Harder & Steenbeck Geminus - Review

Greetings and salutations plamo nerds! Here's the long awaited review for the Geminus airbrush by Harder & Steenbeck!

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Galaxy Sanding Tools - Review / Demo

Hey plamo nerds! I'm working my way through all the tools I've recently added to the shop, and this week we're taking a look at the new Galaxy Tools sanding bars and micro files. They're stainless steel tools that come in a wide variety of widths and lengths, and are designed to be used with your favorite sandpaper. There's also a video version of the review towards the end for those who prefer my sexy YouTube voice. Jump in!

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Ustar Edge Line Scriber - Review / Demo

Hey plamo nerds! I've been adding a bunch of tools to the shop page lately, but I haven't gotten around to showing the new stuff here on the blog in between the airbrush reviews. Rest assured that we'll go through them one by one, so I can demonstrate what they do and how they can improve your building process. Let's start with this unique tool by Chinese hobby brand Ustar, which they refer to as the "Carved Sword". The name makes absolutely no sense, and I'm inclined to think that Ustar's marketing guys rely on Google translate for getting English translations - so I'm calling it the Edge Line Scriber instead. Strange name aside, it's a clever little tool, and a worthy addition to any custom builder's toolbox. There's a video towards the end for those who prefer moving pictures.

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Harder & Steenbeck Colani - Review

What happens when the best German airbrush manufacturer teams up with a world-renowned industrial designer? A groundbreaking airbrush design is born,  that's what! The enigmatic Colani is the product of close collaboration between Harder & Steenbeck and Luigi Colani - an award-winning designer who has conceptualized cars for BMW, Lancia, Volkswagen and Alfa Romeo among others. With the bold curves and vibrant purple grip, the tool resembles a retro-futuristic pistol straight out of a Flash Gordon comic book. But make no mistake - this tool exhibits the same quality, versatility, and precision expected of a Harder & Steenbeck airbrush!

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Harder & Steenbeck Infinity CR Plus - Review

Hey plamo nerds! While doing the review on the Evolution, I realized I was never able to share a performance review on the Infinity since the unboxing! I've had the Infinity for nearly a year now, and I was able to put it through it's paces painting both the Kitsune and Kimaris Trooper. If you'd like to know what comes in the package, you can jump to the unboxing post here:

Harder & Steenbeck Infinity CR+ Unboxing

Today we'll be going over performance notes on this truly fine piece of equipment, and maybe I can help you decide whether the Infinity is worth the premium price. As always, there's a video showing the airbrush in action. Jump in!

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Harder & Steenbeck Evolution Silverline - Review

Guten morgen plamo nerds! These new tools have all but obliterated my hopes of making progress on my WIP, but I'm not even mad. It's a unique experience, being able to test these airbrushes out in rapid succession. The caveat is that I can only spend so much time testing each one, and therefore I can only share the unboxing and my first impressions of each tool. But rest assured that we will revisit these airbrushes later in the year, after I've clocked significant work hours on each one. Today we'll be getting a closer look at the Evolution - the model that made Harder & Steenbeck the airbrush titan that it is today.

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Harder & Steenbeck Grafo T1 - Review

How's it going my fellow plamo nerds? Keeping busy with your ongoing builds I hope! I haven't touched my WIP for a few weeks, as I've been too preoccupied just tinkering with some of my new tools. As mentioned in my last post, I've been given the privilege to review a few of Harder & Steenbeck's airbrush offerings, and today we'll be taking an in-depth look at the Grafo T1. This handsome airbrush features a unique trigger action that makes it great for both new and seasoned painters alike. More details after the jump, and there's a video towards the end showing the brush in action!

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Paasche Talon TG3F Review

Hey guys and gals, I just got back from my 3-month work trip in the US, and I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things. A fine layer of dust has settled on all my plamo equipment since I left, and my workbench is well overdue for spring cleaning - but I just couldn't wait to try out one of my newest toys - the Paasche Talon! I already did an unboxing of the Talon TG3F set a couple weeks back, so today we get to focus on performance. Jump in!

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Paasche Talon TG-3F Unboxing

Hey plamo nerds! You'll have to pardon the erratic posting schedule on the blog as of late - I'm still in the US and have been really busy with work. I've been told retail therapy is good for relieving stress and homesickness, so I've been surfing Amazon and Ebay for parts to upgrade my airbrushes back home. Somewhere along the way I found a great deal on the Paasche Talon TG - an airbrush that I've been curious about for some time - but have been on the fence on purchasing due to the mixed reviews I've seen. In the end I just couldn't let hearsay deprive me of a potentially awesome tool without trying it out myself, so here we are. Established in the early 1900s, Paasche is one of the oldest airbrush manufacturers in the world - and with decades of experience and engineering going into the Talon's design, I have really high expectations from this tool. The package I purchased has quite a few things included, so I thought it best to split the unboxing and performance review into separate posts. Let's take a look!

