# Finally I start my big Flying Sub.



## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

Just to let you all know that I finally started on my big FS1 this week end. After getting the last of the add ons needed last week with Pauls PE and Decal set those little voices started to whisper to me again...:tongue:

To date I have added the pe parts to the walls and assmbled the internal girders then primed em all. Before priming the girders though I went back and filled in the gaps and sanded down the seam on the insde of the ring and heres hoping I managed to sand off the pesky seam on the girder faces. 
These two little box pieces are gonna be interesting to light???
















The white box the forward console is resting on is one of the light boxes I have made to put behing the pe for back lighting








This shot shows the cage glued and sitting in the floor to keep it plumb whilst the glue dries. 









Things I will tackle next will be painting the floor and dressing the bed... I'm still in the design/decide stage about the lighting. I'm pretty sure I'll be putting a very thin piece of plasticard or white copy paper behind the pe consoles to soften and difuse the light maybe not covering all of them just to vary the intensity of the light and I may yet still use fo's in some of the multi light panels with some blinkies. I'll just have to be carefull not to wash out those great decals...:drunk:

Cheers,

Alec. :wave:


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## miniature sun (May 1, 2005)

Alec,

I reckon there is enough space inside those little boxes to insert either some rectangular LED's or mount some small 3mm hi-intensity white LED's on the outer edge to shine into the boxes.
Glad to see someone else tackling the brass set...I'm going away for a week tomorrow so you'll probably be way ahead of me when I get back!
BTW check out the tip on using foil in the lighting section of the forum.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Looking good, Alec.

One tip for the lighting: fill each of the light openings (not the main console displays, though) with Micro Kristal Klear ( link ) then hit them from behind with a solid layer of dull coat or frosting paint.

This will give the decals something to sit on, while helping to promote even lighting.

I'm looking forward to seeing everything primed.


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

Thanks for the tip :thumbsup: I was trying to work out how to do it so the decals wouldn't hollow in. Thats what I love about this BB.  

Cheers,

Alec


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

miniature sun said:


> Alec,
> 
> I reckon there is enough space inside those little boxes to insert either some rectangular LED's or mount some small 3mm hi-intensity white LED's on the outer edge to shine into the boxes.
> Glad to see someone else tackling the brass set...I'm going away for a week tomorrow so you'll probably be way ahead of me when I get back!
> BTW check out the tip on using foil in the lighting section of the forum.


You are proberbly right about the little leds but I didn't hollow them out so I'll live with out lights in them and yes I caught on to your foil tape post but I'm haveing some trouble sourcing it down here so I may just resort to h/duty kitchen foil and ca glue

Any way hope you have/had a good break.

Cheers,

Alec.

BTW Paul I corrected the little error so its all good now. :thumbsup:


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

The foil tape should be available at most any home improvement mega-store in either the tape/adhesive or the heating/cooling area (it's quite literally "duct tape" for sealing metal ductwork).

If you can't end up finding it, replace the CA adhesive for the aluminium foil with wide scrapbooking adhesive that you can find at a well stocked crafting store. (Think a 5 or 6 cm wide piece of double-faced Scotch tape.) This will be a far less messy option. It has a release liner on it, so you can cut your assembled pieces to size before exposing the adhesive.

We have a chain here called "JoAnne's" that's got a huge scrapbooking department. I also picked up a little laminating machine that deposits the adhesive perfectly with no wrinkles or bubbles.

If you can't find the wide adhesive tape, then I'd stick with plain old 12mm double-faced Scotch tape and leave the CA for fixing any edge problems you end up with.

Glad you were able to swap around those consoles. Like I said in the email, 99.999% of people wouldn't notice, but ...


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

Paulbo said:


> The foil tape should be available at most any home improvement mega-store in either the tape/adhesive or the heating/cooling area (it's quite literally "duct tape" for sealing metal ductwork).


You might try the thin lead tape used for windows when installing an alarm
system. I got a roll of it from "Radio Shack", but I'm sure any "home improvement mega-store", would also have it. Just a thought....:wave: It's very easy to work with.....


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## gareee (Jan 1, 1970)

Are there any pics of a completed fs with the new etching and decals in place anywhere?


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## Dave Metzner (Jan 1, 1970)

The etched parts have only been available in the last couple weeks, anybody who has one done already works really fast and doesn't require much sleep


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

I managed to find a couple of sources for foil tape here but it's rather expensive. I do however like the idea of the scrapbook adhesive or maybe some thin double sided tape... works for the budget too:tongue:

Ok what I have achived so far is building the light boxes and painting the walls front and back ready for Pauls micro clear suggestion. I have also finished painting the floor after a couple of attempts at getting a colour I liked for the three lite hexes. I finally settles on a pale grey colour (the flash washed it out some in the pic) as I found the yellow to cartoony and the biege I then tried to heavy (blocked a lot of light) The floor is a dark /royal blue with a light bue dusted over that for the 'freckled look' then goiven a couple of light gloss coats shot over it. I deliberatly left the raised sections half clear for when I light up the main console.

I tried to 'dress up the bunk area so I had a shot at some add ons...  The sheets and blanket for the bunk are foolscape paper trimmed and folded with the pillow being a piece of thick card then it was all painted and shaded up. The cupboard I did in Tamiyas sky grey them brushed in a black wash in the grooves between the draws n doors then thinned down the grey and sprayed that over the dried black lines followed by a quick dry brush of a paler blue grey before dusting it again in the origional grey. I like the finished look as it gives them some depth and a slightly used feel.

