Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Tallgeese Boros WIP 5

Hello plamo nerds! Here's an update on my current project, the Boros. I finally got around to painting the damn thing after nearly a month of grueling clean up and paint prep. I may have spent more time getting this kit ready for paint than I've spent actually painting previous projects. For a while it felt like an endless cycle of puttying, sanding, priming, sanding, puttying, sanding, priming - but with the recent conclusion of the Back to Basics series, I've gained a new appreciation of the process. I now find mini-bursts of satisfaction just looking at a primed part and feeling how smooth the surface is, and I must confess I've wasted precious build time doing just that. 




Click on the Read More link for the rest of this post...

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Back to Basics 5: Paint Prep


Greetings plamo nerds, and welcome to the 5th and final installment of Back to Basics! If you've been following the series, you'll recall that every topic up to this point has been about assembly and getting the model's exposed surfaces to look as sharp and clean as possible. We've covered everything from proper removal from the sprue, denubbing, seam fixing, smoothing out surface defects, and getting everything to line up properly. Today we'll focus on a few more steps a modeler can take before finally loading up his brush (or airbrush) with paint.
Hop in!







Click on the read more link for the rest of this post...

Monday, October 3, 2016

Mecha Design Preferences and Peeves


We all love looking at models on the web ( i'm talking about plamo here not victoria's secret) You scroll through your timeline and when you see a build that blows your mind, you Like it, Share it, or even save it for future inspiration. But sometimes you come across a project that, despite all the great feedback it's getting from the community, or how well built or painted it is - just doesn't do anything for you. It's not that you don't appreciate the work or recognize the ability of the builder - it's something about the look or maybe even the pose of the kit that simply doesn't get your mecha mojo going. I'm talking about design preferences - elements of a model that give you a proverbial mecha boner, and peeves - things that annoy the be-jeezus-yamato out of you.



Click on the Read More link for the rest of this post....

Monday, September 26, 2016

Back to Basics 4: Fixing Surface Defects

Plastic injection is a very efficient and highly accurate method of mass-producing model kits. However the process is not perfect, and some physical flaws can still appear on the surface of some parts. The most common flaws we might find are mold lines, flash and sink marks. These surface defects are easy to address and doing so will be well worth the time spent fixing them before painting your model. In this guide, we'll go over each type of defect and discuss a solution.






Click on the Read More link for the rest of this post...

Monday, September 19, 2016

Superbuilds III

Good day plamo nerds, it's time for a long overdue episode of Superbuilds! Cleanliness is next to godliness, as the old saying goes, and it couldn't be more true for the godlike abilities of the builders we're going to check out today. Their work is so clean even the sharpest and most experienced eyes would be hard pressed to find faults in their finishes. Let's go!




Click on the Read More link for the rest of this post...

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Back to Basics 3: Fixing Seams

For the uninitiated, seams are those unsightly gaps between adjoining pieces that are the result of parts not snapping completely flush against each other. Like Nubs they are inevitable, considering this is injection-molded plastic we are working with and not some laser cut metal precise down to the nanometer. They are frequently found running along the barrels of weapons, or armor sections designed to sandwich something in between. They can be negligible if small and inconspicuous enough - but left unattended they can mean the difference between a professional finish and just another model on your shelf that "could have been better". Luckily they are typically easy to fix. Here's one of the most common ways to deal with them.





Click on the Read More link for the rest of this post...

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Tallgeese Boros WIP 4

Hello plamo nerds! It's been a while since my last post, I've been too busy with a major non-plamo WIP and haven't had the time to share a progress update on the Boros. It's coming together really well, with just some cleanup and detailing still unchecked on the weapon before I can head to paint prep. Here's what I've been up to...







Click on the Read More link for the rest of this post...

Monday, July 11, 2016

Business or Pleasure? Bit of both!

Hello plamo nerds! I apologize for the lack of updates on the blog recently - I've been away on business/pleasure for nearly two months and was supposed to bring a WIP to work on, but I had the opportunity to take my family with me instead, so I decided it best to leave the hobby at home and just enjoy the trip with my wife and son.

Feel free to bail if you were looking for a good plamo read - I should have one of those up soon too. Today I'm trying my hand at travel blogging. Commencing poor attempt in 3...2...1...









Click on the Read More link for the rest of this post...

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Tallgeese Boros WIP 3

Greetings fellow otakus! I've been busy working on the Boros and have made significant progress over the past couple of weeks. After making the decision to switch to Garazzo shoulders which extended the arm length, I figured I'd go all the way with proportion mods on this project. Here's what I've done so far!











Click on the Read More link for the rest of this post...

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Magnetic Hydraulics



Greetings plamo otakus! I've been working on a bunch of mods for my Tallgeese Boros project and a WIP post is imminent, but before that I thought I'd squeeze in a quick tutorial on how I make working hydraulics. Let's get cracking!


Click on the Read More link for the rest of this post...

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Featured Seller - Magnet Manila


Hello plamo fans! I'd like to introduce you all to Magnet Manila, an online store that sells - you guessed it - magnets! But these aren't your typical souvenir thingamabobs holding up a collection of fast food delivery flyers on the fridge door. They sell NdFeb (aka Neodymium) - lightweight yet extremely powerful magnets that should be a staple in a custom modeler's toolbox!




Click on the Read More link for the rest of this post...

Monday, April 11, 2016

Tallgeese III Custom WIP 2

Good day plamates! This is WIP 2 for this project. Previous WIPs can be found here:

Tallgeese III Custom WIP 1

      I wasn't comfortable calling this a Tallgeese III anymore after making significant changes to the design, so I came up with a name - Tallgeese Boros - after my favorite Magic:the Gathering deck.

I played Magic for about 15 years, and while I've been retired from the game for some time now, I'll always remember the days when I was a planeswalker in search of glory and power. Good times.

 For the uninitiated, the Boros deck is a red/white aggressive strategy designed to win the game in 3 to 5 turns by rushing the opponent with fast creatures and direct damage spells. Speed is the name of the game, and so shall it be the theme of this build.


Click on the Read More link for the rest of this post...