General Grievous

Fantastic... :) GG

You mean the late R4-D17... GG :lol:

1, 3 and 5 I believe are the same mold (1/48). The 2 and 4 (reissue) are the snap tite smaller ones #3 has a transparent disc which serves as a "in flight"base... the other ones have a normal plastic stand, I think. GG

Any SW kit from Fine Molds... they're expensive but are worth every cent. And you can build the Tie Fighter and Tie Interceptor very quickly! The X-Wing and Jedi Starfighter are more complex. GG

I believe the marketing people considers that the majority of sci-fi movie fans will be children, so spaceships model kits are target to that audience just like the toys are. Another point perhaps would be the fact that the manufacturers have to pay big royalties to the rights owners like Lucasfilm, and in the end they have to save on the design and tooling of the kit. Again if "only children will buy this" quality is not of importance (in the marketing people's minds) GG

So far all Fine Molds Star Wars kits are excellent. The X-Wing is not an exception... you'll want to buy the Tie Fighter, Tie Interceptor, Jedi Starfighter. The Slave I is beautiful but VERY expensive. The upcoming Millenium Falcon will cost about $ 185! These SW kits are made exclusively for the japanese market, so they're expensive everywhere else... even US importers have to buy them at retail prices. These kits are not off catalogue, so perhaps trying to find a better price online is a good idea. Try http://www.hlj.com/product/FNMSW-01-DVD and see how much they charge for shipping... H

Last post from the Dark Lord of the Sith... that blog turned the author into an internet success. Good piece of marketing. But he's a good writer, so no problem! GG

The guy who composed the above pic had a nice idea, but doesn't know SW a lot, right? GG

There are different grades of cellulose thinners, the weakest ones (and more expensive) are used for finishing, when a quality glossy finish is required. Here in Brazil they're usually found in automotive paint shops. The strongest ones can be found in every hardware shop. But still, as already pointed out, they're strong stuff... GG

For those who haven't read it yet... Surprisingly it's funny... http://darthside.blogspot.com

Brasso smells like ammonia, so I wouldn't use it when there's contact risk with acrylic paint or Future coats. GG

Pic of the small square bottle: http://www.tamiya.com/english/howto/car1/tip2_2.jpg

I forgot to add that I always put small glass beads inside the paint cups. GG

Oh my god... I'm serious! And it WORKS! GG

I use tape to fix the paint bottles to the rotating part of a small ventilator. GG

Ok, the trailer is out. I'm one of those who lost hope long time ago... but the Ep. III trailer is cool, at least the new movie looks like it will be visually richer and more action packed. Full of new toys also. What are your opinions? GG

I agree that Tamiya's Extra Fine Cement smells ( ) much like MEK, but they probably added something else to it... because if you spill MEK and Tamiya's on a plain styrene surface, MEK will mar the surface on a greater extent than Tamiya's cement . GG

Zap-a-Gap is good but it also dries inside the bottle too fast! :) GG

Whoooops, THAT makes a difference! Sorry that I mixed up the two things...but hey, after all, I´m not a native speaker, so I hope I´ll be forgiven István Now I'm confused... shouldn't "natural turpenoid" really be "turpentine"? Turpentine extracted from wood and turpenoid from minerals? Is there a natural turpenoid and a synthethic one?

Just try to replicate what you see on pictures... outiside: something like steel on the turkey feathers and burnt metal on the recesses ... inside: white or white with a little tan and black burn marks...

I read an article on FSM and polished my Badger 150 with Brasso, after some sanding with a 2000 grit sanding paper. It definitely improved the performance of my airbrush... not a miracle, but very noticeable. Of course, those who own an expensive airbrush with matched needle and tip don't need to do anything... GG

Maskol is good, but sometimes it curl after dry, that happened to me a couple of times. Also, Maskol won't work for people who dip canopies in Future, Maskol contains ammonia and will ruin the Future coat. GG

Terrific! Do you mind talking a bit on how did you do it? GG

I think PVA based styrofoam glue is better than white glue. It is clear when wet, dries much faster (alchohol based) and has a stronger bond than regular PVA (not the stronger types). GG

Humbrol putty is not bad... I like it more than Tamiya's regular one. GG