Search found 203 matches

by Pat Amaral
Fri Oct 17, 2008 4:57 pm
Forum: Construction
Topic: Printable Scale Rulers?
Replies: 40
Views: 45035

I'm sure the quality of my printer isn't good enough to adequately reproduce this thing. I reprinted at 1200 dpi and the finests graduations on the 1/6 and 1/20 scales look blended (since that's the highest res on my box, I'd have to live with that). I was able to compare the 1/6 and 1/12 scales to ...
by Pat Amaral
Fri Oct 17, 2008 4:21 pm
Forum: Construction
Topic: Printable Scale Rulers?
Replies: 40
Views: 45035

I printed them at 100% on an HP laserjet 4000 (B&W small office laser). I made no adjustments. The result looks good to me. I can't speak for the accuracy of the reproduction since I don't have a handy reference. There may have been a wee bit of reduction. It also looks like the bottom was cut o...
by Pat Amaral
Thu Oct 16, 2008 11:09 am
Forum: Construction
Topic: Printable Scale Rulers?
Replies: 40
Views: 45035

1/200 is actually somewhat popular for airline modelers, and more importantly to some in this crowd, some missile and rocket kits. I happen to have a 1/200 scale model of the Hughes HK-1 "Spruce Goose" on the bench right now with plans to finish it in a "what-if" paint scheme. Pe...
by Pat Amaral
Thu Oct 16, 2008 12:58 am
Forum: Construction
Topic: Printable Scale Rulers?
Replies: 40
Views: 45035

What about 1/6 and 1/12 for the action figure folks and 1/16 for the large scale armor folks?
by Pat Amaral
Wed Oct 08, 2008 5:43 pm
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: Madman Lighting Kits
Replies: 101
Views: 364156

you could make 'em pulse buy flipping the power switch on and off really fast :P

I have this kit. It's a great little piece of work. I'm looking forward to using it. Nice job as always, John

Cheers,
by Pat Amaral
Tue Oct 07, 2008 10:44 am
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Building my own paint booth
Replies: 10
Views: 5942

I can't take credit for the plastic tub idea. Folks have been building paint booths out of tupperware/rubbermaid tubs for years. I actually took my que from another member on these boards (I think it was Ziz?). This sort of design comes in handy in a bunch of ways. For one, it's relatively portable....
by Pat Amaral
Tue Oct 07, 2008 1:11 am
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Building my own paint booth
Replies: 10
Views: 5942

Here are a few pics of the booth I built a couple years ago. I used a standard bathroom fan. I'm not sure what the fan's cfm rating is but it's served me well (even when using rattle cans). It's not the kind that's considered "safe" (the motor is in the path of he airflow" but it hasn...
by Pat Amaral
Mon Oct 06, 2008 2:06 am
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Color matching website
Replies: 8
Views: 3613

by Pat Amaral
Fri Oct 03, 2008 4:01 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: slightly OT help needed: 50s era navy cargo a/c paint scheme
Replies: 3
Views: 1815

thanks Robb.

That's the paint scheme I was thinking of but it's a little earlier than I had in mind. I thought the Navy changed their scheme for large aircraft sometime after 1950. I'll keep this reference on hand while I continue looking.

Thanks again,
by Pat Amaral
Fri Oct 03, 2008 12:36 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: slightly OT help needed: 50s era navy cargo a/c paint scheme
Replies: 3
Views: 1815

slightly OT help needed: 50s era navy cargo a/c paint scheme

hi folks, I've got a Spruce Goose model on the bench right now. I'm thinking of finishing it in a "what-if" 1950s era navy livery. In an effort to lock down a paint scheme for the plane, I'm trying to find images of navy cargo planes from the time period. Alas, I've been unsuccessful so fa...
by Pat Amaral
Wed Oct 01, 2008 3:48 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: New Airbrush Purchase
Replies: 13
Views: 12611

Kylwell wrote: Now as to your building schedule.... :D
I know, I know. :roll: I do have a Spruce Goose on the bench right now but...

Anyways, back to the topic :wink:
by Pat Amaral
Wed Oct 01, 2008 2:57 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: New Airbrush Purchase
Replies: 13
Views: 12611

this may be slightly off topic but it's still related... I bought an Iwata Revolution CR three years ago at Wonderfest. I haven't actually used it yet, mainly since I haven't built anything that's reached the painting stage in a while :roll: (but that's topic for another discussion). I have heard ab...
by Pat Amaral
Mon Sep 15, 2008 11:43 am
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Circular Masking for Trek Ships
Replies: 10
Views: 9819

For me, masking is one of those things that usually gets "engineered in place." Meaning, I don't know how I'm going to mask someting until I'm actually doing it. That said, for circles, I think I would use frisket film (available at art supply stores), cut with a circle cutter (also availa...
by Pat Amaral
Sat Sep 13, 2008 11:59 am
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: Using the Esquire cover PIC for flashing model LEDs?
Replies: 6
Views: 3017

jgoldader - The way I got started was to buy this book . In it, you'll find info on how to purchase a kit from Microchip that contains a couple different PIC models, software and a programmer board that plugs into a USB slot on your computer. There's additional software you'll need to download from ...
by Pat Amaral
Fri Sep 12, 2008 10:56 am
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: Timing the 555 chip for the Enterprise?
Replies: 3
Views: 2292

I don't have the timing values for you but I recommend you do what I do. Breadboard the circuit, replacing the timing resister with a potentiometer. You'll also need to get a few various value capacitors to swap out because you'll want to vary the flash duration (the time the LED is actually on). On...
by Pat Amaral
Sat Sep 06, 2008 2:19 pm
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: schematic drawing software
Replies: 7
Views: 5660

