Build a Solar system model

[Striker]

Anyone seen the Build a solar system model on TV as of late.

I have always wanted a nice one of these but there all toys costing around $30 and worth about $5.
This is said to a precession instrument and the quality is the best I have seen...the price looks also to be extreme once you buy every magazine issue to build it....what a shame...check it out.

Watch the utube TV Ad video its a bit quirky but I like the model all brass.

http://www.build-solar-system.com/index_com.html

[RB]

I saw this in the newsagents this arvo and it got my attention.
Issue #1 is $4.95.

Too bad the rest of the issues are $14.95 each and when you read there are 52 issues to buy, it works out to just under $800. :scared:

I know it's brass and high quality by the looks of it but a bit too expensive for my liking.

[Striker]

Yep I would pay around $200 max..what a shame...it looks good.

[snowyskiesau]

I;ve been trying to find plans for an orrery but the only ones I've come across have been for ones made of wood.

If $800 seems a bit rich, then have a look here (http://www.orrerymaker.com/). Mind you, his creations are works of art.

[Ric]

Wow, some of those creations are stunning.

very intricate designs for sure.

[Jen]

Yes im a sucker i have bought my first mag :lol::D
I think its the same one that was in the Australian Sky & Scope mag this month with nice binders and even a cute little tool kit hahaha
Yes it sounds like a lot of money in the end but it would look really cool when finished :thumbsup::D and my 7 year old son thought it would be lots of fun to do.
We recently just finished doing the human body a skeleton and that went for 77 weeks :shrug: i couldnt wait to finish it but my son really enjoyed it and learnt alot form it and he (Arther the skeleton) looks really cool around the house i dressed him up and placed him at the pool table wif a ciggy in his mouth and glasses on hehe:P

[TrevorW]

Sorry Jen but don't let yourself be sucked in by these mags they are all alike buy the first copy for $3.95 and end up paying something like $800 for an item that can come ready made for far less.

I remember seeing one recently to do with trains and you could make a model of the Flying Scotsman and it would work our the same $$$. In fact everyone of these type of magazines usually comes in around 52 editions.

These solar system models are also known as Orrery's

You might want to look at this site for some really professional models

http://www.orrerymaker.com/catalogue/jones.htm

or a cheaper Orrery at this site

http://www.1worldglobes.com/Teachingaids/orrery.htm

Cheers

[goober]

I was tempted by this too, still am! I thought it would be a good thing to collect and assemble with my son when he's ready. Didn't realise it was going to amount to $800!

I have done a bit of digging and there are a few in the UK who are well into this. Apparently the earth/moon components had problems, with several users having to get replacements. Apparently it has a huge footprint, when completed.

Does look nice though....

[Jen]

:doh:too late my son is very excited about doing it
Oh well if it makes him happy im happy whats $15 a fortnight ;) its priceless to see him with a big smile on his face when its finished :D

[Ian Robinson]

Yes , is expensive rubbish in my opinion.

Most people will never complete it, you have to get every issue to get all the parts. It's a scam , like all those build a model with the magazine deals.

[Striker]

Jen,

Even though I agree with whats been said on this post, that it's not a wise investment, what we all have to consider is the priceless excitement and thrill of building something over time that you and your Son will have over the next year or 2 that we can't put a monetary value on. You have previously completed the skeleton so you understand the cost and the time needed to complete such a project so how can we criticise.

Like I said it's not for me I dont have the patience to complete something over such a long period but I say go for it Jen.

Let us know with some pics once you get a decent start on the model.

[TrevorW]

Jen

I take back what I said earlier if it makes you and your son happy thats all that really matters and the joy of building it togethor and reading the books will be a lasting memory.
:family2:
Cheers
:D

[PeteMo]

Did anyone find any prices for Brian Greig's stuff on his website?
Cheers

[TrevorW]

Yes i did put it this way, can you extend your mortgage.

refer attached price list, remember these are hand crafted pieces so well worth the price and an investment as Brian is one of only two people world wide still making them by hand.

Cheers

[Jen]

Awwwww thank you Tony yes i will take some pics and show you the big smile on my sons face when he has managed to put it all together with mums help of course hehe:P :thumbsup::thumbsup: ( yes i have good patience)
:D

[Jen]

Awwwwwww Trevor thats cool buddy my son's having fun with it already now he has pinched all of my solar system and plant books that i have collected over the years and he has hidden them all under his bed and pillow thinking they are all his now :lol::lol::lol:
:family:

[Jen]

Hey here are some pics of our skeleton Arthur (he makes himself at home lol) :lol::lol::lol:

48457

:D

[Striker]

lol....Nice one Jen.

