A Reputable Italian Ebay Seller

Its no secret that alot of collectors are worried about dealing with Italy when it comes to Ebay.  I myself have been skeptical what with all the horror stories that have surfaced from the Italian Flouros to BaronKarlo and more.
I have been fortunate in my dealings with Italy.  Thanks in part to other collectors who have been considerate enough to inform me of less than reputable dealers and also other collectors who have gone out of their way to do diligent research and sleuthing to root out these cancerous infections from Ebay.  

But there are also alot of good sellers in Italy.  And we shouldnt condemn a whole nation for the actions of a few greedy people who have no moral fibre.

So in an effort to help promote goodwill and help protect other collectors who would like to buy items from Italy but are scared or just plain uncertain, I will be putting up posts every time I have a transaction involving Italy.

Today's post is courtesy of  maruzzell2   

Maruzzell has a 100% feedback rating of 1788.  I worked out a deal with him 'outside' of ebay.  He was extremely honest and pleasant to deal with.  His shipping charges were extremely fair and he shipped really quickly.  It was my pleasure dealing with him and I wont hesitate to do so again if the circumstances should arise.


Good people deserve good press...and thats why Maruzzell is getting the ATR Thumbs Up.

Cavelieri Stellari Scar Face

Well...If you had told me I would own 3 of the 6 Caveleiri Stellari figures I would have laughed at you.  I have 2 of the 3 Horse figures and Scar Face.  The Horse figures are MISB and Scar Face is loose.  He is missing his weapons and a box, but I can live with that.  It took me over 10 years to find this one.

Does anyone happen to have a set of Caveleiri Stellari weapons they would consider lending me to make duplicates of? 

LETS MAKE A DEAL  :~) 

Would you like to trade, sell or have me make something???

Any information leading to the arrest and capture of the 3 remaining Caveleiri Stellari figures is looked upon with EXTREME favor.  :~)

OOMOO 25 VS OOMOO 30

I have discussed this once before, but I think it needs refreshing.

I use Smooth On products.  Its all I have ever tried.  Having a distributor 10 minutes away makes it that much more attractive.

The Smooth On Starter Kit comes with OOMOO 30.  This is a medium setting Silicone.  It has a 7-9 minute pot life and cures in roughly 6 hours.  This is what I use the most.

OOMOO 25 is a much faster setting Silicone.  It has a pot life of 2-3 minutes and cures in roughly 2-3 hours.  It says 90 minutes, but its still tacky after 90 so I leave it a few more hours.  The benefit of using the OOMOO 25 is that it is a quick setting silicone.  I use it for what I call Stage Molds.  Stage molds are basically one time use molds.  You make the piece in stages.  You make a mold of a built up area then carve/sculpt it.  Then you make another mold of the sculpted piece and either use that or rework the piece some more.  Its like saving your work in case you slip with a knife or cut too much off in one area.  Thats why I use it.

Its also good if you are making only 1 or 2 small molds.  Remember you have to mix it and pour in under 3 minutes.  Proper pouring procedure of silicone is a nice, SLOW steady stream to help break up air bubbles introduced while mixing.  Plus you need to get it into the pressure pot.   If you are mixing alot of product or have several molds to pour, I dont recommend using the OOMOO 25.

I prefer the OOMOO 30 except for the 6 hours cure time.  But thats the time it seems to take for a good solid mold so I live with it.  I like the detail the OOMOO 30 provides over the OOMOO 25.  Because it has a longer pot life it doesnt thicken up as quick.  So I can pour several molds properly without fear of the silicone curing before I can get it into the pressure pot.  Also, because it stays in liquid form longer, it can get into all the little tighter areas nicer and cleaner.

A New Stack

Stack...thats just what I call it.  I guess in retrospect rack would work just as well.  But it just seems more apt.  I dont know if anyone else thought of this.  Most likely.  Its a simple enough idea.  I remember documenting it here on the blog when I first made it.

When I first started casting, I was using a very small pressure pot.  In fact it was a paint pot.  I had to turn it on its side to be able to make the larger molds. I could barley get my hand in and sometimes it was sloppy.  So I was pretty happy when I found the one I am using on sale for $70.00.  But it is deeper than it is wide.  And that made for alot of empty space.  So I made a small shelfing (apparently thats not a word...hmmm) system. 

I cut 3 pieces of thin paneling.  I put one on the bottom of the pot, because the pot is curved.  Then I took the other 2 and drilled some holes, used some All Thread and a few nuts/washers and made a the shelf unit to fit inside the pressure pot.  Now I could make more molds at once.  At the very least, I didnt have to keep reaching all the way into the bottom of the pressure pot. 

