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Post by Joel_W on Apr 19, 2020 5:36:25 GMT -8
Joel, I have 16 of the 1/12th scale kits. 13 of them came from Japan. Nice people, never a problem, better prices, fair shipping costs and up until recently 2-3 week delivery. What more could you ask for? Moto Hobby is my favorite but the others are good too. Paul, I've been dealing with Spot Model from Spain, and while they have a fantastic selection, the shipping is getting worse and worse. I make sure that I never order paints, or any flammable materials from them, just models, decals, and PE. My last order of a month ago was one model, and window masks. They wanted nearly $50 to ship it via UPS, or $30 by Fed Ex. Their regular shipping postal service to postal service was $8 but takes literally a month, but the tracking works. The last shipment shipped 3/25 was last scanned 4/1 and never seen again. I can't see any sense in spending $60 for a model and supplies, and then $50 to ship it. What I don't understand is that my orders from Gravity of Spain ships DHL for a 1/3 the amount, and I get it always in 3 days. Going to checkout Moto Hobby's now. Joel
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Post by Joel_W on Apr 19, 2020 5:40:33 GMT -8
Chris, their Hot Sauce was just my way of saying the correct manufacture's own thinner. I was referring to Zero 1K Gloss clearcoat. What I really like about Mr. Color is that the Gloss clear is a true lacquer, thins perfectly with their # 400 leveler thinner, and it's available almost everywhere. What I don't like is that it only comes in 10ml bottles, so I buy it 6 bottles at a time and it costs more that way. Tamiya TS-13 is a rattle can. So when you decant it, you're paying for the can, and the propellant, but not needing either of them. Plus decanting requires letting it gas off for quite some time. Tamiya does make a full range of Lacquer based paints as well as a full range of enamel paints, but so far they haven't brought them into the USA due to labeling issues. You can buy them from Spot models and HLJ. I rarely do any shopping on ebay these days as the prices are truly insane. Kits currently in online stores like HLJ and Spot are listed for a lot more plus way to much for shipping. When I'm looking for a discontinued or out of date model, I post it here, and I've always gotten one in perfect condition. Joel I get Mr Color lacquers at scalehobbyist for a great price and they thin down quiet a bit. I've figured out that it is cheaper to use Mr. Hobby that to decant Tamiya Sprays. I've heard that some time soon Tamiya will have their bottled lacquers available in the US. I get Mr Color for about $2.50 a bottle. Scalehobbyist has a default $8 shipping charge but it didn't increase as I added much more to my order. What are the shipping charges at Spot Models? Chris, as I said, decanting hobby paint from a rattle can is the most expensive way to go. I've been holding my breath for nearly a year for Tamiya to print labels for both their lacquer and enamel lines, but so far they haven't seen the need to do so. So it's Mr. Color as my general go to lacquer paints. As for Scalehobbyist.com, it's only a few states just north of me. I do buy cars from them when they have something new that I'm interested, but they don't carry Beemax, Nunu, or Platz which are really hot right now with new kits. Joel
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Post by jchrisf on Apr 19, 2020 5:41:39 GMT -8
ibuildscalemodels, Great offer. It's really appreciated. But all but one of my LHS have closed years ago. The only one that's open really isn't that local, and is stuffed to the gills with RC stuff. Plenty of models from years past. The place is so jammed that you can't walk down the few isles if there is someone else in it. What I keep on looking for is a really good online resource that carries the type of car models that we build, not just AMT, MPC, Revell, etc. Joel I'm able to get most of my Mr Color products from Sprue Brothers. I've also bought paint and kits from Amazon and eBay. If you shop around, there are still deals to be had on both sites. Joel, I haven't found any really good sources for our types of models, other than Spot Model, Hiroboy, and BNA Model World. I regularly get good deals from Japanese shops on eBay, often with free shipping, if you don't mind waiting a month for your order. HobbyLink Japan has some good prices, too. For clear coats, I haven't had any trouble with decanted TS-13. Just spray it on in light coats. A guy in my local club uses a 1" foam brush to apply Future Floor Polish to his car models. They look absolutely amazing. The finish is comparable to those some of the other guys have spent hours polishing and waxing the old fashioned way. He doesn't polish anything afterwards. He just brushes it on and then lets the body sit under a cover for a couple of days. The first time he showed one of his Futured car bodies, we thought he was playing a joke on us. The finish was that good. I'm planning to try it on an old Monogram TR-7 I've been tinkering with. I'll report back if/when I get around to it. Ben Ben, I'm glad to hear you have success with decanted TS-13. I'd also be curious to see how you do with that Future process but I'd be afraid it would yellow over time? The best online prices on our models I've found is Plaza japan. I had a $200 order with about 14 models in it and they averaged $22 per Tamiya model with shipping and all racing kits. The ones I picked ranged from $16 to $22 a piece and this included motorcycle kits. The F1 cars are sold out but some were $15. I think they have had to upgrade shipping while the pandemic is going on so it might be a little more now but last time I used the basic shipping and got my package in a week to week and a half I believe. Their prices have gone down since I last bought from them two years ago. Ebay prices have gone up since I last bought there..
