Jim Piszar's Jupiter 2 Construction
part 4 |
|
|
Here is my solution to the elevator tube (cage). First, I removed the upper disk from the assembled tube with a dremel tool. Be
very careful not to nick the sides of the
tube. Excess material can be removed with a round file if necessary. Next, remove three sections from the front of the cage with your trusty X-Acto saw making sure to leave the vertical rail portions in tact. This will give the appearance that the gate is closed. Next, since the cage is not supposed to form a complete circle, remove the entire back section. Finally, paint per the instructions provided.
|
|
|
Now for the fun part. To complete the elevator, a back wall must be constructed. Since I am not building the lower deck, there
is a good supply of plastic to do this from.
I first found a panel that was the same height as the cage and carefully heated it until it was soft. Using a metal tube, I formed it into a curve that matched the cage. After trimming the new panel to size, I glued it to the back area of the cage that had been previously removed. Next, I cut small panels to complete the left and right side of the new wall.
|
|
Also seen in this photo is the ladder opening to the lower deck. This was done by drilling a hole in the floor and then filing
it to the correct size. After the hole is cut, use more lower deck plastic to frame it giving the floor a thicker appearance. I will glue lower deck panel #45 in place so the ladder will extend
down to the floor
|
|
|
I decided to use the freezing tubes provided with the kit and since I don't recall the tubes ever being closed when not in
use, I built them in the open position. I did this by assembling the tube halves and cutting the front section off just under the upper disk.
After the front portion was removed, I snipped the locating pins off and glued the disk halves together.
|
|
|
After gluing the upper disk halves together, fill the assembly gap with putty and sand smooth prior to painting.
|
|
|
For what I call the inertial guidance system ball (I'm not sure if that is what it's really called), I simply used a small red
bead glued to a push pin. After removing the panel where this instrument belongs, I built a box out of sheet plastic which will be painted black on the interior.
On to page 5.
Send your comments to Jim
|
