# Moebius Jupiter 2 Breaking News-Exclusive Pics!



## Ductapeforever (Mar 6, 2008)

I recieved a pleasent surprise from Dave Metzner in my e-mail last night. A set of previously unreleased photos of the Jupiter 2 Test shot build up for inclusion in the Detailing and Reference Guide. Here with permission from Dave are the photos. These are the best detailed High Res pics so far, this is the last word in kit detail pics as each area is photographed individually ! Due to the fact the file sizes are so large and the number of pics (20+) I had to post them at Flickr.com out of neccesity. 

Enjoy Guys, it won't be long now!

Find the Photos here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jupiter__series/


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

I just wet myself...


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## Ductapeforever (Mar 6, 2008)

Oh and before my maners escape me, I wan't to Thank Dave Metzner for allowing me the priviledge and Honor to be the first to post these. We are damn fortunate to have people like Frank and Dave, for letting us bend their ears with our sometimes silly choices of kits we are dying for someone to manufacture, and granting these wishes. No model kit manufacturer has ever in the history of the Hobby provided such customer service. They also have hit a home run with kit announcements and producing the kits ,ON TIME with little if any delay. I won't continue to sing the praises of folks you already know are top notch, suffice to say that for such a small, relatively new company, Moebius is a force to be delt with ,and a Hobby Juggernaut! Make mine a Moebius!


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

Many Thanks for posting these!


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## jquestjr64 (Jul 27, 2007)

Moebius has such a wonderful track record with their kits. This is simply astonishing!! Thanks for sharing these with us!


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## JohnGuard (Jan 13, 2008)

I Want My J2 Nowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

It's gonna be a long winter, and working on this is gonna make it an exceptionally memorable & happy one!
Time to finish off all the other back-burner builds and make room for the Jupiter II!


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## RMC (Aug 11, 2004)

Is The Upper Hull Going To Be One Or Two Pieces ?


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## Dave Metzner (Jan 1, 1970)

Just a quick note - the pics show first test shot parts NOT the finished model as seen at I-hobby and Chiller - The finished model has additional clear parts notably the panels behind the freezing tubes. also the finished model has different clear floor inserts in the elevator and freezing tubes with the texture like the Flying sub floor...Unfortunately I seem to have misplaced my photos of the finished model...(musta deleted the files)

Dave


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## Ductapeforever (Mar 6, 2008)

The upper Hull is one piece versus the Polar Lights version as a two piece hull.


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## starmanmm (Mar 19, 2000)

I have been working on the PL J2, but I think that I'm going to hold off and wait for this one to light instead.


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## Antimatter (Feb 16, 2008)

John P said:


> I just wet myself...


"Depend" works wonders for men your age.


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## Xenodyssey (Aug 27, 2008)

Like ohers I've had a WIP PL2 J2 kit for a while now, doing kitbashing to match it to the "real" thing....Now I want to be working on the Moebius kit!


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## MightyMax (Jan 21, 2000)

That's Purty!

Max Bryant


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## ryoga (Oct 6, 2009)

Wow ... one can really see the commitment to details here. I'm not a LIS fan but looking at this kit makes me want to go looking for the series's box set.


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## HabuHunter32 (Aug 22, 2009)

Yep...The Chinese must think were nuts! So much detail for a model from a TV show that went off the air 40 years ago! Bravo Moebius! I used to wish for a large detailed kit of the Jupiter 2 back in the 60's but now I'm kinda glad that we did'nt get one. A kit produced back in that day and age would not have had anyware near the level of detail that this puppy has! Back then kits were somewhat basic and if say Aurora did one the accuracy would have been suspect as well. Good enough for the 60's leaves alot to be desired today. If one were produced back then all of us would have wasted soo much money on e-place re-acquiring them and paying atronomical prices!

The Polar Lights issue was great for its time but did have problems.

Now our patience has been rewarded and for a very reasonable price we will shortly have a kit that looks to be everything we have waited so long for! 

Thanks Dave and Frank and Ron! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Dave Metzner (Jan 1, 1970)

The kit was designed by Gary Kerr He's most responsible for the detail incorporated in the model..

Dave


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## Mitchellmania (Feb 14, 2002)

I'd be cool if Moebius release a finished version for us vehicle phobic (and lazy) hobbyists .


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Great post ! This kit is a masterpiece !


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## Ignatz (Jun 20, 2000)

Kudos to Mr. Kerr and Team Moebius for making this masterpiece a reality! Those interior shots are gorgeous! This kit will surpass the Seaview in sales.


