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The Blue Pyramid posted:I don't know much about historical models since I mostly paint Warhammer and the like, but I'd really like to build and paint a Messerschmitt Me-163 Komet rocket plane. Some quick googling shows that every company I could think of makes them (Tamiya, Testors, etc). What historicals/model plane company has the right combination of detail, scale, quality and price? I can only speak for the asian offerings, but the all the offerings I found below are quite solid as they are from respected manufacturers. http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10061669 http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10144912 http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10053332 http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10127780 http://www.hlj.com/product/ACD1673 The only concern would be which scale and price, which I would recommend the 1/48 or 1/32 scales. I've seen the 1/72 drat that thing is small; about 10 cm wingtip to wingtip. Tiglath III posted:I've not added anything to this thread yet.... so here goes a couple of Tamiya bikes. Those are really nice. Massive props to automotive builders, I really love their final gloss finishes.
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Nov 13, 2011 10:40
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Ensign Expendable posted:And here is the crew. They looked sort of awkward without being able to hold onto the hatches (which were already glued shut), so I gave them some ammo boxes to carry. I've noticed with the last few things you've built, they all seem to have glossy finishes. Is that just my impression?
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Nov 13, 2011 23:15
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No, the finish it supposed to be flat. I don't have a fancy light box setup, so I just use my table lamp, which hovers maybe 30 centimeters above whatever I'm taking a picture of. I finish everything with flat clear acrylic, so it definitely doesn't look glossy in real life.
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Nov 13, 2011 23:25
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Diorama time! This one involves two kits, Zvezda's Soviet Assault Troops and also Zvezda's Volkssturm. I think it turned out pretty nice, if a little crowded. 
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Nov 24, 2011 03:20
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New model time for me, I've built this before but doing it again just for fun. The Suzuki Katana 1100 in tiger stripes and modified forks and wheels.   Its supposed to look something like this, apologies for the tiny photo. 
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Dec 1, 2011 19:59
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My lunar lander is finished. It's my very first model and I'm happy with how it turned out. I added a lot more detail than what is in the kit instructions and painted it to be more accurate. I ended up buying an airbrush after trying to paint the ascent module with a brush. I made a million mistakes and there are things that look bad, but I had a lot of fun making it. I've since started on an original series Enterprise and am glad to be doing something that doesn't involve gluing foil.                  Album: http://imgur.com/a/sUhYd Here were my primary sources, in case anyone else ever wants to do this kit: http://spacemodels.nuxit.net/LEM-24/index.htm http://airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.org/viewtopic.php?t=19206&start=0 http://spacemodels.nuxit.net/LEM-24/Descent%20stage/Descent%20Stage%20Coating.pdf http://www.apollomaniacs.com/apollo/lme.htm http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/IMAGES/LARGE/GPN-2000-001210.jpg http://www.spaceinminiature.com/ref/apollo/sim7_photos1.html http://next.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/A11BA-Flown-Suit.html who cares fucked around with this message at 00:55 on Dec 5, 2011 |
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Dec 5, 2011 00:52
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who cares posted:My lunar lander is finished. It's my very first model and I'm happy with how it turned out. Good job! I like the silver highlights the ascent module has.
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Dec 5, 2011 02:14
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So this is the only thread I have found that discusses airbrushes at all, and im looking to have my wife get me one for christmas. I havent used one before, but really want to get started on the models I have and I definitely need an airbrush to make them look as good as I want. So i found this cheap setup on amazon, http://www.amazon.com/Airbrushing-Performance-Multi-Purpose-Dual-Action-Airbrush/dp/B001TO578Q/ref=sr_1_58?ie=UTF8&qid=1323110654&sr=8-58 but of course, I need to be wary of quality. Aside from that, If I was going to get an Iwata revolution could someone suggest a compressor? I dont know what it too much, or what kind of features it needs, or really anything about a compressor. Any help would be awesome, thank you.
