Supanova 2018 Sci fi model display

Supanova 2018 Perth Western Australia

Here's some pics from the show starting with my stuff.

Then a sample of models from other modellers starting with some fantastic kitbashed vehicles all at 1/16th scale,

A flawlessly painted resin kit of the Gunstar. This model had a lot of interest from people who fondly remembered the film, The Last Starfighter.

Next up is some terrific studio scale Space 1999 resin kits.

And followed up by Star wars models. The Falcon is a modified Hasbro toy, the Darth Vader Tie Fighter is studio scale as is the Slave One.

The studio scale gun turret was fully motorised with gun traverse and elevation as well as recoil effects all synced to led flashes and sound effects and triggered by remote control. This was a definite crowd pleaser.

A resin kit Blockade runner, another crowd pleaser due to the detailed and lit interior with scale figures.

Studio scale X wing and Y wing.

Studio scale Snow Speeder has arduino controlled flaps.

Medical Frigate.

A work in progress three meter long Star destroyer was another "big" attention getter.

One thing I learned about my own models is the general public generally likes something they recognise, the models from existing franchises get the most attention. Many look at my models and rightly struggle to guess what show they are from, being a little surprised when advised that I just made them up from my own imagination. There were also a small number of people that appreciated the original nature of my designs and that was very gratifying.

Reverse Trike Part 4 Finished

The Reverse Trike project is the third model in this latest push that has now been completed and just in time for the setting up the Supanova display tomorrow (Friday 22 June 2018).

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

It wasn't easy going either, the low tack masking was lifting the top colour from the primer which meant I had to do repairs on the paint job which was a real nuisance. I solved the problem by using a hair dryer to heat the masking tape as I slowly peeled it off after spraying the decorative markings. I'm not sure what caused the top coat to be so fragile in the first place, probably putting on one thick coat in the first place instead of lot of light coats. The trouble being that I was in a hurry to get it done in time.

I took all the photos of the finished vehicle and then decided to test out the radio control aspects, which all worked fine. After the test outside in the driveway I returned it to the bench and then stupidly turned off the transmitter first (which you should never do). It sat there quietly while I went to do something else and then suddenly when into full throttle, flew of the bench, bounced off some saw horses and hit the ground snapping off part of the right fender where the headlight is attached. Much groaning ensued and then I had to set to and do a hasty repair and repaint of the damaged area. It doesn't quite look as good as new but it is going to have to suffice.

Here are the photos of the completed project taken before the damage.

Three projects brought to completion in 2 weeks, that's got to be a record for me. I'm actually a bit knackered but I do enjoy being in the shed.
Posts will probably get back to being more infrequent again as my holidays are nearly over and I dont have the Supanova display deadline looming any more.
My priority is to continue finalising old projects with one of the oldest vehicle projects in much the same state of completion as the Explorer was. I may also then return to one of the spaceship projects as I haven't finished one of those in a while.

Thanks for looking.
More soon...

Explorer part 6

Finally after over 5 years this project is finished. Most of that time it was just sitting there, the last time I did any major work on it was 2014. All it needed was a cockpit and a paint job and finally it has both bringing it to a better late than never conclusion.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

I had always planned for it to have a predominantly NASA white colour scheme and I ended up going for a cream off white colour which was then heavily weathered in the usual way with one exception. This time  after the poo juice and white dry brushing I brushed clay powder over it, getting it to gather on horizontal crevices and then spraying it with iso-propyl alcohol to set it in place. I suspect it could be easily wiped off again but for now it is doing the job imparting a realistic dusty appearance.

 

The lighting is working better than I expected, particularly the cabin interior light coming from the control console. It really lights up the occupants well. I also took some photos at night with all the room lighting out so the figures are just lit from the model's own light.

If you have followed along with this project from the start the main issue has been the weight of the scratch built body. I used a lot of plywood in the structure. Now five years on I would do it differently, choosing foamed pvc sheet or even high impact styrene which can be built a lot lighter and it's easier to prime as there is no grain. The weight gain at the front once the cockpit was added meant I had to add a second extension spring to each side of the suspension arms to hold it up without sagging.

I've got one more model I would like to complete before Supanova, the Reverse Trike. I'm not sure I'm going to make it as I am having some difficulty with the low-tack masking tape ripping the top coat off the primer, which is a new one for me, usually if the tape is going to lift the paint it takes the top coat and primer leaving the bare plastic surface. The other problem is the wet winter weather here at the moment is not conducive to painting at all.

Thanks to all the readers who have stayed with this project from the beginning, its been a marathon.
Thanks for looking, more soon...