Scale Modeling: We do it for the inhalants

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Scale Modeling: We do it for the inhalants

neurotech: Apr 22, 2004; Deep in my dreams and I still hear her callin'
If you're alone, I'll come home.

Darth Brooks posted:

How big are the walls? A thicker plastic "For Sale" sign glued to some coraplast would hold up. If you know of a local sign shop they might have some coroplast scrap.

Nothing too big, nothing bigger than 6 inches.

# ? Mar 26, 2024 05:11

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# ? Apr 27, 2024 12:19

Darth Brooks: Jan 15, 2005; I do not wear this mask to protect me. I wear it to protect you from me.

Yeah, just get inventive. Using something in a way it wasn't meant to be used is a lot of fun.

nitsuga posted:

Those decals really turned out! Did the kit have any originally?

They were for Ryder trucks, which would have meant painting it a specific yellow. Rowdy, BTW, is this cat. I'm going to put a cartoon version of him in the wifebeater on the trailer.

# ? Mar 26, 2024 05:42

Bucnasti: Aug 14, 2012; I'll Fetch My Sarcasm Robes

Plasticard/styrene. Evergreen Hobbies makes it in just about any configuration you can think of, it can be found at most hobby/railroad stores.

# ? Mar 26, 2024 05:56

tidal wave emulator: Aug 7, 2007

neurotech posted:

I'm planning out a new project, which is basically building a small fantasy/medieval "Witch Hut". I'm looking for recommendations for what to use for the walls - I've got some spare chipboard, but it's really annoying to cut. I want something that's easy to cut, is relatively strong, and won't warp once it takes on glue or paint. Is balsa wood the best option here?

Depending on what sort of look you're going for you could construct it out of plasticard and then use wooden coffee stirrers for planking over the top.

# ? Mar 26, 2024 10:19

neurotech: Apr 22, 2004; Deep in my dreams and I still hear her callin'
If you're alone, I'll come home.

The thing I�m struggling with is how do cut clean holes for windows.

# ? Mar 26, 2024 12:30

Blue Footed Booby: Oct 4, 2006; got those happy feet

neurotech posted:

The thing I’m struggling with is how do cut clean holes for windows.

How would you do windows in an actual hut?

# ? Mar 26, 2024 12:51

neurotech: Apr 22, 2004; Deep in my dreams and I still hear her callin'
If you're alone, I'll come home.

Blue Footed Booby posted:

How would you do windows in an actual hut?

That�s a great question� uhh I guess it depends on how the wall is made. I need to do some more research I think.

# ? Mar 26, 2024 13:04

stealie72: Jan 10, 2007; Their eyes locked and suddenly there was the sound of breaking glass.
\

Blue Footed Booby posted:

How would you do windows in an actual hut?

neurotech posted:

That�s a great question� uhh I guess it depends on how the wall is made. I need to do some more research I think.

Cut to neurotech using a tiny hammer and tiny nails to frame a hut using coffee stirrers epoxied together and cut down to be scale 2x4x12s.

Actually, using some balsa sticks as framing wood and. . . .glue? to actually frame a tiny building sounds weirdly relaxing.

# ? Mar 26, 2024 13:53

ColonelJohnMatrix: Jun 24, 2006; Because all fucking hell is going to break loose

Darth Brooks posted:

How big are the walls? A thicker plastic "For Sale" sign glued to some coraplast would hold up. If you know of a local sign shop they might have some coroplast scrap.

The Mack truck is done.

I'll add license plates later but I don't know if I'll do much weathering. My wife doesn't know I found a trailer really cheap and it will probably be awhile before I build it.

The Mack turned out fantastic and those details are on point!

I am close to finishing my IH Paystar logging truck build but I'm burnt out on it as I'm working on three r/c racing vehicles for the upcoming season and my Tamiya Dragon Wagon arrives today (I'll post pics of it!)....so I think I'm going to just set it aside for awhile. Everything is done on it save for the hood latches which broke off the sprues when cutting them free, so that's annoying. Due to the parts being tiny and chromed, it makes repair extremely hard so I may just lave the latches off. Outside of that and a couple other small things, it's close. I plan to display it hauling logs on a small diorama base eventually. Until I feel like finishing it though, I'll just have it sitting on my desk like this, with the log bunk in the stowed position. Semi trucks are fun builds, but they all seem fairly involved (at least the few I've built) and are projects best to be tackled when I'm feelin' it.