I ran across this site a few weeks ago and ordered the disk. There are a ton of useful programs. There are also a lot of programs I'll never use but, for the price, it's worth it. Most of the programs can be downloaded instead of buying the disk if you would rather go that route.
by Pat Amaral
Fri Sep 05, 2008 1:52 pm
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: Problems with 4060 chips...
Replies: 19
Views: 16050

Last night, I breadboarded the last circuit on this page and it worked as designed (I'm running the circuit at 9v from a benchtop power supply). The only difference is I replaced Rt with a 500k potentiometer so I could play with the speed. I also hung a green LED on the 8/9 outputs like Zog mentione...
by Pat Amaral
Thu Sep 04, 2008 2:10 am
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: PL-E Refit Light kits
Replies: 3
Views: 1853

Madman Lighting just started selling a kit that covers just about all the bases. It's primarily designed for the big NX-01 kit but it will work for the refit kit as well. There's enough in the kit to do all the basics (strobes, formation lights, lights for the engines, internal lighting). You might ...
by Pat Amaral
Thu Aug 21, 2008 11:51 am
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: led series or parallel
Replies: 9
Views: 4912

soldering has it's place, I guess but for me, wirewrapping is the way to go. With just a few minutes of practice, you can be an expert at solid, very reliable connections. And if you screw up, you can can easily disconnect without the danger of overheating/damaging anything. Pat, I bought a wrappin...
by Pat Amaral
Wed Aug 20, 2008 9:15 pm
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: led series or parallel
Replies: 9
Views: 4912

soldering has it's place, I guess but for me, wirewrapping is the way to go. With just a few minutes of practice, you can be an expert at solid, very reliable connections. And if you screw up, you can can easily disconnect without the danger of overheating/damaging anything.
by Pat Amaral
Tue Aug 19, 2008 2:25 pm
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: bussard rotation ramp up
Replies: 7
Views: 3580

I would think that could be accomplished by using a progammable microcontroller such as a PIC. I don't pretend to even have an idea of how to pull it off. I've only dabled. But there's a bunch of people here who use them on a regular basis.
by Pat Amaral
Fri Aug 15, 2008 2:01 pm
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: Babylon 5 Station, Any motorization tips?
Replies: 26
Views: 21992

That sounds very cool, Don. good luck with it. I'd love to see what you end up with.

Cheers,
by Pat Amaral
Thu Aug 14, 2008 12:52 pm
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: Babylon 5 Station, Any motorization tips?
Replies: 26
Views: 21992

Hi Don, I thought about this a while ago but never acted on it. I was thinking of modifying the base and mounts to house two small belts (rubber bands?). A motor with a through shaft housed in the base could turn the belts which are mounted to each end of the rotating portion of the hull (picture a ...
by Pat Amaral
Mon Aug 04, 2008 6:12 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Digital vs Analog pressure gauge questions
Replies: 3
Views: 2055

Digital vs Analog pressure gauge questions

Hya folks,

questions:

would this be worth having?
Would it be any more precise than a typical analog gauge?
Would it be any better? Worse?
If anyone out there in forum land has one of these, are they precise enough for airbrushing work?

Thanks in advance,
by Pat Amaral
Tue Jul 22, 2008 1:48 am
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Exhaust Residue/Weathering Technique
Replies: 5
Views: 4767

Maybe there doesn't need to be any exhaust staining at all. I would think that, logically, you would use an inert gas for an RCS system that small. Consider the nitrogen jets used in NASA's MMU from the 80s and now the SAFER units on the ISS EVA suits for example. Of course, on a fighter type craft,...
by Pat Amaral
Mon Jul 21, 2008 11:45 am
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: Question re: drilling a circuit board
Replies: 2
Views: 1765

A #60 drill bit is 0.040 inches (1/25") or roughly halfway between 1/16" and 1/32". That's slightly larger than 1mm. It's my understanding that most bits that small are only rated in gages (hence #60, #80, etc.) as they're essentially a piece of wire.
by Pat Amaral
Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:08 pm
Forum: Construction
Topic: What is a good way to "hold" part for painting, et
Replies: 17
Views: 10672

There are a number of items on this page in the SSM store that should help. Another suggestion is to use Blu Tack . You can get the stuff at Walgreens and the like. Stuck a little wad of Blu Tack on the end of a wooden dowel or a piece of sprue, then stick the sprue into a piece of foam like describ...
by Pat Amaral
Sun Jul 13, 2008 1:22 am
Forum: Construction
Topic: Make your own ducts
Replies: 6
Views: 3923

I've tried making my own ducks, but have trouble finding the right feathers. Oh..... "DucTs" :shock: Still, article looks useful. Tanks! Meh, ducks are easy. It's the DRAKES I have trouble with. I always run a fowl when it comes to color matching :wink: That technique looks like a good so...
by Pat Amaral
Wed Jul 09, 2008 3:08 pm
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: NEWB LIGHTING QUESTION FOR A SPECIFIC MODEL
Replies: 5
Views: 4794

Actually, the colors you mentioned already come standard with the kit (2 red, 2 blue, 2 white, 2 green and 1 yellow). You may not have to do anything special (ok, maybe some extra blues for the engines). I'm sure John can fix you up.
by Pat Amaral
Tue Jul 08, 2008 9:41 pm
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: NEWB LIGHTING QUESTION FOR A SPECIFIC MODEL
Replies: 5
Views: 4794

I recommend this package from Madman Lighting . The store shows it out of stock but you can contact John Cook directly (he's a regular in these forums - look for the handle: madman lighting :wink: ). It's quite affordable, simple enough to set up and it'll drive enough LEDs to do the job. I would re...