Tie downs from left over PE trash

By Nick Z. Guangco, Jr.

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Tie downs from left over PE trash

By Nick Z. Guangco, Jr.

          In the early days, photo-etched detail kits were sold separately to enhance your model.  These shiny pieces of metal that you fold and attach with cyano acrylate (CA) glue give additional detail, making your masterpiece stand-out among the rest.  Nowadays, these expensive PE kits are now included in the kits.  Dragon Models started this kind of marketing a few years back then followed by other model companies.  They even add turned aluminum barrel which were also sold separately by sister companies or independent manufacturers.

          Since then, you gather a lot of PE trees, and year after year, it turns into a PE pile.  So, what can we do with these trees?  Do we throw them or put them to good use?  As the old saying goes “big things comes in small packages”.  While browsing through my spares box, looking for some parts to replace the tie downs on a T-34/85 kit, I accidentally found a plastic bag of PE trees that I’ve kept for detailing Gundams.

          Ka-ching! An idea occurred that we can also use these for other purposes like tie-downs on tanks.  With a bit of imagination and some cutting tools of course, possibilities are infinite.  So don’t throw them away!  Here’s what we need: 1) Left over Photo-etch tree  2) Modeling knife (with new blades)  3) ruler  4) scissors  5) CA glue  6) 300grit sandpaper.  (Figure 1)

          Using your ruler (I do prefer the steel ruler over plastic rulers), measure the parts that you need to be replaced with the PE (Figure 2).  After gathering the length and width, add a millimeter or two for future adjustments.  Using your modeling knife, with a bit of pressure, glide a line that will serve as guide as you cut your PE tree with a sharp scissor.  Now, cut the part with your scissor and sand the edges with 300 grit sandpaper to eliminate the sharpness.  Add some care while sanding the cut PE because some are very sharp when freshly cut, specially the corners.  Your fingers may slip thus cutting your skin (Figure 3).  Re-measure the parts and sand or cut excess length (Figure 4).  Next is gluing the PE part on to the model using CA glue, one end first, then the other end. So you can cut away excess length before you glue the PE to other end (Figure 5).  Let it dry for a few minutes then its done (Figure 6).  You can then use your favorite brand of metal primer to cover the PE part prior to painting.

          Other things that I can think of using your PE trash are seatbelt for cars, belts and straps for figures, slap on armor for Mechas, replacing mudguards, etc.  I told you its infinite!  Now, it’s your turn to open a few boxes of model kits and think of other uses these spares can do (Figure 7).

Sample pictures taken using

a Digital Camera

Taking Photos of your Models

Camera Phone or a Digital Camera

by: Nick Guangco on Technical Contributions

Noel Carpio on Write-up and Photos

* This topic was lectured to the club during one of its monthly meeting.  The members of IPMS Manila requested that it be posted in this website for everybody's reference.

Photography is one of my hobbies. I tried it long time ago but the cost to maintain the Film-Type Camera Hobby was just too heavy for my pocket. So temporarily, I paused. When I started working, I was able to get back into Photography.  I now have both a Digital Camera and your usual Cellular Phone Camera.  My article will hopefully help you in taking pictures of your project on a basic level just enough for you to use what you have and still get quality pictures (pics) for a website, a journal or simply for your own album.

We will talk about Digital Photography in this article as film cameras are on its way to join history. Most of us modelers have a cellular phone that has a built-in camera phone. Nowadays, cellular phones are sported with 2 mega-pixel cameras. There are things that one should remember about phone cameras:

1. Most are not equipped with Vibration Reduction;

2. Most do not have a  wide-angle lens;

3. Most are designed for distant point-and-shoot and

4. Most do not effectively have the megapixel it says it has.

Let's take the first.  "Most are not equipped with Vibration Reduction.  Since you will be zooming in when taking a picture of your model, the more your camera must NOT MOVE when you click that button. Why? Because the higher the zoom or the closer you are to your subject, the more "blur" (the image will tend to be blurred) may occur.