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Dec 5, 2011 19:49
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who cares posted:My lunar lander That's so awesome man. Working with foil is such a pain. Tried it once on the Realspace Pioneer10 kit and it was such a trainwreck. Kudos on not making it look like poo poo. Irish Legend posted:So this is the only thread I have found that discusses airbrushes at all, and im looking to have my wife get me one for christmas. I havent used one before, but really want to get started on the models I have and I definitely need an airbrush to make them look as good as I want. So i found this cheap setup on amazon, http://www.amazon.com/Airbrushing-Performance-Multi-Purpose-Dual-Action-Airbrush/dp/B001TO578Q/ref=sr_1_58?ie=UTF8&qid=1323110654&sr=8-58 I know of several local stores selling vintage refurbished airbrushes. You really should look into that. A proper vintage well maintained brush is just as good (probably better even!) as any new model. After 25 odd years my trusty old Devilbiss Sprite and Aerograph 63 are still among my favourites. e: Also: You might want to check out Steenbeck&Harder (German), if you want to look into alternatives to Iwata. Irish Legend posted:I havent used one before, but really want to get started on the models I have and I definitely need an airbrush to make them look as good as I want.
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Dec 5, 2011 20:19
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alcyon posted:Requoting. This isn't necessarily true though, btw. Apart from solid base coloring and color modulation, hands-on-brushwork is still king imo. THe biggest reason that I would prefer an airbrush is for the large surfaces and getting that smooth paint. I dont have the patience or maybe the skill by hand to make very even coats with a brush. The vintage route may be pretty hard here, I dont even think there is a private hobby shop in montgomery alabama, so the next option would be birmingham, and I would spend as much on gas just driving out there than I would spend on a higher end model. Thanks for the advice, if I were to get an airbrush separate from a kit, I am still not sure what compressor would be sufficient, or what price range I should be looking at.
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Dec 5, 2011 21:51
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Irish Legend posted:THe biggest reason that I would prefer an airbrush is for the large surfaces and getting that smooth paint. I dont have the patience or maybe the skill by hand to make very even coats with a brush. You can go get a compressor from home depot/lowe's/etc. that will work just fine, all you need to do is add on a filter thingy and a regulator (if the compressor doesn't have one). I've got a cheap little 2-gallon compressor that I bought for $30 years ago for some reason or another, and it's worked just fine with my paasche brush. A "normal" (i.e. not airbrush-specific) compressor will work just fine, it just won't be as quiet as the more expensive dedicated stuff. All told, you should be able to put together the stuff you need for less than a hundred bucks (sans brush, of course). Incidentally, as someone who recently got started with an airbrush, practice alot before you start laying paint on something you want to actually look good. Another bit of advice - buy lots of extra paint jars/lids. They're cheap, and make spraying multiple things different colors a lot less of a headache, and you can store any custom-mixed paints you make for later touch-up if necessary.
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Dec 6, 2011 01:45
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I just did a lot of reading on airbrushes and compressors, so I'll tell you what I got for my first set, and my rationale behind the purchases. For the airbrush itself, I got a Badger 155. A lot of people on modeling forums recommend that you get a single action brush to start with, but I figured I'd just get a dual action and deal with a potentially steeper learning curve in order to have an airbrush that will allow me more control once I get better. For the compressor, I got a TC-20T from TCP Global. I am reluctant to recommend TCP Global since they sent me the wrong product at first, but I don't know where else you can get that compressor. This seemed to be one of the most highly-recommended budget compressors. I chose the TC-20T over the cheaper TC-20 because I read compressors with tanks are less likely to have air pulsation problems. I bought a cheap compressor since I figured that it will take a while for my airbrushing skill to get good enough to warrant something more expensive. The hose that came with the airbrush had an 1/8" fitting and the outlet on the compressor was 1/4". I bought an adapter from the plumbing section of a hardware store, along with some teflon tape, and it works great. This website has great airbrush reviews and tips: https://sites.google.com/site/donsairbrushtips/ The reason I chose the 155 is because of this site.
