u/CE-85

I like to make scale models, figures and cosplay items as a hobby. SS Armor is my go to armor in the game and I've been meaning to make a costume out of it at one point. So I decided to start out by making a 1/2 scale bust!

The helmet was modeled by fellow Fallout fan app_forgery. I printed the parts with an FDM printer, did a lot of sanding and eventually painted and weathered it properly. I also designed a helmet stand from scratch with Fusion360. Now it sits on my desk :)

I also made an NCR Ranger helmet in the same fashion, as a display bust. I guess I should share some photos of that as well, in another post.

So what do you think?

I'm not deeply into Marvel but a friend of mine asked me to print and paint a Dr Doom figure so I went ahead and started looking for a nice 3d model. ZEZ Studios made this awesome sculpt and I found it interesting to paint. So I fired up my Uniformation GK3Pro and started working. A week later, I was finished. Now I'll gift this 1/10 scale figure to my friend :) You like it?

I'm not deeply into Marvel but a friend of mine asked me to print and paint a Dr Doom figure so I went ahead and started looking for a nice 3d model. ZEZ Studios made this awesome sculpt and I found it interesting to paint. So I fired up my Uniformation GK3Pro and started working. A week later, I was finished. Now I'll gift this 1/10 scale figure to my friend :) You like it?

Ever since I saw the movie Fury, I have been considering making a small diorama from one of its scenes. So I went ahead and ordered myself a Sherman M4A3 (ZVEZDA 3676 1/35). The build was pretty straightforward and problem free, it was quite an alright model. Once the paint job was finished, I searched what other model makers had done for a Fury diorama and discovered so many amazing stuff and that kind of put me off actually. I couldn't come up with anything novel so I decided to let it go. Instead, I made this small base out of XPS foam, acrylic paste, popsicle sticks and aluminum wire. I didn't even bother with extra stowage nor figures. Just the very basics. So here you go, hope you like it!

I have been dealing with this issue since april and I cannot figure out why. Perhaps you might help me?

• If the lighting conditions are not ideal, I get massive amounts of grain.
• Everything seems to be slightly out of focus.
• I have lost sharpness.
• Even when the light is good, I still don't have as much detail as I used to.
• Shadows are completely muddy, I'm unable to recover any detail.
• I went through all my settings and I don't seem to have anything out of usual. Maybe I changed something and forgot to dial back and I can't find what? I have tried changing everything related to dynamic range but nothing seems to fix it.
• My camera (X-T5 firmware 4.31) and my lens (XF16-80 firmware 1.21) has been up to date.
• I didn't have any physical impact either.

Although I am sometimes a pixel peeper, this is not pixel peeping, I'm simply comparing my previous photos to new photos and something is wrong. What could be causing this? Please help! Thank you...

EDIT:
Although it looks like day, it was winter time in Iceland and it was quite darkish even during the day. I turned up exposure a bit during post processing to make it better. Hence the high ISO. I tried to correct the darkness with exposure compensation dial instead of ISO but then I would lose the highlights in the snow patches which basically covers most of the frame. It's also difficult to lower SS because you might think it's a peaceful environment looking at these photos but we were in a wind storm the entire week and it was difficult to stay put standing, let alone hold the camera stable for any amount of time. STILL, I have been in similar conditions before and never got this much noise.

This is one of the first things that I built when I started the hobby. I downloaded the model from Gambody and 3d printed (FDM) the whole thing. It took a lot of sanding and filling to make it as smooth as a scale model. I cut out the windscreen from a sheet of acetate. The decals were left over from an abandoned F-16 project that I failed to assemble. I also made a small sticker stencil for the serial number with my Cricut Joy.

In the end, I love how it turned out and I'm really proud of myself for building something this nice, so early in this hobby, only a couple of months after I started the whole thing. I hope you enjoy it as well. This gave me a lot of courage to carry on and now I spend my entire free time in the garage, making stuff.

I have been planning to build an X-Wing for so long and I wanted to 3d print it at first. All the better models I found were not suitable for FDM printing and I thought SLA printing would take so much time with my smaller printer. So I decided to go for a scale model instead.