He looks a bit pail....is he not well.

Nice images I like the one looking through the Newt.

[Jen]

:lol::lol: he just needs to get out in the sun more and get a tan :thumbsup:
:D

[dugnsuz]

The one of him at the scope is a classic Jen!
Doug

[MrB]

Yep, they're pricey junk for adults. But for a kid they're a whole lot of fun as Jen has mentioned.
What hasn't been mentioned is the education included with the magazines.
I'm sure Jen's son could name almost every bone in that skeleton.

[Ric]

Nice pictures Jen.

A good caption for the telescope shots would be "Been waiting long for Halleys comet":lol:

[Jen]

:lol: Yes he can neally name them all he knows more about the human body than i do I think (he's a smart kid for a 7 year old) he was really fascinated with all the organs too they all come wif the skeleton also :thumbsup:

[Jen]

:lol::lol::lol::lol:
:rofl: Good one Ric :thumbsup:

[Jen]

So is there anyone else doing this project :shrug:
:D

[Striker]

I Know of 1 person in Australia called Jen from Swan Hill.......lol

Hey but that could be a good thing....it will be worth heaps if your the only person in Aus to complete it...hahahaha

[Jen]

:lol::lol::lol: well thats a good point
you will be all jealous when its finished :rofl::rofl:

[goober]

I know a guy named Doug who's collecting the bits as well - bit gullible, but a heck of a guy ;)

He's got issues 1, 2, 3 and 5 (apparently 4 is out of stock - no Mercury).

Your model halved in value, Jen :)

Any chance of photos - have you completed stage 1?

[PeterM]

Hi there Jen,

I have always wanted an orrery ever since I was a boy first interested in astronomy, never could afford the thousands up front for a brass style one. Sure there are other plastic models out there that are cheap and they sure look it (at a few hundred US dollars mind you). I will put my hand up and say I have completed stage one and it looks damn good so far, this does not look cheap at all, if it all works at the end then I think we will be the winners. Sits in a nice spot in my observatory. The mag has plenty of good up to date information so for little more than what I expect the US Sky and Tel to be selling at per month with the dollar the way it is, we have will something to show in 12 months.

Good luck, will post some pics soon.

PeterM

[Jen]

Yayy im not alone on this woohoo, well besides the halves in value lol :P
Awsome Doug :thumbsup: i have Mercury and it is very tiny, alot more than i expected anyway yeah its looking good so far so im getting a bit excited :D i havnt taken any pics yet but i will do soon cheers :P

[Jen]

Hey there Peter awsome we have another one :hi: yay... yes we will be winners in the end :thumbsup: and yes i have to agree with you on the magazines i was very impressed with them, lots of info :):thumbsup: and the orrery itself is gonna be pretty heavy when its finished it weighs a bit already bring on the pics :lol: and you watch all these other guys start some back ordering to catch up :lol::lol::lol:
:P

[goober]

My Mercury issue turned up today so I have completed stage 1. The Venus gear has a tiny bit of a "wobble" in it, but I'll work that out.

[Jen]

Cool :thumbsup:

[PCH]

Yep, - I have to admit I'm on this as well :D

I have the first four issues, which I've read, and agree it is a pretty good read (actually it's more my level than the big boys mags with all those great big long articles in that I can barely understand most of the time - duh :P)

I'm like a big kid and am saving the building bit until I've got more of the pieces to do in one go. My youngster aged 12 has got his eye on it too so I imagine that like Jen we'll do it together. :)

Glad to hear it looks like a quality item though :thumbsup:

Tip: Although I didn't subscribe to this mag, I have asked the newsagent to order a copy in for me and keep it under the counter. It would drive you crazy to get half way thru or more and then miss an issue. Kind of spoil the effect somewhat with a planet missing or something hey !!:lol:

Cheers,

[goober]

Here's a couple of shots of mine... with the moon and a parrot for scale ;)

[PCH]

Hey Doug,

when I first read it, I thought it said "....with a parrot for SALE" and I wondered what the connection was :P But now I see it says "SCALE".

Hey the model looks really good too.

Cheers

[Jen]

Hey there Paul hope you and your son have fun putting it together :thumbsup: yeah the mags are great my 7 year old son reads them too and then he goes to school and takes over the teachers job in class hahahaha :lol:
Oh yeah we cant loose another planet from our solar system :P

[Jen]

:lol::lol: i did too :P:doh:

Thanks for the pics Doug cheers :thumbsup: now you put the pressure on :)woohoo

See already a few more are coming out of the closet on this one hahahah
:D

[RB]

Feeling a bit off colour today, are we Jen?

