Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

The Micro-Mark kit is really well done; everything you need, well-written instructions. The max workpiece size is about 3" x 3", max thickness about 0.015". Here are some parts I made for my latest project using the kit: https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7815/46879530332_c3c5ecb4e7_k.jpg

I got a good weathered copper by using Testers spray copper and then giving it a glaze coat of water-based wood stain in a brown color:

... I also heard packing voids/airbubbles with baking soda then applying superglue to it works really well... I wouldn't do this too much. Years ago, I built a custom 1940 Ford and used CA-plus-baking soda for all the bodywork. Now, years later, the model's paint has oily-looking stains in all the ...

ronwojnar wrote: ↑Mon May 14, 2018 7:52 pm ...poke a pencil through the hole, and spin the missile around.

Make the hole the same diameter as a mechanical pencil lead; it'd be a bit more accurate.

I'd use lead foil for things like this. To draw a guide line, set your missile on end and build a support for your pencil by stacking up stuff next to it; then rotate the missile past the pencil point to draw a line all around the missile at a fixed distance from the end of the missile.

I've found that clear epoxy resins are pretty sensitive to temperature, so once I've poured a clear part I take it into the furnace room and support it above my furnace in the warmth. If your carrier deck stays soft, you might try setting it somewhere warm for a few days.

Thanks, guys. Dave, I hadn't thought of that. But if you're saying that if you lay down a big piece and rub down the general area and then trim out what I don't need, the excess will mar the surrounding paint, that's a good thought. I always wondered how BMF stuck since it didn't feel sticky. It is...

...Does it matter whether I apply it to a gloss finish or a flat finish? Will it still rub down smooth? ...If I apply it to a gloss finish and then spray the model with flat coat, can I bring back the foil shinniness with some Future? Anybody tried this? 1. The foil is so thin, any underlying textu...

If I were going to do that, I'd inset little steel plates flush with the hull surface, with wires soldered to the back of them.

If you're airbrushing you can probably get away with using Post-It Notes to mask off panels. The low-tack adhesive is less likely to peel up paint. Airbrushed paint goes on in light layers which dry quickly, so if you're bold, you can also kind of mask "on the go": Use Notes to mask a coup...

TazMan2000 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 12, 2018 1:02 am Would white glue work?

TazMan2000

I've used white glue; the bond, of course, is not good; but if you're careful the template stays stuck well enough to finish cutting out the part.

Nice work, and very nice in-progress photography! Makes it a lot more informative.

A very handsome ship! Good work!

Looks like a fun project!

Looking good! My projects tend to have a lot of painting "errors", too

Don't forget that on most decals, the clear film extends beyond the colored area. You'd have to trim the edges of each decal right up next to the color.

Looking good! I like the bold paint job.

That ought to be very do-able. It'd have to be a two-piece mold, because the caps have holes in their backs and detail on their fronts. I just did a quick search, and found these: https://www.polytek.com/product-type/polyurethane-liquid-casting-rubbers They say that their rubbers can be cast in eith...

I use a very similar toggle, from Radio Shack, and have never had any problems. On-off-on seems a good choice for your model, since in the center position, neither circuit is activated.

One thing I've resolved to do: Prior to sealing up the model, do a burn-in test of the lighting, for an hour or so, to see if any problems are going to arise. Far better to find a faulty LED or a bad connection when you can fix it, than have it emerge after everything's glued, puttied, and painted.

...if it were me I'd wire the LEDs in parallel, each with its own resistor. (cough cough cough) I'm a bit of a hypocrite, here. I just finished this model, which I'd had 95% completed for the longest time, and back when I rigged up the floodlights (couple years ago?), I made up three strings, each ...

The point of the resistor is to limit the current going through the LED (typically to 20 milliamps). The formula for finding the resistor size is (Voltage of the battery -minus- voltage drop of the resistors / amperage). So for a typical single LED (usually about 2 or 3 volts forward voltage) runnin...

Zysurge is right.

However, PP will remove lacquer-based putties (Squadron white, auto body spot putty). And sometimes PP will affect superglue joints.

Oh, yes, I remember seeing those pics back in the day. Very charming!

Joseph C. Brown wrote: ↑Mon Aug 07, 2017 9:38 am For my build of the very first Moone flight...

You interest me strangely, friend. Do you have any pictures of the finished model?

Evan Designs offers reasonably priced 12V regulated power supplies:

http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/12vdcadapter.html

I've bought lots of stuff from them and they are a reliable supplier.

Although you could in theory do engineering-type calculations and figure out the amount of deflection a brass or acrylic or steel rod or tube would have, it's probably easier to just buy yourself a handful of various size rods and tubes and experiment. In any event, it's not usually strength that's ...

...Very nice looking model If I didn't know already I'd have though it was a real car in the photo. And I don't see any yellowing so Tamiya must make good stuff. I saw what you did there. ;) The photo is of a real car, of course; I just wanted to illustrate what proportion of the paint was white. B...

As I mentioned above ;) , a model car I built several years ago, painted with Tamiya clear, shows no signs of yellowing. I have to ask is the model car White or a different color? it seems to me that the yellowing will be more noticeable on a White model. It's red, white, and blue. That is, white m...

As I mentioned above , a model car I built several years ago, painted with Tamiya clear, shows no signs of yellowing.