After finishing the walls I did a couple of test shots with them in place so I could start on my wiring plan. The dark grey is citadels chardon granite then dry brushed with a lightend mix of that and white. The grey consoles are my own blend of the sky grey and black which should give a good background for the decals.

The little boxes on the edge of the front walls are going to prove a challange to light up my plan is to grind out as much of the inner walls leaving some of the plastic there light block it and mount in some little leds, pretty much the same as I did for the scanner on the Pod.

Cheers,

Alec.


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

Alec, why don't you throw out the opaque window boxes and replace them with clear? That way you could open up a slot in the wall they mount on, even insert a bit of extra depth into the wall if you wanted, and simply light them from a single source behind each wall. Save trying to hollow out a kit part or making a small box from thin styrene.


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## gareee (Jan 1, 1970)

Dave Metzner said:


> The etched parts have only been available in the last couple weeks, anybody who has one done already works really fast and doesn't require much sleep


I didn't think I'd seen them mentioned anywhere before the past week or so.

I normally don't but add on kits, but this fs one with decals does look tempting.

I'm kinda surprised the vendor though doesn't have one build up available for advertisement pics.


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

Looks terrific!...I love how your sub looks.

Heavy duty kitchen foil will work and all you really need is a thick white glue like Aileen's(it's cheap at the craft stores),..and it dries clear. You could use it instead of crystal kleer.

I can't wait to see her all lit up!
Steve


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## gareee (Jan 1, 1970)

To glue kitchen foil down, spray glue also is excellent! Cut to shape, flip it over, give it a good hit of spray glue, and stick it down. No glue dribbles, and no waiting for it to dry either.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

That's looking very sharp, Alec. (But then your work always is.) 

Garee - I know I really need finished product shots, but right now I'm going balls to the walls just keeping up with packaging / shipping current products and designing new ones. Good timing on your comment through - I've just made arrangements to have my first commissioned buildup done ... though it'll be of a product still under development. (Very hush hush  )


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## miniature sun (May 1, 2005)

Alec, thats looking good so far. For my lighting I'm going a similar route to you, using foil-lined boxes behind each panel, each with a high-intensity LED facing away from the kit part so that the light bounces back and through the holes in the etch.
I may use a piece of tissue across the rear of the panels to diffuse the light.
For the reactor core I'm using two RGB LED's which, when powered, gradually change from red to green to blue (hence RGB).
I'm looking forward to seeing your progress...by the way, my trip away was cancelled due to illness (not me) so I can get on with my build after all.

Iain


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

starseeker said:


> Alec, why don't you throw out the opaque window boxes and replace them with clear? That way you could open up a slot in the wall they mount on, even insert a bit of extra depth into the wall if you wanted, and simply light them from a single source behind each wall. Save trying to hollow out a kit part or making a small box from thin styrene.


Thanks starseeker but I've already ground out most of them but I may take a variation on the theme though :thumbsup:



gareee said:


> To glue kitchen foil down, spray glue also is excellent! Cut to shape, flip it over, give it a good hit of spray glue, and stick it down. No glue dribbles, and no waiting for it to dry either.


Great idea :wave: I was wondering about spray adhesive and how it would go. Yet another idea to work on. Cheers :thumbsup:

Iain sorry to hear that your trip was cancelled. Myself I wasn't planning on lining the light boxes with foil as I am after a more softer glow also I'm concerned that to much reflection might was out the decals though they look pretty solid.

Cheers and thanks again for the tips :thumbsup:

Alec.


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

steve123 said:


> Looks terrific!...I love how your sub looks.
> 
> Heavy duty kitchen foil will work and all you really need is a thick white glue like Aileen's(it's cheap at the craft stores),..and it dries clear. You could use it instead of crystal kleer.
> 
> ...


Thanks Steve.  I use weldbond mostly haven't tried it on the foil yet




Paulbo said:


> That's looking very sharp, Alec. (But then your work always is.)


 Thanks mate.  The camera does help hide the odd fluff up or three :tongue: I am a little curious at you 'hush hush' project though Paul however with all the tips being passed along my curiosity may be curbed just a bit for a while.

Cheers,

Alec.


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## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

Wheres a good source for those RGB LED's? Sounds cool.


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

*LOOKING GOOD MY FRIEND!!!:thumbsup:*

*I also have Paulbo's Beautiful Photo Etch Kit for my Second Flying Sub Build.*

*I highly recommend "Paragrafix's" work!*.Stunning, simply stunning!

*Now if I can get my health to cooperate* :drunk:,I still need to paint up a set of figures for a buddy of mine!


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

Aileen's glue is great for making paper models, possibly the best. I have my doubts about how long it would keep foil in place. MicroScale not only makes decal setting solutions but a product called Micro Foil Adhesive, which is specifically for gluing foil to styrene. My ultimate project with it was a 1/48 B29 about 20 years ago and all the foil seems permanently attached still. Anywhere that sells MicroSol and MicroSet will have it.


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

I am using two of the red, blue, green, orange and purple leds for my reactor wall one in opposite diagonal corners in the light box. So what I've done so far is paint the girders steel I'm still undecided about having the ladder up or down though...  My main goal achieved this week end was to finish the left hand wall with the decals and lighting, well almost finished, I just have to put a coat of flat over it to seal off, as I sprayed it with microscale gloss to help position the decals. The decals from Pauls kit that JT Graphics did are near perfect for fitting on the raised detail and back light beautifully. I did as Paul recommended by filling in all the spaces with Microscales clear then left the overnite to dry fully then gently applied some clear flat to fog them down. So here is the result... Sorry for the pics being a bit on the blurred side. 


























