tetsujin

Spray cans don’t give you a lot of control. Personally I find it challenging enough even to try to paint a part with spray cans without putting too much paint on and getting orange peel or drips. That said, I’m sure it’s possible, just as it’s possible to sculpt with a chainsaw.

Don’t know how you’re planning to paint it (spraycans, handbrushing, etc.) but one of the key things when applying any kind of paint is to get it to a good consistency, and not apply too much at once. When hand-brushing or airbrushing this means thinning the paint enough that it coats smoothly, fluid enough that irregularities in the initial…[Read more]

Model kits are made by injecting plastic into steel molds. The molds are usually two big halves that come together – “flash” occurs when the molds don’t fit together quite the way they should. Injected plastic is no longer confined to where it should be, and fills in some of the thin space between the mold halves, forming thin chips of plastic…[Read more]

I think hobbylink.tv has a problem that I see on a lot of sites:
Basically, they’re issuing some cookies for http://www.hobbylink.tv, rather than just hobbylink.tv. So if I navigate to “http://hobbylink.tv/activity” it’ll tell me I’m not logged in. If I log in, the software will succeed in logging me in, but my new login cookie will again be for…[Read more]

Between the MG and HGUC Dom, I’d say MG. HGUC seems like a pretty good kit, but HG’s usually take some short-cuts and don’t look quite as sharp. Among other things, the MG has a touch of asymmetry in the feet and legs that’s left out of the HGUC.
But if you can find it for a decent price, the 1:60 scale HY2M Rick Dom is a lot of fun. Thing’s a…[Read more]

He’s called “Lieutenant” Ral because that was Ramba Ral’s rank (well, Lieutenant or Captain depending on how you handle the translation). Also, I don’t think he knew “C”, he just knew that he was up to no good.

…And some of them (like the RG Gundam sheet) are kind of crap.

Mask and spray. I printed the logo on the printer (split across 4 sheets due to the size) then used that as a guide to cut the pattern out of frisket film. It was a fun little project but the cans of spray paint didn’t last long, so it turned out to be kind of a time-consuming process just due to the need to keep buying more paint

Not quite. It’s 144/100 scale

High Grade Build Strike (and hence, also the upcoming HGCE Aile Strike) actually does have a certain amount of “inner frame” inside the forearm. Not really made for decoration (as in MG kits) but more as a way to provide the color separation needed for the elbow and seamless assembly for the white parts of the forearm (the white areas of the…[Read more]

Dropping the parts in Purple Power for a day or two will probably do it.

Of course there are standards. There’s fire codes and building codes and rules for accommodating physical disabilities that all play into this stuff. Considering the purpose of a railing, it’s generally got to be something that a person can grasp with their hand. A railing like that one, holding on would take both arms. 🙂

Man that is one massive railing. It must be like 30cm thick in scale.

Nice trick with the monoeye. Seems like a really good use of the available space. Though with the clear peg angled the way it is, wouldn’t the amount of light coming out the lens vary depending on the direction the monoeye is pointed? (With the Kampfer’s limited range of monoeye movement it may not matter…)
I’d normally approach something like…[Read more]

I think a shiny clear coat is less about what product you use, and more about how well you polish it.
A “shiny” surface basically means you get really good specular reflections – that is from one viewing angle the surface will reflect light mostly from just one direction, like a mirror. That also means that minor imperfections in the surface of…[Read more]

Eh, people build what they wanna build, you know? But I’m really hoping for a good laugh out of this one. I do think somebody’s gonna be interested in it, just like the Valkyrie I brought last year.

Well I wouldn’t say I get that kind of reaction so much. I used to be part of the Granite State Modelers Club in New Hampshire and a friend of mine (also a Gundam and sci-fi modeler) used to be president of that club, I think that probably had a positive influence on them. My current club is the Patriots club in Massachusetts, and the experience…[Read more]

While I can agree on most points… There are some kits i’ve had to wait years to buy. There are some kits I’ve bought and not been able to buy again for years since. I take it as a given that any Gundam plastic model kit is going to be reissued at some point, but other lines, or kits from other manufacturers… Once they go they don’t always come back.