# Has anyone here built the Mummy Machine by AMT?



## rat salad (Oct 18, 2004)

*UPDATED: Finished! - Has anyone here built the Mummy Machine by AMT?*

*Thanks for your tips. He's finished.*










*Check out the rest of the build-up pics here:*
http://www.bobbysmonstermodels.com/mummyMachine.html


Just curious...
Don't yell at me. The instructions tell you to glue the Mummy head halves together _after_ you glue the seat into the body panel. I have done it _before_, only because there is a huge seam that goes around the Mummy head after gluing it together. It would have been too hard to get the seam out, and paint it after gluing it together down in the body panel compartment. My question, if anyone else has done as I have done, will the assembled head slip over the seat if it is glued into place? If not, I am going to glue the assembled head into the body panel compartment, and then insert the seat through the mouth opening, and hold and glue in place...which is going to be a PITA!! It just would be easier to slide the head over the glued in place seat. The problem is I am afraid to try for fear of finding out the head will not go over the glued in place seat.

Anybody else build this kit???


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## scottnkat (May 11, 2006)

I'm sorry, but I never have built any of the monster cars, including the mummy. I really can't help. But have you tried mocking it up? Use white glue to put the seat into the car (so it can be easily removed if needed), then try putting the head on?


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## rat salad (Oct 18, 2004)

scottnkat said:


> I'm sorry, but I never have built any of the monster cars, including the mummy. I really can't help. But have you tried mocking it up? Use white glue to put the seat into the car (so it can be easily removed if needed), then try putting the head on?


Hey! Well, that's an idea.
Are you sure Elmer's won't permanently stick to anything on the model?


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## scottnkat (May 11, 2006)

Elmers glue is water soluble. When you're done with it, just dunk it under water and the glue comes off.


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## Schwinnster (Sep 5, 2011)

I've never used the Elmers glue myself, but I've read about a lot of others who have used it just as Scott said. I tend to use tape myself to mock up parts. Usually masking tape-- when it won't interfere with the fitting of other parts, but I use this double sided tape _a lot...._








Made by Scotch, and is 'Permanent double sided tape', made for taping photographs, or similar on paper, etc. Available just about anywhere, but more likely at a craft store. It is just as thin as regular Scotch tape, but sticky on both sides, and holds plastic pieces together well. You can see a bit of it on the engine block( ) that I scratchbuilt, in the lower right corner of the picture. I used it to hold the header flanges in place while mocking up the piping for the headers. I would think the double sided tape would hold the seat for your Mummy Machine in place nicely so you can see about fitting the head on. Then you can carefully pry the seat back off the floor, then peel the tape off. Just make sure any adhesive residue is gone before painting tho.

Some of the instructions for some models really make one wonder. I use them as a guide, but/and sometimes only as a last resort! I _always_ test fit, test fit, *Test fit!* Even then, I _occaisionally_ still get surprised at final assembly. 

Just saw an older Mummy Machine at the LHS the other day and thought about getting it. I like the newer box art you got there Good luck with it


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## scottnkat (May 11, 2006)

Schwinnster said:


> Some of the instructions for some models really make one wonder. I use them as a guide, but/and sometimes only as a last resort! I _always_ test fit, test fit, *Test fit!* Even then, I _occaisionally_ still get surprised at final assembly.


Yep, instructions can be odd sometimes. I typically only use them for reference (when looking at a part on the sprue and you say, "what the heck is that supposed to be?").


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## CorvairJim (Dec 16, 2011)

So you've come up with a decent use for that darn double-sided tape, huh Schwinnster? As a Postal Worker, I HATE the stuff! You'd be amazed the sheer number of people who use the stuff to seal their envelopes... By sticking it over the flap *ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE ENVELOPE!* Then, after it gets jammed in the machinery because it's stuck to other evelopes, they wonder why their mail gets damaged in handling...


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## scottnkat (May 11, 2006)

My father-in-law was a mailman - he used to tell my wife and I some of the stories of stuff that happened. That sounds just like one of his stories, Jim! I can picture it. He he


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

CorvairJim said:


> So you've come up with a decent use for that darn double-sided tape, huh Schwinnster? As a Postal Worker, I HATE the stuff! You'd be amazed the sheer number of people who use the stuff to seal their envelopes... By sticking it over the flap *ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE ENVELOPE!* Then, after it gets jammed in the machinery because it's stuck to other evelopes, they wonder why their mail gets damaged in handling...


