Build your own solar system!

Now i feel stupid.

No more then 12 hrs after i emailed Dan.......parts 1,2&3 arrived.

Man that sun is heavy. You could kill someone with that thing.

Nice prints of the Eagle nebula ,Jupiter and Milky Way.

This project is lookin more and more complicated with each passing issue.

p.s.~~~Keith are you saying you (newsagents) order in these type of mags on a no sale no return basis?

That hardly seems fair on you newsagents. Are ALL magazines ordered in the same fashion?

BTW~~~it just dawned on me that this model is truely a collectors item and a historic model also because it is the 1st one to include the newly discovered "dwarf" planets.

Hello, I'm a newbie and keen to share my experiences with the solar system model.

I originally subscribed via the web site and have so far received parts 1 to 7 without a hitch. I gather there has been a manufacturing delay with the folders but I am sure they will be shipped in due course.

In general, I am reasonable impressed with the quality of the parts I have received to date. The gears are definitely made of brass. Other 'non moving' parts seem to be brass plated with a coat of clear lacquer.

A couple of points:

I found it difficult to read the markings on the stamped base plate and the engraved gear because of the lack of contrast.

Solution? Black shoe polish.

If you carefully rub black polish (Kiwi in my case) into the engravings with a soft dust cloth, the difference is remarkable. You have to be patient in that it takes a while and up to five or six applications but the finished product is so much easier to read.

Incidentally, I bought a second copy of the first issue from a local newsagent just to experiment on and to satisfy myself that the boot polish wouldn't affect the lacquer. No problem on that score.

Here is an image of the finished article:



This picture was 'lit' to show the effect of adding the polish. The brass looks fairly matt in finish but I can assure you that the original lacquer remains untouched.

The only problem I have encountered to date was the moon gear arm.

Having fitted gears 35 and 47, I found that the top gear (35) was binding on gear 34. I eventually had to resort to gently filing out the outer edge of the gear axle shaft with a half-round needle file to eliminate the problem.

I do hope this isn't going to be a regular issue as we descend through the gear train.

Anyway, best of luck to all that have started the model. I am sure that we will all have something to treasure in March 2009.

Incidentally, this is the polish I used:



I'm not sure but any other type may use solvents that would attack the lacquer. I tried it repeatedly on my 'spare' base plate without a problem.

I'm liking the effect the shoe polish gives to the base plate.

Only thing i have trouble with is the damn grub screws. Even using a 1.5mm hex key.....................they dont go all the way in. So instead i am using a No.00 square headed (+) precision screw driver to get them all the way in.

Also by the time i complete it i am gonna need a HUGE bottle of Brasso..........to clean the whole thing up (which i will need to take apart to clean then rebuild).

Gonna try the shoue polish............because as you said the contrast is terrible.

P.S.~~~the arm that holds Mercury on is not very secure so i reckon a small dab of super glue should do the trick.

Interesting idea, shoe polish, I might that a go when its completed.

Thanks for the feedback.

I'd think twice about using Brasso or any other abrasive cleaner PJ. You're bound to remove the lacquer and the whole thing will start to look tarnished.

After applying and removing the excess shoe polish with a soft cloth, I used a spray polish (Mr. Sheen) to bring the 'shine' back. The gears are solid brass but I suspect that the other 'non moving' parts are brass plated. Proceed with caution as they say.

If you're planning on using the shoe polish Dave, I'd suggest you do it now.

It's a messy process and you'll need to remove any excess Kiwi from the base plate and engraved gear before proceeding with the build. It took about six applications to ensure that every little line was completely filled before giving the parts a final gentle polish with Mr. Sheen.

I'd think twice about using Brasso

I found that out the hard way. A few days ago i did use it on the sun and now its slightly tarnished.

I wont be making the same mistake with the rest of it. A quick rub with a soft cloth.