Sweet! Nice work.

Oh!

    How did my living room get in here? Very nice job so far.

Oh wow, that's beautiful work! 

Tanker-Builder

How did my living room get in here?

I know it's not mine--there's no dog hair.  Or dog toys.  Or dog beds.

Looks great! A friend of mine was kind enough to get me the same kit, and it will also be my first attempt at lighting a model.

A couple of days ago, I started building this Pegasus Nautilus kit. Looks to be fun. But I have a question:

I was puzzled as to why it took so long to cement the first two pieces together. I wasn't sure that they were ever going to adhere to each other, but they did, eventually, although I haven't tried and won't try to pull them apart. And now, just a few moments ago, I read that that model is not styrene, but resin. Really?

The plastic does seem to be quite soft, but the parts also seem to fit extremely well.

So, do I procede assuming that it's resin? And if I do that, what is the recommended glue? I haven't yet dared to approach a resin model. 

Bob 

WOW!  For your 1st attempt at lighting a kit, you've nailed it! I've had this kit in my stash for years and didn't do anything with it because  I always wanted to light it up but didn't know how to do it so I'll be following your work closely.

TJS

Bob: Regular plastic cement won't work on resin. You'll need superglue, Gator Grip, or epoxy.

Personally I hate superglue. I use Gator Grip for most stuff and the epoxy for something that needs a really strong bond.

Bob, I built one of those.  That Pegasus kit is definitely NOT resin.  It is polystyrene, and I had no trouble gluing it with Tamiya Thin plastic cement.  You didn't mention what kind of glue you used, but there should be no problem with any of the glues / solvents formulated for styrene.

Cadet Chuck

Bob, I built one of those.  That Pegasus kit is definitely NOT resin.  It is polystyrene, and I had no trouble gluing it with Tamiya Thin plastic cement.  You didn't mention what kind of glue you used, but there should be no problem with any of the glues / solvents formulated for styrene.

That's good news, Cadet Chuck! I was using two kinds of Tamiya solvent, the Tamiya Limonene Extra Thin and what I assume is "regular" Tamiya solvent. Both are in small bottles with brushes. I'll see what happens next time.

Bob  

I have heard Limonene is a glue in name only

Tamiya green top glue is good, but if the cap is left loose while on the bench, the volitiles will evaporate.  The glue become less effective.   Get a new bottle.   

EdGrune

I have heard Limonene is a glue in name only

Tamiya green top glue is good, but if the cap is left loose while on the bench, the volitiles will evaporate.  The glue become less effective.   Get a new bottle.   

I've been using the Limonene glue since I started building models more than two years ago, and it's always worked well, although it evaporates quickly.  Too quickly perhaps, and you may well have hit on the right answer. The original bottle is nearly empty, but it so happens I have a fresh bottle. I'll give it a try tonight. Thanks for the suggestion.

Bob

Bob

People have missed the actual reason - many Pegasus kits are ABS plastic, not ordinary polystyrene. The glue needs to work on ABS plastic; not all do. Tamiya Extra Thin happens to be one that does. I am pretty sure several Pegasus kits actually note this. I recall seeing it in the instructions for the My Favorite Martian and When Worlds Collide ships that you needed a compatible glue to assemble the kits, and they specifically recommended Tamiya Extra Thin by name. 

On track at last! I tried the new bottle of Tamiya Extra Thin glue on a couple of the Pegasus Nautilus model, and they bonded quickly and thoroughly. Thanks, guys.

Bob

Glad you got things figured out Bob. Never built a Pegasus kit so I had no idea about the plastic. 

I hope it's OK to piggyback a post onto this thread.

I’ve begun building the Pegasus model of the submarine Nautilus of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea fame, and have encountered a problem, not with the model itself but with some “kitbashing” of the model.

Early in this thread, I noticed the rug which the OP had added to the submarine’s saloon, which features a double couch, world globe, organ, desk, and bookcases. What a great idea, I thought! I went searching for a good rug image, found one, and resized it. Here's what it should look like with the rug, couch, and globe in place: 

 I tried to use Bare-Metal Foil adhesive to stick the rug onto the flooring. I had never used that adhesive (haven’t yet been brave enough to use the foil itself), but I brushed on a thin coat, which was soon tacky, placed the rug in the correct position on the saloon’s flooring, and rubbed it down with a soft cloth, as suggested on the bottle of adhesive. An hour later or so, I picked up the assembly to look at it, and the rug just fell off! Next I tried a thin coast of Elmer’s white glue. Same darn thing happened! No adhesion whatsoever!

