Whats Lying on your Workbench MK IV

[pengbuzz]

1 hour ago, Papa Rat said:

😂 wow but seriously it’s looking way better. 

Lol yeah; this prevented me from doing much the past 2 weeks (other than cursing out the oil fryer).

1 hour ago, Papa Rat said:

There are two options when building and installing the lower radar. One allows for clearance while on the ground while the other is in a lower position “extended” which dips down below the level of the wheels.  I prefer the later version with it extended so I need to get it off the ground. 

Too bad there wasn't an option to make it extendable. That being said: I usually make my own stands out of a block or plate of wood (old wooden cigar boxes work well for this, as do wood pieces from Hobby Lobby) and some heavy aluminum rods (old political signs work well for this, as they have heavy "wire" frames that pull out of them. I simply paint the stand black and this hides the metal post. I think that might give you the height you need to mount your model.

On another note:

  

On 4/4/2025 at 8:10 AM, Urashiman said:

Oh man ...

My super cheap mini compressor died today. RIP, my dear super cheap chinese device...

 

It worked for 2 years maybe?

The fun part is, it didn't die because the compressor itself broke. It broke because the single action airbrush that came with it failed. The air seal failed and the airbrush color oozed from the color container into the compressor, breaking the whole thing. I tried to take it apart, because hey, maybe I can fix it by cleaning it, but everything in there is just glued onto each other. So no luck with that. It'll do one last trip now ... to the trash can.

I'll see if I can salvage anything useful from the single action air brush. If not, it will have the same fate.

Good I still have my professional airbrush compressor, but this small thingy here was really convenient. Maybe I'll get a new one.

I was considering something like this, but money is an issue for me. I would like perhaps a regular airbrush compressor (I like doing airbrush stuff but the air cans get expensive!), as I miss being able to do custom colors, weathering and whatnot. But it looks like a decent one is going to be outside of what I can afford (40-50 dollars max here; even models are becoming a problem for me to buy, (thanks to inflation!).

Suggestions, folks?

Edited September 7 by pengbuzz

[Big s]

55 minutes ago, pengbuzz said:

I was considering something like this, but money is an issue for me. I would like perhaps a regular airbrush compressor (I like doing airbrush stuff but the air cans get expensive!), as I miss being able to do custom colors, weathering and whatnot. But it looks like a decent one is going to be outside of what I can afford (40-50 dollars max here; even models are becoming a problem for me to buy, (thanks to inflation!).

Suggestions, folks?

It’s a bit of an investment if you don’t have cash, but if you get a good deal, the actekart no clean airbrush is pretty fun. It’s rechargeable and comes with disposable needles and extra bottles that can either be tossed or cleaned. It sometimes goes on sale at Amazon on prime days

[pengbuzz]

36 minutes ago, Big s said:

It’s a bit of an investment if you don’t have cash, but if you get a good deal, the actekart no clean airbrush is pretty fun. It’s rechargeable and comes with disposable needles and extra bottles that can either be tossed or cleaned. It sometimes goes on sale at Amazon on prime days

Thanks; I have an airbrush already (Badger 350), so I just really need a compressor. Was wondering if the small cordless one could be attached to another airbrush.

[Chas]

 hey @pengbuzz

I'm gonna put this link here and you can look it over. The reviews seem genuine, and it looks like it may not be too bad.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005009086983955.html?spm=a2g0n.detail.platformRecommendH5.13.23e1UFQbUFQbf4&gps-id=platformRecommendH5&scm=1007.40196.439370.0&scm_id=1007.40196.439370.0&scm-url=1007.40196.439370.0&pvid=37193928-332e-4ee1-9b6a-acefb37d6148&_t=gps-id:platformRecommendH5,scm-url:1007.40196.439370.0,pvid:37193928-332e-4ee1-9b6a-acefb37d6148,tpp_buckets:668%232846%238107%231934&pdp_ext_f={"order"%3A"21"%2C"eval"%3A"1"%2C"sceneId"%3A"8499"}&pdp_npi=6%40dis!CAD!88.56!61.99!!!62.69!43.88!%40210337bc17572906776303282e37e4!12000047861122705!rec!CA!!ABXZ!1!0!n_tag%3A-29910%3Bd%3Add452cad%3Bm03_new_user%3A-29895

I know it's aliexpress  but a lot of the stuff I've gotten from them is actually not too cheaply made - but you need to be vigilant. Maybe other folks could have a look and give an opinion?

