Odds and Ends from my brain and interests. Given that it is meant to be much like my old cartoon strip at the Lowell Connector, I suppose it is eponymous (I also like that it does make an oxymoron of sorts)

If there is to be anything here of any regularity it should be about sci-fi, computers, technology, and scale modeling with origami thrown in on the side (at least not infrequently). Oh, I would also expect some cartooning too

Sunday, November 08, 2015

Arisia 2015: Miniatures and Modeling for Gamers and Fans

Various recent releases (clockwise)
Monarch Models "Ghost",
Revell Star Wars 7 Tie, Pegasus Luna,
Moebius Colonial One, Airfix Angel
Interceptor, Revell Ger. Enterprise,
Bandai Gundam, Dragon Tranquility
Base, Moebius Ranger and Flying Sub
McFarlane Walking Dead, Pegasus
Nautilus, Fantastic Plastic Avatar
Shuttle, Moebius Johny Quest
Dragonfly 
In spite of being in one of the most hidden rooms in the hotel, and placed right up against Masquerade (which is single most attended item this weekend), we actually had a fair amount of people there. Most of the audience were familiar with one or another aspect of the topic, but there were a few self acknowledged newbies in the group which was nice. My fellow panelist were T. Christopher Davis who specialized in gaming miniatures and terrains, and John "Madman Lighting" Cook who is an award winning scale modeler as well as a manufacturer of lighting kits for models. I brought along several of my old models and a couple of new paper ones, and not surprisingly for me, got to talk about the paper end of the hobby.
     Arisia has a large gaming component among its attendees. The
gaming track at Arisia consists of various active game rooms, discussions about games, video games, and LARPS. It is definitely a con that doesn't forget that science fiction and fantasy is just fun. Part of this is also reflected by the amount of the con
Dwarf gaming miniature
from Basicks kit
devoted to costuming, both as a topic of discussion and visibly displayed by participants in costume reflecting their fen interests (be it creative anachronism, cosplay, subject fandom, or just whatever comes to mind).  It was nice that this year we got at least one panel devoted to those of us who like to craft our fandom in miniature instead of wearing it.
     The thing about this hobby is that it is currently in a kind of golden age. Never before have so many different subjects and areas in this genre been available for builds. The greater number of genre films and TV shows, comic books, and games is part of the reason. Another reason for the growth of this niche in the hobby is the increasing number of fans who really embrace their "geek"ness. So you prefer working with miniature starships and dwarves, so what, they are cool.

What was it exactly?

Basically, science fiction and fantasy in miniature for a variety of purposes. There is of course the replica of the science fiction vehicles we are all familiar from film and television. I personally believe this also covers the replication of props, sometimes to a higher fidelity than those that were actually used on film (admittedly this can crossover into costuming). There is also the creation of elaborate stages in miniature and game pieces for use in table top gaming. It is a creative aspect of fandom that also extends into other media such as Lego construction and 3D virtual models and 3D printing. Another expression of the hobby is in figure modeling, either full figures or busts (aside from game pieces). These figure models tend to have a wider span covering not just science fiction, but also horror, fantasy, and even popular culture and humor.
     Given the collective experience of the panelists, we initially spoke on the nature of our hobby from our individual point of view, how we work, what we found interesting, what it seems to be like (something which I think this internet cartoon captured quite well.

We focused on discussing the techniques and tools involved in how to put our stuff together. We mostly opted for opening the floor to questions to get a sense of what attendees wanted to know.
Lindberg models released in 1954 what is perhaps the first science fiction model, although given the saucer craze at the time, they may have thought it was an educated guess at a real artifact. It has been re-released several times since.

How does one get started?


