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The making of a 1/72 Tacticar Pod Graug--the musical!


captain america

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Oh, and just to make it official... The Graug WILL be free-standing.

What's even more shocking is that I was able to get it to hold WITHOUT GLUING!! :blink:

Mind you, I did add a bit of CA to the tabs to increase the friction with the corresponding grooves, but this is essentially a dry-fit. Gravity prevented me from positioning the arms/cannons out straight, but I would totally be able to do so with glue. The model is pretty darn solid too; more so than I was expecting it to be.

If anything, I can tell you this: the Graug is a big-time attention getter, whether it's just meant for your own private showcase or a modelling competition, its size WILL turn heads! Also, the fact that I made it as big as I did and that it looms over the Regults... It just screams "I'm the leader!" B))

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If anything, I can tell you this: the Graug is a big-time attention getter, whether it's just meant for your own private showcase or a modelling competition, its size WILL turn heads! Also, the fact that I made it as big as I did and that it looms over the Regults... It just screams "I'm the leader!" B))

Bloody gorgeous!!!! That's sensational.

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I do, but it's in deep in my showcase and hard to access, so a side-by-side pic will have to wait. Oh, and it's official: I can now guarantee thirty kits, and the currently paid orders will all be shipped by Tuesday.

Shame it won't be here for Wednesday night so I can show it off to my Macross loving friends who marvel at your work; but alas Canada Post just isn't that fast.....

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Any ideas where I can get some Smooth-On casting silcone and urethane resin? I prefer not to use web-based sources since I'm impatient and want to walk out of stores with purchases in hand :)

Check your local Yell-O-Pages for artist suppliers... Or you can contact Smooth-On directly and they can point you to the closest local distributor. Oh, and I don't use Smooth-On silicones for my molds, it's junk. Go with Bluestar instead.

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Check your local Yell-O-Pages for artist suppliers... Or you can contact Smooth-On directly and they can point you to the closest local distributor. Oh, and I don't use Smooth-On silicones for my molds, it's junk. Go with Bluestar instead.

I've had reasonable results with General Electric silicones (do they still make them?) and really good results with Rhone-Poulenc/Rhodorsil. Some of my RP moulds are like fifteen years old and still good.

Edited by Kremmen
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OMG I'm in PM hell! :wacko:

Ok, after some reshuffling and minor alterations, as of right now, I have the following MWers (aside from the depositees) on hold for one Graug each:

-Valkyrie 13

-Ultimateone

-Jardann

-hodiod01

-Vermillion One

-Evil Bones

-Neova

-Darrin G

Assuming everything is set, that will close-out the run for the Graug. If for any reason someone wants to bail, make changes, etc. Please PM me.

Oh, and I did a tally of all the parts... 122 total. No wonder it's taking me so long :blink:

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??? How come?

It's something to do with the formulation that Smooth-On uses for their silicone; I think they go cheap with certain additives. From my experience, the Bluestar rubber is more stable over the life of the mold, less likely to tear or chunk, and maintains better dimensional stability. Essentially, rather than degrade progressively like the Smooth-On stuff, the Bluestar mold remains almost perfect right up until the end, and fails more suddenly once you exceed the mold's threshold. The result? The 1st casting and the last casting are almost identical.

Mold life will also vary greatly depending on the complexity of the part being molded, the quality of mold release, and even the resin: those 3 minute pot life resins are the absolute WORST for your molds, and degrade them much faster than the stuff I currently use.

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It's something to do with the formulation that Smooth-On uses for their silicone; I think they go cheap with certain additives. From my experience, the Bluestar rubber is more stable over the life of the mold, less likely to tear or chunk, and maintains better dimensional stability. Essentially, rather than degrade progressively like the Smooth-On stuff, the Bluestar mold remains almost perfect right up until the end, and fails more suddenly once you exceed the mold's threshold. The result? The 1st casting and the last casting are almost identical.

Mold life will also vary greatly depending on the complexity of the part being molded, the quality of mold release, and even the resin: those 3 minute pot life resins are the absolute WORST for your molds, and degrade them much faster than the stuff I currently use.

Was wondering. I use it for all the time for my casting work and I've never had bit of trouble.

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Will any of these mould silcones require degassing? I'm not looking forward to that extreme for what will amount to a weekend hobby.

You should, but if your molds aren't too huge and you have the time you can brush on (very carefully mind you) the first layer of rubber before pouring the rest into your mold box. I've never done it that way myself as I have a vacuum pump for degassing the rubber. I have heard of doing it this way so I can't guarantee the results; but its time comsuming and probably messy.

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Will any of these mould silcones require degassing? I'm not looking forward to that extreme for what will amount to a weekend hobby.

Preferably, yes. Depending on what you're molding and how big it is, and what kind of flaws you're willing to live with, you may be able to get away without it. Speaking purely from experience, molding/casting is something that doesn't lend itself to being done half-heartedly, and I feel that having the right tools is critical to getting it right. It might sound like a daunting task to degas the rubber, pressurize the resin, etc. But once you actually go and do it, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

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Ok, 17 Graugs shipped as of Yesterday. At least one of you should have it by today.

There might be a slight delay in shipping the remaining 13 due to my having to get more gift boxes... I ran out :unsure: Alas, I will try to find another source that can hopefully supply me with these quickly; the PaperMart option just ain't doing it for me anymore.

I will also begin the destructions next Monday, but for now, I will post the 1st page, since it contains important info, as well as the parts manifest.

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Edited by captain america
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Hey Capt.

I have a question about baking the parts to harden them. Its there a set time limit to bake the pieces or can we wait/procrastinate (say a year+ later)?

Just checking. Also, is it better to work on the parts first (like cutting off the pour stubs, light sanding and drilling) and then baking the parts afterwards?

Thanks. Looking forward to you next kit!

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Hey Capt.

I have a question about baking the parts to harden them. Its there a set time limit to bake the pieces or can we wait/procrastinate (say a year+ later)?

Just checking. Also, is it better to work on the parts first (like cutting off the pour stubs, light sanding and drilling) and then baking the parts afterwards?

Thanks. Looking forward to you next kit!

Honestly, I really don't know if there's some sort of "grace period" in which to cook the parts; the instructions seem to suggest doing it about an hour or two after removing the part from the mold, but I've been known to cook mine something like 2 months afterwards with no issues. You'd actually be better off cooking the parts before working on them: it makes the plastic easier to sand/dremel.

I've found that you can still use the boiling water technique to soften/reshape parts even after you've cooked them too; it's really a great material all around.

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Ok, 17 Graugs shipped as of Yesterday. At least one of you should have it by today.

And that would be me! Still in the box though - help with homework; play at the park; parent-teacher meeting; supper; bath; story-time; all this was keeping me from ripping into it until now - speaking of which... gotta go!

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It's herrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..................

Holy crap thats a heck of a lot of parts.

I have to ask this; all the parts need this baking process, yes? I ask because there are two different colours of resin. I can safely assume that the clear bits are excluded from the horrors of my oven I believe.....

Oh yeah, how come acrylic rods? Why not brass? Not complaining mind you, just curious as a guy might make his own kits someday over the rainbow.....

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Hey Heavy Melder,

If you look at the instructions, it is only the items listed in red and labeled out as the polymer parts that need to be baked (please correct me if I am wrong, Capt.).

The rest I believe do not need the heat treatment. Let's hope that everyone who bought a copy doesn't print out the instructions in black and white ink. ^_^

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