Vacuform Canopies: Aftermarket and Moulding Your Own with a Mattel Vac-U-Form
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- Опубліковано 29 сер 2024
- Vacuform canopies, what are they and why do we need them? Using aftermarket canopies such as those from Falcon, Squadron, Pavla, Rob Taurus, Mark 1 Models, Ventura and more. Making your own canopies using the Mattel Vac-U-Form, a fantastic toy from the 1960s that is a great addition to the modelling repertoire.
Magnificent!
The 'feeding the cat part' had me cracking up :)
G'day to you, Finally someone on my wave length, I am now 73 and have started again Modelling , it as been many a year and I didnt realize how much the Darn things are now a days, anyhoo I have signed up for the Ride Along with you! from Perth West Aust.PS I too have mistaken my Water n my Whisky!
kepp em coming you mad crazy man i cant get enough funny and also instructive theres a lot of way too serious modellers out there that might learn about gaining subs from you
Entertaining video, also educational I didn’t know that pledge protected the plastic from fogging…..thanks.
Informative and funny all in one. You picked a good name for your channel!
Nice job. I have one I got in the '80s and the holes in the plastic sheet have always vexed me. So there's the solution! Thanks!
I really like your sense of humor. Had some good laughs with both your videos. Looking forward to the next.
I like your videos very much,keep it up.😂😂
A great, instructive video. Really opened my eyes to 'vacuforming'. Some very good tips, thank you for the tip about 'Pledge' stopping super glue from fogging clear plastic. 👍
I had one, I loved it.
Nice ID4 shocktrooper 👍
Thanks for putting this out. I always wondered why one would go through the trouble of vacu forming a ne part from the master from the kit. Perhaps finally my years of modelling experience.....and your clear..pun?? explaination... the light came on. Perhaps I will try a retail vacuform canopy some day. Cheers mate from the dry side of Washington.
Many thanks from the sub-zero (still!) side of Saskatchewan. Vacform canopies can be a bit finicky to deal with but I think it's worth the effort.
Your videos are not only very educational, but also a blast to watch! I love your characters, I need some laughs in my day. I really liked this video. Using a 60+ year old toy in this way is fantastic. And you’re right, if I had gotten one of those as a kid I’d have been very happy as well and probably still have it. Keep up the great work!
I am enjoying your videos. You are “adorkable” (compliment). There are UA-cam channels that explain how to make your own vac-u-form machine, so you can make a bigger one than the Mattel toy. We grew up in a different time, Yes?
Lol thanks for the compliment! We did indeed grow up in a very different time.
I enjoy that we live in a time when one grown man can call another adorkable. That's much bigger change than how much our toys suck, or sucked, or need repaired before they suck again. Why isn't this think working. Oh jeez hot!!!
Yours in way better shape than the one I have.
I have some rust on the heating plate, but nothing too stiff legged.
I didn't get all the other stuff like the mold bucks, that's the biggest difference I suppose. I'd would have probably paid a $100 myself at the time.
Need to source those other parts you got there. The cover for the heater is novel.
I also learned something more about the whole process and the care and feeding of mine, but dammit I didn't want to.
You’re firing on all eight Andy.
Thank you so much, I'm glad you got something out of the video!
Wife got me one over 15 years ago and the handful of times I tried to use it I always got a microscopic fleck of dust on the master that ended up creating a Mt. Everest in my vac canopy. Didn't matter what steps I took it always ended up the same. The other thing you mentioned is the smaller gluing service thing. I just haven't had too much luck successfully attaching one well enough that I didn't just knock it off with the slightest bump. Now having said alll that, your video has inspired me to go into the vault and have another go.
love your style
Another nice video! And this time you look way more relaxed than in the first video of yours
I made a vacuum forming kit from a small wooden box to be used with a vacuum cleaner...It worked pretty well...I had 2 issues...First I was concerned I didn't want to melt the original canopy when using it as a master...and secondly I didn't know if the canopy was going to be a tad too big as it was over the top of the original...so I made masters out of milliput which I molded in model clay...I see this and now I know I could have made them from the original canopy as my master...You saved me a lot of work...I still need to experiment but I'm closer to my target now...Big thanks
I think you found a new niche, modelling comedy aka "momedy"... very funny, esp. 60's kids and their vac-formed thermonuclear devices. Great channel, different and quirky, keep going!
Momedy sounds like it would be on lifetime. Every Monday from 8-1030 tune in for our big block of momedies. Starting with Reba at 8 Eastern :)
Thanks for a really cool video. It’s amazing you found that original machine.
This process really interests me but trying to find a machine at a reasonable price is a problem. Thanks again 👍🇦🇺
Real cool video! Dont worry about the length as long as they are as cool as this one you are good to go!
I enjoyed this video very much and would definitely like one of those machines. Fifty years ago at school, a couple of us designed and built a vac-forming machine using parts from an electric cooker and a hoover to create the vacuum. It worked very well and using a simple child's alphabet we made signs for some of the school's classrooms. We had a good deal of help from our Design & Technology teacher, particularly the wiring as it worked on 240 volts so that needed to be done correctly. Happy days!
Wow, what a great school project. Sure beats the garden trowel I made in high school metal shop!
@@warpedplastic I made one of those too!
I'm only 4 years older than your vacuum forming machine. Unfortunately my parents bought us young'ns Mattel's Creepy Crawlers instead. What a mess my brothers and I made with that goop. And yes, we burned all ten fingers, one at a time...