:lol:

[Jen]

:lol::lol: lol RB yeah i got distracted from the kids and i forgot hahaha
:rofl:

[Craig.a.c]

I got sucked into it also. I thought it looked like an interesting project to do. I'm waiting for issue 8 to come out now.

[goober]

I've got enough bits to add the next stage (Venus). Looking forwards to it.

[Jen]

:clap::clap: cool :thumbsup:
its coming along nicely i picked up earth and our moon today :D
and the mags are great :thumbsup:

[Ric]

Send pictures Jen, I'm still toying with the idea if I will subscribe or not.

Cheers

[goober]

I built the Venus and upper plate stages last night. Looks nice, and still turns :)

I saw a couple of orreries in a shop in Melbourne yesterday - don't know how much they were, but they looked very nice pieces.

[Jen]

Yep no probs Ric i just had to steal the camera from work :P (cause mine wont work no more :mad2:) and im not sure how to use this thing yet :lol: i will have a play on the weekend and post some pics for you ok :D

[Ric]

Thanks Jen.

Don't forget to take the camera back on Monday.

Cheers

[firstlight]

Hey guys,

My brother subscribed, but got a funny note with the first installment that the publication was being suspended. Anyone else have more info?

Tony

[Ian Robinson]

Ripped off ... eh ?

[firstlight]

I'm not sure, Ian.

The notice also stated that if you did not want to wait to see if the publication would resume, you could return the books and all the parts and you payments thus far would be refunded.

It is also possible that the notice refers to another country (such as the UK) and it has been included in my brothers mail-out by accident. I am waiting for a reply from the publisher and will let you know what I learn, but I'm interested in finding out if anyone else has heard of this.

Cheers
Tony

[Jen]

No problem here so far and im up to week 10 and its looking pretty good :thumbsup: there is a note inside the mags mentioning different offers in different countries so hopefully thats what its about. They better not cancel it i will be very very angry if they do :mad2:
:poke:

[goober]

I received my next bundle this morning, including my tool kit and issues 8 - 12. No letter stating they were suspending it.

[firstlight]

We just got a reply, which reads in part:

"We confirm that at this stage there are 52 issues planned for the above series and issues 6, 7, 8 and 9 have been arranged for you and are planned to be sent to Australia Post shortly. The charge for these issues will be lodged with our bank on the 12th of December. Please allow up to 21 days for delivery."

No explanation what the notice was about, but I hope we can all reat easy.

Tony

[firstlight]

Most recent reply:

"Thank you for your email regarding

We apologise for this confusion and confirm that this notice does not apply to the Australian market."

[Jen]

Phew!!!!! i was starting to get worried about how i was going to tell my son :)

[Jen]

:eyepop: oh you lucky bugger im up to week 10 and i dont have a tool kit yet :sadeyes: i was starting to think the australians didnt get the tool kit as they say you are supposed to get that in the first few weeks. i will have to get onto them about that hahaha:thumbsup:

[goober]

Yes, get onto them!

I added the Earth/Moon last night - very nice. It's starting to take shape, and get heavy!

[Craig.a.c]

I put earth and the moon on mine yesterday but found that it wont turn any more. If I take the gears for the earth and moon off it all rotates fine. Is anyone else having this poblem?

[goober]

Craig, my model spins fine with the Earth/Moon on it.

[thunderchildobs]

My earth/ moon spins smoothly for about 80% of its orbirt then sticks a bit.

[PCH]

Hi Guys,

I collected issues 8,9 and 10 from the newsagent this morning and was keen to see if I had any of these problems. But then I noticed that the destructions said that the parts for this particular phase were contained in issues 8 - 11 !

So are you guys who are having problems quite sure you have all the necessary bits?

Just a thought.

Cheers :thumbsup:

[Jen]

TRUE you have to wait for week 11 before putting on the earth and the moon :thumbsup:

[PCH]

Bah, - typical :(

I've just received my issue #11 which gives me enough bits to complete Stage 2 Phase 2 and have spent all evening trying to find a way around this Earth/Moon not rotating business.

I'm fairly sure it's because the main wheel up top is a smidgin off centre which causes the Earth/Moon gear to be too tight for part of the orbit.

I've even tried filing down the teeth on the E/M gear with some effect, but I'm not convinced I can be bothered doing this any more at this early stage in the production.

What did others do who had this problem? I'd be really keen to hear.

