I went to see the real deal back in 2019 when it was on tour.
The Plastic Model Building Rant Thread
- Thread starter valkyrie013
- Start date
I went to see the real deal back in 2019 when it was on tour.
Are they as huge as the models make them look?
Far out that thing is big....... I mean really big.
I went to our railway museum and they have nothing like that, but they did have some huge diesels and that is how I felt standing next to one of those, so big and then you go inside see more bigness with the massive engines they have.
There might be another non-working one still in St. Louis and maybe one or two more in museums. 4014 might be the only operational Big-Boy.
That's a shame...
When I was a kid my dad and I built a 36" Revell USS Constitution. That thing was a beast. It had a bunch of string for all the rigging, and a ton of parts.
Hit post before finishing then got a call while editing, took longer than I hoped.
Finally started building THIS DS9 reissue.
What a POS. Time to retire those old molds. The detail is not as sharp as I remember from past issue. And using this clear ABS plastic suxs. "Precision tooled parts"? No. All three lower docking pylons are literally melted and distorted at the docking ring connecting points. Gonna take a lot of fiddling to fit them. Docking pylons halves barely mesh. "Metal display rod included" What? No, and impractical. The same three point base is included as before. Probably more headaches I don't see yet to come.
Good news is the KELDON seems ok, and it included two Defiant and three tiny Rio Grande models. Anyone know what part #30 is? Three of them are included but missing from the instructions. Full windows decal sheet for everywhere will shorten paint times.
Finally started building THIS DS9 reissue.
What a POS. Time to retire those old molds. The detail is not as sharp as I remember from past issue. And using this clear ABS plastic suxs. "Precision tooled parts"? No. All three lower docking pylons are literally melted and distorted at the docking ring connecting points. Gonna take a lot of fiddling to fit them. Docking pylons halves barely mesh. "Metal display rod included" What? No, and impractical. The same three point base is included as before. Probably more headaches I don't see yet to come.
Good news is the KELDON seems ok, and it included two Defiant and three tiny Rio Grande models. Anyone know what part #30 is? Three of them are included but missing from the instructions. Full windows decal sheet for everywhere will shorten paint times.
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I had a small Polar Lights USS Discovery and had lots of problems with parts not lining up as you'd expect and it was too much trouble to fix and get right.
Lower half of the Runabouts.
I got 2 kits, and am going to be trying some crazy build tricks so we'll see...
Oh, <slaps forehead> duh. Thanks!
Build Update. I got the lower 3 pylons connected to each outer ring segment and sitting straight on the stand. The inner ring clicks perfectly into place upon the spokes!
I used small flat head screws to attach them to the ring segments, easily removable for storage in box later. Painted over they are hardly visible. Will do the same for upper pylons.
I hatched a couple plans to connect the 3 outer docking ring segments for display but easily removable for storage. One simple idea has short dowel segments inserted, and that works well enough for display.
Another idea I am considering: magnetic jewelry clasps glue gunned into place at each segment connecter point. The openings are not the same size but I found correctly sized magnet clasps for each opening for very cheap.
That is going to be a task, though. Aligning the magnetic clasps with glue gun into the correct position for the clasps to fully engage. Could get messy. Also, the clasps are small and may not hold together under gravity so maybe the dowels are back on the drawing board.
Thoughts are welcome!
Hobby/craft stores should have all sizes of magnets.
Could try to join up with some pva glue, modge podge works for me. You can glue it, but if you need to move, it can be taken apart without destroying it. Takes awhile to dry so tape it together and leave it overnight. What I use to glue missles etc that break off easily.
Yeah polar lights use the cheapest Chinese plastic manufacturer.. So it's passable but utter crap compared to a bandai, tamiya.
Could try to join up with some pva glue, modge podge works for me. You can glue it, but if you need to move, it can be taken apart without destroying it. Takes awhile to dry so tape it together and leave it overnight. What I use to glue missles etc that break off easily.
Yeah polar lights use the cheapest Chinese plastic manufacturer.. So it's passable but utter crap compared to a bandai, tamiya.
So the magnet idea totally bombed. I was able to position them with hot glue into position they would click together, but assembled and under gravity they folded like a house of cards. The dowels still work great though to hold the ring segments together. Here is the model finished. https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/model-kit-building.310034/
Learning that Atlantis Models acquired the license and reissued this kit...
Godzilla, originally released by Aurora, circa 1964
...I gave into a wave of nostalgia and bought the kit the other week. I originally built it around 1975, maybe '76 and it was my only item of Godzilla memorabilia until the late 90s, possibly early 2000s. Once assembled (but not glued to the display base), I'd stage it with my "HO" scale electric train set I had in the garage. I'd simulate his "atomic breath" by nicking an aerosol can of "Brut" deodorant from my father's bathroom. Funny thing is, I lamented it did not look like fire, not realizing the dense powdery "fog" the can expelled was very close to what was depicted in the Showa era films because I had not yet actually seen a Godzilla movie as of early '76.
Now, I have a few different SH Monster Arts and NECA brand Goji action figures which are far more screen accurate than the Aurora kit, the model "vaguely" based upon the costume used in "King Kong vs. Godzilla" which debuted in 1962. Again, I grabbed this to recapture a memory of my childhood. I intend to paint it charcoal grey as opposed to green as shown on the box art.
Godzilla, originally released by Aurora, circa 1964
...I gave into a wave of nostalgia and bought the kit the other week. I originally built it around 1975, maybe '76 and it was my only item of Godzilla memorabilia until the late 90s, possibly early 2000s. Once assembled (but not glued to the display base), I'd stage it with my "HO" scale electric train set I had in the garage. I'd simulate his "atomic breath" by nicking an aerosol can of "Brut" deodorant from my father's bathroom. Funny thing is, I lamented it did not look like fire, not realizing the dense powdery "fog" the can expelled was very close to what was depicted in the Showa era films because I had not yet actually seen a Godzilla movie as of early '76.
Now, I have a few different SH Monster Arts and NECA brand Goji action figures which are far more screen accurate than the Aurora kit, the model "vaguely" based upon the costume used in "King Kong vs. Godzilla" which debuted in 1962. Again, I grabbed this to recapture a memory of my childhood. I intend to paint it charcoal grey as opposed to green as shown on the box art.
Oh hey someone here might find this interesting hey @oberth
https://www.fabgearusa.com/star-trek-uss-grissom-1-350-scale-from-polar-lights-the-search-for-spock/
https://www.fabgearusa.com/star-trek-uss-grissom-1-350-scale-from-polar-lights-the-search-for-spock/
thx, but i quit model building 40 years ago
Hey it's the thought that counts. Saw the ad and thought of your username ....
So is the bottom pod full of crew as well? How do they travel to the saucer?
that's why i thanked you for it - i have no idea, my username is a referrence to hermann oberth, the dude the class is named for