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Sparmax Max 3 - Review

Hey plamo nerds! The generous folks over at Sparmax decided to send me one of their fine products - the Max 3 airbrush kit - so I could give it a once-over and see how it fares compared to the other airbrushes I've reviewed thus far. I've heard great things about this airbrush, and I'm excited to see how it performs. Let's take a look!

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Manwah Leaf Puncher - Review

Hey plamo nerds! Here's a quick review on one of the new tools available in the shop - the Manwah leaf puncher! The punchers come in 4 designs: Birch, Oak, Maple and Cherry, and are used to make tiny leaves for scale model dioramas. Jump in if you want to know more about how they work!

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Diamond Grinding Plate - Review

What?! another review?! That's right folks! If you haven't figured it out, I got a bunch of stuff to test  with my last shipment and am going through them one by one. Not everything turned out great, but the ones that look promising get shared here for all you plamo nerds to see. Today we'll be looking at another abrasive tool that I'm sure scratch builders and modders will love - Diamond grinding plates!

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Diamond Micro Files - Review

Hey there plamo nerds, as promised, here's another tool review! I've been searching forever for the slimmest files, for getting at mold lines and flash in the tightest places like vents, slots, and in between fingers - and I finally found these diamond micro files! Let's take a look!

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Artisan Club Tool Assistant - Review

Hey plamo nerds! My apologies for the lack of updates on the blog - I've been cramming to finish my GBWC entry for the past few weeks, but now that the Kitsune has been deployed, we're back to regular programming! Today we'll be taking a look at one of the swankiest tool racks ever designed for the plastic model enthusiast: the Artisans Club Tool Assistant!

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OEM Angle Cutter - Review

Good day plamo nerds! It's been an eventful couple of weeks, making some slow but steady progress on my current WIP, and the unforgettable experience of judging at a build-off for the first time. The recently concluded GM Wars event hosted by South Plamo was a smashing success, bringing together new and veteran modelers for a fun afternoon of mecha mayhem. I had a notable headache after inspecting and appraising 30 excellent entries. The level of work made it all the more difficult to put a number on craftsmanship, especially since I am in no way or form an expert in this craft. But as judges we did our best, and I am pleased with the outcome. Now let's get back to our regular programming! Today I'll be sharing a very quick review of the OEM Angle Cutter I recently acquired to help with my scratch-building projects.

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Moshen Michelangelo Airbrush - Review

Hey there plamo nerds! I finally received my sample of the Moshen Michelangelo airbrush! I previewed this thing on the facebook page a few weeks back and it generated some excitement in the community because of the new nozzle design implemented in this airbrush. Today we get to have a closer look at the Michelangelo. Let's see what it has to offer!

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Thinnerline Circle Cutter - Review

Hey there plamo nerds! Today I'm sharing a quick review of the highly sought-after Thinnerline Circle Cutter! It's a clever tool designed to cut perfect little circles in thin material such as masking tape and thin plastic sheet - a task next to impossible to do without the aid of a special tool such as this.

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Harder and Steenbeck Infinity CR Plus 2-in-1 - Unboxing

Greetings and salutations fellow plamo nerds! You might have noticed from my past few posts that I've been acquiring some of the most well regarded airbrushes out there for model painting. I started off with the affordable but well-reviewed Master G233, followed by the bad-ass Badger Krome, the versatile Patriot, and most recently the invincible Iwata Eclipse. I've been on a personal quest to find the perfect airbrush for this hobby, and today I'll be sharing my newest acquisition - a tool that many consider to be the holy grail of airbrushing equipment: the Harder and Steenbeck Infinity CR Plus!

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(WARNING: lots of images)

Border Model Masking Template - Review

What's up plamo nerds! Here's another tool review to round off the week: a nice and shiny masking template! For the uninitiated, a masking template allows for easy cutting of masking tape into  patterns typically used in plamo painting. Digital and Hex camouflage patterns are popular among armor and mecha modelers, and a template such as this one from Border Model simplifies the process a great deal.

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Manwah Scribing Tempate - Review

Hey plamo nerds! Apologies for the lack of updates, I've been busy filling orders, and of course there's the GMKC that kicked off last Saturday and concludes this coming Sunday, June 25th. While we anxiously wait for the results, let's take a look at another tool that is essential to custom builders who enjoy more detail on their kits - the Manwah Scribing Template!

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