O Scale Cabin

This is the time of year when a visit to the local hobby shop shifts from RC cars to trains. On our recent trip my son eagerly picked out a new house for his Lionel train set we display each Christmas. Despite the seemingly endless stacks of kits standing before him, he quickly found one that he really liked: a small log cabin produced by Bachmann. When we arrived back home, my son tore open the box and proceeded to assemble the kit. Since it was little more than four walls and a roof, he was done in about 10 minutes!

Staring at a monochromatic chocolate brown building, my son’s charm for the kit quickly vanished. I asked if he would like to paint it and I was happily met with a smile and an enthusiastic nod.

To start we primed the little cabin with grey paint which was allowed to cure overnight. Next we mixed up several different shades of brown to paint the logs. This was followed with a wash of Citadel Agrax Earthshade and later a drybrush with a khaki color. The doors were painted a dark crimson and later the frames were picked out with a bright red. The roof was painted much like the logs except with darker colors.

I think the final product looks great! My son did a wonderful job with just a little bit of direction from yours truly. Although this was a brand new kit, the plastic parts themselves were stamped with a copyright dated 1952. Who says you can’t make a nice model from an old kit? It may not be very detailed but with a nice coat of paint it sure looks good beneath the Christmas tree.

Cork Bases

I really do love making bases. It’s a fun little vignette for your figures and you can choose to take as much artistic license as you’d like. You can do so much more than just applying globs of glue and sand.

Here is one of my favorite techniques that looks great yet is easy enough for army building. I start with a ⅛-inch thick sheet of cork from a craft store. Next, I simply tear off bits with my fingers or a tweezer and then attach them to my base. I personally like to use several small pieces for each base and then fill the cracks and crevices with sand and small stones. The end result is a base reminiscent of a scarred landscape like the desert. The best part is that the base is entirely level on top making attachment of the figure absolutely trivial. I tend to pin the model to the base but a dollop of a strong adhesive like epoxy will work, too.

Shown above are a set of bases for my Ork army. I chose muted colors to ensure the model on top will be the central focus. I painted the entire surface Olive Skin from Reaper, followed by Blacked-Brown along on the sides of the cork. I later applied a brown ink wash and drybrushed with Terran Khaki and Yellowed Bone. I stippled a bit of Palomino Gold in there, too, but the effect is somewhat lost under the drybrushing. The edge of the base is Olive Drab.

Tamiya X-21 and X-22 for Clear Coats

Update (10-Aug-2016):

It's been two years since my original post. I realized I should write an update based upon my experience when working with plastic model kits rather than game miniatures.

Try lacquer thinner.

Consider using Tamiya's lacquer thinner instead of Tamiya's acrylic thinner. In fact, I now favor the lacquer thinner, espeically for gloss coats; it doesn't seem to matter much for semi-gloss or flat. I've discovered that the gloss finish is generally much smoother and avoids the dreaded "orange peel" look that you can sometimes experience when using an airbrush. Definitely give it a try on a piece of scrap and judge for yourself.

Apply no more than 2 light coats and allow to dry.

Go easy when spraying flat coats. If you build-up multiple coats during a single airbrush session, you may be at risk of applying too much and creating a milky white finish. Disaster! It won't be obvious until after it dries. Try to spray no more than 2 light coats and allow to dry overnight. You can always apply more the next day. Honestly, this milky effect can happen with any flat finish product including the popular Testors Dullcote. I've learned this the hard way. I routinely apply a "wet coat" for a smooth finish when painting as I wrap-up any given airbrush session. However, I've learned to avoid that practice with any clear flat finish and I've had good luck ever since. Sorry - I should have shared that insight in my original post.

It may sound like a lot of effort getting to understand these products, but I think it's worth it. In my experience, I personally believe the Tamiya finishes are much stronger when compared to Dullcote or other acrylic products. That's an important consideration for weathering. But who knows? Try to remain open minded for new products. Maybe the next great thing is around the corner!

Original post:

Not sure why this pops up in forums so often, but here is how you can use Tamiya’s products to airbrush a clear coat. I generally prepare a 50:50 mixture of paint:thinner and spray at 10 to 20 psig.

