*Update*
Hi Everyone. The replacements for the second wave of the first run came in today and they're PERFECT!
Just the usual light tool marks that are to be expected straight off the CNC. I'm going to work my way down through the rest of the list over the course of this week. I'll have them out to everyone ASAP. I'm re-countersinking the ISYHCANL box as I work my way down the list too. This is being done by hand as I don't currently own a pillar drill, so please excuse the less than perfect look of the countersink. This will be permanently covered by the sloth card, but I'd still prefer it to be a little neater.
A couple of notes for those who have received their kits already:
Some of the 3D printed cards had bent/warped slightly by the time I received them. I straightened them back out before sending out but temperature changes in transit may have undone this (as reported by Inigo). please DO NOT try to bend them without heating up first. To straighten back up, fill a bowl with very hot water (from the kettle), place the card in the water for a few seconds and remove using a pair of tongues or a fork. this should get it soft enough to bend back in to shape. Place between two paper towels and sit a big, fat book on top until cool. These 3D cards will also need to be adjusted/rubbed down slightly to fit in to the Hero box. The 3D models were made to fit exactly, but such is the nature of working with 2 different materials/processes, the card will need rubbing down to fit. This should only take a few minutes. You should also allow for whatever primer/paint you intend on using.
The T-Track and the rails have been cut within a MM of the required length. You might find that they need shortening by a fraction of a MM. You may find that they're the perfect length. You certainly won't find them to be too short (This is why I aired on the side of caution). My preferred method for fine tuning the length on these is to fix a piece of fine grit sandpaper to a flat surface and hold the piece at 90 degrees. Incrementally rub down until the exact length is reached. Use the Clamp card as a guide. They should be within a fraction of a mm, so this shouldn't take long at all. The T-Tracks should be primed and painted a mid grey before installing. The Brass rails look best when aged using Burchwood Casey Brass Black. This should be done before installing obviously. Be sure to rub down the surface first, and avoid touching with bare fingers as this will effect the result.
An important thing to mention about this Kit is that it is intended to be as close a replica to the original prop as possible! As such, the construction is not at all practical!
The original prop was broken and fixed several times due to the fragile nature of it's construction. I recommend using a strong adhesive (JB Weld for me) and once built, handling with care!
Really looking forward to seeing how these turn out for everyone. I'll be starting mine in the next couple of weeks and will probably make a thread of my progress. I just thought I should put out the above notes as people have started to receive their kits already.
If anyone has any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
All the best,
Dave
