Studio Scale TIE Fighter
- Thread starter swpropmaker
- Start date
Hey guys... please refrain from discussing run information ie receiving/shipping ect. on the TIE thread Wampa was cool enough to let the thread stay lets respect his wishes. As indicated in the previous email I am officially computer illiterate. Comcast accidentally cancelled my email address sneisen641 and didn't bother to tell me so Ive tried to make do in short notice. sneisen@comcast.net
I will be making contact with each of you off the forum and report progress on the TIE.
I do not spend allot of time on computer.. I do not answer email everyday maybe twice to three times a week. So it is not intentional..if your feeling mistreated.. please hang in there great things to follow.
Frank try to help me again set up that mass mailer!
Steve
I will be making contact with each of you off the forum and report progress on the TIE.
I do not spend allot of time on computer.. I do not answer email everyday maybe twice to three times a week. So it is not intentional..if your feeling mistreated.. please hang in there great things to follow.
Frank try to help me again set up that mass mailer!
Steve
Hey guys, let's be real here... this is a HOBBY. I know Steve and he is a stand up guy, but this is not his job, he has a family and a life like all of us. And many of you may not know he is in the military and has been preparing to be deployed to Iraq on the 11th. So cut the guy a break. I'm sure there are a few other 'more important' things that have been on his mind lately. He will get back to everyone in due time.
Thanks Tom. Great news to all that care is the deployment was canceled today. This last month has been hectic.. Besides preparing for a mission, will, powers of attorney and crap like that I still managed to get into the Hobby to make sure everyone is taken care of.
When $$ is injected into the hobby it becomes a job with every effort to make folks happy. I do wish I had more help than just me by myself trying to do it alone.. I get in trouble wanting to make everyone happy and get behind.. then work tells me i'm going to Iraq bam Ive got deadline problems.
I know none of you heard anything about the deployment Its because I dont want to be getting into making escuses.. to many these days on the board. Im working hard Ive got some super secret projects comming out later so hang in there and lets build the best TIE Fighter/ studio replicas out there!
Steve
When $$ is injected into the hobby it becomes a job with every effort to make folks happy. I do wish I had more help than just me by myself trying to do it alone.. I get in trouble wanting to make everyone happy and get behind.. then work tells me i'm going to Iraq bam Ive got deadline problems.
I know none of you heard anything about the deployment Its because I dont want to be getting into making escuses.. to many these days on the board. Im working hard Ive got some super secret projects comming out later so hang in there and lets build the best TIE Fighter/ studio replicas out there!
Steve
Ghost Host
Sr Member
Yes, me too. I wish I could get the body cast in fiberglass so it would be hollow...
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swfan wrote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS=$row_color>
I'm going to be adding lights, pilot developed from a 1/24 harrier pilot, and a cockpit. Anybody else thinking about doing the same?
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swfan wrote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS=$row_color>
I'm going to be adding lights, pilot developed from a 1/24 harrier pilot, and a cockpit. Anybody else thinking about doing the same?
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star-art
Sr Member
If it were hollow you might need an armature to support the wings without having the resin bend or warp. This thing is HUGE! I never realized just how big. And KoolShade is almost as HEAVY as it is expensive!
The hero version will weigh a LOT.
I was told the back plate can be removed so you could hollow out the cockpit area. You could, with some work, also drill through to each wing. But with the cockpit hollowed you can wire it for lighting. . .
I was told the back plate can be removed so you could hollow out the cockpit area. You could, with some work, also drill through to each wing. But with the cockpit hollowed you can wire it for lighting. . .
swfan
Well-Known Member
That was my thinking as well star-art. I figure you could remove the top, bottom, and back and then drill out the openings for the cockpit. It wouldn't necessarily be round, but it would be a starting point. I was looking through an electrical book and saw some LED holders that looked very similar to the ones used on the actual prop. I'm not sure what size the LEDs are yet, though if its as big as stated I imagine it would be the larger sized LEDs (5mm). I can't wait to get started...
I like hearing all these great ideas! Keep em comming! Talked with a fellow mold maker and got some new direction..
going to make a new mold for the hero wing sets. Instead of doing each by hand from the standard molds.. Im going to do them in separate mold configured to be able to be pressure cast.
I have a idea on molding the TIE hull hollow.. hows this.. I find a steel or alluminum rod roughly the size of the wing tips and place it in the mold paint in the resin on all the details and add enough resin to coat the entire mold as i rotate it until cured.. this would not be pressure cast but would be hollow and have support for the heavy wings..you could also add a threaded block in the center to facilitate rear and bottom mounting.... just a thought
Steve
going to make a new mold for the hero wing sets. Instead of doing each by hand from the standard molds.. Im going to do them in separate mold configured to be able to be pressure cast.
