The Madhatter Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 (edited) hi all The Pegasus has gone on hold for a little while as the Sci-Fi Group Build that's happening on another site has begun. For those not familiar with Space Battleship Yamato, The Domelaze (the third!...) is the largest combat vessel in the bad guy's force. It's a large 730 meters long beast of a ship. The only thing I don't like that much about it is the nose. It looks too much like a shaver - and no matter how hard I try to by pass that - I just get hung on that. So I am thinking of ways to reshape the front part. I'm thinking of maybe cutting the tip off and putting an antenna array there? I have made a start on my entry by hacking away at it - and not just at the model. I'm getting all the spaces sorted out and stabbing myself with the scriber at the same time. Good start.... :) Here is the bottom body plate and not that you can see it all that well, but I've dug out the space between those vents. I'm thinking of sticking an SMD in behind there and having it so light emits from the vent spaces. Not screen accurate I know, but I've decided to go all out on detailing this, so by the time I'm finished, it won't look like the one on screen (well, it'll retain it's basic shape but I intend to add a fair amount of surface detail to it. As much as I don't like the term "greeblify" but it does describe what I'm going for - although I really love the term "Borgify") I have carved out the following areas and in all of them I will add some machinery and piping etc to add interest and I am currently in the process of carving out the grills so that will enable you to see it all. In the middle of the ship there, I am also thinking of having some kind of ambient lighting in there - just for interest - however, again, it'd be going very much against the screen version. part 2 coming up Edited June 1, 2015 by The Madhatter Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Madhatter Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 Part 2: This is the back of the neck. I have cut out the sides on the fins here so they look separate as opposed to molded together. The back end begins to get it's spaces sorted out ready for lighting. It's very cramped for space despite the overall size of the ship. So that's a days worth of work with more to come. Well, that's all so far. Thanks for looking :)/> MH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MattP Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 I really LOVE watching your progress!!! MattP Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Madhatter Posted March 4, 2015 Author Share Posted March 4, 2015 Thanks Matt I have been busy doing something on this - although it appears there is not much to show. I have done 1 of the side grills. When I say done, I mean removing all the plastic from the space in between each grill/plate/slat/whatever with a drill and a file. Very time consuming. It took me probably 2 hours just to do one side. Not looking forward to the other. I have also put together the basic parts of the machinery wall that sits behind the grills on the top of the ship. I'll add more lumps and bumps and pipes etc to it later tonight. you won't see much once the grills sit over them anyway The rear upper engine lights are installed and actually work! I'm going back to basic this time round. As soon as I start trying to go all fancy with plugs and computers is when the fun stops and so do the lights.... I have also scribed the lines in the engine exhaust tubes. They had raised lines on them but when you shine light down them they cast weird shadows, so it's better to sand them off but not before tracing the outside lines with a scriber. Speaking of scribing, I have also scribed in some missing panel lines. I've spent a while watching stills (yeah I know - kinda contradictory to what I'm actually doing with it) and have added in some I saw that aren't on the model. I've not really scribed anything before now, so it's worked out OK. Some are nice neat and tidy and others.....hmmm - not so much part 2 in a minute Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Madhatter Posted March 4, 2015 Author Share Posted March 4, 2015 And last but not least, I have made a solution to the dilemma I have every time I want to add detail but need to buy yet ANOTHER ship kit just for parts. I have taken a mold of some of the parts I use the most often or I think I will use a lot of and only have one of them. I will make another mold once I have gone through all of the frames I have and pick out items to reproduce for myself. This will save me a LOT of money :)/> Well, that's all for this update. I'll a update again soon once I have actually done something more on it thanks for looking MH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Madhatter Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 Greetings all Just a short update. I have finished 2 of the machine walls that sit behind the grills on the top of the ship. I still have to make the 2 narrow ones but they'll be easier to do as they're smaller and won't take as long I've also been doing other things like drilling out and cleaning up the spaces in between the grill slats - but that really isn't worth taking pictures of just yet (a bit