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Dec 6, 2011 01:47
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Again thanks for the input. Hopefully my wife did her own research because I get home from work today and shes like " im done christmas shopping!" before I really told her anything, other than gravity fed. Im snobby about quality with my stuff, but I am sure anything she got will do me just fine for the short and probably long run.
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Dec 6, 2011 06:00
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I see the moon lander's finished! Nice work there you really nailed the foil work. This is starting to get me more interested in Space subjects; what other space theme kits are there out in the market?
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Dec 6, 2011 10:31
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Morgenthau posted:I see the moon lander's finished! Nice work there you really nailed the foil work. Thanks for the compliments. If you mean non-scifi space kits, there are a couple of manufacturers who make resin kits, and then some plastic kits here and there. RealSpace Models and NewWare both make some really cool resin kits. As far as plastic kits go, Airfix makes a couple. Revell has the Buzz Aldrin Rocket Hero line, which my lunar lander was from. A really cool kit that just came out is the rerelease of the AMT Man in Space kit. It has the Mercury-Redstone, Mercury-Atlas, Gemini-Titan, Apollo-Saturn 1B an Apollo-Saturn V launch vehicles all in the same scale. I just bought this and I'm going to build it once I'm done with my Enterprise. Revell is also rereleasing a combo pack of 1/48 Mercury and Gemini capsules soon, and RealSpace sells kits to make the capsules more accurate. A lot of different manufacturers make space shuttle stacks. CultTVMan has a good selection of real space subjects for sale, if you want to browse around. The Space Modelers Yahoo group is a good resource for space modeling information. who cares fucked around with this message at 17:21 on Dec 6, 2011 |
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Dec 6, 2011 17:17
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For an air compressor, you are going to want something with a tank and a regulator. Compressors with tanks aren't just "less likely" to have pulsation problems, they don't pulsate at all. The compressor pulsates into the tank and the tank gives a steady output. Some compressors with tanks allow you to set the thresholds where the compressor starts and stops, so, say you are airbrushing at 20psi, you can set the compressor to kick on anytime the pressure in the tank drops to 30psi, which will give you a steady 20psi output with no pressure drops or pulsing. I'm not saying that you necessarily need to get a compressor that has a low-limit threshold. I'm just saying that is an option and something to consider. I'd imagine that any compressor with a tank that isn't a complete pile of poo poo is going to keep the tank at a higher pressure than what you will need with an airbrush, but I'd recommend checking what PSI the compressor kicks on at if it is not adjustable. I don't know if it was in this thread or the Warhammer thread, but somebody mentioned using a CO2 tank for an air supply mentioning that it would last 6 months between refills under daily use and maybe even a year for doing hobby work. At $30 per refill, plus deposit on the tank and the cost of a regulator, this is sounding like a VERY good idea to me in exchange for silence and lowered electricity costs. My only hesitation is that I know my airbrushes have very slight air leaks. It isn't perceptible, but if I leave the line pressurized when I'm done for the day, the compressor will kick on every couple of hours. That gets my attention and tells me to go downstairs to turn the valve off, but if I was using a CO2 tank, I wouldn't have that reminder. People also talk about an inline moisture filter. I'm in Minnesota where it gets skin cracking dry through the seven months of winter we have and not much better in the summer, so I've never used one and never had any problems. I wouldn't say that a moisture filter is an absolute necessity - it just depends on your environment. For the airbrush itself, it comes down to single vs. dual action and gravity vs. siphon feed. I can't think of any good reason to choose single action over dual action, so my vote is 100% for dual. I use a pair of Badger 150s that are both siphon fed, and have never used a gravity fed brush, so I can only give my opinion based on experience with that and what I have read about gravity fed brushes. From what I can tell, the #1 advantage of siphon brushes is ease of cleaning. It seems to me that cleaning is much easier with a siphon fed brush because the paint cups/jars are removable. Once you are done with the paint, you can just pop out the paint cup and toss it in the sink, then pop in a