Construction
close-up diorama
Mockup
PLANS
I drew up detailed plans but changed my mind about the base partway through. That was a mistake. If I was doing it over I would spend even more time planning.
Sheet styrene: 3mm (1/8"), 1.5mm (1/16th"), and 1mm (1/25"). I bought a square meter of each from a plastics manufacturer for approx US$20 ea (a big savings over small packets from a hobby store). Most countries have some kind of plastics manufacturer, though Cadillac Plastics is international.
CUTTING
The score method: straight edge and x-acto, several passes and snap. I always clean with a file.
BONDING
I used my special bonding method: a dotted line of cyanoacrolyte (CA or “Super Glue”) interspersed with a dotted line of styrene solvent. I’m generous with the super glue, and even lather up the seam with it afterwards. The seam fills with a tough layer of clear super glue, and then I file it smooth. Better than putty, though I used some putty when necessary. (I prefer the Squadron white putty, but have been using some Tamiya grey - it’s great on resin but too much will melt styrene).
“VINYL” PADDING
I cut long strips, rough-filed the sides and top, and rounded.
Pad shaping
PAINT
I’m usually an enamel man, but chose acrylic airbrush paint for cleaning ease. In this case another mistake! Acrylic is good if you use a dark color, but white is a nightmare, poor coverage. It’s critical to use the proper thinner and not water. The thinner is very expensive for a tiny container, so in future I will use alcohol/methylated spirits from the hardware store. It seems to be the exact same stuff, and is only a few dollars for 1 liter.
Matte white was unavailable at my hobby shop, so I mixed flat white with gloss white. For the “vinyl” pads I changed the ratio for more gloss and gave an extra coat. It seemed to work well.
LIGHTING
Mini fluroescent tubes from www.microstru.com. I hooked them to a 12-volt wall ac-adapter. Money and power restrictions limited me to two tubes. Four would probably have done the job better. (The photos have the ceiling panels enhanced.)
Mini Fluro tubes from www.microstru.com
The mini HAL eye is an indicator light from a local electronics shop similar to Radio Shack/Tandy.
HAL eye indicator light
The eye is about the right scale-size, but the outer ring is too large. It will have to do.
BRAIN ROOM HATCH
The door is 1mm sheet metal from a hobby shop. I cut a hole in the wall, sat the door in flush, and built a box/holder on the back to keep it in place. I didn’t want to build a Brain Room entrance, so I built the door closed. If I was doing it over I would have used thicker metal and had the door open a small bit for looks.
VENTS
I had the air vents and figure buckles laser-cut in styrene. I should have had them photo-etched in brass.
Laser cut plastic
AIRLOCK DOOR
I used the same number of vinyl pads as the set, but didn’t worry too much about matching the exact number of ribs on the door. The windows are double-pane with space between, like an airliner window. The detail doesn’t really show, but hopefully adds to the overall feel. I made a small curved and padded section of wall just behind the windows to give the illusion of the ladder/lock chamber, rather than frosted windows or just flat white.
SEE FIGURE