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Okay... I couldn't resist it any longer - a little sister for Periwinkle


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In between building the DB5, Robby, and B9 (and a few other odds and ends), I started on this kit.

I really didn't intend to start this kit for some time, but I seem to be having lots of down time while waiting on one thing or another in those builds I mentioned above, and needed something to break the monotony.... and this was it.

Let's start at the very beginning, it's a very good place to start....

It's the Comet Miniatures Dalek. I have heard that the kit has issues, but they can't be any worse than my original attempt at a Dalek (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234945056-scratch-build-16-scale-mk-iii-dalek-complete-after-3-months/ )

I know I have said this before, but I intend this to be very close to a standard OUT OF THE BOX BUILD!!!!!!!

I will NOT be going overboard on modifying/replacing/manufacturing/casting etc etc etc any bits.

My intention is to display this model next to my scratch build and I think it will be, let's say, interesting to show the different levels of detail in both models.

So, picking up the kit, I started with the skirt. I'm getting a strange feeling of deja vu here.

That yellow stuff you see below is a USA version of Blu-Tac, it's called fun tac, and it's crap! It's not very sticky, and it's like trying to mold toffee.

Anyway, I started with the skirt.....

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Knowing the issues I had with my previous build, I knew how difficult the skirt could be...

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and I was right! It was just as well I decided to dry fit the entire skirt because as I came to the last panel, I discovered there was quite a discrepancy in the width of the panel I had in my hand, and the available width to fit it in.

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So I resorted to reading the instructions.... and Comet suggest starting with the skirt - but - attaching the skirt panels to the top section first rather than the base.

I did a quick test and that seemed to be better, so, doing only one or two panels at a time, I started gluing the skirt panels to the top panel.

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...Eventually working my way around to the front section.

I have to say that I am amazed at how quickly this has gone - but I am comparing it to my previous build, and just the skirt section alone probably took a couple of weeks form start to finish.

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The skirt is now fully attached at the top.

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and I am ow working my way around the inside, gluing the length of each panel, making double sure the panels are properly aligned on the outside before applying the superglue.

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The neck section was easy. However, there were no alignment features whatsoever in the parts, so I glued styrene strips on the top, bottom, and each of the sides to help hold each part in place relative to each other.

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So while I am waiting on other parts drying - and I have also run out of superglue! - I decided to start the part that I really hate - the skirt hemispheres...

all fifty freaking six of them!

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It's a strange kit. Comet have used some really larger gates on the parts tree (see below) so I cut each part from the tree with plenty of gate left on the part. Now I need to go through each one of them, remove the gate and file down the excess...... luvverly huh?

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I should mention that this will be a slow build as I am only going to work on this when the DB5, or Robby have some to a halt for whatever reason.

... and I should also mention that I think this is an early Television Dalek, but I have no idea what the color scheme is going to be yet.

Edited by hendie
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While taking a break from my other builds, I stuck the two halves of the waist section together, but not before sanding a whopping huge hole in the underside so I can get access to glue this little piece in place when the time is right.

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That piece is the retainer for the Daleks' balls. Comet would have you fit that piece before the two halves of the waist are closed up, but that makes it really difficult for painting.

I spotted this problem before I glued them together but there was nothing I could do to prevent it. The front is a different width from the rear, resulting in this little step between the parts.

My option was to line one side up and have a large step o the other side, or try to even up the parts and have two smaller steps, which was the option I chose.

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Once the glue was dry, I applied some filler to the seams and left that overnight to cure. This morning I started to sand the sides down to see how much of the step I can eliminate, or should I say exterminate!

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this is way easier than scratch building, maybe not quite as rewarding, but way easier!

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An excellent thread.

Strangely enough, at head office where I was attending my work induction today there was a 1/1 scale Dalek sitting in the reception area (next to a Royal Mail post box), and I thought of you! This Dalek was rather dapper in gloss black, with silver balls! Looking forward to your build! :popcorn:

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Excellent!

I haven't figured out what colors I am going to go for on this build. My favorite was always the silver with blue hemisphere's - as that was the first one I ever saw (well, grey hemisphere's since it was B&W in those days!)

I am tempted towards the Imperial Dalek - I love the white, but I have always thought the gold was a bit kitsch and especially since even the gun and plunger are gold as well. It's just too much gold.

