ED-209
Tamiya silver on the rails
Alclad2 steel looks a lot better on the rails.
Testing the stance
Making way for a decal
Sanding before repainting
Major painting done
Hand painting details. That rocket aiming system should be a PE part. Oh well...
PFM prepping for decals and a sludge wash. Notice the recessed hexagon bolt heads.
Damn! These cable terminals should be metal.
I didn't fix the molded in rockets but left them as is. As a reminder of the limitations of vinyl models
Added bras exhaust pipes for the rockets
and some sort of blast shield?
Hid the molded in grating under styrene sheet. Have to make a correct sized replacement that goes on top of wiring
Alclad2 didn't stick without primer and the holes look like shit...re do
Stack of 4 styrene sheets and the original on top as a drilling guide
Drilled in a stack to get perfectly round holes in the midle peace's
Drilled with a column drill machine. Ready for paint
Drilled with a pinvice
Tested acetone transfer. The resolution wasn't good enough
My first drilling guide made with Photoshop
K&S 0,25mm bras sheet didn't need heating to do the bend. In hindsight 0,18mm would have worked too. Used a reamer to make the holes round. Should probably get eureca drill bits.
Re done blast shield in place
Used white & clear decal sheets.Printed on a HP laser
My first self made decal in place
Finally making some progress. Decals performing nicely
Had to re do the high voltage connector as it was shoving the vinyls wood grain type texture
Since the paint is in the airbrush...
I repainted the blast shield. Looks like metal again
...and this bit
Lots of cutting with the aide of an Optivizor
Sealed the decals with this stuff. Worked well using a brush.
Decals DONE! Next sludge washes.
Little bit of shadow
First test on the metal. Nice contrast to the untouched elbow
I think it's starting to look good
Shadow wash on the torso light ghost gray part and the recessed bolts. Working on the metal arm bits.
Just a quick rub once over. Too dirty looking at this point.
Looks OK on camera but is too garish IRL.
Added rubber black to the arms and torso parts as a "highlight". Probably will add a wash to lighten the resessed part. Can't really tell if this is working as the sheen difference bogles the eye
Re did the wash on the metal thighs on the hip. Testing if I can fix all the handling wear on the hip edges without re spraying.
Hand painted the light ghost gray hip part. Look mom! No masking!
Shadow washes on the torso & hands done. ready for the top coat.
Tried airbrushin Gauzy. Small bubbles everywhere, some buggers etc. Seems to dry too fast. Unimpressed. Will try water or something as a thinner at some point.
Run in to a bit of a FUBAR situation. Was testing the sheen of Model Master semigloss acrylic top coat, thinned with MM universal acrylic thinner and the hair fractures I'd seen in the PFM aka. Future aka. Pledge opened up to canyons!
Stripped almost all layers of with toluene. Was the paint cracked or did it "crack" due to the paint remover getting at it faster through the fractures in the Future?
Left one has a test coat of MM clear flat. The yellow color and the added white are evident. Chucked both in a tub of drain cleaner to strip them back to vinyl. If the plaster gets eaten away too, I'll take that as a sign to build the proper innerds
Did a Dragon black wash to blend together the Rubber black and glos black rubber joints
Re do
Clean enough
Guess I'll be building the inside parts
Cut here
Softening in hot water for easier cutting and final shaping
Got the parts pretty identical and warping corrected
Stiffening with 2 part epoxy
A little manipulation to get a right angle
Now just need to glue them in place
Hours of measuring and trying to understand what I'm seeing
and the result is a small bunch of 0,5mm thick plastic "scrap"
0,5mm gave me the needed hight variation. Fabricated assemblies drying
The insert is epoxied in place. Asembling the greeblies.
Finished! Trying to match the paint job next.