All that said, I CANNOT WAIT to build the Dragon Wagon. I've eyed one of those kits for many years, even when I wasn't modeling.

# ? Mar 26, 2024 14:29

The Locator: Sep 12, 2004; Out here, everything hurts.

stealie72 posted:

Cut to neurotech using a tiny hammer and tiny nails to frame a hut using coffee stirrers epoxied together and cut down to be scale 2x4x12s.

Actually, using some balsa sticks as framing wood and. . . .glue? to actually frame a tiny building sounds weirdly relaxing.

Building stuff from bits of wood and glue is fun and good!

https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3944859&pagenumber=2#post509462311

# ? Mar 26, 2024 16:16

Grumio: Sep 20, 2001; in culina est

stealie72 posted:

Cut to neurotech using a tiny hammer and tiny nails to frame a hut using coffee stirrers epoxied together and cut down to be scale 2x4x12s.

Actually, using some balsa sticks as framing wood and. . . .glue? to actually frame a tiny building sounds weirdly relaxing.

Night Shift showed that styrene strips scraped with a wire brush makes a very convincing wood grain effect, and it's easier to glue and paint than wood

# ? Mar 26, 2024 18:02

stealie72: Jan 10, 2007; Their eyes locked and suddenly there was the sound of breaking glass.
\

The Locator posted:

Building stuff from bits of wood and glue is fun and good!

https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3944859&pagenumber=2#post509462311

Knew it would be ship stuff before I clicked it, and clicked it anyway. I have a hard enough time finishing plastic kits.

# ? Mar 26, 2024 20:42

The Locator: Sep 12, 2004; Out here, everything hurts.

stealie72 posted:

Knew it would be ship stuff before I clicked it, and clicked it anyway. I have a hard enough time finishing plastic kits.

Was just for the building the little building out of wood, not for ship stuff really. Assuming of course my link took you to the correct post!

# ? Mar 26, 2024 22:18

ColonelJohnMatrix: Jun 24, 2006; Because all fucking hell is going to break loose

Hell yeah it's finally here

# ? Mar 26, 2024 23:15

Warmachine: Jan 30, 2012

Does anyone have any recommendations for jewelers glasses? I'm working on my Millennium Falcon, and while I have amazing vision, looking at all the fine details in the cockpit and turrets for painting is going to make me go cross-eyed at this rate.

That said, I'm pretty happy with where things are starting. It's the first time I've hand brushed (as opposed to air brushed) in years, but a coat of matte black, drybrushed gunmetal, and dabs of red white and blue for random buttons and switches leaves me pretty happy with the effect, even if not perfectly screen accurate. Certainly better than the water slides ( :confused:

) Bandai provided for the console buttons. (Seriously though, you mold the part with ultra-fine 3D details, then give the user water slides to put over that complex geometry? Do they expect me to sand it off?)

# ? Mar 26, 2024 23:24

mllaneza: Apr 28, 2007; Veteran, Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force, 1993-1952

I get by with cheap 4.0 reading glasses, although that might be a bit much for my eyes even with magnification. I'm interested in better suggestions though.

# ? Mar 26, 2024 23:34

tidal wave emulator: Aug 7, 2007

Warmachine posted:

Certainly better than the water slides () Bandai provided for the console buttons. (Seriously though, you mold the part with ultra-fine 3D details, then give the user water slides to put over that complex geometry? Do they expect me to sand it off?)

Decals can usually be made to conform to the dials and buttons of an instrument panel with a few applications of Microsol/Mr Mark Softer/other decal softening solution.

# ? Mar 27, 2024 00:16

neurotech: Apr 22, 2004; Deep in my dreams and I still hear her callin'
If you're alone, I'll come home.

I went to Officeworks today (I'm in Australia) and picked up a couple of A4 foamboard and a hobby knife with a "chisel" blade, so I'll see how that goes when I get home tonight.

# ? Mar 27, 2024 00:43

Old Swerdlow: Jul 24, 2008

Finally decided to paint my latest project after sitting half finished on my work bench for almost a year. The model files come from here: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/pokeball-origin

I�ve got some Pok�mon models printed to put inside the pokeballs but I haven�t painted them yet.