There are some decent looking grey and black Daleks, or even gunmetal and black - or I could just come up with my own color scheme. Nigel had an interesting looking titanium gold, which may be okay with the white. The real gold color was actual fire bronze or some such nonsense, I think a really pale gold would look a lot better

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I gave the waist section a quick coat of white primer to see how good/bad the seams were after sanding. The seams are still showing a little but I think they will be passable - remembering that most of the waist section is covered by mesh and solar panels

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The skirt section finally had all the seams glued, so I couldn't resist a quick pile up of the parts.....

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The seams on the skirt have now been filled and put aside to cure in anticipation of all the fun of sanding them back again. I think it is going to be a nightmare job, as each panel has two sink marks the length of the panel, which will need to be filled then sanded back.

Looking around for other (easy) jobs to do - I spotted the plunger arm. Comet would have you assemble the arm with the sliding portion fitted inside. I think that is a recipe for disaster unless you want the arm fixed in length.

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My solution was to file out the rear of the arm using a round file. That will allow me to insert the sliding portion once the thicker section has been glued without worrying about getting glue all over the inside and clogging up the sliding portion.

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I am still undecided upon the final color, but I think I need to make my mind up soon so I can get started on painting this Dalek.

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  • 3 weeks later...

You're doing the right thing taking a break with an easier model. Looking good! My niece (9) thinks pink and red for the colours. I think she has a developing obsession!!

Everytime I think of a Dalek model those hemispheres always make me shudder.

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I am hoping to get back on track with this in the next week or so - I have been trying to figure out how to strengthen the inside of the skirt section. It keeps flexing while I am trying to sand.

I think I have it figured out, just need time to implement the fix

Edited by hendie
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Not much of an update, it's been one of those weekends..... spent 5 hours working in the yard then an entire day to recover - getting old is no fun.

I finally figured out how to reinforce the skirt section so the panels didn't deflect while I was sanding - of course, it was very similar to the way I fixed the issue on the first Dalek. However, this time I used and epoxy putty to help hold things in place.

I cut styrene strips to nest into 3 sides, then applied the putty and pressed the styrene into the putty while it was still soft. Pretty easy adn makes a big difference.

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The rest of the day was taken up by sanding, filing and fettling bits and bobs.

I worked my way through all the hemisphere's, nipping off the gate then filing to try and make the darn thing look round again. It seemed to take forever but at least it is done now.

After that, it was a case of priming everything that I could. That included the neck, shoulders, neck rings, eye stalk rings, eye stalk and plunger rods.

I still think I am going with a white Dalek, hence the reason for the white primer.

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The two most visible parts of the Dalek are always the skirt and the dome (to me anyway) so I wanted to make sure those parts were going to look good. - White primer is fine, but it doesn't show up flaws the same way grey primer does.

So, it was out with the grey primer and I did the dome, the skirt and the base.

The dome doesn't look too bad, a few small sinks but nothing too difficult to eliminate.

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The skirt is going to be an absolute pig... Comet, in there infinite wisdom, decided to put two large rectangular sections on the rear of each panel, presumably for strengthening purposes. Now, we all know what happens when you have a plastic injection molded part with uneven wall thicknesses..... Yes ! you get sink marks!!!

So, each skit panel has two sink marks running vertically almost the full length on each and every skirt panel.

So, I am using the grey primer to help locate the sink marks, they will be filled. After I have finished sanding and got everything level, I will give the skirt a coat of white primer.

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and just to complete the day... for some reason the primer decided to react with the base and I ended up with what can only be described as a crinkle finish around the base.

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That's no big deal. I'll sand that back and re-coat it when I get a chance.

I think the next stage will be to prime all the hemisphere's, and polish them - not looking forward to that at all

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The build looks good!! Sometimes you just have to struggle through with all the repetition, I know, I have a ton of it to deal with.

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Don't know how I missed this build. Just caught up with it tonight, thanks to your recent entry. It looks like this is an easier go than Periwinkle. I wonder, it is just me, because I have switched to airbrushing recently like you, or does it seem as if there is a greater abundance of threads exhibiting painting problems than there was just one year ago? Seems more and more threads are exhbiting some sort of paint problem like crinkling, not drying correctly, interacting, etc. than used to happen. Can you think of the last kit you have done where at some point in time, paint problems did not become an issue? Not the ones where you spray the wrong color or don't mask well, but ones where the paint did not behave as it should have.

Otherwise, this looks great. Looks like the "easy" build all the others did not turn out to be.

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There definitely seems to be a lot of paint issues going on all over the place. Thankfully, it was only on the last part of the day so I am not too bothered - especially as this is my "laid back" build. I will not let this build get on top of me. The kit is what it is - and that's how I am building it.

