Search found 102 matches

by Zubie
Sun Mar 10, 2024 11:38 pm
Forum: Ask Your Questions about SSM HERE
Topic: Logging in
Replies: 2
Views: 65

Re: Logging in

I've had the server time out on me several times today (error 500), so I guess it's the server
by Zubie
Sun Nov 26, 2023 12:59 am
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Nail Polish...anyone ever use them for painting?
Replies: 12
Views: 41504

Re: Nail Polish...anyone ever use them for painting?

I don't airbrush, but I would suggest testing on scrap...surely you have some somewhere. I have used nail polish on paper models that will get painted over as a way to harden paper and allow it to be sanded as that prevents piling of the paper. I do think that as a paint, some of the pigment grains ...
by Zubie
Mon Oct 23, 2023 3:48 pm
Forum: Construction
Topic: Reliable methods for scribing on a sphere or cone?
Replies: 5
Views: 16271

Re: Reliable methods for scribing on a sphere or cone?

Many years ago I had to paint blue and white stripes onto a propeller hub parallel to the base (||||...LS Rothman's 1/72 Pitts to be specific). I was kind of stumped because it was quite small and ogival. As I remember (this was probably 30y+ ago) I mounted the hub so I could attach it securely to m...
by Zubie
Thu Sep 21, 2023 10:42 pm
Forum: Scratchbuilding
Topic: DIORAMAS you would like to build
Replies: 45
Views: 136697

Re: DIORAMAS you would like to build

Anybody ever built one of the old Tonka Diorama kits. I recall admiring them as a kid 50y ago (uf...that's a long time). Never got one, not sure why. Possibly the artwork on Aurora and monogram boxes was just too enticing :) Looking at them now, they do appear like a fairly adept use of forced persp...
by Zubie
Thu Sep 07, 2023 3:20 pm
Forum: Scratchbuilding
Topic: DIORAMAS you would like to build
Replies: 45
Views: 136697

Re: DIORAMAS you would like to build

That comic got to thinking about the comic I read as a kid: Dan Cooper and the Flying Saucers https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QY3rjI4gkac/TTD9CEps61I/AAAAAAAACX8/YnRamqtG-W4/s400/M080001.jpg It's originally one of those Belgian comics about a Canadian ace and his various aerospace adventures. I'd never t...
by Zubie
Mon Aug 14, 2023 2:12 pm
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: Finding a resistor for your LED (Easy & Fast)
Replies: 3
Views: 15904

Re: Finding a resistor for your LED (Easy & Fast)

One small issue here - 20ma is 0.02A, not 0.2A.... ....no, no...no small issue at all! Thanks...post edited. ...Funny, the math I did for the post was still in the calculator (it's one of those that shows the equation entered up to the "=" entry) and it's quite clearly there, " .02&q...
by Zubie
Sun Aug 13, 2023 11:48 am
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: Finding a resistor for your LED (Easy & Fast)
Replies: 3
Views: 15904

Re: Finding a resistor for your LED (Easy & Fast)

The video is very informative and pretty good for people who haven't worked with LED's or building circuits before. BTW, the original link (led.linear1.org) does appear to be dead, but check the description because an updated link is provided (https://ledcalculator.net/). The ability to suggest LED ...
by Zubie
Sat Aug 12, 2023 3:52 pm
Forum: Scratchbuilding
Topic: Fixing scratches in clear plastic
Replies: 7
Views: 23731

Re: Fixing scratches in clear plastic

I realize that on a cost per ounce it is a no brainer, but would say clear acrylic (such as Tamiya X-22) also do the trick?
by Zubie
Wed Aug 09, 2023 10:52 am
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Paint Equivalents
Replies: 35
Views: 114431

re: Paint Equivalents

http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/pdf_web/CC073_rev03.pdf Huge chart, from our buddies at Acrylicos Vallejo, including games paints. This links appears to be dead now (orig 2011...no surprise) Found these (as of summer '23) https://www.mysubbuteo.com/files/Vallejo%20colour%20chart.pdf https://acrylic...
by Zubie
Tue Jun 20, 2023 8:09 pm
Forum: Wonderfest 2023
Topic: Wonderfest 2023 contest photo gallery
Replies: 10
Views: 16995

Re: Wonderfest 2023 contest photo gallery

P1010092 with that NASA liveried P-51 turboprop conversion tucked in lower left corner is a point of interest. https://postimg.cc/p5N8kQw2 Don't know if the real deal was actually used by NASA but here is this, https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=78138 By 29 March 1968 Converted...
by Zubie
Mon Jun 12, 2023 11:26 am
Forum: Wonderfest 2023
Topic: Wonderfest 2023 contest photo gallery
Replies: 10
Views: 16995

Re: Wonderfest 2023 contest photo gallery

Thanks.
This is great for those of us who can't make it down there.