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## HabuHunter32 (Aug 22, 2009)

Dave Metzner said:


> The kit was designed by Gary Kerr He's most responsible for the detail incorporated in the model..
> 
> Dave


Sorry Dave! EXTREMELY SORRY GARY!!! I ment to include Gary as well! I do appreciate all of team Moebius's efforts!


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## liskorea317 (Mar 27, 2009)

The whole team is second to none!


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

John P said:


> I just wet myself...


LOL:lol:


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

Antimatter said:


> "Depend" works wonders for men your age.


LOL :lol:


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

I just saw the ductape flickr galery.
It's simply breathtaking!!
They built the best kit ever, and not satisfied they also painted it and give us detailed pics of each part.
We don't deserve it.


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

Guys,
I got my first look at the actual beastie today....

all I can say is you better clear off a big ol hunk of display space

Mother is HUUUUGE!!

here is the upper hull sitting on top of the PL C-57D


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## RSN (Jul 29, 2008)

Never did get the C-57D, too big! The Jupiter II, just right. It will have a shelf unto it's self, until the Pod and Chariot come out!


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

No model is too big, if you want it!


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## HabuHunter32 (Aug 22, 2009)

Lou Dalmaso said:


> Guys,
> I got my first look at the actual beastie today....
> 
> all I can say is you better clear off a big ol hunk of display space
> ...


Sweet Mama!!! She's a beauty!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Glad We dont have to wait too much longer for ours!:thumbsup:


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## woof359 (Apr 27, 2003)

*how bout next to a pl KIT*



Lou Dalmaso said:


> Guys,
> I got my first look at the actual beastie today....
> 
> all I can say is you better clear off a big ol hunk of display space
> ...


you got a PL kit some where in the house Lou ?


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

woof359 said:


> you got a PL kit some where in the house Lou ?


yeah, I'll get a photo of those two this evening!


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

Lou Dalmaso said:


> yeah, I'll get a photo of those two this evening!


and here they are. first is the pl j2 hull sitting on the Moebius j2

the second is side-by-side

as you can see. Bigger IS better


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## woof359 (Apr 27, 2003)

thanks Lou. really gives a sense on how big the new kit well be.


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

*GOLLY! *


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

*J2 floor colors*

So, I'm working on a new template set for the Moebius Jupiter 2. It's going to be a weird amalgam of painting masks and finished surfaces.

for instance, the floor. I think I found a color of vinyl that will do pretty well as the finished floor for the center circle, but I'm also providing a mask if you want to paint that circle a different color.

I was experimenting with colors for the outer perimeter of the floor. I thought the brown alone looked too drab, so i snuck a light coat of burgundy inbetween two coats of the brown. It looks great in person, but Iv'e noticed that when I take a picture of it, the burgundy just jumps out.

It really is browner in person

what do y'all think?

I think you can see where i'm going with the paint templates for the doors


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Lou Dalmaso said:


> So, I'm working on a new template set for the Moebius Jupiter 2. It's going to be a weird amalgam of painting masks and finished surfaces.
> 
> for instance, the floor. I think I found a color of vinyl that will do pretty well as the finished floor for the center circle, but I'm also providing a mask if you want to paint that circle a different color.
> 
> ...


Perhaps this question is better in private, but are you one of the team members at Aztek Dummy? I'm kinda new here and I really love all the AD vinyl products from those guys. I've seen many of your posts, but never put 2 and 2 together!!


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

Lou, that looks a little contrasty to my eye. The dark could be a little lighter (the set floor was fairly scuffed and dirty) and the light could be perhaps just a shade darker, the color of particle board comes closest. . The best picture I have I unfortunately can't share - it's #10 (I think) on the Viewmaster reel. The colors look pretty true there, at least to what we saw. For the life of me, can't find a decent color picture from other than the 1st season. 
Did the floor stay the same colors throughout the 3d season? It began (on the Viewmaster reel and for the first few episodes) still on the stage they used for the 2nd season, so I think the floor was the same between the 2nd and first couple episodes of the 3d. But after that they moved stages and so much changed. I don't know what to make of the floor color in this photo, supposedly taken just before the demolition of the sets.
Really hard to tell from your photo, but the door points seem a little too pointy to me, tho you're probably working within the confines of the model details.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

That's looking fantastic, Lou.



kdaracal said:


> Perhaps this question is better in private, but are you one of the team members at Aztek Dummy?


Lou is not only one of the team members at Aztek Dummy, he IS the Aztek Dummy!


