Menards UFO Scene Repaint. (More pics p2)

Looks good, Pete! And, next to Oak Point! lol

Rusty

Nice finish choice, Pete. Definitely realistic.
Whose brand rattle can spray paint did you use? Please let us know the paint code number and color name. Thanks for the assistance. Much appreciated

Its called Brushed Metallic Satin Nickel, a Krylon product.   My whole alien invasion fleet is painted in this color!  😝

Heres a pic...the paint goes on very smoothly.....

-Pete

 

You did a fine job.

Much more prototypical on the saucer.    They did sort of miss the metalic sheen on the alien eyes, but a little opalecent paint would probably fix that.

Waaay better! 👽

Got mine today. It will get a coat of Tamiya silver.

Steve

At At at

Looks great! Which silver would be close and leave no finger prints? (Have a lot of old guys over that will be touching:-)

So much better! Really looks great.

Btw, how is the operation? everything work smoothly as intended?

BFI66 posted:

---

Received my Menards UFO Scene today.....gotta say It is pretty cool and fits in well with my UFO themed layout. The pad printed slogans on the saucer left me less than enthused.......
I tried some other techniques to remove the lettering but to no avail......so some taping.....some primer and some metallic paint.....Voila!

-Pete

You did a fine job on the UFO, BF.  And extra points for the correct spelling of "Voila!"

Everyone to their own tastes, of course, but in my own opinion, UFO scenes work better as standalone dioramas.  I just can't get used to the sight of a flying saucer and a NYC Hudson in the same frame.

NICE PETE!!!!!  U DA MAN!!!

johnstrains posted:

So much better! Really looks great.

Btw, how is the operation? everything work smoothly as intended?

So far so good.....mine works well 🤞🤞🤞

Just got mine and it works perfect!  Now I just need to loose the lettering. 

Pete

Nice job.

Received mine yesterday and definitely agree the lettering has got to go.

A quick question please.

Did you take it apart to tape and spray paint?

Thanks

Larry

Grampstrains posted:

Railgon posted:

Much more prototypical on the saucer.    They did sort of miss the metalic sheen on the alien eyes, but a little opalecent paint would probably fix that.

More prototypical?  Just how do you know what prototypical is?

He has seen them?

Larry Sr. posted:

Pete

Nice job.

Received mine yesterday and definitely agree the lettering has got to go.

A quick question please.

Did you take it apart to tape and spray paint?

Thanks

Larry

Hi Larry....really did not see a way to take it apart without screwing up the led lights on the saucer......so I carefully taped it with blue painters tape and added paper towels to cover the diorama so as not to get overspray on the building and trees.  Really did not take that long to do.

-Pete

hello

did you paint just the top half or the hole thing please walk us through as to how you taped it up mine due in tomorrow and want to get rid of the lettering

thank you

kevin

I’m not going to try and take it apart I don’t want to mess up the LED’s. I’ll take pictures of mine when I have it done. 

Ok, guys, was on the fence on this one but reading here I'm convinced so an order goes in! It's such a unique offering and adds some fun to the layout.

Will watch progress of others as I also want to do the spray job on that lettering.

Chris Lonero posted:

I’m not going to try and take it apart I don’t want to mess up the LED’s. I’ll take pictures of mine when I have it ready to paint. 

Thanks, Chris......stay away from taking it apart.....the way it is made it is not conducive to separating the saucer halves top from bottom.  I should have taken more pictures but all I did was mask it off and paint.   One word of caution....be careful of painting the led ring around the saucer........I did not want to take the chance of the paint dulling the led effect so I painted the upper portion of the saucer first and masked the lower portion to include the led ring.  If you so choose.....then repeat for the lower half.

-Pete

johnstrains posted:

Ok, guys, was on the fence on this one but reading here I'm convinced so an order goes in! It's such a unique offering and adds some fun to the layout.

Will watch progress of others as I also want to do the spray job on that lettering.

You won’t be sorry it looks even better in person!

BFI66 posted:

Chris Lonero posted:

I’m not going to try and take it apart I don’t want to mess up the LED’s. I’ll take pictures of mine when I have it ready to paint. 

