Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

I think the key here is to not spray gloss white at all. Spray thin coats of flat whilte, buff out the surface with 1200+ grit or automotive buffing compound to get a smooth surface and be prepared to do this a couple times. Don't be afraid to spot coat if you only need to hit a couple of areas. Onc...

Like any sort of tool question, No, it's not _necessary_. Very little is necessary, in that the model can't be built without it. You can build a model without a knife if you are so inclined. But I would say a folding tool _would_ be d@mned helpful.

As a prop, it's got to stand up to a little more wear and tear than a typical model. Aves Epoxy putty all the way. You can order it right here from SSM. True, but if time is of the essence and he doesn't want to wait for it to be shipped to Oz, then a wood dowel cut to suit, epoxied in place and th...

I guess I should think more along a different way to call out the details I want. As a general rule, don't bother to model anything smaller than 3ish times the smallest feature the RP system can recreate. This depends upon the sort of rapid protoyping and the machine being used. Check with them bef...

I was referring to other 3d/nurbs packages where you would have to type in values in the transforms rather than keyboard entry of units as you draw. For instance, 3dsMax or Maya where precision is certainly possible but not nearly as intuitive as a program designed for prototyping. Ahhh, I see. OK,...

Right now I'm trying to figure out the best way to create intersecting panel lines..;) For creating 3D RP models you normally done't represent the panels at all (not even a little bit). If your model needs panel lines that is the sort of thing you scribe in after the RP model is made _and_ cleaned ...

It is capable of very precise tolerances for prototyping. Once you get the basics down, it is very fast and very accurate. I'm not trying to be a knob here, but what do you meant that Rhino is capable of fine tolerances? Any CAD model should be exactly and precisely spot on for all dimensions input...

I have a couple of questions for anyone that has used this for RP. What kind of tolerance do you use when creating your model? Also, do you prefer to work in inches, or millimeters.. or does it really matter, (aside from the tolerance numbers?). Measurement system doesn't matter at all and most hig...

as u can see the ship is very basic: http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/9674/vaygrbattlecruiser580x3.jpg Actually, the shape looks to have a lot of complex yet subtle curves. This won't be terribly easy to carve free-hand. That's for sure. There are also a lot of indented areas and details. Cool ship...

A little late I know but I was told by another who built his that he ground down a lot of those extra reinforcing bars that are built into the kit. Once those were reduced, straightening it became much easier. Thiis true, it would be easier because you are reducing the inherant stiffness of the str...

Hi Guys, As it turns out, I'm now taking a class in Rhino, which is great! But I just saw a video (curse you You Tube! ) on Solidworks, which seems like a more natural fit for producing kits... any of you ever use it for something like that? I think I'm still gonna commit to Rhino for now, as I'm g...

I just looked this up on google, so there's no magic to this. Seeing as the cable is 64 filiaments of .25mm diameter each, I'd say a drill that is slightly over .25mm in diameter shdl do the trick nicely. 0.25mm is about 10 thou (0.010") so a .3mm drill or a #80 (0.0135") drill should do t...

Sharpening brass tubes is done with an exacto knife. ??? Really? Wow, I've done this before, but I use my Dremel & the grinding stones to get the basic shape and then you can fine hone the shape with a knife sharpening stone. Archer makes some rivet decals... http://www.archertransfers.com/ And...

For rivets, look no further than Grandt Line rivets. Do a search for "Rivets" on this page:

http://www.grandtline.com/product_listing.htm

Great parts. I've used them for years & scratchbuilt riveted AFVs using them.

Paul

Thanks for all the replies guys! Very helpful.. Another question i have is which is the best or preferred glue when working with styrene sheets etc? Ooo, that's like asking "what is the best tasting chocolate?". No best answer. And, like many things in modelling, most of us use at least a...

prisoner_1079 wrote:For simplicty I divide by 100 to give me the length in centimeters (or simply add two 0's)

I do believe you meant to say "multiply" rather than divide, no?

...might not scratchbuilding an entire shuttle be a bit of a skill stretch? How much scratchbuilding have you done before? Paul Everyone has to start somewhere. I'm back into the hobby because in '98 at a toyshow, a vendor wanted $300.00 for a TOS Romulan Warbird, and I said "Heck, for $300, I...

Kind of, I'm going to scratch build some shuttles to make in a diorama with a few people and equipment and wanted the shuttles to be to scale with my runabout I'm not trying to be nasty or anything, but if you aren't sure of the concept of scale & scale calculations, might not scratchbuilding a...

The key thing here is that to straighten or flatten a piece of bent metal you absolutely must overbend it in the opposite direction, at least a little bit. You have to overcoem the natural spring that is in the metal. If you can afford the brass to be permanently softer, then heat it cherry red &...

I hate CA due to it's lack of tensile strength- it does hold pieces firmly and does a good job- then it can suddenly shear loose into powder. Just to be a nit picker, as you say it is the shear strength (and its cousin, peel strength) of CAs that is low. The tensile strength is quite good. I also l...

Experts please weigh in. But a good RTV would be the Mold Max 30. Agree. The 40 is also good, but not as useful for items with undercut fine detail and the 20 is good for the fine detail, but has a tendency to tear out a bit easier, being softer. Teh 30 is a very good compromise. Stay away from the...

Well, if the stuff in a tube is meant to be caulking, the resin won't stick to it, sure, but it will be a b!tch to get out of the holes. As a resin caster, use mould making rubber to stopper the holes and not only will you get the perfect seal, but it will come out of the holes easily.

Paul

Well, the adding them part is easy, just glue them on with a glue that is compatible with both parts. If everything is styrene plastic (like most model kits) then regular liquid cement does the job. Otherwise there are a range of glues for different materials. The tougher thing is where to get the g...

Clear tubing frosted by you (use 600-1000 grit sandpaper) in the areas where the colours will be and then painted on the inside with transparent colours might do it. But, I have to say, that I've never, ever seen any static depiction of flame, fire, smoke or afterburning that looks the least bit rea...

Paints & primers don't stick to it either. The same properties that make glue not stick, make paints not stick.

well, if you get a pressure pot you wont need to vacuum the RTV moulds, just pressure-cast them also - job done. I was under the impression that if you pressure cast with a mold that hadn't been vacuumed, the mold would collapse. Is this not correct? Vern No, not necessarily. Any mould with interio...

For those who have used baby powder in molds, do you know if its usable with Clear epoxy resin (Clear Cast)? Or will the powder discolor or affect the clarity of the cured resin? _Anything_ you put on the surface of your mould will affect the surface of the Clear Cast. Spray mould release, when app...

if you still don’t think it will work then I’ll start looking into the fiberglass copy Given this shape and the thickness of plastic you'll need to make a structurally sound hull, the edges of any of the sunken areas on the hull are going to become quite indistinct. Remember, you are folding plasti...

Seaquest!! I thought you were making a Seaview ! You probably couldn't have picked a subject less amenable to vac forming if you tried. My ghod, all the concavities in the upper surfaces of those parts! The only way to get even the basic shapes out of that will be to either vent a positive master o...

As I seem to love pain, and overly complex projects; Yes, I believe you are correct. :) maybe in black plastic (can you do Rubbermaid plastic? Just a thought) so we can then begin installing the electronics into the hulls. That’s about the fat of it! Well, just to be absolutely clear, I a) don't ha...