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## woof359 (Apr 27, 2003)

Im trying to figure out how to make the wall divisions look like there glowing or lit up.


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

woof359 said:


> Im trying to figure out how to make the wall divisions look like there glowing or lit up.


Woof, I'm working on that, too:wave:

Starseeker, yes I'm working off the parts, so i need to make them match as close as possible.

here's another photo of the same setup under different lighting. You can get a better idea of the details on the pod bay door as well as another view of the floor colors


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

In that light, or from that angle, those colors look perfect! Nice work, as always. Looking at my 3d season "screen grabs" (I took photos from the TV set in the days even before DVD), the late 3d season floor (without the hatch under the ladder) seems to be the same colors as the early 3d season floor.
Painting those doors is a bear. I was hoping that someone would come up with decals or an etch overlay that could be painted and applied separately. I never thought of your masks. They're going to be great!


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## j2man (Jun 18, 1999)

I painted my Lunar and PL Jupiter a Chocolate Brown. It looks pretty good to me. I also used a red very thin striping to separate the two. (automotive striping tape)


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## Chuck Eds (Jul 20, 2009)

I heard someone describe the deck colors as "chocolate & caramel" once. I used Testor's gloss brown for mine & mixed it with yellow for the inner color.


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## DLHamblin (Nov 7, 2008)

Lou Dalmaso said:


> So, I'm working on a new template set for the Moebius Jupiter 2. It's going to be a weird amalgam of painting masks and finished surfaces.
> 
> for instance, the floor. I think I found a color of vinyl that will do pretty well as the finished floor for the center circle, but I'm also providing a mask if you want to paint that circle a different color.
> 
> ...



I'll be glad to sign up for the paint masks. The chariot canopy masks sold me. I recall all the tedious masking doing my Lunar Models J2 and PL one. The masks would help greatly on the new Moebius J2 I am sure!!!


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Paulbo said:


> That's looking fantastic, Lou.
> 
> 
> 
> Lou is not only one of the team members at Aztek Dummy, he IS the Aztek Dummy!


Thanks for the info! Thanks for all your good work, Lou!!


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

starseeker said:


> In that light, or from that angle, those colors look perfect! Nice work, as always. Looking at my 3d season "screen grabs" (I took photos from the TV set in the days even before DVD), the late 3d season floor (without the hatch under the ladder) seems to be the same colors as the early 3d season floor.
> Painting those doors is a bear. I was hoping that someone would come up with decals or an etch overlay that could be painted and applied separately. I never thought of your masks. They're going to be great!


Starseeker,
thanks for the compliment! barring any "cold light of day" photos, matching colors on an Irwin Allen production is always up to debate.

I hope you'll find that when it comes to this Jupiter 2 that Paul and I should have you covered. We've been working together on this for a while now and we want to make sure that no stone in left unturned


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

And even those photos are subject to exposure, color balance, printing, scanning, and whatever your monitor makes them look like. You've got it nailed, it looks like. Lou, speaking of un-turning stones, will you be providing alternate bits for anyone who for some crazy reason happen to hate the 3d season Jupiter 2? All I can think of off hand is an alternate storage room/pod bay hatch and possibly extended-across-the-full-ceiling whatever-you're-thinking-of-to-detail-the-lighted-girders, something that was mentioned early in the original J2 details thread as being easy to scratch for those who so desired. Meaning there's interest. At least in theory.


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

I can tell you that I've not heard of any plans for alternate items like you spelled out, but if they materialize, I will certainly look into making stuff to make it easier to paint them.

I'm hoping somebody looks into making a "plug" to simulate the filming model cockpit. That way folks could build the flight deck as a separate mdel and just go nuts lighting it and such, and they could still display the shell of the hull with it's own lighting effects and landing gear etc..


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

Did find one picture. From the poses, it looks like it's from the 3d season. It looks way too contrasty to my eye. Which tells you what little I know. Sigh.


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## Gemini1999 (Sep 25, 2008)

starseeker said:


> Did find one picture. From the poses, it looks like it's from the 3d season. It looks way too contrasty to my eye. Which tells you what little I know. Sigh.


That pic is from the second season - look at the colors of the costumes...

Bryan


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Lou Dalmaso said:


> and here they are. first is the pl j2 hull sitting on the Moebius j2
> 
> the second is side-by-side
> 
> as you can see. Bigger IS better


MARVELOUS! The accurate detailing is a big plus as well.:thumbsup:

Thanks for showing the pics!


