Mr. Masking Sol Kai Preview

I wrote about Mr. Masking Sol Neo a while back and singing its praises, but after using it for a while its deficiency is obvious: too runny, and its self cohesion is poor, meaning you’ll have a hard time lifting your dried mask in one piece, if the layer is thin. So in another attempt to fix this, Gunze offered another improved version “Kai”. I used it the first time this morning, and it’s definitely an improvement over the “Neo”. The liquid is thicker, and it seems to have better self-cohesion, as the masks almost lifts in single pieces. I have some uncured gum in spots, which I suspect is the result of me not shaking the bottle properly.

Ok why don’t I buy Modeler’s masking sol like everyone else you asked… I kinda like Gunze’s in bottle brush, but I also have 3 bottles of them Modelers all gummed up and unsuable after their shelf life expired, I didn’t feel like buying another one

Tubing cutter?

I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t know how to use one of these K&S tubing cutter. I put a 1/16″ brass tube in the groove and turned the screw, but I don’t see cutting happening!

I got one because I thought I can cut the tubes that I use for pinning more conveniently. Aluminum is easy to cut, but I often don’t like cutting brass because it’s a hassle to saw them off (yes I have low tolerance for work ). But sometimes you don’t get to choose because brass is just a better alternative for pinning high stress areas.

Mr. Color #183 Super Clear Gray Tone

Mr. Color #183 Super Clear Gray Tone

The normal super clear is used for top coating, and I frequently use their super clear flat to achieve flat surfaces. But I was really curious about this super clear gray tone they’ve come up with. It’s flat, and from my limited experience it seems to be very slightly tinted with some black particles similar to their smoke, only weaker. It’ll probably look good on a stark white Gundam, but otherwise I should read the HJ issue that introduced this product to see what it’s recommended for.

Alclad II Lacquer Chrome

Alclad II Lacquer Chrome

“Wow” is all I can say. I’ve seen the amazing finishes from this paint by the aircraft modelers, but after seeing it with my own eyes it’s really something! The only requirement for working with this paint is you have to prime the surface with black enamel. But even when I base coat it with Mr. Color #2, it still has that bumper chrome luster that I lusted after for some of my projects. In well-prepared areas, you can actually see yourself! The only downside of this product is the price tag… a small 1oz bottle is in the $6 range, and it comes already thinned which makes it super pricey. But there’s nothing that can beat the ease of use and the finish achieved in the market right now.

Liquid Leaf Classic Gold

Liquid Leaf Classic Gold

Ever since I argued with a moron who refused to believe gold has a metallic luster, I’ve been on the look out for easy to apply gold that looks great and easy to apply. The traditional silver/clear orange+yellow approach just doesn’t cut it. This thing I picked up randomly from an artstore may just be the answer. The metal particles are very fine, and they are suspended in a liquid tinted yellow, which makes the final color very close to real gold. Gunze’s gold color is definitely paler in color. I’ve applied this to a Nadia figure I’m building with very pleasing results, looking forward to trying it on larger surfaces.

Mr. Dissolved Putty

Mr. Dissolved Putty

Mr. Surfacer 500 had been my choice of putty for a long time, it can be pretty thick if you grab the bottom of the bottle, still there are times when I wish it is more filling. I also don’t like to thin putties such as Tamiya grey or Squadron, since I’m really lazy So now comes this new (?) product from Gunze. It’s white in color which I like, and the bottle says don’t thin it. It looks translucent when I applied them, I thought it was going to be thin but in fact it dried to a translucent mass. It sands like Mr. Surfacer 500, i.e. easier than superglue but more difficult than Tamiya grey. If you store the bottle upside down you don’t need to stir it next time you use it.

Mr. Masking Sol Neo

Mr. Masking Sol Neo Date Price From Manufacturer 10/20 200yen R10 GSI-Creos (formerly Gunze) Mr. Masking Sol was a pretty horrible masking liquid, and no one knows why it takes them this many years to figure it out. Now they come out with the “Neo” version, which smells, act and look like Modeler’s Mask Sol (green stuff) that everyone uses, except it’s slightly cheaper. Like the green stuff, it has less tack and removes nicely.

V-color

V-Color

I’m sick of people saying you can’t paint on rubber parts. V-color can go on rubber and will stay on (i.e. not crack up). When you smell the thinner you know it’s acetone, but acetone kills your brushes. Their brand-name thinner is milder and safer for the brushes; acetone dries too fast and leaves brush strokes. The paint levels pretty well with their thinner, but it can also be airbrushed.