Minicraft 1/144 MD-80

[Shoggz]

I'd definitely start with 'On The Bench' (and not just because our Kevin has been on it a few times!) They are three Aussies in Melbourne and the show is well grooved - it's the one that's been on the longest - it's up to episode 160+ now...

 

Here's a handy listing with them all on

 

https://modelpodcasts.com/

 

The ones I listen to are:

On The Bench, as above,

Plastic Posse Podcast, which is a mixture of UK and US modellers and is a fun show - the guys on it obviously are mates and it shows.

The Scale Model Podcast is a pretty straight ahead factual show, run by a couple of Canadians.

Plastic Model Mojo is another pretty straight ahead show - but presented by a couple of real characters - Kentucky Dave and Mike - with a feature of their show being their description of what their 'modelling fluid' (i.e. alcoholic beverage) is each time!

Model Geeks is another pretty general show (news, interviews, round-table discussions), but again, with enjoyable hosts.

Sprue Cutters Union is a bit different in tone. (and not in a bad way.) They are the only show that doesn't bleep out swearing, for instance! They are quite hard-hitting and don't pull their punches if they think a kit or product isn't up to snuff. They also have some very interesting interviews about subjects that maybe other podcasts don't tackle.

My personal favourite was when they had Martin Drayton on and discussed with him what it was like being an avid modeller who isn't a white middle aged male.. 

The only downside is that they are not good at editing! Their average episode length is 3 to 3.5 hours - which is a lot of time invested!

'Just Making Conversation' is two UK modellers and it is quite unlike any of the others - a bit more whimsical and eccentric - and really enjoyable!

 

There's a lot to listen to there! My policy is to listen whilst I'm modelling - it helps with the mojo and fits with what I'm doing.

 

Apologies Kevin for the thread drift - feel free to move this reply to be its own subject..

[LSP_Kevin]

8 hours ago, Shoggz said:

Truth be told, there's now so many worthwhile modelling podcasts, I struggle to keep up with them all - particularly when some of them (ahem Sprue Cutters Union) often push the 4-hour mark!

 

I only listen to two due to time constraints, and am a year behind in one of them! (No prizes for guessing which one.)

Kev

[MikeMaben]

On 7/4/2023 at 3:46 PM, LSP_Ray said:

Thread drift!

Yes, you need to coat the decals for sure as the inkjet ink is not waterproof. I have an Epson Stylus Photo R2400 that uses archival inks in 8 colors (Black, light Black, Light Light Black, Cyan, Light Cyan, Magenta, Light Magenta, and Yellow). It is supposed to be "water resistant" ink but upon testing it is not so water proof. I mainly use it for art projects. For instance, it will print on special Epson canvas and up 13" wide so you can do some neat stuff with it. 

For decals, I either use my ALPS or a Canon MF 8050 Cdn color laser printer. The Alps lets you do some cool things like print white and will bring the paper back and index it so you can print multiple layers so you can print a white undercoat then colors over it. I think one decal set I had 14 layers. Problem is inks are getting harder to find and my ink stash is getting old and brittle. It is a wax type ink so is waterproof.

I also have a Silhouette Cameo but haven't had a chance to use it yet.

There's a cornucopia of Alps inks and printers at Elephants Rocket , problem is it's in Japan and not cheap.

I've ordered paper from them and it's very high quality. It's a huge site so get a cuppa first.

I've use Microscale Liquid Decal Film always on my Alps stuff and tho it looks quite thick in the bottle,

It disappears after drying. I apply with 1" soft brush with strokes north and south, after dry (2 minutes maybe)

then another coat east and west.

[LSP_Ray]

I have printed my ALPS stuff directly on Papa Tango decal paper. Then I take a small embossing heater (like a small HOT hair dryer) and heat the decals. If you watch closely, you can see your artwork turn glossy from the heat. It seems to toughen the decals. I have never placed more decal film over the top. I will check out Elephants Rocket. I am trying to use more masks now, though, as I think it looks better and don't have to worry about color match.

[MikeMaben]

4 hours ago, LSP_Ray said:

 I take a small embossing heater (like a small HOT hair dryer) and heat the decals. If you watch closely, you can see your artwork turn glossy from the heat. It seems to toughen the decals.

 

Yeah, most of my paper is Tango Papa. Interesting about the heat, I'll have to give that a try.

[LSP_Kevin]

OK folks, the Minicraft MD-80 and I have finally reached an understanding, and I'm happy (ecstatic) to declare it finished.

 

 

Just a quick summary of what's happened since my last update. Firstly, all the 3D window decals from Authentic Airliners Decals have been applied. I briefly considered not 'wasting' them on this build, but I decided it really needed the lift that these would provide. And they do! Since the spacing didn't match exactly that of the underlying window decals from the Hawkeye set, I applied them in groups of 3. On the starboard side, I was also able to 'average out' some of the worst of the original rollercoaster effect, and while not perfect, it looks much improved now.

 

 

I lost one of the long nose gear doors, so I fashioned a pair of replacements out of sheet styrene. Those and the antennas were fixed in place using Ammo's rather amazing acrylic glue.

 

I also gave the entire model a panel line wash, using a much darker colour than I ordinarily would, just to try to add some punch to the finish - and maybe distract from some of the flaws!

 

Here's a rare shot of the underside:

 

 

So, a difficult build, and the finished result certainly has plenty of issues. But I also learned a few things, and feel better prepared for the next one.

 

Kev

[Shoggz]

Difficult it may have been, but the finished result looks really nice.

[Derek B]

It turned out really nice in the end Kevin, despite all of your tribulations! Well done.

 

 

Derek

[Alex]

A great result, and richly deserved after all the challenges you had to overcome.  

[LSP_Ray]

Looks pretty darn good from here, especially considering the headaches you went through!

[LSP_K2]

Way to stick it out, Kev.

[MikeMaben]

I can't see anything wrong with it.