Got a bottle of Alclad Chrome (thanks to Arg aka Kenny), don't know what to do with it until recently...

I'm trying to build this...


Again it all started with lines and drawings but none of them were accurate to scale. I just make sure the wingspan measure up to 40cm... not too big not too small... i cut the styrene into shape and cover one side 1st using bondite... of course after a day i try to get the better profile by sanding using hardware shop sandpaper... pretty slow...

here's the outcome...





Only manage to sand one side of this craft and as you can see, i havent really got it right yet...
after this will be more and more sanding and putty just to get the profile even more accurate... this may be kinda tricky....

Lovely project, incidently at Toy R Us they have the mini die cast model of this ship.

you're in a roll..

another scracthbuild gem from you...
waiting to see the mirror finish on this Cruiser.. :D

kuman

yeap, saw the diecast while i was browsing for reference...

finger cross for me for a good mirror finish, kuman...

sorry, this is no build update... but a question...

Since i've left this craft for quite a while... but now it is BENT...!! in this way...


I don't know what caused it... but i'd like to know... is there any way to prevent this from happening and is there any way to recover from this...??

It's either the heat or because the Bondite is fully cured but I doubt the latter because as far as I know, Bondite did not warp... most probably because of heat.

Me thinks the bondite has shrunk a wee bit which caused the styrene it's bonded to to warp upwards.

Not sure about recovery, but maybe you could try cutting a little slot (front to back) on each wing with just enough gap that the styrene is flexible again. Make sure the styrene is flat and fill in the cuts with fresh bondite. Once dry, sand everything smooth so that no one can tell of the quickie surgery.

To prevent it from bending, I guess you should 'secure' the styrene sheet so that it won't warp. i.e tape / secure a hard block of wood / length of stiff rod / etc to the bottom of the sheet so that it's firm and won't bend incase the bondite shrinks.

Hope that made some sense.

Bro,

Very impressive subject bro, in my opinion, try to not using form or styrene for the basic shape. Especially for a big size. I’m not very sure how big your cruiser,if more than 10inch, I like to suggest the frame method. Its will keep the balancing, alignment and to prevent warping shape as your case.

Its very hard to repair actually, but you can try to cut the wings into 3 pieces, rest it on the flat surface, align it properly and refill the cutting are with bondite and resand it. But it’s not that strong anymore.

Two cents
Naza

thanks for the suggestion, guys... why didn't i thought of securing the styrene before applying bondite... i should do that on my second attempt...

But NAZA, the top side of the wing is just like 2 to 2.3mm thick(from my drawing of 40cm wingspan scale)...
is framing still possible??

Definitely another interesting project in the making here Koowilliams.

Interesting but unfortunate problem. There is some but very little shrinkage by Bondite upon hardening and coz your styrene sheet was thin to begin with that may have cause the warpage. Just my 2 cts though.

Rather than scrap this nice initial work, I'm not sure if you will want to try this. Get a thicker piece of styrene this time. Cut slots in the upper portion of the wing as Poohbear suggested to make it flat again. Stick this to thicker styrene underneath whioh should reinforce the whole assembly from further warping. Sand down the top to get back the shape and of course fill up the gaps made by the earlier cuts.

Thanks, Bum... but i dont know if what i understand really is what you've mean... but i'll keep those in mind...

actually, i tried to bend it back by barehand yesterday and i accidently snapped wing around 5cm from the wingtip.... no choice but to make another one... i felt that my skill of joining broken parts will not result in a good shine...

This round... i'm gonna add minor frame as well as screwing the styrene on a plank...

Sorry the Mk. I model lost part of the wing. I'm sure you will do better on the Mk. II version.

Here's another consideration if you want to start again.
1. Draw out the shape on a paper.
2. Place a thin piece of transparent acrylic sheet or glass over the drawing.
3. Now rub a very thin layer of vaseline over the top of the glass/acrylic sheet.
4. Start applying Bondite to the top of the glass and get it to the shape you need based on the drawing underneath.

Wait overnite and you should be able to separate the Bondite from the glass/acrylic.

5. To further strengthen the whole thing, cut a thicker piece of (3 mm) of styrene sheet based on the shape of the drawing on the above paper.
6. Paste this to the bottom of the shaped Bondite with superglue. Dont worry if its not a perfect fit.
7. Wait to harden then sand the edges to get a good fit.

You should avoid warping as the Bondite has already hardened and shrunk all it can. However, if the wingspan is too wide you may still get some sagging at the edges due to the weight of the Bondite.

Good Luck and May the Force be with you.

applying vaseline to stop bondite from permanently sticking to the main plate is a good idea... thanks, BUM....

yalah....2-3mm too thinlah bro....i think beachbum method can works.

You can try to make it in 2 parts, build the centre fuselarge first n the wings is another part. Because of the 2-3mm thinknes why don't use a 2mm high impact plastic or perspec, add bondite at the thinker area only, its will be easier to work with.....

Just my though...