Post Your Models!

[net_sailor]

Vince, in Poland we use special silicone rubbers to make a mould:
Chemical Plant "Polish Silicones" Ltd.
For moulds filling use an Axson F19 resin. This is the same resin used by CMK and Aires (unforunately available in large packs only). Cheaper solution is using a glue based on epoxy resin, but glue is much dense, so vacuum chamber is necessary to remove the air pockets from the mould.

 

[Vince57]

Thanks net_sailor; I already use silicon paste to make some moulds, but I need some that would support filling up with resin. And at the moment, I only have GTS resin that I use for simulating water, but it turns into a clear and very stiff material when drying, probably not the best for casting spareparts.
I've taken down your advices and guess I'll have to do some experiments.

Der Adler; to make your own spareparts, you first need to make a master, that is a primary version of your parts in solid plastic. You need to cut and sand the master until it has the correct shape.
Then, it depends on what you need to do: for canopies, make a negative print of your master with modelling plaster, then vacuform the canopy: heat a sheet of clear acetate and press it between the master and negative mould.
For other spareparts: make a negative mould with silicon paste or rubber from your master, then fill the mould either with melted plastic (use sprue and trichlorethylen as a thinner) or with resin. But resin heats when drying so the mould needs to be heat-resistant while remaining flexible to ease un-moulding of the parts.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Cool thanks for the info.

 

[Vince57]

To make a vacuformed canopy for an aircraft that comes with a thick clear plastic canopy, you can just use this original canopy as a master.
I advice to keep the windscreen portion of the plastic canopy to simulate thick armored glass (or rebuild it from thick clear plastic; 1mm @ 1/72nd scale makes a 72mm armored glass)

 

[Matt308]

Alright. Here goes nothin'. And compared to you guys, I do mean "nothin".

Most of these models are almost 30yrs old. They have seen better days and are in need of a good dusting. They have been through multiple moves, been boxed in tissue paper and suffered from two younger boys. They are the remnants of my once vast collection of Airfix, Revell, Monogram, Hasegawa, and other kits. These are only about a tenth of what I once owned and had hanging on my ceiling as a kid.

 

[Matt308]

God they look even worse posted.

Here's some more.

 

[Matt308]

...and more dust.

 

[Matt308]

The last one is a russian stealth reconnaisance jet with dust sniffers. Obviously they are full and it is returning to base for sample evaluation.

More...

 

[Matt308]

I wonder if my son has asthma.

more...

 

[Pisis]

Wow, very nice models! But that's like 5 kilo of dust! I'm not surprised Bush rejected to sign the Kyoto Protocol!

 

[Matt308]

I have him locked in my house somewhere. He wants to sign, but he can't find the door.

 

[Vince57]

Oh yes, the only solution to keep models from dust for a long time is a showcase. Dust even manages to find its way through holes between showcase parts. I had a friend who was building individual plexiglass boxes for each kit; I guess he kept them in good condition.

By the way, a good tip if anyone wants to disassemble kits and rebuild them:
put the parts in Lockheed car brake fluid: it doen't do any harm to plastic (even clear parts) but all paint will gently go away after a few days. Then you need to carefully wash the parts with soap and water cos the brake fluid is very greasy, and you can rebuild the kit.

 

[Matt308]

Great tip. Would never have thought of that one. I would have thought that break fluid would have turned the plastic into an unrecognizable blob.

 

[Wurger]

Yes it is a good tip.I use myself the R-3 break fluid which is easy of access in all shops with car accessories and gas stations in Poland.But my experience says that it is better to test a piece of plastic from a kit frame and the fluid.The Italeri plastic tends to swell up ,for instance .Especially when it's been in the fluid for a long time.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Hmm did not know you could do that, cool.

 

[Le Stuka]

This is my Johnny Johnston Spitfire Mk IX, probably the best model I've made! I've just finished my Heinkel He 170, about to my Brewster Buffalo in RAF colours.

 

[Vince57]

Yes I noticed that with Italeri plastic;
What turns plastic into an 'unrecognizable blob' (LOL) is trichlorethylen; pretty hard to find now here. But I use to make plastic paste that way to fill up silicon moulds for part scratch-building. After a few days the paste turns back to solid and you can unmould your parts.

 

[loomaluftwaffe]

After working on a few models, I've decided to work on a big one now (I'll paint it when i get a more detailed airbrush)
it's a Revell Ju-290 in 1/72 scale

 

[Wurger]

Look good Looma.What camo do you want to paint?

 

[Wayne Little]

hey Looma thats one big bird! I have the Bv222 from Revell to build and that is a big mother also. The problem with these big kits is where to put them once they are done. How was the build on the 290 did it go together well? These latest Revell kits are real nice kits.