Four foot X-wing (ILM tribute)

[427 Cobra]

(10-29-2010, 04:08 AM)MonsieurTox Wrote: Post pics of your part Chris, that's hard to figure how it could be fixed with a pic of the original model.

I sanded off the part I thought I was emphasizing with the red arrows. I guess I was too vague, and not thinking clearly when I posted that picture. I'll explain this later when I have the new part glued back onto the acrylic panel.

(10-29-2010, 07:36 AM)jasonwright.1972 Wrote: Chris this thread has more views than any other thread. I think that shows interest even though people aren't posting any replies. Like Julien said. Its hard to see how to fix something if you don't post pics of what youve done. Stop being negative & get back to the project.

OK, I see your point, but I already removed the panel that was sanded short. I figured that the description of what happened would be enough. I needed an honest opinion about it, but I couldn't get anyone to say anything. There's a small lip - TOO SMALL to glue without making a mess! I superglued the styrene square to an acrylic piece to make a panel for the engine bay. I sanded the entire styrene square even with the edges of the acrylic part, when the very end should've extended about .60" of an inch over one end. I remembered when I had to make engine bells that needed to be separated after being glued incorrectly. I used a kitchen knife with an upholstery hammer tapping it slowly on each end of the blade as it cut between the styrene, and the acrylic with the acrylic stood up on end - pretty much the same way I did with the engine bells. I had to do this very carefully, so I didn't cut myself while holding it.


Duckster - I believe you, and I are on the same page here as well. It doesn't affect me when everyone doesn't post - it does affect me when I ask a question, but it goes unanswered. I know I'm not a wordsmith, so I don't always write the way intend for it to be worded, and sound proper, so that everyone can understand me completely, but already knew that I needed to fix a problem, I just didn't know what was the safest way to do it. I have my answer to that, but why do we have so many members that come here, register, log in a couple times, then never come back? Only a few of us participate on a regular basis. With the few members that we do have - we need to stick together! If I write something cryptic - let me know! You guys should know by this time that I can be confrontational when attacked (who isn't?), but not when I make a mistake! You guys can always send me a PM if I mess up, or write something you find objectionable.

Sometimes it takes me an hour to post something here, as I don't always know what to say - even longer with pictures, and I edit my posts a lot! I don't want it to, it just makes it harder having ADD, and the other problems that I think about constantly. I have to word my sentences carefully when I type, as I have to concentrate five times harder than anyone else does. I touch type when I look at the screen because all the letters on my keys are worn off! I can't type as proficiently as I should since I can't feel the bumps on the F, and J keys since I hold my hands as if I'm playing the piano. Not having a computer for over two years has wrecked my typing abilities! Now I'm not on for a long enough time for me to become consistent with all the letters in the correct order, so I have to go back and delete them every few letters, then finish typing. I'm good enough, but not perfect! I have more speed than accuracy. I guess I'll have to start all over with microsoft word - I don't want to go back to yahoo chatrooms, and risk a virus just to become better at typing! I used to do this all day long, from the time I got up, to the time my old lady got off work at 5:00 P.M.

Sorry this is so long!

Anyway - back to our regular program.

~ Cobra Chris

I don't have any glue, but tomorrow I'll go to the hobbystore to get it, and some styrene shapes for the laser barrel heatsinks. A few days ago I did a little job that netted me enough money for glue, so full-steam-ahead! Here's a little something I did a couple nights ago. I guess this is all for naught seeing as it didn't come out the way I intended it to. I'll have to buy the expensive-assed corrugated styrene sheet I should've bought for this to begin with afterall!

This is the very beginning - right before scribing the lines into the styrene. I didn't use the master pattern since it was too thick, .40" - and the original one was .20" thickness, the same as corrugated edge on the Saturn V parts, which is the reverse of the ribbed panel (bottom photo of this post).





I'll have to redraw my lines for the sealab parts onto a new piece of styrene. This is the first picture I took after washing these two once separated from each other. I'll have to sand the styrene, and superglue off with 100 grit sandpaper, then smooth it out so the glue can adhere to both pieces evenly. I'll need to use another piece of .40" thick styrene so this will have the correct overlap on the end, and distance from the radiator panel the second time around.





This is the part I was talking about - it was sanded too short on one end. I took this picture after I separated these two, and washed them in the sink. I wanted to show the damage this caused by being glued together with superglue gel that was almost too dry to use. This just made a mess while I was applying it. It didn't dry evenly around the edges. Take my advice people: if your glue is like chewing gum - THROW IT AWAY!





The first run of scribe lines came out good, but at this point in time I was getting tired of doing this, so I stopped for the night, and picked it up again yesterday morning.





This was a lame attempt to show all the scribe lines a little clearer, but the flash washed out the other panel at the angle it sits at. The panel closest to the camera (left front) became the panel for the left wing, as the first one wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. I flipped this over since it wasn't scribed, and used it as a reverse from the right wing pattern it originally was. I traced out two right wing panels, and one left wing panel without really thinking about it at the time.





Each of these (like this post) has taken two hours to make from start to finish. It's still a waste of time, and effort, but I'll use these pieces for scratch making something else some other day - if I don't die before then.





These curled up from being scribed, as this made a relief on one side since I made five passes, which cut through most of the styrene. This makes spaces between the lines, and the panels between which causes them to spread out and away from each other.





This is the material that I need for these pieces - notice how it has ribbed, not scribed lines, and it has a slight inwards rounded over edge between the panels. For some reason, Plastruct also moulded the corrugated side of this on the reverse. This is two sided, which is probably why it's so expensive. I guess being moulded with two designs on one sheet was also the reason it was used for the original four foot model on two different parts. Why not take advantage of having two designed sides to one sheet, when it can be used for more than one thing?