"Neat Seminar" for 2015 IPMS Nationals....I'm just saying.

I will be giving my first ever demonstration at the 2015 IPMS Nationals: 

 

It should be "fun" and "interesting".  I will be talking about Building, this blog highlights the core build, specifically the Zis-5V.  If you have any questions...well you can ask me when you see me.  Or bang your shoe on the table.  It worked for Kruschev.

 

 

These are my notes.  I have an hour and will cover 6 areas of construction: 2 Beginning (parts removal and clean up), 2 Intermediate (soldering and basic scratchbuilding) and 2 Advanced (thermoforming and some other craziness I can't recal).  10 whole minutes for each.  I have a wireless camera and I will bring my tools and do the actual construction in person.  The camera will send the real time images to a monitor so everyone can see.  That's the plan.

 

 

Here is the truck so far.  I'll leave it all unpainted so the construction process is visible.

 



 

I am getting all this stuff ready (shhhhh...it's a surprise).

 

 

I leave you with this, irrefutable proof that I am no longer under 50!  Cheers!

Zis-5V (1/35 MAC Models, Ukraine) Chapter 8

The Nats are getting very close.  One Page Dungeon done, props for....(that's secret) and sorting crap to sell on Ebay...time to get back to it...next up, Soldering:

Here are the basics.  Solder, Flux (the pasty kind), torch, smooth jaw pliers and various clampy things to hold stuff in place.  I use a flex tweez and smooth jaw alligator clamps.  I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.  See how they run like pigs from a gun, see how they fly.

Now the madness begins.  Can you believe this is only chapter 8?  Ahem.  Take the smooth jaws and flatten some solder... I'm crying.  Sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van to come.

Like so.  Get it nice and thin.  Wafer thin.  Corporation tee-shirt, stupid bloody Tuesday.  Man, you been a naughty boy, you let your face grow long.  I am the egg man, they are the egg men.

Chop it into little rectangular flakes.  I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob.

Using an old brush smear on the flux.  It prepares the surface (makes the solder stick) and acts as a kind of "glue" to hold the little flat solder flakes in place.  Mister City Policeman sitting.  Pretty little policemen in a row.

Put flux and the solder on the part.  You don't need a lot of solder.  See how they fly like Lucy in the Sky, see how they run.  I'm crying, I'm crying.  I'm crying, I'm crying.

Now, take your clampy things and get all...clampy.  Make double damn sure parts are where you want 'em.  Solder is like super glue for real men.  Manly men.  (This is a stiffner on the inside of the panel so it will stay straight, BTW).  Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog's eye.  Crabalocker fishwife, pornographic priestess, Boy, you been a naughty girl you let your knickers down.

Apply the heat.  You will see it work.  It will wick just like super glue, AND if you only use a little solder you won't have a globby joint.  So back off.  I am the eggman, they are the eggmen.  I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob.

Like so.  Sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun.  If the sun don't come, you get a tan From standing in the English rain.

This is the other side of the part in the above pic.  In order to cut the louvres I needed to use .003 brass, so I needed some support from the back, hence the stiffner, above.   I know, shut up already!  Gonna attach this to the bonnet...I have put a very small rectangle of solder on the upper right corner.  I am the egg man, they are the egg men.  I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob g'goo goo g'joob.
 

Fluxing.  Expert text pert choking smokers, Don't you think the joker laughs at you?  See how they smile like pigs in a sty.....

Holding with clippy.  Clippy on a sticky.  See how they snide.  I'm crying.

The trick with the torch is to only hold it on the spot long enough to blast the solder at that spot.  If you are quick, you won't pop the other joints.  Semolina pilchard, climbing up the Eiffel Tower.  Elementary penguin singing Hari Krishna. Man, you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allan Poe.

Nice thing about brass is, it's very durable.  I have found the handleability makes up for the time up front in fabrication.  I am the egg man, they are the egg men.

Putting the model together keeps me going.  I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob g'goo goo g'joob.  Goo goo g'joob g'goo goo g'joob g'goo.  See you in Chapter 9!

Zis-5V (1/35 MAC Models, Ukraine) Chapter 7

Having problems sleeping at night?  Try reading this next chapter....

Our journey continues.  With a lot of this type of building one part can't get made/positioned until another part under it is set.  Before I go any further on the hood sections, it's time to get the radiator straightened out. The kit parts simply butt up against each other.  In real life the hood sections overlap the cab and radiator. So, the radiator needs to be thickened.  I added a plate of thick plastic and trimmed down close to the sides. I really try to avoid using fillers (why add a step, right?).  When I glued the extension on I used toob glue and made sure the edges smushed together.  Once it is close I mark the edge with a black sharpie.

In your mind you have abilities you know.  To telepath messages through the vast unknown.

This is a picture of filing (there is no force on earth to filing interesting).  The purpose of the Sharpie is so you can see what the file is actually doing.

Please close your eyes and concentrate.

See?  When there is black showing, you know there is more to do.

With every thought you think...

Use 600 grit sandpaper and polish.  Vuola!

Upon the recitation we're about to sing.

Again, for the last time, I decided to cut new louvres in the side panels.  This time I am using .003 thick brass sheet.  Note the jig and .040 x .040 stock as guides to space the cuts.  Should work, right?  Well.... because I couldn't see the cuts in relation to each other as I made them, it didn't work.  the cuts were noticeably not straight.

Calling occupants of interplanetary craft.

So I used the stock as a guide to draw the divisions, then cut.  This way I could align each new cut in relation to the old cut and get it lined up.  The brass is much thinner this time, so making the cuts is way easier.

Calling occupants of interplanetary, most extraordinary craft....

Draw nice straight lines...then cut out.