# ? Mar 27, 2024 01:13

Fearless: Sep 3, 2003; DRINK MORE MOXIE

neurotech posted:

I went to Officeworks today (I'm in Australia) and picked up a couple of A4 foamboard and a hobby knife with a "chisel" blade, so I'll see how that goes when I get home tonight.

Heavy cardstock (even lighter stuff like cereal or cracker boxes) can be used to make shingles and trim as well. a good PVA (read: white glue) works well for gap filling and can also be mixed with things like sand to create textures if that is what you want to do as well-- a cottage sure as poo poo isn't going to have a smooth surface after all.

# ? Mar 27, 2024 01:45

Warmachine: Jan 30, 2012

Old Swerdlow posted:

Finally decided to paint my latest project after sitting half finished on my work bench for almost a year. The model files come from here: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/pokeball-origin

I�ve got some Pok�mon models printed to put inside the pokeballs but I haven�t painted them yet.

The classic Fat Pikachu takes me back 20 years.

# ? Mar 27, 2024 01:59

Lizard Combatant: Sep 29, 2010; I have some notes.

neurotech posted:

I went to Officeworks today (I'm in Australia) and picked up a couple of A4 foamboard and a hobby knife with a "chisel" blade, so I'll see how that goes when I get home tonight.

Checkout Luke Towan (specifically his scenic stuff) for the most Officeworks references on youtube. Plus all his stuff is amazing.

# ? Mar 27, 2024 02:13

Old Swerdlow: Jul 24, 2008

Warmachine posted:

The classic Fat Pikachu takes me back 20 years.

I�m lucky that my wife has saved a lot of toys from her childhood. It has a hole on the bottom so you can put it on top of a pencil!

# ? Mar 27, 2024 02:14

Neddy Seagoon: Oct 12, 2012; "Hi Everybody!"

Old Swerdlow posted:

Finally decided to paint my latest project after sitting half finished on my work bench for almost a year. The model files come from here: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/pokeball-origin

I’ve got some Pokémon models printed to put inside the pokeballs but I haven’t painted them yet.

You should paint a little lightning bolt on the Pikachu's pokeball. :allears:

# ? Mar 27, 2024 10:37

stealie72: Jan 10, 2007; Their eyes locked and suddenly there was the sound of breaking glass.
\

The Locator posted:

Was just for the building the little building out of wood, not for ship stuff really. Assuming of course my link took you to the correct post!

I think I missed that. The link took me to you building some lockers and a ventilation grate for a ship.

# ? Mar 27, 2024 14:43

The Locator: Sep 12, 2004; Out here, everything hurts.

stealie72 posted:

I think I missed that. The link took me to you building some lockers and a ventilation grate for a ship.

It was a big post. The middle part is probably what you are calling a locker, but it's a little building that covers/houses the ladder to belowdecks. Was just an example of making a building of some kind out of scraps of wood.

# ? Mar 27, 2024 16:41

stealie72: Jan 10, 2007; Their eyes locked and suddenly there was the sound of breaking glass.
\

The Locator posted:

It was a big post. The middle part is probably what you are calling a locker, but it's a little building that covers/houses the ladder to belowdecks. Was just an example of making a building of some kind out of scraps of wood.

Ah OK. Regardless, it looked fun!

# ? Mar 27, 2024 18:09

Old Swerdlow: Jul 24, 2008

Neddy Seagoon posted:

You should paint a little lightning bolt on the Pikachu's pokeball.

If I remember correctly there is a file for that one!

# ? Mar 27, 2024 20:58

Charliegrs: Aug 10, 2009

Dumb question: Is there any point in upgrading the hammer?

# ? Mar 27, 2024 22:08

Vaporware: May 22, 2004; Still not here yet.

Oh people who have looked at military kits in the last 20 years unlike me, bestow upon me the wisdoms of ages

I want to build an RC tank again. I have said this before in the thread, lol. The old 1/16 Tamiya Sherman was great, but it was stolen and honestly was a pain to maintain. Not sure I'm ready to jump back into another one, but I would if can find one for less than 1k

Looking at the 1/16 Chinese AliExpress Bradley for about $500, but I could also do something like a M113 in a smaller scale. Accuracy is a plus but scifi or simplified is cool too if. Not critical that it's a mbt, support vehicles are cool too. Gearbox quality is important, because I had so many problems with the Tamiya one off the Sherman.