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Post by jchrisf on Apr 19, 2020 5:42:08 GMT -8
Joel, I have 16 of the 1/12th scale kits. 13 of them came from Japan. Nice people, never a problem, better prices, fair shipping costs and up until recently 2-3 week delivery. What more could you ask for? Moto Hobby is my favorite but the others are good too. I searched and couldn't find Moto Hobby?
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Post by Joel_W on Apr 19, 2020 5:45:45 GMT -8
Ben, I use to use Pledge for all my gloss coating back in my aircraft days. Leveling can be an issue if you apply to much. By brush it goes on thick, so it will quickly fills any recessed panel lines. I do still use it to gloss my tires. Works great for small applications, and will never yellow.
Joel
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Post by jchrisf on Apr 19, 2020 7:19:19 GMT -8
Got the body repainted and it turned out much nicer this time thanks to the valuable tips I received from all of your here. I tested my paint mixture/spray pattern/psi on a plastic soda bottle until I got it dialed in and then switched to the car. It's still not perfect but about 3/4s the way there. I think I am going to leave it like it is and decal it when the paint is ready.
Got some bled through on my windshield when I painted the black molding with the included mask. How can I remove that safely without scratching or messing up the windshield? I was thinking of putting a mask over the good area and waxing the bled through area.
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Post by Joel_W on Apr 19, 2020 7:47:05 GMT -8
Chris, Excellent progress. Now the key is don't switch but rather refine your technique. Whatever paints you used for primer and color, stick with. Remember that it's always a lot easier to add another coat then deal with the effects of to much paint per coat. So what paints, psi, etc. did you work with?
As for removing bleed through on glass, a toothpick works wonders, and leaves no marks. You'll be surprised at just how easy it is to get a straight line.
Joel
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Post by arcticwolf on Apr 19, 2020 7:47:21 GMT -8
Joel, I have 16 of the 1/12th scale kits. 13 of them came from Japan. Nice people, never a problem, better prices, fair shipping costs and up until recently 2-3 week delivery. What more could you ask for? Moto Hobby is my favorite but the others are good too. I searched and couldn't find Moto Hobby? www.ebay.ca/str/motohobbyjp
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Post by jchrisf on Apr 19, 2020 9:13:30 GMT -8
Chris, Excellent progress. Now the key is don't switch but rather refine your technique. Whatever paints you used for primer and color, stick with. Remember that it's always a lot easier to add another coat then deal with the effects of to much paint per coat. So what paints, psi, etc. did you work with? As for removing bleed through on glass, a toothpick works wonders, and leaves no marks. You'll be surprised at just how easy it is to get a straight line. Joel Joel, I'm using strictly Tamiya paints and kits right now building straight by the instructions. I figure if I am using exactly what Tamiya is telling me to use then it will not be the material/supplies that is messing me up. I'll keep building Tamiya kits with their paints until I get enough experience to break out on my own a little. I just checked and the next Tamiya kit I plan to build (Castrol Toyota Tom's Supra GT), I have all the paints I need. I think I was using 25 PSI. I tried that toothpick tip and it worked pretty good... good enough for me.. I'll try to do better next time... I just need more experience and I'm sure I'll have much more of that after a few more Tamiya kits. Thanks Artic!
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Post by Joel_W on Apr 19, 2020 10:57:40 GMT -8
Chris, You can also mask the glass with detacked Tamiya tape and lightly apply it. Then run the toothpick right along the edge. You should get a pretty sharp line when you lift the tape off.