boring) Once I've actually accomplished something, I 'll post again Thanks for looking MH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Madhatter Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 I have done some more on this and I even have the front end almost fully together. However, I am putting off the nose until I can fully decide on what to put there. Currently, I am thinking of cutting off the very front panel where it triangulates at the front but leaving the sides as pointed and in place of the whole front section have a full on antenna array? Not sure. I would use telescoping brass tube and all sorts of things to busy it up - but then I will be way outside what's on the screen - and TBH, I am not sure if that maintains a priority. I'm in 2 minds about it. What else have I done? the engine exhaust tubes (or what ever you want to call them) are painted. Ii need to fix 1 up though as I bodged the scribing on it. 1 out of 8 isn't to bad....at least that's what I keep telling myself :) Here's the front section almost all done up: And I have painted the machine walls. Excuse the pictures - they really highlight some sloppy paint work. Good thing you won't be able to see it much once they're installed Well, that's it for now. I'm going to club night tonight, so I will slog on with finishing up the grills etc Till then, Thanks for looking MH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dylan Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 I love watching these come together Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Madhatter Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 thanks bud - glad your enjoying it :) MH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Madhatter Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 I've been thinking very hard about the front section. lately and I still can't commit to an idea. I am seriously thinking a few large antennas/prongs might be the way to go, but because I have no way other than simplistic drawings to use as a visual aide, it's hard for me to set in concrete. or glue as the case may be. It won't look anything like the screen ship if I do this and I'm sure it'll peeve off a few hardcore SBY fans too - not that that is a major hurdle if I think about it. I shall ponder even longer - although I had better shift up a few gears if I am to finish this in the allotted time! Here is where I am at currently. The machinery walls have been glued in place and so have the grills. I am quite happy with how they've turned out. The rear ones have been made and the first coat of paint has been applied. I just returned from Jcar electronics and picked up a suitable plug and socket to allow me to join the 2 halves of the ship together (front and back) and I will wire those in today/tonight. I have yet to make a solid start on the machinery in the main central intakes but I hope to kick that off soon. Once that's done, I can finish of the internal electrics (which fortunately will be kept very simple - just like me) and I'll try to finish off the engines tonight as well. Once that's all done, I'll start work on the exterior and then the bridge. I am going to borrow Doro-what's his name's bridge idea and create an actual bridge. I have some 1/700 figures around somewhere. Well, that's it for now. Once I've some something worth taking pics of, I shall update again Thanks for looking MH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aigore Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Sweet! :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scorvi Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Top notch work as usual! Never liked the ship but I like what you are doing with it! I have a 3 decker Gam Carrier on the table I hope to post some photos when done. Love to do some lighting but perhaps you could list materials and a little more on how to do your lighting so I can shamelessly copy it for my builds!? My biggest question is the power sources everyone uses...12V does NOT work for me can you get battery pack sources to run these lights and perhaps the boards?? How do you program the boards BTW??? Steve, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Madhatter Posted March 18, 2015 Author Share Posted March 18, 2015 (edited) Hi Steve and thanks Janne ;) Steve, you can use a battery pack to run a lighting system, but the draw back to that is you have to change the batteries quite often if you run the lights on a regular basis. Plus, you need to find somewhere to hide the battery pack inside the model and also, be able to take it out and be able to change them. This is why I run off mains power. I learnt this the hard way from when I had my Venator on display at the Melbourne Model Expo in 2012 and it ran out of battery 2 hours after it all started - so the lights weren't working which cost me some points. Using a mains power connector is no different than using a battery pack - just different resistors. It's easy to wire up a connector jack (red on the inside prong and black on the outside). You can get power plugs that convert 12v to 9v. As for boards - I assume you mean the Arduino boards that are used to program PIC controllers that allow for different lighting effects. I am yet to master or even understand the code used to do this - which is why, if I need a board programmed, I ask a mate of mine in the UK to do it for me :) I have a page or 3 of coding that I look at occasionally and it's complete gobbledy gook to me. However, there are forums that can be of help when it comes to programming these boards but as it's been pointed out to me, they prefer it if you have a go for yourself first - which is completely understandable. I also have the Balgray carrier to build (the last of the 2199 ships I have) and I also intend to detail and light that one eventually - after I have completed a few other projects first ;)/> The materials you need for a basic lighting system are Fiber Optic threads, LED's/SMD's (for small spaces), wire (AWG 30 is good : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_wire_gauge ) a wire wrapping tool if you don't want to solder, heat shrink tube and patience. I also use other bits and bobs to create plugs if the model is modulated, like the Domelaze is, by using PC ribbon connectors with a leg of an LED soldered across each row (I'll take some pics of all this later so you can visualize what it is I'm going on about) and some power plugs, jacks etc. All this stuff you can get at most decent electronics shops like J-Car in Oz and Radio-Shack in the US I have to get back to work now, but I'll post a few pics later of the tools I use for my lighting. Be warned though - I am no expert when it comes to lighting - in fact, I pretty much fudge my way through and it can turn out pretty rough - but it works. MH (edit: bad spelling! - not cool) Edited March 19, 2015 by The Madhatter Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Madhatter Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 As promised, here are some pics of the tools that I use for lighting. First up is an overall shot of most of the bits and bobs used if I don't solder -which is hardly ever. Clockwise from top working downward: Wrapping wire (red and Blue) Wire wrapping tool Not sure what that line of pins are actually called, but they are the plugs I use 3 and 5mm LED's Power socket Plug for socket Assorted sized Fiber Optic threads 2 sizes of SMD's resistors assorted switches PC ribbon connectors As you can see in the next picture, I would lay down an off-cut of LED leg across the back of the metal on the ribbon connector and solder it on. Repeat for the other side. This allows electricity to pass through the entire one side so you can have as many plugs in the connector as you can fit. I keep one socket free to connect the power to it Above the connectors of various sizes are the plug and power socket. Red on the inside (short) and black/blue on the outside (long) This picture shows some of the various kinds of switches you can use. The best thing about this part is you only run the positive wire to this from the battery/source and then to the rest of the circuit This picture shows you a close up of the wire wrapping tool. You feed the wire you want to wrap into the end of the long part of it, place tat over the connector and twist it. The wore then wraps itself around the connector so you don't actually need to solder it. I do because it ensures the wire stays on there - which it would if it doesn't move, especially when it's inside. Just below the pin plugs, you can see 2 of the sizes of SMD's I have. The big one is 2 x 1.25mm (0805) and the small one is 0.6 x 0.3mm (0201) Here are 3 examples of various Fiber Optic thread you can get. I use a lot of the 64 strand but I also use 32 strand Lastly, the wire - in this case AWG 30. Putting a section of heat shrink tube over an LED stops light leakage. There, you would feed the fiber optic threads into the squashed end of the tube which inevitably holds it there. To secure the fibers in place, I have stopped using ca and started using PVA. It dries clear and is a lot more flexible than CA and doesn't make the fibers brittle I hope the above has helped you in some way. If you or anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer it. Here's a couple of pics of where I am up to with the actual ship. A lot of time has been spent sorting out the base and working out how I was actually going to get power into the ship. I found this combination power socket and switch in Jcar the other day and thought it was quite nifty: I've run out of picture space, so I'll post the others in a second Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Madhatter Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 Part 2 Well, that's it. Will post more once I have actually done something :) Till then MH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scorvi Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Thank you for taking the time it is much appreciated. I will try some. I did light the Polmeira Gam. cruiser a while back I did it really simply with a 3 volt cr4032 battery and simple lights. THE switch is in the base. I need to get some tools. It is a shame that Radio Shack is out of business since it was a good source for all this stuff? Those Arduino boards intrigue me I need to find someone to program them for me??? If you know a good online source for this stuff please email it to me: scorvi@verizon.net BTW my fathers first name is Arduino (he was born and raised in Italy) Steve I am in the