tekering Posted February 5 Posted February 5 It turns out there's a TIE variant in The Empire Strikes Back I never even knew existed: This barely-glimpsed TIE shuttle delivers Captain Needa to Vader's Super Star Destroyer. I've decided I can kitbash one using existing toys, just as ILM kitbashed their model from existing parts: I'll just have to scratchbuild some of the exterior detailing. 1 hour ago, Papa Rat said: I think 4 builds are in the mix. I wish I could concentrate on more than one model at a time... Even planning an upcoming project interferes with progress on an existing one. The more online research I pursue, the more I ignore what's lying on my workbench! 😓 Quote
Papa Rat Posted February 5 Posted February 5 @tekering What a cool discovery and looks like you are well on your way (= Yeah I think the 4 builds going on thing is just because I’m some sorta sicko. Hahaha. I imagine my dedication to drinking copious amounts of coffee probably is a contributing factor. Who’s to say? Besides that I’m rather chill. 🙃 Quote
Chronocidal Posted February 6 Posted February 6 10 hours ago, tekering said: It turns out there's a TIE variant in The Empire Strikes Back I never even knew existed: This barely-glimpsed TIE shuttle delivers Captain Needa to Vader's Super Star Destroyer. I've decided I can kitbash one using existing toys, just as ILM kitbashed their model from existing parts: I'll just have to scratchbuild some of the exterior detailing. I wish I could concentrate on more than one model at a time... Even planning an upcoming project interferes with progress on an existing one. The more online research I pursue, the more I ignore what's lying on my workbench! 😓 Man, now I'm just upset again that Bandai so completely abandoned their 1/72 kit line. I've got at least three or four of every fighter they made because they're just so fun to build, but they never made a bomber, and I'm still really wishing anyone would make a good shuttle kit. Wouldn't mind a couple others either, but those are the main two I've been waiting for. Aside from, you know, 1/48 kits of the rest of the fighters to match the limited X-Wing they did (and the A-Wing they mis-scaled ). Quote
electric indigo Posted February 6 Posted February 6 15 hours ago, Papa Rat said: degreasing I strongly suggest that you degrease the parts again after all the processing like sanding and drilling. The worst enemy isn't the ominous "mold release agent", but finger grease. Quote
tekering Posted February 6 Posted February 6 1 hour ago, electric indigo said: The worst enemy isn't the ominous "mold release agent", but finger grease. True dat. 🖐️ 2 hours ago, Chronocidal said: Man, now I'm just upset again that Bandai so completely abandoned their 1/72 kit line. I've got at least three or four of every fighter they made because they're just so fun to build, but they never made a bomber, and I'm still really wishing anyone would make a good shuttle kit. Looks like I've found another potential customer. 😅 You know I offer resin 3D-printing services, right? 😉 1:72, 1:48, or whatever scale you want to build it at... Several members of this forum can attest to the fine detail, quality, and affordability of my work. 😇 Quote
Chronocidal Posted February 6 Posted February 6 Oh, I'm very aware! I might in the future, but if I start down the printed route, I've got a long queue of designs way in front of anything from Star Wars that I want to tackle first. They're not in the same scale, but fortunately Amazon didn't cancel my MGS bombers like they did a couple other ships, so I've at least got a couple for display. Though, now I'm reminded that I never got a Tie Phantom in any format. Quote
Papa Rat Posted February 6 Posted February 6 (edited) @electric indigoThats great to know. Thanks so much. Do you glove up during a lot of the process or do you just degrease right before you prime? Inquiring minds want to know. 😊 Also it’s true, Ted does an outstanding job and doesn’t break the bank. Edited February 6 by Papa Rat Quote
tekering Posted February 6 Posted February 6 1 hour ago, Chronocidal said: I'm reminded that I never got a Tie Phantom in any format. Oh, that's a popular one! Many versions are available. 1 hour ago, Chronocidal said: I've got a long queue of designs way in front of anything from Star Wars that I want to tackle first. Don't we all? 😅 I'm hoping to complete at least one massive SDF-1 in the next six weeks... 🫥 Quote
wm cheng Posted February 6 Posted February 6 Hey @tekering I didn't know you did 3D printing, is it PLA or resin? How fine? I'd love someone to do some 1/72 F-22 landing gears someday. Quote
tekering Posted February 6 Posted February 6 2 hours ago, wm cheng said: How fine? 12K resolution, meaning a layer height of 50 microns. Quote
wm cheng Posted February 6 Posted February 6 45 minutes ago, tekering said: 12K resolution, meaning a layer height of 50 microns. OMG! That's amazing!!! Quote