Anyone have advice on a rc build that is like ~4 weeks to running? I don't mind some diy and I can print FDM, but we're talking about investing 80-100 hours for something fun to run thru the mud.

# ? Mar 28, 2024 14:08

ColonelJohnMatrix: Jun 24, 2006; Because all fucking hell is going to break loose

Lord Ludikrous posted:

Thank you! If you�re experienced with R/C cars and are more comfortable building at a larger scale you should consider getting into R/C tanks. They aren�t the cheapest thing on the planet but they�re rewarding projects that offer a chance to really make it your own. You can get out as much as you put in, and some opt to go super duper accurate down to the most minute details, while others are happy to get them working to a decent standard out of the box and go plowing through some mud somewhere. There�s a number of companies that produce them but there are four main ones that you�ll commonly see:

Tamiya � The original and many would say the best, but with an astronomical price tag and hard to get hold of. The electronics are also somewhat dated but at least can be swapped out with something newer. Needs to be fully put together from scratch, and is comprised mainly of plastic with metal reinforced chassis. A huge range of WW2, cold war and modern tanks are available. Expect to pay around �700 for something like a Tiger 1, and over �1100 for a modern vehicle like an M1 Abrams.

Heng Long � Used to be cheap knock offs of Tamiya but have come a very long way over the last couple of decades and now boast the best electronics of the �out of the box� options. These are substantially cheaper than the other options and all come ready to run out of the box, complete with extra parts sprues, and waterless decals. Their latest versions have both airsoft and IR battle capability. Hulls and turrets are entirely plastic but varying options are available at different price points, such as completely plastic, metal sprockets and tracks, and metal sprockets, tracks and road wheels. By far and away the most popular and easy to work with, but some models suffer from accuracy issues, and some hulls don�t handle metal running gear very well. They offer a good variety of WW2 and modern vehicles, but cold war options are practically non existent aside from the T-72. An all plastic Tiger 1 is around �150, and the version that comes with metal tracks, sprockets and idlers is around �250. An all plastic T-72 is around �199 and one with metal tracks, sprockets and idlers is around �299.

Taigen/Torro � These sit between Tamiya and Heng Long in terms of pricing and are characterised by having all metal running gear, metal lower hulls, plastic upper hulls, and either plastic or metal turrets. Decent accuracy for the most part and very high build quality compared to the other options (except Tamiya). They also sell tanks fully painted and ready to run out of the box, or alternatively as unpainted kits for those willing and able to do it themselves and save a large chunk of change in the process. They also offer the unpainted versions without any electronics for those who wish to put the more advanced aftermarket options in. They have a decent variety of WW2 vehicles but no cold war options and the Leopard 2A6 is their only modern option. The only real downside is their electronics have fallen far behind Heng Long, and their tanks can either have IR or airsoft � not both. An unpainted Panther F can be had for �405, while the painted and RTR out the box version is �522.

Mato � These are about as expensive as Tamiya and are characterised by their all metal construction. Some prefer these as they add a nice amount of weight and inertia to the vehicle, but they are made from pot metal so hardly super high quality and quality control is flaky to say the least. Predictably they�re also very difficult to work on compared to plastic, and the significant extra weight is a strain on the gearboxes and batteries. The electronics are far behind all the other options. Personally, I wouldn�t. Expect to pay about �800 for a Tiger 1.

Most popular is Heng Long, followed by Taigen. Tamiya and Mato are much rarer due to the substantial price difference.

My particular Tiger started out as a Heng Long, but is the Ship of Theseus by this point and is all Taigen, except with the only remaining part of the original tank being the tow ropes on the left side of the hull, which are in the pipeline to be replaced. To get the best of both worlds I�m looking at getting the all plastic Heng Long M4 Sherman, and then mating the upper hull, turret and electronics with a Taigen metal lower hull and running gear. It does require some modification to work, so I�m not pulling the trigger just yet.

Lord Ludikrous posted an excellent primer on RC tanks so I'm reposting it for him.

# ? Mar 28, 2024 14:22

Dr. VooDoo: May 4, 2006

So I bought all the stuff to do scale monster models and was doing well at the first few stages but I ended up freezing up when it was getting into filling seam lines and eventually painting because I�m scared of messing up my models and it�s resulted in me stalling out now for nearly a year. Anyone else experience, I guess for lack of a better term, model hesitation because you don�t wanna gently caress it up?