Just awesome mate thanks great channel
Great video …..You should experiment with the platen The size of the pattern you are forming compared to the platen size is tiny, try taping off some of the platen holes. This will reduce the amount of vacuum you need by bringing it closer to your master pattern. The clear plastic like PTEG cools much faster than say HIPS. The less time you have to spend pumping the better.
Excellent idea about taping off the holes, thanks! I will try that. I do have a sheet of PET (the clear plastic commonly used in soda bottles) I want to try as it is very clear and does not yellow. It is a bit thicker than acetate so probably better for larger canopies.
Hello mate what a amazing bit of kit great video all the best from here in the UK happy modelling old boy 👍
Thankyou for nice presentation...
Great vid! For those interested. I have been using my wife's "We R Memory Keepers Mold Press Machine" just to try it out. And it works great! At $100 I might just pick one up, and tweak it to my needs! Thank you broham for the great idea👍🤘
Well done Andy and congrats on growth of your channel.
Any experience or advice for those who want to build our own made Vac-u-Formers? Enquiring minds ...
I considered discussing building yer own vacuformer but that's really a complete video all on it's own. Never say never though!
Great video! Trimming is the one thing that has always scared me off vacform, particularly if the kit is expensive and you only get one shot at it. For a future video, I'd love to hear your thoughts about painting 1/35 figures. Time and time again I hear painters bang on about painting highlights and shadows on uniforms and skin. WHY!? Figures are 3 dimensional and there is something called light that creates highlights and shadows! If you paint them then you're just creating a 3D painting. If you look at plain fabric, it is all one colour and light causes you to see variations. In 1/35 I would paint uniforms their base colour or approximate the camo and then maybe add some wear or weathering.
When it comes to skin, again, light creates all the highlights and shadows you'll ever need. What you can do is to show the natural variations in the skin, though in small scales you only need to suggest it. Unless you're entering a photographic contest, I don't think you need to go overboard with the details. Yes, it can look good, but, not everyone is good at it. When I see videos of exhibitions, and you see dioramas, they rarely zoom in on every figure they see in them. People may claim to be great painters, but, their work often looks like great paintings. With modelling you are simulating life, so make it look like life and not a painting of it. That's what I think, how about you!?
Couldn't agree more!
@@warpedplastic Nice one! I'm glad I subscribed now.
We R Memory Keepers Mold Press Vacuform Machine or a dental vacuum forming machine are today’s alt to the Mattel machine.
Amazon sells a dental vacuum forming machine for $100 that is miles ahead of the Mattel unit heats up fast and no pumping involved.
I watched an Adam Savage video on one of these a few days ago. Looks really good and surprisingly inexpensive (his cost $120, though he didn't say where he got it). He vacuformed 60 thou plastic on it with no issues whatsoever, the Mattel machine couldn't hope to tackle that thickness.
👍❕
There is no doubt vac form is much clearer, but I would rather use aftermarket vac then try to do it myself.
💡 went off as I watched first 15 secs,how about fixin yellowed canopies?🤔
Plastique?
Jman
Can you do a similar Gavin Newsom skit?
What type of plastic do you buy and from which manufacturer?
I honestly can't remember, it's a sheet of acetate I've had sitting around for years. I know Evergreen has clear sheet stock in their range.
That does make the canopy bigger than the original by the thickness of the plastic. Is that a problem?
Not really, no. We're only talking .010"-.020" and that is easily taken care of by sanding that amount off the lower edges, plus the material is flexible enough to get it to fit without any issues.
Hi, is the resulting vacform canopy slightly too big (by the thickness of the plastic)?
Technically, yes, but it really isn't an issue. We're only talking .010"-.020" extra thickness and that can easily be taken care of by sanding that amount off the bottom of the canopy, plus the material is flexible enough that it will fit without any problems.
@@warpedplastic Yes, I suppose you're right. The models you show look ok so .....
Thanks for the vid, and I hadn't realised the superglue would fog it. Thanks again.
I am preparing to do my own first vac u form canopy and one of my concerns is the size difference of the new canopy since it is molded on the exterior of the old canopy. Can you comment on your experience with this. Is this small difference in size a problem or do you take steps to reduce the exterior size? Also, do you leave the original framing intact or smooth it over and reproduce the framing later when painting? Nice presentation and thanks for sharing your experience.
Many thanks for the comments. I've never found the thickness of the vac canopy to be an issue. The material is flexible enough to get it to fit and the very slight height difference (and we are only talking. 010"-.020" here) can be taken care of by sanding a bit extra off the bottom edges. As for framing, it all depends on the canopy you use as a master. The Gee Bee canopy in the video actually has quite fine framing so I left it in place. Older kits, especially Airfix or Frog for instance, often have quite heavy and/or crude framing. In those cases I would reduce it or remove it completely by sanding and polishing. Hope that helps!
Good content and demo. But, I can do without the goofy video asides which detract from the tips and tricks you ably impart. Your words and delivery convey your "brand"; the costumes are just overkill.
I appreciate the feedback. It's not to everyone's taste admittedly but most seem to like it.
and I happen to be one of those who like and appreciate it. Keep the zaniness coming please!
(just subbed)
Keep it. It separates you from the other UA-cam modelers.
Brilliant!