tekering Posted January 20 Posted January 20 @MechTech, you've greatly elevated that ridiculous Shin Musha with a thematically-relevant display case. Remarkable! 👍 Nice save on the Bronco II, @Chas. is that mechanical arm a part of the kit? I'm happy with the color scheme I've settled on for the Bioroid worker, but I don't like the look of the lenses... I couldn't get a painted resin surface to look transparent, so I decided to try a more cel-shaded approach. Maybe I should use silver instead of white...? On 1/19/2026 at 3:49 AM, Urashiman said: awesome huge F-14. is it RC? Oh no, it's merely a static toy, with an ugly stock paint job and infamously fragile landing gear. Mine had to be hung from the ceiling after repainting. It didn't even come with pilot figures, so I had to customize my own... Nonetheless, you won't find a loose one under $1000 USD... or $2000 in its original box! Quote
MechTech Posted January 20 Posted January 20 @Chas I'm still outa reactions, but your Bronco looks awesome! Just say it was painted for after the time bomb went off😁 Thanks for sharing that RARE build with us! @tekering Thank you, I appreciate it! I think that's a good idea with the head lenses. I think white is good; it looks anime accurate actually! That Tomcat is cool! Almost looks like it is a ducted fan model! - MT Quote
Big s Posted January 20 Posted January 20 20 hours ago, MechTech said: Sorry guys, I've just been busy and not online enough to post. @pengbuzz NOTHING better than getting your wife back and some model building! Congrats. I pray for a solid recovery for her! I ran out of "likes" trying to like all the awesoe work you guys have been working on! Quick post. This is my "living room model" I build in the living room while watching TV with my wife. That way she's not a "hobby widow". This is Bandai's Shin Musha Gundam. Mostly stock. Redid the shafts for the staffed weapons and the matchlock styled canon. Also added a steampunk styled weapon from an older Gundam model that fit this style perfectly. I'm putting it in this case my wife got for me years ago from the thrift store. Gotta get going! - MT Really nice display. I’m surprised that with the popularity and ease of locating items that we don’t see many gundam kits posted in these pages. 20 hours ago, Chas said: Calling the Arii Bronco II done. Had a bit of a hiccup at the finish line. The matte coat before the chipping orange peeled on me and when I was wet sanding it down I went through the base coat in some spots. Luckily my base coat was very close to the colour of the plastic, so I was able to just even it out in the most affected areas using thinner to remove the paint and redoing the dot filter on the bare plastic. This worked, but made the finish a little dirtier than I wanted, so I ran with that and made her really weathered. Turned out passable, but much more weathered than I wanted. Added some blast marks to cover up some excessive chipping, and all in all I OK with the final result. Final pics Fighter: Gerwalk: With the mechanical arm extended: Don't think I mentioned it before, but like the legs, that door for the mechanical arm closes with a magnet. Thanks again. Hope you enjoy the pics or this rarely built retro kit. this is a great looking classic. Thanks for sharing this one Quote
Chas Posted January 21 Posted January 21 (edited) Thanks Greg, you're the main reason it happened @tekering yes the Mechanical arm is part of the kit. I was toying with the idea of making it foldable and actually able to store away inside its compartment, but wasn't sure how much working the old plastic could handle, so I decided to just leave it as intended - an add-on bit. Making painted resin look clear is a tough gig man, I don't know if silver would work any better than white. Maybe try curving the lines on the white to emphasize the domed curvature of the 'canopy', then mask around it and do a few layers of gloss clear? Next up is completing a kit I left unfinished a little while ago. Because Plamax chose to make their VF-1J Kakizaki a 'Japan Only' item I chose to get a 2nd Hikaru 1J to paint up as Max's machine, and do my Max VF-1A in Kakizaki's tan/brown. Base coat just about done. ( white is bare kit plastic). Edited January 21 by Chas Quote
pengbuzz Posted January 22 Posted January 22 And my wife is back in the hospital. 😭 Cancer is blocking her airway in her lung; talking surgery or radiation now. Going to go curl up in a corner and hide under every single blanket I can find. Quote
Big s Posted January 22 Posted January 22 8 minutes ago, pengbuzz said: And my wife is back in the hospital. 😭 Cancer is blocking her airway in her lung; talking surgery or radiation now. Going to go curl up in a corner and hide under every single blanket I can find. Oh no. I really hope things turn for the better. I know things look bleak, but I hope you can keep your hopes up and know that all of us here are hoping for her to pull through and beat this. Quote
Papa Rat Posted January 22 Posted January 22 @pengbuzz That sucks. Heart goes out to you and your wife. ♥️ Quote
MechTech Posted January 22 Posted January 22 @pengbuzz Praying for you guys! I thought they would have already been treating her cancer? - MT Quote
pengbuzz Posted January 22 Posted January 22 2 hours ago, MechTech said: @pengbuzz Praying for you guys! I thought they would have already been treating her cancer? - MT They were, but they had to pause chemo while she was in the hospital (her hemoglobin was too low for chemo). Quote
derex3592 Posted January 22 Posted January 22 My thoughts and prayers are with you and Mrs. Pengbuzz my friend! 🙏 Quote