The following table describes the mixtures using volumetric percentages:

Finish	Acrylic Thinner X-20A	Flat Base X-21	Clear X-22
Gloss	50%	0%	50%
Semi-Gloss	50%	5%	45%
Flat	50%	10%	40%

And this table describes the mixtures using volumetric ratios:

Finish	Acrylic Thinner X-20A	Flat Base X-21	Clear X-22
Gloss	10	0	10
Semi-Gloss	10	1	9
Flat	10	2	8

Flat base is not at all intended to be used directly; it must always be mixed with another paint. More information may be found here on Tamiya's web site.

I generally prefer to use Duplicolor gloss clear spray as a durable finish for game miniatures, followed by a light dusting of Testors Dullcote. However, once the cold sweeps in, I can no longer spray paints outside. Tamiya clear is a nice alternative and I can airbrush it indoors. I do believe a lacquer-based clear is stronger than acrylic, yet that may just be my own perception. Honestly, I have no way to really measure this and can happily say that both techniques have held up well over the years.

Good luck!

Using a PS3 controller on your Mac

I'm pretty late to the party on this one, but I thought I would share the good news that you can pair a PS3 controller with your Mac. This allows you to play games using a widely available and (relatively) inexpensive controller.

I enjoy the classic titles available on gog.com but they're kind of a drag to play without some sort of controller. I'm typically a console player so using a traditional mouse & keyboard with some games just felt awkward. A quick search suggested that I could use a PS3 controller without much fuss. Well, it was a bit more fuss than I was expecting so I thought I'd share my experience. I had a few annoying pitfalls but it was pretty easy in hindsight. Here's what I did to get up and running.

Getting ready:

I'm running OS X v10.9.2 on a MacPro 2.5 GHz Intel Core i7 with 8 GB of RAM. The PS3 controller is from Sony, not a third party. I can't say that these details matter, rather I thought I should share the equipment that I used for reference.

You'll need a USB 2.0 5-pin Mini Type B male to USB 2.0 Type A male cable. A new controller may not come with a USB cable (at least mine didn't).

If this is a new PS3 controller, charge overnight on your Mac, not a wall charger. I was first scratching my head wondering why the controller wouldn't charge, only to learn that this was a common mistake. The 4 red LEDs on the front of the controller will slowly blink when charging.

If you're using an existing PS3 controller, you'll need to press the reset button with a paperclip. It's a small (about 1 mm), black, recessed button located near the left trigger on the bottom of the controller.

Pairing the controller with your Mac:

Don't try turning on your controller yet.

Navigate to the Bluetooth settings within System Preferences.

Turn on Bluetooth.

Connect the controller to the Mac vis a USB cable. The controller will appear on your list of Bluetooth devices but may not yet say it's connected. The 4 red LEDs will blink; the controller is charging.

Press the PS button on the controller and then disconnect it from the Mac. The 4 red LEDs should now blink faster. The controller is trying to pair with the Mac.

The Mac will prompt you to enter a password to pair with the controller. Use four zeros (i.e., 0000) and click pair.

You're done! Now don't panic: the 4 red LEDs will continue to blink while in use. I thought that was odd, but apparently it's normal.

When you're done using the controller, you can't turn it off directly. Rather, you have to disconnect it from your Mac. The Bluetooth preferences should be available as a short cut on the bar at the top of your screen. Simply disconnect the device or turn off Bluetooth altogether. You'll know it's off because the 4 red LEDs will stop blinking.

Mapping buttons:

You're not out of the woods yet. You'll need a utility to map the buttons on your fancy new controller. I use Controller from VividMachine. A demo version is available on Apple's App Store. For $5 you can download the full version which allows you to create/save profiles for each game you play. It's worth it. Note that you can only download the full version directly from the developer's web site, not the App Store. You'll need to open Controller and choose a profile before starting a game. Just leave the app open while playing.

I like Controller a lot but you'll need to do a little reading first. Be sure to check out the Help link on the developer's web site. Trust me. In particular you'll need to disable Apple's app nap feature for Controller. I was having peculiar behavior until I did this; I kept thinking the button map was lost. Instead, Apple was essentially turning off Controller while I played my game.

Additional reading:

Article 1. Pairing controller with your Mac.

Article 2. Pairing controller with your Mac.

Mig Productions, AK Interactive, and now AMMO of Mig Jimenez

Over the years I’ve accumulated quite a few titles in my collection of hobby-related books. Among my favorites are FAQ and FAQ 2 from Mig Jimenez. His online venture - The Weathering Magazine - is pretty great, too. Mig’s techniques have long been very inspirational to me and I certainly owe him my gratitude.

