Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

Yes, the only time I care about the locating pin/s & matching holes, is if it helps with getting more than two parts to line up at the same time because its a complicated assembly that doesn't permit gluing one part to the sub-assembly at a time. E.g. the 3 hull parts to the TWA Starliner kit. O...

I think my biggest problem is that Tenax is evaporating before I can get the hull-halves together. I have other glues - I'll give them a try. Thanks everyone, -Tchail I had/have this problem as well. I tend to principally use ACC, so Tenax is not my first choice (but its in arsenal of building tool...

I began with the Ent-E´s Bridge a while ago but I got stuck somehow and have not yet finished it. It still stands on my work-desk screaming "complete me!" every day ^^ Scale is 1/24th, and it includes Picard´s Ready room and the observation lounge. http://s258.photobucket.com/albums/hh280...

Mr. Badwrench wrote:Would a miter box help?

A Chopper II made by Northwest Short Line and sold by Micro-mark is the better tool (for this application). You can even set it up, so it can cut consistent length pieces. Albeit, it has limitations, lengths at, or under 1mm are not very consistent.

Couldn't you just buy small sized styrene tubes and rods and cut thin sections from them? :-k I actually tried that first. Even when I couldn't get tubes small enough, I'd stretch them with a flame 'til I got the diameter necessary. My main problem with cutting small tubes and rods (or larger ones,...

On a similar not, anyone have a too for making long strips? I've got a balsa cutter I've used for longer than I care to remember, but there's gotta be something better out there. Get one of those professional photo cutters. Like one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Carl-12200-Professional-10-Sheet-T...

I have a full wood working shop, so I have some tools that others do not. Still, I have taken hardwood dowels, chucked them in my lathe, and sanded them so A. they were round, B. cylindrical, and C. the correct diameter. I was surprised how much the dowels were neither A. nor B.

Or any other bridge except the classic! ---I think this belongs here since its going to be completely fabricated, I'm not trying this, but I'm curious if anyone else has, love to see the work. I didn't, but go check out zealot.com and their sci-fi forum. There is discussion and pointers to a bunch ...

I've never actually made a mold this way - I always pour one half and then the other. Any advantages to pouring the whole thing in one pass? It's easier. To my knowledge, nothing beats a properly clayed up set of molds. I agree. Once you know the trick about diluting vaseline, and getting a proper ...

This is almost a completely different line of discussion, but I would echo the need to vac-form the styrene over a balsa master. For those that know me, I love skinning sheet plastic frameworks. I tried once to skin a carved balsa wood shape (nay, fuselage) and it didn't go well. I own a small vac-f...

These machines and the desktop CNC machines are all a balance of resolution versus cost. Technically, the machines that can cut out shapes for scrapbooking are CNC machines, they're in the $300 range, and the resolution by those machines, for modeling purposes, is terrible. OTOH, a desktop laser CNC...

I believe the original question is, can kit parts be used as the master for vacuuming forming (inexact) copies of them? The answer is yes. The A/C guys do this all the time with kit canopies, either to make (more in) scale or accurate framing, or to make a copy that is clearer/thinner than the kit p...

For a grocery item, its in the medium to high price range, but compared to modeling supplies its fairly inexpensive. Try getting one of those re-usable coffee filters. The least expensive are the plastic ones, and the cheapest are purposely made of a thin material, yet have a high density mesh. Bed,...

Thanks for the compliments. I learned a lot with this scratchbuild. 1. That a 24" model is substantially more work than an 18" model. Just flipping it over is a substantial undertaking. 2a. Always build in sub-assemblies when ever possible. Detailing a 6" weapons pod is much easier th...

Hate to say this, but the first modelers to recommend "Salt Masking" wanted and desired this discoloration and made a point of mentioning it in their write ups. I remember this from the beginning, and am looking forward to working on model that needed this kind of heavy weathering between ...

Think I answered this same question on HobbyTalk. Okay, what's not well understood, is that dilute white glue makes an excellent decal setting solution. I've used it as a setting 'solution'/adhesive on flat finishes with minimal silvering (the decals were huge, so that's the reason they silvered). A...

For anyone interested, these tools do work well but I'm not able to get the radius that I'm after due to the thin walls of the Evergreen tubing (and placing pieces internally to thicken it will be seen as these will be seen end on). If you want thin sections at the ends, does it really matter what'...

Make a radiusing tool. Some hard steel, filed to the curve you want with enough length on the arms to give you a consistent fit and just scrape the styrene down to fit. +1 Kenny Actually, w/o trying to be a nay-sayer. I've gotten very good results with a similar device made out of regular sheet sty...

Looking exactly like this, this model took 2nd place in the "Special" Category in the Northern Virginia Modelers chapter of IPMS on Wednesday. http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k170/ajmadison/Akira%20Construction/0057.jpg To put this 2nd place award into perspective, the November Special C...

Quick and dirty description about paints. An enamel is a paint that cures from a chemical reaction allowing the tints in the paint to reach their final color. A lacquer is a paint that dries from the evaporation of the carrier. Because an enamel cures, it can be "stretchy." A lacquer becom...

I like this last technique, I'll have to try it. My technique for applying 5mm pieces is to mark everything clearly with pencil. When the part is small (say 3mm square or smaller), I stab it with a new no. 11 blade, dab quickly in thin CA, and line it up completely before it touches the model. For l...

ajmadison- I can't imagine greeblizing to that level, it would take me years to finish the smallest project. I just don't have that kind of patience. I'd also be afraid on losing 1mm details in more than one coat of paint. It's cool if it works for you. I tend to scratchbuild subjects from movies a...

Thought that there are two problems. One, how to create a plug so the hull moldings won't be solid, and how to suspend the plug so it doesn't just sink to the bottom of the hull mold during casting, or just float up and out of the hull mold during casting. Here are my suggestions, albeit my casting ...

Looks good. Going small is definitely a good idea for a first project. One thing to keep in mind, is that when you double any linear dimension, e.g. the length, you quadruple the volume, and finally, the exterior surface is 8 times larger. And I wish I had "gone small" years ago. One of th...

I agree, I think version 2, being sleeker looks cooler. But you have the right idea. Before you are fully committed, play with pieces & parts, then build. However, I've also prototyped with sheet styrene. Though it helps when the sub-assemblies are reasonably (all dimensions approximately 6"...

Now that I'm thinking about it. If you're building this thing big, think about building it with the display stand mount inside it from day one. Some threaded object mounted directly to the main spine of the model. Another idea to think about, is where possible scratch build separate sub-assemblies a...

Besides the base material, anything with any dimension more than 18" tends to be very difficult to maneuver on the workbench. So making the various components, not just a sub-assembly, but easily assembled and dis-assembled is critical. Because then you can both construct them and detail as ind...

I agree that it is difficult to apply rules to this. But as a rule of thumb, I build from the inside out. Details that are inside the model, such as cockpits, engines, open hatches, blast damage, etc, must be built and painted before general assembly. The same thing applies to lighting, you really ...

Unless you're building studio scale, and in the olden days, this would involve FX "miniatures" that are 6 feet long (or even bigger, like 2001's 54 foot XD-1) many of the structures being represented, like piping, frame members, engine bells, were still reasonably easy to build with a knif...

Hard for me to quibble with the list, other than having the exact right tool makes all of the difference. With the given understanding that some of the above tools can be purchased from the hardware store, and others are available from craft stores, here are some choices, albeit with brand names, th...