Finished part, test fit.  Note, bottom edge is still long, to be trimmed.  Brass is your friend....so easy to work with.

Calling occupants of interplanetary craft.

I want to solder all the hood sections together, but before I do, need to look at the latch brackets.  It might be easier to get these out of the way now, in case I want to attach them to the side hood sections.  I know, I know...

Calling occupants of interplanetary craft....Calling occupants of interplanetary, most extraordinary craft...

So, here is the plan (above).

You've been observing our earth.  And we'd like to make a contact with you.

We (we who?) are going to make little thermoforms.  First, I make two patterns, a male and female that fit together.

We are your friends...calling occupants of interplanetary craft...

These are stuck into smooth jaw pliers using double stick tape.  Align them by closing the jaws.

Calling occupants and interplanetary ultra-emissaries. We've been observing your earth.

I heat up some thin styrene over a candle and clamp it with my pliers.  You can see the "smash" molding here.  what I need is the little "bumpy" thing to build around.

And one night we'll make a contact with you. We are your friends. Calling occupants of interplanetary craft...

I only need 4...but I always make an extra.   I use double stick to line them all up after rough cutting.

Calling occupants of interplanetary, quite extraordinary craft. Please come in peace we beseech you. Only a landing will teach them.

Make them all at once, so they will match.

Our earth may never survive...So do come we beg you...Please interstellar policemen....

The almost final product.  The important thing is that you can make it.  I made the before soldering the hood sections together, just because I wasn't sure how they would be attached (yes, at one point I thought I might make then out of brass and solder them in position).  Now that I know what they are and that I'll be super glueing them in place...I can move forward.

Won't you give us a sign...Give us a sign that we've reached you...

This an organizational trick I use, so I feel like I'm making headway.  I stick double stick tape onto sections of plastic and put parts for various assemblies in groups.  You can write right on the plastic.  It's Ok.  It's like I'm mad.  Mu....mu....mu...maddd.

With your mind you have ability to form...And transmit thought energy far beyond the norm...

Here is that roll of double stick tape....you cannot live without it.  trust me. 

You close your eyes...You concentrate...Together that's the way...To send the message...We declare World Contact Day...

"One things for sure...we are going to be a lot thinner"....

Calling occupants of interplanetary craft....calling occupants of interplanetary craft....Ahhh....
Calling occupants
Calling occupants
Calling occupants
Calling occupants of interplanetary, most extraordinary craft....

Next post we get out the fire and the lead....!

Zis-5V (1/35 MAC Models, Ukraine) Chapter 6

No, I have not been asleep at the wheel, I was just finishing up my sparesbox entry:

 This is the rear portion of the vessel.  I'm afraid I cannot comment any more at this time.

Here is the OOB 5V cargo box.  Not bad, but, I have always wanted to make one of these out of real wood.

Here is a great pic off the internet from a Zis in a museum (duh, right?)  Here you can see the surface texture of the pine and the milling that gives it strength.  It's hard to appreciate at first glance, but the Russian design is staggeringly brilliant in its simplicity, especially in the context of a world about to be consumed by Nazi aggressors.  (It's a strange day.......No colors or shapes......)

Here are my notes on the planking for the bed.  I am neglecting the most important part here, that is figuring out what standard sizes of basswood stock is available.  For this I went to Des Plaines Hobby (that is not a plug) and bought a few lengths of each size I thought might work.  1/16 x 3/16ths fit the bill.  Making custom sized wood stock is doable, but TRULY insane.  (No sound in my head....I forget who I am)

So the milling begins.  Initially to get a feel I taped the blade to the plastic to see if it would work.  So here is a test.  (When I'm with you.....There's no reason)

Here is the actual tool.  I knew I would be mass producing a bunch, so take a bow Sticky.  (there's no sense....)

Here is a quick schematic of the planer tool.  In it's essence it's really a way to hold the wood stock and blade relative to each other to get a consistent straight cut.  The base holds the wood while you work it.  The planer is a way to square the blade to the wood.  The flat front edge of the tool base is the guide that runs along the stock.  You will also notice there is a clamp at the top (the L shaped plastic) that is screwed down to hold the blade firmly between the two quarter inch blocks.  In addition, there is a long screw at the back.  It can be turned to adjust how deeply the blade will cut into the stock.  The plastic and screw are long so that there are a lot of threads in contact with the hole, this gives it a lot of bite, keeping it from turning out of adjustment during use.  (I'm not supposed to feel...I forget who I am, I forget)

A close up of the milling process.  My hands are holding the camera, so I am not demonstrating the sliding motion along the wood to cut it.

The planks overlap, so the depth of the cut determines the overall width of the bed.  I cut one plank, chopped it into 15 bits to see where I was at.  Too big.  (Fascist baby.....Utopia, utopia)

Final planks.  Nailed it.  I know it looks wide in this pic, but when you push them together they are a perfecto match.  (My dog needs new ears....Make his eyes see forever)

I ran out of 1/16 x 3/16ths stock, of course.  So I took some of my bigger stock and cut it to the size I needed.  (Make him live like me....Again and again)

The upper sides planks are tongue and groove and fit like Zis (get it?).  The milling tool will be adjusted to make these cuts.  On the tongue side the blade is raised slightly and both sides worked.  For the groove side a pointy file is held in position and drawn across the other side.  ( Fascist baby...Utopia, utopia...)

Here's a good action shot showing the milling process.  The blade is drawn repeatataly against the wood stock, much like a plane.  (I'm wired to the world....that's how I know everything)

Close view.  This gets flipped...cut...then the tongue remains.  (I'm super brain..)

Now the groove side.  I added some infrastructure to hold the file.  (That's how they made me....)

Groove.  (Fascist baby...)

Final result.  "Super" excited!  (Utopia, utopia)