Whats Lying on your Workbench MK IV

[Urashiman]

bloody hell...

I've been clipping and sticking stuff together (as well as panel lining on the head) for almost 2 hours and only came this far with the VF-19 Fire Valkyrie.

Head and piece of the body. The instructions have 139 steps. I am past step 15 now.

This thing as so many runners, a perfect grade Gundam is getting jealous.

From A to Z and then AA to AH. That is 34 - PLUS... a few of them are double... So man runners ... I'll have nightmares of this one hahahahah.

[Big s]

2 hours ago, Urashiman said:

bloody hell...

I've been clipping and sticking stuff together (as well as panel lining on the head) for almost 2 hours and only came this far with the VF-19 Fire Valkyrie.

Head and piece of the body. The instructions have 139 steps. I am past step 15 now.

This thing as so many runners, a perfect grade Gundam is getting jealous.

From A to Z and then AA to AH. That is 34 - PLUS... a few of them are double... So man runners ... I'll have nightmares of this one hahahahah.

When there are a lot of runners, I usually make a few alphabetically ordered stacks if the runners aren’t made just for specific sections to make it easier to get to. 

there are a few kits that have parts separated for certain steps though, like their VF-1 battroid that mostly had them set up that way. It made it easy to organize that one. 
 

there’s also the option of reading the manual for the section you’re working on and just grabbing the necessary runners for that particular section.

[Papa Rat]

Decals are on. Now it’s time to panel line, detail paint, weathering and do washes. I already see some areas that need more attention but I’m moving on for now. 
Have to admit I’m getting excited!

Edited July 24 by Papa Rat

[tekering]

Decals always make such a big difference, don't they? 

[Papa Rat]

2 minutes ago, tekering said:

Decals always make such a big difference, don't they? 

Absolutely! 😊

[Urashiman]

7 hours ago, Big s said:

When there are a lot of runners, I usually make a few alphabetically ordered stacks if the runners aren’t made just for specific sections to make it easier to get to. 

there are a few kits that have parts separated for certain steps though, like their VF-1 battroid that mostly had them set up that way. It made it easy to organize that one. 
 

there’s also the option of reading the manual for the section you’re working on and just grabbing the necessary runners for that particular section.

well ... for the VF-19, they probably attempted the same, but there are like leg parts on the same runners that have head and body parts.

The layout kinda looks like: "let's split it up for easier building" and then somewhen in between someone said "we have 125 runners now" - and then they had to organize more and stuff things here and there.

I'll check for the runner letters and place them accordingly ... that uses up time as well. hahaha

I'll take a picture later and show you how stuff is managed

 

@Papa Rat Nice build man!

[Big s]

6 hours ago, Papa Rat said:

Decals are on. Now it’s time to panel line, detail paint, weathering and do washes. I already see some areas that need more attention but I’m moving on for now. 
Have to admit I’m getting excited!

That looks great, thanks for posting 

[Big s]

35 minutes ago, Urashiman said:

well ... for the VF-19, they probably attempted the same, but there are like leg parts on the same runners that have head and body parts.

The layout kinda looks like: "let's split it up for easier building" and then somewhen in between someone said "we have 125 runners now" - and then they had to organize more and stuff things here and there.

I'll check for the runner letters and place them accordingly ... that uses up time as well. hahaha

I'll take a picture later and show you how stuff is managed

 

@Papa Rat Nice build man!

Sounds more complicated than the VF -1. Can’t wait to see it finished 

[derex3592]

@Papa Rat - Chicken Walker is looking REALLY good! 

While I re-prime and get painting done on the Cat's Eye, I'm also going to finish up my LEAST favorite of all the 1/1000 Star Trek kits I started but never finished up last year. I've never been a fan of TOS ship design, but I got it for completionism sake.  This kit is a nightmare when it comes to fit and seam lines. It's cursed I swear, everything that can go wrong has gone wrong just getting to this stage.   It's an OOOLD mold, you can just tell, but I'm not gonna give up and hopefully I can turn it into something halfway decent to sit beside my other 1/1000 ST kits....Stay tuned. 

[joscasle]

18 hours ago, Urashiman said:

bloody hell...

I've been clipping and sticking stuff together (as well as panel lining on the head) for almost 2 hours and only came this far with the VF-19 Fire Valkyrie.

Head and piece of the body. The instructions have 139 steps. I am past step 15 now.

