Part of the journey.

I have not used Alclads system of chrome, but from videos I have watched, it looks good. I ordered their paint. The first part of the process is to use a gloss black. I suppose any brand will do, but you'd want the paint to go on wet, and for sure, glossy. I figured, what the heck... I will go all in with their system. So, I purchased their black base as well.

Holy cats, their paint sprays like a dream. It spays on wet, it covers well, and wow... you can draw out a gloss with very little effort. And btw, it dries fast, cleans easliy from the brush, and I didn't need to thin the paint. 

Tomorrow, I will try spraying the chrome.

Wo

CapnMac82

Hmm, a bumper sticker?

Something about crossing the streams

 

Works for me, Capn. Show them pesky apes who's boss. 

Hmm, a bumper sticker?

Something about crossing the streams

Gamera

LOL Bakster!!! 

 

Or else Smith ends up on the Planet of the Apes and Zira lobotomizes him.... 

 

Yeah. Dr Zira wants more lab rats. Oh, I mean, patients.

LOL Bakster!!! 

Or else Smith ends up on the Planet of the Apes and Zira lobotomizes him.... 

Hey! Where was I when this cool thing came out. I mean seriously. 

Say Gam... in the long standing Gamera tradition of fun toys, here is something I think you need. It might help if Smith bonks you on the head about the Worf thing.

Gamera

But somehow I want to see Worf snap his neck more......  

Bakster

 

 

Gamera

Lol, I like the Honour School Robot bumper sticker! 

She's lookin' good, really like all the lights you're adding- gives the model 'pop'!

And interesting idea on the curtains, looking forward to seeing how they work out. 

 

Funny in the few episodes I saw Dr. Smith was the only character I really liked. Maybe it says something about me that I laughed at him being a total jerk and then getting his just deserts at the end of the episodes. 

 

 

 

 

Thanks Gam.

 

LOL, love that!!! 

But somehow I want to see Worf snap his neck more...... 

Gamera

Lol, I like the Honour School Robot bumper sticker! 

She's lookin' good, really like all the lights you're adding- gives the model 'pop'!

And interesting idea on the curtains, looking forward to seeing how they work out. 

 

Funny in the few episodes I saw Dr. Smith was the only character I really liked. Maybe it says something about me that I laughed at him being a total jerk and then getting his just deserts at the end of the episodes. 

 

Thanks Gam.

Lol, I like the Honour School Robot bumper sticker! 

She's lookin' good, really like all the lights you're adding- gives the model 'pop'!

And interesting idea on the curtains, looking forward to seeing how they work out. 

Funny in the few episodes I saw Dr. Smith was the only character I really liked. Maybe it says something about me that I laughed at him being a total jerk and then getting his just deserts at the end of the episodes. 

mustang1989

Oh WOW!! I sure didn't know this one was going on till you pointed it out to me. I'll be going back through the thread to see what good stuff I've been missing out on Steve.

 

Hey Joe, nice to see you around.

Oh WOW!! I sure didn't know this one was going on till you pointed it out to me. I'll be going back through the thread to see what good stuff I've been missing out on Steve.

After review of the searchlights, and how the angles run, I pretty much figured I'd punt lighting them. My concern being that of blowing through the sides with my drill, and more than that... the difficulty of feeding wires through the bend.

Tonight, caution was not in me and I went for it.

I didn't blow through the sides, amazingly, but I was correct about the wires and the bend. I could not feed the wires through that angle. So, I resorted to cutting a trench along the stem. Using sprue-goo, the trench will be easy enough to fix.

Time remains limited but I hope to have all the light housings chromed and the lenses installed in about two weeks time. That is the goal. 

Btw. There are two more lights at the rear of the chariot. I will be working on those next.

littletimmy

https://youtu.be/8UAgDGwcX5M

 

 

Oh man, Tim. That was total cheese. But that video rocks! Lol. What a hoot. Thanks for splaining things to me. Poor Robby.

Success! They fit flush as I needed them to. I didn't have to modify the housings more. I thought for sure I'd have to. Talk about a perfect fit. They can't get any better. What luck. 

The chip is not secured in the photo. When the time comes I will secure it with a dab of epoxy.

Let there be light.

Notice the tin of solder resin. I included that in the image to note a few things. Dipping your tip in that helps with two things. Firstly, it helps with the soldering process. The solder grabs better. That offers you the advantage of less time holding the hot tip to a sensitive component and, it provides a better connection. Secondly, it help keep the tip from corroding. Since I started using it the tip looks good as new after repeated use. Prior to using it, I was going through tips like water. I have no doubt the stuff helped with soldering these too. I was able to use a tiny bit of solder. A little dab will do ya.

As a side note to this. Months back I purchased a solder station off the net for I think about $50. It is working great and I love that I can control the temperature. Hardware store soldering pencils run hot and that can be tough on tips and the electronics you are soldering to. But if that is all you got, it works. I used one for years.