Big s Posted February 7 Posted February 7 59 minutes ago, tekering said: 12K resolution, meaning a layer height of 50 microns. At that tiny of a scale, most people won’t notice the arms are backwards on the Monster Quote
Papa Rat Posted February 7 Posted February 7 My thought completely. Lol Jokes aside that’s some amazing tiny detail. Quote
Chas Posted February 7 Posted February 7 Haven't done any modeling today, but I just perfected a home made thinner that let's me spray my wife's old artist's acrylics (from tubes/jars) through my airbrush. So now I have a huge supply of acrylic paints that I can use (straight from the container, or mixed into custom colours) for my modeling. My wife hasn't done any painting in a few years, but the paints are all in good shape though; I made sure they were stored well. I'm particularly excited about the multiple large jars of white gesso, as I have been using a lot of white lately. Quote
505thAirborne Posted February 7 Posted February 7 GALACTICA Update, well, two of the LED strips I installed already burned out or broke... defective? Either way, they won't light up anymore and sadly, the plastic feels very brittle at this point. This is the old 1980's release. If I try to open the ship up now (She's all glued and sealed up) I'm going to break it. So at this point, this might just be a really nice static Battlestar with no lights. Quote
Papa Rat Posted February 7 Posted February 7 @ChasThats great! Use it or lose it and making your own recipe sounds awesome! @505thAirborneDamn that sucks! I was always curious about what folks do on lighting in models if they stop working. I imagine implementing a hatch for possible repairs may or may not be possible based on the construction. I guess like you said now it’s just an awesome build without lights. Quote
Papa Rat Posted February 7 Posted February 7 (edited) All parts on the Terror Mirage finally primed and ready. Paint for the armor should arrive today. Sooo excited! I primed and painted most of the frame parts but had to wait on others since I ran out of clips. Lol Edited February 7 by Papa Rat Quote
Big s Posted February 7 Posted February 7 2 hours ago, Chas said: Haven't done any modeling today, but I just perfected a home made thinner that let's me spray my wife's old artist's acrylics (from tubes/jars) through my airbrush. So now I have a huge supply of acrylic paints that I can use (straight from the container, or mixed into custom colours) for my modeling. My wife hasn't done any painting in a few years, but the paints are all in good shape though; I made sure they were stored well. I'm particularly excited about the multiple large jars of white gesso, as I have been using a lot of white lately. I’m curious about how well those paints stick. Let us know how the results go Quote
Chas Posted February 7 Posted February 7 Will do some tests with smoe spoons tomorrow, my youngest is having a sleepover tonight and my bench is in the basement which I've been told is off limits, so . . . Quote
Bolt Posted February 7 Posted February 7 3 hours ago, 505thAirborne said: GALACTICA Update, well, two of the LED strips I installed already burned out or broke... defective? Either way, they won't light up anymore and sadly, the plastic feels very brittle at this point. This is the old 1980's release. If I try to open the ship up now (She's all glued and sealed up) I'm going to break it. So at this point, this might just be a really nice static Battlestar with no lights. Dang. Too bad you have to do surgery to get to those lights! I don't know what the lights are or how old. But maybe a resistor was needed, based on the power supply? 3 minutes ago, Chas said: Will do some tests with smoe spoons tomorrow, my youngest is having a sleepover tonight and my bench is in the basement which I've been told is off limits, so . . . lol. With your new discovery, and now access to all those paints, it's gotta be tough! Quote
Thom Posted February 8 Posted February 8 @505thAirborne Sorry to hear the lighting may not work out for it. Hopefully you can pull it through. In regards to the earlier post, I have a set of the Admiralty Model Works guns for the '03 Galactica, unopened. If you want them, let me know. Thom Quote
derex3592 Posted February 8 Posted February 8 @505thAirborne - Damn man, super bummed to hear that happened to the Galactica build! That has always been in the back of my mind every time I light a kit, but so far...my only two that I have done are still working great. I used brand new (but pretty cheap) LED strip lighting off Amazon and soldered all the connections myself. I turn on and off the Runabout every day at work and so far, so good....over two years in now! Over here today, sunny and 70 degrees so a LOT of priming happened this morning! I airbrushed liquid Vallejo primer thinned down with Tamiya Acrylic Thinner, worked out really well. Tomorrow, we paint ALL the TEXAS parts you see here! "May the odds be ever in your favor!" - 😂 Quote
electric indigo Posted February 8 Posted February 8 On 2/6/2026 at 4:07 PM, Papa Rat said: degrease right before you prime This is the way! Quote
