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datahiker

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Posts posted by datahiker

  1. Kind of a "stranded on an island" question.

    Let's say you've been selected to take a 5 year trip (doesn't matter where). You are single and without familial responsibilities. On this trip you have 8-12 hours a day of work, and the rest is free time. Your modeling supplies come with you and include everything you need. There are other people with you and you can bring items for other hobbies.

    My two part question:

    1. Which models would you take (including scale and manufacturer)?

    2. Realistically, what would be completed when you got back? Some of you are prolific and could probably tear through 3-4 kits per year if not more. My glacial pace would no doubt improve without the usual responsibilities but I'm honest enough to say I'd probably only finish 5-6 kits.

  2. And while I don't know about 100 Gs being needed for death, I do know that one can swan dive off the top of a double bunk onto a concrete floor and kill themselves. That's only 10-12 feet if you measure from the floor to their head before they dive, and no rocket-assist. Also don't forget you don't need to crack the skull open or completely destroy the brain inside the cranium - snap that thin support called the neck and you're dead even if the neurons are still firing in the brain.

    You're right about the neck. Much less than 100Gs is required for death. Any time you fall from greater than your own height you risk brain/spinal cord injury. My wife works in brain/spinal cord injury rehab, so she sees the results all the time.

  3. Agree with above. I put notes into the original instructions showing where PE will go. I also take one step forward, two steps back - I'll have to try that other glue because I keep knocking them off.

  4. I was very much a Future user, but have recently started using Liquitex acrylic varnish - it can be airbrushed straight from the bottle, is resistant to yellowing & UV & is available in matte, satin, gloss & high gloss - all of these can be mixed to give intermediate finishes.

    Maybe it's just me, but no matter how much I stir the Liquitex matte it still dries with a satin sheen. This is both brushing and spraying and doesn't seem to matter how thinly I put it down. Any ideas?

  5. (117 * 12) + 10 gets you the "full size" inches = 1414

    1/144 scale means 1 scale inch to 144 full size inches, so 1414/144 = 9.819 inches

    Edit: Or find a drawing in 1/72 and make a copy at 50%.

  6. I've been using Frog tape for about a year now and I'm pretty happy with it. I imagine people would either like it or hate it.

    I've been reading about it online and the biggest gripe that professional house painters have is . . . they hate the case!

  7. I don't feel too bad about not finishing anything now. I only get about 5-6 hours per month, maybe a little more in the winter.

    My wife and I both work, she's pregnant with #4 and the other three are very active. Add house chores and projects and I'm down to pretty much no free time (or it's so late at night that it's not worth it). And when I do have free time it's a toss up between models, reading, or pulling out the telescope.

  8. You're not alone. I also use the MSNF (Multiple Starts, No Finishes) method for building models. I haven't finished a model in years and I have about 10-12 in progress.

    It frustrates me that I never finish anything but it's more frustrating to get stuck or burned out on the kit I'm currently working on. I don't compete and life gets in the way frequently enough that models have sat gathering dust for months before I'm able to get back to the workbench.

    I've made a resolution to finish two models this year. We're over halfway through and I'm about halfway done with both. We'll see what happens . . .

  9. My pics, from a 1/35 Blackhawk:

    (It's only been "charged" with fluorescent light for about 20 minutes - daylight works much better.)

    IMG_6898.jpg

    IMG_6899.jpg

    And yes B-17 guy, the paint comes in different colors and can also be mixed, although it may not glow as brightly.

  10. I bought some higher quality glow-in-the-dark paint. I've found that it shines much longer and brighter than decals and the cheap hobby glow-in-the-dark paint found at craft stores. The downside is that it's thick and requires many thinned layers. I had to experiment using different thinners and found some of them made the paint grainy.

    I got mine here. The high-end stuff is here.

    I'll try to post some pics later.

  11. Less than a hundred, about a quarter of which were well-intentioned gifts that I don't intend to build. Those go to my four-year-old, who loves painting them. The stash slowly builds as I add 1-4 per year.

    The bad news is that I'm a strong starter . . . and a terrible finisher. They collect dust on the workbench when life gets in the way, so a good dozen are in different stages of completion.

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