That's nothing! How about when someone sends you something to cast in an evelope, but cuts a hole in it - NOTHING THERE WHEN IT ARRIVES!! Happened to me. I was to make a resin R2-D2 head from a mould, but it was hard styrene, and after going through the sorting machines it pushed right through one side of the evelope never to be seen again! I had to make a whole new head for it. Now I need to figure out how to make a two part mould for a one part figure. I think I can make a slightly smaller one to put into the second mould a little bit away from the first head shape to make a hollow casting. This is what he wants so that he can make see-through R3-D6 heads for his X-wing kits.




scottnkat said:


> My father-in-law was a mailman - he used to tell my wife and I some of the stories of stuff that happened. That sounds just like one of his stories, Jim! I can picture it. He he


 My mom used to be a postal worker in the mail sorting room - she had a lot of stories of things that no one ever sees outside the post office. One of her favourites was what happens to dead letters - WoooSh!! Into the furnace to be burned. They put them on a truck, then it's off to some crematorium type place where they burn this stuff for fuel (steam), and it's bye-bye birdie forever! MY dad was a postal driver for a short time. I used to go out on drives with him once in a while when he worked for a subcontractor "Chilcote & Sons". That was the closest he, or I ever worked as a postman. He had stories that were interesting, and others that were depressing.


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## CorvairJim (Dec 16, 2011)

Dyonisis said:


> That's nothing! How about when someone sends you something to cast in an evelope, but cuts a hole in it - NOTHING THERE WHEN IT ARRIVES!! Happened to me.


That sort of thing happens all the time. You'd be amazed the kinds of things people put in regular envelopes, thinking they'll make it through the modern, (almost) fully automated cancellation and sortation system undamaged. If something is found in a machine after an evening's run, we do our best to get it back with the correct envelope. That can be very hard to do, unless it is found at the scene of the machine jam that it caused at the timeit happened. Simply marking an envelope "Fragile", or "Hand Cancel" is no guarantee that will make it out of the regular mailstream before it gets into the machinery. Our medium-sized facility cancles roughly 450,000 pieces of mail on a typical night, and there are only TWO people dumping the mail into the feed system! Figure it out for yourself: What are the odds that any one specific mailpiece will be spotted by one of those dumpers? That's right: 1 in 225,000. These people are trained to look for the more obvious pieces that have to be removed: Open-sided flyers, "NetFlix" returns and other CD's, DVD's, and other disks, padded mailing envelopes, etc. Those padded mailers are the clue. If you have something you want to make sure doesn't go through the machinery, simply send it in a padded mailer. Sure, they cost more than a regular envelope and cost a little more to send, but R2-D2 would have made it home safe and sound in one of them! 

Some things that have wound up either loose in my machine or being destroyed by it's feed system before ever making it into the machine itself:
Four cell phones
A near-mint condition 19th-century Morgan silver dollar
Numerous thumb drives
Numerous SD camera cards
Books of raffle tickets
LOTS of loose change
Two wrist watches
Countless candy canes around Christmas (as well as other candy near Halloween, Valentine's Day and Easter)
Keys, keys, and MORE keys

The moral to this story: If you want us to get it there in one piece and it's not a letter or greeting card, consider using a padded mailer, or at least using some cardboard in the envelope to stiffen it. Keys go in envelopes vertically, taped to the enclosed letters, and NOT on key rings or tags. Paper clips are a definite no-no. We want to deliver every card, letter, and package in one piece and on time, and take no pleasure in finding things loose in the machinery after the run... but it happens every night.