Little bit of filling with super glue and sanding
Preshading with Oneshot primer. Constantly tip dried and was a real pain as can be seen from the result. Worked perfect on the Geparg tracks
Started painting from the same bottle that was used 6 years ago. What a pain! Diluted 50%. Raised the pressure to 30 psi. Changed to a bigger nozle and still the old MM Acryl wouldnt flow! Opened a new one, same vintage. Flowed better but still shi..
Luckily the color looks good and managed to keep the pre-shading. Some dry spray cleanup on the underside etc. A little tough up paint and on to the gloss coat.
Almost back where things went wrong.
Due to the problems painting the texture was rough and some filled spots needed a little sanding so I went over the peaces with cloth and steel wool in places
Repainting went better but still same issue. Paint starts to clogging the airbrush. Still got a nice smooth finish but lost the preshading.
Water to test 2 gloss coats. Aqua gloss and MRP Super clear. MRP is a lot easier to use but I suck at gloss coats so the results were pretty shitty.
In to the drain cleaner and re paint. Now I have a better idea of gloss air spraying AND I'm going to use lacquer thinner with the MM acrylic. So hopefully no more clogging.
Over a week in drai opener. 24h in brush cleaning liquid that's supposed to be better than old Fairy power spray. That MRP gloss lacquer is TOUGH!
Eventually tried MRP thinner and that did the trick.
Unfortunately it was too "hot" for the thin Evergreen styrene shiit that went a bit wrinkly. Solved 1 problem got a new one. Progress... I guess.
Finally! All that filling and sanding started to bore me. Next up preshading, again... A bit thicker plasticsheet on the top/outer rim would have saved alot of time. Live and learn.
My "paint mule". Matchbox 1:72 F-14 wings. The only surviving parts of that kit I built in the 80's
Testing included: AZTEK high flow nozle, how that performs with lacquers. MRP White primer, how it performs.
... and finally MRP thinned Model Master. All in all the tests were all successful. MRP primer was opaque and went on smooth. Thinned the MM initially 50% but that was goo. 2/3 sprayed OK but was too opaque. 66% thinner was OK. In hindsight it could have still been thinner more to get more control of the paint to preshade effect. MM is so opaque that it's not easy to get preshading to work with it.
Ok result. A bit more preshading could have shown through but it's good enough. Next up testing clear gloss coat using Pledge and how it reacts to different top coats and hopefully getting closer to finding the correct sheen
Intensive scrutiny showed that the back louver things are a darker gray than the rest of ED.
MRP thinned MM Acryl. Test sprayed with my old cheap airbrush. Sprayed nice, until the airbrush clogged up. Halting everything a month ago. Lower test with my new H&S Infinity. Same paint mix that sat in a Tamiya jar.
Infinity worked flawlessly using 0,4mm nozle. Masking worked too. No touchups needed.
All major painting done. I hope.
MRP gloss went on too goopy. It dries too fast unthinned.
MRP gloss thinned 10%. Looks alot better.
Thinned MRP gloss performs better but it's till not as smooth as it should be. It's still drying too fast to form a gloss surface. Will try leveling thinner or just thinning more next time. also goingto test Mr.Color GX100 when I get some.
Not perfect but good enough for decals and washes.
The underside will be in the shadow forever, so it needs starker contrast to be able to see any definition of detail.
Decals back on. Glad I printed the A4 sheet full of these so no shortage of spares.
Only problem is I have no clue what color was used for the topside wash. More experimenting ahead...
Only problem is I have no clue what color was used for the topside wash. More experimenting ahead...
Defacto progress!
You can see the shoulder pad underside detail, like in the movie
You can see the shoulder pad underside detail, like in the movie
Shadow wash IMHO is subtle but effective = just right
Breaking up of the mono-color can be seen here too
At the pint where things went wrong over a year ago.
Last look of the dark side. Alclad 312 performed flawlessly and is the perfect sheen.
Topside up next.
Shadow washes and hand painting and tweaking the darker gray louvers. Little tweaking on the red-black cooling fan detail too. Slow but now its done.
