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Rusty White

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Everything posted by Rusty White

  1. Does anyone have a DML/Dragon Union or Confederate Infantry figures kit? It's OOP and none are to be found on eBay. I'll take 'em assembled, painted, or still in the box. Many thanks in advance.
  2. Use epoxy putty to fill 99% of the hole. Then follow up with putty. The epoxy putty will produce an indestructible fill job, won't crack and won't shrink.
  3. What was that pile of dung that had Pia Zadora in it? "Santa Claus vs the Martians" or something to that effect? Talk about a crap fest!
  4. Well, I finally got the test shot completed including the Teaser. Check it out.
  5. Most of the time building it was spent deciding how to go about the various steps (only 5) to make the balloon as sturdy as possible. Then I spent time just watching stuff dry. Build time was only about 3 hours not including watching the paint dry. Yeah, I know it's an Oklahoma joke.
  6. I was going to wait until I had the Teaser model completed so I could display the balloon on deck, but here's a photo of just the balloon. I'm sure someone could build it better than me. The model will come with everything you need to build it as seen except for a colored pencil to draw the netting. I had to build a prototype so I could draw up the instructions sheets. There was more to it than just gluing and cutting brass rod. To make the finished model sturdy, the rod had to be bent and inserted into holes drilled in the envelope. The basket was secured firmly using "L" bent rod to give them more surface contact. What color was this thing? Since everything concerning ballooning was experimental at the time, I could only assume they used whatever color of silk they could find in large quantities. Since purple was fashionable at the time, why not? The netting was drawn on using a colored pencil and tape for a straight edge. I am quite pleased with the finished product. This ought to look uber cool on the bow of my Teaser model depicting the US's first aircraft carrier circa 1862!
  7. "The Blob" scared the crap out me when I was a kid. I saw it at the drive in with "13 Ghosts". I was afraid to lay my hand over the side of the bed for years! The original "House On Haunted Hill" while not really sci fi, was also scary as hell. The dropping bed scene made me afraid to go to bed! My uncle had a sadistic side to him as he always took us to see those flicks at the drive in.
  8. Rusty White

    Punch and Die

    I believe Roll Models has the old Waldron set. John has been in ill health so they may not be in business any longer. Worth checking out.
  9. Well done figures both. The eyes on the Sioux bust are riveting!
  10. It would make a great group entry at the Nats in Omaha. Have an entry for each genre; ships, planes, figures,autos, etc. with an explanation why each was so awful.
  11. Get 'em ready to photo cause I think this is a great subject for the next Theme Pics. Personally, I have one that was just Gawd awful. I thought about committing suicide after I finished it by placing it against my chest and falling on my sword/model (not really) . If ever there was slop in a box, this was it. I built an old Aoshima 1/700 scale Soryu that was more flash than parts. Even with all the thick flash that had to be removed from every part (even the sprues had thick flash), NONE of the parts fit and there so much release agent on the plastic, paint wouldn't stick to it worth a darn. I finished it, but chucked in File 13. Looked awful, was awful, and as far as I know, it still is awful. Thanks for the idea Duke.
  12. I agree for the same reasons. A bit too hard lined on the beard, but way better than I could do. Well done!
  13. I was only asking out of curiosity. If you keep having problems, send me the part and I'll make you a mold and cast you few parts.
  14. Here at Flagship Models I prefer the Mold Max-30 RTV Rubber. For casting I use Smooth-Cast 321. It allows enough time to mix and de-gas in very small parts. What exactly are you trying to make a mold for?
  15. The balloon will come smooth. The modeler can easily scribe the lines or draw them on with a pencil. The balloon silk available back then was yellow, beige, pink, red, and a few others. That will give the modeler a chance to add a little color if they wish. The balloon will also comes with thin bras wire and a basket. I'll build a prototype and post it here.
  16. Okay, here's the latest on the recon balloon kit. I have been doing some experimenting vac forming to see just what would show up in the way of detail using a male molding process. I made several test shots (see in the background) using .03 plastic with good results. The deep scribing I thought would be required was just right and looked great on the test shots. A nice soft indention (the scribed lines) that looked just like a balloon envelope bulging out a bit between the netting. I know this part isn't perfect, but good enough for a test shot. However, upon closer observation, I noticed the detail was not consistent; lightening up at the edges. I tried a couple more test shots making the plastic softer, but no luck. I guess I just didn't have enough sucking power. I tried using a heat gun with the vacuum still on to gently heat at the base with some success. Unfortunately, getting only one good one out of three just wasn't going to get it in the business world. Such high loss would run the price of the kit too high. I felt the vacuum problem could be solved by going through a professional vac former who had far more sophisticated equipment than I. I went ahead and removed the parts from the sheets for a test fitting. Everything fit just fine, but I noticed a problem that couldn't be overcome. When I matched up the halves, although I went to great effort to space the scribed lines as identical as I could, I noticed the netting still didn't match up. Scribing using only one half of the balloon meant only PRECISE spacing of the lines on half of a three dimensional ball would result in perfect alignment. The only way one could get good alignment of the netting was to scribe the lines in after the parts were put together using thin tape as a spacer. As much as I didn't like it, that's the way it will have to be because it isn't possible to vac form a solid ball. I need to cast up 20 of these and send them to vac-former. Mike said he could vac form a whole mess of these little buggers for way less than I can. So I need to cast up about 20 or so of these babies and send them to Mike. I had to add a "spacer" on the bottom of the part slightly smaller than the part itself. This will stand the part off the platen and will allow the vac form machine to draw the plastic creating a corner to show the modeler where to cut the part from the backing sheet. That's where I am now. I can now begin putting together a finished model and begin working up the instructions. More to come.
  17. One critical point you must know about using paint brush handles. They are tapered, which will cause the railing to curve up or down like a cork screw.
  18. Making circular bends to an accurate fit is a challenge only mastered with practice. I have been designing and working with photo etched parts for a long time now and I have found the best tool for the job is ingenuity. I use whatever I can find around the shop like jeweler's file ends, drill bits, dowels, or mandrels for tight curves, an Xacto knife handle for larger diameters. One surface that really works well for any kind of bending is Styrofoam egg carton tops. It has a lot "sponginess" allowing you add tight diameters as well as perfect bends with a #11 blade to any angle because the parts squash into the carton preventing them from being cut. You really don't need to spend the bucks for a bending tool. I have never had the need for one, but that's me. Your "S" curve is almost impossible to make and fit correctly in one piece. The biggest mistake most beginners with photo etch make is trying to do too much with one piece of railing. It's easier to make two smaller curved parts rather than a longer "S" shaped curve, so make your two parts intersect at the transition point where the curve direction changes. Allow a stanchion at the end of one part where the parts meet and carefully match the next part (less the stanchion) to touch. The result should be unnoticeable. If it isn't, that's where experience comes into play. Keep trying and you'll get it. I produce an entire "how to" CD with tons of tips and photos for working with these parts. See my web site if you're interested. Flagship Models Inc.
  19. Especially true on Navy A/C. They have a LOT of PSI for those carrier touchdowns.
  20. WOAH! Yuuuk! Yes sir. A true abomination.
  21. What picture? C'mon, let's see it please.
  22. Code named "Levelor".
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