I tried the lights in just a white box but they were a bit soft so I stuck in some foil as Iian suggested. The result is much better (if a wee bit bright). The big light box has three 5mm leds coming through from the underneath and the little side console has 3 x 3mm leds coming through from the back. For that little number I ground out as much of the inside down to the brass as possable (I wasn't going to light these to begin with). To help with any light leaks I ran some filler around it then painted a black coat before the a grey and then metalic grey as a final coat then I filed in the light holes on the pe with the microscale clear from the front. I chose not to do the flat on it as I wanted the lights here a bit brighter. 

Cheers,

Alec.


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## miniature sun (May 1, 2005)

Looking tremendous Alec!
I've not reached that stage yet but possibly backing the control panels with a piece of that frosted-type of drawing paper might help diffuse the brightness slightly.

Iain


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

miniature sun said:


> Looking tremendous Alec!
> I've not reached that stage yet but possibly backing the control panels with a piece of that frosted-type of drawing paper might help diffuse the brightness slightly.
> 
> Iain


Thanks mate. 

Yeah I did think of similar things but as I have done the first one, I am going to try to keep the rest the same intensity. One thing I did find though was that one led for me was not enough light to catch all the panels which is why I ended up with three...

Cheers,

Alec.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

That looks FANTASTIC, Alec!

You're doing great work.


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## Sonett (Jul 21, 2003)

awesome build! Looks like the actual set pieces. Thanks for posting these pics!


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

On all my builds, I use a 6V source and wire a 5K to 10K ohm variable resistor to each led (don't ask me why that spec as none of the resistor calculators give anything remotely close to that as a result - it just works). They let me adjust the leds to any brightness I want and since practically no two leds match each other in brightness, allows me to match brightness levels when I need to, like the pairs of spots on the bottom of the Seaview (which contains about a dozen variable pots total) or front of the FS or Chariot. If you buy them in bulk via EBay, they're not not a cheap as leds (which are practically free there), but they are very reasonable still.


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## Tonyray (Jul 31, 2009)

Thanks for the pictures your sub looks great :thumbsup: I ordered my moebius flying sub last Friday and the Photoetch Combo Pack today also vinyl floor stickers from TSDS. I'm going to get the Voodoofx lighting kit. I only hope I can do as good a job as you did. I found some foil tape at walmart it's $7.50 a roll kind of high but it will last a long time so guess it's ok.


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

Paulbo said:


> That looks FANTASTIC, Alec!
> 
> You're doing great work.


Thanks Paul. 



Sonett said:


> awesome build! Looks like the actual set pieces. Thanks for posting these pics!


 Thanks Sonnet 



Tonyray said:


> Thanks for the pictures your sub looks great :thumbsup: I ordered my moebius flying sub last Friday and the Photoetch Combo Pack today also vinyl floor stickers from TSDS. I'm going to get the Voodoofx lighting kit. I only hope I can do as good a job as you did. I found some foil tape at walmart it's $7.50 a roll kind of high but it will last a long time so guess it's ok.


Good luck with it all when it turns up Tonyray.:thumbsup: No luck with the foil tape for me but necessities the mother of invention... I got a roll of thin but wide double sided carpet tape, some silver foil wrapping paper and h/duty kitchen alfoil which I'm going to combine to make my own 

Cheers,

Alec.


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

starseeker said:


> On all my builds, I use a 6V source and wire a 5K to 10K ohm variable resistor to each led (don't ask me why that spec as none of the resistor calculators give anything remotely close to that as a result - it just works). They let me adjust the leds to any brightness I want and since practically no two leds match each other in brightness, allows me to match brightness levels when I need to, like the pairs of spots on the bottom of the Seaview (which contains about a dozen variable pots total) or front of the FS or Chariot. If you buy them in bulk via EBay, they're not not a cheap as leds (which are practically free there), but they are very reasonable still.


Thanks for the advice starseeker :thumbsup: I hadn't thought of things like that but I may start to in the future.

Cheers,

Alec.


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## WEAPON X (Mar 5, 2006)

AJ-1701 said:


> I am using two of the red, blue, green, orange and purple leds for my reactor wall one in opposite diagonal corners in the light box. So what I've done so far is paint the girders steel I'm still undecided about having the ladder up or down though...  My main goal achieved this week end was to finish the left hand wall with the decals and lighting, well almost finished, I just have to put a coat of flat over it to seal off, as I sprayed it with microscale gloss to help position the decals. The decals from Pauls kit that JT Graphics did are near perfect for fitting on the raised detail and back light beautifully. I did as Paul recommended by filling in all the spaces with Microscales clear then left the overnite to dry fully then gently applied some clear flat to fog them down. So here is the result... Sorry for the pics being a bit on the blurred side.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Awesome detailing build! :thumbsup:


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

beatlepaul said:


> *LOOKING GOOD MY FRIEND!!!:thumbsup:*
> 
> *I also have Paulbo's Beautiful Photo Etch Kit for my Second Flying Sub Build.*
> 
> ...


Thanks Beatlepaul  Hope you get back up n running soon :thumbsup: And yep you are right it is top notch gear



WEAPON X said:


> Awesome detailing build! :thumbsup:


Thanks WEAPON X


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

Well, whats been done in a week or so... 