jar containing your cleaner of choice and spray it through to clean it up. Maybe it is just as easy to clean a gravity brush, so I'm all ears if somebody familiar when them wants to clue me in. The biggest disadvantage of siphon feed brushes, as I can tell, is wasted paint. Even when the cup is out of paint and sucking air, there are still quite a few drops of paint between the bottom of the cup, the tube of the cup, and the body of the airbrush. The amount of paint left over between the cup and the nozzle may actually negate the cleaning advantages of having removable cups/jars because you have that much more poo poo to clean out. I'd be interested in hearing from somebody with experiences with both types in regards to cleaning. Cleaning isn't something that is focused on in airbrush reviews I've seen, but it is a very big aspect of owning and using an airbrush. Air pressure - vote goes to gravity fed: Suction feed brushes require higher PSI to pull the paint out of the cup than gravity brushes. No biggie, because you can just turn the knob on your compressor to get that extra push, right? Well, yes, but the other factor is that you are blasting your model with a lot of extra air along with the paint causing it to dry faster - and often too fast. You can drop the pressure down on a suction brush for slower drying, but then you are skirting on the line between atomizing paint and spattering it. This can be overcome by keeping the pressure high and holding the brush closer and using a more narrow spray pattern, but if you hold it too close and/or spray too much paint then you get that spider web spray which fucks everything up. I use retarders to slow drying time, but that just adds an extra variable to the whole voodoo magic of thinner/paint/pressure/distance/spray/retarder equation. It would be simpler to just reduce the pressure and use a gravity fed brush.
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Dec 6, 2011 19:47
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Update time... Frame done. Engine almost done. Bodywork, first coats of paint on - minor over spray to deal with, it may just blend in with clear coat. Stripes are next. Phone photo, apologies for the poor quality. 
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Dec 6, 2011 20:59
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I have a question for anyone that builds scale cars. My girlfriend for christmas this year asked me to build her something instead of just outright buying it. So I bought a Revell (yeah its poo poo) Mini Cooper, which is her favorite car, and plan on painting some sort of brightly colored design that I am going to iron out later. My question is when I am painting it, should I being using gloss paints or can I do it with matt colors and just use a gloss sealing coat to get the same "new car" effect. I usually do WW2 tanks so I have plenty of matt colors and almost no gloss. I don't mind buying the gloss but I know I will never use them past this project. Thanks
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Dec 8, 2011 14:15
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For the body, I'd say definitely go for gloss paint. Depending on how good a paintjob you can lay down, you won't even need a clearcoat.
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Dec 8, 2011 18:10
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Boaz MacPhereson posted:For the body, I'd say definitely go for gloss paint. Depending on how good a paintjob you can lay down, you won't even need a clearcoat. Sounds like a plan. I just need to figure out what kind of design she's actually going to like lol
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Dec 8, 2011 22:54
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Wheels, swingarm and forks on. I'll need to make new suspension location points but it's getting there.
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Dec 10, 2011 18:12
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1Van posted:or can I do it with matt colors and just use a gloss sealing coat to get the same "new car" effect. If you're using spraying acrylics you can try mixing Future floor wax in with the paint.
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Dec 10, 2011 22:36
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I think this goes here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIsvW_yhhjs
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Dec 12, 2011 21:05
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yaffle posted:I think this goes here What are the little duct flap thingies for? Do you believe those tiny displays? I had an image in my head of Buzz and Woody climbing into it when no one was looking and going for a joyride (toyride):3
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Dec 13, 2011 03:07
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yaffle posted:I think this goes here This is just gobsmackingly awesome.
