The Time Machine
Standard Lunar Build up
By Martin S. Bleasby
Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
E-mail Martin Bleasby

Section 5

Control Lever & Crystal

I cleaned and primed the resin control lever in the same way as previous items, using a small file, and the Krylon grey primer. I also used the Krylon 18ct gold spray for the final coat, my friend Ed Turner gave me a excellent tip on how to achieve the marble effect on the lever, using two mixes of gloss enamel. I used a light blue and a white, just dipping the brush into each colour and applying in almost one action of the brush, excellent tip Ed.

The Crystal

I did not use the crystal supplied in the kit, but substituted it for the one shown in Fig 22. Ed Turner sent me some small crystals from a company in the US, and they are excellent for the Lunar Time Machine.

Fig. 22

The Dish

I prepared the surface of the dish with a fine grade sandpaper, taking care not to damage any of the pips which are on the outer edge. In fact there were a few pips missing from the dish in my kit so, Ed suggested using some plastic rod, which is available in most hobby stores. I couldn't find the right diameter to suit this, so I used a larger diameter and sanded this to size. It was then just a matter of cutting the rod to correct height and fixing it in place with a small drop of superglue. I primed the surface with the Krylon primer and gave the dish a final coat of Copper, which is also in the Krylon Metallic range Fig 23. The decals were applied as per the instruction sheet, but again I had problems with the gold decal in the centre. I decided to make a background decal from the SuperCal system, this just gave the gold centre decal some density.

Console Framework

For this framework I used wire found in a craft store, I decided to re-work the drawing shown on the instructions as I did with the light cage. After bending to the required shape I fixed the decorative section to the centre, and sprayed the surface with the 18ct gold, Fig 24.

Final Assembly

I began by fitting the vertical rails, and then fixing into place the generator housing as per Fig 19 in the pervious section. I then attached the control console along with the horizontal rail Fig 25 & 25a. After which I fixed the chair into place along with the control lever, Fig 26. With these items fixed, I proceeded to fit the console framework Fig 27, and finally the dish was fixed into place.

Fig. 25