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

Gemini1999 said:


> That pic is from the second season - look at the colors of the costumes...
> 
> Bryan


But did the color of the floor change between 2 and 3?


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

woof359 said:


> Im trying to figure out how to make the wall divisions look like there glowing or lit up.


Do you think that would be possible to fix strips of ELS on the front side of the wall divisions to get the lighting effect? Could they be powered from the top of the sofit?


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

Hey Lou
Are you going to do paint templates for those raised surfaces of the wall divisions? 
Thanks


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

Fernando,
yes, those raised panels will be addressed.

I don't want to give too much away (because I'm still working out the details) but I'm thinking of using the type of reflective vinyl you see on road signs to simulate the "lit" front edge of the curved "rib" walls.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Gemini1999 said:


> That pic is from the second season - look at the colors of the costumes...
> 
> Bryan


I'm pretty sure it's a season 3 picture - check out the "kick plates" at the bottom of the freezing tubes. Pretty sure those didn't show up 'til 3rd season.

LOU - love seeing the photos. Every time you post another one I get even more psyched!


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## RSN (Jul 29, 2008)

That is a 2nd season shot. They are wearing 2nd season costumes. The name of the episode is "The Phantom Family". The freezing tubes were modified during the 2nd season, not the 3rd.


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

The give away is the zipper collars, as to which season it is. The men (except for my role model, Dr. Smith) wore yellow turtlenecks in the third season.


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## Gemini1999 (Sep 25, 2008)

RSN said:


> That is a 2nd season shot. They are wearing 2nd season costumes. The name of the episode is "The Phantom Family". The freezing tubes were modified during the 2nd season, not the 3rd.


Thank you.... I'm so glad that someone else could tell which costumes belong to which season. 

Second season:










Third season:










I know that the third season colors are a bit flamboyant, but when you look at the second season costumes, the extreme use of orange, yellow and brown is even more eye straining.

I love the silver spacesuits though!

Bryan


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

I have always looked to see how mature Penny is to determine the season.


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

*upon reflection...*

Here's the thing. 

I'm experimenting with the reflective vinyl. the first picture shows the wall with the vinyl applied. (I know the wall is not supposed to be gray, it's primer..) the picture is so dark because it's taken without a flash.

Picture two has the flash and you can see it really makes that glow strip glow! 

However... the effect requires a light to shine on it so the vinyl has something to reflect. that could be an issue. ambient overhead lighting could do the job. something to think about

the work continues...


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## beck (Oct 22, 2003)

WOW !!! i finally got a chance to look at these pics and i am impressed . 
can't wait to get one !
hb


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## starmanmm (Mar 19, 2000)

Lou, on my first J2, I used reflective tape that you use on clothing, tools, etc. What I liked about it was that there were little images of triangles on the sheet which when the kit was not on, gave it a nice look... as if there was something really there.

Found this in the Police/Fire Dept stores (where they get their uniforms and stuff).


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## toyroy (Jul 17, 2005)

Fernando Mureb said:


> Do you think that would be possible to fix strips of ELS on the front side of the wall divisions to get the lighting effect?...


You mean, something like this?:

http://electroluminescence-inc.com/ELtape.htm

It _may_ be tough to get it narrow enough. This may be a better option:

http://www.glowire.com/basic_glowire_information.htm


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## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

DLHamblin said:


> I'll be glad to sign up for the paint masks. The chariot canopy masks sold me. I recall all the tedious masking doing my Lunar Models J2 and PL one. The masks would help greatly on the new Moebius J2 I am sure!!!


The correct colors for the floor are as follows, inner circle is modelmaster dark tan FS30219 and the outside circle is testors gloss brown #1240 at first the dark tan looks too dark when you spray it on the entire floor. When you mask the circle to the correct diameter and then spray the gloss brown, the first color lightens up to the correct shade.


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## Ron Gross (Jan 2, 2009)

Bert,
Your hard work and extensive research in the area of color accuracy are very much appreciated. Many modelers in this community will benefit.


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## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

Thanks Ron, here are 3 shots of my floor on my PL Jupiter 2 that i finished on christmas eve 2005. & I sent the pictures to cultmans website on new years day 2006. Finishing the Jupiter 2 and having it lit & running on Christmas day 2005 was a great present to myself, I was like a kid with a new bike under the tree LOl. The colors i mentioned are the absolute correct colors and when viewed in person it really shows to be correct.


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

At that scale....LIGHT SHEET! Baby!

QUESTION: Has anyone ever thought about a 1st season black & white look like the do on classic figures? HMmmmmm


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## liskorea317 (Mar 27, 2009)

Not a bad idea...


