Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

I like where you are going with that- I think it would work well with my uses, depending on costs of course.


.

That technique is how I am lighting my Timeslip TOS Galactica. I am runningtwo brass bits to the underside of the engines which will matchup with two points in therear support base for power. What I was refering to withth efighter dispaly is having a base which supplies power to anything on top of i...

I voted for the wireless transfer (induction?)- In particular I would love a nit which could be built into a stand and a smaller/cheap reciever that could be installed in several models so I could light something by just putting it on the stand, swapping as I felt like it. I have to rotate my models...

Very nice effect- looks cold!

.

How about dipping a needle into Tube model glue, sprinkle a little salt on it and dip again- like the old way of making candles?. When dry you gently twist the pin loose and attach. The salt is to give the texture some randomness and when the pin is removed you get a clear lumpy spike. Just a though...

I think the problem is not so much the temprature of the spraycan but the temprature of where he is painting. Everything is fine inside the home but when you go outdoors to spray it doesn't work well.

.

It is not just the primer & the model that need s to be the proper temprature- the air in between should be in the safety zone also. Paint spray can 'freeze' in route and give you a weird finish- just like too much humidity can cause clear to 'milk up' with trapped moisture. I have had to paint ...

Those prices are pretty good. My company buys like that and the supplier usually has the same stuff cut cown to 18"x24" (common yard sign size for silkscreening). That is a little more managable to stock at the house- I usually get about twenty sheets to keep on hand. Evergreen is more exp...

I use that battery powered versions myself- easier to set up a power supply in the model or base.

.

I have found the biggest problem with cheap LEDs is the cheap solder jobs connecting the pieces. To get the best result in a sealed unit you could buy some higher output LEDs and replace the originals. On my Timeslip Galactica I will be using a stock string, but I am grouping all 18 together so if a...

Thicker wire/brass rod and maybe bend it a little before inserting so the center provides some pressure againt the Vane? Shim? Itty Bitty lockwasher? I used to use a sticky wax (I can get the brand name when I get home tonight) which was great at binding parts into position but allowed them to move ...

I used to cut my own strips from thin sheets- it seemed silly to pay that much for precut stripes. Now that I started using it I am a lot happier- it is worth the expense in time saving and uniformity. Their tubes come in concentric sizes- great for moving hing parts and telescoping landing gear. Th...

The above score and pop method works great for sheets. If you get some of the thin evergreen strips I set a few on top of each other and push the blade through the stack. By getting different thicknesses of these you can glue them on the star destroyer and make some good detail. Use thicker pieces f...

Target, CVS, Walgreens & Michael's all have low voltage LED light sets for less than $10- white, multi-colored, tiny- there is a lot out there. I have been picking up a few as I go around and they are already wired for battery power- much better that trying to adapt AC sets.

.

The Starship Modeler Store has 3 in stock (at the time of this posting) http://www.starshipmodeler.biz/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=703 The older Ertl kit is OOP (eBay time), but if you want a Lamda Shuttle you can get the Revell-Germany version- a little smaller and would ta...

Hobby Lobby & Michaels carry similar stuff this time of year to make fake show in Christmas dispalys.

.

http://www.starshipmodeler.biz/index.cf ... uct_ID=703

.

Another option would be to use several LEDs in a row and fill the chamber with crumpled white tissue paper...

.

The only real advantage to Vectoring software is that it is scalable- bitmaps images like photoshop's get fuzzy and blocky when enlarged. You can change curve shapes and do other tricks easier. Corel makes a good package- you can probably download a demo to try. If you plan on printing these things ...

MODs-
How about making this thread a sticky?

.

For a model thai size I would suggest starting off with a frame or skeleton- .080 aluminum if you can, threaded pipe or welded 1x1 square tubing would also work. It will give all the plexi a thing to hang on and support the weight when you display it. Tab and notch the plex when you can- it will hel...

I saw some very tiny LEDs (1/16" ish in diameter and about as tall) prewired into strings at Michael's (a craft store chain here in Birmingham, I am not sure how far they go. They are in the Chrismas section with the diorama stuff. They are designed for adding Christmas lights to scale building...

richard i'm near chester in the UK.

Drats! I see UK in the topic line now- I am in Birmingham, but it is in Alabama, USA so it would be a bit prohibitive to ship I guess.

.

I've tried the sign companies near me but they wont sell their stock unless i get them to make a sign out of it !!! stupid huh! That is tacky- I have no idea where you live from your profile (Blank) but if you are in the Birmingham AL region I can help. You could always ask them to a couple of sign...

I made mine white just a touch of gray- weathering tones it down nicely.

.

Most sign supply companies stock sheet styrene in various thicknesses. You can get it in 4'x8' sheets, 18"x24" is a common size normally stocked. The company I work for buys in in quanitity for silkscreened signs and I keep a stack at the house for my projects. If the supply company is rel...

First of all- Welcome to the forums! If you have problems fitting electrical lighting you might consider using UV paint and an ultraviolet light. The paints come in different colors and the result looks pretty good. BTW the same technique can work for cockpits and a UV-LED (like they used in the Dr....

Square brass tubing also makes excellent skeleton supports and 3-axis mounts for styrene scratchbuilds.

.

Thanks for the tip about the sale, btw.

ditto!

time to stock up

.

Advance Auto Parts has a good selection too. Advance also has EL string- 6 foot lengths real cheap. I had a commission a while back where the client wanted big colorful UFOs with lights but had a small budget. I explored the bling lights available back then and was amazed how many options there were...