Detailing the top graphic

As mentioned above, the last step is attaching the small greeblie on the top array. I gave it a quick test fit to make sure it fit over the protruding LED, and it fit fine. The only fit problem was getting the flat piece of resin to sit flush against the rounded surface of the top array. To remedy…


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Final details

To detail the bottom portion of the tricorder, I first cut a template out of a manila folder. These two pieces will go on the bottom of the main body and flip out door. Once the templates were cut out and test fit on the bottom of the body, I used my hobby knife to cut them out of…


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Time to button up

Now that I had the electronics and battery installed, the next step was to seal up the back panel. I had to do some slight arranging inside the main body to get the battery to fit completely inside, but it wasn’t too difficult. Following that , I just used the supplied screws to attach the door. I had to…


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Lots of assembling

Next, I took the supplied nuts to secure the back access panel. I placed the nuts inside the main cavity and screwed them down using the included screws. I then carefully applied a bead of 5-minute epoxy around the base of the nuts to secure them to the tricorder body. Be very careful as not to epoxy the screws…


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Painting some details

My next step was to add some minor paint detailing to the tricorder. I needed to paint the raised area on the top of the main body that outlines the main grouping of sequencing LEDs. I had noticed previously, that with the graphics in place, you can still see some of the inside surfaces of the LED holes. I…


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More detailing

I finally was able to get some styrene, so I decided to finish up the detailing on the top array decal. I used some spray adhesive to glue the supplied template to a piece of 0.040″ thick styrene. After the adhesive dried, I cut each piece out with my Dremel, and used a combination of 400 grit sandpaper and…


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Primer

Since I was happy with the body work following the splashcoat, I decided it was time to prime this puppy. So I applied three thin coats of Krylon’s gray primer (#1314) to each of the three components (the body, door, and back panel). Be sure to mask off the ID LED on the lower door before painting! After the…


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Finishing up the viewscreen

It’s been awhile since I’ve had a chance to work on this, but I had some extra time this weekend, so I’m at it again. Following the splash coat from the previous step, I went over the main parts with some Squadron green putty, designed for smaller gaps, since that was primarily what was revealed by the splashcoat. I…


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Splash coat

Well I lucked out with the weather and ended up having a warm enough day to get to the splashcoat. For those new to kit building, a splashcoat is a light coat of primer who’s purpose is to reveal any blemishes (seams, holes, cracks, etc) that may be otherwise invisible. Since I plan on using Krylon brand paint for…


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Viewscreen prep work

Next I drilled a small hole into the back of the viewscreen bucket to allow for the LED that will backlight the viewscreen to fit through. I used a 1/8″ drill to make the hole, and I quickly test-fit the LED to make sure it easily fit through the hole without shorting the two leads. Then I took the…


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