MechTech

Excellente Chavakaiser! Arbit, yes it has reverse on both channels. In fact, the plan is to take two cheap servos and make them gear motors. Then put diodes across them so they will only go in one direction. That will make the remote three channels. The servos will drive cams to activate micro switches to merely turn stuff on and off. The one untouched up/down channel will power the hangar door. That's my evil plan anyhow. - MT

That's cool Derex, thanks for sharing! Its slow going on my ship, but I made some minor progress. The first photo is a die I made for detail on the flight deck (and other models). I took a TINY Torx screw and glued it into the shaft I machined on the lathe. It works great using my drill press as an arbor press. I think I'll shave a bit more off the edges so there is less space around the "bolt head" area. I wanted a tiny remote system for the ships hangar door and other functions. It will stay on the ship so it doesn't get lost somewhere in my home. I made a solid chunk of styrene that I glued together from 3mm (1/8") styrene sheets ( 2 of them) and pocketed it on my mill. Yeah, I could have just glued sheets together to make a box, but it wouldn't have been anywhere near as strong as a solid piece. The guts come from a Hexbug toy. I got three on sale years back for $5 each at Radio Shack. I knew I'd use them someday on something. Instead of the LR44/357 sized batteries, I'm using a 3V CR2032 to make it thinner and smaller. One circuit board worked intermittently so I gave up on it. I prepped a second board and before I could get a good test out of it, it has now failed too. It might be the cold weather and heater drying out the air. I may have blown it with static electricity somehow, despite being careful. - MT

That cockpit is beautiful! -MT

Great idea and diorama! - MT

It just keeps getting better and better! Waitnig on a video with some good lighting to see all the details. These photos are nice and clean too. - MT

Pengbuz - Those flame effects look awesome! Don't rush it Rock! It's looking great! Every time I rush things, bad things happen to my projects. That looks awesome Grayson! I think you got a side-hustle going on now. You wanna charge to make some? - MT

That's looking awesome Arbit! Did you use reed valves in place of micro switches for your electrical door "stops"? I didn't add any stops to my "garage door," but think it will prevent something from being broken. Better be safe than lazy and break something I can't easily fix after its painted. - MT

That is weird! I think Electric Indigo is right. I have that kit and it has a lot of ABS plastic. ABS is great at creating a static electricity charge. - MT

Cool Chavakaiser! MUY GRANDE! Cool 505! And yeah, cool painting too! Arbit, That works nice and SMOOTH! The whole thing will be awesome! That's coming along nicely Rock! "I'm Woody, howdy howdy howdy!" That's great Derex! And it looks like you have a new Christmas ornamanent too! Which also came out great. - MT

This model looks great! I'm not into SD models, but yours looks great! Nice clean engineering too. - MT

Cool build Pengbuzz! Your project is coming along smoothly Arbit! You need to take that to a show. People will get a kick out of the blue tooth. Checkmate, your build looks really good so far. I guess you're preshading it? I was trying to figure out if it was a new model until I took a second look. Chavakaiser - Fantastico! Time to make the ship's flight deck tie-downs (Padeyes). First I made a die to use in my drill press as an arbor press. Then simply press into the plastic and you have padeyes galore for free. It adds no more weight to the ship from sheets of photo etch, no hole drilling and no gluing. I used masking tape on the grid so I could make adjustments before pressing the deck into shape. I STILL can't get all the permanent ink off the deck, but the padeyes are all clean without marring. The paint will make them stand out. Some of you may ask where I get my inspiration from. Here's two of them. They think AND sleep outside the box! They also seem to like the Frame Arms kits too! - MT

Arbit - That came out great! Nice and smooth too. The HMS Invincible class carriers used the same scissor lifts too for their aircraft elevators. I got to see one up close. Chavalaiser - Grande y excelente! Sigan con el buen trabajo! - MT

That is a tough one. Even the older model kits with fastpacks molded them in that light greenish color. I thought it was odd until looking at screenshots too! - MT

Ha ha! Yes, we recycle! - MT

I'm just catching the end of this. Everything came out great Pengbuzz! Especially when you consider it was all scratch built from common materials! - MT

Thanks for sharing! I've seen this at Micromark: https://www.micromark.com/Wondercutter For only $399.95 its a steel! I thought of getting one, but its that or making my mill work better. Since most things are made on my mill... My recommended tool: https://www.micromark.com/5400-Deluxe-Mill-Package My mill has another base, but the vertical and motor are the same (from my lathe).- MT