Tonite I finished off all the wall sections save some black out and light blocking touch ups. So save for the crew and forward console the interior is completed. I went back and addressed where I forgot to include the light strip around the outer edge of the floor hatch. I also touched up the dark grey wall sections with a soft drybrush of silver as well as doing the same on girders, ladder and rear hatch This helped lighten them just right as the origional colour "steel" from Gunze was a tad to dark... Oh I also decided to use the ladder clip but I won't glue the ladder that way I can have it both ways 

I also added in the extra mics from the pe set with some thin copper wire I coiled around a pin for the cord. Also had to do some minor surgery to the wall in the bunk where the fire extinquisher went due to the pillow I added 








I tried putting in the little toggle switches with the extra thin plastruct that paul sent with the kit but...  well lets just say I opted not to continue down that road :drunk: Maybe with a new set of tweezers???

I think I managed to get the right sort of illuination on most of the panels for the scale, though the reactor wall is maybe a bit strong?? I resorted to fo's for the two small consoles under the reactor wall they just seemed a better choice than two seperate little light boxes








This a quick video test for the reactor wall just befor it was permenantly fixed. As I noted in an earlier post I used to multi coloured leds. I was trying to capture the look I remember from the show. I reckon I did pretty good too even with the leds being more vibrant than the old incandesants they proberbly used on set.
[ame=http://s244.photobucket.com/albums/gg27/AJ-1701/Flying%20sub%20build/?action=view&current=Picture030.flv]







[/ame]
After checking how the floor looks with light behind I've gone back to the drawing board for lighting under the floor. I think I'll be making a trip to Jcar for some wide angle flat/square leds. I'm not sure if the raised section of floor had strips of light under it but I decided that from a occupational health & saftey aspect that they should be.









The next stage will be the figures from Drew @ Crowsnest Miniatures and then the forward console. which will be right after I have fixed those light leacks!!!! (refer last pic)

Cheers,

Alec.


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

Forgot to mention that the engineering on this kit is *outstanding* All the walls and girders practically fell together and it was such a snug fit I nearly forgot the glue!! :freak: 

Can't say enough "good things":woohoo: about all the team at Moebius and the kits they do for us.:thumbsup:

Cheers,

Alec.


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## Tonyray (Jul 31, 2009)

Been working on my flying sub ordered the lighting kit and need to do a little more work.


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## WEAPON X (Mar 5, 2006)

Tremendously Awesome detailing. The lighting looks like the sage set! :wave:


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

Thanks WEAPON X 

Nice job you've done there Tonyray that floor looks great!! the gloss level is magic. :thumbsup:

Yeah the lighting did come out pretty damn good IMHO anyway. I had issues with the under floor lighting and shadow from the hatch with the leds I planned to use so I ordered some EL sheet to go there instead. Cause I got so frustrated with trying to get the floor lighting right I went to work on Drews great little figures instead. 
 
Now don't take these as finished I'll have to redo the uniforms as the kahki I chose was the wrong shade and as for Cranes left eye!!:drunk: The reason for putting the crewman farther back was because his right hand was fairly badly mismoulded (sorry Drew) so with a bit of putty and some discrete placement he turned up ok and as well as it gives the thing a better sense of dynamics. The best thing about them is the bit of serendipity with Cranes & Nelsons flying jackets. I grabbed the wrong brown when I did Nelsons which I did notice till after the ink wash was applied but I liked the finished contrast.
I also decided to continue the seat belts to the chairs... Though I didn't click that they were meant to go through the hand hold bits... :freak: and you can't really see it in the above pic but the crewmans shoes I did as white because from memory I think they wore dunlop volley style shoes. other than that I've been off the boil a bit so not a lots been done.

Thanks again for looking 

Alec.


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## hedorah59 (Nov 24, 2008)

AJ-1701 said:


> Now don't take these as finished I'll have to redo the uniforms as the kahki I chose was the wrong shade


It does look a bit green, kind of like doctors smocks - Crane and Nelson, MDs :lol: All kidding aside I think you've done a great job on the figures (along with the rest of your build). I'm looking forward to seeing it finished!


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## drewid142 (Apr 23, 2004)

NICE WORK! Thanks for posting pics!

Drew


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

Great looking and thanks for the pix ! :thumbsup::thumbsup: rr


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## Poseidon (Aug 30, 2004)

You've done an amazing job! Your modeling skills, lighting skills and photography are superb!! Thanks for sharing. Can't wait to see more.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Alec (& Drew),

The figures look fantastic. I'm looking forward to seeing the final color for the slacks.

Cheers,
Paul


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

Thanks guys.

Apart from some touch ups I've pretty much complete the hull colour and stripping on the bottom hull and attached an alternative (sorry Frank)to the rather cool stand that came with the kit. I did this as I will be running my power through a scenic base rather than in the sub. So with the arrival of the el sheet I now have finished the inside cabin...:woohoo: well except for a couple of lighte leaks... Oh but I have redressed Nelson and Crane :tongue: I'm not fully convinced on el sheet as a regular lighting alternative however in this case it was pretty much the best alternative. Just a note about the pic, without the flash, my camera must be more sensative for certain light spectums because the floor is not that blue???

The forward console was a bit tricky to light up and as I wasn't planning on having the tv monitor with an image I went with mounting 1 x 3mm bright white led under each of the partition wall pointing towards each other. It's hard to see the effect in the pics but it came out pretty good. 


Cheers,

Alec. :wave:


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## Tonyray (Jul 31, 2009)

You sub look great you did a really good job in it.:thumbsup: I did the same thing with the front panel I hot glued 2 led under the panel one behind each radar screen facing toward each other then covered it all with foil tape. The picture doesn't look as good as it does in person.


























What el sheet did you get it looks really good I tried leds but can't get them to look right


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

Thanks Tonyray 

Yeah I think using the two opposed leds works best. :thumbsup: The reason I placed wine where I di was to get the 6 lights at each end of the console to have some illumination too. I know what you mean about using leds under the floor. I reckon they'd do the job well but it's the raised hatch piece which just gets in the way and makes an unrealistic shadow effect.  