Thanks, Chris......stay away from taking it apart.....the way it is made it is not conducive to separating the saucer halves top from bottom.  I should have taken more pictures but all I did was mask it off and paint.   One word of caution....be careful of painting the led ring around the saucer........I did not want to take the chance of the paint dulling the led effect so I painted the upper portion of the saucer first and masked the lower portion to include the led ring.  If you so choose.....then repeat for the lower half.

-Pete

Pete,so did you paint the lower half and landing supports too or just the saucer's top half? If you did the bottom and landing supports, how did you tape off at the base of the landing supports so the grass wasn't painted by overspray? Also was the cow easily removed for painting? What about the figures near the landing supports, did you remove them? Or, if instead of using the rattle spray can, did you use a paint brush to paint the landing supports and bottom of the saurcer rather than spray them? Can you show us photos of how the saucer's bottom turned out after being painted?

Btw, does anyone have experience with that liquid brush on masking that hobby shops sell? Does it work well and peel off easily afterwards without it being a major chore removing it?

Ogaugeguy.....I am very sorry....I did not take more pictures......the UFO is already on the layout, hooked up and scenery applied......I really did not do anything else magical as I previously explained.  Carefully masking all items on the diorama from overspray is the key.  I have been modelling for a god-awful number of years and alot of this is second nature to me.   If you are painting it silver you really just have to mask the lower half.   If you are uncomfortable with painting the lower half...you really do not have to do it.......it can’t be noticed.  If the saucer struts do not look right to you, they are thin and easily brushed paint or a wash of the same paint on the struts so as to give it a worn look.   There is no right or wrong way....its what looks good to your eye.

-Hope this helps

-Pete

One more question for those that have received their UFO accessory. Curious...is there an on/off switch for this? Or do you just plug/unplug the power supply? Hoping it's the former.

Good question......I did not notice one

-Pete

I didn’t see one either.

Like most of Menards accessory's  , there is no off / on button.. Bob

I would just do the upper half.

I'm sure they have two tone vehicles on Mars as well..........

cabinet Bob posted:

Like most of Menards accessory's  , there is no off / on button.. Bob

Hmm...ok, thanks for the reply. Will have to remedy that.

Probably rig the plug from supply into an outlet that I can control with one of those remote/fob on/off button devices.

"A man asked me for a dollar, I asked him; What's it for? He said, "I have seen them". I said, "Ok it's yours".... Fingerprints are more about ease of removal. The smoother the finish the easier to remove, but they show different too based on the suface sealing which also plays into gloss levels. High glosses clean easy but show smudges & oils sharply. Gloss, semi gloss and satin are next in line, in order and some satins to matte/ flats(most) often have a fuzzy nature that absorbs oils as dark spots that are hard to remove as they have actually penetrated the surface. Some fade as the oil migrates across the surface over time. Similarly, sanding and filler primers are normally more absorbent; porous. Washing hands when handling sanded paint jobs & primers should be as hibitual as a surgeons. So I'd say gloss to satin range. Silver is a hard color to match, but fades and applied masking as a "two tone" along body lines or to create lines and shadows. I.e., it blends nice to near shades, even if it doesnt match exacty.

Got it today it looks great and everything works and agree it should be painted. Should you use a primer if I do. 

Dave

David, I think you should.....I did.....I found that a gray primer will cover the letters completely and make the application of a finish coat smoother.  In the past I found if I hurried a model without primer and the finish was smooth, the finish coat sometimes would drip or have runs.

-Pete

I’m only going to paint the top half of mine but I’ll prime it first. Sometimes that one extra step makes the difference. 

johnstrains posted:

So much better! Really looks great.

Btw, how is the operation? everything work smoothly as intended?

You are asking how it flew?  Or, even more incredulous, are you implying he took a ride in it?

I have got to get this thing!

Thanks Pete for your advice, hope mine comes out as well as yours,

Dave

 

 

Adriatic posted:

At At at

Sorry, don't understand that particular dialect. 

 

That's what I thought, but had noticed "At at" a few times recently.

Serves me right, going along blindly with what "THEY"   🤖👽👾💣    say

To be honest I thought it sounds like Atch or maybe atk. ..   

Ahh... I love discussing the finer points of jibberish 

This is how mine turned out. 

Chris, looks terrific. Certainly an improvement over the factory release.