Mig has been the public face of several hobby businesses over the years, including Mig Productions and AK Interactive. Each continue to produce a range of weathering products for armour models. However, he left these companies with some fanfare.

In 2009 Mig wrote that he was tired of the business side of things and departed from Mig Productions. It didn’t seem particularly amicable since Mig noted he was resentful the name did not change. After a several year hiatus, Mig was back in business and started AK Interactive. But in the fall of 2013, it all came tumbling down again. Mig and his business partners had a falling out that ended with Mig leaving the company. Again Mig took to his blog to tell the story, although this time in a rather legal-like manner that gave the impression of a bad break-up. Without much delay, Mig started a new company called AMMO of Mig Jimenez which sure looks and feels a whole lot like AK Interactive.

I really enjoy building models. Whenever I read Mig’s work in books or magazines, I feel like he’s sharing his secret tips and tricks. Mig is a wonderful artist and it’s always been a joy to learn from him. I certainly don’t know much of anything about the business side of hobbies, but it breaks my heart a little to bit read of these public struggles.

Since the company began, the products distributed by AK Interactive have been top-notch. However, now that Mig has left AK, it appears the product manufacturer has chosen to do so as well. I suspect the manufacturer has now partnered with Mig’s latest company but I have not found anything online to confirm.

So here we are as mere hobbyists wondering what to do. I’m not a fan of all the drama so I think I’ll just wait for the dust to settle. I’ll try to figure out who makes the best products after my current supplies run out.

Or I could always go back to mixing my own enamel filters and washes. Perish the thought! :)

Wanna read more? Check out this story for another perspective.

Team Durango DEX210: My complaints while building

For the past several weeks, I've been assembling a Team Durango DEX210 2WD buggy for my son. I have built quite a few RC cars in the past but I must say that this kit has been a real challenge. Although the parts fit together quite well, both the kit's organization and mislabeled instructions have made construction pretty rough.

Finding Parts

So far I've spent more time trying to find the parts than actually putting them together. I'll openly admit my complaint is rather petty but this really is annoying. Most manufacturers label parts trees alphabetically (i.e., A, B, C) but Team Durango uses a non-sequential 6 digit code. I had no idea that such a small thing like this could be so frustrating. Since there is no diagram of the trees within the manual (Tamiya's kits have clearly spoiled me), it can take several minutes to find each part. Bagging plastic and metal parts together (like Team Associated) would have also made things so much easier. If you have a lot of space to lay out the trees - like a dining room table - take advantage of it.

Poor Manual

Perhaps even more frustrating is the poor manual. On several occasions I found incorrect part numbers. While I'd much rather have a paper manual to guide construction, you can download an updated file from Team Durango. I would've appreciated a list of errors so folks like me could update the manual - well, manually!

Even with the updated file, you'll still be at a loss to find any meaningful description of the numerous choices you must make during assembly. One of the biggest selling points of the DEX210 is the amazing amount of adjustments you can make to suit your driving style and track conditions. However, some of the ways Team Durango offers these adjustments are unique and difficult to figure out on your own. I found myself spending a lot of time in online forums and various web sites to learn what I believe should be in the manual.

Aftermarket Shock Caps

Stay away! I learned my lesson the hard way on this. I bought a set of STRC Aluminum Upper Shock Caps but quickly learned that they did not fit the stock plastic pivot balls in the kit. After scratching me head, I realized that the pivot balls on the base of the rear shocks would fit. But this is a metal-on-metal connection and there's a lot of play in the joint; a properly sized bushing would be a better choice. I found some others online have tried the metal pivot ball solution with mixed results. After all that time I spent loading the shock oil, I decided to go back to the stock plastic parts.

Steering Plate

It sure didn't take much force to break the stock part. While I was connecting the steering turnbuckles, I snapped the plastic steering plate. I guess I should be happy this occurred during construction rather than seeing my son break the part while driving on the track. As soon as I did a search for a new part, I discovered Team Durango makes a metal replacement. Gee, I guess even the manufacturer realized this was a weak point.

Links

If you've stumbled across my blog looking for tips to build the DEX210, here are a few of the places I visited to help during construction. Good luck!

• PetitRC's Guide to the DEX210
• RC Car Action Build/Review
• Team Durango's Guide to Motor Configurations: Rear vs. Mid, 3 gear vs. 4 gear
• Team Associated's Guide for Building a Ball Diff