Thanks for posting not only all your work, but your parts too! Most of mine are recycled from something else so not much help to others. - MT

He he. We always joked about the "beer can" missiles. NOW they actually are that size! - MT

That's also a long time to wait on building up your kit. Then you hope the company doesn't fold after your kit is halfway done. - MT

Thanks for posting pictures Derex. I ddin'tknow that was a kit yet! I'd use the surprised look on Woody's face. It would go perfect with some of the modeling conundrums I face! Cool mods UN Marine. My son and I have been watching Gundam Origins so we're kinda in the Gundam frame of model building now. - MT

Cool Nighmareb4macross!!! SMOOTH finishes. That's GREAT Arbit! You just need an aircraft with afterburners blowin'! - MT

NB4M, thanks for sharing the prints with us. I have to agree they are the best looking, whole set of ships. Not only that, but they have the size to back up the scale of how enormous the design is. Your SDF-1 came out great too. That pose is funny; it looks like it's dancing! ..."And jazz hands everyone!" Clean paint Nyankodevice! He'll look sharp when done. This month's (meets this week) modeler's club meeting theme is "Go Big or Go Home." I'm working on my ship partly for that, and partly for my personal creativity. We'll, I'm going to miss getting anywhere near having my ship done, but we have an "Amnesty Night" coming in August of next year. Hopefully I'll be done by then! I got two big things accomplished this weekend. First, I ordered a complete inert round for the 76mm Oto Melara (also Strales - Oto Melara) cannon on ships. It will be part of the ship's stand. Second, I completed the buck and made a vacuum-formed pull of it for the cannon turret. The first photo shows the unevenness of the plastic on the sides before sanding. I had to make cuts in the side for it to come off the mold. The turret is not done yet nor are the metal cannon parts, but should look like the attached when done. It's an ugly turret, but the only thing I could get with enough room for the cap gun parts to fit into. It will almost be like driving around a Corvette Stingray with a toolbox stuck to the hood. It will break up the lines, but will function. Keep up the great builds you all are doing! - MT

I agree, the 3D thread should be here. Somebody should have told them 3D printing is no longer "science fiction"! I wish they had styrene 3D print material. It would stink the house up though. Chronocidal, if I were you, I'd try and keep the panel lines as part of the print. I can't tell you how many times I've made crooked lines or slipped up making other etchings. And I don't even drink! The back end/bracket is done. I drilled the heck out of it to lighten it up. The second photo shows what everything looks like without the motor. I added bearings and machined some things so the mechanism is smoother. The motor attaches to the left-hand upper bracket. The barrel is still not machined and a mechanism has to be made to feed the cap belt through the white styrene chute. Yes, this has styrene on it so technically it is still a model. - MT

Cool models Pengbuzz and UN Marine! Regarding the 3D printers, thanks for the updates guys! Chronocidal, your print did look too hot with all the melty blobs. I'm seriously thinking of getting a 3D printer, but will have to upgrade my mill first. I'm currently taking my lathe head and swapping it out with my mill as I do one or the other. My mill machine head failed (cheap Chinese circuits). I have a Sherline lathe and bought their adaptor that I machined to fit my mill. Now the same machine head is doing double duty. I'm thinking resign printers too for detail and to minimize bias marks. The only downfalls are that they are messier and the resins can get brittle with age. I watched a factory made model of the X-32 break itself under its own weight over time as pieces got brittle. I just HATE the bias marks that spool style printers can add too. Plus the de-laminating of layers too. -MT

Pengbuzz, That came out great. Your figure work looks good too. My hat's off to you. I SUCK at making figures from scratch! Anubis, nice clean build! It is weird that the colors came out like that. Its looks great all the same. That's cool UN Marine! You gonna do the acetone fog, or just sand down the bias marks? Looks like the seams aren't so bad at all. Chronocidal, what kind of printer are you using? I've never seen one blob up like that before. Sorry about that. I'd be frustrated too. Cool Gabe! I haven't seen a male power armor done in a while. I'm guessing that's a newer release? I'm used to seeing the ugly purple styrene. If you're looking at the picture saying, "What the heck is that!?" Its the third and hopefully final version of my ship's cap gun (cap cannon). The barrel and bolt are stainless steel. They travel back and forth inside the brass tube in the middle. They strike the cap which will fit behind the whole thing. The gear and helix piece are whole and rotate around the barrel cocking the bolt/barrel back and then letting it fly into the cap to set it off. It's only half way done now. The barrel still needs shaping and the other half of the motor drive and cap feed still need to be done. At least it looks like something now. - MT