Or another version that comes with a hose.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008290480304.html?spm=a2g0n.detail.platformRecommendH5.4.2bf17Jgc7JgcIi&gps-id=platformRecommendH5&scm=1007.40196.439370.0&scm_id=1007.40196.439370.0&scm-url=1007.40196.439370.0&pvid=ec90b1d1-f692-4fb8-a9e7-d73453afff07&_t=gps-id:platformRecommendH5,scm-url:1007.40196.439370.0,pvid:ec90b1d1-f692-4fb8-a9e7-d73453afff07,tpp_buckets:668%232846%238109%231935&pdp_ext_f={"order"%3A"41"%2C"eval"%3A"1"%2C"sceneId"%3A"8499"}&pdp_npi=6%40dis!CAD!62.68!62.68!!!44.37!44.37!%402101ead817572912473822552ed01c!12000044499794004!rec!CA!!ABXZ!1!0!n_tag%3A-29910%3Bd%3Add452cad%3Bm03_new_user%3A-29895

Edited September 8 by Chas

[Big s]

33 minutes ago, pengbuzz said:

Thanks; I have an airbrush already (Badger 350), so I just really need a compressor. Was wondering if the small cordless one could be attached to another airbrush.

I had one of those many years ago, there are cheap cordless ones that can be adapted to a badger, but I hear the longevity can be an issue on some.

you may want to wait for a prime day sale and see if there are just some inexpensive compressors

[Papa Rat]

2 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

Too bad there wasn't an option to make it extendable. That being said: I usually make my own stands out of a block or plate of wood (old wooden cigar boxes work well for this, as do wood pieces from Hobby Lobby) and some heavy aluminum rods (old political signs work well for this, as they have heavy "wire" frames that pull out of them. I simply paint the stand black and this hides the metal post. I think that might give you the height you need to mount your model.

Yeah it’s unfortunate. I should have come up with a modification to make it movable but I felt like it was out of my wheelhouse. 
 

I appreciate the advice on the stand. I just happen to have one of those wire yard sign post things and just need to find a nice base. I’ll see what I can come up with. Would be nice to make a circular one with the UN spacey logo on it. 🤔

[Thom]

4 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

Well, progress on my latest project:

     

The first is when I first burned my arm; the second is a few minutes ago. I guess I got the "mottling" down... just needs decals and some dullcote.

 

Glad to see it is healing up quick, Peng!

8 hours ago, derex3592 said:

Any progress is good progress they say..... 🤔 

That paint is coming out nice and smooth! 

[pengbuzz]

2 hours ago, Papa Rat said:

Yeah it’s unfortunate. I should have come up with a modification to make it movable but I felt like it was out of my wheelhouse. 
 

I appreciate the advice on the stand. I just happen to have one of those wire yard sign post things and just need to find a nice base. I’ll see what I can come up with. Would be nice to make a circular one with the UN spacey logo on it. 🤔

If you have a Hobby Lobby nearby, you could try this:

https://www.hobbylobby.com/crafts-hobbies/wood-crafts-blank-surfaces/signs-plaques/round-wood-plaque/p/80999567

[pengbuzz]

3 hours ago, Chas said:

 hey @pengbuzz

I'm gonna put this link here and you can look it over. The reviews seem genuine, and it looks like it may not be too bad.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005009086983955.html?spm=a2g0n.detail.platformRecommendH5.13.23e1UFQbUFQbf4&gps-id=platformRecommendH5&scm=1007.40196.439370.0&scm_id=1007.40196.439370.0&scm-url=1007.40196.439370.0&pvid=37193928-332e-4ee1-9b6a-acefb37d6148&_t=gps-id:platformRecommendH5,scm-url:1007.40196.439370.0,pvid:37193928-332e-4ee1-9b6a-acefb37d6148,tpp_buckets:668%232846%238107%231934&pdp_ext_f={"order"%3A"21"%2C"eval"%3A"1"%2C"sceneId"%3A"8499"}&pdp_npi=6%40dis!CAD!88.56!61.99!!!62.69!43.88!%40210337bc17572906776303282e37e4!12000047861122705!rec!CA!!ABXZ!1!0!n_tag%3A-29910%3Bd%3Add452cad%3Bm03_new_user%3A-29895

I know it's aliexpress  but a lot of the stuff I've gotten from them is actually not too cheaply made - but you need to be vigilant. Maybe other folks could have a look and give an opinion?

