jRatz: Sci-Fi "Submersible" aka Fish

[MerlinJones]

And that's why my starships don't light up!

Regards,
Bruce

[SJPONeill]

LEDs for numpties (like me)...this might be an idea...https://www.monstersinmotion.com/cart/s ... it-p-16844;

[JohnRatzenberger]

John, a stupid question, as you play with RC models, I presume you know the LED’s are polarized.
I have also found it useful to put a metal crocodile clip on the LED lead in-between the top and where you solder as a heat trap.

Bruce – heat shrink tubing, commonly used in electrics, is a nylon or polyolefin tubing, which when gently heated will shrink and contract. It will normally shrink to ½ its original diameter. Comes in different wall thicknesses and diameters and is flexible.

Alan………..

Alan, no problem -- long prong positive, short prong ground -- I think that in fact I may have crossed hands on the 2nd try. I also use clips as a heat sink but I was working close to the bulb and got a bit rough.

Bruce, heat shrink is used to cover bare wire; much cleaner, and for R/C use, lighter, than electric tape.

I took another day off from soldering, other things going on ....

[JohnRatzenberger]

An LED is installed and working !!!! I went with a 3mm yellow, seems tobe the effect I want. Time to start interior paint. Should have some pix tomorrow.

[JohnRatzenberger]

Pix, but not much other progress ....

Here's the LED in, lit, and with the head on .... looks like a proper glow ....








I never got to painting the interior, but I got a start ... here's the faces of the gauges, they are photo-etch. I sprayed them with Tamiya SG Black from the rattle-can, then when dry, I gently sanded the paint off the raised portions ....




Hopefully I'll get more into the cockpit tomorrow ....

[SJPONeill]

Those gauges look primo!! And from such a simple technique...

[MerlinJones]

Wow!

[PaulBradley]

Very cool, John! PE dials - what a good idea for these larger scales.

[JamesPerrin]

Simple but top results!

[montessa315]

Glad you got the LED working. That glow will be great once the internals are painted.
Great job with the dials, look true antiques.


Alan............

[JohnRatzenberger]

I have started decorating the interior. After I started I realized I probably should have painted the exterior first. Oh well, a test of masking skills later .... Anyway, I'm painting each color (tarnished black(pipe,fittings), copper(pipe), brass(fittings)) to get good coverage then I'll go back and fix up the messy parts, with the white being last and hardest. An iterative process that should take months at my pace and fumbling hands.



I should say that I am sorta following the kit scheme except that I've swapped out some brass for tarnished black. And, oh yes, there is also the wood, to which I need some grain added ....

You'll probably several more iterations over the next few days -- most likely nothing will happen tomorrow.

[montessa315]

That cockpit is coming along great. Beautiful colours.


Alan.............

[smethwick]

awesome....looking very cool

[shangos70]

Fantastic stuff.

[JohnRatzenberger]

I am doing interior paint, and the drive mechanism, getting close ... pix when it's final, hopefully Monday evening depending on how well the white paint touches up ....

I also decided to modify the windows/eyes. If you see earlier pix, the glass has its own frame which sits atop the frame on the head -- looks funny to me (and the bolts don't align), so I sanded down the frame on the head and the glass frame will "bolt" directly to the head.

I lost track of days, thought we had one more ... but I see we have a slight extension ....