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## liskorea317 (Mar 27, 2009)

Good colors Bert!


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## toyroy (Jul 17, 2005)

Starseeker has posted some first season color photos which may help J2 and Robinson figure modelers:

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=221966


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

Bert,
You sold me. I had a second color for the inner floor that I was considering that is closer to your choice. Here's a pic of the two with my original on the left and the other one on the right.

the one on the right is a closer match to you and I'm going to change over to that color for my template set.

Thanks for the intel..


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

See, that's why it's impossible to choose colors of anything from a screen. It all boils down to a matter of preference. The floor color in the shot that I liked looks pretty much identical to the new floor color you've chosen (image flipped left to right below to compare them better). It's going to be more a matter of lighting and camera sensitivity and gloss level than finding anything "accurate". Lou, whatever you decide upon, all it has to do is look right to you. I'm pretty sure that will be good enough for 90% of the rest of us.


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## flyingfrets (Oct 19, 2001)

In actual fact, the correct color for the outer ring of the floor is Testors "Rubber." It's a matte color and would require several gloss coats to bring it up to the correct sheen. The shade Bert mentioned is too light, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The center section is more of a marigold color...a shade of yellow with very subtle brown tones.


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

well here's what I'll do.

I'm working on the walls now and when I have an area of the ship finished enough that I can see the floor colors next to the wall colors, I'll make an executive descision on which color I'll ultimately go with.

and like my instructions state, these are my choices and I'm providing a "negative" mask for the inner circle as well if you want to mix your own floor color


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## woof359 (Apr 27, 2003)

I thought in season 3 the upper deck floor was really 3 colors???


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## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

Lou, my floor colors look right to the eye in person also. for the walls & other areas such as cabinet doors it is buff, radom tan, and modern desert sand. Lou, you have a PM


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## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

double post sorry


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## Y3a (Jan 18, 2001)

What about using UV LED's and paint to get those bulkhead ends to glow?


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

I'm thinking that adding lights in the soffett will go a long way.

the big issue with those bulkheads is that since they are two pieces, you end up with a seam running down the middle. A nice thing the vinyl does is cover up that seam without needing to putty it.


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## toyroy (Jul 17, 2005)

Don't forget that the bulkhead edges pulse on and off, whereas the other lighting is constant.

If the bulkheads are two pieces, it should be pretty easy to install the EL wire next to, and just inside, the edge. Then affix some clear or white-translucent strip along the edge.


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## m jamieson (Dec 18, 2008)

toyroy said:


> Don't forget that the bulkhead edges pulse on and off, whereas the other lighting is constant.
> 
> If the bulkheads are two pieces, it should be pretty easy to install the EL wire next to, and just inside, the edge. Then affix some clear or white-translucent strip along the edge.


I was thinking the same thing, a little depth could be ground out of the plastic if necessary, and a fader circuit could be added for the effect.


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

*progress*

just in case you thought I was slacking on the weekend..

coming together quite nicely IIMSSOM


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

Lou Dalmaso said:


> just in case you thought I was slacking on the weekend..
> 
> coming together quite nicely IIMSSOM


OMG, as always, simply amazing work, Lou.....:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

Lou, did that paint scheme i sent you get through in email ?
Bert


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

Bert,
Yes, I got it. Muchas Gracias!

don't fret about the colors you've seen thus far as I'm really only concerned at this point with proving the concepts. 

The next one will be for accuracy


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## toyroy (Jul 17, 2005)

m jamieson said:


> I was thinking the same thing, a little depth could be ground out of the plastic if necessary, and a fader circuit could be added for the effect.


The pulsing beam edges have got to be one of the simplest and best ways to add authenticity, interest, and the temporal dimension to the interior. It's just one of those details that sticks in my mind.


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

Fernando Mureb said:


> Do you think that would be possible to fix strips of ELS on the front side of the wall divisions to get the lighting effect? Could they be powered from the top of the sofit?


Repeating some questions I put on post #53, page 4.


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

I can tell you that the width of the rib walls is a hair under 1/8th of an inch.

I know you guys are good with tiny lighting (I'm looking at you, Teslabe )
but I've not seen EL strips that narrow. Plus it has to conform to that unique curve.

Gentlemen, start your soldering irons!


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

1/8" plexi or clear sandwiched between the outer frames, hollow on the inside, with a yellow led or two at opposite corners, pointing away from the lighted surface at a moderately reflective back surface.