I picked up the sheet from a site called glow hut... http://glowhut.com/, god I love google  I got the A6 sheet and the 9v battery adaptor/invertor. Price wise I found them pretty good and they delivered pretty much to the time they said should happen for an OS delivery. All I did to install it was to snip off the battery cap and connect the leads to my insource wire then mark where the glue pins were on the floor and used a hole punch so they'd fit over the lugs when I glued the cabin assembly to the hull and there you go :thumbsup:

Cheers,

Alec.


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## Tonyray (Jul 31, 2009)

OK Thanks I just ordered it.:thumbsup:


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## miniature sun (May 1, 2005)

Thanks for that link Alec, I've been struggling with my LED's under the floor and couldn't find a source of EL here in the UK at a decent price. As soon as it arrives it'll be full steam ahead...:thumbsup:


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

Your welcome fellas 

Can't wait to see the outcomes on both builds. :thumbsup:

Cheers,

Alec.


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

So in between the various coats of primer/paints for the hull I started work on the engine/jet lighting. I don't have any dvds of VTTBOTS nor can I remember seeing any rear shots of the FS1 in flight so I went for a bit of modelers license... First and obviously was the plastic with Lou's little vinyl fans on them which I sanded the back side with a 600 grit wet n dry, hand brushed some red paint, sanding that off when it was dry so as to leave just a hint of red on the plastic. I then brushed on two coats of Tamiya clear flat to both sides. I then lined the tubes with foil leaving the back section clean of foil and drilled a hole for my 5mm orange painted led to go into. I went for a painted led becase I didn't want a overly bright or to red of an orange. Thats when I went all arty...(insert modelers license here)... I remembered a scene from Top Gun showing the jet engines of the tomcats so I pulled out the dvd and did a screen grab... Cause thats the look I wanted...


I tried a couple of differant ways with paint n ink to try and get that look but they just came out crappy so I played with some fo's, a blue led, the painted orange led and some scrap card. and nailed the look I wanted. So reaching for the ole trusty pinvice I drilled about 2 dozen tiny holes around the larger hole in the engine mount tubes poked in the fibre optics after mushrooming the ends, heat shrunk a 3mm blue led to the bunch then glued in the 5mm orange led and connected the battery for a test. I realized that the blue led was way to bright so I brushed a coat of flat white over the fo's to fog down the brightness and here is the result. Apologies for the shaky pic...I did it on video so you get the idea of how the orange n blue seem to shift as the veiwing angle changes when you look at the engine. 
[ame=http://s244.photobucket.com/albums/gg27/AJ-1701/Flying%20sub%20build/?action=view&current=Picture.flv]







[/ame]

I'll try to remeber some wip shots of how it went together when I work on the other engine...

Cheers,

Alec :wave:


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## Tonyray (Jul 31, 2009)

I got the EL sheet today WOW I ordered on Friday about 6:00 PM and I get it on Monday you can't beat that for fast shipping I put it on the floor and it looks great thanks for the link AJ. Here is some pictures. 
























Still working on the stand I will put the battery and a switch under it and run the wires up.


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## gareee (Jan 1, 1970)

OOO pretty colors!


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## Tonyray (Jul 31, 2009)

I finished the stand now have to put everything together.


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

^^ I'm TOTALLY stealing your idea when I paint my stand!!


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## Tonyray (Jul 31, 2009)

Hey I'm finally finished with my flying sub hope you like it.


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## gareee (Jan 1, 1970)

Very nice!


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## SteveR (Aug 7, 2005)

Excellent build!


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## hedorah59 (Nov 24, 2008)

Too cool! That came out beautifully!


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Very nice Tonyray. What technique did you use for painting the base?

I wonder how Alec's doing with his ...


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## Tonyray (Jul 31, 2009)

Thanks everyone what I did for the base is found a picture of water splash and printed it on photo paper made a template and cut and glued it on it also hides the wires I put the battery and a switch under the base.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Neat idea and looks cool to boot.


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## miniature sun (May 1, 2005)

That base is terrific...really sets off the sub...it's funny how the simplest of ideas are often the best.


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

Tonyray that stand looks cool. :thumbsup: I'm glad you got the light sheet, it really does set off the interior when the floor hexes are a glow.

As for me I've been a bit tardy at the moment.... :drunk: I have however done the other engine light and shot over the first coat of yellow on the top hull though... I hope/plan to get back on it in a day or so.

Cheers,

Alec.


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## moebiusman (May 11, 2009)

Hello, I just started this model and really hate tamiya paint! would you be so kind as to tell me how to find the right colors and the best way of painting this model so it will look
as good as yours, at least on the outside that is, any help would be great. 
Fantasic job,Irwin Allen would be proud.


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## Tonyray (Jul 31, 2009)

I picked up some Krylon fusion for plastic spray paint in sunbeam yellow and patriotic blue at walmart we don't have a hobby store in my home town. Also I would get the Aztek Dummy Flying Sub paint mask set you will be glad you did.


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Tonyray said:


> Thanks everyone what I did for the base is found a picture of water splash and printed it on photo paper made a template and cut and glued it on it also hides the wires I put the battery and a switch under the base.


 
Exellent!


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## Dr. Brad (Oct 5, 1999)

This is a just a fantastic build! It is very inspiring. I'll never do one like that myself (couldn't pull it off), but it is nice!