   Bill T.

Nice job, Chris!  Looks so much better without the slogans!

-Pete

Nice Chris! Ours is coming today, which paint and primer did you use?

Thanks guys.  This is what I used for paint and primer. I have 5 of these little LEGO guys from “Toy Story”coming to make it a bit more whimsical.  I really wanted to add one in the cab under the dome but I don’t see an easy way of removing the dome without damaging it so I think I’ll leave well enough alone. 

Chris, this is great, what a idea.
There is a sight that they have a Lego type figures that represent Trump or Hillary or Spongebob. You could replace the cow with one of these figures, LOL

I don’t want to make this political and ruin a good post but considering the other options I’d go with this guy!

 

Chris Lonero posted:

I don’t want to make this political and ruin a good post but considering the other options I’d go with this guy!

 

That is why I stated both parties, I have one of the others and a Sponge-bob. 
What I want to do with him is to glue a small magnet on the bottom of his foot and stick him on the back of a Prewar observation car. In fact you could mount him on a roof of a car
Just got to find a Patrick Lego?

RonH posted:

Chris Lonero posted:

I don’t want to make this political and ruin a good post but considering the other options I’d go with this guy!

 

That is why I stated both parties, I have one of the others and a Sponge-bob. 
What I want to do with him is to glue a small magnet on the bottom of his foot and stick him on the back of a Prewar observation car. In fact you could mount him on a roof of a car
Just got to find a Patrick Lego?

Found the Patric Lego.

RonH posted:

RonH posted:

Chris Lonero posted:

I don’t want to make this political and ruin a good post but considering the other options I’d go with this guy!

 

That is why I stated both parties, I have one of the others and a Sponge-bob. 
What I want to do with him is to glue a small magnet on the bottom of his foot and stick him on the back of a Prewar observation car. In fact you could mount him on a roof of a car
Just got to find a Patrick Lego?

Found the Patric Lego.

And:

LOL

Mine is on the way and fully intend to repaint. Seems like all of us are doing that!

Honestly, I don't have a good place for this on my layout but I've always wanted to build a small Lionel Space and Military-themed layout as that era really intrigues me and seems like a fun way to go.

This one will land there.

johnstrains posted:

Mine is on the way and fully intend to repaint. Seems like all of us are doing that!

Honestly, I don't have a good place for this on my layout but I've always wanted to build a small Lionel Space and Military-themed layout as that era really intrigues me and seems like a fun way to go.

This one will land there.

That's what card tables & mini layouts are for... making the best of a lack of room and a short attention span in one fell.

  I might have room here

Patrick rocks ... & if you think that's funny, check out this NASA retiree belt it out too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFKBN3MGUGI

The other thing it needs are "martian" specific graphics. Think tail numbers and names on aircraft. As soon as I find something appropriate, I'll repaint and add new graphics. Don't know what  or where to look. May have to improvise.

Not exactly a farmer.... but "Carl & pal" would have me grinning.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l5tpY6SXMc

Interesting way to keep "warranty" and "creative consumer damage to fit to a warranty" on a lock and chain  

Nothing personal implied, I've just been on the warrantier's side of the issues... talk about devious consumers ain't just talk. I just wish I could have thrown the red flag more often...that well known customer is (almost) always right bit often needs more exceptions imo

banjoflyer posted:

dickkyle posted:

The other thing it needs are "martian" specific graphics. Think tail numbers and names on aircraft. As soon as I find something appropriate, I'll repaint and add new graphics. Don't know what  or where to look. May have to improvise.

Here's 13 "alien" alphabets, fonts etc. to create your own flying saucer graphics...

OK...summoning my inner geekness here's a great group of alien symbols to use for the spacecraft's number.

It's taken from the "Zentradi" language font shown in the above link. If it's too hard for you to figure out maybe Tommy Tutone can help you out in the attached video.

 

Mark

I got it!  I got it!

 

 

While the ranchers and miners waiting for my rails to finally reach and serve them, would indeed think this was alien, if you are parking it at a station for passenger transfer, you might populate the benches with some of the Big Feet from Scenic Express.  As for languages, there is Cherokee, written, and the Edgar Rice Buroughs books, Tarzan and Martian, are known for the several languages Burroughs invented.  