 It wasnt until I used it a few times that I realized I made 1 small error.  Resin sticks badly to the wood.  So the shelf unit got bumpy and uneven from spilled resin.  I had to grind it off which is alot of work/noisy and messy.  However it can be easily scraped off with a putty knife or a simple scraper were it made of acrylic or some type of plastic.

So I finally got around to making the new shelf unit.  I kinda like the look.

I had some square pieces.  I just took a grinder to the excess and than spun it by hand over a belt sander.  I still have to put some pads on the bottom of the all thread so it doesnt damage the bottom acrylic plate.

Bill Mantlo

 Over at AcroRays  Laboratory   http://acroray.blogspot.com/   he has posted an article:

 The Tragic Tale of a Micronaut Creator including article from LifeHealthPro.

 Bill Mantlo has suffered some severe setbacks in life.  Its unfortunate that anyone should fall into his position but it happens all the time.  I urge anyone even remotely associated with Micronauts to read this article if for no other reason than sheer respect. 

Here's hoping I did this right, if I didnt, just click on the link in "AcroRays Blog" in the side bar under Homeworlds Hot List.

The Tragic Tale of a Micronauts Creator

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cleaning Files

You may hear me from time to time refer to Swiss Files.  This are small hand held files of various shapes.   Some are square,  some curved.  Each one designed to help get into that hard to reach spot.  I use these Swiss Files to sand down any imperfections in a cast including cast lines.  Now its more common for larger files to get clogged with bits of steel,  but if you are like me, your 'work' area isnt far from the 'casting' area.  And occasionally I will drop some resin on a file.  While a wire brush can work if you are stuck, the best way to clean a file is with a piece of brass or aluminum bronze (cheaper facsimile).  You run the brass over the file going with the grain.  With the brass being softer than the file, the brass pushes whatever is stuck in the file out.  Steel, dried resin, last nights dried remnants of a banana split...and it doesnt hurt the file.

Authentic Unofficially Official Magno Custom Capes

I dont mean to cut into this post.  Its unintentional.  But this next set of customs required I build something for it.

I have mentioned these in the past, but like stated in the previous post, I dont get make much time for 'playing'.  If I did, you would probably have seen more pictures of these next customs than you have...er...havent.

 I am not sure how many of you know this, but Lady Command of the Micropolis Embassy Group made the capes for the Palisades Toys Emperors.  Shortly after the Magnos were released,  I commissioned her to make some additional capes for me in various colors.  They havent seen much play time, so I took down the red one for a few pictures.  I have been looking for proper hooks/hangars for them and havent found anything yet.  However now that I am doing casting, hooks/hangars for these Capes is now on the list. 

I wished I had gotten a few more made.  This is actually the first time this Red Cape has ever been put on a figure.

 I didnt know what to do with these capes now that I had them. Keep them wrapped in a  bag? So I took some welding wire.  Wire, not rod.   It comes in various widths about 2 maybe 3 feet long.  And I bent some and soldered them together to make a Cape Rack

 I have more detailed pics of it being made, but you get the idea.  All the joints were filed/sanded and the entire rack primed and painted.

I think Im going to spend a bit more time playing.  Some of these other capes have never been on a figure yet either.

Reconditioned Mego Spidermobile

  A short while ago I came across a Spidermobile and a Hulk Explorer.  The Spidermobile was just a red shell.  The Hulk Explorer was the same, but it also had its original cannon.  No dart, but I could live with that. 

  So when ever I get a few minutes I put it to use reconditioning these vehicles back.  I make the parts needed to make it look like the original version.  If I come across the original parts down the road, I swap out my casts and use them for other things.

 Now I still need to find the proper rear axle or one I can cast, but this Spidermobile is better off than it was. I made it new fins for the back, the back wing is from a Star Defender but matches and I made both the single and the double ski's that are currently mounted on it.  The side mounted rockets are courtesy of a now defunct Palisades BK set.

 I also have a couple of other Solarions that I have put together.  My favorite has the front wheel from the Battle Cruiser.  It just looks that little bit sleeker I think. 






One of the good things about having a Blog, is that it literally forces me to 'play' with my collection.  Maybe I dont get down on the floor and build worlds, but I take out a piece in question and pose it for photographs.  With all the casting and a little thing called 'life',  I dont do it nearly as often as I would like.  So this helps out a lot in that regard.

   Bob & Doug Mckenzie.   Bloody Canadians and their beer eh.  Now look what those 2 have done.  Great...Just Great...Pharoid. Beer.  I hope he keeps it away from the Terraphants. 

Dam bootleggers.      :~)