Tempest 2

Yeah, not sure the cause, but because of the wind blowing ash around, its just multiplied beyond much of their control.
Its just how fast its happened, and the area its effecting makes it so devastating.

I lived in L.A. from 1998 - 2004 and experienced the fires that happen there, but not as bad as this fire. This one is the worst I have seen in a long time.
Thanks for the reply, lewis-san. It looks like the fire is still spreading. 10 thousand fine houses are burnt out I have no word for the fine people who lost their loving house so suddenly. They say the strong hot wind from the desert blows this season every year. This fire should have been predictable. Aren't there some precautionary measures?

Wow that hangar deck is fantastic!

Love the lighting as well as all the details

Also great to see your wife enjoying a hobby!
Thank you so much, Analyzer-san!

The paint job has been done.

1736661579670.jpeg
1736661614291.jpeg


1736661662299.jpeg
1736661692713.jpeg


1736661721208.jpeg



Thanks for looking,

katsu
 
Thank you so much for your kind comment and LIKE.
Today, I have started to build the main hull to contain those decks.

By the way, here are some things I noticed at this build moment.

Maybe these things are well-known by the well-experienced modelers though.

I used many fiber optics and I usually used 0.5 mm diameter fiber for the previous models. Drill tiny holes and stick out the fibers a little longer from the surface. then paint it and cut up the fiber tips. On the contrary, this time, I finished the paint job before planting the 1 mm diameter fibers. For example, I painted up the runway, center lines, and markers drilled holes along the lines, and planted the fibers. This time, I used a hot soldering iron to melt the tip of the fiber into a small mushroom shape, then inserted it from the surface and fixed it with super glue on the back. This method makes the surface smooth and the luminous tip looks larger. However, this backfired a little, and if you pulled the fiber a little before the glue was completely dry, it would snap off at the attachment point. It was a pain to repair this. This did not happen with 0.5 mm diameter fiber. In the second hangar deck I made, I used 0.5 mm fiber, so it did not break like in the previous example, and the fiber was easy to handle. Also, looking at the finished photo, it doesn't seem to be much different from the previous landing bay runway. 1 mm diameter fiber is a pain to use.:unsure:

That's just a little thought. :notworthy:
 
Hi Katsu-san, looking great... if I did not know any better I could swear I was in the belly of a real live ship.

Regarding the fiber optic, there are pros and cons to doing the FO before the finishing paint job or after. Sometimes I have no choice, but if I can, I like to pull them through after the painting is done, like you mentioned above. I usually have a lot and all those little stubs of FO sticking out during the painting phase just get in my way. BUT the drawbacks are you have to drill perfect every time... patching up after the paint is finished is no fun. Likewise, the drilled hole needs to be as close as possible to the diameter of the FO strand to minimize the area around the FO that needs to be cleaned/filled in.

Heating the tips does two things for you... First, the "balled" melted tip is usually bigger than the hole so it keeps the strand from pulling back out by accident until you have it glued in place. Second, it gives you that nice rounded lens effect, but the downside is that it turns a 0.5mm strand of FO into a 1mm or upwards point of light... so if larger light points will not ruin your scale, this is a great option... if on the other side you are doing windows in monster ship that is 1:"can't count that high" then you are better off cutting the FO below the lens to keep the point of light as small as possible.

As to why your FO is breaking, This is likely due to using superglue. Never, never ever use superglue. Cyanoacrylate makes the FO strands brittle and they break very easy afterwards. Aside from that, some say that even if you are careful and it does not break, that same brittleness will also cause slight refractions on the inside of the FO (where the light is being channeled), which may effect the brightness.

I use 0.5 most of the time, sometimes even 0.25 if I am doing a really high-number scale. For glue I usually use that white glue that we all used in elementary school. In the states it is called Elmer's glue. It dries slow, but it is not aggressive. Once it dries, it usually shrinks, so again here the closer the hole is to the diameter of the FO, the better. Aside from that, I like to protect the strands where they come out on the inside of the model. The core of FO is essentially glass so if it is bent too far or bent over a sharp corner it can break, regardless of the glue. That means, if you glue a FO strand and the glue surface where it meets the FO is sharp... bending the FO against it is the same as cutting it with scissors. To completely eliminate this risk, I like to go back once the FO is set and the glue is completely cured and fix the FO strands on the inside with a blob of any kind of flexible glue (the ones that feel like rubber cement when they are cured) or Silicon works good for this as well. You can make sure that they are going in the direction they need to go while the silicon is curing but do not bend them too much at this point... Here again, best to wait until the silicone or flexible glue cures before bundling the strands.

