Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

What is the bonding strength of Apoxie Sculpt? I have to realign a nacelle on my 33 inch PL Enterprise. The nacelle is attatched, but I have cut a 1/32 inch channel on both sides of the pylon near its base so I can realign it (The channel does not cut all the way through the pylon). Now I need somet...

TER-OR wrote:If you can't find it locally, the SSM store sells it.

Just bought a pound of the good stuff from the SSM store. Will note how it turns out in the forums.

I just threw out my tube of Squadron putty, of which I am ashamed to say I used half of. Now in search of a local source of AVES. More news later . . .

While I agree that a breakable model is a hazard, so too is a lamp, an aquarium, xmas trees, and many pieces of electronic art -- all running on 120 volts, all breakable. So as a piece of electronic pop art, I do not see the rationale for excluding 120 volts as a source.

Could a string of xmas LEDs be rewired to prevent a single bulb failure form cutting power to the whole string? See the attached diagram , where an xmas light string is turned into a single loop, with two connecting wires branching off the loop for each blub. Keep in mind that I have zero wiring kno...

tetsujin wrote:Never understood why anybody would want to go buy a string of "white" christmas LEDs just to cut them up, and hopefully pull them apart sufficiently just to get their hands on 30 or so blue LEDs...

That is not what I get nor what I am doing . . .

brt wrote:Are the pink domes on the LEDs removable?

Yes, I just discoveredso this morning. This still leaves the very bulky plastic molding below the bulb in which the wires are buried. I will be able to sand and cut this down quite a bit but not enough.

I was told by someone else that each bulb had an internal bypass, but that must be the function of the third wire. The third wire is there JUST to supply power to the extension cord function. And yes, the bubs do have a shunt for when a bulb goes out. But, they almost never work. Hey! What to you w...

There are some very narrow sections at the rear of the shuttle bay in which I would like to insert some lights. The xmas lights are much to big, even after wittling away unneeded plastic. Forgive my extreme ignorance here, but given the LED string's specs -- 120V, 60 Hz, 0.02A. -- I assume that I co...

Drat, I should have thought to test that before sealing the saucer... I just smashed one light in the series and yes, the whole string went dark. I was told by someone else that each bulb had an internal bypass, but that must be the function of the third wire. Oh well, the lights are rated for three...

These LEDs are 35 in one string. The listed specs are: 120V, 60 Hz, 0.02A. 2W. Each string of 35 lights totals 2 watts. The strings may be joined together for a total of 420 or so watts. As I only need about 120 lights I will not come close to the allowable limit here. After brief experimentation an...

But which one do I cut? The red one or the blue one? Red? Blue? Red? Blue? Tick tick tick . . .

I pose this question, in a rather muddled way, via video. What is the purpose of the 'third' wire in a typical string of outdoor LED xmas lights?

A video and images that document the interior installation of off-the-shelf Christmas LEDs in the Polar Lights 1/350 Enterprise.

I'll pick up the Tamiya tape and toss the Green tape in my general tool box.

Thanks for explaining why (thinner) -- nothing helps more than 'why'.

I used Painter's Mate Green tape.

I took a shot at aztecing my 18 inch AMT TOS Enterprise. From a distance it looks fine, but up close in the glare of the light it looks like it has seen many battles -- scrapes from my fingernail (from removing the tape bits), and many ridges from the second coat. Will the fine marring from fingerna...

Thank you all for your helpful replies. I went ahead and sanded the seam with a 80 grit, which took out most of my errors and eliminated the worst of the seam. I probably should have then reapplied putty, but wanted to see how things would turn out.

Results proved ok for my present purposes.

My first attempt at seam filling with putty was an abject failure. Sanded most of the putty off and the seam showed through the prime coat. Question: Do I need to sand off the prime coat (of Krylon Fusion spray) before reapplying a new layer of putty to cover the seams? See video and pictures here ....

Depends-- have you washed it with any detergent to remove oils from the manufacturing process (and your fingers)? Usually just washing the bare plastic will get it ready for primer. A good primer for styrene would be lacquer-based, so it'll etch itself into the surface and provide good "tooth&...

Is it best to lightly sand the entire surface of a styrene model before priming?

If yes, what grade of sandpaper is best for this?

Here is the model in question.

Thank you,

Thank you for the replies.

There are two videos, part one and part two, from my Star Trek Model blog that document what I did.

I am about to glue the two halves of the saucer from the AMT 18 inch Enterprise kit and am concerned about the 'time-to-dry' on a seam that is over a linear foot. My concern is that under-application of a glue (I have on hand Tenax 7R and Ambroid pro-weld) will lead to the beginning point drying out...

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