While I have your attention, PLEASE take a few minutes to send letters to your representatives in Congress protesting Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe's plan to gut the Postal Service by closing half of the sorting facilities nationwide (including the one where I work) starting on May 15. This plan will go into effect if Congress allows Donahoe to go ahead with his plan to do away with overnight delivery of local First Class mail (That which is to be delivered within 185 miles of it's origin) and Saturday delivery. He seems to think that reducing service to our customers will improve our bottom line while all it will do in the long run is drive customers away. More people will send packages via UPS and FedEx and pay their bills online to make sure payments arrive on time. At the moment, 70% of Americans still pay their bills by mail. Ten states currently vote exclusively by mail and several others are considering it. These proposed changes in delivery standards will undoubtedly delay many ballots until they're too late to be counted. The United States Postal Service is too important an institution to threaten this way.


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## scottnkat (May 11, 2006)

already have written myself, Jim - fingers are crossed


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

CorvairJim said:


> That sort of thing happens all the time. You'd be amazed the kinds of things people put in regular envelopes, thinking they'll make it through the modern, (almost) fully automated cancellation and sortation system undamaged. If something is found in a machine after an evening's run, we do our best to get it back with the correct envelope. That can be very hard to do, unless it is found at the scene of the machine jam that it caused at the timeit happened. Simply marking an envelope "Fragile", or "Hand Cancel" is no guarantee that will make it out of the regular mailstream before it gets into the machinery. Our medium-sized facility cancles roughly 450,000 pieces of mail on a typical night, and there are only TWO people dumping the mail into the feed system! Figure it out for yourself: What are the odds that any one specific mailpiece will be spotted by one of those dumpers? That's right: 1 in 225,000. These people are trained to look for the more obvious pieces that have to be removed: Open-sided flyers, "NetFlix" returns and other CD's, DVD's, and other disks, padded mailing envelopes, etc. Those padded mailers are the clue. If you have something you want to make sure doesn't go through the machinery, simply send it in a padded mailer. Sure, they cost more than a regular envelope and cost a little more to send, but R2-D2 would have made it home safe and sound in one of them!
> 
> Some things that have wound up either loose in my machine or being destroyed by it's feed system before ever making it into the machine itself:
> Four cell phones
> ...


Correct - this is what's killing the U.S. Post offices all around the country. They've already nuked over 200 of them a few years ago, and more on the way until there's none left. This is driving people away in droves even though they have the best prices around for delivery. It's what I use for shipping. 

On the other hand, the economy is doing its' yo-yo thing again. 

On the sorting thing: Yeah, I've heard my share of nightmare things, and I've had a few bad experiences myself with the post not getting through. One thing that I would NEVER send - MONEY! Loose change is a common occourance that most people don't realize is one of the worst things that you can send through the U.S. post. Keys - a lot of those are the ones that say "Drop in any mailbox in the United States - delivery guaranteed". This is the most common hazard other than getting crushed with a wall of mail bags stacked on top of each other!! My dad and I had a lot of problems back in the day delivering mail/post parcels. Not getting the right address, and sometimes NO address - just a name and the city. Off to the sorting bin for the postmaster to figure out.  A lot of stupid things go through the post office, but the worst I can remember is someone sent a baloney sandwich that molded somewhat, and came out of the bag it was shipped in - YUM, YUM!!!:wave:

~ Chris​


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## rat salad (Oct 18, 2004)

Model is finished. Keep in mind that I am not a car builder, so be nice. I build monster models! Thanks for your tips. Turns out the head slides easily over the seat. I rubbed chalk onto the bottom of the head to mark it's position; scratched the paint away under the chalk marks and glued the head onto the body panel compartment floor. Here he is....lots of pics:

http://www.bobbysmonstermodels.com/mummyMachine.html


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## scottnkat (May 11, 2006)

Looks really fantastic - I love the pyramid taillights. So are you gonna build the other monster car models?


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## CorvairJim (Dec 16, 2011)

You "figure" model guys always amaze me with the detail you manage to get into your work - all the subtle shading in the paint, etc. Nice work!


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## rat salad (Oct 18, 2004)

scottnkat said:


> Looks really fantastic - I love the pyramid taillights. So are you gonna build the other monster car models?


Thanks, and yes. I just wish they all had some chrome parts like this model, but I'm pretty sure they don't (I have only opened Dracs Dragster). I have two others too....the Red Baron and the Mach V (Speed Racer). There is another funny car I'd love to build, and that's the Bathtub Buggy. That looks like it would be alot of fun to detail.

And thank you also, Jim!


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