As it is kind of hard to describe in words, below is a quick sketch... when a glue cures it usually shrinks to some degree, this causes a valley, high on the inside and outside and low in the middle. The upraised edge along the FO can be very sharp and will sheer it off if too much force is applied. This is why a blob of flexible glue can prevent the strand from being pressed too hard against the sharp lip of the glue on the inside of the model. Hope that makes sense.

1736984463411.png


I have done little molding & casting since buying a 3D printer, but if you have a hard-to-get-to spot, (e.g. light the tip of an antenna), you can put FO in a mold with RTC resin and it will come out fine. You still need to be careful not to bend the FO against the sharp edge of the cured resin until silicone or the like is in place.
 
Last edited:
Hi Katsu-san, looking great... if I did not know any better I could swear I was in the belly of a real live ship.

Regarding the fiber optic, there are pros and cons to doing the FO before the finishing paint job or after. Sometimes I have no choice, but if I can, I like to pull them through after the painting is done, like you mentioned above. I usually have a lot and all those little stubs of FO sticking out during the painting phase just get in my way. BUT the drawbacks are you have to drill perfect every time... patching up after the paint is finished is no fun. Likewise, the drilled hole needs to be as close as possible to the diameter of the FO strand to minimize the area around the FO that needs to be cleaned/filled in.

Heating the tips does two things for you... First, the "balled" melted tip is usually bigger than the hole so it keeps the strand from pulling back out by accident until you have it glued in place. Second, it gives you that nice rounded lens effect, but the downside is that it turns a 0.5mm strand of FO into a 1mm or upwards point of light... so if larger light points will not ruin your scale, this is a great option... if on the other side you are doing windows in monster ship that is 1:"can't count that high" then you are better off cutting the FO below the lens to keep the point of light as small as possible.

As to why your FO is breaking, This is likely due to using superglue. Never, never ever use superglue. Cyanoacrylate makes the FO strands brittle and they break very easy afterwards. Aside from that, some say that even if you are careful and it does not break, that same brittleness will also cause slight refractions on the inside of the FO (where the light is being channeled), which may effect the brightness.

I use 0.5 most of the time, sometimes even 0.25 if I am doing a really high-number scale. For glue I usually use that white glue that we all used in elementary school. In the states it is called Elmer's glue. It dries slow, but it is not aggressive. Once it dries, it usually shrinks, so again here the closer the hole is to the diameter of the FO, the better. Aside from that, I like to protect the strands where they come out on the inside of the model. The core of FO is essentially glass so if it is bent too far or bent over a sharp corner it can break, regardless of the glue. That means, if you glue a FO strand and the glue surface where it meets the FO is sharp... bending the FO against it is the same as cutting it with scissors. To completely eliminate this risk, I like to go back once the FO is set and the glue is completely cured and fix the FO strands on the inside with a blob of any kind of flexible glue (the ones that feel like rubber cement when they are cured) or Silicon works good for this as well. You can make sure that they are going in the direction they need to go while the silicon is curing but do not bend them too much at this point... Here again, best to wait until the silicone or flexible glue cures before bundling the strands.

As it is kind of hard to describe in words, below is a quick sketch... when a glue cures it usually shrinks to some degree, this causes a valley, high on the inside and outside and low in the middle. The upraised edge along the FO can be very sharp and will sheer it off if too much force is applied. This is why a blob of flexible glue can prevent the strand from being pressed too hard against the sharp lip of the glue on the inside of the model. Hope that makes sense.

View attachment 1896309

I have done little molding & casting since buying a 3D printer, but if you have a hard-to-get-to spot, (e.g. light the tip of an antenna), you can put FO in a mold with RTC resin and it will come out fine. You still need to be careful not to bend the FO against the sharp edge of the cured resin until silicone or the like is in place.
Thank you so much for the detailed and specific info about FO. Ahh, the reason for my trouble was using superglue. I've tested several adhesives for holding an FO in a hole, like Plastic kit cement, or acetone cement. But none of them are quite good. At last, I chose superglue for quick drying but that was a problem. I've never imagined using that old-school white bond. Ahh, I lost many hours for that. Also, your explanation about the strands and edges makes sense. Academic and cristal clear.
This is one of the precious moments I'm so happy to commit to this forum. Getting very valuable knowledge and techniques from skillful and experienced comrades.
Again, thank you so much for your kind info and advice. :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:
 
At last, I chose superglue for quick drying but that was a problem. I've never imagined using that old-school white bond. Ahh, I lost many hours for that.

