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I'm looking to try and make a fresh ork abomination, and to do so I'm going to need about 9x gun ports, like on the dakkajets, that's big enough for a grot and a big shoota. All I need is a clear, hollow plastic hemisphere, maybe half an inch wide.

Basically, I need to mass-produce the rear grot gunner that is part of the ork dakkajet. Any suggestions?

what about chewing gum clear balls?...the ones you get from those vending machines?

You know, I had that thought too, but I feel like those are going to be just a bit too large. Could cut them down, I suppose.

Funny thing is, given acrylic prices, that also might be the cheapest option.

I've had issues with this in the past and could never find something small enough that would work. One thing you could do is use green stuff or find something else that's opaque, add your gun to it, and pop on some sort of camera / ocular looking target system. You could also just add a view port so it looks like a metal ball with a little slit for the gunner to peer through. I did something like this with a ping pong ball if it helps at all. Those chewing gum balls could work pretty well but sometimes the plastic they use does not work very well with certain kinds of glue.

there are also small acrylic balls in craft stores...they have very different ranges in sizes and that material is very good with plastic glue...worked with these in many projects...and they´re dead cheap too...

Ping pong balls

dunno why im using ninja emote since i didnt even read two posts above

If its going to be covered up in plate anyway, you could also use styrofoam balls and glue onto it with cardboard.

also craft stores also sell cardboard spheres for Christmas decoration.

I guess I wanted to try a clear sphere to give it a WWII bomber type look, but if not ping pong balls would work just fine.

http://www.pingpongballs.net/products/Transparent-Ping-Pong-Balls-38mm.html

 Kap'n Krump wrote:
I guess I wanted to try a clear sphere to give it a WWII bomber type look, but if not ping pong balls would work just fine.

why not just get a ww2 bomber plastic kit of the right size ......

Well, for one I'm not sure of the scale (recommendations are welcome!), but for another they're damned expensive.

I think its 1:48 scale you can do 1:32 scale for a bigger plane which might fit orks better.

i googled it quickly and they are no more than 30$..

and thats for a whole plane.

edit: looks like you are looking for Model Airplane B-24 Liberator 1/48 which is about 50$

Well, true, 'damned expensive' is a bit of a stretch, and I honestly had looked at B17 models. They're ~$40 or so, which honestly isn't awful. But even then, I'm going to need 9x gun ports, so I need some way to make a bunch.

Oh... well if you need 9 of them

yeah you might wana look into press molding them your self then.

i would honestly make them out of something like card board, then make a press mold with something like that silicon mold material that you use hot water to make malleable but the name is completely escaping me :X

then use greenstuff to recreat a bunch of them - the guns.

Have you ever seen those disposable, chewable toothbrushes?
Fuzzy brush, have a Google.
They are probably perfect, ive only seen them in vending machines in airports but they would probably be perfect, maybe.

Found this on Amazon. I've worked with larger versions of these and they are strong / work very well with plastic glue. Another plus is that they are cheap and already cut in half. These are 30mm which is about about 3/4ths the size of a ping pong ball (40mm). Just keep in mind that if you design a cage to go around them it can get messy really quick. since you want a clear look you'll be able to see any smudges from the glue and they can fog on the inside from the fumes.

https://www.amazon.com/OurWarm%C2%AE-Transparent-Fillable-Christmas-Decoration/dp/B017LPBENS/ref=pd_sim_sbs_201_6?ie=UTF8&dpID=514qIhG0MJL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=V6TC2VN4HCDD956BF1YQ


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Ok, sorry to spam. i'm getting way to into this right now.

If you are going for the classic ww2 look, i've noticed that a lot of them aren't necessarily a complete glass sphere. What if you did something like the picture in the link below and cut out a window port in the center? At that point you cold buy a clear acrylic sheet and just glue it over the hole. Might give it a cool retro look like those old diver helmets.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/30/06/92/300692752924bde11e2098a6cf8470ac.jpg

Anyway, good luck man. it blows me away that there isn't anything below 30mm online. Looking forward to see what you come up with!

I'd suggest searching through toys first. Goodwill, dollar stores, etc. Failing that, look for possibly the packaging over a ball of the approximate size you'd want the turret to be. Of course this would be very flimsy for use however you could attempt to resin cast on that plastic, to make the final turret itself, instead.

that's all I can think of off the top of my head

I couldn't find the White Dwarf issue, but, many years ago there was an article printed about a Dwarf Airship and it had clear domed portholes in the hull. These were made by carefully heating the clear plastic from a blister pack and then doming it out.

Okay simple and cheap http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/151706072598

Its a cheap plastic deviled egg tray can also be found at dollar tree, family dollar, or dollar general ..just cut out what you need..

You can buy vac formed canopies, but they aren't super cheap.

http://www.squadron.com/category-s/2674.htm?searching=Y&sort=3&cat=2674&show=180&page=1

Some hobbyists vac form their own canopies, but I have no idea what the set up costs are like as I've never done it.

I wonder if you could get a solid chunk that's the right shape and use a heat gun to form thin clear plastic over it?

Some sort of plastic packaging probably exists but I can't think of anything off the top of my head.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
If you aren't attached to the idea that is has to be spherical, and instead can settle for something faceted, you could make it out of thin plastic sheet.

A shape like the one pictured below can be made from a single piece of plastic cut to the correct shape and folded up...

You might be able to get away with a heat gun and a vacuum.

but im sure its not enough pressure to make hemispheres. maybe domes.

real set ups are a lot harder.

metal rig frames, heating elements, vacuum table, a vacuum pump with multiple vacuum tanks as to not damage the vacuum.

i know you can make cool dome shapes doing the opposite with a air compressor. but you are not going to get the shape you want at the size you want.

since it is Orks, you could always make a different polygon

like the one above, or even something like a D12 or 20.

 Novasetri wrote:
Found this on Amazon. I've worked with larger versions of these and they are strong / work very well with plastic glue. Another plus is that they are cheap and already cut in half. These are 30mm which is about about 3/4ths the size of a ping pong ball (40mm). Just keep in mind that if you design a cage to go around them it can get messy really quick. since you want a clear look you'll be able to see any smudges from the glue and they can fog on the inside from the fumes.

https://www.amazon.com/OurWarm%C2%AE-Transparent-Fillable-Christmas-Decoration/dp/B017LPBENS/ref=pd_sim_sbs_201_6?ie=UTF8&dpID=514qIhG0MJL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=V6TC2VN4HCDD956BF1YQ


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Ok, sorry to spam. i'm getting way to into this right now.

If you are going for the classic ww2 look, i've noticed that a lot of them aren't necessarily a complete glass sphere. What if you did something like the picture in the link below and cut out a window port in the center? At that point you cold buy a clear acrylic sheet and just glue it over the hole. Might give it a cool retro look like those old diver helmets.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/30/06/92/300692752924bde11e2098a6cf8470ac.jpg

Anyway, good luck man. it blows me away that there isn't anything below 30mm online. Looking forward to see what you come up with!

I really like this idea. I wish that they came in 20mm......but I think I can make 30mm work. Thanks a lot! I liked the fuzzy brush canopy as well, but they're a bit pricey just for the plastic window.

I've found it! Just been hit by inspiration.
Take a look at clear round bubble fishing floats, cheap and small and ideal for what you want! Sorry if this stroke of genius has come a little late.
Thinking about it, there are tonnes of different shapes of floats that could be used as engines, fuel tanks, rockets or all manner of stuff.