Of Spray Cans and PlaPlate Scratch Building
Of Scales and Digits
FAQ
Q: What brand/type of cement do you use?
A: Tamiya Regular and Extra Thin Cement. Currently, I've developed/made my own (which I now use exclusively) by melting/dissolving pieces of runners and plaplates in Hudson Polyurethane Reducer (which, by itself, is what I use as Extra Thin cement).
Q. What materials do you use for scratch building?
Q: How did you make your own cement?
A: Please refer to Sticky Stuff and More Sticky Stuff tutorials.
Q. What materials do you use for scratch building?
A. Tamiya Plaplates, and currently I'm also using High Impact Plastic Sheets (HIPS) which is similar to plaplates. HIPS are light blue in color, and a bit softer and more pliable than Tamiya plaplates.
Q: Where do you buy these materials?
A: Most of the materials I use for building are available at hobby stores. Locally, I get mine stuff at:
• Lil's Hobby Center (Park Square, SM Mega Mall, Trinoma) for plapates and beams
• JMN Hobby (Harrison Plaza) and Special Toy Center (Ali Mall, SM North) for various items
• Deovir (Recto, SM North) and Jolis (España, near UST) for HIPS and other modeling stuff, like scale trees, beams and pipes.
• Lil's Hobby Center (Park Square, SM Mega Mall, Trinoma) for plapates and beams
• JMN Hobby (Harrison Plaza) and Special Toy Center (Ali Mall, SM North) for various items
• Deovir (Recto, SM North) and Jolis (España, near UST) for HIPS and other modeling stuff, like scale trees, beams and pipes.
Q: How do you bend plaplates?
A: Please refer to the Heatless Plaplate Bending tutorial.
Q: What tool do you use to cut plaplates?
A: I use whatever is needed for the job. For general straight-line cutting, I use either a cutter or a modeling knife to score the plaplate, and depending on the directionality, either cut straight through (against the grain), or simply snap it off (along the grain). For shaped or curved cuts, I use scissors, then later trim it with side cutters, then file and sand smooth.
Q: What paints do you use?
A: Currently, I use mostly Bosny and RJ London spray cans for general paint jobs, Tamiya enamels and acrylics for detail work and (enamels) for panel line wash.
Q: Do you use an airbrush?
A: Currently, no.
Q: What do you use for panel lines?
A: I prefer to use a 0.3 technical pen for most panel lines, but I also use enamel wash for color variations.
Q: What tools do you have?
A: Please refer to The Tool Box.
Q: Have you had knife injuries?
A: Yes. Plenty, specially when I started to use the knife to modify heavily, and cuts are often bone-deep. Injuries are now few and far in between, and mostly are surface nicks that do not bleed too much.
Q: How can you do all those modifications and scratch-building?
A: Plastic. Practice. Patience. Pain.
Q: Do you even sleep? Are you even human?
A: Contrary to popular belief, I do sleep and I am human.
Q: What planet are you from?
A: Depends on who you ask. Some would say Mars, others believe I'm not from this universe, but personally, I simply say Planet X.