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Dec 13, 2011 19:26
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Sun Dog posted:What are the little duct flap thingies for? Do you believe those tiny displays? I had an image in my head of Buzz and Woody climbing into it when no one was looking and going for a joyride (toyride):3 The intake flaps and diverters are so the aircraft can land and take off on unprepared runways (anything resonably flat and long enough). The (Yak-signature) big, low-pressure tires help, too.
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Dec 14, 2011 03:18
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1Van posted:I have a question for anyone that builds scale cars. My girlfriend for christmas this year asked me to build her something instead of just outright buying it. So I bought a Revell (yeah its poo poo) Mini Cooper, which is her favorite car, and plan on painting some sort of brightly colored design that I am going to iron out later. I built a car for a friend recently, a Mitsubishi Lancer from Tamiya. I got it for $15 off of the Great Models site. I briefly considered doing a custom paint job (like maybe something in a naval Flanker copy) until a part of my mind yelled "You fool! Painting can be simple for once!" (not built by me)  Same thing, in a different scheme:  Here's something I didn't consider but you might be able to pull off: dazzle camo.  Even my simple painting turned out somewhat difficult. I had to pick a color, and the Lancer I was building came in several. I realize now why paint on cars is so conservative: you don't want to offend with anything daring. As this gift was going to be a surprise, I couldn't ask my friend what he thought was good. Fortunately for me, I thought all the colors were kinda terrible. Metallic black, Metallic white, silver, a vile red like you'd see on a Dodge rent-a-car, and a nice blue.   The interior seats were the hardest bit. Lots of masking and airbrushing was necessary to get the curves right.   Some drat kids came along and stole the front Mitsubishi symbol:  I had to mail it; hopefully it gets there OK.
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Dec 20, 2011 19:36
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Sooooo, Christmas came early this year. I've been talking about getting back into model making for a few weeks now, along with reading this thread, and found this under the tree at family Christmas: Welp. It's a Hasegawa 1/48 kit of a Ki-45 fighter. I haven't built a model since 1996, and back then it was all stringy glue and Testor's brand oil based paints. Taking the OP's advice, I'm picking up a Touch-Flow applicator, and this will be my first foray into acrylics for painting. I'll be taking my time and getting all the help I can so I can avoid ruining this very nice kit.  (image is on my personal hosting)
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Dec 20, 2011 21:55
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So some two years ago in this thread I finished a T-34/85 as my first "real" model kit. I thought I would make a diorama of it for my dad for Christmas, and this is how it turned out. I'll try to take some better pictures when I get back from work as the rest turned out (more) blurry:
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Dec 21, 2011 07:10
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That's a pretty awesome looking diorama! Did you make the wall yourself or did you buy it? Also are you sure that's a T-34/85? The turret looks like an early model T-34/76.
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Dec 21, 2011 18:28
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Ensign Expendable posted:That's a pretty awesome looking diorama! Did you make the wall yourself or did you buy it? Also are you sure that's a T-34/85? The turret looks like an early model T-34/76. No, the crew and the diorama is made by MiniArt, they do several diorama kits like this which is pretty nifty. Now that you mention it it is a Dragon kit of a model 41 T-34/76. I somehow thought it was a /85 since I don't have the box anymore, but when I check their range it is clear that it is this kit: http://www.modelhobbies.co.uk/shop/dragon-t3476-model-1941-6205-p-31433.html It was a ton of fun to build, so now I'm thinking about what kit to do next. I might go with a WW2 fighter to put in my office.
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Dec 21, 2011 19:44
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lilljonas posted:No, the crew and the diorama is made by MiniArt, they do several diorama kits like this which is pretty nifty. Now that you mention it it is a Dragon kit of a model 41 T-34/76. I somehow thought it was a /85 since I don't have the box anymore, but when I check their range it is clear that it is this kit: Are you planning on doing anything else with the other half of the mini art base that came in that kit? I've got the same here just sitting in a cupboard. And go for the WWII fighter thing dude I did a Spitfire a while back just for variety and it was a load of fun to do. I know you can paint awesome so have a go. 
