Questions for model makers

[DoctorWho8]

Seeing I'm going to try and build 10 models based on Gene Fender's recent plans for the 1963 TARDIS Prop at a 1in:1ft scale, I'm wondering a few things.

A: How do you make the light?  Like do you actualy use mini fresnels or do you cut up plastic tubing?
B: Also how do you make a flashing like system with a built in switch and battery?
C: Is bass wood better than balsa wood?
D: How do you go about the glass for the windows?
E: Where do get the above things in the USA?
F: Where do you get modelers' wood glue?
G: What's the best paint?
Bill "the Doctor" Rudloff

[ep34042]

Hi there dr who 8,
I used clear Acrylic tubing for my Season 2 Hartnell model lamp and once sanded inside, gives a good semi opaque look. Also, you can buy flashing bulbs which avoid making up a special LED circuit. They're probably cheaper as well.

[purpleblancmange]

a)  Just use a cut up tube, the s1 box only had a fresnelled lamp for one season.  Season 2 onwards it was a white tube.

b)  Places like Radio Shack do kits for this.

c)  Balsa wood is absolutely fine, once the paint is on, all the glue is set, it becomes very durable.

d)  Just use thin clear plastic, but use fine wet or dry sand paper to "frost" it up.

e)  Dunno, but it can't be that dificult.

f)  Any wood glue will do the job, don't worry about that.

g)  Standard wall emulsion will do the trick nicely... though on top of that, you could use washes of acrylic.

Purple

[1138]

Hi there dr who 8

For the windows I used to make them from dried out pva(wood )glue painted on to a textured bit of plastic then I discoverd that the  plastic sheathes you find in credit card holders is ideal for this,its already frosted and has a hammered finish(my nationwide wallet is anyway) or go into a stationary shop and just look at the selection of plastic covers etc ...
I've also just painted my box using emulsion with acrylic washes as Purple Blancmange mentioned,I also find it helps to strenthen things if you apply internal corner braces,(just triangles cut out at right angles and glued into the corners,or just cut a couple of squares out to fit the internal dimension)

Actually I didn't know that about the fresnel,I thought they all had the bulby one,thanks P B,however,some fancy pens can sometimes have a bulby bit at one nd....

[redgeneral]

where are Gene Fender's plans?

[DoctorWho8]

where are Gene Fender's plans?

http://home.comcast.net/~hefender/drwho/brachaki.pdf
Bill "the Doctor" Rudloff

[magnusgreel]

I have searched the net high and low for flashing lights for my model tardis.  There are all kinds of blinking light kits out there.  Most you will have to build.  But they seem very easy.  There are light house simulated lights you can buy depending on size of your model. I would of like to make a light house light for mine.  But I am opting for blinking LED.  Here are some links I found. 

This is nice site it help me lot with electrical end of things.
http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/projects/flashl.htm


This guy makes simulated light house lights.
http://www.ironpeng.com/ipe/fxindx.html


This place also has simulated light house lights but need 12v power supply.

http://www.miniatronics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=N


At the very end of my search I found this blinking blue light kit.
http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/cgi-bin/commerce.exe?preadd=action&key=LSW1


These are blinking Blue LEDs.  I not to sure if there not to bright.
http://www.lc-led.com/View/itemNumber/142

I finely  decided to use this circuit  for my model in the end.   
http://metku.net/?sect=view&n=1&path=mods/colorfade/index_eng
It has a perfect rise and fall. If you add 100k potentiometer to it you can control the speed of  the rise and  fall.  Witch is just what I wanted.   The first page he used a quad LM324 op amp witch you really don't need to use.  Because its for using more than one set of lights.  You can use 1458 dual op amp or TLO82 dual op amp(radio shack USA).  Read the first page and then follow the link to Bill Bowden page where he gives you both the quad op amp example and the dual op amp example under heading of  Fading red eyes.  One thing I did change was the 100 ohm resister buy the LED it dint work with my LED for some reason. Probably because he was using two LEDs.  So I changed the resister to 470 ohm and it worked perfectly.  One last thing to say.  It was very easy to make this circuit.  But take your time and read up on some basic electronics.  I must say I got carried away with this but it was  fun and I learned a lot in the process.

There might be easier ways to get your tardis to blink but these where some that I found.

Scarf Weare  said to use a clear cd case for the windows. Witch really worked very nicely using a dremel to cut them out.  Then as purple bancmange said to use a peace of sand paper to frost them and it worked great. Thanks guys.  For my pebble glass I used lens from photoelectric night light I got at  big lots(store in usa).  I had to use the dremel as well. They don't look to bad.  They where the closest I could find to pebble glass.

You can get bass wood or balsa wood from most hobby shops in the U.S.  All so some crafting stores like Hobby Lobby http://www.hobbylobby.com/site3/home2.cfm or Michaelshttp://michaels.com/art/online/home. 


This is my first post i hope it gose ok