Signed
Jacked off, Perth WA :P

[PCH]

Hi again,

actually I just googled this issue and found that many people are experiencing this same problem as well as others. So I've emailed Eaglemoss Publications in Australia to ask either what the fix is, or how to go about getting a refund.

I really like the project and would:thumbsup: much rather keep getting the mag/model, but only if it works - and works well. Otherwise, I'd prefer not to continue.

Cheers

[Jen]

:eyepop:Aww im sorry to hear about your earth and moon Paul, but all is working very well here on my project hope you get it up and running ok ;)

[PCH]

Hi Guys,

re this Earth/Moon sticking business... on enquiring with Eaglemoss Publications, who passed it onto Bissett Magazines (www.bissettmags.com.au), they advise it is probably Part #41 (the little cogs that spins Earth) in Issue 8 that is wrong. No surprises there !

So, they tell me I have to contact my newsagent who'll then order the replacement in from the UK, and after just 2 months (tops), the replacement part is here for me. What about that for service :P

If that doesn't fix it, I just go through the whole sequence again - cool, - NOT.

Has anyone else had any better ideas regarding this fix than the above ploppy suggestion?

Cheers,

[Jen]

Sorry to hear that PCH :sadeyes: i must have got a lucky one all is good here spinning around nicely :thumbsup:
Hey guys here is a few pics of it so far that i promised ;)

51311

51312

51313

51314

51315

[erick]

That looks really nice, Jen - thanks for showing!

[lesbehrens]

hi everybody. i not having any probs with the earth moon. my only prob is back where mercury is, it rotates ok but then it jams up. but if u go a little faster it goes good. what do u guys think. all in all i think is going great.
les:P

[Jen]

Your welcome Erick :thumbsup:
Yes it is coming along nicely and its getting a bit of weight in it too now :)

[garyp]

Very well done Jen. It looks great. :thumbsup:

I like your skeleton too:D:thumbsup:


I'd love to do a project like that but probably wouldn't get it finished.:D

Cheers

Gary:)

[Jen]

Thanks Gary yeah we are pretty proud of Arthur (skeleton) great project but if you dont have the patience :screwy: it does take a long time :thumbsup:

[TrevorW]

Going great Jen looks good !!!
:thumbsup:

[torana68]

I looked at these a long time ago and from memory they are many times the price of the completed magazine one but rightly so. They are "expensive"........:D
Roger

[PeterM]

Hi all you Orrery members,
Just added the Earth /Moon system and all seems fine. Les, I have a similar problem with Mercury slightly jamming along track but it also went through as you describe. I think it maybe to do with the central internal column going slightly skewiff as it doesn't have anything to keep it central yet (I guess that's where the motor will fix onto) so it moves side to side and I noticed this did have some effect on rotating Mercury. As for Paul seems you may have a bad cog for the Earth I wonder if you tried another pack first before going to all the trouble of going through the UK?
PeterM

[PCH]

Hi PeterM,

yes, thanks for the suggestion. I just did ring the distribs of this mag, Gordon and Gotch here in Perth, and got told a great big unhelpful NO as they don't keep any returned mags neither here (in Perth) nor in Sydney. So basically could not help me.

I decided to ring GG in Sydney to see if I got the same story there. The girl that answered the phone very politely put me thru to Customer Service - in Perth ... aaarghh.

However, instead of the previous person, I got put thru to an extremely helpful person who went down into the warehouse there and then and checked returns/oversupplies or whatever, and found that there was a copy of the necessary backorder available, which she very kindly promised to send to my newsagent by this coming Monday.

Motto: If at first you don't succeed, try again - preferably with someone different :P

Cheers,

[PeterM]

Sounds good,
If you have any problems over there getting it let me know and I can chase up my newsagent for a copy of issue 8 (I think?).
PeterM

[Jen]

:thumbsup: nice work Paul well done :thumbsup: thats better than waiting 2 months for it

[PCH]

Well, I have the replacement issue (#8) and when I first saw it I'd have to say I thought the offending gear looked pretty similar to the first one.

I tried it anyway and what d'ya know - no difference. However, at least this way I only had to wait 5 days to find out instead of the 2 months the newsagent originally told me :P

Wel, I decided to try and solve the issue as I'd still really like to have a completed model. So basically I set about filing the offending gear wheel down in terms of tooth length and thickness. It was a bit of a pain to do, but each time I re-tried it, it went a bit further around the large gear, until eventually the earth/moon gear moves effortlessly all the way around.

