Some more odds and ends I've been goofing with. For the record, I don't have any kind of relationship with HobbyLinc outside of me ordering stuff and sending them my money and them shipping it to me.
https://www.hobbylinc.com/ak-xtreme-...amel-paint-672
AK Exteme Metal pale brass (AK672).
Before opening the bottle, I looked on the bottom to check out the color and shade. "Pale Brass" isn't what this is. Its more like a slighty brownish dark-ish gold. For the armor and tank modeller this is a nice shade of paint for shell casings that have been kicking around for a while. It isn't "new brass", more like brass that has been handled for several weeks or months. For the ship and sub modeller, there are possibilities as long as you aren't looking for freshly polished brass.
The next thing I noticed is that this stuff settles in the bottle quickly. Like on the order of a minute or sooner. For air brushing, it looks like you won't want to fill your color cup, just use drops of paint then work fast. AK says this is enamel paint pre-thinned for air brushing. I kept thinking more along the lines of Testor's Metalizer paints but maybe slightly thicker. As soon as I opened the bottle, yep, its Metalizer. So, I'm not sure if its a traditional hobby enamel, spirit-type laquer, or a hybrid of something in between.
For newer builders, skip this stuff and stick with enamels or acrylics. For more experienced builders, know what you're getting into. This paint is as frustrating as Testor's Metalizer, in some ways even more so. In other words, it smells just like Metalizer.
Expect to spend a lot of time shaking that bottle and try to find it at your hobby shop so you can check out the color prior to buying it. With the "thumbs down" stuff aside, there are some possibilities with this paint. I brushed some of it on a bare piece of white resin to see how it dries and its surprisingly tough after it cures. Buffing it with a Q Tip left a more uniform surface (this isn't a buffing type of paint) and hardly any of the pigment wound up in the cotton.
https://www.hobbylinc.com/ak-red-acr...ylic-paint-180
AK Red Surface Primer (AK 180)
For the armor folks, this is Panzer Red Primer.
For us ship and sub modellers, its RED LEAD and its finally available again! 
AK got the shade right. Its not too red or too brown. AK also assumes you'll be using it quite a bit since it comes in a 60 ml squeeze bottle, which isn't too large but is roughly twice the size of a large (23ml) Tamiya paint jar. Color aside, AK says this is a water-based acrylic mixed for both brush and spray painting. From my experience so far, it acts like thinned down poster paint. For spraying, just use it as is although it seems a little too thick for air brush use. For brush painting, this might get a little more complicated. A flat primer would be almost vital to get this stuff to lay down right, and I want to play around with seeing what differece using white, gray, or black primer would make.
https://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/mfm/mfm591.htm
Magcraft Magnets (1/16th inch dia., 200 per pack)
One of those "trick" items you'll want on-hand when doing box-stock builds gets too routine.
This is nothing more than 200 tiny magnets. Glue one to one part and glue another to another part and they'll stick together. This is what Tamiya now uses on their "nose bleed" 1/48th and 1/32nd scale aircraft kits to attach things like pylons to wings or engine cowls to the fuse. For ship builders, its also a great idea for making your models less delicate. The magnets will separate before those tiny plastic and photo etch parts break.
I have two uses for mine so far. One is on my Hobby Boss 688 kits. This model features both a closed and opened top to the sail. Why not use both and swap out the tops? The magnets keep the parts in place until you decide to change them. The other kit is an early 90's vintage (Revell) B-52 bomber I found in 1/144th scale. I also found some nice resin conversion parts for the underwing pylons and now I can use the "bare wing" slipper fairing, the large ALCM pylons, or the iron bomb HSAB and MER pylons. The optional parts will just clip in place when I want to change them. Other sizes are available, but I ordered the 1/16th inch diameter (1.6 mm) that are 1/32nd thick (.8mm). Set up is easy, but you'll need to be precise. Just drill a 1/16th hole in both parts (this is where you need to be precise) then glue in the magnets (I'm not sure yet if super glue or 2 part epoxy is better) once you're sure they will stick together and not repell each other.
https://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/aki/aki892.htm
AK Stainless Steel Shakers (AK892)
OK, this became less of a joke and more of a "Hmm" type of item as my acrylic paint collection became larger. What you get is a jar full of 1/8th inch stainless steel balls (something like 250 of the darned things). Just drop one in your paint jars or dropper bottles. There will be much less swearing involved after you take a bottle of paint off the shelf that's been sitting there for a couple of months. Since they are made of stainless steel, there is a minimal chance of rust or a chemical reaction with your paint.
https://www.hobbylinc.com/hobbyboss-...50-scale-83513
I admit, I'm a sucker for anything Hobby Boss in 1/350th scale. I already have this kit, it was just the pre-built and pre-painted version that MRC sold (of course, I detailled it up a bit). But, there were things I wanted to check out on the original kit which was not available for quite some time. So, am I planning to build another one? I'm not sure yet. I wanted to see how Hobby Boss modelled the the ducted fan and stator at the stern of their kit. Plus, I might do a conversion build of the USS Cheyenne and the rumor was that she tested most of the Virginia's propulsion system.
So, what's the kit like? Well, its Hobby Boss for starters. There isn't anything here you wouldn't expect to find on their other 1/350th scale subs. The only down side is that this was one of their early kits. Remember what I said about the MRC pre-built sub and how the aft end of the boat was assembled? I wanted to see how they molded it because that model has a stern that looks a little out-of-square. That brings up the one gripe about this kit. The propulsor "fan" and the stator both have some severe "flash" and molding issues. In 1/350th scale, flash and bad moldings are a huge concern and can be difficult to fix. But, with some effort and patiece they are fixable. Otherwise, the Hobby Boss kit features some parts that MRC didn't use, the photo etch parts. The PE parts are nifty but slightly confusing. You get the nice PE nameplate for the base plus "covers" that fit on the sail (I'm guessing that two of them are the exhaust ports for the diesel engine).
You also get a PE "CO's Playpen" for the bridge although the instructions don't show a lot of detail in how its bent into shape or where it goes. For the record, the playpen is made out of aluminium tubing and clips together so its easy to assemble and tear down. It also clips into place to the top of the sail, just behind the bridge.