Comlink Show & Tell

[Jedimom/Cor-Al Gelkar]

I think I actually got mine off of ebay for like $5. I didn't even have to pay shipping cuase the seller was in the town right next to me -- something I have never before encoutered on ebay

[Naar Birala]

Here are two that I made many months ago. I'm sure you can pick out which parts I used....

[Terek Kelrune, the Jedi Ranger]

Let me bump this topic up!

[JediKai]

Very nice. I has been a long time since someone posted.

[Kryy Jacobi]

I like, I like... especially the different color scheme. And you got the paint so smooth! Mine was so splotchy, even with a primer.

Sometime I'm going to have to get mine out and work with it again.

[KaiRhann]

Here's mine. I made this one recently to replace one that was given to a young padawan I encountered.

The base is, of course, a ladies' Gillette razor. For filling in the top after removing the "guts" of the razor, I used epoxy putty (Lowe's Plumbing Dept.) I removed the rubber "grip" on the back and filled it, then cut a plate of sheet aluminum to cover it, and give a raised panel. The circular piece on the back is a knock-out from an electrical box.

Other bits, such as the brass "antennae" are various found pieces from work (I work for a company that manufactures electronics). The "buttons" are custom, as is the "voice pick-up" and flange that the "vpu" fits into.

Finally, mounted on the front, atop the rubberized grip of the razor is a stripped down speaker from a bank intercom.




~Kai-Rhann

[KaiRhann]

I assembled this comlink on a whim. My wife had asked about a "different" comlink in a recent Star Wars RPG session...and the only sample I had was a "Jedi Comlink" (Sorosuub Hush 98).

I put this one together thinking "basic comlink". It is made of various parts, including a microphone, a small length of steel tubing, a plastic knob, and two small screw/knobs.

Sorry for the low-quality image (taken with cell-phone...ironic)



~Kai-Rhann

[KaiRhann]

I had a "scrap" rubber grip from one of the Gillette razors, and decided to make an odd comlink. I figure this might be an earlier model of the Sorosuub Hush-98...



~Kai-Rhann

[Ky-Wan Zann]

Nice stuff

[Starkindler (The Naked Jedi)]

I need to get back to this project.
I assembled the needed pieces but got intimidated by the fact that all I could get was the Gillette razor with rubber grips....hard to paint....and it's green.

[KaiRhann]

Don't let the materials intimidate you. Actually, I've had good experience with Krylon paints (spray). The Krylon Fusion paints for plastics might work better than others, but I've just used the standard types.

One tip that might help, since I paint a lot of miniatures (for RPG's) I've picked up a few tricks...particularly using washes or "inks". "Inks" are simply watered down paint in this sense of the term. Thinner paints flow into all the nooks and crannies of miniature, so it's a way to add depth to a painted figure (the darker "ink" wash doesn't do much to the painted higher surfaces of a miniature, but collect in all the little depths of the carvings. Thus, when the ink dries (takes a little time) you have great detail.

For my Hush-98 Comlink, that's the same technique I used to get all the grooves of the rubber grip black. Seems that if you lay on the spray paint heavy enought to get all the grooves, you've used too much paint, and it seems to remain "sticky".

For the ink wash, I used Acrylic paint for ceramics (Ceramicoat, Apple Barn, any brand like you would find at Wal-Mart, Michaels, or Hobby Lobby). Thin to "taste" (usually about like india ink) and apply heavily enough to flow into and cover all the grooves. You can "mop up" any extra with a paper towel, tissue, nearby pet, or other handy absorbant item.

I sometimes use a "dry brushing" technique (where one paints with very little paint on the brush...lightly brushing over the item so that only the highlights are accented by paint) to give a worn or aged appearance.

Hopefully, that helps some...or at least takes up space on the boards...

~Kai-Rhann

[Starkindler (The Naked Jedi)]

Thanks for the tips Kai-Rhan...
I used to paint lead miniatures back in my D&D days....still have a DragonChess set I built that needs the figures painted....too many to detail so I plan to go with Gold and Ruby for the two sides.

I shall look into the wash idea for the crannies of the grip....and the Krylon Fusion paints for plastics may be what I need.