So I'm a happy little vegemite now.:D

Cheers

[Jen]

:clap::clap::clap:

[PCH]

Thanks Jen, - I'm over the moon too as you might say :D

[Jen]

:lol::lol::lol: :thumbsup:

[Coz]

Hello from the UK to Australasia!

Found your forum regarding the orrery build, and thought that you'd perhaps welcome some comments from a UK based subscriber....
We're on the home stretch now, with issue 48 just about to arrive in the next few days. Don't know if it's the same over there, but ours tend to usually be delivered in 4's, so whether Eaglemoss will leave us dangling a month for the final single issue or if we'll get 5 this time round, I don't know!
Having (quickly) flicked through a few of your forum pages, it seems as though a few of you have experienced the same problems as we have - one which I spotted was the earth/moon gear problem.
There were various "solutions" to this, too many to list in this (first) post.... I'm not sure that I'm allowed to put another forum address on here - I don't want to get a ban on Post #1! - but suggestions/answers can be found on the forum based on a certain world-famous TV programme, on the major UK TV channel, presented by an illustrious, knighted chap.
Need I say more?!
(He also endorsed the orrery at the beginning as well, if you're still stuck!)

What you might also come across (later in the series) is a bit of a headache regarding the weightier planets/longer support arms. The problem seems to be that the collar hole/grub screw arrangement isn't "strong" enough to support the arm to stay at right-angles to the body/main column. In bad cases, the arm droops enough to snag on the lower gear......
(To give this some meaning - and I think you'll be up to this by now - take magazine 12, page 4 as an example. Support arm 05 drops/droops enough to rest on/catch the top of part 52)
It seems to be a concern with Saturn and Jupiter particularly, so perhaps by the time you're due to receive those, some proper solution will have been found, but in the meantime, again there are suggestions on the forum (not!) mentioned above.
Good luck with it - and to the doubting Thomas's out there, yes, it does look fantastic!

[astroron]

I have just come back to this thread after a long while,I read through the whole five pages:)
I am sorry I didn't subscribe to the mag:(the Orrery looks great:)
Well done everybody who is building one:thumbsup: I am jealous :(

[erick]

Hi Coz! How about a photo or two of what yours looks like now :thumbsup:

[Coz]

Erick....
Well, I'm no David Bailey, but here goes....!

[goober]

Nice! I'm only up to Mars. No Earth/Moon gear problems ... the only issue I've had are some of the grub screws are a bit mutilated and needed replacing. This thing is going to be huge when complete.

[PeterM]

Thanks indeed Colin,
I am up to Ceres, already getting comments about how terrific it looks and how sorry they never started. In fact if any are interested seems you can start even now as two others I know have this last fortnight. Just contact your local newsagent. You will have to fork out nearly $300 up front to get to issue 20 but it can be done.
From reading Colins clues you can easily find the forum of Sir Caldwell-Moore's TV series with the same name that started in 1958 (the longest running show in the world with the same presenter).
There is some wonderful advice on there with more than 400 posts on this topic from people who have been where we are going and solved most issues along the way. I am particularly looking forward to our next issue with the planet Jupiter. Many have commented that the Great Red Spot looks like a pair of lips and they have tidied this up this with a red texta pen. Wonder if it has been fixed since the UK got theirs?
Seems the Earth/Moon gear problem some were having may come down to overtightening the grub screw that locks the Earth support arm. Many have commented that loosening off the grub screw and /or lifting the plastic bush that the vertical Earth support sits in (by up to 1mm) helps.
PeterM

[erick]

Thanks for the photos, Colin - looks pretty impressive! :)

[Coz]

Assuming it follows the same UK pattern, one of your deliveries will have spares, not only grubs but all screw sizes as well. No warning or explanation, just included! Have to say I've not had any duff ones personally, but I have had a gear collar where the hole hasn't quite reached the inner side, so of course the grub didn't quite reach as far as it should....something to watch out for.
In fact I now screw a steel M3 bolt through first, just to check the thread....



Ah...how well I remember my wife uttering those very words....
[Oh....sorry....I see what you mean, now....]
Yup, it's a biggie. If you wanted it to revolve in a glass/perspex case, you're looking at 2' x 2' : the sun centre to Eris measures just over 11".
Unsure about the height yet - currently 11", but still got motor housing - 2"? - plus legs - 3"? - to go.....
Will come back to you about that....

[Coz]

Completely off topic, so forgive me : we've been watching the horrific scenes from Victoria on the news over here.
We can't even begin to comprehend the anguish that you folk must be feeling, especially with the extra suspicion that some of the problems are apparently courtesy of the hand of man...
Our hearts go out to you.

