20251008 Gecko Models 35GM0118: Painting and Lighting

So, it is time to paint the whole assembly as much as I can. And I do not like painting unless I feel like it, which is never that often. So, you can tell how good I am with this lest minute effort as I tend to slap on any paint within arm’s reach. The aim here is to populate the three shelves and complete the roof (plus lights) and then… that’s it. Because I cannot come up with any other idea or even a diorama.

The idea was to put the Conex container in the middle of the Jungle but that does not work since the portable generator in 1/35th scale is only available in the Gecko Model’s Military Base Temporary Command Station, Gecko Models 35GM0119. It would look nice with the guy reading some magazine in the middle of a dark Jungle and at night too. Imagine the lighting effects from within the container.

Remodeling for the South Paws

First thing first. I need to relocate the Fridge to the left instead of the right. You can think of it as a mirror image exercise.

In the original setting (right), the fridge (yellow) was placed on the right. By placing the second longest shelf in front of it, it would be very difficult to open that door. So, I re-arranged the whole setting as what you’d see on the left. This way, it is now possible to open the fridge (assuming the door swings to the right).

But you cannot believe me on that. What you saw on the first image above right was most probably a prototype shot from Gecko Models. Because if I arranged the furniture similar to that, there are some maneuverable space in front of the Fridge. The Doors can swing to the right but not as wide as I wanted them to be.

WTF… Paints!

I bought these about a week ago and when I opened them, I was less than thrilled. Both bottles were clumpy which to me, is a sign that the thinner was drying out. Luckily, they were good to use after I added some thinner to them. The shop where the paints were displayed, I assumed had good air-conditioning most of the time. The only time I witnessed such horrors was in my old Works Room where the average temperature was in the mid 30°C (say, 95°F onwards?). Yeah, they were literally baked everyday except for the wee hours in the morning.

Is it me or does the paint looked a little less?

The Mr. Color #104 Gun Chrome looked like drying up. Do not mind the slanting of the paint as the bottle was leaning at an angle for days.

WTF… Airbrush!

So, the mini Airbrush Compressor is misbehaving more and more. It shuts down if there is a lapse in the flow or something, which means I have to keep the air flowing at all times. This can be quite a chore especially when I needed use the Airbrush hand to skip the Ads on YouTube. Other than that, I don’t seem to enjoy airbrushing anymore. Each colour change requires me to flush the airbrush. Plus, my hands tend to lock into themselves into a clawing fist as it was a long time ago since I’ve held the Airbrush. Every muscle in my fingers was fighting that pose that resembles more like holding a very thin T-Shaped pen.

And if you must know, my 9 year old Airbrush compressor is just a simple white box and not those fancy oil-less pistons motor strapped on top of a tank.

By the time I got the right mixture with that glop of paint, my mood is almost gone. This is the result of me trying to get the job done as quickly as possible. Just a note that with the new place, the thinner fumes did not disperse as fast as I thought it would be. Time to look into making my own spray booth…

Planking

I am not sure how sturdy these Conex floors are not have I seen their wear in any photos. The idea of using wooden stirrers as flooring was great but very quickly, the idea had to be snuffed out. In the end, I guess I’d have to weather the flooring instead.

The Chopper was invaluable in getting each planks cut into the exact lengths.

The thickness of the wooden stirrer is 1mm. So, if I converted it to 1/35th scale, it would 35mm thick. The second issue it that the wooden stirrers has raised the height of the shelves to the point that I’m worried its roof might not close completely.

Once the wooden stirrers are laid flat and glued together, it might look amazing. Sadly, with the height issue, it is better to just abandon that idea for the time being.

How many scale models does it need to change a light bulb?

There are two sizes of light shades in the kit and I chose the larger or the two for this purpose. Looking at the part, it is possible to fit a 0805 SMD LED into it. However the lampshade must be prepped prior to this. The idea is to remove the excess plastic, then fit the SMD LED through and secure it with some clear UV epoxy. Sounds simple, right? It actually is!