sketchley Posted February 8 Posted February 8 10 hours ago, 505thAirborne said: GALACTICA Update, well, two of the LED strips I installed already burned out or broke... defective? Either way, they won't light up anymore and sadly, the plastic feels very brittle at this point. This is the old 1980's release. Is it the strips themselves, or the wiring? There's a possibility that the soldering wasn't sufficient, and that broke. Before prying the kit open: are there any kinks in the wires outside of the kit? The fix could be as easy as cutting out the damage wire and splicing in a good wire. Also, do you have a multi-meter? If so, can you check to see if you have a circuit? (Check working lights and see if similar readings appear on the broken ones). Quote
derex3592 Posted Sunday at 05:24 PM Posted Sunday at 05:24 PM Well..... That went as well as it possibly could have I think... Mission Models Gunship Gray thinned with Tamiya Acrylic thinner. I've been working on retraining my brain 🧠 to LET the airbrush do the work, don't worry about getting in super close to the model to get all the little areas. Cover it lightly as best you can then go in a little heavier then go in a 3rd time and try to get any spots you missed. Seems to have worked pretty well. These battleships are a very different beast when it comes to the painting... PATIENCE is a virtue young padawan! Coming from painting air planes and space ships I've had to learn that... Quote
Thom Posted Sunday at 05:38 PM Posted Sunday at 05:38 PM Good looking work on the Texas, @derex3592. Quote
Papa Rat Posted Sunday at 06:53 PM Posted Sunday at 06:53 PM @derex3592Wow. That’s a ton of work and it’s looking sooo good. I bet you’re feeling awesome! Quote
Papa Rat Posted Sunday at 07:00 PM Posted Sunday at 07:00 PM (edited) First time spraying Gaia lacquers. This is Prism Blue Black over MR Hobby mahogany surfacer. Finished it off with Mr Color flat topcoat. It’s hard to capture on phone photos. The color when a flat topcoat is applied makes the paint appear dark blue, almost black and has this satin/velvety texture when light hits it just right. I’m loving it. My hope is it will provide a nice contrast to the underlying glossy gray frame and rib like details. Edited Sunday at 07:04 PM by Papa Rat Quote
Big s Posted Sunday at 11:03 PM Posted Sunday at 11:03 PM 4 hours ago, Papa Rat said: First time spraying Gaia lacquers. This is Prism Blue Black over MR Hobby mahogany surfacer. Finished it off with Mr Color flat topcoat. It’s hard to capture on phone photos. The color when a flat topcoat is applied makes the paint appear dark blue, almost black and has this satin/velvety texture when light hits it just right. I’m loving it. My hope is it will provide a nice contrast to the underlying glossy gray frame and rib like details. I had seen that paint listed recently and was kinda tempted by it. Might have to give it a try Quote
505thAirborne Posted Monday at 12:41 AM Posted Monday at 12:41 AM (edited) GALACTICA SITREP, first off, thank you everyone for the suggestion & replies, I appreciate it. My buddy who also knows how to add lighting to model kits stopped by, we got the engine section off and checked the wires/connections, everything looked good, but it comes back to the LED's I chose to use, they just weren't quality lights. We tried an LED strip I had not used yet and it failed to light up. So the wires were good, but the lights were duds. In the end, this Battlestar will be a highly detailed, aged & weathered display. As a backup plan, I'm looking into glow-in-the-dark paints, maybe go for the SDF-1 PF effect. @Thom I absolutely appreciate the offer on the guns & I'll take them!! @derex3592 The USS TEXAS is looking great!! @Papa Rat Those kits & your painting skills are top notch!! Edited Monday at 12:42 AM by 505thAirborne Quote
Thom Posted Monday at 01:20 AM Posted Monday at 01:20 AM @505thAirborne Cool $25 plus shipping and handling! Just kidding!! PM your address and I'll get them out. Quote
505thAirborne Posted Monday at 01:51 AM Posted Monday at 01:51 AM 29 minutes ago, Thom said: @505thAirborne Cool $25 plus shipping and handling! Just kidding!! PM your address and I'll get them out. Quote
sketchley Posted Monday at 04:35 AM Posted Monday at 04:35 AM 3 hours ago, 505thAirborne said: My buddy who also knows how to add lighting to model kits stopped by, we got the engine section off and checked the wires/connections, everything looked good, but it comes back to the LED's I chose to use, they just weren't quality lights. We tried an LED strip I had not used yet and it failed to light up. So the wires were good, but the lights were duds. In the end, this Battlestar will be a highly detailed, aged & weathered display. Well, that sucks. However, take the good from it: adding electricals to models is notoriously difficult, and the wiring harness you built worked as intended. The next time you attempt it, I'm sure you'll get exactly the results you want! Quote
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