definitely..

a pic tell a thousand words..

soaking in warm + detergent water don't help?

otherwise from wat i've read, a riskier method..
using masking tape and mask over the decal.. burnish the masking tape and peel.
chances of getting paint peel off will be there.
what is the paint brand used?

so unlucky la u vince..

but i'm curious why u wanna get samuel's one for unicorn.
bandai aftermarket one look's good wat.. or cannot get?

anyway.. do let us know if u found a method that works ...

Heard that gaia stuff and mr.color stuff are compatible.

shud be ok i guess. some times i oso topcoat several sub-assembled parts, just make sure moveable area/hidden are sprayed too.

there's an airbrush thread.. go read there.
otherwise search "airbrush" in this thread, it's been mentioned few times i guess..

fren tried d, but they got a few thinner series, which i yet to find out which suits best...
their levelling thinner equivalent to gunze(i think it's known as brush master lac thinner) seems cheaper though

put superglue and do fix-pose la lol..

j/k..

u may use those thick-superglue, put a few drop along the male peg, once dry u will have irregular humps/bumps. those bumps will act as "extra" body to tighten the moving joints.

or apply thin super glue as thin layer on the whole male peg (too risky), but sometimes it becomes too tight i'm afraid the joint might break when u try to move it around later.

z3r0717 is correct, but i mean superglue oso got thick/viscous and thin (watery) type.

thick type usually in small metal tube is thick type.
thin type are those usually packed in plastic bottle (u can see the superglue inside the bottle flowing like water, it's very watery)

steadyhia..
yes.. like wat z3r0717 has said.. either ur thinning is too watery or ur pressure too high.
either thin less or lower down ur pressure or spray from farther distance.
after testing a few times u should know better..
for the water/paint spitting, always have the habit of pressing trigger at blank point then only aim at ur plastic. usually the 1st press is where paint spits.


jenkins.. this kinda question no need to ask..
try it and u'll get an answer immediately...

---

Added on February 16, 2009, 11:24 amwhich alternative u r looking for?
213 is stainless
218 is aluminum

1) are u refering alternative as in other material?
use real steel or aluminum la j/k

2) brand?
try tamiya or alclad II or gaianotes (dun ask me the website, i forgot)

3) alternatives color?
there's so many other color even in Gunze's Mr.metallic series, others that look convincingly like metals are chrome silver, dark iron

u can actually browse for paint that offers natural metal finishes, black magic powder.. etc..

This post has been edited by erh_teo: Feb 16 2009, 11:24 AM

can.. of course anything can be use.. the only thing is ur prefernce of the "metal effct" u want

simple question with tough answers to follow..

material u can use for parts lengthening:
1) pla-plate (plastic card)
2) bondite (epoxy putty)
3) polyester putty (mori mori, tamiya)

can browse here for the product info..

http://www.hobbiescorner.com/index.php?cPa...&sort=2a&page=2

http://mgs2u.com/forum/37265/

tutorials:

http://plamo.outthere.info/forum/showthread.php?tid=432

http://z3.invisionfree.com/Zero_G/index.php?showforum=42

hope it helps..

depends.. some guy i know.. (ahem ahemm.. he's reading).. didn't paint hidden parts.. so it's more paint conserving..

a fren of mine told me if u use ur paint wisely.. a bottle of mr.color will last him for 3 armor tanks.

for mg.. depend area coverage of that color.
it's rili tough to judge from the info u mention..

ok.. i'll give some examples:
a bottle of primer (40ml) should last for average mg (say rx-78) for up to 3-4 kits

how u paint oso counts:
eg.
1) u painted underneath of armor?
2) internal frame u painted piece by piece or paint sub-assembled parts
3) how many layers/thickness?
4) did u wasted many paint during AB preparation/ unused paint/ washing brush/handpiece/paint tray.. etc

you are so funny man

z3r0717 for the spendid advise and explanation.


as for yiha..
u r asking thinning paint for brushpainting or airbrushing?
for airbrushing is usually thinner:paint 65-50%:34-50%
u need to adjust urself as diff ppl tend to have diff preference..

