Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

Williamsburg here. Yeah, there's only two, and one is a HobbyTown (chain, which focuses more on RC stuff, but still has some good items). I can't say enough about Denbigh Hobby (it's in the SW corner of the intersection of Warwick (Rte 60) and Denbigh). While the SF selection may not be as great as ...

Paul Boyer from FSM did something similar. He used milliput, but what he did was to cover the main part with BareMetal foil. Built up the new part (IIRC, it was a new nose for an MH-53) and then could pop it off. It would probably be a good idea to warm the area a bit first, and not wait too long af...

OK, I'm using Vallejo to paint the Mercury capsule. The thing I can't say I like about them is the thickness. I've used both water and the Vallejo thinner, but the paint still seems way too thick and "spatter-y" It's hard to get a good even coverage. It does level out and thin on drying, b...

Yep - the problem is freshness. Opened CA tends to slowly grab on to anything atmospheric and start setting. I get around this by having staged bottles. A nice fresh thin, an fairly fresh thick, and the old bottle of thick. The old bottle of thick gets like you said - very rubbery - but is's great f...

Plastruct is our friend!

Kev

Another thing you might try is metal polish. The stuff you use for polishing brass and so forth. You can get a really nice shine if you go at it long enough, or it can darken the metal if you use it just a little.

Kev

I've used Future to pretty good effect - especially when the gloss coat is also Future. Slop a little bit down where you want the decal, lay it down and soak up most of the excess. As the Future dries it sucks the decal down pretty well. Another coat on top and that decal isn't going anywhere. Just ...

Could this be a surface inhibition of cure problem? I seem to recall that the catalysts can cause this between some resins/mold materials. Isn't one type of catalyst tin, and the other platinum? If I could say which one the Alumilite one was (I'd bet tin), try the other. Just what you wanted to hear...

Spraying from further away, the paint tends to dry a little before it hits the surface. This gives a slightly pebbly surface. It's this roughness that prevents fingerprint marks. A rough or matte surface doesn't show prints as much as a glossy one. To prevent marking it up, your best bet is to let i...

I've got the box a Canon printer came in just chock full of old parts. All leftovers from kits where there were spare parts, extra weapons, etc. I also save all the wee photoetch bits from detail sets, and he resin extras, too. In addition, I have gotten a couple of things just for detailing. The re...

Yes! I was wandering around the local one, and happened on the fly-tying section. All kinds of neat little bits and odds that can be useful in modeling. Examples: Lead wire. Like solder, but without rosin or acid cores. I got a six-spool pack of sizes ranging from 0.010" to 0.035". Perfect...

If you know someone with access to a lab, see if they can get you some pipette tips. These are the same kind of plastic as the tips sold in hobby shops, but come in different sizes for different volumes. I use the smallest I can get, and they fit right on the end of the CA bottle tip. I seal the tip...

Uh, yeah - very special type. I'll send you one for, mmmm Fift-, uh, one hundr- , I mean twelve thou..... ONE MILLION DOLLARS! Not, it's just the tan colored, natural rubber one. you can get them cheap at most office supply places (OfficeMax, Depot, etc), or any art supply place. ALso look around at...

Try an eraser. I've found that if the paint isn't on there too heavy, you can just erase the overspray. Again, do it carefully, and the paint should be pretty dry to prevent smearing. I know for certain it works with acrylics, and it should for enamels. I use one of those natural erasers (the tan tr...

For smaller bits, and awkward places (I think the edges of an X Wing s-foil count!), I use one of a couple of things, depending on scale involved. A piece of aluminum t-bar, a steel ruler, or a thick piece of brass strip - 1/16" or so. All are rigid enough to prevent any curving you get with a ...

Hey - works for me!

Kev

My vote went into the "voice" category. Whlie I haven't done any real work in this, I do have a couple of years' worth of theatre and forensics. I have also been told I've got an "excellent speaking voice" at a conference this past year. Plus, I always did voices as a kid, Mel Bl...