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

Oh, sure, it sounds simple when you say it that way 

I think it would be easier to scratch build new ones rather than "hollowing out" the stock parts


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

Lou Dalmaso said:


> I can tell you that the width of the rib walls is a hair under 1/8th of an inch.
> 
> I know you guys are good with tiny lighting (I'm looking at you, Teslabe )
> but I've not seen EL strips that narrow. Plus it has to conform to that unique curve.
> ...


http://www.thatscoolwire.com/store/subcategory.asp?SubCategoryID=147

First, let me say that I am no fan of EL panels, strips or even this, EL wire.
Too many resons to go into here, lets just say "lifespan and brightness", send me a PM if you need more info.

With that said, if you must use "EL" anything, this EL wire might work. I think by triming at a 45deg on both halfs at the front wall and making a "V" channel you could place this wire into the channel and place a 1/8" strip of thin frosted plastic over it to conceal the wire. Be sure the wire's "illuminated" color is white and the frosted sheets allow as much light through as possible. Then try to keep the wire in one peice and tread it though the walls, going up one wall then down the next and drive the wire as one peice and with one inverter. To reduce light leak, use black shrink sleeve on the exposed wire as it spans the next wall behind the interior walls. Do not shrink the sleeve the heat will damage the EL wire, just use sleeving close to the OD of your EL wire......:thumbsup:
I'll be doing something like this but with very small LEDs and thin sheets of light deffusion film. This is all just a though til I get my kit.......:wave:


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

I was hoping that the kit parts would be hollow, that you'd just have to trim or sand away the front "clear" face, and maybe sand/thin the insides surfaces for the sandwich. Scratch building both the 16 rib sides and the 16 raised outside details with their beveled edges is no fun. 
That's something else that needs paint masks: those 16 bevel edged raised panels.


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

Starseeker,
good news, bad news...
the walls are two solid parts joined to make a solid wall
My mask set does include masks for the raised panels

pic of the day

Freezer tube wall mocked up with temp lighting


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## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

Lou, are the freeze tube walls transparent for backlighting ?


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

bert,
yes. the back wall is clear as are the inserts


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## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

perfect ! the color for those walls is duck egg blue and i wonder if they make that color in a transparent, or maybe the walls themselves are tinted in the kit.


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

I'm confident that the clear parts will be clear. No tinting.
isn't there a color of saran wrap one could use?


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

For anyone who is determined to make their own girders, here's a relatively quick way (took me about 3 1/2 hours to make these, including a trip to the store when I couldn't find my two sided tape). Since there are 16 of them, you'll want to make them all at once. Transfer the girder plan to a piece of styrene, for the Moebius about 020 or 030. If you're going to light the girders, best to use black Evergreen if you have it (I didn't have enough so I'll block). Mark off a slight amount from the inside surface (the one that the light will shine through). Roughly cut it out, fairly over-sized, and then cut out 15 or 17 more of that shape (you want a couple extras, just in case). Make two more but make them much longer toward the outside, to go on either side of the control panels (that's a lousy place to try to splice together two pieces of plastic without a seam showing). 
With double sided tape, stick all the pieces of plastic together into one thick part. Use your method of choice to cut the piece slightly oversized. A scroll saw works well here, or a dremel would work, or you could carefully use an Xacto. 
Sand the over-sized piece to shape. A drum in a drill press works here, or a dremel, or sandpaper wrapped around various flat and round objects. 
Use the sandpaper wrapped around stuff to finish sanding to shape.
Peel them apart and from your Evergreen collection, select eight 015 or 020 strips (thin enough for light to shine through, or use clear, but you'll have to cut it yourself and it's quite brittle) the width of the girder and cement each strip to the outer edge of the inside curve of the girder. Easy to do - just lay the side down on a flat surface (glass if you have it), and push the srip up against it and cement as you go. 
Once all eight have one side cemented, find a piece of styrene that matches the inside width (between the sides) of the girder and cement it flat along length of the foot of the girder. That will give you something solid to cement to the floor plus it's essential to square up the other side of the girder when you cement it on. 
Which is what you do next. 
Line up the other side of the girder square with the first side, square up the foot, cement the two pieces together starting at the foot. It helps tremendously if you can fit something inside the girder to support the new side at exactly the proper height while you're cementing. Just don't use styrene or anything the cement will attack. I had a big file that was just the perfect thickness. 
Later, when everything is dry, you can sand and fill any gaps in the sides and then use thin Evergreen strip to add the raised edges to the fronts. 
Then repeat the shaping and sanding with the raised bits that go on the sides of the girders.
Alternatively, take the Moebius parts and sand the insides away and sand the sides pretty thin, and cement the sides to eight clear inserts. One of the great modeling tools is a piece of 1/2" or 3/4" plywood with a sheet of coarse sandpaper glued to one side and a sheet of finer paper glued to the other. It's great for something like thinning the Moebius girders but you'll use it for something on every project, often frequently.