You are very welcome, I too am very happy if I can give something back to help others like I was helped. :)

Do not feel bad about choosing superglue, it is a very common mistake that everyone has made (including yours truly). In our line of work superglue has become a holy relic because it can glue just about anything to anything and that in the blink of an eye, so it only makes sense to use it for... well, everything. The white Elmer's glue is something of a standard when gluing FO, but it is very time consuming, it will take a couple hours to set and depending on how thickly it is applied it can take overnight to completely cure. In reality, you can use pretty much any glue that is not CA based. when choosing a glue, it should not be too high in viscosity or it might "leak" out onto the outer model surface. Furthermore, if you intend to paint over it, it should also not be too flexible, otherwise your paint will flake off. This is especially the case if the hole is much larger as the FO strand.

For all the FO that are already glued with superglue, aside from being careful and hoping for the best, you have two options: cutting the strand above the affected area and reinserting through the hole (or replacing the entire strand if it is too short), this is the best method. If you cant do that for whatever reason, you can cover the strands with a thick coat of epoxy where they came into contact with superglue. They are still brittle, but this will protect them and give the strands additional support.

[EDIT]
I personally have never used it, but I have read in the past that a hot glue gun will also work to fix FO strands... for thicker strands, I would agree, but although I have never tested my theory, I would be concerned that thinner strands, like the ones I usually use (0.5mm or 0.25mm), could melt from the heat.
 
Last edited:
You are very welcome, I too am very happy if I can give something back to help others like I was helped. :)

Do not feel bad about choosing superglue, it is a very common mistake that everyone has made (including yours truly). In our line of work superglue has become a holy relic because it can glue just about anything to anything and that in the blink of an eye, so it only makes sense to use it for... well, everything. The white Elmer's glue is something of a standard when gluing FO, but it is very time consuming, it will take a couple hours to set and depending on how thickly it is applied it can take overnight to completely cure. In reality, you can use pretty much any glue that is not CA based. when choosing a glue, it should not be too high in viscosity or it might "leak" out on the outer model surface. Furthermore, if you intend to paint over it, it should also not be too flexible, otherwise your paint will flake off. This is especially the case if the hole is much larger as the FO strand.

For all the FO that are already glued with superglue, aside from being careful and hoping for the best, you have two options: cutting the strand above the affected area and reinserting through the hole (or replacing the entire strand if it is too short) is the best method. Or you can cover the strands with a thick coat of epoxy where they came into contact with superglue. They are still brittle, but this will protect them and give the strands additional support.

[EDIT]
I personally have never used it, but I have read in the past that a hot glue gun will also work to fix FO strands... for thicker strands, I would agree, but although I have never tested my theory, I would be concerned that thinner strands, like the ones I usually use (0.5mm or 0.25mm), could melt from the heat.
Yes, personal experience here with using hot glue gun on small FO...does melt the fibers:eek::eek: I prefer to use a white silicone (for the bathroom) when affixing my FO as much as possible. Thanks for the small tuto, btw(y)(y)(y)
 
Thank both of you for another good advice. So far, I hit the hair dryer over the FO strands to lay them down low and stick with the vinyl tapes to hold them still, and also less spacing between the hulls. So far no more damage has been seen but I should conceal them as soon as possible. Yes, I've tried a hot glue also, and seems it is effective for more than 1 mm FO. But when you use a gun, be careful because the hot tip of the gun may harm the FO strands. Bathroom coking silicone will be another good option I guess. I am willing to try that. Thank you, Gentlemen. :notworthy: :notworthy:

katsu
 
Looking forward to seeing this take shape.

Thank you so much, Thaddeus-san!

Looks great Katsu. Is that balsa wood?

I’m thinking MDF.


Thank you so much, Carlb-san. Yes, as Thaddeus-san said, it is MDF.
I used this material to build the buildings in the previous diorama.
This time I bought the B4 size in thicknesses of 1.5 mm, 2.5 mm, 4mm, and 6 mm.
The price depends on its quality -density- but it is around $1.00 for 1 piece.
Also, I bought the larger sizes, 6mm thick and 1 foot by 2 feet, at one coin shop for 2 dollars per piece.

1737414783288.jpeg
1737414803414.jpeg


I am using a small table saw to cut them up, but if they are thin, you can use a craft knife.
It is light and has appropriate strengths.

Cost reduction initiatives
I bought them from AMAZON Japan and the package was filled with some amount of paper for packing things. Too good to waste - Mottainai.

1737415431451.jpeg
1737415458504.jpeg

I used it for full-scale drawings.  :p :lol:
 
Back
Top