get a few different types, for different stages of the sanding (from rough to smooth), and also for different places (flats surfaces, and tight corners)

sanding can be done actually, if you're after a flat finish, but make sure to do it right.

Check this out: http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=13689143

That zaku's finishing is done by just sanding, and is pretty well done too. Of course this means that the sanding work will need to be done slowly and progressively, so you wont leave any deep scratch marks that's difficult to remove with the finer sandpaper later.

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Added on October 20, 2007, 12:56 amYes and no. You usually don't sand after painting, but it also depends on what sort of effects that you want. Somebody had posted before a model with pretty nice weathering effects that's done via sanding the edges, but this' something that u'll want to do carefully though, so u only strip the top layer of paint to reveal the layer under, and not strip everything till the plastic

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Added on October 20, 2007, 12:57 amsuggested is to hand paint using acrylics, if you don't have an airbrush. Spray can velocity and spray volume is rather high, and you cannot adjust it, making it difficult to control for such precision work. Furthermore, it gets to be rather wasteful as well if u're working on small areas.

This post has been edited by fyire: Oct 20 2007, 12:57 AM

apply a layer of topcoat

a sanding stick is well, a stick used for sanding

not usually used for models, so you're not likely to find them in hardware or model supply shops. Rather, its something used for nail manicure purposes. something like this: http://www.esthersnc.com/nail-file.html

U can find them at phamarcies, or those shops that does beauty care supplies

Its battery powered, so I wont suggest getting it. The need to keep recharging is going to really get on your nerves in a while.

U can probly make do with an el cheapo airbrush to get started off, then get a better one later on, but for the compressor, its advisable to get a decent one at the start.

zippo fluid or turpentine. zippo fluid is faster drying, while turpentine dries slowly. so adjust accordingly depending on if u need your mix to dry quickly or slowly

from any hardware shop. a big bottle costs less than the small bottle of zippo fluid too but I keep both around lar..

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Added on October 29, 2007, 12:35 pmits generally a better idea not to add the retarder directly into the bottle. what u can do is to pour some amounts of paint that u need to use into a small empty bottle, and add the thinner and retarder into that instead if u dun wanna keep mixing. there may be time when u may need the paint to dry faster, and times when u need the paint to dry slower, depending on the kinda effects that u wanna achieve.

as for painting directly on the surface, its possible, but u'll need to apply in multiple thin coats. This is my approach for acrylics though, not sure about lacquers, as I've not hand painted lacquers.

This post has been edited by fyire: Oct 29 2007, 12:35 PM

I got mine from Ace's hardware. Cant remember the size now, but look for the smallest one there is. Its basically the same size as what I use to access the ram sockets on my powerbook.

here's a little tip for you then Never ever paint pure flat white and pure flat black, unless you've got all the time in the world to put on so many coats lar

If you're doing white, add a tiny drop of black into the mix (just enough to reduce the white by a tiny shade that its not really noticeable unless u really scrutinize it. This will help to strengthen the pigment.

Same goes for blacks as well. Add a tiny drop of white into the mix. While blacks do not require as many layers as white, doing this will make the result less prone to getting dirty.

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Added on October 30, 2007, 11:39 pmYes, those paints r acrylic. Rather heavy acrylic as well. I suggest thinning it down with a mix of water + alcohol. However keep in mind that acrylics tends to clog the airbrush like mad. Using acrylics, its just 5 minutes or less before it starts to clog, and I need to clear the nozzle, but I dont get that problem with lacquers.

If u want to use those for airbrushing, then plan your spraying. Don't spray for more than 5 minutes at a time, and clean your nozzle frequently.

This post has been edited by fyire: Oct 30 2007, 11:39 PM

Yup, that can do as well, although I use methylated spirits from the hardware shops. ratios, hard to say, as it depends very much on the color as well. But I use a 50/50 mix of water to alcohol when thinning for airbrushing. For hand brush painting, I use only water.

Well, that does happen. It'll help a lot if you're to use a primer. The hardest part about hand painting is to get the first layer to coat the plastic evenly, and then you cannot have it too thick too. Its only the second coat onwards that gets easier, and its only on the second coat onwards where the color really shows. On the first layer, you should still be able to see the plastic through the paint. I used to go till like 3 layers when hand painting acrylics.

Also, you can try adjusting your paint to water ratio accordingly.

If you find that mixing the paints helps better, then yup, that's one solution as well. Just remember to control your mix ratio so that you get the paint to handle better, but still have the color as what u want.

Another trick that I use is to use a 50/50 mix of Citadel with Tamiya. The tamiya mix will allow the paint to grip better on the surface, while the citadel mix will allow for a better finishing.

hehe well, the trick to painting white is never to use pure white always add a tiny drop of black into the mix, to bring it down to a very very very light gray (where u cant tell the diff via the naked eye). that helps a lot. this wont get dirty easily, but still appears more white than the MG destiny's gray color

for acrylics, not really, u can just thin using water. for lacquers, thinners are the only way to thin it down. Make sure that you get the right types of paints. acrylics are the ones with the flat cap, while lacquers r the ones with the mohawk looking caps. its a pretty common mistake to mix up the 2 when purchasing paint from mr hobby.

Me latest completed project. One of the classic fatboys






edit: argh.. just realized that I posted in the wrong thread...

VincC454, can help me move to the right one? Sorry ya? kinda late at night, and got careless...


This post has been edited by fyire: Nov 24 2007, 02:37 AM

A very very dumb thing happened when I was building me MG Destiny, and I lost a part. Was wondering if there's any kind sould here who's got a MG Destiny who's nice enough to pinjam me that missing part for a day or 2, for me to make an epoxy cast out of it?

The missing piece is A20

This post has been edited by fyire: Jan 8 2008, 11:40 PM

There's a trick to it, to prevent the corrosion. After mixing the 2 parts of epoxy putty together, don't apply right away. Let it harden slightly first. You'll need to experiment a bit on this, as you'll need it to be hard enough so that it dun attack the plastic, but still soft enough where you can press it into place.

When duplicating damaged or missing parts, dusting the part to be duplicated with baby powder before pressing it into the epoxy helps a lot too.

This will depend a lot on what sort of paint's used to cover the piece, and also the finishing of it. The trickiest bit will be to match the paint already on the figuring itself, so you wont get a splotch that's out of place. Hand brushing might be a bit tough to do.

Using an airbrush will be the easiest, although you may have to sand slightly at the spot that you want to spray over first to avoid the paint in that area getting too thick.

well, the trick to removing bubbles is to avoid having them in the first place Normally occurs when handpainting, and the brush splashes on the surface. Can be hard to avoid at times, so its very important to flatten them out with your brush before the paint dries. Otherwise you'll have to go and sand them away, and repaint that spot again.

Acrylics r more forgiving than lacquers, in the sense that its easier for you to strip off the paint and redo it again should you mess up big time. This can be rather useful especially if you're new to painting.

However one problem with acrylics is that the buildup of paint is thicker than compared to lacquers, and it don't adhere as well to the plastic compared to lacquers, so you may get paint scratching off at locations where parts rub against each other.

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Added on January 10, 2008, 9:22 pmThe flatness of the finishing actually depends a lot on the brand of paint too. Take vallejo acrylics for example, where you actually get ppl complaining about it being too flat

This post has been edited by fyire: Jan 10 2008, 09:22 PM

been using Mr Hobby. The most readily available ones. Mr Hobby has got both lacquers and acrylics, where the acrylics r the bottles with the flat caps, while the lacquers r the ones with the mohawk like cap. Make sure to get the right types, as its a rather common mistake to buy the wrong type by accident