Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

So I'm still working on my Starfighters contest build (trying to finish it by WF). I'm finally at the decaling stages... I put on the first decal, and as I'm smoothing it down, it produces yellow gunky stuff from somewhere . Never seen this before, and I'm not sure what to do about it, short of stri...

Acetone acts as a solvent for CA. Shouldn't hurt the styrene or the resin.

A method I've used to great success in the past is putting the battery compartment in the base, then building a small power connector into the stand mount. Headphone jacks work really well for this approach, and they come in three sizes

Tamiya tape really is the best for what we do... well worth the price. Not only is it very low tack, but unlike any painter's tape you get in a big-box store (even the 3M stuff), it's VERY thin... you can cross-mask, mask curves, conform to surface details, etc. It's almost like scaled-down automoti...

and in any case, never leave it on for a long time... I made that mistake once... left nasty gluey gunk that only stripping the paint would remove

Thanks for all the ideas everyone. I've found my source. I wound up redesigning some elements so that I wouldn't need so many different sizes.

You've got to go up or down. If you can't find nesting brass to slide over your rod, then try to find thicker solid rod, chuck it in a drill, and use a small needle file to "lathe" it down.

Thanks Wug, The reason I was asking about kits is that I have neither a lathe, nor a vacuum former ;) I could build a VF (plan to eventually)... building a lathe is a little more difficult :) I was hoping for a short-cut. You're probably right though... the various kits I've found have all been fair...

I'm in need of several engine bells for a current build. What I need is 5 or 6 at about 1/2 inch diameter, about a dozen smaller (1/8" - 1/4" dia) and at least one at 3/4"-1" diameter. I've seen the accessory kits on the SSM store, and I'll be getting a couple of those for the sm...

Did you prime? Did you wash the model prior to priming?

There are multi-spectrum paints that produce 2-3 colors with an iridescent effect. If you got a few of these and laid down layers carefully, you could probably get pretty close to this.

I'd try laying down a bead of black CA with a fine applicator nozzle.

I had really good success on my UF109 by painting the canopy gloss black, then dusting it with a light (semi-transparent) coat of two-color metalic paint that I found in the RC section, which shifts between Gold and Green. It was an absolutely beautiful effect... Then I peeled off the masking and al...

maybe I'm missing something, but why not use RC servos?

buffed with sandpaper or steel wool, then brushed with saltwater...

Very nice weathered metal look... because it's real

Kylwell wrote:& watch using accelerators with it, as it can form a shell with a hollow gooey center.

MMmmmmmmmmm..... gooey center.....

Heh... At my new job, one of the odd workplace quirks is the occasional Nerf gun battle. I'm working on a pump-action magazine-fed Nerf dart gun. I've got the action worked out and mocked up. I'm looking for parts for a valve assembly that will give me a momentary, instant burst of air. At the momen...

Does anyone here know of a good retail source for pneumatic parts? I'm looking for valves, turbines, air-logic gates, manifolds, etc. Something like Mouser, but for pneumatics.

Specifically, I need a source for small-scale pneumatic system parts... not the big industrial stuff.

Any ideas?

Karim, Okay, I can see that working since I would feel the decal was less vulnerable to peeing dogs and further yellowing. :wink: The only problem I can think of with my idea would be the heat (A literal greenhouse effect). If you live in a cool climate, it should be fine... but where I live, its s...

Or...

Get a cheap glass canister jar from a linens & things or other such store.

Seal the decal sheet in the jar facing out.

set it on your deck/porch for a day or two.

Mouser is the only place I'd recommend. I've dealt with them all personally and professionally. Hell, I'd rather order from Mouser than go to the local suppliers. I HATE DigiKey! They are slow and their online catalog is worthless. As far as LED's, I know you said no eBay, but I order from this guy...

Not Ebay.

Anywhere in particular that folx like to order their electronic components such as LEDs, resistors, ICs, etc?

But that one has hot-spots. The spots are OK for thrusters but for a nacelle grille it might be less attractive... That's easy enough to solve... point the LED along the surface instead of at the surface. The Fiberfill will collect and diffuse the light to fill the space. WHat it comes down to is y...

tetsujin wrote:The fiberfill technique looks interesting - but it also looks patchy. It'd be interesting to see the effect on the finished model - without light leaking through the rest of the nacelle, etc.

Here ya go.

I solved the problem with a modification of Robb's idea: I used a cone (cut from the top of a bottle) with sandpaper glued to the outer surface of the cone... Then inserted it into the existing hole and reamed it out with the conical sanding form until it was even all the way around. Worked perfectl...

Kylwell wrote:Well.... a sheet of brass, cut to the proper width and pointed, edges sharpened, slowly working in.

Hmmm... now that's interesting..

draw a circle on your computer scaled to 2.44". print it out and stick on the part. sand around it. if you can drill through the part, stick the circle on one side, drill through the center, glue a second circle on the reverse side (centered on the drill hole). shape. lastly, you don't need a ...

inner-hole size is about 2.44" Can't use a lathe because... well... no lathe, but also its too fragile to chuck... its a shell of Aves about 1/16" thick. The outer diameter isn't perfectly true... it would be nice if it was, but it doesn't have to be, where as the found part going in the h...

So I've got a shell built in Aves, circular with compound curves-- essentially the out-side surfaces of a torus.... Imagine a tire made out of Aves. The central hole is meant to be a perfect circle... its not, quite. Any ideas on how I can true it up? I can spare enough material to shave off some an...

Saturn wrote:Squadron does carry Alclad II and spray bomb Mr Surfacer. Their website sucks noodles though, you'll need IE for the search to work.

Ugh you're right.

HOWEVER, they happen to not carry any of the colors I need in anything smaller than 4oz bottles at $30 ea.

Ugh.