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Attitude Adjustor the Dalek - Is Now Finished


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Right, time for tonight's Dalek build fix. I got away from work at a reasonable time tonight and was able to progress things somewhat. The plastic on the skirt continues to harden up, I have tried pushing it back again. Its getting quite stiff now but I think it will still creep back into bulges.

In the end I just used my coarse sanding stick to square up and chamfer the edges of the top of the skirt mounting plate. I also made sure the edges were heading in the right direction dimensionally for the corresponding mating skirt parts:

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With my lighting plans, clearly the solid eyestalk will have to be replaced with tube for wiring access. I checked the diameter, almost exacty 6mm. Note that the eye itself is a solid injection moulded lump so that will have to be hollowed out somehow:

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I accessed my modelling material storage facility and retrieved these two possible tubular candidates. The brass tube is some 6mm Albion tube left over from the Hormone exhausts. The white plastic is 5.2mm in diameter and feels a bit flimsy so I decide to go with the brass:

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I had a play with some of the other injection moulded parts, with the most modest of fettling they all fitted together; rather nicely - and impressive really:

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I had roughly cut out the slot for the eyestalk and had a look how it all would fit together. The instructions recommend holding the pivot pin in place with something called insulation tape. This is not really the Nigey way and a rather more engineered approach will be dreamt up:

P1010032_zps8f30dd21.jpg

Anyway, I will post there as its Nigey's bath time, there is still a little more to come so stand by.

Edited by Nigel Heath
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I razor sawed off the solid eyestalk:

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I did a bit of clean up on the eyestalk boss, clearly there are sink issues here, the gun also has some ejector pin marks that require filler:

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I am not sure of the chemistry of these injection moulded parts, it does not feel like normal kit polystyrene, more like a relative of polyethylene - I hope it isn't. To try to determine its characteristics I conducted a highly scientific burn test. I cut a shaving off the redundant eyestalk and used my childhood chemistry set burner - also superb for creating stretched sprue BTW. The results to me indicated that is it more like polystyrene that PE:

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As the results of my experiment are somewhat inconclusive so I then did a test with liquid poly, it clearly dissolved so my fears are allayed:

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I proceeded with the requisite filling operations:

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I have squeezed out rather a lot of filler and find these other things requiring its attention:

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There is still some surplus so following my normal practice it is bunged back in the tube - waste not want not:

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Well that is a far as I got tonight. Not a bad place to stop as those deep layers of filler can harden up over the weekend. I am away in Edinburgh this weekend so there will be little, if any, further progress.

For my dinner I had a tiny amount of gorgonzola (10g) to use up and decided to pair it with the small amount of homemade dried tagliatelle I had left. This is much more delecate than the commercial stuff and cooks in about one minute:

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I made this into a dish with spinach and nutmeg. The resulting portion size was microscopic:

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But fortunately I had somehow acquired a jam doughnut for afters. I do like a jam doughnut - but then who doesn't.

Bye for now,

Nigel

Edited by Nigel Heath
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I'm still considering a comet dalek if I can find one cheap enough, but the Sevans kit does look much better and it's good to see someone like you building one, as I'm sure you will do it justice.

I should get some work done on mine over the weekend but the boss has warned me that the mortgage, food and the electric bill come before an airbrush. priorities huh?

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I did not get back from my Edinburgh modelling excursion until about 5.45 this evening and after the unpacking, having a bath, making tomorrows lunchbox and making dinner there was very little time left for any direct Dalek related activity. However, these are the Dalek relevant tools and materials I obtained on my excursion:

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I have a razor saw dedicated to cutting metal but even though they are supposed to be OK on nonferrous metals I decided to take the strain off it by buying a small modelling hack saw. This will be mainly used on the eyestalk tube. I do already own other hacksaws of course but they are in deep storage and not accessible at the moment. I bought two gloss red paint options to try for their main work on the skirt and dome. The blue is for the eyestalk discs. The semi-gloss black is for the base and eye and the Alclad chrome is intended for the skirt hemispheres and other accent areas.

The only actual work I got done was to sand the filler from the other night. The sinks on the eyestalk pivot are quite deep and another application of filler is called for:

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For my dinner I made a very simple and quick chicken curry:

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It only had seven ingredients: oil, butter, chicken, tikka curry paste, spinach, coconut cream and coriander. The recipe did not include salt and pepper but I begged to differ.

