True, it is recommended to use glue in certain spots, but from my experience it's not all that necessary in some of the points mentioned in the manual... on the other hand I find there are some points NOT mentioned in the manual that could do with the added security of gluing together.

 

I tend to cement everything now if it's not a moving part. Pay no mind to my mistake from earlier, that's from not bonding the central posts that really hold everything together.

@kaijuguy19 They're like big High Grade model kits from Bandai, so you can get away with building the entire kit without cement if you want to and it has decals for the chrome plated areas and symbols.

 

Welp, Thundercracker added to my Christmas list...

Along with a shit ton of Testor paints.

 

Go for their Model Master acrylic!! 1/2oz volume and more varieties of colors that are easy to mix.
While I'm waiting on my replacement runner for Optimus, I'm using the batch of gray paint I made for the model on another kit it's a perfect match for.

 

Make sure it's the acrylic version (acryl I think it's referred to). I personally used the Citadel brand of paints for mine, though I haven't had any bad experiences with Model Master either. Well, aside from them (and Citadel) drying out if you don't use them for a while....

 

I think they've retired the "acryl" name and are just going by "acrylic" now. The Model Master 'grade' is color coded on the labels. Red band on a black label is Enamel, Blue on a gray label is Acrylic.

Even so, the one flaw of Testors paints is the bottle caps have laminated paper seals. when in frequent use, constantly opening and closing the jars, the seals break down, and if you don't use it again soon enough, you're left with a jellied ball of acrylic putty.

It's why I buy Tamiya's empty mixing jars in bulk. 46ml I use for my recipes and the 23ml jars are perfect for in the event I need to salvage a bottle with a bad seal. They're cheap enough that buying six at a time means a whole carton for easy storage.



Tamiya's caps have gaskets that seat IN the neck of the jar and keeps a better seal. This really helps for when I mix recipes in large volume which I can store for later and the paint doesn't dry out.



While it won't dry out, it can still seperate and the paint will settle on the bottle of the jar. Nothing a little mixing can't fix to bring it all back into suspension!

 

Ah, to be honest, I didn't even look at Model Master when I got the paints for the Thundercracker kit. I haven't done any repaints/customs in general since my Halo obsession days (a sample...with a bit of wacky humor: Sangheili Conga by Slaskia on DeviantArt), so I hadn't had a need for them. That said, I usually only get what I need for a particular project.

One thing I hate is when I buy a paint and it's already very separated or worse, partly dried out. Separation I'm more understanding, since not everyone buys these kinds of paints all the time. The white paint I used on my Thundercracker was nearly, as you put it, 'a jellied ball of acrylic putty', took quite a bit of water and mixing to get it back to usable shape....

 

That's the problem sometimes with how they come, Metallics, Cobalt/pantone, and Gloss colors are either seperated or too thick to work with without thinner when you first open the bottle. So you really have to mix them up for a few minutes before you start working.

I've got a solution (pun unintended) for your dillemma with this.
POACHING! Fill a pan in the sink with hot water and just let the bottle sit for a few minutes, it helps solubilize the paint and makes it easier to mix. I picked this trick up from a friend who uses rattle can paints. Obviously you don't want boiling hot water, but when it's hot enough to produce steam, it's perfect.



This part is my own mad genius. I'm using my Ultrasonic Cleaner like a compact paint shaker. I run it for a 460 second cycle, with the Heating coil turned on (TC button), it really works!

After that I stir the paint with my Badger immersion blender
https://www.amazon.com/Badger-Air-Brush-Co-121-Paint/dp/B000BROV02 and it's ready to use.



These were the jars in the UltraSonic, and the results done by handbrushing with a little thinner in a paint pan.

 

I finally got round to washing the sprues...I might actually put some paint on them tomorrow.

 

Thank you D4 Toys!!!

It took only a week to file the request and get the runner!



Time to finish Prime!

 

Retreading the same ground and making up for lost time.

 

Might need to change the title soon lol

 

So it’s furai model without assembly but with weathering

 

Literally the only reason I would care is if it were cheaper, if not then it's a solid no.

 

Well factoring assembly and paint i think they are going to be more expensive than the model kits, how much (and how invasive the weathering effect is)r to be seen. This could be a nice alternative for people who don't have the time/skill to build a kit and don't want to spend lots of money for Kuro figures.

 

Well that's me officially started....I wonder if I will have finished by the end of the year?

 

I am in!

 

You'll probably finish it before me..

 

I'm not sure how a feel about the Furi Action line (love that name though) my main concern is if they do battle damage, I'm out, What I'm hoping for are just straight-up action figure versions of there models. Look and have the paint of the promo pics.

Also, I don't care how just give me a Magnus with Massive shoulder stacks...