Building The Death Star - PRODUCTION

[TridCloudwalker]

All god advice, and thanks...

Small administrative update - I emailed both Krylon and Rust-o-leum about their faux granite sprays to see if there is anyway they could make the same thing but with no texture. I highly doubt I'll get a favorable response.

That's not possible. The liquid base in the granite paint is a viscous translusent grey gel type material with white and black solid material suspended within it. That's how you get both texture and color. There's no physical way to get just the color.

You could always do it Mr. Bean style and light a fire cracker inside a water ballon filled with paint.

 

[Spaceace]

I think making the paint splatter from the spray gun is the way to go.
With a bit of practice im sure you could get the finish you want.

 

[TridCloudwalker]

Wait a sec...You're worried about an even coating of splatter which air brush and toothbrush just wont accomplish with their limited range. What about one of the large gravity paint guns for large scale painting? They're on sale for $14 at Harbor Freight until Feb. Being a crappy Harbor Freight product, you're sure to get a lot of excellent splattering with it. All you have to do is turn your pressure up a bit. You should be able to cover the whole front half of the sphere with only a few arm strokes.

 

[PHArchivist]

Checking something out...

 

[micdavis]

All good advice, and thanks...

Small administrative update - I emailed both Krylon and Rust-o-leum about their faux granite sprays to see if there is anyway they could make the same thing but with no texture. I highly doubt I'll get a favorable response.

Buy a $10 automotive touch up gun from Harbor freight. Thin your paint, lower the pressure. Play around with those two factors, you will get a decent spatter pattern. This assumes you have a compressor.

 

[PHArchivist]

I think at long last I've located the (near) exact apex.

QUESTION: Just how precise do you all think it needs to be, considering ALL the longitudinal lines will be derived from it?

My level of precision I believe is +/- 1.5mm. I'm within a milimeter or two all the way around measuring from my apex point to the equator edge.

 

[TridCloudwalker]

Buy a $10 automotive touch up gun from Harbor freight. Thin your paint, lower the pressure. Play around with those two factors, you will get a decent spatter pattern. This assumes you have a compressor.

That's what I suggested two posts up. Great minds....

 

[micdavis]

Well after all we're buddies, remember? lol

 

[modeleers]

Low pressure, yes, but I get better & more consistent 'spatter' results - the thicker the paint.
Great build so far, PHA!

 

[micdavis]

I only go thicker when I want a texture with the spatter. It's all trial and error. Although I used to have a manual that would give me specific results to achieve MILSPEC textures.

 

[PHArchivist]

All right, slobs... Here's the latest and greatest.

I've masked out the area to remain clear. Those "in the know" will soon realize it is somewhat modified from the original. I strongly suspect the original was "completed" to a certain point, then more coverage was deemed necessary, perhaps after some stage tests. That's my theory anyway, and the result of what is clear and what is painted is not snazzy, for lack of a better way of putting it. Mine will be a bit more "clean".

I also completed the ring that is on the north pole of the globe, cut from a spare styrene dish reject. And I've begun the radials. Believe me, determining how far down these radials go was pretty much guess work and eye-balling it - I hope I got it right. Without dropping a tape measure on the real deal, I have no idea how to otherwise figure it out. Not with my skills and tools. Mike (Verta) may be able to with his wire-frame model, but I'm not sure. So it is what it is...

My technique - with painful and absurdly inaccurate photo extrapolation, I came up with a 42mm mark up from the equator being the point where the radials terminate on the southern end. As mentioned in a previous post, I am confident within one or two millimeters that I do have the correct apex. The ring diameter I just eye-balled, going with what look good (14mm for those taking notes!). I isolated the two radials that correllate with the only physical landmark (the dish) and went from there. I ran the tape from the apex, through the ring, down to where it would intersect the dish, and the pictures tell the rest.

You can also see where/how I screwed in the vertical struts of the internal bracing structure.

 

[Robiwon]

That is freakin fantastic so far. So when can we expect a resin SS kit out of this!:love

 

[Newbie Doobie]

Beautiful work as usual Rob! I'm glad you didn't remove the dish afterall! This is looking better all the time! Thank you for sharing this with us!

 

[Bryancd]

Hey Rob, what's that cool little Death Star model on your desk?

 

[sapper36]

Hey Rob - On my 6" Deathstar I'm working on - I sprayed it with a light gray primer over the white base (For reflecting the light around the inside) Then taped out the panels & hit it with a darker gray primer. Then... I hit it with a very very light coat again of the lighter primer & started to lightly scrub with steel wool. It gave a nice mottled appearance - On mine it's a bit big - looks OK, but on yours should look great. I'll try to post a pic when I get a chance - I'm now up to drilling jilions of tiny holes!

 

[PHArchivist]

Hey Rob, what's that cool little Death Star model on your desk?

Inspiration - that's what it is!

Its the old ERTL/AMY 9" kit, slightly modified...

 

[PHArchivist]

Guys, I need feedback on this...

INPUT/FEEDBACK NEEDED #3

Based on these photos and the call-outs, it appears to me that there is some physical relief in the equatorial band. Seems to me almost as if they affixed a thin styrene band of plastic along the edge of the domes.

Do you all see what I'm seeing? What appears to be edges of sorts?

And it has been suggested by a couple very reliable sources on the RPF that the image from the film below (the shot with four arrows) was either a matte painting or enhanced photography.

What I'm pointing out in the last photo is what seems to me may be a raised ring around the dish. Then again, I could be making things up in my head.

 

[giric thren]

I never noticed that before. It appears to be very thin. could it be tape?

 

[Newbie Doobie]

You know,I think we all thought that at one time,or another. This looks like thick paint,but then you can see a small styrene strip above this eqautor. Good job spotting these things Rob! Now you see why you have a fan following!

 

[vaderdarth]

still looks like paint/tape lines to me.