SFXB Forum

..it's been a while but life takes priority whether you like it or not I'm afraid.

One sheet of red acrylic, one belt sander, one heat gun, one 95+ degree garage, and one Saturday afternoon...we try to form the eye piece to fit. Cut the acrylic down to size, heat with the heat gun, press between the 3D printed eye pieces, place in front of a fan to cool.
That gets you the curve, but then you have to cut and sand little by little until it slides in. Pain in the bum!
Cut one too small so had to start all over again. Broke the sanding belt, gave up after a few hours...but we're close. Glad I bought a large sheet so I can afford to make these mistakes.

Thanks for giving us an update on the project here,
You got a really good fit with the red acrylic window over the eyes.
The whole thing looks really nice and smooth.

What's the next step going to be? Is he getting the arms next, or the wing flaps added?

I always find it amazing me how creative and industrious fleeters are.
Even though we do get the fair occasional few models as well as the exhibition in Japan 2 years ago, the vast majority of Star Fleet activity comes from fans' creative projects.

It's great to hear about these things.
When you get the chance, I'd love to hear how this project is progressing a bit further down the line.

Thank you.
With the depth of the hole and the curved dome, it's a royal pain in the bum to get it right.
Felt like a precision carpenter trying to sand it down at the right angle, in the right spot, without taking off too much.

As you can see in the first photo with the piece in close up, I was way off at the base.
The second one, a lot better. But I still took too much off the top so there is a gap
So I'll have to do a third one, or heat the second one up and see if I can flex it into the hole and let it cool in place.
With it being 100+ degrees here right now, using a heat gun in a non-climate controlled garage...you have to be mindful.

As you can see from the photos, the seams and weathering have been added in pencil.
Thanks to the HD scan by another member, I was able to get far more detail from the show.
But I'm being patient and not doing too much detail work until all of the components are in place and how I want them.

I'm still playing around with the antenna and just need to cut and shape the metal before using heatsink to make them all appear one piece.
Cutting into the dome though, I'm being mindful of how to support them from underneath before I start.
I don't want to simply hotglue them into place. I want some kind of foundation beneath so the antenna are solid and stable.
But again, anything supporting from underneath needs to match the interior angle of the dome.

The arms are done, they'll be solid/static (for this version atleast).
The ear flaps/wings are ready to be attached, but again it's the best way to attach them.
The 3D print does print the screw heads, so drilling into those with a thin metal hinge is where I'm headed.
It'll remain in place, but also be moveable at the same time.
However; thin metal + a lot of bending/movement = broken metal. So....

But we're making progress and more will follow soon

I was amazed how good you got the lens for the eyes.
I wonder whether it could use a metal or thick plastic frame: something shaped like a sputnik or a sea-mine inside to hang the arms and legs and antennas off, so that it's not all being supported by the outside shell.

It must be good to still be having a warm summer. It's pretty wet and overcast here in Northumberland.

The arms slide into the holes in the middle ring quite nicely and the shell is a good thickness.
Not indestructible, but plenty strong enough to keep his arms in place.
I'll have some close up images towards the end to give you an idea of what holds this all together.
But the fit is super snug so I'm fine with the arms as-is.

But the idea of something inside in which to 'mount' the antenna is a good idea to help reinforce it.
As I'm using bendable metal (in a black sleeve) for the antenna, soldering the metal to that metal 'sputnik' base would make it super strong.
Heck, I could just keep the bendable metal longer and coil it around on the inside to create that larger base. #Ideas.

As for 'warm summer', I'd be fine with some low 90s every few days. But no...105 in the area today.
Any breeze is like standing next to an exhaust fan, just hot air moving around.
But at least we're out of high risk storm season (April through June) and we have air conditioning
I was back in blighty last month and was NOT dressed for it. It was cold!!!
I'll trade ya!!

Wow, this is superb. Glad to see my upscale has proved helpful with this project

dym2005 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 22, 2024 11:22 am Wow, this is superb. Glad to see my upscale has proved helpful with this project

IMMENSELY!!! Thank you so much.
The more detail I can get, the fewer who can say 'that's not accurate'

..and we're back.
Working on the ears/wings and antenna now.
Using simple aluminum flashing, I was able to create a simple hinge to hold the wings in place. But they're also able to be raised if necessary. The aluminum being molded to the inside curve of the dome also keeps it nice and rigid. 4-40x 3/4" machine screws (while not flat head) work really well size wise. For the antenna, we're still going with the drain snake beat into a ring at the end. Just have to sheath the antenna to cover the base of the ring. But we're getting there.

Hi Tony!
Thanks very much for stopping by,

This is project is getting to a very advanced stage.
I especially like the paint finish. It gives it a very authentic feel.

I have been working on a very modest project in a vaguely similar vein, ready for halloween.

I will post some images on the site in the coming days hopefully.

Late to the party but amazing work so far!

I remain (more than) pleasantly surprised that the show still inspires such devotion and dedication over four decades down the line. For a show who's life was so brief it's quite remarkable really. From the Japanese production through to the English reworking we really did catch lightning in a bottle with this series!

Unfortunately I'm not creative in the slightest so can offer nothing meaningful on that front, but I will be gearing up for another series watch in the new year. At this point I really don't think there will ever be a year where I don't watch it at least once, lol.