A fairly basic question which we got early on. Well I guess the starting point should be your nearest hobby shop, or perhaps (given that these have become fewer and farther between than they used to be) a nearby crafting chain. The latter choice is problematic in that your choices, particularly in the SF/F area will be limited. Some stores specialize in gaming resources and carry miniatures. Comic book stores may also stock both gaming miniatures and SF/F models as well as limited supplies for working on them. Occasionally major franchises, like Star Wars, will license miniatures, but toy stores nowadays only rarely carry models (although some starship modelers are currently thinking about how to work with the new giant Hasbro Millennium Falcon and X-wing toys. Reworking actual toys into quality models is not unheard of, but it is a bit of work). Of course there is always the internet where you can either find many items on amazon.com or other more specialized sites (I'll put the link list at the end).
Pre-painted
Revell SnapTite
mini-kit
     The range of models and miniatures can also vary. One can start with the finished collectible or nearly ready finished variety. Many models currently are designed as simpler "snap-fit" kits that don't require glue, and are frequently already painted. A whole series of small scale Star Wars figures are marketed this way with very few pre-painted parts in bubble packaging. This is ideal for children or people who have never built any of these types of models before. On the other hand, more experienced modelers prefer the traditional paint and glue type. This is because all kits often reflect a compromise of one kind or another between price, ease of construction, size and so forth. Pre-painted kits may not be the "right color" and since you can't "test fit" a part, or sand seams (it ruins the finish) it can create problems. This all depends on questions of accuracy* and detailed finish.
Madman's EarthForce Starfury from Babylon 5
Madman's EarthForce (B5) Starfury
with his lighting kit (on display
during this session)
    While in general, it is not a particularly expensive hobby, one can expect to spend a certain amount in setting up a basic workshop (see tools next section). Some kits can indeed get expensive, particularly if one starts adding aftermarket parts such as detail sets and limited run "garage" kits. If you have your heart set on something that is out of production or only available in Japan, well that is an order of magnitude more. Of late the ultimate kits are huge, limited run, 3D printed ones such as the 1/700 scale Cygnus from "The Black Hole" which was available from Shapeways (in sections, runs up in the thousands).
     Take for example the Moebius updated re-release of the old Orion III model from Aurora. The basic kit is actually not a bad starter kit. It is reasonably sized, has relatively few parts, and no particular assembly problems. It typically retails for $30. Unfortunately, the classic Pan Am markings are still under trade mark, so it doesn't come with any. Fortunately you can get aftermarket decals from a couple of decal manufacturers. Prices range from $7 to $17 (the latter include alternate versions, such as NASA or USAF). DIY inkjet decal sets to make your own run around the same price, although you should get enough material to do several models. If you want to get really fancy, you can add interior and exterior detail with a brass photo-etch set at $27. So you could make this model amazing for about $60-70 (paints, brushes, cement, and fillers are overhead).
     One aspect not to be overlooked is scratch building with whatever you can find. Many amazing subjects are created from found items and interesting packaging such as Easter candy eggs, empty pill canisters, and wood. It is also important to know that from a commercial point of view, some things are unlikely to receive a wide release, and garage kit version releases that may happen can also be very expensive. A little creativity can go a long way (see this "pickled alien" display for instance)

*Accuracy - a side note:

     The thing about accuracy is that these are fantasy objects (real space excepted). Accuracy is thus a relative thing. Often the subject may only have existed as a variety of shooting models which don't entirely agree with each other. The true color is an endless question, particularly since that depends on a variety of unknown aspects of the model's photography: lighting, exposure, color balance, monitor and can be very subjective. Even scale can be open to question. It is well known that most SF ships on film are generally smaller on the outside than what is portrayed as the insides.