Second, "Most do not have a Wide Angle Lens". Wide Angle Lenses are used by semi-professional and professional cameras for shooting micro-subjects (zoom) like orchids and butterflies. Now, your Phone Camera can only take good shots 12 inches away. Any closer will result to a blurred picture.

Third, most, if not all, phone cameras are point-and-shoot types. It may be the easiest to handle or use but taking magazine-quality pictures may not be easy to do.

And lastly, many Cellular Phone cameras do not have the "effective" mega-pixel is declares to have. A 2 mega-pixel Digital SLR will never have the same  "effective" mega-pixel as a Cellular Phone Camera. Yes, it's all a marketing move by cellular phone cameras.

So, are you still with me? Let's go on...

PHOTOGRAPHY IS ALL ABOUT LIGHT.  (Say it three times and do not forget that!) No matter how good your camera is, so long as your camera fails to get the light it requires in shooting your subject, your pictures will never be good once.  Light, in different amounts, affects how you see things around you. A grassy field may look dark green in a cloudy day and may look yellow green in a sunny day. So if this happens to the naked eye, so will it with any camera. So if you are taking pics of your model in a poorly lighted room, use a flash (if your camera does not have options of adjusting your lens). The lack of Light will also reduce your ability to move when taking a picture.  If you cannot hold that camera really still, then make sure that you have enough light or a flash when using your camera. Check out the picture quality of the subject taken below under different lighting conditions:

In conclusion, taking pictures using your Cellular Phone Camera can produce good results for as long as you have good lighting and you have enough distance from your subject. 

However, there is a line between Cellular Phone Cameras and Digital Cameras. I will discuss the difference between two and show you what results you can get from a Digital Camera that will never be achieved with today's Cellular Phone cameras.

Here are two pictures of the same subject taken in the same conditions (Room Lighting, 12 inches distance from the subject and no flash):

Can you see the difference?  The one taken by the Digital Camera is clearer and have better lighting. But the question is "Why can the Digital Camera produce a much better picture without even using a flash?".  That is because with most Digital Cameras (not all of them), the lens is better, it can take in more light without using a flash and it has Vibration Reduction.  Now, with a Digital SLR Camera, taking good pictures is made easier. Why? Because with a Digital SLR, you can properly control the Aperture (the amount of light the shutter will be able to take in) and the Shutter Speed (the time that the shutter will remain open to enable light to get in).  Now, now, now - it isn't exactly Rocket Science Boys and Girls!!! Photography is all about Light.  So with a Digital Camera, especially the SLR type, Light is better managed by the user.  This results to a better understand what I mean.

Three different Digital File Size/Quality:

Remember that this article is not telling you that you can never get good pictures with a Cellular Phone Camera.  This article simply helps to prove that Digital Cameras do have advantages as far as getting better pictures.  The only hurdle you might have from wanting to have a Digital Camera is the cost to get one. But hey, isn't a Top-of-the-line Cellular Phone with a built-in Camera expensive as well? Check the costs range:

Basic Cellular Phone without a camera : Given free by plans offered by Cellular Phone Companies

Mid-end Cellular Phones with a camera : Given at 1,000 to 2000 pesos per month for one year inclusive of load by Cellular Phone companies

High-end Cellular Phones with a camera: priced between 30,000 pesos to 50,000 pesos (excludes palm-type cellular phones)

Basic Dependable Point-and-Shoot Digital Camera - 10,000 to 15,000 pesos

Mid-end Point-and-Shoot Digital Camera - 15,000 to 25,000 pesos

Entry Level Digital SLR - 25,000 to 35,000 pesos

Semi-Professional Digital SLR - 35,000 to 80,000 pesos

Professional Digital SLR - 90,000 to 250.000 pesos (basic kit without extra lenses)

Now, you decide what to get from this point. If you do not have a Digital Camera and do not have any inclination on buying one, then I can simply say that you only have to use your Cellular Phone Camera properly as stated in this article. From there on, learn the ropes. Practice makes perfect!

Cheers and Fears

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by: Mike Jorge

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