bh1701

Here is my model of the Galileo shuttlecraft from Star Trek. This is the Polar Lights 1/32nd scale model. I added lighting to the interior and the propulsion units in the rear. The panel lines on the roof were masked off and painted. When finished, this is a really solid model. I did find that I needed to make a few minor modifications to get the interior shell to fit properly inside the body, and made some mods to the roof so it would slide in and out a little easier. Thanks for checking this out! Bart The restored Galileo that was used for live-action exterior shots with the actors. This is when it was on display at the Houston Space Center.

That is superb! Great job on this! Bart

I have never had that issue when I am using Tamiya Lacquer Thinner and paper towels or Kleenex to wipe the paint off. However, I am guessing that soaking it in the thinner might be enough to do some damage. Bart

I have also used Tamiya Lacquer Thinner. I'll put some on a paper towel or Kleenex and then rub/wipe the surface with it. That first application starts to remove and soften the paint. A couple subsequent wipes will usually get it all off. If there are recessed areas, a toothbrush or a paint brush with some thinner on it will usually take care of those areas. Bart

Looks really nice! The color looks great!

Looks really good - especially the opening doors!

Looks great! I like the photography with the mirror and the colored lights highlighting the background. Bart

This 63 Thunderbird is probably my oldest unrestored model. Built in 1963 when I was 11 years old. Tires are long gone, but this should be an easy one to restore when I get around to it. As far as my oldest RESTORED kit, it's this 1960 Lincoln built back in 1960. About 25 years ago, this was the first model I disassembled, stripped the paint from, and rebuilt.

The attached photos show the interior ceiling pieces for the Star Trek Galileo 7 shuttlecraft from Polar Lights. I had put the model aside for a couple of months and went to work on it last night. The ceiling pieces had been glued together a while ago, but they were now warped. I separated all of the parts and need some ideas on how to get these parts flat again, and to avoid warping issues when I put it back together. For some more background, I was also using a piece of plastic mesh that is used with needlepoint to create a grid that replicated what was in the actual filming model. I also used some thin Evergreen or Plastruct plastic strips to create a frame on the interior portion of the ceiling to support the mesh and the original clear plastic insert. I probably just used Testor's tube glue to glue it all together. I am wondering if there was some interaction between the tube glue, mesh and/or plastic strips that caused the warping. Thanks for your help! Bart

I use something like these - Rubbermaid or Glad plastic containers. Rubbermaid sells a pack of 10 for about $8. They will fit interior tubs and other larger parts easily. Bodies and the chassis still go back into the original box. These containers are stackable, and easy to see into them to know which tub has the parts you need at that time. I started using these after my cats had knocked some seats on the floor and then my dog chewed on them. Never had this problem again after starting to use these plastic containers. Bart

Monty, Here is the recipe one of the members gave me for a homemade thinner for craft paints. Please note that his last sentence mentions that DecoArt paints don't do well with this recipe.: 60% bottled or filtered or distilled water. 40% 91 IPA For every 3 oz of this blend put 4-6 drops of Liquitex retarder. (The Liquitex retarder is their Slow Dry Retarder Fluid, not their retarder medium. The medium is not for airbrushing. I bought this retarder from an online store since neither Michael's or Hobby Lobby carry it.) For every 3oz of that blend put in a trace amount of Dawn dish washing liquid ( Just a trace amount, not even a drop from the bottle. Use the pointy end of a wooden barbecue skewer and just get a film on the end and mix that in), this breaks surface tension in the paint mix. This blend Works in most acrylic paints but DecoArt doesn't like the alcohol. And many craft paints come closer to spraying like solvent paints with this blend. I have not used this formula yet, but plan on trying it with the next kit I use craft paint on. Thanks, Bart

Monty, Here are some photos of an AMT 1/32 scale Corvette I built recently. This was the first model that I airbrushed with craft paints. The body was sprayed with Folk Art Metallic Turquoise Shimmer paint. It is not the smoothest finish, but that is all on me, not the paint. I used Window Cleaner as my thinner, and have had suggestions from others to use a custom-mixed thinner that allows the paint to flow better to achieve a smoother finish. I also rec'd advice to do a mist coat, flash it dry, do a medium coat, flash it dry, and then a final heavier coat. I expect that the results on the next model I use craft paint on will be much better. Thought you'd appreciate some pictures of a "just OK" application of metallic craft paint. Thanks, Bart

