Koolshade screen ordering!

[REL]

If it could be replicated for the purposes of molding and castining it, even if it's 95% close to the real thing, the cost saving's alone in the total price of a kit would make up the difference.

The initial time it takes to scratchbuild a close approximation of it would be returned in inexpensive resin casting's compared to the ridiculous price of the real thing.

 

[Kuhn Global]

Check it out... Even Jason thinks it is a good idea (in an MR comment) to attempt replication at some point and I whole-heartedly agree with him.

<div class='quotetop'>(moffeaton @ Aug 22 2006, 02:23 PM) [snapback]1305288[/snapback]</div>

TIE would sell well, especially if they replicated the Kool Shade material in some injection plastic wings. [/b]

Not to knock the real koolshade, but this is just screen folks. No matter how ya slice it,.. it is brass, louvred screen. I believe the cost that we are faced with it is due to it's overwhelming capacity to save cooling energy cost as well as being a very nice storm barrier for windows. Even though I found some internet reading that mentioned koolshade even being made in Mexico at some point, and finding that there was even once a place in the U.S. that sold it as well,.. it still remains to be an unresonable price for an item that most (myself included) see it for what it is.... screen.

I know the value of replicating a prop to be exact to the original and don't have a problem in looking into this type of replication. Don't get me wrong, I will again state that I well respect replicating a prop to exact standards, but,.. I highly doubt the Koolshade industry relies on the model world in any form, so pricing is pretty much set there. With a reasonable replication, it opens the door to many modelers who may not have the money to buy the real stuff.

What is very strange to me is that this pricing must have been placed higher over the years due to brass costs (if that even went up) and the popularity of the product (as many itmes do). I say this because we all know that the original Star Wars modeler had to work extremely creatively and under one of the tightest of budgets,.. so It is obvious there has been significant differences between then and now besides annual inflation.

Bottom line is if it can be replicated in some fashion, then it should be. I agree with Charles, it wouldn't behoove a single builder to make that happen, but if one did I would suggest that the masses would benefit.

Competeition is healthy and keeps us from getting complacent for what is offered.

So,.. what's the harm in trying except for time and a few bucks?

 

[belleauwood]

<div class='quotetop'>(REL @ Sep 10 2006, 08:38 PM) [snapback]1317239[/snapback]</div>

If it could be replicated for the purposes of molding and castining it, even if it's 95% close to the real thing, the cost saving's alone in the total price of a kit would make up the difference.

The initial time it takes to scratchbuild a close approximation of it would be returned in inexpensive resin casting's compared to the ridiculous price of the real thing.
[/b]

Rel,

I think you may be a bit confused on this, but I may be wrong.

The coolshade is ONLY needed for a HERO TIE, or other coolshade specific applications like the exhaust vents on the falcon. The STANDARD TIE does have wings that are complete, with a casting of the coolshade material. It has nowhere near the depth of the coolshade due to undercutting, and its a biatch to mold that way, it took Steve a LONG time to get the first mold prepared, but it is a very good representation of the material. In fact, when I finally get around to setting a TIE aside for myself it will be a standard, as you cannot get around the cost of the coolshade on the hero. The main issue is the light gets trapped differently in the coolshade due to the depth and it gives it a unique sheen that is very near impossible to replicate on a cast piece without the depth. The TRUE purists agree that since the originals were coolshaded, a HERO should be too, and I cannot disagree as the materials sheen doesn't photo well enough to see the difference on a good build standard, but in person the coolshade wings are very impressive.

And as far as casting it with its full depth to replicate it for use in other specific projects, you'd run into some serous locking on the molds, and the sheen issue as well as a strength issue would make it worthwhile to just "bite the bullet" and get the coolshade. The TIE uses probably the most coolshade of any project, and thus is the most expensive project running. If for example you're building a Falcon and want the exhaust vents coolshaded, Steve did offer to piece out what he has as spare stock to cover that, which would probably cost far less that some of the CASTINGS of kit parts would run you, so it'd be worth it to get the "real deal", sheen and all, instead of a resin cast.


Hope that helps

Ryan

 

[REL]

Ah ok, gotcha. Nevermind then.

 

[swpropmaker]

Hey guys, wow all this for little ol Koolshade. I'll tell Trevor about the discussion. The company is being really cool with me. They usually only sell it in huge quantities for building and all. They set the price. Not me. The Hero wing is the best out there. Ask David (Boba Debt) who owns the first one ever made. The sheen and reflection matches the studio model perfectly. I had to clay it up so much fort he standard TIE that it loses the deep louvered effect of the real deal. The standards are great but the real Koolshade there is no match. I think the only way it would be replicated is with Injected plastic. Resin is not hard enough and fiberglass is to brittle becasue the individual louvers are so small. They would break almost certainly.

