Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

1/144 Saturn Vs have a bunch- the Airfix is better, and the Pilgrim Observer which is supposed to be re-released has about 4. SF3D/ MaK kits pirated a lot of 1/144 F-1s, but I think they cost more than the Airfix kit. Various space shuttle kits have somewhat decent engine bells too, but honestly che...

A timely article on the main site:
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/tech/tr_turret.htm

A timely article on the main site:
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/tech/tr_turret.htm

The old reliable butane lighter nozzles might work for you- some have more ridges than others. Or try a tire valve core. Or a pack of watch parts. Generic lighter parts: http://www.chopgo.com/offering/GasLighterTips.html Valve core: http://www.mcconveycycles.com/store/product/2381/schrader-valve-cor...

I made one by gluing two upper airplane wing halves together and sawing the profile out. Worked well for me!

Sign foam is urethane, so it holds up to common fillers better than polystyrene insulation. It also doesn't make quite as much of a mess as the insulation. I got a box of useful sized scraps from these folks: http://atlassignsandplaques.com/signsupplies.aspx The real pick of the litter for modeling ...

Dollar stores near me have cards of little girl party favor ear rings- chrome plastic with a tinted styrene "jewel" in the middle. These are hemispheres with a neat ribbed pattern on the inside, and are just under 1/2" in diameter.

toothpaste-the gritty kind-and a soft rag.

Hard and shiny usually means acrylic- I've had good luck using plexiglas cement or Ambroid pro-weld. Look for a thin cement with a lot of methylene chloride in it. Sanding can help. Can you leave a fingerprint on the plastic after using a solvent cement?

Scrape the mating edges down to an approximate mating angle to get the fit most of the way there. Spending a few minutes to make a jig to hold the stock at the correct angle as you sand can save you a lot of time. Or a small tilting arbor tablesaw can cut the correct angle, or your jig can be used a...

Sandable primer and scratch-filling primer available at any auto parts store in spray cans, in paint cans at auto body supply stores. And it is lacquer.

I love this kind of plastic cutter:
http://www.amazon.com/Hyde-45730-Plasti ... 687&sr=1-5
Effective and easy easy to use. Makes a great scribing tool too!

Here a CGI vacuum airship from Russia if anyone needs some inspiration:
http://www.rusring.net/~levin/levin3d/dz.htm

I usually use a gasket punch- http://www.amazon.com/SHARP-HOLLOW-PUNCH-LEATHER-GASKET/dp/B000Q7AVL0 For bigger discs the Olfa beam compass circle cutter works well. Lately I've accumulated enough model car wheels, poker chips, tiddly winks and other disks I haven't needed to make a custom sized circ...

Fishing bobbers work well! If they are brittle I've had some luck in cutting by packing them with silly putty. This works for gum machine capsules too.

just look for "reflector tape" or Scotchlite.

Indole Alkaloids and Bach work pretty well for me. And 70 year old issues of Popular Mechanics.

Drill them by hand! Either chuck the bit into a pin vise, or for larger sizes I use a drill chuck as a giant pin vise. A taper reamer is useful to get the hole to the final size you want. If you are using a power tool without a speed control. it just won't make a clean hole.

Or an A-37-
http://hsfeatures.com/features04/a37dwa_1.htm
A cockpit is just a couple of boxes and a couple of seats, so just stick some random parts together.

I'd just weather them so they look good to you- they're your rockets! for actual pictures of what things look like after they have been in space for a few years look up the "long duration exposure facility" Here's a good start: http://butdoesitfloat.com/144417/Long-Duration-Exposure-Facility

That's how it works on painted furniture! You can give your gloss coat a rubdown with toothpaste or rottenstone, and follow that up with a coat of carnuba floor wax for even more of a shine. Flat paints just cover and look better.

Snap space shuttle kits are plentiful and cheap- each has 3 SSME bells and two smaller thrusters. For trusswork, look at model railroad kits. Two favorites of mine are Walthers Modern Conveyors set- http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-3518 And an N scale industrial building with a lot of tr...

I've used a lot of pen parts for engine bells- I don't remember an exact model, but browse the office supply store and see what turns up.
I also found a dollar store game set with a mother lode of ridgy cone shaped pieces in styrene. Keep your eyes open!

They are getting cheaper... In the Current issue of Make magazine there is an article on a (barely) less than $1000.00 US 3-D printer, the Maker Bot Cupcake. Looks pretty interesting for you early adopters. The designers even compare it to an Altair or Apple I. Here are a couple of links: Manufactur...

Good for you! I like the idea.

I'd start with plastic tubing or a stack of cylindrical shapes rather than slathering putty over a rough armature. A stack of 1/25 car wheels would be a good start, and easier to glue little detail bits to. What diameter do the engines need to be?

Gator Glue came highly recommended, and it worked well on the single bit of photo etch I've applied since I got a bottle.-
http://gatorsmask.com/gatorglueorder.html
interesting stuff, and easy to clean up if you make a mess.

The classic technique is to paint the joint area with liquid cement, and stipple the areas with a stiff brush- this will tighten them up a little bit. For a permanent fix, graft in some gundam joints.

I have a Unimat DB200, and I'd recommend the Chinese 7X10s unless you really need a lathe small enough to put away after every use. The Unimat is very nice, but it is very small and tooling is expensive. The 7X10s are astonishingly cheap for what they can do. Another tiny lathe is the Clisby, but th...

I've had good luck with filling windows that size with white glue. After it dries clear you can sand or clean up the edges with a wet q-tip. THEN add a layer of clear enamel to level it out and add some gloss.