I opted for a 1/57 scale and this Revell model was on sale. I didn't want to bother with building an authentic one from the series because I don't want to fixate on copying the actual thing. So I just took a look at my paints went for this light gray and blue color scheme. It turned out nice enough. The current heatwave prevents me from spending too much time in the garage so I couldn't take it a step further with decals, therefore it looks a bit basic at this point unfortunately.

The scale model itself is ok. It's more or less a no glue model and you just click parts together. The fit is not the best, there are some gaps that needs filling but more experienced modelers will make a better work than I did.

It didn't come with a stand and I really wanted to display it with the wings open. So I fired up Fusion 360 and modeled myself a display stand. I'm very satisfied with how it looks. In case anyone wants to download the stand and 3d print it, here is a free link:

https://makerworld.com/en/models/2951309-star-wars-x-wing-model-stand

I have been planning to build an X-Wing for so long and I wanted to 3d print it at first. All the better models I found were not suitable for FDM printing and I thought SLA printing would take so much time with my smaller printer. So I decided to go for a scale model instead.

I opted for a 1/57 scale and this Revell model was on sale. I didn't want to bother with building an authentic one from the series because I don't want to fixate on copying the actual thing. So I just took a look at my paints went for this light gray and blue color scheme. It turned out nice enough. The current heatwave prevents me from spending too much time in the garage so I couldn't take it a step further with decals, therefore it looks a bit basic at this point unfortunately.

The scale model itself is ok. It's more or less a no glue model and you just click parts together. The fit is not the best, there are some gaps that needs filling but more experienced modelers will make a better work than I did.

It didn't come with a stand and I really wanted to display it with the wings open. So I fired up Fusion 360 and modeled myself a display stand. I'm very satisfied with how it looks. In case anyone wants to download the stand and 3d print it, here is a free link:

https://makerworld.com/en/models/2951309-star-wars-x-wing-model-stand

You may remember the Soviet Mickey Mouse prop from the Chernobyl TV series. It was a replica of an actual mascot, photographed in Pripyat shortly before the accident. Creator of the series, Craig Mazin, actually took the prop as a display item to his office.

Recently, I came across a decent 3d model of the thing and decided to 3d print and paint it. The result is a 10 cm desktop display which looks at me from my desk right now. I hope you like it!

As a model maker, I love making Chernobyl related stuff. Previously, I made the Pripyat city sign, the Chernobyl city sign, a liquidator figure and a Pripyat fire truck. I don't know if it's allowed here but I'd like to share my Instagram if you want to have a look at my stuff.

https://www.instagram.com/distopika.studios

Hello there travelers!

We spent 9 days in Morocco last month and I want to share our experience with you. So here begins my 15 minutes of fame 😄

PLANNING

We started out sparing two full weeks for Morocco and attempting to see the entire country. But as we marked places on our map, we realized that the country is huge and it would take a good month to go through all the places we wanted to visit. It was impossible to make a meaningful journey in two weeks. So we decided to divide it into multiple trips. Our first travel plan covered 9 days in Marrakech and nearby areas towards the Sahara Desert and that was it. We bought our tickets and hoped for the best. We started out by the Atlas Ocean in Essaouira then moved to Marrakech, went over the Atlas Mountains and stopped by several small villages until we reached Erg Chigaga in the desert. That's the basic direction we pursued but here is a list of all the little spots we went through, in order:

Essaouira > Marrakech > Tizi n'Tichka > Kasbah El Glaoui (Télouet) > Kasbah El Glaoui (Tamdakhte) > Ksar Aït Ben Haddou > Gas Haven > Kasbah Tifoultoute > Atlas Studios > Ouarzazate > Kasbah Amridil > Vallée des Roses > Canyon des Doigts de Singe > Gorges du Dadès > Tinghir > Gorges du Todra > Erg Chigaga

