I've been collecting a few of the more commonly used kits for a couple of years now ,knowing that at somepoint I would want to start building some of the studio scale models that have been thoroughly mapped and pretty much completed as per the originals by many of the people here.
So with Dave G's new Y wing and Mars's Probe Droid hull kit dug out of storage I'm going to try and get these done over the winter. Its getting colder, definitely wetter and more miserable and its time to try my hand at these so I can complete and paint them in the spring.
But first up are a pair of the Probe droid pods that I've always wanted to do. Got most of the kits ( except for a few parts which I've struggled to get like a few others it seems) and I've still got some questions despite many of the excellent build threads here . Trying to go with all original parts, but I doubt I will manage it totally.
So first up is the 8rad version:
I've tried to list everything on a sheet to help.Some of the codes to the Plastruct /EMA parts are different simply because the UK EMA catalogue uses other listings. When you look on their website go to "Scale Representations" and look for "Light fixtures",it took me ages to find them . If you phone the orders through they are really quick to dispatch but remember its a minimium order of £12 and the postage will cost ,so its best to do it when you need a few other parts, so I ordered the Y wing tees and parts for the Probe droid.
Where there is a gap on the sheet I haven't got all the parts but what I do have is some questions from the various threads.......... :
And I'm also looking for casts of those 1/12 Tamiya Lotus JPS mkIII engine parts and the 1/25 T 34 type 85 top part please. More than happy to pay for them, I've just missed out on one on e bay when It went for far more than I thought it would but that seems common at the moment.
This details the various parts on the bottom of 232 and in what order they are placed :
And the other one (223):
Also to add to the list :
Tamiya 1/35th Jagdpanther whose five treads go around the top. The older version is needed with the Jagd turret pointing to the right of the box and is plain. (Post pictures later)
Tamiya 1/35 Panzer III Ausf M/W . These are five rectangular pieces that go under the T shaped part (D17) from the 8rad
No exact reference on the base of the 223, people have done variations using parts from other familiar kits.
The Ferrari 312B and the Brabham BT440 are scarce kits in the UK and going for astonishing prices when they do come up for sale. They can't be all studio scale builders I'm bidding against????? Again if anyone can help out with these I would be grateful and happy to pay (seeing as I probably don't have any kits that most of the really dedicated guys here do would have to swop). The Ferrari part is a cut down from the original kit,
Anyway heres the builds so far;
Most of the hulls have gone together fairly easily. I've used EMA plastic weld to initially bond them together then used hot glue on the inside of the joins to really strength the seams as they otherwise sometimes pop when you put too much pressure on it. It looks like it does the job if a bit messily on occasion.
I've then cut hexagonal parts to strengthen the inner walls of the hull and to help hold the aluminium tube stable. I'm not lighting these as I rarely bother to turn on the lighting on in all the other models I've built. Thanks Marvin for letting me crib off your hull strengthening idea (and use your hexagonal template). It really takes your time to cut and test fit them properly, but they really help put the hulls together neatly.
And a last question for anyone in the UK. Do you know and recommend any supplier of casting products in the UK. I see polycraft stuff on Amazon but any personal experience with resins and silicon for small parts casting would be very helpful, because I'm going to finally have do it sooner or later.
So with Dave G's new Y wing and Mars's Probe Droid hull kit dug out of storage I'm going to try and get these done over the winter. Its getting colder, definitely wetter and more miserable and its time to try my hand at these so I can complete and paint them in the spring.
But first up are a pair of the Probe droid pods that I've always wanted to do. Got most of the kits ( except for a few parts which I've struggled to get like a few others it seems) and I've still got some questions despite many of the excellent build threads here . Trying to go with all original parts, but I doubt I will manage it totally.
So first up is the 8rad version:
I've tried to list everything on a sheet to help.Some of the codes to the Plastruct /EMA parts are different simply because the UK EMA catalogue uses other listings. When you look on their website go to "Scale Representations" and look for "Light fixtures",it took me ages to find them . If you phone the orders through they are really quick to dispatch but remember its a minimium order of £12 and the postage will cost ,so its best to do it when you need a few other parts, so I ordered the Y wing tees and parts for the Probe droid.
Where there is a gap on the sheet I haven't got all the parts but what I do have is some questions from the various threads.......... :
And I'm also looking for casts of those 1/12 Tamiya Lotus JPS mkIII engine parts and the 1/25 T 34 type 85 top part please. More than happy to pay for them, I've just missed out on one on e bay when It went for far more than I thought it would but that seems common at the moment.
This details the various parts on the bottom of 232 and in what order they are placed :
And the other one (223):
Also to add to the list :
Tamiya 1/35th Jagdpanther whose five treads go around the top. The older version is needed with the Jagd turret pointing to the right of the box and is plain. (Post pictures later)
Tamiya 1/35 Panzer III Ausf M/W . These are five rectangular pieces that go under the T shaped part (D17) from the 8rad
No exact reference on the base of the 223, people have done variations using parts from other familiar kits.
The Ferrari 312B and the Brabham BT440 are scarce kits in the UK and going for astonishing prices when they do come up for sale. They can't be all studio scale builders I'm bidding against????? Again if anyone can help out with these I would be grateful and happy to pay (seeing as I probably don't have any kits that most of the really dedicated guys here do would have to swop). The Ferrari part is a cut down from the original kit,
Anyway heres the builds so far;
Most of the hulls have gone together fairly easily. I've used EMA plastic weld to initially bond them together then used hot glue on the inside of the joins to really strength the seams as they otherwise sometimes pop when you put too much pressure on it. It looks like it does the job if a bit messily on occasion.
I've then cut hexagonal parts to strengthen the inner walls of the hull and to help hold the aluminium tube stable. I'm not lighting these as I rarely bother to turn on the lighting on in all the other models I've built. Thanks Marvin for letting me crib off your hull strengthening idea (and use your hexagonal template). It really takes your time to cut and test fit them properly, but they really help put the hulls together neatly.
And a last question for anyone in the UK. Do you know and recommend any supplier of casting products in the UK. I see polycraft stuff on Amazon but any personal experience with resins and silicon for small parts casting would be very helpful, because I'm going to finally have do it sooner or later.
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