I have a idea on molding the TIE hull hollow.. hows this.. I find a steel or alluminum rod roughly the size of the wing tips and place it in the mold paint in the resin on all the details and add enough resin to coat the entire mold as i rotate it until cured.. this would not be pressure cast but would be hollow and have support for the heavy wings..you could also add a threaded block in the center to facilitate rear and bottom mounting.... just a thought
Steve
swfan
Well-Known Member
That sounds like it would be a good idea to maintain the strength of the tie if you wanted it hollow cast, but I think that with a solid cast and careful drilling for the cockpit, the tie would be able to support the wings without the need of a metal support going all the way through the body. Besides, if your going to scratchbuild an interior the metal rod would cause difficulty in placement of the pilot. However, for those that want to lessen the weight of the model it would be a perfect option.
jvasilatos
Sr Member
Hey Steve-
E-mail sent... please let me know if you get it.
JV
E-mail sent... please let me know if you get it.
JV
Back at cha!
Steve
Steve
jvasilatos
Sr Member
I was e-mailing Steve on this with some illustrations I did to figure this out, it would involve coring the solid hull from the front window plate opening to the rear hull plate, and from the top hatch down to the bottom of that front to back coring. This way the rest of the hull and wing supports should still be solid and strong enough for the weight of the wings.
What do you guys think?
JV
What do you guys think?
JV
wizardofflight
Well-Known Member
I had some thoughts on how to casting a hollow Tie fuselage, this maybe over complicating the issue, but here goes. This uses a version the solid steel rod mentioned above, but with a twist.
Materials needed:
1 Styrofoam ball from a craft store
2 Sections of Brass tubing
1 Steel rod sized to slip inside the brass tubing, it should be longer than the finished part.
Make a shih kabob using the steel rod as the skewer (the rod will need to be lubed to prevent it from sticking), brass tubing, styrofoam ball, brass tubing, insert this assembly in to the mold. After casting the styrofoam ball can be dissolved with acetone or similar solvent friendly to the resin.
The brass tubing should be left a little long and the wings can be mechanically attached to the brass tubing.
Any thoughts?
Alan
Materials needed:
1 Styrofoam ball from a craft store
2 Sections of Brass tubing
1 Steel rod sized to slip inside the brass tubing, it should be longer than the finished part.
Make a shih kabob using the steel rod as the skewer (the rod will need to be lubed to prevent it from sticking), brass tubing, styrofoam ball, brass tubing, insert this assembly in to the mold. After casting the styrofoam ball can be dissolved with acetone or similar solvent friendly to the resin.
The brass tubing should be left a little long and the wings can be mechanically attached to the brass tubing.
Any thoughts?
Alan
Alan..working on that idea.. I tried drilling out as the pictures indicated.. I got two things .. A mess for starters and a split/broken hull. I will report the styrofoam process when I get a chance to try it out.
Steve
Steve
wizardofflight
Well-Known Member
One thing, the foam may need to be coated to protect it, could be as simple as that new plastic wrap the sticks to itself.
Alan
Alan
Anyone interested in a casting from the ILM mold of the wing support rib ? I was cleaning out some old stuff & ran across it, something I saved when I worked at ILM. It's only the last 4 inches, but it would be good for reference.
I can't get PM's so e-mail me at :
iceman@cryogenesys.com
I can't get PM's so e-mail me at :
iceman@cryogenesys.com
Well I got mine in today and all I can say is WOW. This thing is perfect. This model is going to need so very little clean up. I already am entertaining the idea of drilling out the cockpit area and putting in a cockpit interior. Thanks Steve this was well worth the wait.
JDH
*EDIT* I cant spell!!!!
JDH
*EDIT* I cant spell!!!!
Awesomely nice work, Steve. As you seem open to the idea of new moulds and special versions, I have a suggestion - you could split the hull into top and bottom halves and cast hollow for people who want to do a cockpit. Depending on the setup of your existing mould, you might even be able to do this by modifying it, rather than re-moulding. (I've had some success modifying existing moulds for new pouring orientations etc - not as hard as you first think.) Advantages include lighter castings, less resin used therefore lower per-unit costs, less heat generated therefore longer mould life, etc. Strength needn't be compromised much - the cockpit ball would be plenty strong enough with a thick floor and rear wall and say 1/4" thick front/upper walls, which would still leave tons of space for a cockpit.
Please email me if I can be any help: nipngnwm@q-net.net.au
Cheers,
Martyn
Please email me if I can be any help: nipngnwm@q-net.net.au
Cheers,
Martyn