A note about the color temperature of the LED. When I first lit this I thought, hmm, not as yellow as the others. For grins, I tried the others again, and I think they are a fairly close match. How yellow they look several posts back is not an accurate representation. Once again, the camera was fooled. That said, I am now happier with the warm white.

Lastly, I thought I would show you how I solder these chips.

For one, you need a fine solder tip. Second to that, you need to secure both the chip and the wire in place while you solder. Sticky side up holds the chip, sticky side down holds he wire over the solder pads. 

I guess that is that.

https://youtu.be/8UAgDGwcX5M

littletimmy

Just spent a few minutes getting caught up.

I always wanted to build one of these.

I never really got into the TV series for two reasons ...

ONE:  I hated the Dr. SMITH character,  I would have  just killed him in the first episode !

TWO: I'm  a big fan of FORBIDDEN PLANET, what they did to poor robby the robot is science fiction "blasphemy " !

( tho I suppose it's work and an un-employed robot has to go where the money is ...)

 

 

 

Yo Tim, good to hear from and see you stop in.

I think many people would share your setiments about Smith. I remember we liked the first season but it was downhill from there. Too bad they turned it into so much cheese. I read that the other actors were not happy about it either. 

Not sure what you mean about Robby the robot. What did they do?

I like Forbidden Planet too.

Just spent a few minutes getting caught up.

I always wanted to build one of these.

I never really got into the TV series for two reasons ...

ONE:  I hated the Dr. SMITH character,  I would have  just killed him in the first episode !

TWO: I'm  a big fan of FORBIDDEN PLANET, what they did to poor robby the robot is science fiction "blasphemy " !

( tho I suppose it's work and an un-employed robot has to go where the money is ...)

Hey Capn, good thoughts. And I agree, there may be a legitimate reason for the search lights being a different color. That crossed my mind as well, and I even pondered on intentionally changing it up. I probably won't, but it is something to think about.

Here is a snapshot of how the replica was done. Supposedly, they went to great length to make the replica accurate to the TV version. I don't know, but I will probably go with something similar.

Here is what I am thinking. Since I already have it on hand, I might try using Bare Metal Foil. I will cut curtain sized sheets and apply same sized sheets back to back, sticky side to sticky side. Then, I will add folds by bunching them. If I get super ambitious, maybe leave an exposed sticky edge for attaching purposes. Sort of, wrap the edge around a frame. And yes. I will probably make a frame for the curtains to attach to. Those frames can then be mounted to the canopy. If all would go well, I could make the frames and curtains off model as subassemblies. They could be installed just before I close up the canopy. It looks fantastic in my minds eye, but you all know how that can go. 

Thanks for your input, Capn. If the Bare Metal Foil flops on me, I will consider what you found!

Bakster

Lastly, there are two searchlights

There's probably a legitimate case that the color on spot or search lights can be different than with "headlights" on the vehicle.  It certainly is in real life.

I'm drawing a blank on the actual Chariot used in the series, but, I'll wager the curtains were on rings over rods mounted to the canopy structure.  So, very much like a shower curtain if a person wanted a 1:1 example to emulate.

I'm not imagining the prop guys went to the trouble of getting, say, sail tracks or the like when 39¢ shower rings would suffice.

Which probably suggests wrapping brass or annealed steel wire around a suitable mandrel, then cutting rings from that.  Whic hcould then slide on a rod affixed to the structure.

Found this, clean by accident, and might be worth searchign for in the wrapping/paper section of the local Jo-Ann/Michaels/Hobby Lobby:  Embossed foil paper.

https://www.amazon.com/ForPro-Dispenser-Application-Highlighting-500-Count/dp/B09YTCN9B1/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=embossed+foil&qid=1682963355&sr=8-2

Which might be a cool way to render the aluminized curtains on the Chariot. 

Just a thought.

I got roughly two hours at the bench today. Time has been limited.

Disclaimer: Sorry to post the mundane but it's all I got. Also, I feel I am accomplishing something by posting. For me, it's about keeping velocity alive. Hopefully, you see some value in it too.

Below: I began work on the lower lights. By comparing the two lights you can see what before and after looks like. Using a drill bit, I routered holes for the LED chips. If you look really close... you can see the chip in the lower left under the word spot. The LED is an 0805 and that is as big as I can fit. There are two smaller sizes I could have gone with but the bigger they are, the more light.

Below: Test fitting the LED chips. 

Breakthrough

Below: Not shown below, there are half round mounting nubs I lopped off. The nubs would interfere with keeping the bit straight.

I square the end and then by using a needle, I make a starting hole. Afterwards, in comes the drill, being careful to check my angle as I go. I am happy to report both holes are done without blowing the sides out.

Below, I test if the wires go through. They fit fine, with room to spare. 

And this is the easy part in all this. Fitting soldered chips is the hard part. I must put minimal solder in all this because any sort of high spot will make it hard for the lens to fit. The cavity is extremely tight. 

