Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

Well, you might want to look in your local DIY for spare parts for home lighting. There are usually a sepection of hollow rods with threads on one or both ends so you can thread a thin section nut onto the hollow rod, place the model part down on that thin nut and then add another smaller diameter n...

Right but i wasn't talking about engine exhaust or initials scribed on the back of a chair.....for a picture of a Star Trek ship....2d....it's not inconceivable that a future computer/printer could take a few 2d images from pictures of an old 1988 amt enterprise d kit and 3d print pieces of said mo...

True, however, for complicated objects, the number of images needed to capture something like, for instance, the details of an afterburner exhaust can and it's actuators, would require a lot of images, all with some way to reference each other to provide accurate distance information. But it _is_ po...

But why can't a future computer take the 2d image and turn it into a 3d image? How do we know a computer 20 or 30 years from now can't do that? Because the information does not exist for any computer to do anything with. If the information is not there a computer would have to invent it (also known...

Why couldn't future printer take a 2d image and extrapolate it into a 3d version then print that? WHY I ASK YOU!!! If you'll calm down I'll tell you... The 2D image does not have depth information in it. It also has no information on the other side of the object in the image of parts of the object ...

Never say never...especially with future tech coming in the next 20 years It has nothing to do with technology. A 2D image can not have the information necessary to create a 3D image, if it did, it would be a 3D image. :) The same way a true greyscale image can never be turned into a true colour ph...

I have been trying to find some reviews, of either this type or the maker bot, so does anybody out there have any advice or reviews. First off, what do you want it for? Next, what do you expect it to do? It might be of some use, depending upon what your expectations are. Especially if they are low....

Not sure why you can't see the picture, but I added a link below it just in case. ) As a new member, you should read the forum rules. :) One of the first rules is that you are not allowed to post images directly in the forum, only _links_ to images. Now, you did that except the link goes to a 404 n...

Yeah, option C is what I look for this sort of shape.

No, it's the FEPA or Federation of European Producers of Abrasives non"P" grading system. I use 150 all the time for hogging shapes but yes for general model building it's on the coarse side. IIRC I usually start @ about 340, maybe 240. So 150 under the FEPA system is a fine grit? What do...

He is, I'm guessing just to be difficult, using a different grading system. No, I think he's got his grits backwards. I think the ALO is aluminum oxide, the grit in wet-dry paper. The SIL is silica or silicon oxide (also known as "sand") which is one of the normal dry paper grits. He talk...

I think I was just using to low grit and to high grit to effectively do the job. Coarse grit paper will remove a lot of material, but leave huge valleys for subsequent efforts. I never use anyting coarser than 200 grit and that only for reshaping when I want to remove a lot of material. For normal ...

Candy or any other foodstuff is a really bad idea. Not only is it really suseptable to moisture, but also heat, rot and pests.

Nay, nay!

PET (pop bottle plastic) is a completely crap material for model building. It is terribly heat sensitive, so using it as a buck or master for further thermoforming is unwise and very few adhesive stick propely to it making it a poor material to use as that actual model (nothing will stick to it, rea...

Any CA glues will work just fine, In fact I use several types of CA for different purposes. If the surface is at all uneven (as in the cleaned up pour plugs) then the gel or super-gel formulas work well. Same for filling gaps. For adding small details the gel or thin versions are best. For adding PE...

redfinger wrote:@tankmodeler - thanks for the tip but I think vac-forming is going to have to be the route I go.

Ashton

What will you use as a pattern?

Oh, and if using the plaster & lath method, the frame and skin should be made of at least .030" (.75mm) sheet to help prevent the putty from flexing & cracking while you sand it. The putty should be about a mm (.040") thick, as well or more.

Paul

I have done similar work on tank models. To make a model of a convoluted curvy casting shape like a turret I have used this sort of process several times. The difference is that once the thin styrene shell is in place, I make the smooth exterior surface out of epoxy putty, like Aves, Milliput, Tamiy...

80 cents a 8.5 x 11 sheet for 2000 grit wet/dry is really cheap. Be happy if you can find it that cheap. For the 10K-20K sheets, expect to pay more. Can I ask what kind of models require that kind of polishing? The only guys I know that go to that level of polish are the car guys and their 60" ...

[quote="ulvdemon"]I understand the need to build and paint in subassmebliesquote] Actually, I'm not sure I agree that there is a need to build and paint in subassemblies. I only build and paint in subassemblies if I can do so and not create a joint whith a seam or where the adhesive will b...

[quote="ulvdemon"]I understand the need to build and paint in subassmebliesquote] Actually, I'm not sure I agree that there is a need to build and paint in subassemblies. I only build and paint in subassemblies if I can do so and not create a joint whith a seam or where the adhesive will b...

chiver wrote:i think i will stick with 4000 scale for now.

As far as I know there are no 1/4000 models out there. There _are_ 1/3788 models. Might be a LOT easier to get what you are looking for.

If you can alter your scale to 1:3788 then you can use Star Fleet Battles gaming miniatures, a number of which can be found on Ebay at any one time. As many of these are old and pewter/lead, the detail is not great, but there are some resin and injection moulded plastic miniatures in this scale, so ...

Fair enough, but are there any 1/4000 starship models to go with it?

never thought of that...... #-o time to rethink.... so im thinking a 4000 scale should put it at about 125 cm tall by 95 cm top diamater. might be a little bit more sane the only other thing i am trying figure out is if i need to buy the blue prints or if i can use the scale on screen to find the r...

So, in 1/2500 scale it's 220cm tall & 152cm in diameter or 86.6" tall and 60" in dia.

Dude! Where in the name of ghod will you keep such a thing? Even a 1/4 arc segment of it attached to an interior corner of a room is too tall for most ceiling heights.

Paul

Now to get out the drill and (gulp) make some holes. Make the holes before you finish the model, of course, so you can correct any issues. Also, on the inside if the model make sure there is some support for the tube as it sits inside the model. A really good way to do it is to use a matching hollo...

Also, don't forget this great word: One word: Kotubukiya http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/list/276/0/1 These parts by Kotobukiya are a bit clumsy and are really meant for fighting suit models, but sometimes are exactly what you need and, in these sized packages are cheap enough to buy a bunch for stock, li...

TazMan2000 wrote:Go to your local dollar store. You might be able to find something there.

TazMan2000

True enough. the ones around here are full of oddly shaped plastic cram that might do the job even though it's supposed to have some other purpose.

Paul

OSOAVIAKHIM wrote: but I'm wondering are there any bigger pressure cans around...

If there are, the increased load on the bottom of the can will likely mean that the metal is thicker & harder to cut.

Don't know for sure, but just a thought.

Paul