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ROCKET/AIRSHIP BUILDS

DARKVIEW

DARKVIEW

Forum Supporter
Hello, thought I'd show you 2 builds lve been working on lately. Got these 2 wonderful laser cut Medium-density fibreboard (MDF) ships from cogotwo while at a steampunk/custom car convention early on this year and agreed to fit it out with engines etc....

PUNKROCKET.. approx 8"
















Start of the airship below . . 13" in length and using up-cycled parts from everyday throw aways.



 
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DARKVIEW

DARKVIEW

Forum Supporter
It's a very,very smooth grain thats laser cut then l sand with extra soft papers then prime and dry brushing.
 
Captain Sci-Fi

Captain Sci-Fi

Commander
Hi Ham,

You can use a brush on acrylic primer for MDF, most home centres sell a water soluble version. The B&Q one I use is really good, I tend to thin the first coat 50% with water as this penetrates the fibres making them stand up. Once you knock this down lightly with 400 grit wet or dry the next coat from the tin, again knock back with 400 grit paper and it will produce a smooth surface ready for acrylic spray paint.

This will only work if you prepare the MDF really well in the first place by sanding the surfaces and edges to remove all tooling marks like saw cut grooves and the like, You'll be surprised how good a finish you can get.

Nice work DV, I love these builds, they are the shortest path between your imagination and the finished result, very inspiring.. :thumb up:
 
DARKVIEW

DARKVIEW

Forum Supporter
Thanks captain, now lve the riveting task of attaching 450+ bolts to the main frame work and engine parts!!! I've 3,4,5mm bolts (craft half pearls in black). Will put up a picture of it when complete the raw detailing before priming.

While working on this during my evening this week a programme was on coincidently about Zepplelins . . . Did you know that Germans used the intestinal lining of cows to make the Zeppelins’ gas-tight bags of hydrogen and each ship took over 250,000 cows linings to make a single ship and Germany had a sausage national ration due to there needs!!!
 
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Ham Salad

Ham Salad

Alphans
Captain Sci-Fi said:
Hi Ham,

You can use a brush on acrylic primer for MDF, most home centres sell a water soluble version. The B&Q one I use is really good, I tend to thin the first coat 50% with water as this penetrates the fibres making them stand up. Once you knock this down lightly with 400 grit wet or dry the next coat from the tin, again knock back with 400 grit paper and it will produce a smooth surface ready for acrylic spray paint.

This will only work if you prepare the MDF really well in the first place by sanding the surfaces and edges to remove all tooling marks like saw cut grooves and the like, You'll be surprised how good a finish you can get.

Nice work DV, I love these builds, they are the shortest path between your imagination and the finished result, very inspiring.. :thumb up:
Click to expand...


I ask because I used to use laquer sanding sealer for this kind of thing...then got a rude awakening because our crazy environmental regulations made it all disappear! They substituted 'oil based sanding sealer' which , when painted with enamel or lacquer, would produce horrifying blistering! I haven't tried the water based stuff....
 
DARKVIEW

DARKVIEW

Forum Supporter
That sounds a nightmare Ham, lm happy working with small thin mainframe laser cut MDF like the airship here then soft sanding it hasn't give me any problems when it's come to painting after. Hope it works out with Captains treatment advice should you try it.
 
Captain Sci-Fi

Captain Sci-Fi

Commander
The things you learn on this forum, never considered using animal parts for modelling, I'll be looking at the remains of my next chicken dinner with new eyes :lol:

This is a great project and begs the question, could you produce a SteamPunk version of say... Thunderbird One? :think:

Laser cutting the profiles is no problem, that would make an interesting new collection, Steampunk Thunderbirds. :yes:
 
DARKVIEW

DARKVIEW

Forum Supporter
You cow ;-)...


That's a damn good idea captain, but lm pushed myself to do other projects like at TB1 or 2. This and the turbine are my main P/T projects at the moment. But the guy l get the MDF rocket/airship shapes from can custom to anyone's needs!!!!
 
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Slate Mcleod

Slate Mcleod

Alphans
Lovely builds ! And Ham, there are some easy ways to take away the "grain" of MDF. I also used to use "sanding sealer" which took almost 48 hours to go off. Then I discovered (believe it not) a UK product for plastic car bumpers named "halfords plastic primer filler" which is acrylic based. I think they now just call it "primer filler" and its yellow in color. Wet n' dry, spray a coat of filler, wet n' dry again again, spray etc. By 3 coats its totally flat. "Grain" gone (although it was never really "grain" for MDF edges.) Not great for large projects as gets expensive (I used it on Dalek neck rings) but perfect for smaller MDF projects. Hopefully there will be something similar in the USA mate. I find it the perfect MDF primer though. Halfords again to the rescue !
 
Captain Sci-Fi

Captain Sci-Fi

Commander
I am loving the way this is shaping up, nice work DV. It's always really interesting to see the raw materials prior to use, sometimes it is fun to work with a new material just for the challenge. :D

I can't stop thinking about a Steampunk version of TB3.... I can't make one I have too much to do already but during down times I might sketch a bit to see what ideas I can come up with. I did think it would be nice to include all the usual suspects from Thunderbird builds, Girder Bridge Kits, table lamp and domestic items and a few old innards from Vacuum tubes used in electronics before transistors were invented. And there ought to be a colander....
 
DARKVIEW

DARKVIEW

Forum Supporter
Yes I can see a vivid image of say a TB3. I've almost finished the detailing and time for priming . . .
 
DARKVIEW

DARKVIEW

Forum Supporter
Primed and sprayed matt black... And think l will go for a silver/copper in places weathering for the overall airship. Still more heavy small detailing to be added.

 
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DARKVIEW

DARKVIEW

Forum Supporter
Detail adding and my first layer of weathering. I have to start the inner shading to get me in the picture of the finished result plus the models a kind of 'ship-in-a-bottle' to construct.


 
DARKVIEW

DARKVIEW

Forum Supporter
Right, these kid gel pens are £1 and make great detail parts...nothing to waste l might add. Lightly sanded... And the ends are great retro boosters bits for the eagle connoisseur like builder...((look to the silver parts) £1 bargain!!!and those crap shops have black matt spray paint that l must admit works ok under my test..
 
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