Here is one of my Jo-Han kits - the Chrysler Turbine Car. Bart

Great looking model! The paint looks really good! Bart

Very interesting subject and a very well done model! Bart

Thanks - I bought some today, but it was the Medium. I will return it and look for a source for the Liquid Retarder! Bart

Thanks for your advice, Dave! I'll follow your suggestions and will keep working at this. Bart

What are your suggestions on how to apply and flash each coat? Bart

I usually use Tamiya sprays and get very good results from them. The craft paints offer many colors not available in Tamiya sprays. How far away should I be when airbrushing craft paints? Bart

What thinners would you recommend? Bart

I airbrushed 2 kits recently using craft store paints and was pretty satisfied with the results. The wide variety of colors in these paints is amazing, and lets you come up with some colors that Tamiya spray cans (which I usually use) don't offer. Plus the price can't be beat! The one thing I had trouble with was getting a really smooth, gloss coat on the models. I included some photos of each kit that shows the finish I did get. From a distance, they look great; but closer up, maybe not as much The 1/25 scale T-Bird was done using DecoArt Americana Buttermilk, and the 1/32 scale Corvette used Folk Art Metallic Turquoise Shimmer. Both were thinned using window cleaner. DecoArt was thinned with a ratio of 1 part paint to 1 part thinner. The Folk Art was a thicker paint and was thinned at 1 part paint and 2 parts thinner. Air pressure was around 25 psi. Both bodies were primed with Tamiya primer. I did do some extremely light sanding of the bodies using 8000 and 12000 sanding pads. I applied Tamiya Gloss Clear from an aerosol can after sanding. I know that craft paints tend to be matte finishes which may result in some of "texture" on the bodies (although the metallic paint seemed to have a bit more gloss to start with.) Any suggestions or tips would be welcomed. Thanks, Bart

Here is my latest completion - a restoration of a 1964 AMT 1/25th scale Ford Thunderbird that I originally built in 1964 when I was a young kid. I included a few shots of it before restoration to show the terrible brush painted black body and the poorly done chrome trim (not my best work!). I stripped the paint and started over again airbrushing the body with DecoArt Buttermilk craft store paint and airbrushing the interior with Folk Art Linen craft store paint. Some darker browns were used on the dash and floors - along with some brown embossing powder on the carpeted areas. This is one of the first kits that I have airbrushed craft paints on and I was pretty pleased with the results. The wheels were in pretty bad shape, so I used some wire wheels from a 1965 Continental kit. I did not have the turn indicators that are mounted on the top front corners of the body, so I crafted some using bits of plastic rod and plastic strips. The chrome on both bumpers was in rough shape, so I stripped them and redid them with AK Interactive Chrome. All chrome trim is hand painted - that includes the Thunderbird script on the hood and body sides. Definitely an improvement over what it previously looked like. Thanks for looking! Bart

Here is a 63 Corvette I just completed. It's the AMT 1/32nd scale kit, and the detail on these small kits is amazing considering they are only 5-6" in length. It's also one of the first cars I airbrushed with craft paints. The body was sprayed with Folk Art Metallic Turquoise Shimmer paint. DecoArt Turquoise was brush painted in the interior. All chrome trim is hand painted. I printed the Corvette flags to use behind the rear window. I included some photos of this car with 2 other AMT 1/32 scale kits I have built - a 1960 Thunderbird and a 1965 Mustang 2+2 Fastback. The Vette required a bit more work than the other kits. The front body section below the hood and the rear body section below the rear deck were molded as part of the chassis. I ended up cutting the front panel from the chassis so it was easier to get a tighter fit with the rest of the body. Wish I also had done the rear panel the same way! There were large gaps on the sides, between the lights, and along the top seam. It was already glued together, so I carefully applied some putty to seal up as many gaps as I safely could. Then I hand brushed some metallic turquoise on after the putty was very carefully sanded down. I think it came out pretty good considering the kit was already glued together! I did notice that there a few spots on the window trim where the paint had been rubbed off - those areas have now been repaired. The photos are invaluable for showing you things like this that you wouldn't notice with your eyes! Thanks for looking! Bart

Very nice work on this one. The color looks great! Bart

That looks really nice - especially with the diorama you made to display it! Bart