This thing as so many runners, a perfect grade Gundam is getting jealous.

From A to Z and then AA to AH. That is 34 - PLUS... a few of them are double... So man runners ... I'll have nightmares of this one hahahahah.

Well I feel your pain, but the kit is very very good and fun to build. You going to paint the model? I did it, I recommend you to paint sections first before put it all together 

[Papa Rat]

@Urashiman @Big s @derex3592 thanks! I’m can’t wait to finish it up by the weekend. 

 

Good luck on your builds Urashiman and Derex3592 👍

Edited July 24 by Papa Rat

[pengbuzz]

1 hour ago, derex3592 said:

@Papa Rat - Chicken Walker is looking REALLY good! 

While I re-prime and get painting done on the Cat's Eye, I'm also going to finish up my LEAST favorite of all the 1/1000 Star Trek kits I started but never finished up last year. I've never been a fan of TOS ship design, but I got it for completionism sake.  This kit is a nightmare when it comes to fit and seam lines. It's cursed I swear, everything that can go wrong has gone wrong just getting to this stage.   It's an OOOLD mold, you can just tell, but I'm not gonna give up and hopefully I can turn it into something halfway decent to sit beside my other 1/1000 ST kits....Stay tuned. 

At least it isn't the old 1/650!

[Urashiman]

2 hours ago, joscasle said:

Well I feel your pain, but the kit is very very good and fun to build. You going to paint the model? I did it, I recommend you to paint sections first before put it all together 

Nah ... My kid wants to play with it, so painting it is not an option. Little kid fingers magically dissolve paint XD

[Papa Rat]

1 hour ago, Urashiman said:

Nah ... My kid wants to play with it, so painting it is not an option. Little kid fingers magically dissolve paint XD

My kid loves those 30 MM kits. No paint needed for playtime and the color separation is good. Now that they are 7 they can build them on their own which feels good. Also the interchangeable parts are great for creativity. 

[pengbuzz]

NEXT PROJECT- STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE K'TINGA CLASS BATTLECRUISER (1/537):

This one literally just came in today; box was sealed in the original plastic. It's a 1984 reissue, but that makes no difference to me. The top of the main body in back is somewhat flattened out and needs some heat-reshaping, but the plastic is in excellent condition. No brittleness or cracks; it was sealed and kept out of sunlight. Decals look a little aged, but they shouldn't be too much of an issue.

I know this model has some accuracy issues, but some spare styrene and a couple of modifications should resolve that nicely. As usual, I'll be doing a custom stand for this on,e as the stand kind of reminds me of a light blue Dorito™!!

Stay tuned...

[Thom]

@derex3592 At least it looks like it is very close to completion!

@Papa Rat It's all coming together beautifully on that.

And can't wait to see you cracking into that @pengbuzz Bring on the Klingons!

[Papa Rat]

@pengbuzzVery excited to see this!

@Thom Thanks

 

So I couldn’t wait until the weekend to add some final touches. I might dry brush some dark areas later but I feel good with how this came out. Of course there are plenty of areas that stick out to me that need work but I can live with it. lol. Super fun build!

 

Edited July 25 by Papa Rat

[nightmareB4macross]

21 minutes ago, Papa Rat said:

@pengbuzzVery excited to see this!

@Thom Thanks

 

So I couldn’t wait until the weekend to add some final touches. I might dry brush some dark areas later but I feel good with how this came out. Of course there are plenty of areas that stick out to me that need work but I can live with it. lol. Super fun build!

 

You are doing a phenomenal job with all these vintage kits.

What kind and brand of paint are you using?

Looks amazing!!

[Papa Rat]

41 minutes ago, nightmareB4macross said:

You are doing a phenomenal job with all these vintage kits.

What kind and brand of paint are you using?

Looks amazing!!

Thanks sooo much! I love these old kits. I think they have so much potential if given some love. Very rewarding for me since I absolutely love the process. The mistakes and pain in the neck stuff over this past year of getting into the hobby  has been a great opportunity for me to grow and hone some skills (=

I have been on a kick of priming my builds with black MR Surfacer, then doing some highlight shading “main colors” in MR Color “lacquer”, and then decals. Once dry it’s on to Mr weathering brown wash over everything. Once it’s almost dry I remove most of it with a soft towel and Qtips. Then spray a top coat of the flat UV Mr color in a rattle can “so fast and easy”, then I do any small details that don’t need to be glossy in enamels “testors”. Once it’s almost dry I use lighter fluid to clean it up. Then I hit those areas with the flat topcoat. When that drys I paint any glossy areas in gloss enamels and call it good. 
That’s a lot of info but thats the process and paints  I am liking as of late. 
 

