Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

If a solution were offered, would there even be a way to implement it? None of us have any access to the backdoor stuff, and while I'm able to get help to fix the SQL issues, there's no way to implement any suggested fixes. But the frustrating thing is, this is a fixable issue...

Yeah, it seems like a progressive issue that keeps getting worse with the server. 500 Error means difficulty in communicating with the servers, so there's something going on server-side that requires maintenance, and the previous errors in posting were being caused by sever-side issues according to ...

Hm. Perhaps I should try spraying it. I only tried dipping them.

So I heard that Quick Shine is a good replacement for Future for dipping canopies after sanding and polishing them. I bought some last night and it seems cloudy and not quite the same as Future, and when I tried it on a spare canopy and vacuformed canopy, it beaded up on the sanded surface and made ...

Well, the main problem I was trying to solve was not the "hotness" of the solution, but rather the tendency for decals to sometimes move when I brush it on, even when I use a soft bristle brush. When this happens, it's a disaster because I often don't have enough time to push it back into ...

I was struck with the notion to do this in order to apply Solv-a-set to a decal without disturbing it, and it works pretty well for the few that I've used it on, but I was wondering if anyone else has tried this and if there were any issues that this might potentially cause before I go ham on some w...

Thank you! I can feel my Google-fu growing stronger!

Okay, so I've seen these green, linear LED modules/components in flashlights and electronic lanterns that would be very useful for lighting up bar-style engines and starship interiors, but I can't seem to find a combination of search terms that will allow me to find the naked component online. I don...

Scribing on a plane is easy. I can do it in my sleep. But I swear, whenever I try to scribe on a curved surface, it turns into an exercise in frustration that ends up with lines that are not straight, not parallel, too deep, etc. I have tried so many ideas to get a good scribe on a curved surface, a...

Dang, I remember back in "the old days" of 2001, I was just a dumb kid looking for modelmaking stuff online, and stumbled on the main site when looking for information on how to build Star Wars kits and being so inspired by the articles written up there and the reader's gallery! I still lo...

I'm using these to light up the 2500 Enterprise D. Bit of advice. Use thin wire, unless you are a soldering grand master, as the terminals are only a few millimetres in length and is very fiddly. Speaking as someone who does this for a living, thin wire would be a mistake. Use thicker wire (prolly ...

I'm using these to light up the 2500 Enterprise D. Bit of advice. Use thin wire, unless you are a soldering grand master, as the terminals are only a few millimetres in length and is very fiddly. Speaking as someone who does this for a living, thin wire would be a mistake. Use thicker wire (prolly ...

I genuinely don't know what to do about it. Vallejo just seems hit or miss, and mostly miss.

I have been trying to get used to Vallejo acrylics for a while now since apparently the world is moving away from enamels and lacquers, and I am thoroughly disappointed by them. I can't get this stuff to cover properly when I hand-paint with it no matter how many coats I apply (no, I'm not using the...

These chips are so useful to anyone who isn't good at programming (like me) that I feel like it needs an entire article on the main site, or at least a pinned comment... But in any case, I was experimenting with a 555 timer for my USS Grissom kit, and while a 470uF capacitor wouldn't allow the circu...

Ahhhhh, memories... I remember being young and wanting to use Ask.com (before I started using The Goog) to look up sites of starship models. I remember trying to find inspiration and seeing a few suggestions pop up, one of which was the main SSM website. I clicked on it and started reading the artic...

I actually built the 1:350 NX-01 with SMD lights for floods. They worked really well in dim light for me, though they were rather finicky to fit.

Looks fantastic so far!

*snip* How many hundreds of hours of work, all that? Never again. He says. Well, at least for a while... Had a question pop into my mind. I was wondering what method you use to transfer the pattern to the brass? I've been using PCB etching paper, the kind that you print the pattern on with a laser ...

I going to copy all that down into a Word document! That's brilliant!

One diorama that's been in the back of my mind for the last ten years is making a section of Kuat Drive Yards with a Venator, Acclamator, and Imperial Star Destroyer all in various stages of refit or construction, with the Imperial class being launched from its drydock. It would have a little supply...

I just had an opportunity to try Vallejo paint and I'm struck by how easily I was able to scrape it off the plastic of the model I'm working on. I did not use a primer; it was overspray from the cockpit and I scraped it with my fingernail out of curiosity to see how it compared to enamel. It came of...

I don't know exactly what you're describing there, but if you're saying that you're leaving the metal for a longer time in a weaker solution, you don't want to do that. When I etch, the weaker the solution gets, the longer it takes to etch through, and the resulting etch itself isn't of the crispes...

I already have a bottle of PCB etchant on its way here, I just wanted to know what could have caused the reaction I got. It's so weird.

Y'know, since the Arduino can only power a max of 10 LEDs, what I would do is give it two outputs for the formation lights and anti-collision strobes, and three or four for the "lava lamp" effect in the Bussard collectors. Then the rest of the lights can just be powered off mains.

So I bought some ferric chloride on eBay thinking it was a solution. But when I got it in the mail, it turned out to be the powdered form. Luckily all you need to do is mix it in warm water, so I did that. But it turned out I used too much water and so the solution was weaker than I needed. No probl...

At 1:144, I wouldn't bother with getting anything specific. Just get some finely grooved styrene sheet and cut your panels out of that. It'll look perfect at that scale.

Rocketeer wrote: ↑Wed Sep 02, 2020 10:34 pmI'm obviously not reading the thread closely enough.

No worries, I do that, too!

Perhaps a mild acid, like white vinegar? Bleach seemed to work really well, until I discovered that it left a white residue which is being very stubborn. The Clorox website suggests using vinegar to get rid of it, but so far after several days of soaking the vinegar hasn't touched it. Whenever I sc...

Yeah, I should probably try that. XD I just need to get one!