DRIVING AND POLICE

We rented a Seat Arona from Sixt at the airport for 500 EURO including full insurance, extra driver and unlimited mileage. The car was reasonable, worked good enough for the roads that we went through and the renting experience was smooth. We drove nearly 2.000 kms in the country. Roads are quite alright, there were only a couple of sections which were under construction so it was a bit dusty but otherwise it's just reasonable asphalt all over the place. Inside Marrakech, there was a lot of traffic but other than that I'd say it is safe and easy to drive, not ultra chaotic like one would imagine. One section of the road climbing over the Atlas Mountains might be a bit though for unacclimated drivers. Tizi n'Tichka road stretches over nearly a 100 kilometers and it's nonstop winding roads and u turns and fallen debris. The authorities seem to be making a great job at cleaning the fallen rocks but you'll see that it is impossible to keep it clean at all times because that's just the nature of the region, the mountains are crumbling down in pieces, they are not solid rock. We live in a mountainous area so I am used to driving under these conditions but it just might be a bit stressful for unseasoned drivers. Keep your eyes open and you'll be fine. The roads are wide despite the curves so it's fairly safe.

In terms of danger, we only almost died once during our entire trip so I guess that's good enough statistically? A truck was moving slow ahead of us so I attempted to take over him. There were no other cars in this stretch of the road and it was dead flat asphalt. When I made my move, I saw that the driver was swinging his entire leg out of the window for some reason (?) and he panicked when he saw me by his side, tried to reposition his leg, lost control of the truck, almost hit our vehicle and then almost steered out of the road. He couldn't take control of his massive truck for quite a while. I braked and left myself behind him. Once I assumed he had settled, I attempted once again to take over him. He did it again. He panicked. He lost control. I don't know if he was under the influence of something. We almost died twice in a single minute or so. This time I just sped up and left him behind to his fate. He didn't crash luckily...

Other than that, we had no close calls or anything out of ordinary with other drivers. But beware, there are A LOT of speed cameras all over the place. You must absolutely obey the speed limits. Don't push it, you will be caught in a camera hidden behind a garbage bin somewhere. Just behave and you'll be fine. And this brings us to the topic of police officers. We were stopped a few times and that seems to be a regular thing when you are entering larger towns. Officers act professional and polite. But we had two separate incidents with them.

First, when we were about to exit Marrakech, we drove through a road that was sort of under construction but actually not. They had unsparingly left an endless amount of temporary speed limit signs all over the place and in no particular order. You'd see a 80km sign, followed by a 20km sign, followed by a 60km sign etc etc. It was completely random and impossible to obey because they had no distance between them. There was practically no construction works on the road so just like everybody else we drove at 80 kms which is the usual limit. A police vehicle was waiting at the end of this stretch of road and they stopped us. An officer came and told me that I was speeding along the construction. Technically I was speeding so I didn't push it and said ok. Another officer came and demanded my papers. Another officer asked me to park five meters ahead. Another officer called me to his car. Another one told me I had to pay 300 Dirhams (30 EURO) as a fine. I paid and they told me to go back to my car and they would bring the paper for the fines. Then another officer came and told me that I was massively speeding, 80 kms in a 20km zone and I would have to pay a huge fine not 300 Dirhams. The officers kept changing the line of communication between each other and within a few minutes, I probably spoke to 6-7 different people, it was confusing and it seemed to be deliberate. Then came the final boss who had shinier buttons on his jacket and much more gold on his epaulettes. He told me that he would let me go this time but I had to be more careful. He didn't refund my 300 Dirhams or gave me a paper for the fine. He just told me to go, turned his back and went this way. And so did I. I just left the scene. Without realizing, I was forced to give a bribe in an elaborate scheme executed by multiple police officers. They must have practiced and perfected this set up. It was sooo smooth. I was impressed rather than irritated.

