Art Asylum Rebuilding, Part 4
10/25/11
THIS IS A BIGGIE!
Now that the crude sanding is over, it's time to start fine-tuning. Now is the time to
decide if you're building a Gray or a Black and White. There are a few differences
between them.
First, time for the side knob hole to be enlarged and the knob fitted. Take the ring that
came with said knob and place it over the hole in the P2 body. It's bigger than the hole.
We can't simply enlarge the hole - it'd be out of place. Best bet is to take it up and right:
Trace an outline around it with an X-Acto blade or pencil, and then start carving with the
X-Acto. You want to go as close to the line as possible without going over. If you do,
you'll be in a world of hurt repair-wise. The hole doesn't have to be perfect, just close:
See the 9/16" drill bit? Use one to ream the hole out to its final dimensions. I
recommend doing it by hand. When you're done, the ring should be a press-fit:
IF you mess the hole up any, and IF it's near the top, you MAY be okay, because that
area will be covered by the Side Ribs.
Now is the time to drill the Chin Screw hole, in the case of the Grays only. Take a drill
bit that's the same size as the chin screw's threads and drill the hole. Then, using a bit
that's the same size as the head, bevel the hole out so that the screw fits flush as seen
here:
Note: the rough edges will be cleaned up when next we sand.
Now, for the chin screw plate. In the next photo, the nozzle mounting plate has already
been attached. The chin screw itself will need a plate as well, so we'll use a piece of
plastic the same thickness as that used on the nozzle mount. I need better pics here - I'll
get right on that. Anyway, you'll put the P2 halves together and use the chin screw hole
as a guide to drill the hole in the mounting plate. Once that's done, superglue an
appropriate nut on top of the hole. I recommend scuffing the nut with sandpaper so it'll
give the CA plenty of bite:
Black and Whites don't have a chin screw, but we'll still need some support up front.
You'll do the same thing except from the top:
You'll also attach a nut in the same manner as before.
For something a little different, it's time to drill the hole for the Pager Motor (if you're
using one):
Look over the outsides of the P2 body. If you have any major sanding to do, do it now.
Also, in the case of the Grays, use a sanding block over the chin screw hole. You need
a block because you don't want to dish it out any.
Cradle time. If you got one from me, you'll see something like:
That's two halves lightly CA'ed together. Go ahead and split them apart.
Here's a problem - The parts are straight but they need to be curved:
Start gently bending the front upward. Don't do it all at once - just keep doing it until it
matches the curve:
Once you're happy, glue that thing down!
Two notes: If glue squishes out, you'll need to go back and wet-sand some more before
you attach the side ribs, as this will be a VERY difficult area to reach otherwise. Also,
make double-sure that the cradle on the other side matches up front-to-back with this
one.
Once that's done and all glue-squish-repair is done, time for the side ribs. (I use 1mm
Plastruct half-round glued to very thin sheet plastic for them. Glue them on, let them
cure completely, and then cut them out. I use Model Master liquid cement for this)
If you're using some of mine, you don't need to worry about this:
The tricks here are to curve the front (kind of like we did on the cradle) so it conforms to
the side, and to attach it in such a way that the bottom of the three ribs go down over
the top of the side knob hole:
Then you'll use this side as an alignment gauge for the other side, making sure that the
front of the ribs are in the same place vertically along the front of the phaser.
If all goes well it'll look like this:
See the three holes in the side of the phaser? That's where we need to attach 3
DUMMY screws for the Black and Whites only. Structurally, they're not needed but
since the original Hero had them, we need them. It's YOUR phaser though, so build it
however you want.
Just like the Top screw, we'll bore the holes out:
The screws I'm using are zinc-plated steel. I like to chuck them in a drill and sand the
zinc coating off the top (it gives a better bite for the paint to stick) and around the
bottom of the head (so the glue will have a better bite). I'll usually cut most of the
threaded part off since it's not needed, then attach as shown:
NOW - look it over. Make any last mods you want and make sure all your wet-sanding is
done. Wash it GOOD - it's almost ready for paint!
Next update: Small parts and finishing up on the P1 prep. After that it's painting time!