microscale's microset (equivalent to mr.mark setter) & microsol (mr.mark softer). try online hobby store.
apart fr xlshop, can try contact multifilla, iirc they do postage.
http://www.multifilla.com/Contact.htm

mixing ratio shud be lesser than for airbrush, i'm not too sure wt the ratio.
u shud thin the paint "thin" enough for u to brush the paint without much restriction (not viscous).
bear in mind the 1st layer should be ugly as u will end up wt patches of deeper and lighter.
u have to repeated paint the layer (allow drying per layer) until the whole thing doesnt show patches.
to have one layer painted in one solid color will require thick paint thinning, which will definitely show ugly brush strokes.

just thin it until u find it's easy to paint.
the paint thinner is better than thicker.
u need repeated 4-6 layer to get a nice paint job done

when i'm thinking where to get a video demonstrating pla-plating technique..
i was thinking to myself..
who the hell would be doing that man
seriesly.. pla-plating techniques are nothing more than cutting pla-plate, gluing pla-plates, removing joint seams and glue marks.
the rest are design issues like what size and shape to cut, where to put, etc...
all which the mentioned steps need to do pla-plating techniques are in fact the basics of modelling..

okay.. honestly speaking.. and no offense to everyone here that is going to venture far from doing OOB (out-of-box) stuff..

let me comment abit about non-OOB build (that is modifying ur kit, adding detailing stuffs, etc)..

whether u are doing a gundam, a mecha or any plastic injection kit, it's a modelling hobby.
u can't run away from doing the basics like proper cleaning kit parts (that includes cutting, sanding and correcting any fault or flaw on that kits), gluing parts, cover/removing seamlines, and painting it.
those that which are part of the basic steps to modelling are also applied to when you are doing something non-OOB like kitbashing, using after-market resin parts/conversions, adding koto-parts, metal, pla-plate, putty, and other detailing stuffs.

u are doing to deal with alot of test-fitting, covering mistakes/holes/gaps/seams and cutting marks which are part of the basics such as cutting/sawing, gluing parts, sanding.

if u still glue/cementing parts and the glue mark showed in the painted kit, u have probably not mastered the basics
if u sand ur parts but it still showed in the painted kit, u have probably not mastered the basics
if u cover seamline and sand it but the "filled area" still showed up in the painted kit, u have probably not mastered the basics
if u primed ur kit but u didn't check for errors, u have probably not mastered the basics
if u painted ur kit and it look terrible with paint crack, peeling, orange peel and rough pebbly surfaces, u have probably not mastered ur basics

yet this are the basics many do not seem to follow (or just too lazy to follow )
no matter how complicated or "canggih" you have modify your kit but it lack some skills.. i believe even a passerby (laymen) will think a nextby OOB kit that has been properly constructed and painted will attract his/her interest more.

asking where and how to use/buy certain materials (pla-plate, detailing stuff and tools) is often helpful as not everyone is equiped with the right resources to start their modelling hobby.
same goes with how you guys get ur inspiration, from who and where, etc.
i can say, it's all there in the internet. it's unlimited.
dengeki hobby is also helpful.
in fact i don't mind sharing this as many of the forumers here have been sharing nice nice works oversea with poison pictures in this forum section.

but asking how to mod a kit.. how to answer

most importantly, i think most of the people probably have learned all the basics.
it's useless i'm going into great length here as learning and applying what u have learned are TWO different things.
i learn more than i need to know when i started modelling and still i'm still learning that it's more important to put that what u've learn into practice.
if u want to build something nice, think of the things that u've learn in the past, have u perfected it?
if yes, then it's time to move on.
if no, do more models lor



ps: if moderator thinks i'm going OT, please remove my comments.
thanks..

thank's rayloke for the compliment..

actually.. it was the urge to modify kits that keep me working back on my basics.. and i'm still learning how to improve..

i know it's hard to persuade somebody new in the hobby to do basics.. coz basically it's boring..

it's just like somebody who play those video game in the arcade, why usually the champion who signed their name their got the 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and so on..
coz they have been playing the "same game" for so long and so many times..