# ? Mar 29, 2024 20:54

Raskolnikov38: Mar 3, 2007; We were somewhere around Manila when the drugs began to take hold

i have the opposite problem of charging in ahead, not liking how it turns out, and then redoing it until i need to rebuy the kit from the damage i've done

# ? Mar 29, 2024 20:57

grassy gnoll: Aug 27, 2006; The pawsting business is tough work.

Dr. VooDoo posted:

So I bought all the stuff to do scale monster models and was doing well at the first few stages but I ended up freezing up when it was getting into filling seam lines and eventually painting because I�m scared of messing up my models and it�s resulted in me stalling out now for nearly a year. Anyone else experience, I guess for lack of a better term, model hesitation because you don�t wanna gently caress it up?

Constantly. My backlog is gigantic because I'm psyching myself out, not because I'm not regularly in the mood to play with my toys.

The solution is to brazen it out, but ymmv on how easy that is to just do.

# ? Mar 29, 2024 21:21

Cthulu Carl: Apr 16, 2006

So after seeing this post:

spechtie posted:

The Kei Truck Garden Contest (2018)
The Japan Federation of Landscape Contractors organizes an annual landscaping contest, where landscaping contractors from around Japan arrive on site with their mini pickup trucks and then spending several hours transforming the cargo bed into a small garden.

... Uh, anyone know some good Kei truck kits? Asking for a friend.

# ? Mar 29, 2024 21:24

Chuck_D: Aug 25, 2003

Dr. VooDoo posted:

So I bought all the stuff to do scale monster models and was doing well at the first few stages but I ended up freezing up when it was getting into filling seam lines and eventually painting because I�m scared of messing up my models and it�s resulted in me stalling out now for nearly a year. Anyone else experience, I guess for lack of a better term, model hesitation because you don�t wanna gently caress it up?

100%

Almost every build is filled with that sort of hesitation. For me, it hits worst around filling seams and putting the base coat of paint down. As the other person said, the only solution is to power through it. 99% of the time it's not as bad as I make it out to be in my head.

# ? Mar 29, 2024 22:01

Warmachine: Jan 30, 2012

Cthulu Carl posted:

So after seeing this post:

... Uh, anyone know some good Kei truck kits? Asking for a friend.

When you find it, post it. I think I know what the next group build needs to be.

edit: Do it yourself you lazy git. Sadly, the thing seems discontinued.

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/tomytec-mc-008-suzuki-carry--1117713

Warmachine fucked around with this message at 22:32 on Mar 29, 2024

# ? Mar 29, 2024 22:25

Fearless: Sep 3, 2003; DRINK MORE MOXIE

Warmachine posted:

When you find it, post it. I think I know what the next group build needs to be.

edit: Do it yourself you lazy git. Sadly, the thing seems discontinued.

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/tomytec-mc-008-suzuki-carry--1117713

We could just pick a scale for pickup trucks and let everyone select the kit of their taste and let them fill the beds with the gardens of their dreams (or nightmares)

# ? Mar 30, 2024 07:55

Vaporware: May 22, 2004; Still not here yet.

ColonelJohnMatrix posted:

Lord Ludikrous posted an excellent primer on RC tanks so I'm reposting it for him.

Thanks! I'll stick with looking at Heng Long for now unless I can find a good deal on Tamiya.

Has the 1/35 RC stuff come along in the last decade? I know it was niche last time I looked. Bigger is easier to wire and maintain for sure

# ? Mar 30, 2024 15:50

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# ? Apr 27, 2024 12:19

some_admin: Oct 11, 2011; Grimey Drawer

Haaahaa gd there�s so much talent and patience in here it makes my brain hurt.

Meanwhile, I am currently suffering a fascination with RC helicopters and I don�t care for the fuselages.

But scale helicopter fuselages are either 1/expensive 2/made for large helicopters or both of these things.
I�m on the lowest tier of violently throwing money into the dirt and my helicopter(s) are tiny. (Blades are 110mm on this particular helicopter). After breaking the tail boom and using a bbq skewer to replace it, I realized I could do whatever I wanted lol.

So, I did what anyone else would do, off to Wikipedia! With Wagner in the back of my mind I printed out the orthographic drawing for UH-1 at 170% and glued it to some eps insulation.