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## moebiusman (May 11, 2009)

*Thanx*

:wave:Thank you for the help. this website is very cool.
I hope you will post more pics of your sweet FS-1.:thumbsup:


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

So as per the previous post on my engine lighting this is what they look like prior to tapeing up and light bloking... Since taking these I have glued on the clear inserts with the vinyl turbine fans from the aztek dummy sheets. you can't really see it in the pics but I have set the leds in the heat shrink tube back a bit on the ends of the little fo's so I can adjust the blue by moving the led around till I get the proper look I want from them when they are in place


And as mentioned earlier I also shot on the 1st coat on the top hull and tonite I have now shot over the 2nd coat and also glued and painted part of the disply rod I am using on it. Just a note the top hatch section is only siting there for perspective.


I just realized that the pics don't show the yellow as true as it is because it is deeper and with a very subtle hint of orange yet niether of these two shots were taken with a flash???

Thanks for looking too.

Cheers,

Alec.


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

*Calamari anyone???*

Well life's been busy a bit around here of late... :drunk: My 86 year old father inlaw went in for a knee replacement and he hasn't been what you'd call the model patient complicated by the fact he only speaks Sicillian with a limited vocab of english so my wife Sandy has been a bit on the stressed side. As a result I figure it's more prudent to spend some extra quality time with her.  

I did manage to work on the display base for my FS1 though. I had an old piece from the Comet vac form Nautalis kit I did nearly twenty years ago. The sub is in serious neeed of some love so I decided to recycle the display stand. For those not familiar with the kit the stand was meant to be a squids head just past the tentacles in which the was meant to Nautalis sit in. The piece itself was pretty basic The head piece arms and two long tentacles with out the clubs. So I had a crack at making a body which I origionaly sculpted up from modeling clay and attached the head to so I could use it in the origional dispaly. However since no self respecting episode of VTTBOTS wouldn't be complete without a creature of the deep I just had to recycle it. 

Over time I had realised that the original body I did was a bit off so last week I remodeled it a bit and added a beak between the arms. 








I'll be honest and admit that the body and colours are not that anatomically correct but hell it is a sea monster after all  The beasty is done with a mid grey primer then a couple of light coats of light grey which I then airbrushed with purple, blue and green washes then dusted via the AB with flat white then dry-brushed white and a pale blue grey before shooting over some more of the inks and dabbing on some dark grey for the rows of suckers. 








Part of the origionl sculp was damaged over the years so rather than extensive resculpting I'm going with the theory that it only just stopped short of being dinner for a giant sperm whale. The flat rock shelf ismade from actual rocks... Chunks of shale that the dog dug up from the back yard. The centre mound is a left over from my old war gaming scenery. The various corals are those little rubbery landscape bushes, some actual coral and pieces of an old plastic xmas tree. I lucked out on the fan coral when I found part of the plastic tree piece surrounded with flash mold. The colours are all old and new inks from the citadel range and the fine moss/weed is green modeling flock dyed with a darker green ink. I used my trusty fine sand over the brown base coat which then I heavily airbrushed clear flat over before hitting it with a coat of light tan. I tried to give the sand a look as if it was effected by the currants and flows of the ocean... Finally I had a bit of airbrush fun with applying some greens and tans the the rocks prior to gluing down the corals. I may yet still add some larger seaweed to it but I' see how it looks with the sub attached to it first.









I do plan to get back onto the sub this week so with all being well it should be pretty much finished this w/end :thumbsup:

Cheers,

Alec.


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## Tonyray (Jul 31, 2009)

WOW what a great idea that is going to look so cool I remember some of the sea monsters on VTBOS so anything you do will look OK.:thumbsup:


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## spindrift (Apr 16, 2005)

GREAT work- shows what a fine model it really is!
Gary


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## HabuHunter32 (Aug 22, 2009)

Very creative! I love bases! They remind me of Aurora! I am working on a base for my 1/128 Seaview. I was torn between a realistic sea floor or going for that "Irwin Allen" look. Your base is sort of a combination of the two and looks great to my eye. I'll have to give this more thought. Exellent work! Cant wait to see the finished product!:thumbsup:


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

That's going to look very slick, Alec. Really looking forward to your next update.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

moebiusman said:


> Hello, I just started this model and really hate tamiya paint! would you be so kind as to tell me how to find the right colors and the best way of painting this model so it will look
> as good as yours, at least on the outside that is, any help would be great.
> Fantasic job,Irwin Allen would be proud.


Tamiya paint airbrushes very well, especially when cut with lacquer thinner. On the other hand, the jar paint isnt great for brush painting larger areas. I use it for many details though.

Tamiya spray paints are EXCELLENT. Myself I would probably use their Chrome Yellow or Camel Yellow for the Flying Sub.


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

moebiusman said:


> Hello, I just started this model and really hate tamiya paint! would you be so kind as to tell me how to find the right colors and the best way of painting this model so it will look
> as good as yours, at least on the outside that is, any help would be great.
> Fantasic job,Irwin Allen would be proud.


I only use thier acrylic range which I break down with an airbrush medium for the airbrush or I'll mix in some flotrol for when I am planning to brush it out. I have also dicovered recently that flotrol with the ab medium in citadel paints gets them to AB rather well too.Rattle cans aren't really to my liking except for primer and undercoating and only if I can't find the colour I need for a build.

