scale models

[Vigilante]

LOL thanks, Blowhard. I have plagued this group for years with my rocket ship models and I thought I'd give 'em a break, but if you like the old one I'll put it back up!

BTW I actually won a *CASH PRIZE* with a pic made using this model - ten big ones!!! Of course, I immediately informed my daughter, an honors student at the San Francisco Academy of Art, that I was now a "pro" and would be glad to give her pointers any time she likes!

[adlabs6]

Ah yes the red rocket. It's a classic I think. Still, I had intended to comment this evening on how great that Go229 skin looked. Very striking skin.

Congrats on winning the prize as well. Now you're a real pro! Good looking image you submitted. The starfields are pretty nice looking, interesting plugin that I've never seen before. I was thinking last month about attempting to paint some starfields in PS after getting into a bit of astronomy with a telescope I picked up in late October. I may have to give that a try soon.

[Vigilante]

It's a great little plugin; it incorporates many very convincing effects for astronomical subjects, and the creators are super-nice people. For making planets, the best plugin I've seen is "Lunar Cell" by Flaming Pear - It's a quantum leap above anything I've seen before. Download the demo and I bet you'll play with it for hours and might well have to buy it!

Thanks for the comment about the GO-229, ads - I had to work a bit on that one but I thought it turned out pretty good. I'll post some pics of it in the IL2 skins thread.

And if the sun ever comes out I'll gonna post some model pics.

[1.JaVA_Platypus]

That spaceship of yours, Vigilante, makes me wonder about my childhood. Haven't we all dreamed of exploring outer space in suchs vehicles? Meeting ET's conversating with them or making war, whatever It is really nice indeed. The simplicity and the beauty


But anyways, to bring this on-topic again, I build scale models myself. Mostly 1:48 and I want it to be as correct as it can be. I mustr be the only one who is using (hairy, not airy ) brushes in the world exclusivly. Sometimes it shows in my models. My MiG-3 has received some 6(!) layers of white and a few red before I was satisfied. This model made me almost quit this hobby. I've build quite some objects over the years but, I am now focussing on Aircraft that where flown by the Dutch (air force, naval aviation service, East Indies AF, you name it) Some pics:

[BLOWHARD]

Looks good JaVA Believe it or not, there is a small, but proud group of brush painters still out there.
As long as you have fun building them and looking at them afterward, the rest doesn't matter

[Vigilante]

Good looking airplanes, especially for brush work, Platypus! I often use brushes for lack of a quality airbrush and I know how hard it is to get good results.

I often make wargame models out of whatever junk is at hand - this one was made of paper, pieces of a cardboard shipping box, attic insulation, PVC pipe, spent .22 shells, balsa scrap, piano wire, a golf tee, and God knows what else. It was great fun!

[adlabs6]

Great work guys. Vig that's a neat model for scratchbuilding. (I image searched HMS Insufferable and guess who I find... )

I too am a brush painter, when I paint. Here's my last few models, built about three years ago now. The largest bike is a Yamaha DragStar Classic built from 8X11 note card paper. The yellow bike is a Honda MotoCompo, same card paper. They are printed on the stock, with acryilc paint detailing. The red racer is Kenny Roberts Yamaha by Tamiya, all brush painted with acrylic craft paints.

[Vigilante]

Those look great, ads - I didn't notice that two of the bikes were paper until you metioned it! Card models are great fun to build and don't require any more care in handling than plastic models do. And, as your collection shows, the results are equally pleasing.

I'm surprised at the results you obtained with the craft paints. I use acrylics, too, but I've always used the expensive, brand-name stuff on the assumption that it must be better because it costs more. But I've heard from a lot of people that get good results with the craft paints, and I think I'll give 'em a try.

BTW my daughter just bought herself a little Yahaha scooter for buzzing around San Francisco in, and it's all I can do to resist seeing what one of those rascals goes for these days.

[Vigilante]

What the heck, here's one more scratchbuilt - still designed more as a toy than as a scale model, but incorporating more realistic elements.

[adlabs6]

Indeed those card models are stout, glued with ordinary Elmer's Glue All. Really surprised me as I feared they'd be more suseptible to damage when I started, but the geometeric folds and curves give the card stock much greater strenght.

The paints I used were by "Plaid", and I got them at Wal-Mart for about 47 cents each. Just a few dollars and I had bought one of each color on the rack! Black and white go fast for me, so I bought the bigger bottles of that. A pic of the brand I bought is below, incase you see them at the store.

I can't say how these stand up to more expensive paints, I've never used anything else on models (except Testors bottled enamels... arg!). Back when I built more models I wanted to try the Tamiya acrylics, but never found any where I shopped, and never went to the trouble to mail order.

One thing I found, thoes craft paints don't seem to do well when "picture" painting. Those $5 Liquitex tubes have been better for that, but I only bought a black and white tube of that to experiment on some canvas paper.