A-Wing newb build

Wow someones been shopping! ;)
Its hard to bend brass without creating a crease (allthough you could get a mini pipe bender....or have I just invented that??). It may be possible to keep the battery & switch (hidden) contained inside the model....then you could get some acrylic clear rod and bend it over a flame (leave it over a tea light candle not too close or it will smolder). Heres my x wing's that have bent clear rod:
http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/ae95/merseajohn/models/rear.jpg
 
Awesome base setup mate, is that the Death Star base tiles from Starship Modeler? I've been tempted to order some of them myself.

At the moment my circuit is running off 4 x AA batteries and is far to large to hide in the model.
I'm only running about 5 LED's, one of which flashes, so i expect i can run on less power but as i've said before circuit design is not something i've done for a very long time. I think even hiding 2 x AA batteries inside would be hard to do. :-/

Yeah that was quite an expensive shopping trip but i think it was worth it, i'm hoping to get good at modeling and get my money out of it. lol
 
Thanks mate, yes they are the death star tiles, great for bases, allthough easy enough to scratch your own, check out Scotts awesome base: 0121 - Space Base
If you dont want to go down the acrylic rod route you could create a small switch on the base hidden amongst greeblies etc (also the battery)?
And that shopping spree is great!! cant wait to see what you do with that falcon! And if you need tips on airbrushing just ask we are all here to help each other out!
 
@merseajohn. Thx for the vid link, yeah basing is gonna be interesting. Not got much idea yet what i'll do, had all sorts of ideas so far from the usual Death Star trench/surface base to asteroids to my personal favourite (but no idea how it could work :p) of flying through an exploding TiE flighter like in the battle scenes from the films!!!

Hmm just spent all afternoon trying to find this 'future/klear/pledge' floor polish you all use as a paint sealant.
I asked in Tesco, ASDA and Sainsburys and in all three the staff looked at me like i was from Mars.....ho hum have to keep looking, there must be somewhere around here where they sell it.

Any ways i started fitting the 'launchers' into the hull today, my first time using Milliput and i have to say it's not pretty but it seems to have done the trick.

IMG_1059.jpg

You can see the effect i'm after, i'll just have to sand it and fill in any small gaps with some Squadron white....hope that stuffs easier to use. Am i correct in saying you can thin Squadron putty with liquid cement?

IMG_1061.jpg

IMG_1062.jpg

Well i'm gonna leave this for about 24 hours to make sure its fully set, dont want it falling apart when i sand and drill it. ::) Luckily i've found some more panel lines on the tail section that need doing, yay ;D, so i've still got something to feed my modeling hunger.

Oh and the pilot fits into his cockpit now, he just has a slightly flat ass.....just dont tell his missus. ;-P

TTFN Matt
 
Excellent work, Matt. I really like those launchers, and don't worry about the little chubby pilot. He can be Porkins younger brother.

The stuff I got was called Pledge Multi Surface Floor Wax. Bit of a mouthful, don't know why they didn't stick with Klear. I'm not sure if that's what merseajohn is linked to, I can't open it.

However, I used some clear lacquer paints for my Maquis Raider and I think I prefer them to the Future.

Not sure about the liquid cement for thinning squadron. I know (thanks to Grendels) that acetone, or nail polish remover containing acetone, will thin it well.
 
Thanks guys it's always nice to get praise from the pro's. ;D

Now i have a face to go with the name. lol

Watch out supermarkets here i come. ;)
 
Oh, yeah, forgot to mention, I got mine in a small hardware shop, not a supermarket. It wasn't easy to find.
 
Well i just got the last of the panel lines done.....

IMG_1064.jpg

and the cockpit is all drilled out ready for the fiber optics.....

IMG_1065.jpg

This means i'm closing in on the part of the build i've been dreading........painting. :eek:

I fired up my airbrush for the first time today and all seems fine but the kit i ordered came with absolutly no guides on how to prepare and use paints. :-[
I have Tamiya acrylics i was going to use to paint the model with but i have no idea at the moment how to use them with the airbrush. I'm guessing they will need thinning but with what and to what consistancy? Also what air pressure works best for acrylics or is that more to do with the type of airbrush i'm using?

Guess while i'm waiting for the last lot of putty to set i'm in for a mega painting tips search online. ;D

Have a good weekend all.

