Gamera

Bakster: I'd buy you and Timmy matching Halloween costumes if I only had the dough. Though I'm afraid if you wore that you'd only get bananas for trick or treat... 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1976-Ben-Cooper-King-Kong-Vintage-Halloween-Costume-De-Laurentiis/323957430860?hash=item4b6d5e1a4c:g:mf4AAOSwl6RdsPdb

 

It's the thought that counts my friend. 

Gamera

If you expand the photo you can see how rough it is. And this is after sanding and filed the krap outta it. Good luck with the Icarus!!! 

Hey Gam--thanks for posting this, you highlighted the problem precisely. This plastic sands, but not like styrene. In the end you are left with a very rough texture, even almost like a fibrous one. I am not impressed with this stuff--at all. But when you got nothing, nothing is what you have to deal with.

Therefore early on I knew I'd have to come up with a sandable coating and the coating is gonna be my play with this stuff. It's that, or possibly another no joy. Btw--the epoxy came in the mail this week, but I have more work to do on the shell. Then I can test the stuff. I will report back 

And thanks, I will need the luck.

The nosecone panel line is filled in; I used CA and it worked well. I have sanded this beast as far I am going to go. Anymore sanding and I fear for losing too much detail. I have my fingers crossed that epoxy will take care of the rest. Maybe this week I will cross that bridge. 

If I pass GO and collect $200, then it's a green light. Here is what I am thinking:

1. I will make windows and probably a crude interior such as cockpit chairs and a dashboard. I will put an LED inside to either backlight the interior or other. It will depend on how the light plays because I may tint the glass some.

2. I plan to make the water transparent so that submerged hull lighting can be seen from the surface, thus adding some depth to the dio. This will be tricky and some of you might remember my attempts at this on my Seaview. The difference this time, I think that I found a solution to the problem. We shall see. These are fun ideas until you get there and then it's kaboom in your face.

Those are the main goals, but there are other ideas bouncing around too.  BUT--if I don't get past the pitted hull--

then... 

Son of a ... I was THAT close!

That looks good Bakster! Looking forward to seeing how the interior and 'water' go. 

As to the GIF, don't we all have days like that... 

Thanks Gam. The next update will be in how the epoxy worked, probably later in the week.

It's been a long Friday and I feel like delivering

the peoples elbow.

The epoxy worked fantastic. What I am particularly pleased with is how well it wet sanded. The piece came out glass smooth and with only one coat of epoxy applied.

This epoxy is slow setting, so a person needs to be patient in how it levels out. In other words, manipulate areas as it moves around. I said it is slow setting, but after 24 hours I was able to sand it. For this job, I give this stuff an A+. It is not the answer for all 3D prints, but for my piece, it was perfect. If you use it on small figures you can expect to lose a lot of detail. What you'd end up with is a porcelain looking figure that has soft features. It is what is, it's not the fault of the epoxy. The fault remains with the printing process, in my opinion. 

From here I need to cut the airframe open to gain access to the interior. I could have done that first but with not knowing how this will work out, I didn't want to spend a lot of time on the interior only to be stymied later. In truth, I feel this is a better workflow either way because repairing the opening will be easy work, conversely, trying to epoxy the airframe with windows installed would be problematic. This is the lessor of two evils, again, in my opinion.

nice work steve ,

steve5

nice work steve ,

 

About time some body stopped monkeying around and gat their dam stinkin dirty paws on this project again

CapnMac82

About time some body stopped monkeying around and gat their dam stinkin dirty paws on this project again

 

Jolly good, hear hear.

Hey Capn, it’s great to hear from you. I have not seen you around on the forum much. Glad to hear from you and thanks for the comment! It’s a nice shot in the arm.

Bakster

The epoxy worked fantastic. What I am particularly pleased with is how well it wet sanded. The piece came out glass smooth and with only one coat of epoxy applied.

Nice work on the finish.  Now, choose wisely where you cut for the interior.... and no monkeying around. After all you are approaching 30,000 views.

    That Epoxy looks like a fantastic product. Thanks for the tip.  It self-levels and won't melt plastic!  Bet we can find a bunch of uses for it. Since it sands and self-levels I suppose it might be just the thing for sink holes and such too.

https://www.smooth-on.com/product-line/xtc-3d/

     Nino

Nino

Nice work on the finish.