The problem, in part, may be the “boards” of the floor, which are separated by grooves. Perhaps the boards are too narrow for the glue to adhere to. Or maybe the “boards” have nothing to do with it. I assume that the photo paper is backed by a thin film of plastic. Could that be the problem?

In any event, I’d appreciate some advice about adhesives which may work. I’ve considered a thicker coat of Elmer’s white glue, or a thin coat of Gorilla Glue, or even a layer of Tamiya clear acrylic. Whatever I use, I don’t want the rug to come loose after the submarine is all buttoned up.

Bob 

Bob: That looks sooooooo cool!

I'd think the Gorilla Glue should hold it. My go to ultimate glue though is two-part epoxy. Once it's cemented on with that you need a pair of pliers to rip it back off.

Thank you for your suggestion, Gamera. I decided to try Gorilla Glue and it seems to have worked well. I had decided to look for a better rug, one that's lighter in tone, and even more attractive to my mind.

The reviews of the Pegasus Nautilus model that I've read have commented that it's hard to see the interior through the large windows on each side of the vessel, so I figured that a lighter rug would work a bit better. I considered buying a set of LED lights for the model, but I don't think I'm ready to build in that degree of detail.

Bob

Good call Bob, using a brighter rug sounds like a good idea. Good to hear the Gorilla Glue worked out.

I'm almost finished with the saloon of my Pegasus Nautilus model, and have decided that it would be nice to add enough lighting to at least make it visible once the model is buttoned up. See the first post in this thread for the OP's lighting.

I've seen various web pages and build reviews, including some that discuss adding multiple LEDs, but I'd like just one to provide a bit of illumination to reveal the details of bookshelves, watertight doors, a rug, a couch, etc. that have taken me hours and hours to do. Can someone comment on the feasibility of adding just one simple LED, and where the lighting products can be purchased?

Bob

Here is a lighting kit that you can purchase, but perhaps you had something simpler in mind.  Note they simply omitted one of the main windows, to make the interior visible.

Warning:  These lighting kits can be difficult to build, because soldering tiny wires on tiny circuit boards is required.  And they are expensive, for what you get.

https://www.culttvmanshop.com/Nautilus-Light-kit-from-VoodooFX_p_2642.html

Success! At least I think the attempt will be successful. I contacted Evan Designs, received excellent advice https, and ordered two of their kits, which seem to be simplicity itself in their assembly and use. I think I'm safe in recommending the company without reservations. I'll let you know how things turn out.

Bob

Congrads!!! Looking forward to hearing how they work out for you. 

Thanks, Bobstamp, for that lead to Evans Designs.  I had been looking for a supplier for that kind of stuff.  Great website they have there, with lots of good information.

I am very pleased with the LED lights offered by Evan Designs, as well as their great customer service. 

Yesterday, I temporarily assembled the Nautilus's saloon, with the LED lights affixed in holes I drilled in the ceiling. It looked great!

I pondered one problem for several days. It wouldn't work to have the lights just shine straight down through holes. I needed globes of some sort to diffuse the light and hit on a great solution, a foil packet for over-the-counter meds, like this:

I can use the pills, which are nearly identical to prescription pills I already take. I carefully cut away the plastic "globes," sprayed the inside of a couple of them with white primer, and glued them with Testor's window maker glue. Voila! 

Now I'm working on a chair for the desk that comes with the kit. Why didn't Pegasus include a chair! Capt. Nemo needs a chair! Now he will have one, upholstered in red velvet (simulated by red acrylic paint). I've also added some other decorative touches, including a carpet, two Japanese scrolls, and two portraits, one of Jules Verne and the other of James Mason as Captain Nemo in the Disney version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas.  

Pictures to come, eventually.

Bob

I like that Bob, clever idea with the pill bubble wrap! 

As I move ahead with the building of my Nautilus kit, I am finding myself puzzled by the less-than-adequate instructions. The illustrations in the instructions are so small in some cases that I just can't tell what I'm supposed to do. I'd really appreciate being able to discuss this with someone who has built this model. Having some good close-up photographs of a completed kit would be a big help. Any takers?

Bob

Bob,

This turned out to be one of the nicest looking models I've ever made.  Somehow I managed to create an antiqued bronze finish that really sets it off.  

I don't recall having any difficulties with the instructions, but if you would care to give me  your e-mail address, I would be glad to send photos and discuss this further with you.

Chuck

Thanks for your offer, Chuck. I've tried sending a PM, without success. This website is a mess. I've previously had trouble changing my profile and a complaint to the webmaster lead to...zero. Let me work on the model a bit longer to see what I can figure out on my own. If I'm still having problems, I'll let you know.

Bob