I noticed the motion blur on the periphery of the Station for the Orion photo. Neat idea to display it like that. Anything else with moving parts?**

**I've noticed a trend now to try movement as well as lighting
by Zubie
Tue May 23, 2023 7:23 pm
Forum: Scratchbuilding
Topic: What's a dental vacuum former?
Replies: 20
Views: 58755

Re: What's a dental vacuum former?

Anybody have any experience with doing canopies with this thing. I just got one from my dentist (thank you thank you thank you). He wasn't using it anymore so it's a bit dusty and in need of a cleaning. Anyway, one of the problems with paper modeling is that outside of Luftwaffe type greenhouses, yo...
by Zubie
Sun Apr 16, 2023 3:27 pm
Forum: Construction
Topic: Styrene cements and construction
Replies: 125
Views: 517582

Re: Styrene cements and construction

I backtracked the thread and there appears to be no real mention of this, although some people do mention their love (or is it just like?) of tamiya thin. I've seen a couple of videos promoting the use of tamiya's airbrush cleaner instead. Chemically there's only around a 2% difference between one a...
by Zubie
Fri Feb 10, 2023 11:31 am
Forum: Scratchbuilding
Topic: How Do You Start?
Replies: 24
Views: 96729

Re: How Do You Start?

It is possible to make tires through a process akin to quilling. I’ve seen some patterns posted on paper modeling forums. It’s a technique that should be transferable to thin plastic stock as well. Other methods involve multiple layers like stacking washers that are glued together, sometimes with li...
by Zubie
Wed Dec 14, 2022 3:18 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Paint Equivalents
Replies: 35
Views: 114431

Scalemates has color match listings (Re: Paint Equivalents)

I haven't done a full search yet, but while in the process of putting together a color match spreadsheet (which is turning out to be way way more time consuming than I thought) I found that scalemates.com has listings of paints with the respective RGB rating (which you can then go on to use for CMYK...
by Zubie
Mon Oct 03, 2022 4:13 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Paint Equivalents
Replies: 35
Views: 114431

Re: Paint Equivalents (Floquil Equivalents)

Just found this document with regard to Floquil Equivalents
https://www.microscale.com/Floquil%20Color%20Chart.pdf
by Zubie
Fri Sep 02, 2022 11:19 am
Forum: Scratchbuilding
Topic: DSEV Chesley Bonestell
Replies: 14
Views: 28223

Re: DSEV Chesley Bonestell

This is a really awesome design as well as a piece of work. It's also a real beauty :)
by Zubie
Sun Jul 17, 2022 11:35 pm
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: Looking for a (Simple) LED Flasher Circuit
Replies: 10
Views: 14066

Re: Looking for a (Simple) LED Flasher Circuit

I read somewhere, a few years back, that the voltage drop across the 555 timer is 1.7 volts. So you realyy need 5 volts to run the average 3mm LED. Several colors require 3.3 volts, although some colors, less. ic chips should be wired in such a way as they don't put a load on the circuit they contr...
by Zubie
Fri Jul 15, 2022 1:15 pm
Forum: Important Site News
Topic: Image posting etiquette and "How to's"
Replies: 2
Views: 8335

How to get a thumbnail from imgur

As mentioned earlier, for some reason imgur doesn't really show you thumbnails or show you how to get access easily. Imgur does actually generate these, and in a variety of sizes. It took a bit of hunting, but I found the code suffixes they use on images to denote the different sizes. s = Small Squa...
by Zubie
Thu Jul 14, 2022 1:19 pm
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: Looking for a (Simple) LED Flasher Circuit
Replies: 10
Views: 14066

Re: Looking for a (Simple) LED Flasher Circuit

Okay - I just had a thought: If I used a circuit for flashing a single LED, then I can use a transistor to blink as many LEDs in parallel as I need. I just need to find a flasher circuit that runs at 4.5v. (Most of the circuits I’ve seen have been 9-12v.) I've seen some refs that state you can run ...
by Zubie
Sun Jul 10, 2022 3:27 pm
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: Looking for a (Simple) LED Flasher Circuit
Replies: 10
Views: 14066

