t2sides
Master Member
That’s because at that smaller kit scale they are trying to emulate all the details of the big original and they can only do that by making molded or recessed details to capture the ‘look’.
5' Falcon base hull building
- Thread starter RealDaveWinter
- Start date
So thanks to tips from t2sides and eagle1, I've gone back and taken another stab at the main dish.
I purchased a small Dremel router table, and using a rotary file, I trimmed out the lip from the VHD600 part itself. I think I would have preferred to do this with the acrylic version of the part, but I only had the ABS. The ABS plastic is prone to melting and you have to work very slowly with very little pressure otherwise it bungs up with melted plastic.
Still, a small amount of filler putty and I think this turned out pretty well. I have a second VHD600 so if I wake up in the middle of the night with cold sweat because my first one isn't perfect, I have another to try again with.
I also cast a bunch of the sealab parts to avoid the problem of having to buy 10 more of these kits. These are a bit rough around the edges, but once they're cut down and cleaned up, they'll be perfectly fine. If the Doll and Hobby reissue ever gets released (I have my doubts), and I've not hit the painting stage, I may replace these casting with plastic parts.
I purchased a small Dremel router table, and using a rotary file, I trimmed out the lip from the VHD600 part itself. I think I would have preferred to do this with the acrylic version of the part, but I only had the ABS. The ABS plastic is prone to melting and you have to work very slowly with very little pressure otherwise it bungs up with melted plastic.
Still, a small amount of filler putty and I think this turned out pretty well. I have a second VHD600 so if I wake up in the middle of the night with cold sweat because my first one isn't perfect, I have another to try again with.
I also cast a bunch of the sealab parts to avoid the problem of having to buy 10 more of these kits. These are a bit rough around the edges, but once they're cut down and cleaned up, they'll be perfectly fine. If the Doll and Hobby reissue ever gets released (I have my doubts), and I've not hit the painting stage, I may replace these casting with plastic parts.
What dimensions did you end up with for the lip?
~roughly 3.5mm height and 1mm deep. I make no claims that's accurate to the filming model, but it looks the part and I didn't want to run the risk of damaging the dome by going much beyond those measurements. If the measurements are off by 0.5mm here or there, I doubt anyone looking at it will be able to see that minuscule difference unless you go at it with some digital calipers..
JimmyB
Member
I don't know about Github, but Joshua Maruska's are on Grabcad.
Aurora SeaLab III Studio Scale Kit Parts
He also provided other parts.
Necronaut
Active Member
I’ve printed some copies of these Maruska GrabCad parts and compared them to my Masterpiece Models resin castings of the SeaLab kit parts and they line up pretty much 100%. I used a few, scaled down, on my MPC X-wing inner wingpits.
**Which sets off a TON of alarm bells as I understand that usually resin casting can result in casted parts shrinkage of 2-3%***
**Which sets off a TON of alarm bells as I understand that usually resin casting can result in casted parts shrinkage of 2-3%***
JimmyB
Member
I believe the slower the resin the less the shrinkage, but I think you're looking at 1% shrinkage with fast resin that has only 30 seconds pot life. Smooth Cast 310 with its 15-20 minute pot life only shrinks by 0.025% (supposedly).
I use smooth cast 300 and 310 depending on what I'm doing and what kind of mold I am using. I see no measurable shrinkage.
I did download and evaluate the sealab STEP files and compared them to measurements of parts from my real kit and found the STEPS to be too small. Length and width were very close, but the thickness was quite a bit too small.
They're also missing details like the little torus' on top of parts 1, 1A, 4, and 4A. And obviously they're missing small things like the part numbers and any small imperfections like sink marks.
At the end of the day I can cast all the sealab parts I need in 1/10th the time it would take me to 3D print them, and they're more accurate.
I'm really trying to keep the 3D printing to just the structural parts. People will complain that it's not a true replica if I 3D Print my internal frame, but these same people are also using LED lighting instead of halogen so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
I did download and evaluate the sealab STEP files and compared them to measurements of parts from my real kit and found the STEPS to be too small. Length and width were very close, but the thickness was quite a bit too small.