It was quick and simple and tonight that is what I needed. I served it with rice in a retro Vesta style which actually worked quite well with the runny sauce.

More on my Edinburgh trip tomorrow, tired bye,

Nigel

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Know what you mean Jockster, I'm lucky where I live we have a local produce market twice a week and one of the stalls sells freshly made ring donuts, the smell as you walk around the market, must resist, must resist :Tasty:

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Doughnuts take a bit of beating don't they?

I had to work quite late tonight and only made some mosest Dalek progress. Its a good job I am using the 6mm brass tube otherwise I would have had to make new eyestalk discs. With a bit of fellting they are a nice tight fit on the tube. Even though they are a different colour (blue) to the stalk (silver) I think I will be better off gluing them in position first and painting with some masking. The eyestalk pivot is also a different colour (red) but will recieve the same treatment. Note the use of the green foam backed sanding material, this stuff is great for things like the discs as well as wheels as there in no tendency to create flats and it nicely rounds the edges. The pivot recieved a third application of filler:

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This is the reference I am using for the painting guide:

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The pdf was kindly supplied to me by hendie.

Tomorrow night is my modelling club night so there is unlikely to be any progress but I have Wednesday booked as a days holiday so significant things should happen thern.

For my dinner I fancied battered fish so I cooked this:

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The fish was supplied by Young's (Alaskan Pollock), not very homemade I'm afraid but it was very nice. I did at least make the tartar sauce (I do like a lot of it!!) - I can provide you with my recipe if you are interested.

Bye for now,

Nigel

Edited by Nigel Heath
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My pleasure. I don't like the jars of commercial stuff, they taste like gloup to me and are full of additives.

Tartare Sauce

1 tbsp Creme Fraiche (I preffer the 50% reduced fat type)

2 tbsp Mayonnaise (Hellmann's - the full fat type)

You can vary the ratio of the above around fairly wide margins, this is about what I preffer

2 Cornichons - finely chopped

2 tsp Drained Capers (in brine) - chopped

2 tsp Parsley - chopped (either flat leaf or curly is fine with a slight prefference for flat leaf)

1 tsp Lemon Juice

1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard

+ Sea salt (Maldon's) and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Just mix that lot together - simples, and all the ingredients keep for ages (with the possible exception of the creme fraiche although that keeps quite well, much longer than for normal cream) in the fridge as appropriate.

And out of interest, where is "over here"?

Edited by Nigel Heath
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"over here" is the good ol' US of A

On the whole, the food is excellent over here with a few notable exceptions - like trying to buy a loaf of bread without a bag of sugar having been added to it.

I can just about get a half decent haggis (beef not lamb, though I have found a new source which uses lamb) and you can't get decent black pudding for love nor money.

.... and what I would give for a half dozen butteries!

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It sounds like you are a Scottish person - good.

Where abouts in the USA - I understand its quite a big place? As to bread I make pretty much all my own, that way I know exactly what's going into it.

After studying photos from the film I can definately confirm that the eyestalk pivot is silver not red, so that simplifies the masking a little.

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Correct, and I did spend a few years up near (well, sort of) your neck of the woods, Around Forres and Elgin to be exact. I'm about and hour south of Philadelphia - not as bad as it sounds, as this is a nice area, almost rural. But places like Baltimore, Washington, Phillie, New York etc are all within easy traveling distance... if I ever wanted to go there.

I've been cogitating over colors myself. I think I'm doing a Mk3 with the silver skirt and light blue hemispheres. However, I found a nice "nickel" color which I like and may use that for the gun and plunger to provide a bit of variation

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...like trying to buy a loaf of bread without a bag of sugar having been added to it...

I have the same problem here in Milwaukee - it seems that everything (not just the bread!) has sugar or honey in it :(. Like Nigel, I make my own bread, and it's just flour, salt, yeast and water. Doesn't need anything else, and tastes like the bread Mum used to get from the village shop back in the 60s and 70s.

Anyway, sorry to barge in...

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I have most of the ingredients though finding the cornichons may be a little difficult - do you use pickled or brined?

I think the ones I use are in brine (with other stuff like seeds and herbs) but I think the ones in vinegar would be fine, maybe use a little less lemon juice.

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