Re: Looking for a (Simple) LED Flasher Circuit

If exact timing is not an issue and all you are looking for is a blink, all you need are transistors, resistors, and capacitors (...and the LED of course). I recall seeing these kind of circuits using small wheat bulbs or other low voltage incandescent back in 70s science project exhibits, so the te...
by Zubie
Wed Jun 29, 2022 10:24 pm
Forum: Important Site News
Topic: Image posting etiquette and "How to's"
Replies: 2
Views: 8335

Managing large images (Re: Img etiquette)

Understandably, as mentioned in the previous post, forum users may only have large images to deal with. Understandably if you have already uploaded a large image to an image hosting site, its way easier to just link to that image in your post using the "img" bb tag (see the "pic posti...
by Zubie
Wed Jun 29, 2022 12:59 pm
Forum: Important Site News
Topic: Image posting etiquette and "How to's"
Replies: 2
Views: 8335

Image posting etiquette and "How to's"

I've been meaning to post this note for quite a while (I had cleared this with onezero sometime back) but only getting around to doing this now. As people here may recall, SM's forum was not always friendly to inline image posts. Given that during the early years of the internet downloading could be...
by Zubie
Wed May 18, 2022 3:55 pm
Forum: Scratchbuilding
Topic: Discarded CD jewel cases
Replies: 15
Views: 31185

Re: Discarded CD jewel cases

You know, if you have a free standing model that fit on top, CD jewel cases can make nice stands pretty much As-Is. Just print a small blurb about the respective model in a form that fits the jewel case. Then just sit the model on top. I built paper models of American V2s; the first White Sands rock...
by Zubie
Thu Apr 07, 2022 12:12 am
Forum: Important Site News
Topic: 25th Anniversary, right?
Replies: 42
Views: 207770

Re: 25th Anniversary, right?

... I do recall there was a contest for the logo design, b̶u̶t̶ ̶I̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶i̶n̶k̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶.̶ http://www.starshipmodeler.org/gallery11/miam_au_031006_logoship.htm http://www.starshipmodeler.org/gallery11/au_031006_logoship2.jpg found it http://www.starshipmodeler.com...
by Zubie
Sun Mar 20, 2022 5:01 pm
Forum: Construction
Topic: Working with old second hand kits
Replies: 6
Views: 15060

Working with old second hand kits

I mentioned in one of the more ephemeral threads that lately old kits, and some really really old kits, have become more available as people start to reduce their stashes or just simply are left as estate sale items. Some of these end up on E-Bay, others at LHS often as special sale items. Sometimes...
by Zubie
Tue Mar 15, 2022 3:29 pm
Forum: Scratchbuilding
Topic: Please Recommend Good Blender Instructional Material
Replies: 6
Views: 18179

Re: Please Recommend Good Blender Instructional Material

The thing I think with Blender is you got to have a clear sense of exactly what it is you want to do with it. I say this from the opinion that Blender is actually too powerful; meaning there are so many features and plug-ins that trying to master it all would indeed be too time consuming. I use it p...
by Zubie
Tue Mar 01, 2022 12:18 am
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Aliens Dropship Paint scheme
Replies: 9
Views: 17631

Re: Aliens Dropship Paint scheme

The "brown color" you have heard of is the discontinued Humbrol 170 "Brown Bess, " or MC6 in their catalog when the movie was made. It's not exactly brown. It's like olive but with some red added to make it less green. I think if you showed it to different people, you would get ...
by Zubie
Mon Feb 28, 2022 4:07 am
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Aliens Dropship Paint scheme
Replies: 9
Views: 17631

Re: Aliens Dropship Paint scheme

Not by accident the dropship is meant to evoke US Vietnam helicopter schemes...hence olive drab. Olive drab does have a brownish hue to it, or at the very least can have that hue. Interesting short thread on what exactly is Olive Drab in the field, but then again this was a prop. I would suspect it ...
by Zubie
Thu Nov 04, 2021 8:22 am
Forum: Lighting & Electronics
Topic: Review of Wireless LEDs
Replies: 9
Views: 17508

Re: Review of Wireless LEDs

Interesting, but does seem of limited use. Moreover, the angular placement of these LEDs would seem very important. It's a field that circles around the circumference of the donut with the strongest area within the center of the loop, thinning out quite quickly elsewhere (IIRC the math is a tad comp...