Star Trek fans have compiled a Klingon dictionary that might provide some inspiration for lettering your saucer.

  Bing translator will convert English to Klingon..or used to at least... I never tried it to see which font the Klingon was in. 

Even English fonts could be fun... 81 (ate one) B9 (benign) U< (U-less,useless) BR8me & 8U4it, 8a-M-00, "709"(S.trek), THX-6(hear dat--a?), 2dSKi, sk2ΩB (sky tomb) , etc. 

 

Now to decide what finish I want.  I liked the flatter satin finish of the first one in this thread, but then second sparkly one reminds me of Flash Gordon or something in that era.  I think I prefer the flatter one, but I do like both.  I may just have to try both on a sample piece of plastic.

Heres a few more shots of my Alien Invasion fleet with different paint jobs to help you decide....

Mark- How do I download that soundclip of yours? I love it!

Adding a push button for the kids to press is a great idea.  Can anyone explain exactly how to wire it?  Thanks,

Joe S.

banjoflyer posted:

rogerpete posted:

Mark- How do I download that soundclip of yours? I love it!

email sent!

If convenient could you also email me the clip.  Its a great clip!  I couldnt find your email. Mine is displayed in my profile. 

Thanks-Pete

banjoflyer posted:

Joe S posted:

Adding a push button for the kids to press is a great idea.  Can anyone explain exactly how to wire it?  Thanks,

Joe S.

This would work:

The power plug MUST be a 4.5VDC wall transformer as those sold by Menards for this toy.

Mark

There is an amperage mininum as well if anyone could manage finding that number too.  (going over amps needed is fine)

( dont go over 4.5v and note a or amp, ma, and va are all different, you must do some simple conversion math or use an online "wizard"/calcutator)

Some searching can find you a 3 position toggle with on/off/momentary-on positions (mom.-on position is sprung to return to off)

This is a great thread and has elicited many humorous & clever responses. Has anyone considered the actual phenomena of 'alien adduction' & 'cattle mutilation' and what it might mean?  Realize that this has been going on since the 1960s and not one case of animal mutilation has ever been solved by the FBI! Many people have experienced this as well and have similar stories to tell. A few may be genuine hoaxes and involve 'kooks', but the sheer numbers involved are difficult to dismiss.

E.T. is not 'cute' nor our friend...

Out of this world Pete

Tell me...do the saucers spin clockwise or counter-clockwise?

Also, are those bovine male or female??

Would a model of the Enterprise or the Orville fit in your scheme???

OK, real question.  How big is the saucer?  It looks huge compared to the trains in the photos.

Hey Bob...lol!

Thats the saucer from Forbidden Planet.....its 1/72nd scale and 28” in diameter. (Couldn’t find one in 1/6th scale)  A fun model to put together and the first one I hung on my layout......a crowd pleaser to say the least!

-Pete

With your permission C.SAM, I would like to add the term " genuine hoaxes" to my vocabulary .

John

Woah!  I thought it was big, but not THAT big!!!  Impressive

John Meyncke posted:

With your permission C.SAM, I would like to add the term " genuine hoaxes" to my vocabulary .

John

Ha - You're correct here John, thanks.  I guess I should have said 'Intentional hoaxes!'

Bob Delbridge posted:

Tell me...do the saucers spin clockwise or counter-clockwise 

  That depends on if its being passed left, right, or across the table... cream or sugar?

Also, are those bovine male or female??

If the aliens get the dna twisted more to thier liking, yes, male and female.

OK, real question.  How big is the saucer?  It looks huge compared to the trains in the photos.

1:43 will let you finish the math up   Foreigners use 1:43 a lot; it's not a match  ...but hand painted in the cutest little China shop you've ever seen, and I simply love it... could you pass the honey please....

Which type of Enterprise?  A small aerospace machine shop exists nearby that would fit a small lot.😬

Which Orville be wright Bro? 🙃

😲...I'm lost in this space now. Will give a jewely penny for my 'alpha scent to re'bound onto another benign  joke. Oh the pain! I suppose  it's something to smith over in the john while on the chariot.... I don give up easy. 🤓

  I'm all of a sudden considering a railed Jupiter loco with a Jupiter-II overhead? 😎

 I already have an old unbuilt Aurora J-2 model, glue, a General (or era 10 wheeler?), and paint 🤔 ....but I already used a Will joke, so there isn't much of that to send me soaring to iT.  ...the tea is bit stong at the end eh? Who agrees..no?  