USA Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MattP Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 After seeing so many of your builds, your house must look like a historic Sci-Fi starship display. Your builds (THIS included) are AMAZING!!! Thanks for sharing your artwork! MattP Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Madhatter Posted March 28, 2015 Author Share Posted March 28, 2015 thanks for your appreciation Matt I am sorry I haven't updated this thread that much lately - I have done some work on it, but it's all been boring stuff that hasn't warranted pictures (like electrical work etc) I have built the bridge component including lights etc, but just not uploaded the pictures yet. Once I've done some more work on it, I'll upload a batch and post them. Thanks again for your interest :) MH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Madhatter Posted April 3, 2015 Author Share Posted April 3, 2015 greetings everyone Well, it's been a while since I last posted an update and TBH, I haven't really done a hell of a lot due to major changes at work and in life blah blah blah..... So what have I done? Well, I made the interior of the bridge including a few 1/800 figures just to add some interest. It's lit (and it works this time!) and is all glued up. I've run a wash over the panels ready for painting. The wires run through the neck and into the main body - which took a fair amount of working out. I also added a tail fin of sorts because I thought it looked cool. I have also begun detailing the upper surface. I should really be detailing the center intake section first, but I am still working out what I am going to put in there and I keep coming up against stone walls (so to speak), so I have moved on to the surfaces. this is how I will connect power to the ship from the stand - nothing amazing but it works: I have also spent an inordinate amount of time trying to come up with a different style nose as I just don't like the shaver front. However, I am stuck trying to figure a way of casting it and even emailed Bandai asking for a replacement nose piece so that if I do screw it up, I always have the original to replace it with. However, they have not gotten back to me at all and I am not sure I had the right email address to start with. If anyone knows what it is, please let me know. This is a really rough drawing of what I had in mind (please bear in mind that art is not my strong suit). If I go ahead with this, I will reduce the length of the main probes to just 2 sections from 3 Well, that's it for now. I should hopefully have something better to show for my time next update. Any thoughts, ideas, critique and so on are always welcomed thanks for looking MH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Madhatter Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 greetings I have been working on this over the past couple of days - on and off, and here is what I have to show for my time - which doesn't appear to be much, but trust me, cutting tiny bits of strip styrene takes time (well, for me it does - but then I work with a razor blade and no chopper) Comparing apples and oranges: Well, that's all for now. I'll be back again with another update soon See you then and thanks for looking MH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aigore Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Mmmmmm......yummie indeed! It's fantastic watching your starships take form! Hats off dude! :D Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Madhatter Posted April 9, 2015 Author Share Posted April 9, 2015 thanks Janne I have spent more time on this over the past couple of days, so I should have an update at the end of this week or Monday (most likely). Lots of detail to follow :D Si Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mikkod Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Oh...Great work...gotta love your building topics. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Madhatter Posted April 12, 2015 Author Share Posted April 12, 2015 Thank you Mikkod Well, I have pretty much finished detailing the surface of top hull plate and am getting ready to move onto the bottom half. I still haven't even started the central intakes yet, but I'll do that once I've done the bottom I've tried to keep machinery to a minimum and have instead gone for paneling that I thought would look good. I've been using that ultra thin plastic strip from Hobby Base (JP) - the grey plastic. It's just about as thin as paper if not the same. Great for adding subtle texture without really standing out loud and proud which means the white Evergreen strip is quite thick in comparison which makes for better detailing. I like a busy surface without it being to OTT like I've seen on some builds over time (and if I'm honest with myself, my own included) Once the paint goes on, none of it will be too obvious Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Madhatter Posted April 12, 2015 Author Share Posted April 12, 2015 part 2 Well, that's everything so far. Let me know what you think -good - OK - a bit too much - why the hell are you "Borgifying" such nice sleek lines like that? and so on... Thanks for looking MH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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