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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Scratch Built 1/60 SF-3A Lancer II Part VI

Not much activity right now on this blog because I've been busy working on the Scratch Built SF-3A Lancer II

Scratch Built 1/60 SF-3A Lancer II Part VI

The top wing has already been made. Initially it was supposed to be made of plaster of paris but I found out that I was pushing already the limit of the material, since it kept breaking during filing and shaping. Ideally I would have wanted to use styrene sheets, but since I can't seem to find any available here I'm using instead Sculpey Firm Clay.

Scratch Built 1/60 SF-3A Lancer II Part VI

The clay was kneaded into shape then rolled into a flat sheet using a bottle, then it was baked in an old toaster oven for 15 minutes at 130 C. When working with polymer clay it is suggested that you don't use the oven for baking food since the stuff is toxic. Also that no one inhale the fumes when the clay is baking. The wing was then worked on with a file and a cutter to get its curves and align some of the lines.

Since I had already finished some of the major components needed to mirror the booster on the lower part and the sides, I decided to proceed to casting already.

Scratch Built 1/60 SF-3A Lancer II Part VI

I'm using silicone rubber for the molds. I have to say that this is where the expenses really start racking up. 1 Kg of RTV Silicone Rubber with hardener will set me back for $25. Since I'm no expert yet in casting I ended wasting some of the RTV in the process. Not to mention time as I had to re-cast the mold again.

Scratch Built 1/60 SF-3A Lancer II Part VI

To add to my woes, I accidentally broke the side vernier thruster when I was attempting to recast the mold because of a mistake of a lack of hardener. So I ended up having to go back a step to make a new vernier thruster.

That's all for now, hopefully when the silicone rubber dries, and the mold is acceptable, I can start casting the resin.