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

starseeker said:


> For anyone who is determined to make their own girders.


http://www.overstock.com/Crafts-Sewing/Silhouette-SD-Digital-Craft-Cutter-with-25-Gift-Card/4400810/product.html?keywords=Silhouette%20SD%20Digital%20Craft%20Cutter%20with%20$25%20Gift%20Card&searchtype=Header

Very nice work, you a true artist.......:thumbsup:. I wish I still had my house, that kind of work is out for me. Do you have these drawings to scale for the Moebius and did you already send them to me? I just got this new toy today and will be playing with it over the long holiday weekend. I'm hoping that the files it uses are compatable with ether Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. I'm dying to see if it can score thin plastic sheets, I might then have a chance to do something close to what you did, wish me luck and here goes another delay on my Tricorder work........


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## toyroy (Jul 17, 2005)

starseeker said:


> For anyone who is determined to make their own girders, here's a relatively quick way...


Excellent post, since many will want the first or second season version of the flight deck. :thumbsup:


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

[QUOTE I wish I still had my house, that kind of work is out for me. Do you have these drawings to scale for the Moebius and did you already send them to me? I just got this new toy today and will be playing with it over the long holiday weekend. I'm hoping that the files it uses are compatable with ether Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. I'm dying to see if it can score thin plastic sheets, I might then have a chance to do something close to what you did, wish me luck and here goes another delay on my Tricorder work........[/QUOTE]

Sorry, I think I missed you post in passing. 
I wish I still had my model room. It's full of plaster and masters and molds in progress and I've just started on one model and already I'm totally out of room and I have to find space to work on anything else anywhere I can. Usually someplace completely inappropriate and solvent cement unfriendly. 
I don't have any Moebius scale drawings and have no idea what Moebius scale will be, actually. Using my 1/24 drawings that should have been the ones sent. They're working out pretty well. A few tweaks needed here and there to get 3D plastic to match, but pretty close. 
Dying to find out what that tool is. I have a vague feeling that I know what it is and another vague feeling that it will cut thin plastic. ???
Luck!


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

Dying to find out what that tool is. I have a vague feeling that I know what it is and another vague feeling that it will cut thin plastic. ???
Luck![/QUOTE]

It's like an X/Y plotter but without the pen and replaced with a cutting head. I hope to use it for making paint masks for my builds.
Here are some pictures of the unit, it will take DXF, Autocad R13 files. I hope to have some time tonight to try it out.....:thumbsup:


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## liskorea317 (Mar 27, 2009)

bert model maker said:


> perfect ! the color for those walls is duck egg blue and i wonder if they make that color in a transparent, or maybe the walls themselves are tinted in the kit.



Hi Bert!
You can drop in at any art store and get color tone film. Its a very thin translucent sheet that peels off a wax paper and you place it over the clear part you want tinted, bunish it down with the handle of a paint brush, and it will provide an even color all over. It comes in a range of colors as well. It used to be known as "Burgess" paper, but these days its more plastic than paper.
Its easily cut with an exacto or even a scissors and will last as long as the model lasts.


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## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

Thanks for the tip that sounds a lot easier than trying to paint it. i will keep my eye out for some of this.


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## robiwon (Oct 20, 2006)

Hello Bert!

That's a good idea on the "burgess paper" I'll hve to hit some art stores in Lexington. I wonder would Hobby Lobby have something like that in the art section?


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## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

Hi Robert, i never heard of the stuff but to have color for clear panels to light from behind will look great.let me know if you spot any. and let me know what you think of it.


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

I tried "burgess paper" on google and find nothing.


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## liskorea317 (Mar 27, 2009)

bert model maker said:


> Hi Robert, i never heard of the stuff but to have color for clear panels to light from behind will look great.let me know if you spot any. and let me know what you think of it.





Fernando Mureb said:


> I tried "burgess paper" on google and find nothing.