Look at that beautiful sheen and smooth varnish ❤️ Yes those dirty hack hand painted touch ups are as beautiful as warts and show through but I will concentrate on the positive. 2 out of 5 sub assemblies are completed!
Masking before putting varnish on the rubber parts
2 days later the AK putty had partly dripped away. Weird stuff. Did the job.
It's too shiny!
Matt varnish on the belly rubber looks better
Is it gloss or...
... is it flat? If you can't get a good picture of the true sheen, it's perfect!
Details of my DIY paint booth:
Ventilation hose at the low position when not painting. The connecting hose is pushed in/up to increase the suction through the booth.
This increases the temperature in my small workshop but then I can comfortably paint in a polyester T-shirt to eliminate fibers in the air.
Ventilation hose at the low position when not painting. The connecting hose is pushed in/up to increase the suction through the booth.
This increases the temperature in my small workshop but then I can comfortably paint in a polyester T-shirt to eliminate fibers in the air.
There was luckily enough room to bypass all the wiring and electronics to make this proper size inlet / air duct on the roof. Got the air ducting supplies from a hardware store.
"...and it wont even run down youre battery"
Torso varnished.
The same varnish looks different, depending on the color underneath.
Going to re do the black part as it is too shiny.
Going to re do the black part as it is too shiny.
Comments
27 16 April 2019, 12:01
Black BaronThanks guys. I'm pondering what to do to this fracturing Pledge situation. Coat with more "Future" to prevent possible reaction to the flat top coat. Seal the PFM with something like the Gauzy agent and then top coat? I'm guessing the culprit here is the MM universal acrylic thinner.
30 December 2019, 21:50
Spanjaardnasty cracks.... only on that piece, or all around? i wish i could offer a solution.....
9 January 2020, 23:27
Black BaronOnly on that single test piece. I decided to use AK's Gauzy agent to prevent the same from happening elsewhere. Haven't gotten around to that yet. Still doing shadow washes. I can see many hair fractures at least in the legs.
10 January 2020, 10:26
SpanjaardWhen you applied the couture, did you use thinner or straight from the bottle?
12 January 2020, 12:52
Black BaronI was testing the sheen of Model Master semigloss acrylic top coat, thinned with MM universal acrylic thinner and the hair fractures I'd seen in the PFM aka. Future aka. Pledge opened up to canyons!
12 January 2020, 14:18
Black BaronWell this was a learning experience. I treated the elbows with Gautzy. It is so thin that the cast texture like surface stayed rough and porous. Made a new batch of sludge wash and didn't test it. As a result the wash sticks like a mother fu... Dry, wet with water or ammonia has little effect. Hard brush with IPA (rubbing alcohol) and serious scrubbing can only remove the wash from the rough surface.
4 February 2020, 07:36
Black BaronHead and arms 98% done. Hip part needs the most work. Probably will do some highlights on the guns.
18 February 2020, 11:45
Dominik WeitzerAwesome and different! Good work so far! Did you Count the drilled holes?
18 February 2020, 14:07
Black BaronThanks. If you mean the flush hex bolts, no didn't count but I know at least 2 are missing. I just redid all that were on the model. Still have the tool I made to create the hole and bolt head
18 February 2020, 23:36
Black BaronIt's a re-do on the shoulder pads. Might need to build the insides too. Will see when they come out of stripping bath.
4 March 2020, 07:48
Black BaronStarted on the "inside job" References leave room for some artistic interpretation
16 March 2020, 10:04
Black BaronNow the engineering part is done and the artistic begins. I have all possible screen captures of the insides of these shoulder / elbow armor plates but they leave quite a bit of room for interpretation. Some of screen / production photos of the stop motion puppet armor would be great but I can't find any.
28 March 2020, 12:55
Black BaronElbow armour underside completed. Next up re paint and the lot. Getting some Aqua gloss to test.