Speaking of soldering, I am on hold. I had to order warm white chips because I don't have that color in stock. I kind of lucked out on this. The 0805 I am using for these do come in warm white, but several of the other sizes do not appear to. Or, maybe, just through this vendor they do not. Of that I am not sure because I didn't need look further. They stock everything under the sun, so, I assumed the former. The point is this. If I want to match the main lights, that could have been an issue if it was not available. Then, I might have had to do mixed lighting.

Lastly, there are two searchlights that mount to the top of the canopy. I must do more research before I settle on lighting them. Mainly, can I hide the wires? With all that glass it might be tough to do.

Greg

 

 

Bakster

Proud parent of an honor school robot.

 

 

Really like that one!

Back to the curtains, the shot of the finished model (back on page 1 somewhere, I think), do you know if those are painted versions of the kit-supplied curtains? They actually look pretty good in the picture.

I'm sure cap's lead foil idea is better, I'm just curious, no big deal.

 

Laughing.

Hey Greg, happy Sunday to you. Guess what I did today? Hint: My Sunday ritual. Yup...grocery shop. Ugh.

I think the small image in the second capture just left of the right side, (that is a mouthful), may be an actual photo of a finished model. From what I see in testing, the curtains are grossly thick, and they don't align with the canopy frame correctly. The latter makes them appear to stand in air with no connection points. It probably looks ok from a distance, but I think we can do much better. It's gonna be tedious and I am not much looking forward to it. Kind of like in life, I am not a curtain guy. I'd make a terrible interior designer. 

Long story short. If I can push through with the foil, I think it will make a world of difference to the model.

Bakster

Proud parent of an honor school robot.

Really like that one!

Back to the curtains, the shot of the finished model (back on page 1 somewhere, I think), do you know if those are painted versions of the kit-supplied curtains? They actually look pretty good in the picture.

I'm sure cap's lead foil idea is better, I'm just curious, no big deal.

TigerII

Looks like you decided to go with the warm white lights. I, personally, would have gone with the cool white lights. But so far, your work and this kit is coming along spectacularly.

 

Hey Tiger II, thanks for the input and the encouragement. The lights issue was a tough one for me. The camera makes them look yellower than they are, but, in my opinion, maybe still too yellow. It is a compromise. Hopefully, in the end, it pulls together.

Thanks for your thoughts on that.

PhoenixG

 

 

Bakster

 

 

PhoenixG

Always fun to follow your builds and this one is no exception. 

Great tip on using the soldering iron to shape the FO as well as round the end.  What temp do you have your iron at when shaping or rounding the FO?

 

 

 

 

 

Hey PG, how are you doing? Are your working on any projects? 

The station is set to 250C or 482F. Actually, that is what I have been soldering at as well. To be honest... it might not matter all that much. Depending on the setting you choose... you might go shorter, or longer, depending. The main plus is the regulated heat. With an open flame the temp fluctuates wildly, and it's hard to get consistency. Using the iron, they came out perfect almost every time.

Thanks for following and chiming in!

Btw... I think my career in crime is over. My finger print is back and I can use the scanner again. Thank goodness too. Punching the code was getting to be a pain.

I think next up is fabricating the main headlights. After that, I need to get serious about buying paint. 

 

 

 

 

It's looking great.

Life is keeping me busy and limiting my time at the bench.  Still, I do get time at it.  A little rusty after a long hiatus.  Taking my time working on a Bipedal Mecha Missile Launcher.  That's a mouthful of a description.

Thanks for the info on the temp for working with the FO!  Filing that in my for future use folder.

FWIW, I think your lighting choice of warm white for the headlights was a good one.  Incadescent lighting was king at the time!

 

PG: I hear you about life keeping you busy. Same here.

I will watch for your missile launcher. (I wish the subscribe feature worked for me because I miss updates).

Thanks for your input about the lights.

Gamera

Again, looks good Bakster! I am impressed how the lighting is going. 

And as usual the captain has some good advice! I like the idea of foil curtains. 

 

Maybe you can find a 'Baby on Board' sticker for the rear window- though I guess 'Robot on Board' might make more sense. 

 

Thanks, Gam. 

Funny idea about the bumper sticker. I can think of a few more:

I brake for Robots!

Proud parent of an honor school robot.

If you can read this, you are too close and my robot is about to zap you.

CapnMac82

Those curtains certainly seem to want being made out of extra heavy-duty foil or lead foil or the like.

Something tells me that was a hot glass box to ride around inside of.

Hmm, might be a notion to show the Chariot in a Proving Ground situation, which would offer opportunites for people with clipboards, lab coats and the like. Which would also allow having a contrast between a 'mundane' vehicle and the "space tech' new.

And not having to do "space terrain," too. (Although the opportunity to render purple grass and orange dirt and lavender trees is not to be scoffed at.)

 

Looks like you decided to go with the warm white lights. I, personally, would have gone with the cool white lights. But so far, your work and this kit is coming along spectacularly.

PhoenixG

I second Gamera's idea for a "Robot on Board sign"! Big Smile

Third!