That said, if there's one thing that Aussies are renowned for, it's spirit.
Those towns and homes will grow again - there's nothing so certain.
Keep safe...

[Jen]

Thanks Coz for that nice bit of info. Oh and by the way :welcome::hi: to IIS from the UK :thumbsup: Your orrery looks awsome i cant wait to get to that stage i just picked up issue 20 :) so this weekend i can add Ceres to it :D:thumbsup:
It looks mighty fine i tell ya and OMG the weight in the thing i wonder how much the motor weighs cause once that comes along its not going to be something that gets moved very often ;)
Will post some more update pics soon :thumbsup:

[TrevorW]

Hey Jen you know how to keep a thread alive haven't you finished that yet

:P

but the finished product looks quite nifty

:thumbsup:

[Jen]

Go for it Ron it does look awsome :D so far it has cost me $289 up to ISSUE 20
:eyepop:woah sounds like a lot of money now ive added that up :doh:but when its paid off weekly i guess you dont notice it ;) and its something my son and I look forward to picking up every Wednesday :)

[Jen]

:lol::lol::lol: Well Trevor im not letting this thread die without a fight :lol::lol:
maybe i should go bump my first ever thread :lol: i wonder if i have learnt anything since then :rofl::rofl:

[Coz]

Which frankly looks a mite ridiculous, being virtually the same diameter as the support arm! (Not much they can do, I appreciate!)
The same applies to Pluto and Eris, of course, and if anything they look sillier because they're the outer pair.


Well....I didn't know that! See? Learn something every day!


Possibly - I'll try and find out for you. Yes, the GRS has caused some.....er....amusement.
They've certainly "replaced" Uranus and Neptune recently because of painting problems. N lots better, but the jury's still out about U. In our (UK) case, we have to request the replacements - they will not "just" be sent out to subscribers as a matter of course.
If Eaglemoss have made one mistake (in my opinion - but who am I?!), it's that they haven't made their own forum, where upgrades/official news could be released.


Didn't have to do either in my case, pleased to say. I've actually taken mine to pieces (not totally!) on two occasions (mainly to get rid of sticky residue that I missed the first time round) and noticed something.....Again, let's zero in, and take mag 12, page 4 for specifics.
The further down the column you go, there seems to be a certain amount of play concerning part 50 on the main column.
By this point, you'll be building "upside down" - don't forget to remove the planets first! - cradling the sun in whichever hand palm. Once part 50 is slid on and (now) down, it's seems normal to press the column end of 50 before tightening the M3G grub to hold it in place. That's where the play is....
Sometimes you have to press, sometimes you don't. The conclusion I've come to is - try and line up the top surface of gear 52 with the one it meshes with, i.e. in this case, gear 54. If it needs fiddling with to achieve a flush match, fiddle. It it sites itself there naturally, fine...so be it. Be aware though, the "level" can alter as you tighten the grub....
In Eaglemosses defence, I have to say that I've not had any build problems personally, apart from a couple of hiccups which have been my own fault.
That said, I'm still a little concerned about this planet arm "droop"....no doubt tons more about this at a later date!

(Sorry! I've just realised that I've been rambling a bit!)

PeterM[/quote]

[Coz]

Erm.....by the way!

http://www.build-model-orbiter.com/

[PeterM]

Thanks for all that info Colin
Eaglesmoss have obviously hit on a winner with Build A Model Solar System and Earth Moon Sun Orbiter will add nicely to the collection. That said, I can feel the wallet taking one heck of a hit over the next 18 months.
PeterM

[Coz]

Get thee hence, Satan!

[Thinks : if I vacuum around a bit, make sure I do the washing up and fix the flex on the iron, do you think it's worth asking my beloved? I might even smile at her mother?
Hmmm....Nah.....that would be going too far....]

[Jen]

:lol::lol::lol::D

Cool that Earth Moon Sun Orbiter looks good too, im gonna have to start that one also they will look great sitting in the same room as each other :thumbsup:

[TrevorW]

:poke:Now now Jen all that money = bigger scope, camera, etc

Cheez woman get your priorities right

:rofl::rofl::P

[Jen]

:lol::lol: oh yeah i forgot that i want a bigger scope an observatory and an awsome camera oh and did i say i want a bigger scope :lol: well no one will let me buy one of those big scopes for $15 a week so the models are going to have to do for now :lol:
:poke:

[pgc hunter]

I'll lend you my 12" dob for the low low price of 99 cents per microsecond of eyepiece time :lol:

[Jen]

:lol::lol: does it come with a camera too :P

[pgc hunter]

no but it comes complete with the awesome likes of me :P

[Craig.a.c]

Did you have to say that Jen? I hadn't realised I had paid that much for it. Good thing my girlfriend is having fun puting it together, I think she would go nuts other wise.