in modelling.. there's no magic..

only two things:
1) technique
2) practice

i'm afraid u really need a circular cutter or a hole puncher for a perfectly round disc.
david has mentioned that cutting with a template is another choice but it need practice too.
u can get those plastic template with round hole that u can get from stationary shop (to draw circles of diff sizes).
use a compass needle to slow draw the shape out, keep repeating it until the circle come out from the plastic sheet.

if u are talking about making metal disc.. i'm afraid u need the knowledge of photo-etching..

both oso can.
usually apply in the end, coz apply too early u may scratch it or u feel u missed painted certain parts.
apply last stage is best.

yalor.. but neverbind la.. u already got ur answer liao ma..

just for u man!
1) i believe there's 1 or 2 thread selling airbrush set under garage sale. go find it.
it's been mentioned few times in this thread, click post by this member (it's right upper corner in my post)
or try davelcm, rayloke or any that u find normally replying in this thread. their reply usually helpful.

2) i heard the handpiece is good for wide area spraying (topcoat and primer), quite limited for fine works.
the compressor is really a small type not intended for heavy-duty use. heats up easily and each working time not more than 30mins.

3. can. best to apply to seamline or narrow gap. big gap (bigger than a peanut) try bondite, polyester putty.

4. cheaper of course got, but my advise go for mr. surfacer (1000 or 1200). it's the best to be used honestly.
u use industrial one sometimes it's too strong can damage to plastic, it's too thick oso, u must master the spraying from can to avoid loosing of surface details.

shadowmorning, pla-plate can get from tkting. go pm him.

steiner, no problem dude.
by the way, as for a beginner for painting gundam kits, i got few advice.
if u plan to paint small parts/area, ur best is to hand paint.
u can use water-based type as mistakes can be easily corrected with window cleaner. worse case strip with window cleaner oso no problem as window cleaner has no effect wt plastic and primer.

if u use mr.color (solvent based) and enamel (enamel thinner or turpentine), screw up could means paint stripping. ur only options are hobby thinner (industrial thinner will melt plastic), or brake oil and the process is troublesome.

if u intend to paint the main armor (let say sinanju, red).
my best advice is to either leave the plastic as it is or paint with can spray preferably hobby can spray.
if u leave the plastic unpainted, u may stil topcoat with mr.topcoat (try avoid mr.super clear can spray as it's solvent base), if u screw up can oso remove with either window cleaner or methylated spirit (can get from ACE or most hardware).
of course, spraying with hobby can spray is usually very easy.
the key is to avoid over spray.
usually when we spray we tend to "wet the whole plastic with paint".
it's very risky. unless u want a glossy finishing, u need to do a wet spray (wet the whole plastic with paint).
industrial can spray is notorious to easy over paint as the flow is stronger and the paint is also thicker.

just get some can spray (hobby and industrial), try out on some scrap plastic on various way of spraying and u've soon be familiar with it.
trust me, can spray is easier to master than handpaint.


also, it's adviced to wash ur kit parts just before painting, no point washing the whole runner becoz during assembly and cutting process, it's where u make the plastics dirty.



as for topcoating, the concept is same with spraying with can spray.
if u spray on assembled kit, make sure certain parts is bend again (joint) to recieve the dosage of paint.
or paint the parts in sub-assembly, plan ahead lor.

almost welcome.
for the clear parts dipping, i heard some model aircraft guys dip in 50% thinned clear paints for tinting canopies.
u might wanna try to thin ur clear green (is it clear green coz i'm OO noob) wth 50% acrylic thinner. dip it, lay on a piece of tissue towel to soak excess paint.
may need to repeat 2 to 3 times to get a nice tint.
that way u won't risk having ugly streaks from brush painting.

tamiya?
good.. buy their thinner.
u may try methylated spirit or rubbing alcohol, it dissolves tamiya paint.
water works too, with some small small small addition of dish detergent.
but u need to try out wt tamiya own thinner, compare the results of using other thinner.
if it's acceptable, carry on.
if u keep having trouble, means just wack wth tamiya thinner. save all the problem and fuss.