Secondly, we were approaching a town that I cannot remember which at this point. There was a roundabout and a police vehicle was present. I slowed down like normal people would. An officer started waving his hand to me and told me to stop. So I approached to exactly where he was standing and stopped. As soon as I lowered my window, he told me that I missed the stop sign and I had to pay a fine. The stop sign was simply two meters in front of the officer, my car was still in front of the stop sign. He deliberately stood at that exact point so that I would pass the sign by a mere meter or two. It's just human nature to stop by the officer and not by the sign. He stood there by design, to force me into a situation. This time I was furious. I said ok and demanded to pay the fine in exchange for an official paper. It was a 800 Dirham (80 EURO) fine this time! The amount made me even more furious. I told them to take out the ticket and be done with it. They were quite hesitant and spent some time looking for the papers in their car. Finally, they half-heartedly gave me the block of tickets and told me to fill it. It was completely in Arabic, only the number of 800 was comprehensible to me. I argued that there was no way to fill it for me as I did not understand a single letter. They kept making small talk, taking things slow and finally told me that they can either take 400 without papers or 800 with papers. I asked for the papers and at this point they looked defeated. And then they realized that they had not turned off the camera inside their vehicle and we had been arguing over the hood all this time. I could see the panic on their faces. We kept making small talk and they appeared even more friendly. At this exact moment, a dust devil emerged and a stray dog started running around us in fear. All the garbage left around was flying and hitting us with the wind and sand. So these two officers told me to just go and locked themselves inside their vehicle. They gave up on the bribe and the ticket. We said goodbyes and I left without paying anything. I don't know, maybe that was just deus ex machina rescuing me from the situation.

So these two experiences made it uncomfortable for us to drive because there is police everywhere and they stop you all the time and ask where you are going etc. But you just don't know if it will turn into a bribe situation or not. Though, I have to say even in these two scenarios, all the officers we encountered were kind, friendly and high spirited. They don't play power games and make you feel oppressed. They have a higher emotional intelligence than some officers that we see in Hollywood movies if you know what I am saying 😄

COMMUNICATION AND FOOD

We spoke a little bit of French and it worked out ok in the end. We never spoke English so I don't know how fluent service providers are in English, sorry! Moroccan food, unfortunately, has been a total let down for us. Pretty much anywhere you go, you are subjected to the same recipe. You get a tajin or couscous which is basically a tajin with a side of couscous. It is not a particularly interesting meal for me and when you have to eat for lunch and dinner for days on end, it gets boring. Restaurants really need to starting covering other local food items in their menus, I'm sure Moroccan cuisine includes a much more varied diet. So instead of complaining any further, I will just mention two restaurants in Marrakech that we really liked. The first one is Nakoul Mzian right at the outer limits of the medina. We went there twice and everything we tried was awesome. Prices are also quite reasonable. The second one is Le Douar inside the Moroccan Culinary Art Museum. We went there for drinks once and for lunch another time. Food is great and ambience is fantastic. But it comes at European prices, not too high, but not cheap either. Do try these two places but everything else we ate was just meh...

EARTHQUAKE

The earthquake in 2023 has left some serious damage in the regions that we visited. It's sad to see people suffering years after a disaster. Many touristic places were still under reconstruction so we couldn't enter and many other places were just partially open. It's still worth a visit but I am a bit skeptical about the quality of renovations. One thing in particular bothered me. They have all these amazing adobe buildings, castles, palaces and their interiors are covered with beautiful intricate tiles. You can see the broken left overs from the earthquake all over the place. But the renovated ones seemed to be mass produced tiles rather than handmade like the originals. They look way too perfect and it does not match the historical feeling of the buildings. It feels like Disneyland rather than a periodic monument. Maybe that's just me...

