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https://www.hcsvoicepacks.com?sca_ref=4757693.V2WWtZn0Xy

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I’ve been looking at the power coils.

I know, I know, I’ve said it doesn’t bother me, and it really doesn’t. I know outside of a couple of pictures I’ll never turn them on again once the build is finished, but the supplied led’s just don’t really cut it.

They look great at the bulb, then good, then fine, then disappointing, then not even illuminated.

So, I have investigated.

I used EL rope before in the Exgol diorama model, and was very happy with how they work and look. So I picked up some more and went to work!

The rope pack I picked up has 5 single strips of 1m length, so plenty to replace the existing tubes. They are thicker, at 2.3mm instead of the 1.3 of the original, but with a little squeezing they should fit into the brackets and be covered by the metal plates.

My intention was to simply supply power from the cables that lead to the LED’s, and simply connect to the new rope.

It didn’t work like that.

Connecting the power directly to the rope seems to do absolutely nothing. I took the battery box supplied with the rope apart and found a transformer lurking inside. I assume it steps up the power or frequency, or amperage, or something else we’ll beyond my electronics skill.

In the end, I love the way it would make it work, but I can’t see any way to incorporate them into the original electronics. I think I will need to get de the new battery box, and route the power to the front and back of the car.

It’s not impossible, and I expect I will return and find a way of sorting it, but for now it’s gone back on the back burner.

With the new Inventr.io Adventure kit and a couple of other projects coming up, I thought it was time to brush up on some old electronics skills.

Firstly, and most importantly, soldering.

Soldering is the easiest and best way of joining electrical wires and components together with a joint that allows electricity to flow.

I haven’t done any “proper” soldering for many years and technology has progressed with the availability of soldering stations being quite common. I don’t have one, and don’t think I’ll be doing enough to warrant the purchase so I will be sticking with my old school “just plug it into the socket” iron.

Apart from a steady hand and things that need to be soldered, there are 2 other important items. The iron, and some solder. The composition of the solder has changed over the years with safer materials and improvements to how it flows and sets happening all the time. I just picked up a roll of basic solder, but you can purchase many different types depending on your requirements.

The soldering iron in its most basic form is a tip that is heated enough to melt the solder. They can be electric, or sometimes gas powered. Mine simply plugs in and gets hot. The more advanced ones can be set to specific temperatures.

Enough background, on with the project!

This was part of the beta adventure kit 2.0

In the release version of the kit it will be soldered, but I thought I’d use it as a test practice piece.

Holding it in place on a breadboard I then added heat with the soldering iron, then touched the solder to the pin allowing some to melt.

Repeating the other side, it all seems to have worked!

A good indication of a successful joint is if the solder remains shiny. If it’s a full finish, you can always go back and heat it again.

I’m happy that my skills don’t seem to have faded over the decades since I used them! It may not be perfect, but it’s a good start back into the world!

Another partwork comes to a close with issue 100 of the Ironman build.

You can catch the entire series here:

Fanhome Ironman
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLykCLmEIfILXAvykFVGlOcolOmfkfOzep

Including the construction of the premium base.

If you’ve been following my build of the Eaglemoss Delorean you may be aware I had a packet delivered open and with a small part missing.

Now, I could contact them and get a replacement issue sent out, but as it was only 1 small part that is almost impossible to see when the build is complete I thought it would be a good chance to have a play with my moulding “skills”

As it’s a small black part and I had some in, I thought I’d try using sugru.

If you are unaware, Sugru is a mouldable product that air dries to a slightly rubbery consistency. It can be used to fit things together, and I thought it could work in this case.

I started by pulling off a small chunk and trying to get the rough size and shape.

With some shaping I thought it would be easier to do in place on the kit, although I was very aware that the seats I am fitting it to will very easily show any black stains!

The end result is a little larger than the original, and not nearly as nice, but I doubt anyone would be able to notice even if looking for it when the car is finished.

So in my opinion a reasonable job, solving a slight problem and increasing my skills slightly!

The time has come to start another competition!

During the month of November you can leave a comment here with the TIME and DATE you think I will get my 5000th subscriber. Any date from now until sometime in 2022- hopefully! Whoever gets the closest will win a branded Gross Models Hoodie!

Entries will close at the end of November and I will post the person who guessed the closest after I achieve the magic 5k!

If you neglect to put a time I will consider it to be 12 noon of the date given. All times must be in GMT.

So come on, have a go!

This time I am doing things a little differently. Feel free to change your answer up until the end of the month!

Have you checked out the new build I’ve started?

KITT from Knight Rider, bought to us by Fanhome.

The first video is available now, with the first 4 delivered and built, ready to be released soon!

The lovely people over at Fanhome.com have sent me the first pack in the new StarWars Encyclopedia!

Some things work better in a post rather than a video, so here it is!

The collection features books covering all of the classic and new films, and even some of the new shows!

It is divided into sections on the Galaxy, Droids, Ships, Weapons, Characters and the Stories. They all build up into an impressive shelf of interesting material and reference.

The first 2 volumes feature Darth Vader and the Millennium Falcon, with loads of photos and diagrams.

I will be making videos for each delivery, but they will be shorter than my usual content, if you want to see all the pages you’ll just have to subscribe at Fanhome.com !

As I’m doing 2 car partworks at the moment, and they are both 1:8 scale, and they have supplied parts in a similar order, I thought it would be interesting to compare them!

I am currently building the Fast & Furious Dodge Charger from Fanhome, and the Ecto-1 from Hero Collector.

The Ecto-1 is at issue 10, and the Dodge is issue 22.

There is a difference in the size, but the Ecto-1 is a big car!

They are both coming along nicely and I cannot wait to see them both complete!

I have a new video up, and it isn’t a partwork!

I was offered the chance to build a wooden kit from the people over at ToysTun.com , and I selected this lovely Tripple Ballista.

Watch the complete build here: ToysTub Triple Ballista complete build (Includes Discount Code!) https://youtu.be/8yAzMQZz_zo

Read the description to see how you can get one for yourself with a discount!