Thom Posted January 22 Posted January 22 (edited) Best thoughts and wishes going to the Mrs. and you, @pengbuzz. Hopefully they won't have to do anything invasive, and they can get started on the chemo. Try and keep your spirits up, for her as well as for yourself. Edited January 23 by Thom Quote
wm cheng Posted January 22 Posted January 22 @pengbuzz Sorry for the sad news, you and the Mrs. have our thoughts and prayers. We are with you in spirit; you are not alone. It's gotta be a better year! 🙏 Quote
Papa Rat Posted January 23 Posted January 23 (edited) It was pointed out to me recently that I had painted a few pieces in the wrong color on an older build of mine. Sad face. I guess the back of the knees were painted the same as the frame color, Black/blue metallic and needed to be the armor color which was white with pearl. Luckily the parts were glued together with CA so I was able to carefully crack the pieces apart and made the correction. Better late than never. This is the Plastic version of the Our Treasure SR3 Late Junone Edited January 23 by Papa Rat Quote
pengbuzz Posted January 23 Posted January 23 18 hours ago, derex3592 said: My thoughts and prayers are with you and Mrs. Pengbuzz my friend! 🙏 pm incoming to you, derex Quote
Papa Rat Posted January 23 Posted January 23 (edited) Not sure if at the time this kit was produced if it was difficult to cast certain pieces but this IMS Terror Mirage kit has so many smaller “granular” parts to make a simple part it feels overly complicated. Not a complaint. Just an observation as I move through the sub assembly. Edited January 23 by Papa Rat Quote
derex3592 Posted January 24 Posted January 24 Iced in today, tomorrow and possibly Monday down here in North Texas, so we're going full steam ahead down here on dropping down a gazzilion little as yet unpainted parts on the Texas deck! Also panel lining up the BUFF with some Flory's Black wash... Quote
wm cheng Posted January 24 Posted January 24 Hey @derex3592, I noticed you use Flory too, its the best - however do you find that after a little while, it settles into little tiny particles and no matter how much you shake, it seems to be a solution of sludge with particles in it and doesn't flow as well as when you first get it? Is there a way to revive old Flory (really only left in the bottle for a couple of years)? It's expensive to ship it across the pond every few years so now I'm trying the Tamiya panel liner stuff, but its enamel so I have to be much more careful what my paint underneath will be. I just wished Flory stuff stayed viscous. I'm starting something new to scratch that Straight-Out-Of-Box itch that my previous J-20S weren't able to do 😛 Man, Japanese plastic is such a pleasure! Quote
Chronocidal Posted January 24 Posted January 24 Boy I love those little Yamato kits, they're such fun to build. I'm terrible about finishing them though, I actually really just enjoy building them and rebuilding them like Lego kits, since they go together and come apart again so cleanly. Eventually I'll have to just glue them permanently and paint them though, once the tabs wear down. I do like the oversized boxes though.. I think I've got about a dozen in a single box. If only they came in 1/48... Quote
Urashiman Posted January 24 Author Posted January 24 On 1/22/2026 at 1:18 AM, pengbuzz said: And my wife is back in the hospital. 😭 Cancer is blocking her airway in her lung; talking surgery or radiation now. Going to go curl up in a corner and hide under every single blanket I can find. Ah… that is bad. Cancer sucks. Wishing you all the best and a fast and successful recovery. 😢 Quote
Big s Posted January 24 Posted January 24 2 hours ago, wm cheng said: Hey @derex3592, I noticed you use Flory too, its the best - however do you find that after a little while, it settles into little tiny particles and no matter how much you shake, it seems to be a solution of sludge with particles in it and doesn't flow as well as when you first get it? Is there a way to revive old Flory (really only left in the bottle for a couple of years)? It's expensive to ship it across the pond every few years so now I'm trying the Tamiya panel liner stuff, but its enamel so I have to be much more careful what my paint underneath will be. I just wished Flory stuff stayed viscous. Not 100% but I think that since it’s supposed to be water soluble, maybe just add some water and mix. Could also try a glob and some alcohol outside the bottle to see what happens. I wouldn’t just experiment with adding straight to the bottle until you experiment a little. Honestly, I’ve never used the stuff since no one seems to carry it or it just gets sold out fast. Quote
wm cheng Posted January 24 Posted January 24 Thanks @Big s, I have tried just adding water to it and it doesn't do much. When you first get it, the particles of clay are so fine that its like super thin paint, but over time (like several years) those particles seem to clump into bigger particles that don't flow as nicely as it was brand new. The best thing about it is that its water, totally non-reactive to anything beneath it. If I add alcohol to it, it would make the solution reactive to some things beneath it, losing its best quality. I always knew the surface prep was key, the better the prep, the better the paint job - but like a child who doesn't like to brush his teeth (even though you know better) 😛 I always skimp on surface prep because it's part of sanding which I hate and never have enough time for. Now that the Entertainment Industry is in the dumpster, I have a bit more time, and having a nice well engineered kit that just falls together means I can spend the time I usually take fixing and detailing to spending some time on the black undercoat for a Alclad Metallic finish. I've always interpreted the Cosmo Zero greys in the anime as a chromed silver and wanted to try to replicate that. I actually sanded down the gloss Mr. Color black with 6000-8000-10000 sanding sponge which I hardly ever do unless I'm trying to remove a canopy seam. Boy was that worth it! I haven't ever gotten such a chromed effect from all my years using Alclad Metalizers before, I could almost see myself in it! I broke down the parts to get some different shades like Stainless, Magnesium and Steel as well. Now I just have to have enough patience to not touch it for a while to let everything cure. Quote
