Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

:lol: LOL! I hear ya on the paint job, Stevie. That's one of the prime reasons I prefer TOS craft to TMP and TNG vessels: mindbogglingly simple paint jobs! One of these days we may get to be as inteligent in electronics as Tetsujin and Entl' Zog, but for now I'm going to continue reading "Elect...

Is there a small motor that moves at 1Hz? I would rather use a slow motor than a solenoid, mainly because I would rather just use a plug'n'play method than build an entirely new circuit for the oscillations.

Thanks for the tips.Would a regular motor with a trimmer work? I have a few small trimmers for LED circuits, for dimming engines for photography.

I need a DC motor that spins slowly enough to rotate a fan for the engines of the Original Starship Enterprise. Is there a place on the 'net where I can find one? Or would a local electronics store have those types of motors?

Not that I'm not going to use the 4017 chaser, but is there a way to make a transistor flip-flop that switches three times? I am using one for the formation lights, so Im am a bit curious as to how much you can acomplish using just transistors and capacitors. Tetsujin, I feel the same way. I think w...

Stevi, that is exactly what I am looking for! The blink rate looks good too. Thanks a bunch. I am going to Radio Shack later, so I can pick up all the components there. I have seen all of them, so I know they have them. The only question is of the 4017 chip. The last time I needed one they didn't ha...

I need one that chases 3 sets of LEDs for a warp engine in a 22" model of a Saladin class ship. The circuit need to fit inside an area no bigger than 2" x 3" and needs to have seamless transition between the last and the first LED in the chain. I would prefer a prebuilt circuit, like ...

I was going to make a copy of the primary hull of the large cutaway kit. I wanted to get the 90 degree angles without a noticeable curve in them, like on the bridge and on the planetary sensor. I was going to use sheet styrene from Evergreen.

Can you post photos? I would like to see all this.

I was wondering if it would be possible to do a reverse vacuum-form to make large detailed parts. Like taking a female mold, not too deep, and laying a piece of heated styrene on top of it. Then attach a vacuum to the bottom of the mold, and pull the styrene down, using a heat gun to warm over the s...

Yes, I already put a small resistor on the interior circuit. I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to put another one in. I have all the LEDs wired in paralelle, so the only way to put another resistor on the circuit would be to tear apart the entire model and hope that I don't rip anything. I think t...

I have completed the lighting circuit for the interior of the Engineering section of the 1:2500 Enterprise E and have sealed the hull, leaving wires set in grooves on the warp engine pylons, similar to the setup for the Fiber Optic Enterprise D kit as per it's original instructions. The problem is t...

Thanks, I'll try that.

I've got a problem: I spilled some super glue (a.k.a. CA glue) on a model project and need a safe substance to remove/dissolve it. I would also appreciate knowing whether said substace will remove glue (and not skin) from my fingers; I hate waiting for the stuff to crumble away.

Thanks so much for the advice! I am going to try the white first anyway, because I need to know how the finished prototype will look. What kind of pitfalls would I have to look for?

BJB makes several formulas of "water clear resin". http://www.bjbenterprises.com/ They can be a bit syrupy, so design your molds appropriately. :wink: The molds I am making use a technique(the name escapes me) wherein you pour the resin mix into one half of the mold and rest the top half ...

Where is the best place to buy a clear resin compound? I tried Smooth-on.com and the only crystal clear resin is for industrial use only. I need clear-white, not another color.

How would one go about attaching metal parts to styrene? I am afraid to use model cement(it might melt a hole in the surface and make a mess) and I don't know if CA would hold. Any ideas?

I was wondering: what are the 'modeling' scales of model trains? I know that O is about 1/48th, and HO is 1/96, but what are the other scales(ie: N, Z. etc)? I am constructing small buildings and sets for the game Mechwarrior and would like to know what formula to enter into my calculator to find ou...

I am building an Imperial TIE Fighter from Ertl and have a masking question: I was wondering if I could coat the base-coat with a thin layer of vaseline and then apply a layer of Elmer's glue over that to act as a liquid mask? I would like to finish this project quickly before I lose interest in it,...

I like the Red Tube Testor's glue for my projects. I occasionly get a thumbprint on the surface of what I'm working with, but I can usually sand off the excess after it dries. I usually apply just the tiniest bit of pressure to the tube and only a little comes out. I then smooth it over with my fing...

Those "High-Flux" type LEDs in the second link would be useful in lighting Federation starship anti-collision lights and running lights, if they are as small as they look. I just wish that the chrystals in the white ones were as plentiful as quartz, so I could light the windows in a ship i...

I have a rubbermaid box and a set of large drawers chock full of parts, styrene scraps and sheets, unfinished models, etc., etc., etc.,... I am currently trying to expand my collection so I can build the two most greeblie-infested Star Wars models: the Star Destroyer and the Millennium Falcon. I cou...

I have a rubbermaid box and a set of large drawers chock full of parts, styrene scraps and sheets, unfinished models, etc., etc., etc.,... I am currently trying to expand my collection so I can build the twon most greeblie-infested Star Wars models: the Star Destroyer and the Millennium Falcon. I co...