"All sonically penned for your enjoyment of the inaccuracy in any and all possibilities this may be an actual document worth reading"

 

Thank you C.Sam, Me just being a wise-acre... I have enjoyed your posts for many years. Keep at it.

John

BFI66 posted:

Its called Brushed Metallic Satin Nickel, a Krylon product.   My whole alien invasion fleet is painted in this color!  😝

Heres a pic...the paint goes on very smoothly.....

-Pete

 

Where did you get this? Home Depot only carries Rustoleum, as does our Ace.

BobbyD posted:

BFI66 posted:

Its called Brushed Metallic Satin Nickel, a Krylon product.   My whole alien invasion fleet is painted in this color!  😝

Heres a pic...the paint goes on very smoothly.....

-Pete

 

Where did you get this? Home Depot only carries Rustoleum, as does our Ace.

Try your local Walmart. Most of them stock it.

ogaugeguy posted:

BobbyD posted:

BFI66 posted:

Its called Brushed Metallic Satin Nickel, a Krylon product.   My whole alien invasion fleet is painted in this color!  😝

Heres a pic...the paint goes on very smoothly.....

-Pete

 

Where did you get this? Home Depot only carries Rustoleum, as does our Ace.

Try your local Walmart. Most of them stock it.

Was there yesterday, they have huge Krylon selection but don't carry this color. 

Ask nice and you can usually have stuff at the service desk of these businesses in a few days/a week IF another store carries it and the two managers care to bother actually serving a customers needs vs thier own.

Try some automotive stores too.

New Rusty has not been consistent enough for me over the years, so outside of just wanting the cheap, oil based for heavy rust proofing. I usually avoid it, even on the new lines.  They have too many other paints that dont play well with any others, even other Rusty types.

search for "Brushed Metallic Satin Nickel, a Krylon product"

 

https://www.google.com/search?...0.0....0.bz5To6_HdB0

BobbyD posted:

BFI66 posted:

Its called Brushed Metallic Satin Nickel, a Krylon product.   My whole alien invasion fleet is painted in this color!  😝

Heres a pic...the paint goes on very smoothly.....

-Pete

 

Where did you get this? Home Depot only carries Rustoleum, as does our Ace.

Amazon has it right now .....

 

Don’t look now guys but the aliens are even trying to bribe Jack! 🐕

 

Gotta love those crazy MARTIANS!

-Pete

I look at these threads and like them and wish I had the time, space and spare cash to set up a three rail layout as well as my 2-rail layout I know the grand kids would love it I have built them a Thomas table that's it.

Soooo... All I can say is.

You blokes are having more fun than the rest of us, me included ! My opinion only. Thanks. Roo.

The Orville was a show on Fox last season.  It took off slow but there were some excellent episodes, like the one where one of the crewman played a gag on their droid Isaac, also had Charlize Theron as a guest star:

:

Anyway, they had a cool looking spaceship.  Maybe Pete can find a model of it!

Bob......you had to issue a challenge!  It actually looks like a nice model. A little pricey however but so are our trains!

-Pete

BFI66 posted:

BobbyD posted:

BFI66 posted:

Its called Brushed Metallic Satin Nickel, a Krylon product.   My whole alien invasion fleet is painted in this color!  😝

Heres a pic...the paint goes on very smoothly.....

-Pete

 

Where did you get this? Home Depot only carries Rustoleum, as does our Ace.

Amazon has it right now .....

 

Available much cheaper, (slightly more than half of Amazon's price), from both Lowes and Michaels stores.

Chris Lonero posted:

Don’t look now guys but the aliens are even trying to bribe Jack! 🐕

 

Love those little guys, Chris.

Btw, Chris, though far less whimsical, this mini Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet would also make a nice addition to a scene using Menard's saucer and is about the same size as your aliens

ogaugeguy posted:

Chris Lonero posted:

Don’t look now guys but the aliens are even trying to bribe Jack! 🐕

 

Love those little guys, Chris.

