Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

I've been using them in my tiny viper MK II project. I made a halfway decent fuselage and didn't want to risk screwing it up when I added the intakes. Instead I copied it and can experiment with it at will. My Viper is about 1 1/4 inches long. I glued a piece of Evergreen tube to the tail, then glue...

I do plumbing work when I'm not on duty on base. The pipe's not quite the size I need. I finally found the Plastistruct website, and they had some there.

The right stuff, but I don't need six feet of it. That's the problem I'm running into. I'll keep looking. thanks though!

I need a small piece of 2.5" OD plastic tube, about 5 inches long. Anyone know of a good source?

That clapboard may be the way to go.

There's a slight gap between the slats.

http://anthonyjhicks.com/ajh/pictures.n ... CT1082.jpg

I'm working on a 1/32 scale helo kit, which has a louver on the engine compartment. Anyone have any ideas on how to replicate a metal louver?

Any updates on this stuff?

The intake is smaller than any grid I'd hope to buy, and I'm working on getting a better drawing program for the task. Looks like that'll help.

The problem is the intakes are so small that any detail gets lost when the picture is reduced. I just need to find a better program to draw with.

Yeah, looks like I need to get a decent drawing program. I've used MS Paint for years and it's done fine, but working this small makes Paint useless.

Thanks!

I'm scratchbuilding a tiny Viper Mk II, and am having a hard time achieving bi-symmetry in the intakes. Anyone have any secrets on making it happen? I can't give you a scale, but the finished model will be 1 1/4 inches long.

I read this stuff and I think I'd have more luck trying my hand at opening a wormhole to get to work a little faster...

BIG necro post here; what's the equivalent of the molding material sold by Micromark? This stuff is getting expensive...

It's quite easy to cut the bottom out. Use an old fashioned, manual can opener like those on a Leatherman/Gerber multi tool, or an old military P-38. Be sure you get all the propellant out first. I normally put an old towel over the operation, between my face and the can, just to be sure. It really ...

I take the can outside, turn it upside down, and spray out all the propellant. Once I'm sure it's all gone I use a can opener, cut out the bottom of the can, and pour the paint into a bottle for storage. I remember as a kid my father hanging a spray can over a bucket, shooting a hole in the can to p...

Yeah, it looked great until everyone started picking it apart. I'm not going to destroy a $250 model using plans that are potentially that flawed.

I really don't like the Tamiya fine. I've had absolutely no luck with it. The normal stuff though, I can't keep enough of it in the house. I really need to find an online source instead of making long drives to pick up a can of it. Most times they're out of stock and the trip is for nothing. Good st...

Thanks for the link. I'll have to get these rods bent and give it a try.

I'm working on a helicopter model that's made of an unacceptably brittle plastic. My concern is that after scratchbuilding a complete interior the skids won't stand up to the weight. My tentative plan is to solder new ones of brass rod. The rod is roughly 3mm diameter. Would this be done the same wa...

I've found myself rebuilding a monument, which will require an aircraft model to be built. The model will be exposed to a desert enviornment, hopefully for decades if not longer. The "scale" will be between 1/32 and 1/24. The only material I have to work with at the moment is wood. I will ...

I normally don't have problems with drybrushing, just a couple of colors.

I always end up getting something that looks too washed out. What color should I used to lighten the brown?

I've always had problems weathing a brown finish and having it look right. At the moment I'm working on a Viper pilot, but can't seem to get the brown jacket drybrushed properly. Any suggestions?

There's a difference between distilled and purified. Which is needed?

Sounds like it's more trouble than it's worth. Let us know how the Algenate works.

I may end up just carving what I need instead of shrinking...

Evergreen or Plastistruct. There are plenty of online sources to buy either.

Scratchbuilding used to scare the hell out of me when I first saw the term used decades ago. Nowdays I don't build even the best of kits without scratchbuilding some form of details to add. Give it a try. You're going to make mistakes. Fine. Learn from it, and try again. Invest in good tools. A chea...

Buy some and give it a try. Grab some rod, angles, strips, tubes, I-beams, etc, and see what you can do with it. Once you start down the path, forever will it control your destiny!

Being underwater, I'd say make a male master, thermomold a copy, then paint the inside a chrome silver.