Tools of the hobby

The topic most asked about in one way or another regarded tools and their usage. The question is often one of finish and how much you want to spend in blood and treasure. Typical tools depend on your media: plastic, resin, paper, clay, Legos or old pill and film canisters. Paints are also necessary and can vary with different surfaces. Paint can be applied with brushes, air brushes or even specialized markers. Additional after-market parts or decals, or even kits for adding lights or extra details such as photo-etched brass (PE sets) for commercial releases are also available.
      Chris Davis and myself admit that on a very basic level, we don't want to spend too much money on this, so we may rely on substitutes. An interesting comment Chris made is that often the railroad hobbyist have developed specialized tools and materials that you can find at the hobby shop at a premium price, but cheaper equivalent may be available at your local hardware store.
     A classic example of going for the cheap solution is the usage of pink insulation foam to build up terrain for a game field or a diorama. The material is relatively cheap in bulk (one sheet should last a long time), and can be carved with typical carving tools such as small files and hobby knives and easy to paint (just not spray enamels which will melt it, although I've seen that done for effect). The only specialized tool it needs is a hot wire cutter to make smooth cuts (it melts through the foam without tearing it).
      John Cook recommends a good airbrush to really improve the finish, both in overall coating as well as detail paint finishes on a model. To demonstrate he brought in his Klingon BOP as well as a Babylon 5 Starfury. Both kits were meticulously painted and carefully shaded as well as equipped with lighting kits which he sells as aftermarket add-ons. Many find lighting a key component to many a starship miniature (You can see a detailed article on his Starfury at the Starship modeler site in the "Wrecks" gallery).
      I myself added that in the case of paper models, you don't need much more than glue, scissors and a good printer to get started (or printed kit as some are now available in your local bookstore). That being said, sticky glues are better than white glues, sharp blades with a steel edged ruler can sometimes be handier than scissors, and a variety of paper weights will help, not just cardstock. I have more details in a previous posting.
      You can find better detailed listings on hobby web sits, but this is a brief overview of things we said:
  • An X-acto knife or its equivalent (yes! the knife of Exact-Zero!)
    • It is handy for all 3 types of modeling: plastic, gaming, and paper. Note, blades can come in several types, not just the classic no. 11 (with regards to kids, these are also very sharp)
  • Jewelers files
    • These often come in sets to provide a variety of sanding possibilities and even limited drilling into surfaces and punching into soft surfaces. 
  • A pin vise (a favorite of Chris for gaming miniatures)
    • Basically a small hand drill. Allows you to drive small holes into an item accurately with good control. Handy for adding steel pins to help hold parts together.
  • Cyanoacrylate glue (aka Super Glue or Krazy Glue Brand - The KraGle)
    • While plastic models can be made with just plastic cement (check to see that it works with polystyrene), Cyanoacrylate can make particularly strong bonds and works with a wider range of materials and mixed materials (e.g. brass to plastic). Accelerators make the bond instantaneous, but can burn due to the chemical reaction (and since it is glue, if it's burning you, it's also stuck on you). Some people also use it in paper modeling as it will soak into paper and make it hard and plastic like (I personally use nail polish for that effect).
  • A vent hood
    • If nasty chemicals and fumes are involved you may consider this. Spray paints and some of the nastier solvents (such as acetone) can be problematic indoors. The internet can provide many DIY designs. There is some science to this, so check out user results. If on the other hand you stick to brushes and fewer volatiles, you should be ok without one (just watch for spills).
  • Some miscellany: sanding paper, sanding blocks, and filler
    • We did mention the use specialized sanding tools that can bend around parts, but generally a means to sand from medium to extra fine is useful in trimming mold seams and joint seams. The use of a block is important, but you can make these yourself by using a bit of wood or foam when it has to conform to a shape. You can even use nail files and for finer grit, glue finer paper onto it. In plastic modeling you may also need this to sand down filled in spots. All this sanding is often in conjunction with plastic filler putty used to fill in gaps in seams or smooth out joins. Putty is available in most hobby shops, but curiously my local hobby shop guy pointed out you can get this cheaper from the auto supply shop as the small ding filler putty (not to be confused with the 2 part can of patch resin).
Oh, something we did forget which is both trivial and very important: If you buy a kit that was molded (plastic, resin, etc), wash it in dish washing detergent to get the mold release agent (grease) off of the parts before you start working on it. This will greatly improve the hold of glues and cements as well as paint and paint coverage.

Where to go and look

To end this posting I just want to set out some links to find more information about participating in this hobby.
The truth of the matter is that it is hard to give a complete picture of making miniatures and models from one panel session and one blog post (this one is already a tad large). Again it is a question of satisfaction with the finished product; you can pretty much make do with the appropriate glue/cement, a hobby knife, bottle paints and brushes (and even dispense with the latter if the subject is pre-painted). You can visit general modeling sites or books (almost every library has books on model railroading and a lot of the techniques discussed there apply here) for more advanced techniques such as weathering, oil washing, decal placement, painting, finishing clear coats, airbrushing techniques, dioramas, etc.
      Well, I hope this gets people interested in the hobby, or if they are modeling interested in this niche, I also hope that this is looked up by those that were interested, but didn't make it to the session because of Masquerade (hec, my daughter was in it and I missed it).

My cardstock Narcissus which was on display at the session(will be downloadable soon...promise)
     
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Tuesday, January 06, 2015

More Flying 'Round: real saucers (sort of) - Part 2

When researching this topic, as mentioned earlier, there was more stuff to this that I could confortably deal with in one post. If we look at it from the pre-history of flight to the great revolutionary period of development with the second world war, there is plenty to look at. While many of the "round" aircraft of the first half of the 20th century were often not much more than curiosities, the round shape would be revisited, sometimes to take advantage of some of the more surprising aerodynamic effects of controlled airflow.