Or another version that comes with a hose.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008290480304.html?spm=a2g0n.detail.platformRecommendH5.4.2bf17Jgc7JgcIi&gps-id=platformRecommendH5&scm=1007.40196.439370.0&scm_id=1007.40196.439370.0&scm-url=1007.40196.439370.0&pvid=ec90b1d1-f692-4fb8-a9e7-d73453afff07&_t=gps-id:platformRecommendH5,scm-url:1007.40196.439370.0,pvid:ec90b1d1-f692-4fb8-a9e7-d73453afff07,tpp_buckets:668%232846%238109%231935&pdp_ext_f={"order"%3A"41"%2C"eval"%3A"1"%2C"sceneId"%3A"8499"}&pdp_npi=6%40dis!CAD!62.68!62.68!!!44.37!44.37!%402101ead817572912473822552ed01c!12000044499794004!rec!CA!!ABXZ!1!0!n_tag%3A-29910%3Bd%3Add452cad%3Bm03_new_user%3A-29895

Thanks Chas; I had a few dealings with AliExpress and got ripped off all three times. I won't deal with them again, sorry to say.

[Papa Rat]

Primed and first layers of paint going on the Space Jokey print. Once I get the paint and weathering all done I want to add a layer of liquid latex over the pilot like Giger did for the movie prop. Might not work out how I envision but I want to try and see if it adds another layer of transparency and a torn flesh vibe 

[Urashiman]

17 hours ago, Big s said:

You should do some weathering on it for laughs

For the lulz!

 

nah - my kid annexed it. So no 😕

[Big s]

2 hours ago, Papa Rat said:

Primed and first layers of paint going on the Space Jokey print. Once I get the paint and weathering all done I want to add a layer of liquid latex over the pilot like Giger did for the movie prop. Might not work out how I envision but I want to try and see if it adds another layer of transparency and a torn flesh vibe 

Liquid latex is great in short term, but can degrade over time and turn kinda crispy. But in short term use is pretty awesome for Halloween stuff or film scenes 

I’ve seen some stuff done with Elmer’s white glue that looked pretty cool, although I’m not sure on longevity with that either.

[Papa Rat]

5 hours ago, Big s said:

Liquid latex is great in short term, but can degrade over time and turn kinda crispy. But in short term use is pretty awesome for Halloween stuff or film scenes 

I’ve seen some stuff done with Elmer’s white glue that looked pretty cool, although I’m not sure on longevity with that either.

I hadn’t considered that at all. Thanks for the heads up. 

[Big s]

1 hour ago, Papa Rat said:

I hadn’t considered that at all. Thanks for the heads up. 

Maybe buy a cheap pack of army men to experiment some ideas with. Once you get a cool texture, then maybe try some contrast or speed paint over the top. The color will pool darker in recessed areas and lighter in raised areas and then do a dull coat for that dry kinda look. They’re somewhat transparent and undershading and colors do interesting effects. At least if you hate how one army man looks, there’s the rest of the bag to experiment with 

[Mog]

On 9/5/2025 at 11:36 AM, 505thAirborne said:

@Mog I'm using this MPC for the Dark Tread, surprisingly it was very easy to disassemble, and the plastic used it excellent. no signs of wear & tear on it. The missile bay section is a delight in that the panels just slide out; no masking needed for those. 

@tekering offered some good suggestions for colors to use, so I have some Tamiya spray paint cans on the way, sadly none of my local hobby shops sell Tamiya brand. I miss my old hobby shop from CA, Smith Bros. had everything. 

Love seeing the breakdown pic.  

Wonder if there’s enough space in there (and nothing impeding it) to add the top shoulder missile racks?

On 9/6/2025 at 8:06 PM, tekering said:

Mad props to @pengbuzz, guys!  Got it in one. 

The front R2 unit almost looks like a 501st clone tried to do the Ahsoka helmet paint scheme on it.

