

@pengbuzz Judges Pengbuzz's model and notes, "Left masking tape on model." 🤣 - MT

*chases judge down the hall*

[SteveTheFish]

That seems to be a cultural difference when it comes to modeling. While modeling is held in a much high regard here in Japan than in America (where people just think it's something that kids do), IPMS is not so popular. Modeling events in Japan, or at least the ones I've been to, are not about a contest but rather just coming together and enjoying the hobby. The biggest event is the Shizuoka Hobby Show. One convention hall is used as a tradeshow with companies' booths while the other convention hall is a private exhibition hall. Individuals as well as modeling clubs have their models on display. Dorobou Hige has his table as does Wild River, there's the Studio Ghibli Modelers group, a group for Yamato/Starblazers modelers, the lovely Tomoe Ogoshi 054 has her group of women modelers, etc. There is no contest; it's rather a celebration of the hobby. And the level of imagination on display there will blow you away. A Gundam taking a crap on a toilet reading a magazine, Hatsune Miku in a Power Loader from Aliens battling an actual crab, a psychedelic-colored Messerschmitt, an Easter basket of eggplanes painted like Easter eggs, a Hello Kitty Starship Enterprise... It's unreal. Way more fun than dealing with stuffy judges with their heads up their ass or grown-ass men throwing temper tantrums because they didn't get first place. 

Anyhow, sorry for going off-topic. I haven't been been to the Shizuoka Hobby Show since 2016, and even then I had to work at the event and couldn't really enjoy the sights. I was stuck babysitting a Lamborghini for two days straight and my feet were killing me.

[Papa Rat]

Not sure where to post this but I decided to grab one of these old IMAI Nousjadeul-ger kits. It will be on my bench after the Monster and VE-1 are done. Does anyone here have any experience with this build? Been searching online for images of a completed build and surprisingly came up empty handed. Just curious. 
 

[Big s]

4 minutes ago, Papa Rat said:

Not sure where to post this but I decided to grab one of these old IMAI Nousjadeul-ger kits. It will be on my bench after the Monster and VE-1 are done. Does anyone here have any experience with this build? Been searching online for images of a completed build and surprisingly came up empty handed. Just curious. 
 

Yeah, I’ve built that one. Love it actually. Not nearly as bad a fit as the monster and the pilot can be half set into the armor and actually looks pretty great. The arms are a little on the short side compared to the art, but it still looks cool out of the box. The big feet are a major advantage for balance 

[Papa Rat]

35 minutes ago, Big s said:

Yeah, I’ve built that one. Love it actually. Not nearly as bad a fit as the monster and the pilot can be half set into the armor and actually looks pretty great. The arms are a little on the short side compared to the art, but it still looks cool out of the box. The big feet are a major advantage for balance 

Sounds good. I love the color scheme and general design. Looking forward to it!

Maybe I lengthen the arms?

Edited Friday at 02:17 PM by Papa Rat

[Big s]

33 minutes ago, Papa Rat said:

Sounds good. I love the color scheme and general design. Looking forward to it!

Maybe I lengthen the arms?

I think there was a guy that did some mods here in the model kit section that may have some tips. Personally I think it’s fine as is, but anything to make it look more like the line art is a plus

[Papa Rat]

15 minutes ago, Big s said:

I think there was a guy that did some mods here in the model kit section that may have some tips. Personally I think it’s fine as is, but anything to make it look more like the line art is a plus

Cool. I’ll try searching here instead of google

[Big s]

1 hour ago, Papa Rat said:

Cool. I’ll try searching here instead of google

It’s mainly those upper arm cylinders that look too stubby, maybe cut em in half and space them with some styrene sheeet definitely do a test fit and see if there are other things that may need some improvement. I remember really loving that kit, unfortunately it’s boxed away at the moment and I’m actually at the moment hoping for a newer one from hasegawa 

[Cheese3]

On 6/20/2025 at 8:33 AM, Papa Rat said:

Not sure where to post this but I decided to grab one of these old IMAI Nousjadeul-ger kits. It will be on my bench after the Monster and VE-1 are done. Does anyone here have any experience with this build? Been searching online for images of a completed build and surprisingly came up empty handed. Just curious. 
 

It’s a great kit!

[Papa Rat]

2 hours ago, Cheese3 said:

It’s a great kit!

Nice! I’m excited to give it a go. 😊

Thanks for sharing. 

[pengbuzz]

UPDATE: just waiting on decals for my TOS Enterprise. Shuttle is nearly done, taking a break from that.

Meantime, the 1/48 Top Gun Tomcat Kit is cursed.

I applied the decals, then scratched the canopy. Okay, no big deal, protected the decals on the nose and polished the canopy using sanding films I normally do and it came out fine. So I then cleaned up the canopy protection...

 

Managed to wreck the damned decals on the nose AND the wings.

 

I didn't even bother getting mad; I just put the model on the shelf in the closet, closed the door, and started banging my head against a brick wall.  I just don't even know now... even giving up doesn't equate to my level of despair on this one. Maverick and Goose must friggin' hate me or something. Not looking for advice or anything; I think I'm beyond that point here.

 

 

If anyone needs me, I'm going to go find a nice deep coal mine or something to crawl into and take the elevator down. And load 16 tons...

Edited 10 hours ago by pengbuzz

[Thom]

4 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

...

If anyone needs me, I'm going to go find a nice deep coal mine or something to crawl into and take the elevator down. And load 16 tons...

Glad you're not binning the model. Decals can be fixed/replaced. The frustration though...

 

[Duymon]

I've been busy making 3d models from scratch for a small tableop gamemaker. 

It's been a joy to see stuff I made come to market but it's also pretty much killed my desire to buy most miniatures now that I know how to make and print them from scratch 

[Big s]

56 minutes ago, Duymon said:

I've been busy making 3d models from scratch for a small tableop gamemaker. 

It's been a joy to see stuff I made come to market but it's also pretty much killed my desire to buy most miniatures now that I know how to make and print them from scratch 

Those are interesting. What company is it for and for what game 

[pengbuzz]

4 hours ago, Thom said:

Glad you're not binning the model. Decals can be fixed/replaced. The frustration though...

They can, but this is the second set of these I bought, and the us symbols on them were wrong; I had to use the last few spares I had that I made up. All of that is gone now. I simply have no desire nor ability to purchase the "accurized" ones off of ebay (not to mention paying 250 dollars in tariffs from china!). And printer ink is ridiculous now.

So sadly, this will just sit on the shelf until it crumbles to dust. I've redone this model so many times and nearly had it finished when this fiasco hit; I don't EVER want to build another Tomcat for the rest of my life.

  

4 hours ago, Thom said:

I prefer this version:

 

Edited 1 hour ago by pengbuzz