I am always looking to add to this and love any criticism and advice anybody here has for a noob like myself.
 

Edit* I am spraying my colors at 14psi and I would describe it as rather dry if that makes sense. When doing so I notice that when I do a wash and topcoat that it appears to be penetrating the MR Color layer where it’s application is thinner which gives me random effects like a stippling pattern showing off the base black primer color. Looks like damage or old paint weathering. I think this chance happening is rather beautiful and will keep doing it.
 ♥️

Edited July 25 by Papa Rat

[nightmareB4macross]

That is some clean and sexy mole technique. 

I am still contemplating my paint process for my  project and always look for insight when possible.

Thank you and keep building more awesome kits.

[Papa Rat]

10 minutes ago, nightmareB4macross said:

That is some clean and sexy mole technique. 

I am still contemplating my paint process for my  project and always look for insight when possible.

Thank you and keep building more awesome kits.

Thanks a ton. I’m always wanting to learn something new. Honestly I am just faking it the best I can and have some happy accidents along the way like Bob Ross would say “rip” 🥲

Do I dare ask what mole technique is? lol 

Edited July 25 by Papa Rat

[pengbuzz]

8 minutes ago, nightmareB4macross said:

That is some clean and sexy mole technique. 

I am still contemplating my paint process for my  project and always look for insight when possible.

Thank you and keep building more awesome kits.

I would recommend that whatever shade of white you paint the VF-1S, add a slight bit of pearlescent white to it to give it a slight metallic sheen, even when flat coat is applied.

[nightmareB4macross]

22 minutes ago, pengbuzz said:

I would recommend that whatever shade of white you paint the VF-1S, add a slight bit of pearlescent white to it to give it a slight metallic sheen, even when flat coat is applied.

That’s an interesting interpretation of the white base coat.

I was thinking of going with white from 70’s style fighters. It’s somewhat matte sheen and gets glossier along the surface areas that have the most friction during flight.

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[tekering]

6 hours ago, Papa Rat said:

I am always looking to add to this and love any criticism and advice anybody here has for a noob like myself.

You seem to like Mr. Hobby products (as do I)...

Seeing how much the decals stand out against the surface, I'd recommend applying these:

The setter is often unnecessary, but the softer is indispensable.  

[Papa Rat]

6 hours ago, tekering said:

You seem to like Mr. Hobby products (as do I)...

Seeing how much the decals stand out against the surface, I'd recommend applying these:

The setter is often unnecessary, but the softer is indispensable.  

Ordering those today! Thanks so much. Will this help alleviate  how shiny the decals look? 
 

Edit* is there any way to go back in and correct decals that are set already or is this a better luck next time situation? 

Edited July 25 by Papa Rat

[tekering]

3 hours ago, Papa Rat said:

is there any way to go back in and correct decals that are set already or is this a better luck next time situation? 

Depends on how heavily your topcoat was applied. 🤔

The softer may still be effective.  It's intended to meld the decals to painted surfaces, and certainly takes away some of that surface shine... but not as effectively as a flat matte topcoat will. 👍

[Papa Rat]

28 minutes ago, tekering said:

Depends on how heavily your topcoat was applied. 🤔

The softer may still be effective.  It's intended to meld the decals to painted surfaces, and certainly takes away some of that surface shine... but not as effectively as a flat matte topcoat will. 👍

Thanks so much for the insight, I really appreciate it! I will give it a go once I get that Softer. 

[derex3592]

@Papa Rat - I would be cautious of using decal softner on older 80's kit decals. Sometimes the chemistry of that stuff has a funny way of melting/ruining decals, even newer ones! Recommend you ALWAYS test it first on a spare decal you aren't going to be using on the kit if possible. I'm actually shocked you get water slides that old to come off the backing paper. My scout ship's decals were DOA on my kit, but hey, it's more anime accurate without them I suppose. 

[pengbuzz]

3 minutes ago, derex3592 said:

@Papa Rat - I would be cautious of using decal softner on older 80's kit decals. Sometimes the chemistry of that stuff has a funny way of melting/ruining decals, even newer ones! Recommend you ALWAYS test it first on a spare decal you aren't going to be using on the kit if possible. I'm actually shocked you get water slides that old to come off the backing paper. My scout ship's decals were DOA on my kit, but hey, it's more anime accurate without them I suppose. 