The Earth Moon and Sun Orbiter looks like it would be fun. Might have to think about getting that one though.

[TrevorW]

$15 X 52 = $780 = 1 big DOB

Bankcard, mortgage redraw, save up (thats the hard one)

;)

[Miaplacidus]

When all you people have finished making this thing, don't forget to let we lazy sods know when you want to sell it.

[Jen]

I will swap ya for a nice big dob :lol::lol:

[marki]

Come on Trevor, don't forget Kevin 07 is emptying out the federal reserves so we can all go buy astrogear :P:D.

[TrevorW]

Yeah bugger he's taking $50 off us, miser

:P

[Jen]

:lol::lol::lol::lol: what he giving us more money :eyepop: awsome ;)
:D

[pgc hunter]

don't know if I'll get that cash, but if I did, according to my calculations, that would be enough fuel for exactly 1963 round trips to Dan Murphy's.

[marki]

I must admit that I reeled in horror when I first heard that uncle Kev was willing to bankrupt the country in order to stop the country going bankrupt :screwy:. This was somewhat compounded by my work mates all rushing down to the flight center to book Bali holidays with their new found wealth. But after some thought I realised that we cannot fix the global meltdown by simply spending money at home and have concieved a cunning plan to make things right. If we all spend our cash bonus buying astro-goodies from the US, it will boost their economy. This should have a flow on effect to the Chinese economy thus re-ignighting their insatable lust for Australian ore. As a consequence money will begin to once again flow into the ozy coffers and Kevin 07 can then spend say 40 odd billion dollars fixing problems around the country such as devastated areas of Victoria and northern QLD. See its possible to rationalise any selfish act if we use the market economy model as our guide:P. Now if I could only figure out a way to include the exchange rate hmmmm.

[Jen]

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

[PeterM]

Issue 21 arrived today with the laughable pair of "red lips" depicting the great red spot. The colour scheme is an insult to the king of the planets. I have a bag of marbles that look better than this rot. So what to do, complain? What are your thoughts? Coz in the UK - has there been any fixing up of this, have the publishers listened anyway?
Also the support arm for Jupiter now has a plastic brace attached, I assume this is to keep the arms straight and at right angle in transport or does it and future ones have a purpose in keeping the arm from flexing and rubbing on the gears below that I have read about?
Other than that the project goes very well.
PeterM

[Coz]

Morning, Peter et al....

Haven't received a response from Eaglemoss re the KML (Kylie Monogue Lips) spot as yet - will chase up for you. I've got to contact them about something else anyway, so I'll kill two birds, etc.
And yes, the black plastic right-angles are just for packaging purposes - there's no mention of them at any stage in the magazines, so they are not part of the build components....so unless you can put 'em to any other use, it's into the bin they go....

[Coz]

Just to whet your appetite, I've just spotted this mentioned on another forum.
After viewing, please remember to close mouth, raise chin off floor and watch language in case any juniors around.....

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nine-planet-Orrery_W0QQitemZ190287835756QQihZ00 9QQcategoryZ361QQssPageNameZWDVWQQr dZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[goober]

My "Jupiter" set of issues arrived yesterday, which means I can bolt on Ceres (bit annoying, that!). Jupiter looks okay - if only the red spot was that prominent through the eyepiece.

May drag the scope out tonight (first time in 4 months) and try to catch the Saturn four moon event.

[pgc hunter]

^^ Four moon event???

[erick]

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=41428

[Jen]

:eyepop::eyepop::eyepop: holly cow was the nicest thing i could say here but hot dam that is one nice piece of work there and for a very hefty price too :eyepop:$6659.37 US and two days to go still :eyepop::computer:
maybe we should give him a buzz and get him to paint up jupiter for us :thumbsup:

[Ric]

Now that is a work of art.

[Coz]

This, apparently, is the original from which our Eaglemoss jobs have sprung from....except that certain bits are in gold and silver.
http://www.calmels.co.uk/products/orrery.html

[Coz]

Apologies for the delay, PeterM - took a while to prise a reply from 'em!
The answer is "No" - presently, there is no Jupiter reissue/new paint job.:(

[goober]

That certainly looks like the one I'm building, especially in the gearing.

I put Ceres on last night .... very pleased with the way this is coming together. It's spinning beautifully.

