Need suggestions for hovercraft/GEV bases

[gloriousbattle]

I was thinking that I'd like to find something transparent, and maybe 1" square or in diameter, and perhaps 1/2" to 1" thick.  Obviously, the cheaper the better.

  Of course, there are often more tricky ways to make illusions of hovering/flying whatever, and I'd be interested to hear other suggestions.

[Froggy the Great]

Go to the dollar store and look up shot glasses or martini glasses?

[VoodooInk]

LED lights on the bottom of the model creating an underglow. It gives the illusion of floating and is pretty easy to do (as far as LED modeling projects go).

I'll try to find some pictures.

Update: I couldn't find the picture I was looking for. Apparently, my search-fu is weak! I'm sure someone will have a link to it. It was a Thousand Sons army with all the Rhinos hovering. That army actually had LED lights for all of the models eyes as well.

If you need a tutorial, then just PM me and I'll send you a couple of links.

[Gluteus Maximus]

How about a piece of overhead projector film etc, cut into a strip and then rolled and glued  into a tube? The width of strip would be the height you want your GEV to sit at.

Cheap, easy and quick and fairly unobtrusive.

[AndrewBeasley]

I used Litko bases for my ships http://www.blog.kings-sleep.me.uk/2009/12/i-see-no-bases.html

For these though I would try to find a biro case that is circular and cut that apart - maybe as little as 1/2cm just to lift the skirts off the ground

You may find that you can get away with a small solid block - hovercraft only just lift off the ground and in a lot of cases the skirts stay in contact witt it.

Andrew

[Commander Roj]

I've used Lego for my 6mm Grav tanks. Now i know that sounds wacky, but i'm using it for modern aircraft also and hear me out! Lego make a clear plastic radar dish (aka "parabolic reflector"). It has a mounting piece in the top for other Lego pieces to fit on. In the middle of the mounting is a hole just over 3mm wide.

You can insert a 3mm magnet into that hole and it holds pretty firmly. I also used some canopy glue to fix it (and to avoid crazing the clear plastic). i mount a magnet in the bottom of my vehicle (making sure the polarity is correct so they dont repel). The base and model snap together withthe tank looking like its floating about 8mm above the table.

With aircraft i also use lego round "pegs" for height bands and mount a magner in the top "peg" hole. Wouldnt work with lots of levels, but say up to 7 works fine. Easy altitude chages.

[Commander Roj]

I used Litko bases for my ships http://www.blog.kings-sleep.me.uk/2009/12/i-see-no-bases.html

For these though I would try to find a biro case that is circular and cut that apart - maybe as little as 1/2cm just to lift the skirts off the ground

You may find that you can get away with a small solid block - hovercraft only just lift off the ground and in a lot of cases the skirts stay in contact witt it.

Andrew

I also tried something similar to this in that i bought 5mm diameter rod originally and cut and mounted. I found 5mm lengths worked best for my taste, but a couple of years later i replaced these with the lego bases as it was easier, neater, More flexible (I could switch the stands between models and even tanks and aircraft) and i couldnt easily find a supplier of the acrylic rods at the time. I admit that buying a lot of clear biros would probably be cheaper than buying the rods, and they would be way easier to cut accurately than the rods (believe me)!

[gloriousbattle]

Go to the dollar store and look up shot glasses or martini glasses?

Neat idea!  The only downside I can see is that, at the end of the day, a shot glass looks like a shot glass, but with some underskirting, I can see how this might work.

LED lights on the bottom of the model creating an underglow. It gives the illusion of floating and is pretty easy to do (as far as LED modeling projects go).

I'll try to find some pictures.

Update: I couldn't find the picture I was looking for. Apparently, my search-fu is weak! I'm sure someone will have a link to it. It was a Thousand Sons army with all the Rhinos hovering. That army actually had LED lights for all of the models eyes as well.

If you need a tutorial, then just PM me and I'll send you a couple of links.

REALLY a neat idea!  Only trouble for me would be that I am afraid this would make these models look out of place with what else I have.  I will keep it in mind, though.

How about a piece of overhead projector film etc, cut into a strip and then rolled and glued  into a tube? The width of strip would be the height you want your GEV to sit at.

Cheap, easy and quick and fairly unobtrusive.

Might be the best way, except that I don't know of a glue that would be sufficiently transparent.

