A visit to Multifilla

Do you remember those Indiana Jones or The Mummy films? Do you remember how the Heroes (or you) looked when they stumbled into the treasure room? Its filled with so many treasures and things you ever wanted? OK, how about this- All the time, when you buy toys, your parents would take you to a small shop or just the local Jaya Jusco. Now, what happens if you suddenly dicovered a Toys R' Us Warehouse which is the size of Mid-Valley?

Yeah, that was how I felt when I came to Multifilla. Located in Balakong, Multifilla has been here since 15 years ago, (but they're been here in Malaysia longer) just near to one of my old customers in the mid-nineties which I did not even realise. Anyway, Multifilla is a treasure trove of equipment, tools and accessories for scratch-builders and artists alike and not just the modeller alone. And since my Wife won't be near the JayaJusco in Bandar Tun Hussein Onn for quite some time, I was free to chat with Mr Leong, who allowed and even assisted me to take as much photos as I needed. But I forgot to take the sections for making and casting your own models in resing or clear resin.

Do not be surprised if you see the products stacked in rows of shelves, wall to wall and in every available corner or space. With so many things to see, the Artistic side of my mind slowly overcame my Enginnering side and ideas came flooding out. Wow. It took me more than an hour to to browse through the place. However, apart from 1/100 figures, laser and/or vinyl cutters and maybe a rapid prototyping system, everything and anything I'd ever need was in there. You need a razor saw? How about a bead making a tool? Pressure casting? Moulding? Sculpting? Soap making? Batik craft? Its all there and if you cannot find it, you'd just have to look for Mr. Leong who is evermore ready to help you. He is also kind in giving advises and teaching you methods on how to make your ideas a reality.

The reason I was there was to get some foam for my Hardigg Storm Case which I got from eBay recently. His idea is to use the robust blue foam to shape the protective structure and then get a softer floam to cover it as I would be taking things in and out of the case everyday. There is, another method which involves moulding PU shapes but this is a bit overkill for one case. Not only that, since my budget did not take into account of a hot-wire cutter, I decided on using a normal blade instead. And so, because of that, I was advised to get a silicon spray which acts as a lubricant in this case so that the foam would not go brittle or get the blade stuck halfway through. And to glue the foam together, I got the polystyrene glue as well. Now, since everything is ready, I would just need to locate the proper containers so what I can shape the insides since there would be two layers, one for the notebook and its cables, the other, which is the bottom layer, would be for more sedom but important cables and other tools.

Although Blogspot automatically resizes the photos, you would need to click on each picture in this post for a larger 600x398 size. So, Multifilla is a good place for artists and modellers alike where they need serious equipment to shape their models. We did speak briefly about SFTPMS and their discount structure but its best left for the committee to take acton on it. So, hurry up and be a member now!

This is the first thing that would take your breath away after you come
in from the door when you turn around. There are rows and rows of all
the things you'd ever need.

Need some rotary tools? How about a lathe? Here, the customer can
find whatever they need for their art. Can you spot the hot air blower
n there? My Mom and Wife used to ask me to baste the chicken wings
with honey before outting the lid back in. Mr. Leong assures me that
the cashew nuts are delicious if cooked that way, due to the hot air
circling in there. And maybe, I think I will get a Proxxon rotary tool from
them one day. But right now, I have to clean up my "private" room after
months of successfully "winning" from being a store room again. Heh.

All the Evergreen plastic sheets and rods and stuff you'd need for your
scratch-building. And they even have metal rods and some photo-etch
meshes as well. I used to go looking all over KL for these a decade ago.

For those who needs sculpting and modelling materials, you have
the fimo clay, milliput and other types of clay which can be cured in
the over or just let it dry naturally. Not shown in the photos, in
another corner is where you can get things to mold your own
creations and cast them.

Below are some sculpting tools helps you in bringing your own creations
to life. No more using cutter blades, thin wires, tiny screw drivers and a
lot of water (OK, I did this way back in the early 90's and stopped when I
come to realise that my skills really sucked)

Here are some more examples of using the tools.
The 20 sen coin was used as scale comparison

These are the hand-punch "rivets"
tools which comes in several sizes.
What you need to do is to place it
onto the plastic surface and then
use a small hammer and just do a
light tap.

The End of the Future?
Most of the modellers are using this product as a decal sealant and also to make the transparent parts clearer. Indeed, it is one of the most useful tool ever when it comes to making sure decals are protected and clear plastic looks like glass. Some would even use it to make still water in dioramas and even just as a clear coat. And the most wonderful feature of all is that the tranparent plastic which have been trated with future, would not turn smoky white from the fumes of superglue. However, there are some points of concerned where flexing and yellowing are concerned. As Future is acrylic based, it is reserved for hard surface.

The H2O on the other hand, is a strong competitor to Future. With samples of them being used on objects apart from models, such as wood and other subjected to extreme Sunlight, I am convinced. However, the one which really made me get a bottle was the leather strip treatment. And yes, it is waterproof. When I have the time, I will test out H2O in terms of extreme abuse (he hee hee)

Future Floor finish (RM55.90)

Future vs H2O on a strip of leather. I wanted to take a photo of Future
vs H2O where model decals are concerned. But the magnifcation of such
degree cannot be achieved with my SLR. However, thanks to Mr. Leong's
20x magnifyer, I can really see the microcracks of the decals when it is
being flexed.

The effects of Future where flexibility is concerned. So,
you'd have to make sure your models/decals cannot flex
or else the Future coating would break and oxidise the
decals/paint. However, I am not sure if Future or H2O
have anti-UV filtering which can affect paints and decals

The effects of H2O on a toy model. I remember doing this when
Tamiya paints (At RM2.50 per bottle) were cheap in the 80's. Oh,
I finally get to touch a MacFarlane Halo3 toy vehicle without
opening the box. Ha ha ha ha!

Using the H2O with decal paper on a curvy surface.

This is the effect of using thick H2O. The plastic film marks are from
the decal itself and not H2O. Although the photo does not show clearly,
the decal is brushed on with the thicker H2O and so, you can see the
edges just next to the "matt"writing.

My haul from Multifilla (front left to my Storm case)
Wooden box with felt (for my wife) and the small punch riverter,
the polystyrene glue for the sponge and foam, the H2Om and a
can of silicon release agent which serves as lubricant when I cut
the bloue foam with a knife (instead of using hot wire). Then at
the back would be the soft foam which is to pad or cover the blue
foam for the case. Maybe I can do this tomorrow.......

Multifilla (M) Sdn Bhd
Showroom Warehouse:
No1, Jalan 2/2
taman Industri Selesa Jaya,
Balakong
43300 Selangor Darul Ehsan

Tel: +603-89613686/57/58
Fax: +603-89613637

eMail: mfilla@tm.net.my

GPS Lat: 3º01.2838'N
GPS Lon: 101º44.5538'E