TTFN Matt
 
This model is looking super mate, great stuff. Fibre optics all ready? wowzers! 8)
Tamiya paints are my first choice (mainly because that's about all my local hobby shop sells, that & humbrol enamels, but that's what I learnt with & prefer.). The good thing about Tamiya acrylics is they dry quick, which is great when practicing. I mix mine 50/50 (sometimes a little more heavy on the paint, I don't like it to 'wet') with tamiya thinners. It can be done with water but I prefer thinners. People say it should have a 'milky' consistency. I try to get a pretty low pressure going and mist it on (though being acrylic it drys in the air if not thinned properly and can give you 'dusty' results). It's all trial and error mate, get a bit of scrap and just practice untill your happy!
P.s make sure you get some airbrush cleaner and spray through your airbrush thoroughly. a dirty airbrush can realy hinder its performance. I keep a little left in the cup with the lid on aswell when I'm finished.
 
Thanks mate, my simple 'refresher' build turned into a little bit of a monster lol

I dont have any Tamiya thinners but i do have some Lifecolor or AK thinners, is it ok to mix makes? My local hobby shop only has a small selection of Humbrol paints.
As for airbrush cleaner i have three different types that came with the brush....airbrush cleaner, foaming airbrush cleaner and liquid reamer!

IMG_1066.jpg

Reamer i guess is for removing built up deposits but not sure what the diff between the other two is!

I'm gonna take your advice and get some plasti card and have a practice before letting loose on the model, it may seem like a waste of paint but think the practice will prove useful.

P.S. Just noticed it's 4am!!! Maybe i should change my nickname to 'Midnight Modeller' :p

P.P.S. These question may sound daft but all my painting experience in the past has been with Citadel acrylics which where cleaned and thinned with just tap water so my knowledge base for thinners, enamels and oil paints is zero. ::)
 
fubar, don't worry about posting in the middle of the night. I'm the worst for it! It's now 5.30am!!! I get up in the middle of the night and make some bleary-eyed posts. :)

Don't bother with plasticard for testing the airbrush. Just use some plastic bottles or some cardboard like from cereal boxes. They can be discarded, where the plasticard can come in useful.
 
Yeah what Igard said, I use cellulose thinners most of the time (when using enamel's) to clean my airbrush but iv picked up Vallejo's airbrush cleaner (for acrylic) and it works great that foams up quite a bit. A neat little tip is to hold some kitchen roll against the front of the airbrush and spray on full wack so the thinners fires back at the tip cleaning the nozzle. I would stick to the the brands thinners ie tamiya/tamiya acrylic thinners humbrol/humbrol enamel thinners (enamel's take far longer to dry, leave over night between coats). Remember you can't thin an acrylic with enamel thinners and via versa. There's loads of info over at the how to section. Looking forward to seeing you start!
 
OK thanks Igard and merseajohn, i'll order myself up some Tamiya thinners as i dont have any at the moment just AK/Lifecolor thinners, which will do in the short term.

What about varnishes, are there any brands you recommend more than others?
I've still had no sucess finding this Klear/Pledge stuff, spent all morning looking and it's no go at B&Q, Homebase, Robert Dyas or my local hardware stores so i guess i'm gonna have to get something from the hobby store. ::)

TTFN Matt

P.S. Picked up my ultra bright white LED's today, wait till you see the engines on this thing......bring sunglasses lol
 
As far as varnishes go I use humbrol acrylic varnishes from the spray can. http://www.humbrol.com/paints/modellers-spray-paint/ad6049-49-acrylic-matt-varnish-150ml-matt-modellers-spray/
Gloss, Matt and satin are all excellent from them. I always use a Matt varnish before applying any form of weathering. And then another coat after the weathering to 'lock' everything in. eBay may be your last resort in finding the klear. And looking forward to see those engines! (tamiya clear orange can make them great by the way) 8)
 
Thanks again mate, i just ordered some up along with thinners and some other paints i may need for my next project....may as well get my moneies worth out of the p&p i'm paying. ::)

Well i bit the bullet and started painting the cockpit and pilot, i noticed that the paint seemed to pool very slightly on the model. I did wash the whole kit in warm soapy water to remove any releasing agents still left on the sprues. Is that wrong or is there a better way to clean a kit prior to painting?
 
If the paint is 'pooling' it may be too wet (too much thinner). Or the pressure could be a little high, try 'misting' it on and build it up in layers. With regards to washing, I never bother washing a styrene kit only resin. Hope this helps.
J
 

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