Nothing wrong with Tamiya paints. I've used them till I found Mr. Color and then Gravity/Zero/MCW paints as they're all basically straight lacquer base. The Tamiya paint is an acrylic Lacquer, not a water based paint. Mix it very well, use a mixing bowl not your AB color cup. Thinner 1st, then the paint. 1:1 for light colors and 2.:3 for darker colors is a good starting point. I AB it at a flow rate of 16-18 psi. There's no real difference as the basic regulators aren't that accurate. Practice lite even coats. You'll be a pro in no time.
One thing we never really discussed, and that's the proper way to clean you AB after each use. It only takes a little dried paint on the needle or in the nozzle to cause all sorts of weird things to happen.
Joel
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Post by ibuildscalemodels on Apr 19, 2020 11:02:33 GMT -8
The best online prices on our models I've found is Plaza japan. I had a $200 order with about 14 models in it and they averaged $22 per Tamiya model with shipping and all racing kits. The ones I picked ranged from $16 to $22 a piece and this included motorcycle kits. The F1 cars are sold out but some were $15. I think they have had to upgrade shipping while the pandemic is going on so it might be a little more now but last time I used the basic shipping and got my package in a week to week and a half I believe. Their prices have gone down since I last bought from them two years ago. Ebay prices have gone up since I last bought there.. I find hlj.com, banzaihobby.com and 1999.co.jp to have the best prices in general.
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Post by jchrisf on Apr 19, 2020 14:06:48 GMT -8
The best online prices on our models I've found is Plaza japan. I had a $200 order with about 14 models in it and they averaged $22 per Tamiya model with shipping and all racing kits. The ones I picked ranged from $16 to $22 a piece and this included motorcycle kits. The F1 cars are sold out but some were $15. I think they have had to upgrade shipping while the pandemic is going on so it might be a little more now but last time I used the basic shipping and got my package in a week to week and a half I believe. Their prices have gone down since I last bought from them two years ago. Ebay prices have gone up since I last bought there.. I find hlj.com, banzaihobby.com and 1999.co.jp to have the best prices in general. I'll have to check those places out again. I actually find PlazaJapan easier to maneuver through their website. Today I bought these four models for $95 shipped. Tamiya 14068 Ducati 916 1/12 Scale Kit (I got 2 of these) Tamiya 24192 Nissan R390 GT1 1/24 scale kit Tamiya 24222 Toyota GT-One TS020 1/24 Scale Kit
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Post by jchrisf on Apr 19, 2020 14:11:59 GMT -8
Chris, You can also mask the glass with detacked Tamiya tape and lightly apply it. Then run the toothpick right along the edge. You should get a pretty sharp line when you lift the tape off. Nothing wrong with Tamiya paints. I've used them till I found Mr. Color and then Gravity/Zero/MCW paints as they're all basically straight lacquer base. The Tamiya paint is an acrylic Lacquer, not a water based paint. Mix it very well, use a mixing bowl not your AB color cup. Thinner 1st, then the paint. 1:1 for light colors and 2.:3 for darker colors is a good starting point. I AB it at a flow rate of 16-18 psi. There's no real difference as the basic regulators aren't that accurate. Practice lite even coats. You'll be a pro in no time. One thing we never really discussed, and that's the proper way to clean you AB after each use. It only takes a little dried paint on the needle or in the nozzle to cause all sorts of weird things to happen. Joel Thanks for the tips Joel.. I've had enough problems with my airbrush that I strip it down each time I'm done with it. Now I don't have issues. It is a pain switching colors with a siphon fed AB though. It gets messy. But my Neo by Iwata can't handle some of the metallic paint (.35 needle) as it gets jammed up so I have to use my Paasche. I'll use your mixing ratios next time I shoot them. I do find that Tamiya has less smell than Mr. Hobby and others which I do like. Even their TS sprays. Well, I put the body in the dehydrator for a while and went ahead and decaled it. Didn't really have any problems so hopefully it will cure correctly and I can clean and clear it. How long should I wait to wash it before clear or should I?
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Post by jchrisf on Apr 19, 2020 15:02:49 GMT -8
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Post by Joel_W on Apr 19, 2020 15:40:36 GMT -8
Chris, She's looking good.
Joel
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