Edited September 8 by Mog

[Papa Rat]

2 hours ago, Big s said:

Maybe buy a cheap pack of army men to experiment some ideas with. Once you get a cool texture, then maybe try some contrast or speed paint over the top. The color will pool darker in recessed areas and lighter in raised areas and then do a dull coat for that dry kinda look. They’re somewhat transparent and undershading and colors do interesting effects. At least if you hate how one army man looks, there’s the rest of the bag to experiment with 

Great idea

[505thAirborne]

Here's the Beta all primed up, the Tamiya paint arrived so I'll be giving it a light first coat to start later today. 

@Mog I actually considered that for a moment but check out the pic I posted, sadly no way that is happening without doing some super major surgery. That said, if one of you Mad-Scientist 3D printers made that upper/shoulder missile rack as some type of add on accessory, I'd be on board. 

 

Edited September 8 by 505thAirborne

[Mog]

I’m thinking magnets can be easily installed into the body and then 3D print the open missile racks.

Not perfect transformation, but a quick and dirty way to add the missile racks without having to cut into all those grids in the Beta’s body.

[MechTech]

Thank you guys for the positive feedback!

@pengbuzz That cooment on putting a finish on your arm was funny! I'm glad to see your doing better - without a clear coat😁

I'm a little late to the dance, but cake airbrush compressors work too. In fact, I got a nebulizer froma thrift store and use that for mine. Works great too!

There's also this:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/PointZero-Cake-Airbrush-Decorating-Kit-Airbrush-Compressor/7148487?user=shopping&feed=yes&srsltid=AfmBOorjUp999F_Y2nwtA2jv-f1ZXAD83SMOoRqVKMD5Rt-qn-MtwH2HMSY

I believe this one at HL (and other places) can be unthreaded and a hose used:

https://www.hobbylobby.com/crafts-hobbies/model-kits/airbrushes/cordless-airbrush-kit/p/81182932

I hope that helps! - MT

Edited September 8 by MechTech

[505thAirborne]

2 hours ago, Mog said:

I’m thinking magnets can be easily installed into the body and then 3D print the open missile racks.

Not perfect transformation, but a quick and dirty way to add the missile racks without having to cut into all those grids in the Beta’s body.

Magnets have been my first thought for a while now. I am one of the few who has ZERO issues if something is prefect transformation or not, as long as it looks awesome, I'm good with it. 

Edited September 8 by 505thAirborne

[pengbuzz]

3 hours ago, MechTech said:

Thank you guys for the positive feedback!

@pengbuzz That cooment on putting a finish on your arm was funny! I'm glad to see your doing better - without a clear coat😁

Thanks MT! :D I may leave the decals off though!

3 hours ago, MechTech said:

I'm a little late to the dance, but cake airbrush compressors work too. In fact, I got a nebulizer froma thrift store and use that for mine. Works great too!

There's also this:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/PointZero-Cake-Airbrush-Decorating-Kit-Airbrush-Compressor/7148487?user=shopping&feed=yes&srsltid=AfmBOorjUp999F_Y2nwtA2jv-f1ZXAD83SMOoRqVKMD5Rt-qn-MtwH2HMSY

I believe this one at HL (and other places) can be unthreaded and a hose used:

https://www.hobbylobby.com/crafts-hobbies/model-kits/airbrushes/cordless-airbrush-kit/p/81182932

I hope that helps! - MT

Thanks again! I'll check these out and see how they would work IRL.

[Big s]

Still taking my time on this since the deadline passed. Did a basic assembly to see if my rough camo looked a bit cohesive. I think it’s ugly, but works for that trashy Machinen Krieger kinda look. Plus any overly messy spots I think will just blend in with the heavy weathering I plan to give it. I still plan on some stripes here and there and of course decals. I just wanted to see how things looked in a basic assembly for now. 

[Papa Rat]

Looking good @Big s !!! I love the colors you chose and can’t wait to see the pilot looking out once you finish it up. 👍

[Papa Rat]

Primed and base coated the Arii 1/100 VF-1S . I added a few little details here and there to this simple kit. I didn’t invest too much time into it so far. I just want to have this be a fun/loose experimental build.
I went with a red/purple color base color instead of my usual mahogany that I have been enjoying. Not sure how the white top layer is going to like it. Hope it doesn’t give off a “who put a red shirt in the white load of laundry” look. Ya know what I mean? Anyway, soon we will see. 