They're also missing details like the little torus' on top of parts 1, 1A, 4, and 4A. And obviously they're missing small things like the part numbers and any small imperfections like sink marks.
At the end of the day I can cast all the sealab parts I need in 1/10th the time it would take me to 3D print them, and they're more accurate.
I'm really trying to keep the 3D printing to just the structural parts. People will complain that it's not a true replica if I 3D Print my internal frame, but these same people are also using LED lighting instead of halogen so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
When you accidentally use the source part and can't remove it before you've made a mold of it to make castings...
JimmyB
Member
lol. For future reference, there are two part silicone putties that you can press mold. In the UK we have Gedeo Siligum which is very easy to use.
Finally arrived today. This build involves more time waiting on things to arrive than time actually building. Anyway, it'll be nice to be able to make some progress now.
A question for the little greeblies from these kits that are used on the radar dish, do those parts also get used in other places? I just need to know if I need to cast those parts or not.
A question for the little greeblies from these kits that are used on the radar dish, do those parts also get used in other places? I just need to know if I need to cast those parts or not.
Last edited:
manugu
Well-Known Member
Careful with Stug #D104, if I count right you need 6 on the radar (one a bit hidden) and 3 in one of the big pits. Only 8 in the kit, so you need to cast one eventually.
Where is the 1/48 Panther G used on the radar?
If you are interested, I uploaded a pdf and stp on my google drive with prelim. radar support structure dimensions.
Cheers
m
Sorry, no Panther G on the Radar. I'm also working on the lower port side walk way and there are two Panther G parts there that I haven't found used elsewhere, so I think I'm okay to use those two parts without casting.
Thanks for the info on D104, I'll make a cast for that bit.
Thanks for the info on D104, I'll make a cast for that bit.
manugu
Well-Known Member
here is the little hidden fella, I think it's not charted (best you count yourself again also, just in case):
An RPF Open Source 5 ft Millennium Falcon Build/Reference Thread. All Are Welcome
An RPF Open Source 5 ft Millennium Falcon Build/Reference Thread. All Are Welcome
Well, this is depressing. I paid $120 (including shipping) for a Nichimo Hyuga U-5010 boxing. What they sent me was the U-309 boxing that is missing a full sprue of parts.
So, now I'm out $120 and I have, yet another, kit I have no interest in.
So, now I'm out $120 and I have, yet another, kit I have no interest in.
Last edited:
Yup. The Japanese ship model learning curve is particularly steep, esp. if you at first don't know (as I didn't) that the 30cm models and the 1/600 models are NOT the same scale. So I feel your pain. I also had the misfortune to have friends going to Akihabara Station in Tokyo who went looking for specific model ships for me, and came back with a 1/550 scale Yamato, which they thought was "close enough" to 1/500 and so I had to pay a premium price for that as well, just to reimburse them for the wrong purchase. And then there's the whole "vintage" vs. "later production" learning curve for several of the models, so trust me, you're just beginning to learn to manage the pain that's coming... but most of us are pretty open with our mistakes, so if you PM me (or the other builders who are ahead of me) before committing to a bid or purchase, you'll usually be steered clear of any major future disasters. And you can usually recoup some/most/sometimes all of your money by relisting it on Ebay.
Yeah, there seems to be a lot of scale and off scale variations of the same 5 or 6 ships.
It would be one thing if I'd purchased the wrong thing, but what ticks me off about this is that I'd ordered the correct kit (as far as I know based on the part maps) and was sent a different kit. I've emailed them to see if I can get a refund, but that strikes me as a bit of a stretch. I think I just overpaid for a odd scale model of a ship I'd never heard of until I started this project. Well, if nothing else the little DC motor and its mount can be used in something else.
It would be one thing if I'd purchased the wrong thing, but what ticks me off about this is that I'd ordered the correct kit (as far as I know based on the part maps) and was sent a different kit. I've emailed them to see if I can get a refund, but that strikes me as a bit of a stretch. I think I just overpaid for a odd scale model of a ship I'd never heard of until I started this project. Well, if nothing else the little DC motor and its mount can be used in something else.