The Cold War

Much of the aviation research work generate by the Luftwaffe in World War II was captured by the Allies after the wall, as well as equipment and perhaps more importantly personnel. Fans of a genre referred to as Luft'46, often extol the amazing performance of many of the aircraft designs that were being put to paper and could have theoretically been put into production by the Germans if the war had continued. The had by this time already designed ocean crossing jet bombers, supersonic fighters, transcontinental missiles and advanced tactical missiles such guided air to surface missiles. In practice, it is doubtful they could have implemented the wide scope of proposals given the dire situation of Germany at the time. It is telling that in spite of all the captured material, very few of these designs made it more or less directly from those blueprints to a production model in either the Soviet Union or the United States (and yes, there are a few exceptions). Still, a great deal of their ideas were applied such as swept wings and engine layouts.
     The Cold War created a golden age of military R&D. It would in a very real sense be undone by the great cost of the weapons systems being developed. However in the 50s, when enough time had passed to make anything developed at the end of World War II thoroughly obsolete, it seemed money would be thrown at any vaguely promising advanced idea.
Among the many research air vehicles developed during the Cold War, several of the shapes tried out for vertical take off had vaguely saucer-like shapes.  In the end, none proved truly practical.
     The Heikel annular wing designs lived on in some post war designs carried out by the allies after the war for high performance vertical take-off aircraft (Note: to what extent isn't certain, since the ability to take off vertically by basically aiming propulsive forces down should be fairly obvious). The French Coleoptere was very reminiscent of the Heinkel design. It consisted of a very powerful jet engine housed in a fuselage surrounded by its  wing. On it's test stand it gives off a very futuristic look. In spite of this, it hardly ever truly flew. The craft was flown tethered and found difficult to control. Still, untethered flights were attempted, but it crashed early in its development program. It looked really cool, but it flew like a brick balanced on a skewer.
     The US also tried tail sitter designs, although not in that form, and while they did fly, they were found to be nearly impossible to land. They did try other forms of VTOL, such as simple fan powered hovering. The Army tried various designs that mounted powerful fans to lift infantrymen and behave as a kind of flying jeep or platform. Some of these must have been positively frightening as the infantryman/pilot would stand just inches above the rapidly whirling blades (the DeLackner DH-5 Aerocycle and the Hiller VZ-1 Pawnee). In spite of this, the practicality of such as craft was fairly limited and did not offset traditional light helicopters or ground vehicles.

The Coanda Effect machines

Henri Coanda was a Romanian engineer who invented the first jet airplane in 1910(!). In the process of testing his aircraft he observed the effect that would carry his name. It is interesting to note that he had the presence of mind to observe that the engine's flaming jet exhaust began to wrap around the flame deflectors and hit the fuselage of his very inflammable aircraft while he was simultaneously crashing it. To put it briefly (and over simply), a rapidly flowing fluid will tend to adhere over the surface it is flowing. You can try it out by feeling the air flow around a can of soda when you blow on it.
     As he examined the effect, he postulated that he could create a new method of propulsion that would not make use of a propeller because the rapidly flowing air would create a region of low pressure. If the effect was created above the craft it could generate sufficient lift to fly the craft without wings. He explored the effect and proposed a saucer like aircraft that would use the Coanda effect alone to fly. During the war he continued his research and afterwards patented the idea as a flying saucer.
     The idea was picked up by a couple of aerospace companies, but perhaps more notably by the Avro Canada aviation company. The idea was to create a craft that could use the Coanda effect to lift off vertically, and once at altitude would shift to forward flight using its basic shape as the airfoil. The most ambitious of these was to use an extremely thin saucer like wing to allow the craft supersonic performance. Avro first had to test out the idea and it did so with an early subsonic prototype called the Avrocar.
The Coanda Effect describes how a stream of rapidly moving air will follow the contours of the shape it is flowing over. A coanda effect craft will achieve lift by blowing air pressurized by some mechanism out the sides of the craft. This air curves around the periphery and accelerates surrounding air creating a large volume of low pressure above it. Note that the Avrocar's jet exhaust slot is around the very edges of the craft. The intake for the engine is NOT the main source of lift, although it does contribute. Instead the rapidly flowing air from the edges pulls the air around it creating low pressure over the entire upper surface.
     The Avrocar VZ-9 was developed using US Army funding (as part of the flying jeep program) and the US Air Force, to study the use of the Coanda Effect for a future VTOL fighter. Unlike a conventional jet aircraft, these Coanda Effect aircraft were intended to fire the exhaust radially around the edge of the aircraft. This would create the rapidly flowing stream of air around the edge of the body creating low pressure above it and high pressure below. In practice, the aircraft never proved easy to fly. At low altitudes, the craft's lift was augmented by the ground effect of the exhaust gas being trapped underneath it. As it rose, the gases would escape unevenly out one side or another causing serious instability. It appeared that the benefits of using this effect would be much harder to realize than at first thought (added to the difficulty of developing a suitable radial jet engine). While more advanced versions of the design were proposed, in the end the Avrocar never flew more than a few feet off the ground and was canceled.
     In spite of the failure of various Coanda Effect saucers, the effect is used to enhance the lift of various aircraft by controlling the flow of air over wings and control surfaces.