10/25/11
THIS IS A BIGGIE!
Now that the crude sanding is over, it's time to start fine-tuning. Now is the time to
decide if you're building a Gray or a Black and White. There are a few differences
between them.
First, time for the side knob hole to be enlarged and the knob fitted. Take the ring that
came with said knob and place it over the hole in the P2 body. It's bigger than the hole.
We can't simply enlarge the hole - it'd be out of place. Best bet is to take it up and right:
Trace an outline around it with an X-Acto blade or pencil, and then start carving with the
X-Acto. You want to go as close to the line as possible without going over. If you do,
you'll be in a world of hurt repair-wise. The hole doesn't have to be perfect, just close:
See the 9/16" drill bit? Use one to ream the hole out to its final dimensions. I
recommend doing it by hand. When you're done, the ring should be a press-fit:
IF you mess the hole up any, and IF it's near the top, you MAY be okay, because that
area will be covered by the Side Ribs.
Now is the time to drill the Chin Screw hole, in the case of the Grays only. Take a drill
bit that's the same size as the chin screw's threads and drill the hole. Then, using a bit
that's the same size as the head, bevel the hole out so that the screw fits flush as seen
here:
Note: the rough edges will be cleaned up when next we sand.
Now, for the chin screw plate. In the next photo, the nozzle mounting plate has already
been attached. The chin screw itself will need a plate as well, so we'll use a piece of
plastic the same thickness as that used on the nozzle mount. I need better pics here - I'll
get right on that. Anyway, you'll put the P2 halves together and use the chin screw hole
as a guide to drill the hole in the mounting plate. Once that's done, superglue an
appropriate nut on top of the hole. I recommend scuffing the nut with sandpaper so it'll
give the CA plenty of bite:
Black and Whites don't have a chin screw, but we'll still need some support up front.
You'll do the same thing except from the top:
You'll also attach a nut in the same manner as before.
For something a little different, it's time to drill the hole for the Pager Motor (if you're
using one):
Look over the outsides of the P2 body. If you have any major sanding to do, do it now.
Also, in the case of the Grays, use a sanding block over the chin screw hole. You need
a block because you don't want to dish it out any.
Cradle time. If you got one from me, you'll see something like:
That's two halves lightly CA'ed together. Go ahead and split them apart.
Here's a problem - The parts are straight but they need to be curved:
Start gently bending the front upward. Don't do it all at once - just keep doing it until it
matches the curve:
Once you're happy, glue that thing down!
Two notes: If glue squishes out, you'll need to go back and wet-sand some more before
you attach the side ribs, as this will be a VERY difficult area to reach otherwise. Also,
make double-sure that the cradle on the other side matches up front-to-back with this
one.
Once that's done and all glue-squish-repair is done, time for the side ribs. (I use 1mm
Plastruct half-round glued to very thin sheet plastic for them. Glue them on, let them
cure completely, and then cut them out. I use Model Master liquid cement for this)
If you're using some of mine, you don't need to worry about this:
The tricks here are to curve the front (kind of like we did on the cradle) so it conforms to
the side, and to attach it in such a way that the bottom of the three ribs go down over
the top of the side knob hole:
Then you'll use this side as an alignment gauge for the other side, making sure that the
front of the ribs are in the same place vertically along the front of the phaser.
If all goes well it'll look like this:
See the three holes in the side of the phaser? That's where we need to attach 3
DUMMY screws for the Black and Whites only. Structurally, they're not needed but
since the original Hero had them, we need them. It's YOUR phaser though, so build it
however you want.
Just like the Top screw, we'll bore the holes out:
The screws I'm using are zinc-plated steel. I like to chuck them in a drill and sand the
zinc coating off the top (it gives a better bite for the paint to stick) and around the
bottom of the head (so the glue will have a better bite). I'll usually cut most of the
threaded part off since it's not needed, then attach as shown:
NOW - look it over. Make any last mods you want and make sure all your wet-sanding is
done. Wash it GOOD - it's almost ready for paint!
Next update: Small parts and finishing up on the P1 prep. After that it's painting time!
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