I used Litko bases for my ships http://www.blog.kings-sleep.me.uk/2009/12/i-see-no-bases.html

For these though I would try to find a biro case

What is a biro case?  Thanks.

I've used Lego for my 6mm Grav tanks. Now i know that sounds wacky, but i'm using it for modern aircraft also and hear me out! Lego make a clear plastic radar dish (aka "parabolic reflector"). It has a mounting piece in the top for other Lego pieces to fit on. In the middle of the mounting is a hole just over 3mm wide.

You can insert a 3mm magnet into that hole and it holds pretty firmly. I also used some canopy glue to fix it (and to avoid crazing the clear plastic). i mount a magnet in the bottom of my vehicle (making sure the polarity is correct so they dont repel). The base and model snap together withthe tank looking like its floating about 8mm above the table.

With aircraft i also use lego round "pegs" for height bands and mount a magner in the top "peg" hole. Wouldnt work with lots of levels, but say up to 7 works fine. Easy altitude chages.

I'm not sure I understand this.  Have you got a link to a picture of these, maybe?



In all, some excellent thoughts gentlemen.  One way I have done it in the past is to start with a short, opaque dowel rod of some kind, paint it red at the top, gradually fading into yellow at the bottom for a lift-off effect.  Then place some cotton wool around the very bottom, and it looks pretty good.

Only trouble is, obviously, that this creates a retro-rocket look, rather than a hoverer.

[Commander Roj]

I use what Lego describe as parabolic reflectors - (small radars to us), but their official name is "*Parabolic Element Ø16"*. You
can buy them in their Pick a Brick service off the website at 6p each.
They are large enough to give a stable base, but being clear aren't too
intrusive. There is also a larger *Parabolic Reflector Ø24*. You can see
some in action on the Maidstone Wargames Society website here:

http://www.brigademodels.co.uk/mws/ClubGames/SandsofMars/GroundResults.html 

(in the Communications Centre section).

[Supercollider]

I've used plastic test tubes before - mush easier to cut than acrylic rod, and pretty much the same results.

Here's an example - you can get them in various diameters.  'top and tail them' to the required length, then stick them into your base. If you get the ones with caps, you can house the cap inside your model, then switch vehicles if you need to.

http://www.sciencestuff.com/prod/L-testTubeX/1011

They're cheap too - here's a current ebay example:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Pack-20-100mm-Disposable-Plastic-Test-Tubes-/220657244248?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0

[gloriousbattle]

I've used plastic test tubes before - mush easier to cut than acrylic rod, and pretty much the same results.

Here's an example - you can get them in various diameters.  'top and tail them' to the required length, then stick them into your base. If you get the ones with caps, you can house the cap inside your model, then switch vehicles if you need to.

http://www.sciencestuff.com/prod/L-testTubeX/1011

They're cheap too - here's a current ebay example:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Pack-20-100mm-Disposable-Plastic-Test-Tubes-/220657244248?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0

Yet another neat idea.  Are these a soft plastic that you could cut with a hobby knife, or something harder than would require a saw?

[Supercollider]

They're strong enough that they don't shatter when you drop them, etc.  They are stiff, shatterproof plastic. I guess they have to be stiff and strong enough to endure your typical chemical reaction

A modelling saw results in a cleaner cut, but you can score/cut with a Stanley type blade, although it is slightly trickier.

If you fit the caps inside your model, be aware that they do bung and screw top variations.  You can shave the bung slightly for easier removal of models (if you plan to swap them), or you can go with the screw top if that is easier.

When I did it, I made a couple of bases with different lengths of tube (5cm, 10cm), so I could change the elevation slightly (doesn't make a lot of difference, but it's a nice bonus ).

Wish I still had the models, or some pics - they were the old 'deodorant as a grav vehicle' scratch builds.

[gloriousbattle]

Wish I still had the models, or some pics - they were the old 'deodorant as a grav vehicle' scratch builds.

Those were a lot of fun.  I always thought the design was pure genius.

[Mark Plant]

I've used trimmed down plastic disposable shot glasses.

Very cheap,. Even if it doesn't work it will have cost you almost nothing.

[AndrewBeasley]

A biro in a 'nickname' for a pen in the UK

For a quick history (more interesting than it sounds) try http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/artblog/2007/mar/06/classicsofeverydaydesignno8 

Andrew