Sorry for the confusion. We used to use Burgess paper in illustration and animation. Because it was translucent and sticky on one side it was great for laying down a solid color on paper, but it was also great for making spot-light or ghost FX in cartoons. I guess in this digital age, its not available any longer, but if you check a *good* art store in their graphics department where they sell screen tones, you may be able to find color tone film that is actually better than burgess paper. I bought some here in Korea not 16 months ago for some art work, and they had white, blue, red, yellow and purple. I will take a look here and see if its available still.
You can also try tinted acetate sheets that come in various thicknesses and colors. I know thats available in art shops and craft stores.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Ahh! Thanks for the clarification LIS. It's almost generically known as Letratone and Letraset here (the main manufacturer back in the day) ... though of course they no longer make it. I'm going to check the local art supply store and see if they've got a similar material.


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## Richard Baker (Aug 8, 2006)

Paulbo said:


> Ahh! Thanks for the clarification LIS. It's almost generically known as Letratone and Letraset here (the main manufacturer back in the day) ... though of course they no longer make it. I'm going to check the local art supply store and see if they've got a similar material.


In th egood old days when I was in Advertising Letraset & Letratone were the only game in town for dependable color true marking. Of course we were making mechanical paste-ups instead of the digital stuff today, but I wish I had a bunch of that stuff today for model making...


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

Richard Baker said:


> In th egood old days when I was in Advertising Letraset & Letratone were the only game in town for dependable color true marking. Of course we were making mechanical paste-ups instead of the digital stuff today, but I wish I had a bunch of that stuff today for model making...


Amen Richard!

I used to love different dot screen patterns and funky gradients.

I would guess you'd have better luck with lighting gels than finding old letratone


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

I am thinking of printing the duck egg blue color on clear decal sheet, and applying to clear parts. Won't that work?


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

yes that will work, but you may want to try out a few different levels of saturation to find the one that will give the best color with the lights you are using. 

a printed color is always going to show the dots from the printing process, so factor that in.


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## Y3a (Jan 18, 2001)

Any News 'from the Boat' ? have they boarded yet?


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

It got hijacked!


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

"At exactly launch plus 8 hours...Destroy Guidance System!...Destroy Communications!...Destroy Robinson Party..."

I blame the Stowaway!


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## Y3a (Jan 18, 2001)

Well, pitch his old rear into the airlock and blow him into space! We'll yank the power on the robot and Will can fix it once we land on Alpha Centuri's planet..


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## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

Watching on the sidelines !


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

The heck with the sidelines!
1:24. Pretty rough at this point but it's all square and except for the 040 x 080 strips at the top of the hatch unit, it has all fit together perfectly so far. That's a lump of lead in the seat bottom to counter balance it. None of the main components are cemented together yet, just dry-fitted, so some large gaps that should go away when it's down on a flat base.


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## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

starseeker said:


> The heck with the sidelines!
> 1:24. Pretty rough at this point but it's all square and except for the 040 x 080 strips at the top of the hatch unit, it has all fit together perfectly so far. That's a lump of lead in the seat bottom to counter balance it. None of the main components are cemented together yet, just dry-fitted, so some large gaps that should go away when it's down on a flat base.


Your right, That is some detailed work & very nicely done.


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## toyroy (Jul 17, 2005)

starseeker said:


> 1:24. Pretty rough at this point but it's all square and except for the 040 x 080 strips at the top of the hatch unit, it has all fit together perfectly so far...


Are you going to light those girder edges?


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## starseeker2 (Jun 13, 2008)

Yes, I plan to replicate all of the lighting from my original 1/24 model,

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/attachment.php?attachmentid=81925&d=1240671203
from
http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=252892

but at 25 years later using all sorts of nifty new things like etch and LEDs and mini flasher circuits and tiny motors to spin the radar I hope to be able to make it look a lot better. Or at least more even. Even something as simple as using a machinists square to guide my cuts has hugely increased the speed and accuracy and ease of the build.


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## psquinn (Feb 23, 2009)

First of all THANK YOU Moebius for creating such a fantastic model!!! Your whole team needs to be applauded for their incredible work!! I have loved the Jupiter 2 since it blasted off in 1966, and now it will be a fantastic new model. I have the feeling that this model will produce most fantastic after market parts in model history. Being an average modeler I will look forward to all the wonderful creations all of you will create. I look forward to all the tips you all will give!! Thanks, Dave


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## toyroy (Jul 17, 2005)

starseeker2 said:


> ...Even something as simple as using a machinists square to guide my cuts has hugely increased the speed and accuracy and ease of the build.


Yep, using the right tool for the job often makes it an outright pleasure to do. Of course, some of the jobs are unusual enough, that one has to make the right tool oneself.


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