A̶d̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ Removing Detail - Waterslide Decals

Hello again plamo nerds! Due to insistent public demand (actually just one reader, persistent fellow, by the name of Clyde..) I'm doing a double feature today, demonstrating how to remove an already dry waterslide decal. Note however that this method may not work on all decal brands, but I've had success with both Bandai and self-printed decals, provided the decal solution has not fully cured and the model was not topcoated after the decals were placed.



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Adding Detail - Waterslide Decals

Greetings and salutations plamo nerds! I've finished repainting the leg I messed up last week, and it suddenly occurred to me that I never did follow up that Custom Decals tutorial with a proper how-to on waterslide decal application. This is all common knowledge to many experienced builders, but I'm determined to fill this blog with every technique I've learned from the hobby community as a way of giving back, so here you go!

Here's what you'll need:

1. Sharp scissors
2. Hobby knife with a new blade
3. Cutting mat
4. A small, shallow dish for water
5. Hobby tweezers 
6. Cotton swabs and paper towel
7. Your waterslide decal sheet
8. (Optional) Decal solution like Microsol / Mr. Mark Softer, or just plain white vinegar

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Murphy's Law

Hey everyone, I had a spectacularly unsuccessful round of plamo yesterday, and I've been getting some questions about what had happened, so I thought I'd write about it here instead - in annoyingly vivid detail. I find writing about shit that happens to me in this manner is kind of therapeutic...and yes, this is more relevant than the ongoing US elections.

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Featured Seller - GreattoysOnline

Hello plamo fans! Today I'll be featuring another well known store that has been around longer than many of us have been into plastic modeling: GreattoysOnline.com!

Established back in 2001 by enthusiasts just like us, GreattoysOnline has been nurturing otaku / collector culture in the Philippines by providing easy access to Japan and US sourced toys and collectibles for 15 solid years. They have a chain of stores spread out strategically across the metro, and an online store where you can shop in case none of the branches are within an easy commute from where you live. Let's take a closer look at what this store has to offer!

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Cleaning Your Airbrush

Good day plamo nerds! Allow me to share how I clean my airbrush after every painting session. No fancy-schmansy cleaning equipment or chemicals here, just some cheapo hardware store Acrylic Thinner, a small paint dish or cup, some paper towels and a couple of cotton swabs and we're good to go!

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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. 

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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!

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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.



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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.






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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!

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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.





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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...







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