Big s Posted January 24 Posted January 24 1 minute ago, wm cheng said: If I add alcohol to it, it would make the solution reactive to some things beneath it, losing its best quality. Could try a softer solution of alcohol. The 70 something percent usually doesn’t do much to set paints. I usually don’t see a reaction until almost 90 percent mixtures Quote
Chas Posted January 25 Posted January 25 1 hour ago, wm cheng said: Thanks @Big s, I have tried just adding water to it and it doesn't do much. What temperature was the water you tried? I don't have any experience with Florry's, but if the water you added was room temp, I would try the hottest tap water you get at home and see if that helps break down the clumps. Quote
Papa Rat Posted January 25 Posted January 25 10 hours ago, derex3592 said: Iced in today, tomorrow and possibly Monday down here in North Texas, so we're going full steam ahead down here on dropping down a gazzilion little as yet unpainted parts on the Texas deck! Also panel lining up the BUFF with some Flory's Black wash... So excited to see these! Hope you are safe during this storm. Heard it’s going to be brutal. I’m in the PNW and we are just getting the wind portion of the storm. No precipitation. Quote
Papa Rat Posted January 25 Posted January 25 @wm cheng that chrome looks great! Giving it some extra attention and love makes a huge difference no question. 👍 Quote
pengbuzz Posted January 25 Posted January 25 14 hours ago, derex3592 said: Iced in today, tomorrow and possibly Monday down here in North Texas, so we're going full steam ahead down here on dropping down a gazzilion little as yet unpainted parts on the Texas deck! Also panel lining up the BUFF with some Flory's Black wash... Man, that bird is REALLY beginning to come alive! Quote
pengbuzz Posted January 25 Posted January 25 (edited) UPDATE: Slapped together the Naboo fighter from Star Wars: Then I got to thinking about it: what if I really made this something unique? SO, I took it back apart and stripped the chrome off the parts: Then I got to work: Still needs work (paint to cover the "clown colors, etc.); not sure which franchise I'm leaning towards, but I'd like to aim for Star Trek with this. :D Stay Tuned... Edited January 26 by pengbuzz Quote
derex3592 Posted January 26 Posted January 26 More progress on the Texas this morning. All parts minus like 6 little super delicate posts are down on the deck ready for painting. Likewise all the sub assemblies are ready for primer and paint. Now....mother nature looks like she's not gonna let that happen out in the garage for at least a week and a half now... I learned my lesson years ago with the Cat's Eye 👁️ debacle about painting in the cold garage. LOL 😁 Quote
Papa Rat Posted January 26 Posted January 26 2 hours ago, derex3592 said: More progress on the Texas this morning. All parts minus like 6 little super delicate posts are down on the deck ready for painting. Likewise all the sub assemblies are ready for primer and paint. Now....mother nature looks like she's not gonna let that happen out in the garage for at least a week and a half now... I learned my lesson years ago with the Cat's Eye 👁️ debacle about painting in the cold garage. LOL 😁 👀 all these details!!!!! Quote
pengbuzz Posted January 26 Posted January 26 9 hours ago, Thom said: Liking the mods @pengbuzz! Thanks Thom! Here's the ship in primer: My plan is to paint it black, then drybrush the entire ship in metallic blue/grey (blue-silver) until the main color is built up. Quote
MechTech Posted January 26 Posted January 26 @Chas Cool looking paint on that Valk! @Papa Rat BEAUTIFUL colors on that Junone! @derex3592 All the detail work on the Texas and that B-52 are paying off. They look great with each step! The details especially on the Texas will make it rich looking. @wm cheng The custom metalic finishes on that Zero look beautiful! I'm just starting to get into metalics myself, including powdered micas. @pengbuzz I like the cool mods to the Naboo (or whatever it will be now🙂). You going for a cruiser or battleship looking model design? The Shin Musha Gundam case and parts are getting an upgrade. Hobby Lobby had small bags of 3/16" thick polished marble bits in the marked down section. So I got two. Then some acrylic based grouting to make the base so far. Then the black gun and sword stand is getting an "expansion" to hold the large beam canon and a couple of simulated fire pots for lighting. Made these with scraps and the spare parts box(s). Saturday night worked on this late make Rick Dom II in the living room without paint. It looks great without and details so far! It was a smooth build. And because there are so many cat lovers on the boards, I couldn't resist sharing this: And how cold it is on the East coast this Monday morning... There's an icey glaze on everything! Thanks for checking in everyone! - MT Quote
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