I've found leaving old decals in moderately hot water for 6-8 hours can rescue them. Then it's just a case of sliding them onto used decal paper from a fresher kit and mixing a solution of white glue and water to adhere them to the model (did that for a couple of kits recently).

[Papa Rat]

@derex3592 yeah sometimes I lose a decal or it rips when adjusting the orientation on the surface of the kit. Par for the course I suppose. I like the idea of anime accurate. lol. I did leave off decals on the ARII Zentreadi flagship model I built because of the anime reference I was using. 
I think it came out fine without.  Honestly best part of that kit is the tiny SDF
 

@pengbuzz love the ingenuity! I will keep this in mind for future builds. 👍

Edited July 25 by Papa Rat

[Big s]

6 hours ago, Papa Rat said:

Edit* is there any way to go back in and correct decals that are set already or is this a better luck next time situation?

It’s doable, but can be very risky. You kinda have to sand the lop layer a bit, and poke a tiny hole for the softener to soak through. This method runs a few scary risks since the weathering is already applied and can just make everything even more noticeable, or ruin the decal

the best way I’lve found to do decals from the start is after the base colors are layed down to use a gloss coat and then lay them down. After they dry, use the softener like microsol or Mr marksofter and usually that allows it to conform better. You can do the needle trick if there is a spot the decal didn’t conform to well like with a panel line and the softener gets under there and usually does the trick. Then there’s a couple other techniques that work well for blending the edge to make it disappear. You can mix your base color with some clear and spray around the edges to blend them in, or there’s the method that takes a bit more work and that’s to put a few layers of gloss over the decal and use a smoother sand paper and gently sand at the edges to level them down. Be very careful not to over sand and ruin the decal or the base color. Then add a final gloss to make sure the edge is gone. As long as the edge is gone using whatever method works best, then you can do all the weathering and final top coating to finish up.

Edited July 25 by Big s

[Papa Rat]

3 minutes ago, Big s said:

It’s doable, but can be very risky. You kinda have to sand the lop layer a bit, and poke a tiny hole for the softener to soak through. This method runs a few scary risks since the weathering is already applied and can just make everything even more noticeable, or ruin the decal

the best way I’lve found to do decals from the start is after the base colors are layed down to use a gloss coat and then lay them down. After they dry, use the softener like microsol or Mr marksofter and usually that allows it to conform better. You can do the needle trick if there is a spot the decal didn’t conform to well like with a panel line and the softener gets under there and usually does the trick. Then there’s a couple other techniques that work well for blending the edge to make it disappear. You can mix your base color with some clear and spray around the edges to blend them in, or there’s the method that takes a bit more work and that’s to put a few layers of gloss over the decal and use a smoother sand paper and gently sand at the edges to level them down. Be very careful not to over sand and ruin the decal or the top coat. Then add a final gloss to make sure the edge is gone. As long as the edge is gone using whatever method works best, then you can do all the weathering and final top coating to finish up.

Wow! Thanks for the info. I might mess with it and see what happens and if it gets all jacked up well that’s part of the learning for me. It would be a bummer of course but nothing too precious in this for me.

[Big s]

15 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

I would recommend that whatever shade of white you paint the VF-1S, add a slight bit of pearlescent white to it to give it a slight metallic sheen, even when flat coat is applied.

For aircraft, I kinda like Satin coat. It gives a bit of a sheen without being too dull. For tankish type armor, I like plain ol’ dull coat

[Big s]

2 minutes ago, Papa Rat said:

Wow! Thanks for the info. I might mess with it and see what happens and if it gets all jacked up well that’s part of the learning for me. It would be a bummer of course but nothing too precious in this for me.

Maybe try a cheap plastic spoon and a spare decal to try and see how things go and get a feel for it. Do a crappy scribe on the spoon to give it texture and that will really test the methods before trying it on an actual kit. Party spoons are great for testing. 

[Papa Rat]

3 minutes ago, Big s said:

Maybe try a cheap plastic spoon and a spare decal to try and see how things go and get a feel for it. Do a crappy scribe on the spoon to give it texture and that will really test the methods before trying it on an actual kit. Party spoons are great for testing. 

Good idea. Got to hit up the dollar store for some spoons