Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

Hi all Intend to do my first lit kit by the end of the year. Any advice on lighting kits would be appreciated. I have come across three makers: Tenacontrols, Galactic Modeler and Trek Modeler. I'm not terribly knowledgeable when it comes to electronics. Cheers Mark Just doing some research before I...

Try rubbing it with a paper towel to remove the "fuzz" without damaging the details.

Unless you know electronics I would stick with only adding one more in series with the ones you have.

Wire the three LEDs in series with a limiting resistor connected to a 555 timer that flashes at the rate you want.

irishtrek wrote: ↑Thu Mar 08, 2018 12:02 am Using acrylic paints I discovered they will not stick to bare styrene so you'll need to paint your model with an enamel.

That's about all I use and I have had no problems with adhesion.

No idea about the interior of the rebel runner. I have a resin model of the german nuclear satellite seen in the beginning of 2001 that has the resin cast around a piece of large PVC pipe to reduce the amount of resin needed and the weight. It may be the same with the runner and access to interior m...

Also remember in creating an internal framework you are going to come up against two brick walls. One is the space available inside the model. This is fixed. The second is the load bearing capacity of the frame work. Larger members have more capacity than smaller but then you butt up against the fir...

If the plastic has yellowed then I'm afraid that it's a done deal. It will continue to yellow over time regardless of what you do now.

The Millennium Falcon has two mounting point that I would use, the two side docking ports. You can make these removable relatively easy. A resin model like the Blockade runner is much more difficult because kits like that are typically solid inside and would require removing much of the resin to mak...

During the show the Eagles were painted different colors so basically any whitish type paint with an odd pattern of light gray panels will do.

Another possibility to one I mentioned that is probably quicker and easier is to use a mask placed over the surface and then painted over. I have used Frisket which is an artists material that uses thin film with a sticky backing. First you cut out shapes in the Frisket and peel it off the backing a...

Is the surface damaged? If so then you will have to sand it using progressively finer grades until you are practically rubbing it with vinyl. If the surface isn't damaged then don't sand it. I have heard of people dipping entire parts into Future and allowing it to dry overnite while covered to keep...

After the drag you off to a padded room can i have your models? But seriously folks what you want to do is start with a base color that you paint the whole model. Then you start masking off areas that you want to paint the next color, usually a darker color. Follow these steps until you have painted...

Almost all the large sci-fi models had multiple mounting point where an outer portion could be removed for access to the tubular frame work that supported the model so it could be photographed from different angles. Is this what you are planning, if so I wish you luck since most commercial models ar...

TurkeyVolumeGuessingMan wrote: ↑Thu Feb 15, 2018 9:37 pm White paint refracts light, while metallic paint reflects it. Refraction is better for lighting up windows and such.

Or to say white paint creates a more diffuse lighting while metallic creates bright spots.

If possible, just for the ease of painting, try to leave some assemblies off until the very end.

So, I got 2 new kits yesterday from Starcraft Models(2 Vulcan ring ships), that I'm wanting to light. I've figured out how to use fiber optics to do pinpoint lights, but a lot of the kits have oval/rectangular windows. How do you effectively light these? Light strips then cut the windows out... do ...

Fiber optics will give you a circular light. Unfortunately no one make a square or rectangular fiber. Does the kit have portals already cut into the model or are they simply recessed windows in a clear piece? If the the latter then you may try lighting the whole clear piece with carefully placed sub...

I painted the interior of my lit models black, the secret is to hold them up to a bright light until no light is detected. If you want to light up the interior, after painting it black use a reflective paint like silver or gloss white to reflect and diffuse the light to an even glow.

The current usage of most models is so low almost any small gauge wire will work. The main limiting factor on wire size is the space it has to fit inside.

Always do your interior lighting stuff first and make sure it is fool proof before sealing it inside the hull. Once that's done, follow standard modeling procedures although you will have to mask off where the lighting is during painting.

I dis-assemble and clean my air brush after every use even if I am going to use it right away for another paint.

The kind of paint you use along with your airbrush will all affect how your paint comes out. Generally enamels need thinning and higher pressure than metallics or lacquer paints. I use acrylics straight out of the bottle. With Dullcote I cut it with thinner to get a more even spray and coating. Acry...

I once had to cut a 1/4" thick of styrene for a model I was making and it was a beyotch. I don't know the size of what you are trying to make but I agree with the posts that first you make an armature that will support the weight of the model and then attach smaller and thinner sheets of plasti...

Lost parts are the bane of modelers everywhere.

1/72 tank kit parts.

All electrolytic capacitors should be used with the correct polarization to prevent the cap from overheating and possibly catching on fire or exploding. I've worked in electronics for many years and have had it happen to me several times.

Since you say that you successfully built a strobe light on bread board I can only assume that your wiring/soldering is the problem. Double check your wiring and connections. Personally I would have used a board with copper traces on it already. If possible remove the components and put them back on...

Your best bet is a decal set you can find at Microscale.

http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?

Enter checker in SEARCH and it will list all the different kinds they have.

Try the Craft stores like Micheals. They have plastic eyes used for making dolls that can be cut in half.