So my latest update is that I have now joined the two halves together, I had a bit of grief with the rear hatch assembly getting it to marry up with the bottom hull. But I believe that was my bad and not the design or kit itself. I checked it this morning and after removing the tape, I didnt want to use my clamps for fear of damaing the paintwork, I saw there is some areas where the outer hulls match that have popped leaving a gap. No big problem as that whole seam needs to be filled and painted any way, it was just a bit annoying. It's been a bit warm here of late so there may have been a bit of warping with the hulls??? Or I simply forgot to glue one of the pins :freak: 

I did however thru the week I did have a serious case to cause even a stroke in a bull elephant!!! For the hull colours I am using Mr Hobby (gunze) acrylic paints. I decided that the completed assembly of the top hatch needed some extra protection so I gave it a coat of micro scale gloss and then left it to dry. When I went back to check on it a couple of nights later the whole thing had *crazed!!!*  Now I have been using this stuff for a fair while now at it was always top notch. The only thing I reckon was the Mr Hobby acrylic thinners that I used instead of the AB medium and that somehow reacted with the gloss???:drunk: so that was a nite spent over the kitchen sink with wet n dry paper and copious amounts of windex. What I have learned is that the mr hobby thinners tend to make the respective paint very soft and prone to scoringing and denting verrry easely but it is good for lubricating the airbrush after cleaning.  So when I resprayed the hatch I used my ab medium and now I don't seem to have that soft issue. I will admit though that I'm not going to tempt fate again with the MS gloss or even with some future.

I'll try to get some pics up of what I've got todate this arvo.

Cheers,

Alec. :wave:


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

SoaB Alec. Sorry to hear about the paint problems. I'm going to file your experience and try to remember to not repeat it.

Glad it all worked out.


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

Paulbo said:


> That's going to look very slick, Alec. Really looking forward to your next update.


Thanks mate  Your PE set has a lot to do with it as well. :thumbsup:



HabuHunter32 said:


> Very creative! I love bases! They remind me of Aurora! I am working on a base for my 1/128 Seaview. I was torn between a realistic sea floor or going for that "Irwin Allen" look. Your base is sort of a combination of the two and looks great to my eye. I'll have to give this more thought. Exellent work! Cant wait to see the finished product!:thumbsup:


Thank you kind sir.  I guess there are some subjects that just cry out for a base and so far all my Moebius kits have just that. I try not to make them to over the top all I want is for them to compliment the build and tie in with the theme. Most of my memories of the FS1 were alway under water so that was just a given for me.



spindrift said:


> GREAT work- shows what a fine model it really is!
> Gary


And thanks you as well  Your dead right it really is a great kit too.



Tonyray said:


> WOW what a great idea that is going to look so cool I remember some of the sea monsters on VTBOS so anything you do will look OK.:thumbsup:


Thanks Tonyray.  Though your base was pretty neat too :thumbsup:


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

Paulbo said:


> SoaB Alec. Sorry to hear about the paint problems. I'm going to file your experience and try to remember to not repeat it.
> 
> Glad it all worked out.


Cheers Paul. Let me tell you sanding and cleaning between those fins... :freak: Struth what a challenge that was


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

*All done now!!!*

Why is it that in the last 90% of some builds things just go wrong?? I finally got the last coat on the hull sunday. I masked all the non yellow areas... Well... I don't know how but I some how managed to break the stand I had on it. So resigning to the fix it later mood I shot on the last two coats on her then hit it with a clear low sheen. Yep all good I hear you say... MMM not so I say... I then did the most gumby thing!! I got the idea that all was good to remove the tape. But like all clear coats the paint had softened underneath and also stuck to the tape which resulted in some horrible and serious peel back all the way down to the plastic. I just wanted to belt my self with a cricket bat, of which I don't have one... fortunatly for my head. But all is well that ends well. You'd think so... When attaching the completed sub to the base... CRACK!!! there went the stand again and on came the tears of frustration, again. So with some deep breathing and vulcan mind control techniques I reworked my design and TADAHH.

Unlike some other great build ups of this kit I wanted mine to have a more serviced look. Which is why I went for the low sheen as opposed to a gloss. I also used some 800 grit wet n dry and softly rubbed it from bow to stern before applying the clear. It dosn't show up in the pics but I managed to get a very subtle weatherd look to her. And though you can't see it the bottom hatch area is a bit worse for wear due to the stand issues though this adds to the used feel. I also filled in about 80% of the grooves on the landing gear doors. For me I just felt they needed to be seen but not seen. I'm very pleased with my colours even though the interior beams seem a bit dark I was aiming for the realism take rather than a polished, ergo, fantasy look.
























A couple of obligatory interior shots
















And my engin illumination... I just love the way the orange and blue mix it up depending on the viewing angle








Since taking the shots I have removed the large piece of coral from under the FS1 as I felt it was two close to the hull.

I really can't say enough about Moebius and the quality of kits they do. That along with their commitment to those aftermarket parts providers like Paul, Lou and Drew. All combined they can make an impatient and sometimes clumsy builder like me turn out a piece of magic. I'll tell you now Pauls pe and decal set is a must. Lou's vinyls are a godsend and the three crew from Drew are the icing. I can't wait for the Jupiter 2!!

So thanks to all for checking out this thread.

Cheers,

Alec.


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## miniature sun (May 1, 2005)

Alec, that looks fabulous...absolutely first class. I particularly like the two-tone look of the rear end...any chance of a shot of that close up?

Thanks
Iain


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## Tonyray (Jul 31, 2009)

WOW That look great :thumbsup: your Flying sub really came out super you did a really great job.


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

Kudos on the finish! You say it's a satin finish? It's a very nice alternative to the high gloss.

did you sand again after the clear coat or only before?


