Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Get Up, Stand Up

Here's a mini post about how clever I am (!) in making a flying stand for my 15mm Old Crow VTOL.

Components: Large GW round base, styrene (plastic) pipe, neo-dymium magnet, magnetic sheet, basing materials.

I wanted to be able to have the VTOL fly around the table either laden with cargo, or without. This would be handy for scenarios where the cargo pod plays some role - either being delivered or removed! I cut a piece of magnetic sheet to size and stuck it to the bottom of the cargo pod.

Then I superglued the plastic tube to the base and the neo-dymium magnet to the top of the pipe, applied Liquitex Gel Medium and after it dried, sprayed the assembly black and finished the groundwork.


I was careful to place the magnet on the stand with the correct polarity so it would be attracted to the magnet sunk into the top of the VTOL's hull (this is the same magnet that keeps the cargo pod stuck onto the VTOL).

With the magnetic sheet stuck to the bottom of the cargo pod, the stand holds the model securely in either laden or unladen configuration. I reckon this project cost no more than a couple bucks - I got 4 magnets (used one) for $5, a whole ton of magnetic sheet for $5, and had the base and plastic pipe on hand.

1 comment:

Greg B said...

Why is it every project I attempt with magnets ends in frigging disaster? You make it sound so simple. I may have commission a few of these from you Dallas...