6 April 2020, 16:39
Black BaronOld Model Master Acryl fuuu..! Even with 2/3 MM thinner it turns to glue in the airbrush! Anyone have experience what to use as thinner for a bit aged MM paint as the brand stuff can't keep it from curing or causes it to cure? Or do I just chuk all of'em in the bin? I have 30+ years old Tamiya paints and they work fine.
22 February 2021, 20:54
SpanjaardI do not now that case in particular, but i would suggest to mix it with more thinner, and shake for a very very long time. i have been thinking in buying ond of those nail polish shakers. this may be a good application for one of them.
22 February 2021, 22:08
JDHey Black Baron, great to see you back at this monumental project. I like using MM Acryl too, in fact I recently spilled an entire bottle of flat clear... it was brand new.. I just stared at the puddle ebbing across the floor for awhile
22 February 2021, 22:11
Black BaronNow I know that MRP gloss is one tough mother... Unaffected by almost all paint strippers so should do a fantastic job promoting paint from weathering etc. Providing a "save game" you can revert to if things don't work out.
10 March 2021, 15:52
Black BaronSome progress. More testing off model so there wouldn't be anymore nasty surprises.
5 April 2021, 18:07
Spanjaardif you want to reduce the shine of Future, i have read that you can add a bit of Tamiya Flat Base (X-21). i have never tried myself. use it with a test mule first for sure. too much X-21 with make it look white-ish, something that you certainly want to avoid.
my experience with Future? extra thin coats, straight from the bottle. works like a charm. but test before just in case😉
6 April 2021, 08:28
Black BaronED is currently gloss coated with Pledge, but I'm not a fan. I'll experiment to see if MRP or Gauzy will have the same tint or it's irrelevant. I dont have good skills in gloss coating but since that is a required skill I must practice, practice practice.
6 April 2021, 14:16
Black BaronI did a bunch of tests and was preparing for an airbrushing session when my AZTEK A470 trigger broke. Fuuu...! Dug out my first double action brush and did a test spray, if I could at least do the gray painting. Leaving the gloss work for when I had a proper brush again. Test was successful but the Ab clogged and I couldn't get it to work properly. Fuuu..! Did a warranty reclamation to Testors. Not expecting any answer. 2,5 days of obsessive research and I had ordered a H&S Infinity 2 in 1 and a bunch of extras. Making it a 3 in 1 as I have the 0,15, 0,4 and 0,6mm nozle sets. This was the only, single airbrush capable of doing 90% of what the Aztek could. As there is nothing that can do 100%. I almost bought 2 Iwata's but this H&S solution was more sensible. First test. Everything was OK. Next I need to redo those gloss varnish tests with a 0,6mm setup.
5 May 2021, 17:14
SpanjaardI went to airbrush shop with the idea of getting an Iwata, after testing the H&S I did not even think about it. And never regreated it after!
5 May 2021, 20:35
Black BaronI can't agree with Iwatas philosophy of having a separate airbrush for everything. Well Badgers high end stuff is the same. Can't have multiple nozle sizes in 1 brush, or it's not a supported configuration. I'm suspecting that this could be a reason people can't get Alclad ot gloss varnish to work. 1 general purpose nozle size won't work.
6 May 2021, 10:28
JDI've been using my Iwata Neo for years now, with its 0.3 nozzle , and although your paints really need to be thinned just right, and it's difficult to keep clean, it works well for me and is cheap to maintain. I have also recently added a Paasche Talon with a 0.5 needle. The difference is huge! It's nozzle is much easier to clean and handles thicker paints better, and is better suited for covering larger areas.
6 May 2021, 20:47
Black BaronI recogniced a problem in my model muild documentation or actually the lack of it. Need to document with more detail, what colors and varnishes are being used where. So thet if touchups, repair or another one is built I dont need to figure it all out again.