I'll probably be spending a little bit more time on it now as I am waiting for parts for my Dauphin build to arrive (and have to try and sneak them down into the basement before anyone catches me!)

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You're doing the right thing taking a break with an easier model. Looking good! My niece (9) thinks pink and red for the colours. I think she has a developing obsession!!

Everytime I think of a Dalek model those hemispheres always make me shudder.

There's a pink Dalek on this web site - it's pink and silver and I actually think it looks quite cool http://www.projectdalek.co.uk/mainsite/index.php/scale-daleks?showall=1&limitstart= (6th Dalek down the page)

I think I am going off the white Dalek idea now - I may be heading towards a pale gold and black scheme.

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Seems more and more threads are exhibiting some sort of paint problem like crinkling, not drying correctly, interacting, etc. than used to happen. Can you think of the last kit you have done where at some point in time, paint problems did not become an issue? Not the ones where you spray the wrong color or don't mask well, but ones where the paint did not behave as it should have.

It looks like this may well have been my fault!

I sanded the base tonight and found that the paint came off in an almost rubbery fashion - I think there must have been traces of mold release on the base which reacted with the paint. That's the only explanation I can come up with. (I really must start washing the bare plastic before I start building)

There's only a little clean up left and the base will be as good as new

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there was no paint - this was purely applying the primer. It was strange because it reacted only on the base and not on the other parts which I was priming at the same time, such as the dome and the skirt

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  • 3 weeks later...

It's been a while but I have been working on this occasionally over the last month or so.

To be honest, there really isn't that much progress, but any progress is better than none.

As you can see in the photo below, there were one or two little sink marks in the skirt section that had to be taken care of, so much filling and sanding had to be done.

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and the end result doesn't look like much at all does it?

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A coat of white primer showed up a few more flaws (encircled in pencil) so I guess this means more filling and sanding over the next few weeks.

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But the rest of the parts seemed to be fine.

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I have still to prime the hemispheres, - I hope to do that sometime this weekend.

I still have not decided on a color, although I think I am now down to two options:

  1. A white Dalek with pale gold hemisphere's etc.
  2. A dark grey Dalek with black hemisphere's etc.

I think I prefer the white with pale gold, but I hate the fact that the appendages are also gold - I am sorry but I just think it looks tacky. So if I end up doing the gold version, I may take some liberties and use what I think are the best looking color options.

I shall try and have an other update a bit sooner that it took me to get around to this one.

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Could you not develop your own color scheme? (Sorry, the colonial is being sacrilegious and heretical!) I mean, maybe there was one Dalek that had some fashion sense and wanted to stand out from the crowd. A mutated Dalek perhaps.

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Could you not develop your own color scheme?

I might just do that. It would help if I had any degree of color coordination skills. Unfortunately I am sadly deficient in that area... I may have to enlist the skills of my daughter to help me choose a color scheme.

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Then we'd get Barbie Dalek.

I wondered where this one was.

There were the Camouflaged Daleks?

How about digital ala SU 27?

Snow Dalek? Steampunk?

Dalek 2.0 with a decent weapon?

Warehouse Dalek on a pallet truck.

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I'm thinking a tiger meet scheme Dalek all resplendent in tiger stripes would be quite attractive. it might even make the dangerous toilet plunger appear as if it could hurt someone.

Or, a lowrider Dalek; complete with hydraulics.

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I have a fuzzy memory of a triple play at our local theater in 1968 when I was a kid. I'm not sure of the whole titles of the films, but I think there was a zombie movie, a monster movie and a Dr. Who and the Deliks. All great fun!! A steampunk Delik would be fun.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Well, I was hoping to have an update for Periwinkle's little sister. I sprayed the hemisphere's, neck bin and eye stalk satin black this weekend.

... and whaddya know.... the eye stalk and neck bin are fine but the hemisphere's all had cracking in the paint finish!

Dagnabbit George - you were right - I went and angered the Plastic Gods.

Unfortunately, it means that I now have to refinish all the hemisphere's - AGAIN! This time I am using wire wool and hope I get enough of the bad paint removed as I don't want to spend forever sanding the bleedin' things.

I also bought gold paint - I went with Testors Pearl Gold, but now that I have it in my hands, I think the color is too rich. I really wanted more of a pale gold satin finish. I see Krylon do a "champagne" color so I might try that out.

So, no photo's this time around.

Edited by hendie
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