Centurion AVLB (slow build)

[Scratchbuilder]

One question I forgot to ask is what phone camera setting do you use for images. I see I am getting the thumbnail images. At the moment 4160x2340. Should it be smaller i.e 2048x1536. It will save a lot of people having to squint. Thanks in advance.

 

[Jakko]

The forum will resize photos you upload to 1200 pixels (off the top of my head) along the long edge. To ease bandwidth usage and upload photos faster, I normally tell my iPad to upload the “large” size, which is 1280 × 960, rather than the full size of 4032 × 3024.

 

[adt70hk]

I'm in the same ballpark as Jakko, unless it's a large item like a book on 'latest acquisitions', in which case I go for something a bit smaller as you don't need a massive picture to see what it is.

 

[JR]

I'm confused !

 

[Scratchbuilder]

Jakko, Andrew, many thanks for the help.
JR Wobble, appointment booked for your analist....

 

[Scratchbuilder]

Update,
So today I rebuilt the two uprights on the rear of the hull - I failed to deduct the thickness of the plastic and assumed I had done so, so now they are the size they should be.
Have been doing some work on the treadway for the bridge and did not fancy doing the flat sheet so opted for the perforated version...
After some experiments and then building a master and a few trials with getting the thickness to where I wanted it, I arrived at the final item. The ones in the last photo are for the model and will have to be finally cleaned up and trimmed to fit the main part of the bridge.

Mike.

 

[Mark1]

Excellent, are the moulds something you can buy or did you make them?

 

[scottie3158]

Michael,
Some excellent scratchery going on I will follow along.

 

[Jakko]

Nice work How did you build the masters for the treadway castings? Vast numbers of bits of plastic strip?

 

[Scratchbuilder]

Jakko & Mark, Many thanks for you kind comments.
The master was made from strips of plastic care of EMA Supples, The cross joining bits also the same but cut to length with a 'Chopper' which at the end gave up and died (not really). I first made one length, then cast a rubber mould from that. I then cast two of the same from resin and joined them to make one strip/length and cast another mould. Then I went to the illustrations and drawings and realised my mistake I had made the gaps to wide across. So out came the saw and it was just a case of cutting each length down to the width I required (see to of photo) and re-gluing each length onto some thick card to preserve the shape and give the whole some strength as can be seen from the tattered end of one length. Then a final mould was cast and once happy I went ahead and cast the tradways from that in resin. This has taken place over a matter of weeks swapping from the hull build to the treadway, giving me a break and time to think out the problem. And once the hull is complete then it will be onto the bridge and I will show one side and then vanish to complete the others then the final assembly will be posted.
Mark, I wish they could have come 'of the shelf' but then I would not have had the fun of all that cutting and sticking.....
Cheers, Mike

 

[Jakko]

Ah, I understand now why there are two widths in the photos — I was wondering about that. Glad to read you didn’t have to make a complete treadway from bits of plastic strip, as I feared at first

Though to be honest, I would have looked for someone who owns a laser cutter for this: draw the pattern on a computer (which would be largely copy-and-paste-work) and just have the device cut all those little holes in a bit of plastic card of the right thickness.

 

[Jim R]

Hi Mike
Just had a proper look at your earlier photos on the big screen. Brilliant work. Very neat and I can imagine the time taken. Wonderful work on the treadway. The building of the master must have tested your patience although the actual casting is fairly straightforward. You look to have nice, bubble free castings.
Jim

 

[JR]

Ah, I understand now why there are two widths in the photos — I was wondering about that. Glad to read you didn’t have to make a complete treadway from bits of plastic strip, as I feared at first

Though to be honest, I would have looked for someone who owns a laser cutter for this: draw the pattern on a computer (which would be largely copy-and-paste-work) and just have the device cut all those little holes in a bit of plastic card of the right thickness.

Unfortunately he doesn't have any friends with such things I had one of those sketch things thought

 

[stillp]

Do laser cutters work on plasticard?
Pete

 

[Jakko]

Polystyrene – Laser cutting of foil sheets and plates made of PS

Laser cutter are increasingly used for cutting of polystyrene (PS). Laser cutting is fast, flexible and very precisely.

www.eurolaser.com

 

[Scratchbuilder]

Ah, I understand now why there are two widths in the photos — I was wondering about that. Glad to read you didn’t have to make a complete treadway from bits of plastic strip, as I feared at first

Though to be honest, I would have looked for someone who owns a laser cutter for this: draw the pattern on a computer (which would be largely copy-and-paste-work) and just have the device cut all those little holes in a bit of plastic card of the right thickness.

There are also studs that were added to all junctions (not visible in the pics). And you cannot use a laser cutter on plastic, it will melt it, plus why do it that way when the enjoyment is working out the problem youself and realising you have achieved something.

 

[Scratchbuilder]

Polystyrene – Laser cutting of foil sheets and plates made of PS

Laser cutter are increasingly used for cutting of polystyrene (PS). Laser cutting is fast, flexible and very precisely.

www.eurolaser.com

That is polystyrene and not plastic sheet.

 

[Scratchbuilder]

Hi Mike
Just had a proper look at your earlier photos on the big screen. Brilliant work. Very neat and I can imagine the time taken. Wonderful work on the treadway. The building of the master must have tested your patience although the actual casting is fairly straightforward. You look to have nice, bubble free castings.
Jim

Jack Daniels helped a lot to ease the pain....

 

[Scratchbuilder]

Unfortunately he doesn't have any friends with such things I had one of those sketch things thought

And you still tried to use your crayons on it....

Do laser cutters work on plasticard?
Pete

No, they work on polystrene which is like foam rather than card.

 

[Jakko]

There are also studs that were added to all junctions (not visible in the pics).

That makes it a whole different game, yes. By casting it in sections you avoid adding a lot of pieces that you would have to laboriously add when cutting the plate as a whole.

you cannot use a laser cutter on plastic, it will melt it

The site I linked to (mainly because it was the first one I found) sells laser cutters suitable for plastic sheet that avoid this problem. Here’s an example from that site:

OK, these are industrial machines, but with a bit of luck, there are hobbyist-scale ones to be found with similar capabilities.

That is polystyrene and not plastic sheet.

I think you’re confusing polystyrene in general with expanded polystyrene foam. Nearly all model kits are made of hard polystyrene, as is the kind of (usually white) plastic sheet/card most commonly used for scratchbuilding.

plus why do it that way when the enjoyment is working out the problem youself and realising you have achieved something.

I also get that feeling after drawing something intricate But that’s the beauty of modelling and scratchbuilding, IMHO: you can build it the way you think works best, and I can get much the same result via another technique. Does that make either better than the other?