 

Edited September 10 by Papa Rat

[Big s]

39 minutes ago, Papa Rat said:

Looking good @Big s !!! I love the colors you chose and can’t wait to see the pilot looking out once you finish it up. 👍

I wanted to see how this light blue looked, to me it looks more like a pale green and then I went with azure blue , which turned up as kind of a grey blue. I really wasn’t sure how either color would turn out and figured if nothing else, it’d be interesting together.

i may use that light blue that I swear is pale green on a gm custom from 0083 at a later time 

[505thAirborne]

As I am working on my Dark Tread/MPC Beta project, I'm wondering if anyone ever tried to make a proper 3D printed or resin cover for soldier mode? It looks like Toynami tried in the prototype stages before doing what they did. See the pic posted, you'll see a nice proper flat chest plate cover vs the canopy just folding down. 

Now that I know the canopy can be removed, I'm wishing I knew how to make these kinds of parts. 

 

[F18LEGIOSS2]

I had a lot of fun scratch-building a replacement wing for my Gakken Legioss using 1 mm styrene sheets and 4mm plastic rods 

Edited September 11 by F18LEGIOSS2

[nightmareB4macross]

@F18LEGIOSS2 Nice work on that wing! Very clean and smooth. 

@505thAirborne can’t wait to see your finished results.

@big F that MaK figure is looking good. Always loved the look and feel of those kits and toys.

@Papa Rat sorry if I missed it. Will this be a Milia version?

@Mog  cool diorama.

Well, after finally receiving my tile pattern I got it into place. Originally, I was looking for lattice texture, but realized these were tiles and not divets like a lot of the sculpts represent. glad I spend time doing the research.🧐

[Papa Rat]

@nightmareB4macross Looks amazing. I like that raised texture a lot. I haven’t seen that part represented that way before. Very cool. 

[Papa Rat]

1 hour ago, nightmareB4macross said:

sorry if I missed it. Will this be a Milia version?

Not this time. I’m just trying some color layering experiments and basing it off of the OG VF-1S yellow/black/white scheme for the most part. More to come soon. 

Edited September 11 by Papa Rat

[Mog]

2 hours ago, nightmareB4macross said:

 

@Mog  cool diorama.

It’s actually @tekering’s diorama. 😬

It wasn’t posted in this thread, but I’m the idiot that decided to repaint, panel-line, and sticker up the new Sentinel Tread:

[Papa Rat]

Almost finished with this little bugger. Besides the absolutely awful disintegrating old decals this Arii 1/100 scale VF-1S looks alright. I think that added parts like the simple sprue scraps drilled out for verniers and that reddish purple undertone came through in an interesting way. I still need to do some tiny paint details but I am ready to move along. 
 

Edited September 12 by Papa Rat

[505thAirborne]

@F18LEGIOSS2 That is some amazing craftmanship there, mind if I ask what band or type of styrene you used & where you can get it? I definitely have some scratch building to attempt myself. 

@nightmareB4macross I get more of my paint delivered tomorrow, so one step closer to being completed.  

  Your 1/55 "Ultra custom" also looks like it's nearing completion. Will you be going with a Roy or Hikaru color scheme? 

[SteveTheFish]

@Papa Rat Very nice work! That reminds me of one of the flaws on the ARII Valks. The UN Spacy insignia on the fastpaks needs to have a support put in. There shouldn't be that bad gap. When the time comes when I build my ARII S-Valk, I'll want to putty that detail in so that the decal can sit flush. I can imagine it was a nightmare getting the decal to conform to those deep contours.

[Papa Rat]

10 minutes ago, SteveTheFish said:

@Papa Rat Very nice work! That reminds me of one of the flaws on the ARII Valks. The UN Spacy insignia on the fastpaks needs to have a support put in. There shouldn't be that bad gap. When the time comes when I build my ARII S-Valk, I'll want to putty that detail in so that the decal can sit flush. I can imagine it was a nightmare getting the decal to conform to those deep contours.

Hey thanks so much!

Yeah the decals broke at the recessed area so I went in with paint to touch it up after.

I did however do what you are planning on a similar kit and it worked out way better. I just used the decal as a guide and cut out a couple thin circles of .3mm and glued them down before priming etc… decal went down without disaster  👍

Not sure why I didn’t do it this time. Amnesia I guess. Lol

 

Edited September 12 by Papa Rat