15 May 2021, 10:47
Black BaronNow I have surpassed the point where things went FUBAR. Learned that a ready mixed sludge wash doesn't necessarily last for 1,5 years in storage. The shoulder armor underside detail looks great. Before applying the varnish I tested off model and after success applied on model. The Alclad2 varnish has been the best out of the bottle product I have tested so far. Also did a re test on Alc 311 varnish, thinning with MRP thinner. Result was better, no more air dried fibers but still is useless. Will do 1 last test thinning with pure toluene, as I have a little left, to see if it can be revived or is just ruined / too old and unusable.
Next I will do the topside of the shoulder pad's and make a map of sheen's & plan on how to apply them in a smart sequence.
16 May 2021, 09:37
Black Baron2 of 5 sub assemblies are completed!
I also learned 2 valuable things:
Don't do primer layer touchups by hand.
Wear something else than natural fiber clothes and work gloves, as cotton etc. tend to shed fibers that will end up in the varnish/paint. Polyester Robocop shirt and NyCo mix pants and not a single fiber anywhere ?
Also had the time to test Alc 311, thinned with 25% toluene did the trick. Slightly shinier than alc 312 and dries silky smooth. Needs only 1 good pass for a even surface. Me likes!
17 May 2021, 11:03
Spanjaardin picture 148 it looks ready to go down the stairs, just like in the movie!!
17 May 2021, 11:54
Alexander GrivonevI am curious about that spray booth of yours, is that a commercial one?
1 June 2021, 20:20
Black Baronberni is right. It is a Just normlicht image pro 5000 xl di viewing booth I rescued from going to trash. Using it upside down for a couple of years, that can bee seen in the older pictures. I finally converted the back wall to be straight and getting more "table area" and being able to turn it right side up. You can still see the black marks on the side walls from the original angled position. Made a ventilation hole/connection duct to be able to attach it to our houses ventilation system. The glass is from an old fridge. The dimmer is helpful at times. Works well. Put up a couple of pictures.
2 June 2021, 09:20
Black BaronJust a quick update, that's been waiting for some time now. Torso is varnished. Did majority of the hands too. Going to re do the black part as its too shiny. The rest is ok. the lesson from this is that color has a direct effect on how we perceive sheen. Need to take this into account in the future.
I love the Alclad varnishes. Waiting to get the missing sheen's from my inventory but thanks to brexit even this is affected.
26 June 2021, 16:51
Black BaronThe layers under the top coat started to form cracks. FUUU...!!!
Since then I've been on a quest to test all kinds of acrylic varnishes, to see if I can get them to work and what are the sheens. Ive found the AK 2gen stuff to be really good. Vallejo or Mig are harder to work with and don't give as smooth surface as AK does.
I tested AK 3gen matt on the black dome, some time ago and it hasn't started melting. Encouraged by this but afraid to proceed, time has passed.
After months of anguishing I just committed varnish to model. Tested the AK 2gen satin on the lower torso, just to find out it can't hold up to the cracks, that form back to the surface. FUUU...!
"Why not the 3gen?" They have a soft/leathery/stickyish surface which I don't like, but that's what I'm trying next.
If that doesn't work then it's hard decision time.
Accept the cracked finish or redo the entire paint job😑
28 May 2022, 17:31
Black BaronAK 3gen seems promising. Sheen is glossier than gen2 equivalent. Thinning 2,5/1 +5% retarderi sprayed great but the layer is too thin to completely overcome the cracking.
Tomorrow I'll spray another coat thinned 2/1 +5% and hopefully that's the solution. At least it is in the acceptable range of results and I can move on.
28 May 2022, 22:30
Black BaronI've had very little time for modeling and that was spent on varnishing, working on the gun's and then sludge washing and finetuning the wash on the legs. Now working on the second leg, that is maybe 60-70% finished. Progress has been made but no time to update here and the photos I have aren't good.
AK 3gen varnish did the trick and doesn't react with the layers under it. My only quibble is that it's a bit soft / skin like and not hard like the, now discontinued, AK "2gen" varnish.
This build will be completed this spring! Finally!
16 February 2023, 10:24
Album info
The future of law enforcement Enforcement Droid series 209 that I've been building since the mid 90's
