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  #21  
Old 06-12-2018, 06:10 PM
elliott elliott is offline
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Did you do anything to "harden" the card like coat it with CA glue or something like that, or is it just the card alone?
It looks spectacular already Ruben, can't imagine yet how it will look once completed.
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  #22  
Old 06-13-2018, 06:42 AM
ricleite ricleite is offline
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Well, Godzilla is not needed to make the build frightening It is all hard work: cutting, painting the edges and gluing!
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  #23  
Old 06-13-2018, 07:17 AM
C9B C9B is offline
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Looks like the real thing.
Attached Thumbnails
Tokyo Tower - detailed version - UHU - scale 1:400-8f370be4-cba6-420c-b89e-15b32b1c309e.jpeg  
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  #24  
Old 06-13-2018, 10:58 AM
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gotham gotham is offline
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This model is insane !! There's more air than paper !! What a great start to the build. All the best on continuing with it.
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  #25  
Old 06-13-2018, 07:40 PM
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Rubenandres77 Rubenandres77 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by beckychestney View Post
Here's hoping your build remains Godzilla free!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o3c2mslO-o

Seriously, that's beautiful cutting!
Hehehe :D

Oh well, I'll do my best to keep the tower protected... but I know it is the planet's strongest magnet
to attract every kind of monster and be the setting of pivotal events (at least in any major Japanese film or anime).




Quote:
Originally Posted by elliott View Post
Did you do anything to "harden" the card like coat it with CA glue or something like that, or is it just the card alone?
....
Hmm yes, and no.
It just cardstock, but I sprayed a couple of thin layers of protective clear paint.
I can imagine this is helping a bit to strengthen the paper. But I really don't think it helps much.


What I did to prevent much warping was to follow UHU's own instructions:
* Cut opposite triangles, and edge color them.
* Wait for a day after everything dries and cut the rest of the structure, and edge color what remains.



And to all: thanks for your kind words on my work.




Today:


Ever since the very release of this kit there was something that bothered me a lot.
It is not that the kit is wrong, but just something I find aesthetically disruptive.

This photo is UHU's finished prototype.
As you can see in the lower right, there is a slope that begins just inside the front leg,
and turns again into flat terrain very quickly.




That steep slope is what bothered me because even though the street in front
of Tokyo Tower really descends a couple of meters, it is not so pronounced.
It is more gradual and extends from leg to leg.

If you are curious as to how the exact topography of the street is,
Google street view gives a good idea.


I can imagine UHU used this solution in the kit so that the facade of the building
can be seen better, and to avoid more complex cuts and assemblies.
But still it really bothered me.

Today I built the base to get rid of that issue once and for all.





Instead of an impossible slope (that's like 45º in just a couple of meters)
I opted for a smoother transition.
I built the pit first, reinforced it with heavy cardstock, and instead of the
diagonal I cut a curve.

For the outside "wall" I again cut a smoother transition in the shape
of an extended curve that glides from where the slope starts to the
marking of the pedestrian crossing.


You can see the white of the cardstock with some numbers of another part,
and the profile the slope should have.




Since the inner curve of the pit is shorter and more pronounced,
and the outer curve is longer and smoother, that created a lot of
tension and warping that was released by cutting a very small dart
of about 1mm just besides the crossing marking and that extends from
the outside wall to the inner pit. It also served to compensate for the
extra 1mm that made the street longer in comparison with the base wall.

What it means is that despite the change in topography, and the small cut,
the markers for the legs remain at exactly the same intended distance.
So there should be no problem when inserting the tower there.
And since the pit was built first, and deformation was prevented,
it should (ideally) be still in the position it is supposed to be, and the only
extra care to take into account is when installing the front columns of the facade.

At least that's the theory, we will know if it works at the very end when tower,
building and base are mated together.

Probably not what UHU originally intended, but I prefer this looks much better.
I mean: who parks a car in such a strong slope?

There is still some warping due to the glue not drying yet,
and the fact that the inner columns have not been installed yet.
But I expect it to look much better once they are in place.

Thanks for reading!

Until next time








PS: the base as it is only needed 256 cuts.
Attached Thumbnails
Tokyo Tower - detailed version - UHU - scale 1:400-369.jpg   Tokyo Tower - detailed version - UHU - scale 1:400-tt_006.jpg   Tokyo Tower - detailed version - UHU - scale 1:400-tt_007.jpg  
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  #26  
Old 06-13-2018, 08:15 PM
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Lex Lex is offline
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Nice solution there. The colour seemed very different to UHU's, is that because of the printing?

Glad you are keeping a count for the number of cuts required)
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  #27  
Old 06-13-2018, 08:33 PM
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Rubenandres77 Rubenandres77 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lex View Post
Nice solution there. The colour seemed very different to UHU's, is that because of the printing?

Glad you are keeping a count for the number of cuts required)
Thank you!

Yes, I think is because of the print.
I'm not 100% sure but I believe UHU used photo paper with ink printer.
I went to a copy shop and printed in laser, which usually has a different color profile than ink printers.
Dark colors seem a lot darker in mine. But the orange looks the same.
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  #28  
Old 06-14-2018, 02:01 AM
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Lex Lex is offline
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Nice. I am mostly an inkjet person but recently had to use laser for some of my models.

Something I have *just* tried, if you are bothered by the gloss of the laser printed dark colours, the matte varnish spray cans for plastic models usually work very well and eliminates the reflection at all but the most extreme viewing angles. The coated surface doesn't take glue very well so this need to be done after the whole thing is assembles.
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  #29  
Old 06-14-2018, 05:54 AM
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Rubenandres77 Rubenandres77 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lex View Post
...

Something I have *just* tried, if you are bothered by the gloss of the laser printed dark colours, the matte varnish spray cans for plastic models usually work very well and eliminates the reflection at all but the most extreme viewing angles. The coated surface doesn't take glue very well so this need to be done after the whole thing is assembles.
You are quite right. Matte is the way to go. This was much brighter before. Once finished and cleaned I may spray another coat.

In my case, since I sprayed it before cutting, I've had to scrap the clear coating before folding and gluing for the glue to adhere properly to the actual paper.
Is an extra step, but it needs to be done. Otherwise the parts won't hold properly.

Besides, I found that spraying laser prints before cutting helps protect the delicate print from any damage caused by the metal ruler, the blades or the tweezers (or even paper touching paper). For some reason in earlier models when I used laser print I always ended scratching the surface, sometimes with irreparable damage. One or two clear coats before have helped me a lot to avoid that.
Ink printing doesn't have that problem.
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  #30  
Old 06-15-2018, 08:47 AM
Algebraist Algebraist is offline
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Hi Ruben, really enjoying your build and thread. I am sure it is going to be an epic success.

I am looking forward to watching the tower grow and "mature" over time. Not to be rushed but to be savoured.

Regards

Kevin
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