Dream Saucers

Various designers have proposed serious designs for flying saucer like craft. Some perhaps inspired by the popular accounts of UFOs, others by the lure of VTOL and new ways of flying. Unfortunately, after the war the economic costs of creating radical new aircraft designs meant that unlike the inventors of earlier days, many of these ideas remained as nothing more than paper drawings and mock-ups.

    French aviator Rene-Couzinet designed what I considered one of the prettiest aircraft ever, the Couzinet Arc-en-Ciel. In 1933 this aircraft made the first non-stop crossing from Africa to South America. Couzinet's life though was apparently marked with the kind of up and downs associated with very headstrong designers. Somehow he ended up in Brazil after the war designing his dream aircraft, a flying saucer. The design really consisted of using the circular planform to hold airfoil blades along the perimeter in two counter rotating rings to lift the craft vertically. Once airborne, these short blade sections would not be a hindrance to horizontal flight the way full sized helicopter blades are. While he did build working models and mock-ups of his design, he never acquired the funding to build a full sized version. The situation apparently weighed heavily upon him as he and his wife committed suicide.
     The Weygers Discopter is another idea that was presented with much art by its inventor, Alexander Weyger. The basic premise was in essence to replace the open rotating blades of a helicopter with a set enclosed within a disk shaped fuselage (akin to the FW Rochen proposal), The smaller personal transport enclosed the passenger at the center of the disk. Plans for a commuter version show passengers enclosed in individual pods along the periphery of the disk. While never developed in his lifetime, he appears to have been happily involved in many other fulfilling projects in his life.
     One of the downsides of many of these designs when compared to helicopters is that they are very limited in their flight capacity due to engine failure (helicopters can parachute down with their rotors through a property known as "autorotation"). Paul Moller ameliorates this problem by using many cross-linked motors in his design so there is no catastrophe due to a single engine failure. He is perhaps one of the more famous designers of personal flying saucers. This is because he has frequently been mentioned in media as the creator of a future flying car. His designs use multiple ducted fans to generate lift. While his Skycar design is not saucer shaped, he has tried out a variety of his ideas using a series of saucer like prototype craft culminating in his current M200 Neuera craft. Moller International has continued to develop these machines for over 30 years and may yet enter the mass market.
     Airship industries which created a market for lighter than air travel commercially in the 80s with their Skyship blimps initially produced a saucer shape airship (rigid?) designed to minimize turning moments on the craft caused by cross-winds. In the end the company went on to a series of more conventional blimps having made no more than a scale flying model version of the ship. Pictures of the original saucer skyship model frequents many UFO pages out there on the web.


Lightships

The light ship may perhaps be the closest we can get to flying space saucers with current technology. The idea is to use the shape as a focusing mirror in some designs to focus the light energy of a laser to superheat the air and thus propel the aircraft in a very rapid series of bursts. Models have been flown successfully and it does present a theoretical model for a ship that can attain very high velocities without having to carry it's own fuel. The shape has also been considered as a shape that can receive transmitted microwave energy. This energy can be used similarly to superheat air and thus achieve extremely high velocities. While they couldn't make do without using some reaction mass for the last part of the journey outside the atmosphere, they can make use of the beamed energy to heat it potentially making them extremely efficient orbital boosters.

Links and Resources

Many are the same from the last post, but in addition, here's a few more
  • Tail-Sitter VTOL projects, sometimes referred to as "pogos" including the infamous Coleoptere
  • The US Army's VZ series which included various flying platforms
  • Henri Coanda information page at Florida International University
  • The VZ-9 Avrocar can be visited at the US Air Force Museum in Dayton. Their website has the factsheet. 
  • The Discopter site which continues to promote Weyger's craft
  • Moller International, the corporate site for Moller's aircraft and engineering work.
  • A short video excerpt which describes lightships very well on youtube.
  • and yet again: Identified Flying Objects - An interesting set of articles and links to various saucer projects, particularly those tied to VTOL.
  • and a link back to the previous Saucerful of Spaceships post

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