TIPS AND TRICKS

• Aït Ben Haddou: This place is the biggest attraction in the region and it is the victim of its fame. During the day, there are tens of buses, maybe thousands of visitors squeezed inside a small fortified village. Don't be one of those people. There is no way to enjoy the place like that. Instead, stay at the village during the night. The crowds will go away in the late afternoon and you'll have the place to yourself in the evening and in the morning. We stayed in Kasbah Tebi inside the village and it was so peaceful and beautiful to have the entire village for ourselves. We loved it! But we probably would hate it if we had to experience it during the day. Plan accordingly and don't visit this place during the day. Don't waste this beauty among the crowds, e smart.
• Atlas Studios: It was underwhelming but also interesting in a way I guess? If you have the time, go visit. If you don't, don't worry, you haven't missed much. As a side note, 33 kms away from this place, near the Tiouine Lake, there is a film set called Gas Haven, marked at Google Maps by the same name. It's a set from the movie "The Hills Have Eyes". It's in great condition and also quite interesting to see. I'd suggest visiting that instead of the studios if you have to choose among these two.
• Vallée des Roses: There is not much to see from the road so I'd say skip this place entirely if you won't hike among the palmiers. But you should check out Kasbah Itran at the entrance of the valley. We stayed there for the night and the view is simply incredible. The food is also quite alright by Moroccan standards.
• Canyon des Doigts de Singe: If you read Google Maps comments, you'll see that many people claim to have completed the hike without a guide. I don't recommend that. There are multiple ways to reach the parking lot and some of them turned out to be treacherous. We started out on our own and in the middle of the canyon, we asked a guide to... well guide us. We could have returned the way we came but we wanted to venture further and reached a couple of dead ends after trying on our own. I guess the guides are aware of people like us and they just hang out in the middle of the canyon for customers. We approached one of them and he took us to places we probably wouldn't find ourselves. So take it or leave it but the canyon turns into a maze at certain points. Don't underestimate it. We have a lot of hiking experience and I have worked as a hiking guide before. No need to be a fool. The canyon itself is very beautiful. Absolutely recommended.
• Erg Chigaga: It was 50 C degrees in mid may when we visited. There is no way to stand that heat in the middle of the day. You can't go out to the dunes for a walk. You can't stay in the tents and read a book. So avoid visits that takes multiple days because you will probably die during the day, it will be just torture. Arrange a tour that arrives at the desert by late afternoon and leaves in the morning. That will be sufficient. The dunes themselves are fantastic, well worth a visit. But until you reach the dunes, there is 90 minute stretch of road that goes over rock and gravel. It is the worst road we have ever experienced in our lives and we have experienced many terrible roads. So as beautiful as it is, it takes a toll on you.

VENDORS

Morroco is infamous with the behaviour of its vendors. We have faced this unfortunate issue as well. I will not repeat what other people have mentioned thousands of times already. Or maybe I will! I think the government or NGOs need to handle this problem urgently. Vendors need quite a bit of training on their communication and interaction with tourists. They can only improve their situation with a new mindset. What they do right now, does not work. They cannot harras every single person passing by their store, even though they saw their neighbour vendor doing the same thing and not getting any attention. And yet the third vendor next door does the exact same thing hoping for a different outcome. Like what do you think will happen? All of you in the same row, are selling the exact same Chinese made items, are harrassing the exact same tourists and not getting any sales. How do you imagine the scenario will play out? Do you think I will magically buy something from you because you harrased me... better? Just be a decent human being and sell something authentic and I will absolutely buy from you! We looked for something unique to buy for nine days and found nothing. It's all the same cheap garbage stuff they sell all over the country. So we bought nothing from Morocco even though we really wanted to. Just better yourselves dudes, come on!

CLOSURE

I guess I have already written more than you are willing to read so I'll leave it at that. If you have any spesific questions, ask away, I'll try to answer if I can. I would prefer to upload more photos but I'm limited to 20 on Reddit. If you are interested, I can share my web site so that you can take a look.

So overall, I'm happy to have visited Morocco and I'll probably go back to visit Fes and Rabat at one point. Until next time, take care travellers!

The threaded rod insert inside my back wheel broke into two and I need to replace it but I don't know what it is called? Can you help a fellow biker please?

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Also I cannot remove the nuts around the rod. I'll try softening them a bit with a torch but I may have to buy the entire assembly. What is the assembly called?

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And also, I salvaged 18 balls for the bearing inside the wheel. I don't know if I'm missing any? Do they come with a set number balls for most bikes?

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Thank you in advance :)

I'm new to the hobby and this is my first 1/72 scale model ever. I'm more into painting than building models so an easy assembly was relieving for me. But the smaller scale makes it a bit less fun to paint. So I'm still not sure if I should dive into 1/72 scale or 1/35 scale. I'll see!

The model was basically problem free. All parts fit together easily, I think the details are also sufficient. I have no complaints.

I painted it with Operation Euphrates Shield camo from TAF. I wish I had used a smaller nozzle and less air pressure with my airbrush but I think the pattern turned out ok. I built a quick base from XPS foam and acrylic paste. So you like it or not?