Btw, Chris, though far less whimsical, this mini Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet would also make a nice addition to a scene using Menard's saucer and is about the same size as your aliens

He is pretty cool a couple of small flashing LED’s in his dome would look even better!  You can add a couple of small things like the small John Deer tractor i have in the back round. 

BFI66 posted:

BobbyD posted:

BFI66 posted:

Its called Brushed Metallic Satin Nickel, a Krylon product.   My whole alien invasion fleet is painted in this color!  😝

Heres a pic...the paint goes on very smoothly.....

-Pete

 

Where did you get this? Home Depot only carries Rustoleum, as does our Ace.

Amazon has it right now .....

 

Got mine at hobby lobby for $5.79

Pete that looks great, it is a bit pricey!!!  Also, Fox has picked up The Orville for a 2nd season.  I like these quirky shows, anything beats watching "reality tv" and "reality news".

Roo posted:

I look at these threads and like them and wish I had the time, space and spare cash to set up a three rail layout as well as my 2-rail layout I know the grand kids would love it I have built them a Thomas table that's it.

Soooo... All I can say is.

You blokes are having more fun than the rest of us, me included ! My opinion only. Thanks. Roo.

come to the states, bring a train (engine) and run on our layout as a guest.

Hey, wait a second..... what brand and shades of pai does Menards carry ?

   The Orville was named after Orville Wright. I think Orville either rolls off 5he tounge smoother or was more into the research than Wilbur, who spent more time flying ....though Wilbur was also luckier at coin tosses.

  I never watched it, but saw cartoonist/writer/actor Seth MaFarlen talking about it somewhere. He is a big science fiction fan too.

How about a "Roger Smith" figure somewhere? (Just hide any vices )

His ship

 likely a stolen ship here

Yea, hide vices and Benders..

 

and keep Benders separate from any vices too. With a rosey cozy velvety chest to slip into this Bender is a complete tool

 

"We Take Your Steak""To Serve Man"?

Adriatic posted:

Hey, wait a second..... what brand and shades of pai does Menards carry ?

   

Checked there first, only Rustoleum. In searching for the paint it is amazing how few stores carry Krylon. Makes you wonder what incentives Rustoleum offers retailers.

  If you've read my post above, you'll know IMO WHY they likely do it too. I'm betting lots of folks strayed from using it as their go-to general purpose spray paint for compatabiity reasons compounded by improved setting and sheeting quality in other brands. Rusty made its name protecting metal things of an industrial nature with a great brush on fish-oil paint, not for a detailed, closely hugged surface at the finish. We don't do as much with anything industrial at home as we used to, so they are finally changing thier game.

and we really shouldn't forget the Doctor and the tardis--

Folks,

Here's a good alternative to the Krylon color discussed above.

Rust-Oleum Metallic Satin Nickel.  Maybe a little easier to find.

Pics later.

 

 

Farmer_Bill posted:

Adriatic posted:

At At at

Sorry, don't understand that particular dialect. 

 

Time to call in Slim Whitman to get rid of the Martians.

got mine today.

might leave the words on as someone mentioned putting a BBQ on a tether so they have some way to cook the beef.

My Menards UFO repaint with the Rust-Oleum color mentioned above. Turned out great!

Don't have a good place for this on my current layout but this will end up on a small space and military-themed layout that I've always wanted to build.

I was similarly annoyed with the cheezy graphics and airbrushed my way to a 'realistic' scale saucer!😜👽👽👽👽

I bought one to try and partially re-create this scene that I photographed some time in 2008 in Bowman, SC:

I would like to have seen it in its heyday. A Google Maps search shows that it is still there as of August 2019:

https://www.google.com/maps/@3...A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/pl...487699!4d-80.6828713

Wish they would reissue this one.....

I put mine out for the Holiday display at MUZEO. It is one of the most popular accessory.

Steve

I'm waiting for a reissue of this too. The M&M one is cheesy and I don't want the tank either. Please @Menards!

Mark from Menards has made it quite clear that there will be no reissues of their accessories. Direct quote “In keeping with our collectibility policy, we don’t plan on reissuing these structures in the future”. Unless they change their policy I think your best bet would be a repaint of the M&M spaceship, a rework of the war of the worlds or eBay.