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

miniature sun said:


> Alec, that looks fabulous...absolutely first class. I particularly like the two-tone look of the rear end...any chance of a shot of that close up?
> 
> Thanks
> Iain


Here you go mate  Sorry they're a bit blurry the thing is heavier than I thought so I had the shakes a bit. The main bulk head is done in Mr hobby bright silver with the new citadel black ink hand brushed in the recesses then dry brushed back over with the silver. The door is done the same but with Tamiya bright silver instead and the jet exhausts are done with Tamiya metalic grey. I again hand brushed the inside of those with deliberate brush marks for the ink to wash into. 





Tonyray said:


> WOW That look great :thumbsup: your Flying sub really came out super you did a really great job.


Thank you kind sir 



Lou Dalmaso said:


> Kudos on the finish! You say it's a satin finish? It's a very nice alternative to the high gloss.
> 
> did you sand again after the clear coat or only before?


Thanks for the compliment Lou.  

The only sanding I did was just the gentle rub before the clear coat.As for the sheen it's actually a bit duller than a satin and you are dead right it is a ncer alternative. Believe it or not the rattle can by Halmar I used is meant to be a flat finish. It's the same can I used on my big refit and a few of my smaller kits. It was a kind of "OMG this isn't flat!!", when I first used it but I actually liked the finish it gave. My FS1 used up the last of that can so pounds to peanuts when I get another one it'll proberbly be a true flat 

And again guys, thanks for the compliments.

Cheers,

Alec :wave:


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## HabuHunter32 (Aug 22, 2009)

Wow! What a sight to behold! Exellent! The base really sets it off! I love the satin sheen as opposed to a high gloss. I never use high gloss finishes if I can help it. Nothing wrong with high gloss mind you but I prefer either dull or semi gloss for my Sci-Fi builds. It's great to see someone go that extra mile with a build. Exellent sir!:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

HabuHunter32 said:


> Wow! What a sight to behold! Exellent! The base really sets it off! I love the satin sheen as opposed to a high gloss. I never use high gloss finishes if I can help it. Nothing wrong with high gloss mind you but I prefer either dull or semi gloss for my Sci-Fi builds. It's great to see someone go that extra mile with a build. Exellent sir!:thumbsup::thumbsup:


HabuHunter32 I humbly say thank you for the compliments  I agree about the gloss. Thats whats good about this hobby. Personal choice and or interpritation. :thumbsup:

cheers,

Alec.


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## Antimatter (Feb 16, 2008)

Great build. The hatch handles are silver not red, but to each his own.


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

Thanks Antimatter. I know the hatch wheel colours aren't 'canon'... I did have them silver but the small voices in my head :freak: said "they should be red" In the end it was a compromise to not painting the bottom hatch housing and ring blue to match the top. Which never made much sense to me from a visual and operating point of view...  Surely the blue would be easier to get a visual fix on in docking situations. And as each of my FS1 kits from the aurora/monogram kit to this latest build all have red hatches it keeps the continuity on my display shelves at least, even if it isn't acurate 

Cheers,

Alec. :wave:


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## hedorah59 (Nov 24, 2008)

GREAT job, Alec. Your FS really looks nice!


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

I humbly thank you ... 

This was one of those builds that was a bit of an anticlimax  on its finish but each time I now see it on the shelf the feeling is totaly opposite and I find my self grinning like the perverbial cheshere cat. 

Cheers,

Alec


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

AJ-1701 said:


> I humbly thank you ...
> 
> This was one of those builds that was a bit of an anticlimax  on its finish but each time I now see it on the shelf the feeling is totaly opposite and I find my self grinning like the proverbial Cheshire cat.
> 
> ...


Indeed you should. This is simply an outstanding build, just stunning in every respect. I'm just getting around to researching the seats for my 1/24 FS and a Google search brought me through the years back to this thread. And since there seem to be a ton of new members here I can't resist giving this a bump so no one misses it.


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## WEAPON X (Mar 5, 2006)

Just sharing...




























http://photobucket.com/FS-2_Brilliance

http://www.ianlawrencemodels.com/wipfs1.html WIP (now completed)


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Is it normal to salivate, while looking at these? I may need to get counseling or adjust my meds again.......


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## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

That is OUTSTANDING. where did you find the scuba diving gear in that scale ?


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## falcondesigns (Oct 30, 2002)

That was all made by Rayathon(hope I spelled his name correct) a fantastic builder.


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## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

I really liked his build information & his mini scuba gear with wet suits hanging in the locker area


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## WEAPON X (Mar 5, 2006)

bert model maker said:


> That is OUTSTANDING. where did you find the scuba diving gear in that scale ?


Here is Mr. Lawrence's (Ian's) WIP url page regarding the scuba diving gear construction...
http://www.ianlawrencemodels.com/wipfs111.html


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## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

Thank you for that, I skipped through the different pages and did not click page 11 where that was, that is OUTSTANDING detailing.


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## WEAPON X (Mar 5, 2006)

bert model maker said:


> Thank you for that, I skipped through the different pages and did not click page 11 where that was, that is OUTSTANDING detailing.


My pleasure. I wish you could see it in the flesh. Man what an awesome display model, indeed! 
--Ben G.


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

WEAPON X said:


> Here is Mr. Lawrence's (Ian's) WIP url page regarding the scuba diving gear construction...
> http://www.ianlawrencemodels.com/wipfs111.html


Hey, quit making me click on your site. I can't afford another hour out of my day!! (crazy awesome work!)


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## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

I would like to see what he would do with the Moebius Jupiter 2 & seaview.


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## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

Yep blokes like that are both *insperational* and just a tad scary, but in a good way though. Plus he makes my efforts look primative


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