Steve

 

[moffeaton]

I just paid for mine yesterday.... so yeah, if it was satisfactorily replicated with stamped brass or some other thin metal it'd be great, but I am highly skeptical anyone can pull that off. Sooo, bearing that in mind, I hapinly paid Steve for Koolshade. I want the best, know what I mean?

 

[imaginager]

Steve, can you shoot me the wing templates when you get a chance?

I can host them for ya, if that would help... Lemme know.

Allan

 

[star-art]

I totally understand wanting to save $$. But anyone who is willing to settle for a facsimile of the KoolShade (note spelling.) probably hasn't seen the actual stuff.

Take a look at a sample of the material. Hold it in your hands. See what it looks like (and feels like). It's METAL. It's heavy and it has a great finish. There's nothing else like it.

I would not invest in a TIE without this stuff on it. To quote Spock, "anything else is a waste of material."

Not trying to be a pain, but I have this stuff in my shop so I know from experience.

 

[REL]

Makes sense, it would be like trying to replicate photo etching in resin, it's just not the same.

 

[Kuhn Global]

<div class='quotetop'>(moffeaton @ Sep 10 2006, 06:22 PM) [snapback]1317400[/snapback]</div>

I just paid for mine yesterday.... so yeah, if it was satisfactorily replicated with stamped brass or some other thin metal it'd be great, but I am highly skeptical anyone can pull that off. Sooo, bearing that in mind, I hapinly paid Steve for Koolshade. I want the best, know what I mean?
[/b]

Stamped brass is what I really had in mind. It would retain the 'sheen' and it could be done in pretty much any machine shop. The problem lay in how much would it actually be used after a patterned stamp was made? :unsure

For my own BS that am displaying so well on this thread... :cry lol ....I REALLY dislike when the options are limited to only one supplier and thus my distaste for this lay deep in a bottomless pit..lol. However,.. I agree TOTALLY that the Koolshade is what should be used since it is exact to the original item and appreciate Steve going through the troubles to see that it is available to all. So... THANKS STEVE...

Question... was the koolshade also used on the X-1 and TIE Interceptors? If not,.. what was it? :confused

 

[STEVE THE SWEDE]

Steve, PM'ed you, please have a look.

Steve.

 

[swpropmaker]

Guys the first 5 orders have been processed for Koolshade the following members have Koolshade on the way via Global express from the UK.

Dan Satterthwaite
Allan Hansen
Nice-N model Designs
Jason Eaton
Michael McFarland

I will be putting another order in soon. If you are interested in this material used on many Studio Scale Replicas please PM me. I will post close up Pictures of the actual material to give those that have never seen it an idea of its complexity.

Steve

 

[MonsieurTox]

<div class='quotetop'>(Kuhn Global @ Sep 11 2006, 02:15 PM) [snapback]1317677[/snapback]</div>

Question... was the koolshade also used on the X-1 and TIE Interceptors? If not,.. what was it? :confused
[/b]

Not used on the X1 and Interceptor, but I dont know what they used

 

[Hand Solo]

<div class='quotetop'></div>

Question... was the koolshade also used on the X-1 and TIE Interceptors? If not,.. what was it?[/b]

Kurt, as Tox said...Koolshade not used on the other TIE variants. Whatever it was, it had a sort of 'egg-crate' pattern to it. I'd be interested to know as well what was used. Hopefully something easy to find and inexpensive to use.

 

[MonsieurTox]

Maybe something could match for the X-1 and the TIE Interceptor. I don't know the english word for that...
It is a screen that you put on your windows to prevent the mosquitos going into the house.
I assume that's not the stuff they used but it could work fine... There are several patterns.

 

[stonky]

I always thought that the black wing panels on the TIE variants looked like some sort of prismatic diffuser.

 

[Hand Solo]

We'd just have to know how fine or course the pattern is and the actual size of the grid squares.

 

[star-art]

TIE advanced screens, you say? Steve, you seek Steve.

 

[Hand Solo]

<div class='quotetop'>(star-art @ Sep 13 2006, 08:24 PM) [snapback]1319767[/snapback]</div>

TIE advanced screens, you say? Steve, you seek Steve.


[/b]

I hope one day to be in a position to just that. I would like to keep some of my own work for myself now and then and have a little SS collection of my own. :thumbsup :lol

 

[swpropmaker]

The Interceptor uses an out of production prisma light diffuser. I found the stuff on clearance and have just enough to do my two master Interceptor wings. This stuff is accurate down to the squares per inch.

The Vaders TIE fighter is the exact opposite of the Interceptor screen. On the Interceptor the little squares are raised.. on the advance they are recessed. I have taken impressions in clay of the Interceptor diffuser to find out that they must have used the metal stamps used to create the prisma diffuser sheets. It matches the Advance perfectly. Remember not all diffuser material is the same IÂ’ve got three companies that specialize in the stuff and not one of the hundreds of samples match.

There are pics on one of the threads that talk about the different screen. Its all about how many squares there are per inch.

Steve