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Dec 21, 2011 22:59
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big_g posted:Are you planning on doing anything else with the other half of the mini art base that came in that kit? I've got the same here just sitting in a cupboard. No, I bought the small version that only had that half since it has just enough room for one tank and some crew. So I used up most of the kit, even though there's still a few extra fences and windows and such that I plan to use in tabletop terrain. That Spitfire looks great and it is a beautiful plane. The problem is that there's so many great looking planes from that period, so it is hard to decide! 
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Dec 22, 2011 07:51
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lilljonas posted:No, I bought the small version that only had that half since it has just enough room for one tank and some crew. So I used up most of the kit, even though there's still a few extra fences and windows and such that I plan to use in tabletop terrain. Why do you have to decide? Build them all 
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Dec 23, 2011 19:53
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I gotta say, I don't think I'll ever buy another Lindberg kit again. I've been working for a while on their Captain Kidd ship and its just a terrible kit. The plastic is lovely, none of it fits together right, the directions suck and the detail on it just aint that great. I just have the masts and bowsprit left but I honestly just want to give up on it since I know I'm getting the Zvezda Black Pearl kit in 2 days for Christmas.
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Dec 24, 2011 00:40
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I know how you feel. Once you have access to higher quality kits, the department store stuff seems a waste of time. Weirdly, they are often *harder* to build then the high quality stuff!
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Dec 24, 2011 01:49
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There is a nice mid-range between the $80 kits where the engine that you seal inside the hull and is not at all visible has 150 parts and the department store crap. I just wish the mid range ones didn't use rubber tracks so much, they are a colossal pain in the rear end to put on.
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Dec 24, 2011 01:55
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Whatup fellow model building nerds, I've picked up a project I had to leave this time last year due to work and stuff. 1/32 Tamiya Spitfire IX, being built for the guy who flew it (July 1943, Sicily). I had custom masks made by Miracle Masks and wow, the end result is amazing. I did the codes, roundels and fin flashes in paint, only a few stencils are decals. The masks are pretty tedious to use but the results are outstanding. I took a couple snaps on the kitchen table, so the lighting is really harsh. There's no clear coat yet, which makes the stencil decals are very obvious. And yes I know there is no fuselage ID band or yellow wing leading edges - they weren't used in the Mediterranean in summer '43, even though it's in standard Day Fighter Scheme otherwise. I just built the engine as a personal exercise, I think I will glue the engine panels in place. It really needs to be plumbed (which would be pretty easy, Tamiya makes it obvious) for the full effect anyway. I just don't want a 90 year old to have to mess around with fragile engine panels held on with tiny magnets.    edit - fixed image sizes compressioncut fucked around with this message at 07:51 on Dec 24, 2011 |
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Dec 24, 2011 07:47
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compressioncut posted:Whatup fellow model building nerds, I've picked up a project I had to leave this time last year due to work and stuff. Wow, that is some really nice work. Love the engine, seems a shame to cover it up...maybe do a diorama-ish base with a panel or two off like it's being worked on between flights or something? Either way, you're gonna make an old vet's day when you present it
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Dec 24, 2011 10:33
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kaosAG posted:Wow, that is some really nice work. Love the engine, seems a shame to cover it up...maybe do a diorama-ish base with a panel or two off like it's being worked on between flights or something? Either way, you're gonna make an old vet's day when you present it Thanks. I've found pilots tend to like seeing their airplanes in flight. Besides, the pilot figure in this kit is really cool. And it's a Spitfire, having engine panels off ruins the lines. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to try a spinning propeller effect or just go with the "frozen" look. This dude has the most convincing technique I've seen. Just need to track down a circle cutter of some sort... If I do one for myself I might just go with your plan, with this Ultracast figure.
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Dec 24, 2011 17:27
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