Thanks Nino!

Nino

Now, choose wisely were you cut for the interior.... and no monkeying around.

Nino

That Epoxy looks like a fantastic product. Thanks for the tip.  It self-levels and won't melt plastic!  Bet we can find a bunch of uses for it. Since it sands and self-levels I suppose it might be just the thing for sink holes and such too.

Correct... had I known about this stuff I could have used it to fill all the imperfections on the Monsters and Motion kit, and do it in one swoop. It would have been perfect for that. This wouldn't have fixed the horribly warped misaligned pieces, but you get my drift.

The instructions with this epoxy say that it will produce heat. I have to tell you; I had seen no evidence of that. In fact, there was so little heat that I was getting concerned that I either mixed it wrong, or that I had a bad batch. I rechecked my mixing process more than once and it looked correct.  Once when the epoxy reached a stage of holding its place (for me about 45 minutes), with deep reservations I set it aside. Maybe the heat came later, can't say. The next day I found the mixing stick solid as a rock. I test sanded the stick and giddy up--all systems go, the rest is history.

This is interesting stuff. On the mixing stick there are thin and thick pieces of cured epoxy. What surprised me too is that the thin pieces are extremely strong, not even bendable. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised. Maybe I am used to 5-minute hobby epoxy that for me, does not have a good bond nor strength.

Anyhow--shifting gears. I found some to scale chairs that I will order on-line. The price is not outrageous and buying them will save me time fabricating from the ground up. I will modify them though in keeping with the movie prop. Probably more effort than its worth since you might not be able to see the detail but... why not have fun with it.

Do you see what you did here, Nino? You got me yammering. LOL 

Awesome! Great to hear the epoxy works out so well!

Gamera

Awesome! Great to hear the epoxy works out so well!

 

yup, all systems are go.

littletimmy

 

 

Bakster

And-- Nova is waiting for me. 

 

 

Well .....

It just so happens that as a reward for getting over 5,000 view's , I have set up an evening out for the two of you...

Dont know why I have to "cage" women up all the time ...... I "may" have some "Issue's ".

 

Bakster

Someone left her blinkers on.

 

Which way do I go? Left? Right? Left? Right?

Still working on this. Icarus has been surgically cut open, sorting out the windows. 

Gamera

 

Thats a good one, Jan. I'd ask for my money back. Just saying.

Bakster

 

 

 

 

I'm not sure, ...

but it appeares Baxter is responding to his own post's.......

This place has been reffered to as " A mad house"..... maybe he finally went over the edge ???

And, he want's another date with Nova........ Should we send her in?  

OK.... just let me slip into something a little more suited for a second date .....

How's this ?????

littletimmy

I'm not sure, ... but it appeares Baxter is responding to his own post's.......  

What do you expect? YOU CUT OUT MY BRAIN!

littletimmy

And, he want's another date with Nova........ Should we send her in?  

littletimmy

OK.... just let me slip into something a little more suited for a second date .....

No need. You look fine just the way you are.

littletimmy

How's this ?????

 

 

WOW! You clean up nice! 

Hey! Where did you get the nice duds from? The best I can do are these used rags...

Nova--where should we go this time? I know a nice steakhouse you might like.

I suppose some actual modeling would be nice, I finally have something to post.

Below: How she looks cut open.

As stated in another post--I have been working on the windows, and making the windows was a bear. The openings from the back are similar to the Monsters and Motion kit in that they have a twist. This presented problems finding plastic that would closely match those curves. I did not want to use clear styrene sheet, mainly because I wanted something rigid. I tried various things, and, in the end, I made them out of the plastic cup shown below. The curve to it seemed to work well with fitting. Along with that, it's extremely clear, it‘rigid, and not too thick. The piece I am holding is dirty from sanding dust. 

I first tacked the windows using superglue, then followed up using epoxy. There were some minor gaps that I needed to fill from the back and the epoxy worked well. However, the epoxy bit me a bit because in some sections it sagged into the field of view. It is minor but after spending hours getting a good fit, it's disappointing to be blindsided by sagging epoxy. I will try and disguise that somehow. Maybe when I reach the paint stage, I can simulate reentry heating and color those leading edges, thus masking the problem.

Below: Now that I see this image on my computer I can see that the image does not show the window detail too well. It's tough to image.

And that is that. I will probably work on the chairs next.