[Jen]

:thumbsup::thumbsup: yep good stuff Doug mine going smoothly too starting to look like one nice piece of art :)

[Kevnool]

what will be your starting bid on ebay Jen?
Cheers Kev.

[Coz]

But how about your orrery? :lol:

[Coz]

The new Orbiter model video....
http://www.youtube.com/user/MossGoss


(Edit...a few hours later)
Just had another quick look at the above URL, and found that (although misnamed) there are some orrery build guide videos there now as well.

[Coz]

Yup....and that work of art has just gone for £7200.

"Wow" is one word that springs to mind.....

[Jen]

:lol::lol:

[Coz]

Think somebody wanted to know the overall height of the completed job - 370-odd mm, or in real money, a smidgeon under 14.75".

[Coz]

The UK subscribers are going to have a replacement earth/moon gear issued - the 11-toothed wheel - with the final magazine.
Don't know if you lot will have to wait until the death, or whether the publisher will slide them in an earlier issue.

[Coz]

You recall the question re the black plastic right-angles that are attached to the support arms?
You'll also remember that they are not part of the build as such, and are for packaging purposes only?
You'll no doubt also remember the advice given was to bin 'em?

Well don't!

A bright spark on one of the other forums has found that they might have an (unofficial) use after all....the "tube bits" of them are (for obvious reasons) a perfect size to slide along the arm, lodge between the upper and lower gear, and stop the arm from drooping.

Clever, or what?
Granted, rather ugly black plastic, but painted perhaps?

[goober]

Wouldn't that interfere with the motion when the thing is running? Or perhaps I'm not understanding properly...

[Coz]

Correct - you're not.
Take issue 12, pages 4 and 5 as example.
Arm 05, fitted to collar 31. The longer/weightier the arms get later in the build, the collar grub screw "can't cope" and the arm can droop, sometimes bad enough to end up resting on top of gear 52, (by now flush with gear 54).
The suggested solution = cut the "tube" ends from the black plastic arm packaging. The outer diameter is same as height of collar. The inner diameter matches the arm diameter (3mm).
Slide tube along arm, "sandwich" between (in this example) gears 51 and 54, and tighten grub. The idea/plan is that the tube gives extra stability to the arm.
It shouldn't interfere with the motion because 51,31,54 and arm 05 are locked together - they are, in effect, one piece by this stage.
Yes?
No?

[PCH]

F.... F..... F..... Far out !

That's confusing Coz, but good on yer for going to all this trouble to let us dudes know. I'll work it out eventually I imagine.

Cheers,

[Coz]

You'll see what I mean when you get further on!
What stage/mag issue are you lot up to now?

[Jen]

Week 24 :D
:2thumbs::2thumbs:

[Coz]

Morning!
Well, you're just coming up to part 26 - (that's a grammar school education for you!) - which has Saturn and moons.
Be careful with the moons - 3, on a very fine wire construction. Easy to bend, if the postman's not already done it for you.
Saturn might be the start of the problem with droop - (steady, woman, steady) - as it's the heaviest planet from memory.

I'll keep looking on here to see if there are any squeals of pain! :)

[Jen]

Thanks Coz :thumbsup:
So far so good but dont you worry when i start to have trouble you will hear me alright :lol: even the emoticons in here will be running from me :lol:
:whistle:

[Coz]

For reasons I won't bore you, a member on one of the other forums has asked for some photo's of the planets - and it dawned on me that you lot won't have seen some of 'em yet.....so a link for you -

http://www.musicodes.co.uk/orrery.html

I'll leave 'em up for a few days....

[goober]

Thanks Colin - that makes perfect sense. I'm not sure about the others, but I've just installed Ceres, and have half my Jupiter bits ready and waiting. I'll be certainly installing that fix.

[Coz]

Hi all.
("Oh no!" I hear you scream, "He's going to bang on about arm droop again!")
And you're right - I am!

Most UK subscribers are now on issue #51, awaiting the final part which features the power supply unit. Needless to say, some folk have got a suitable 6v job lying around and have therefore been able to give the whole thing a test drive.

I've hijacked somebody's photo's here (with their permission, by the way) and added 'em to the URL I gave for the planet photo's - and this is what to watch out for.
Note the photo regarding seemingly identical collars - they're not.
The "chamfered" hole variety are the ones which tend to cause the problem, allowing too much play in the support arm.
There's another photo showing what can happen in extreme circumstances, when the arm is so loose that it rests/snags on the gear below - something else to be wary of.
I've had limited success with these "defective" collars by inverting them in the sandwich - sometimes works, sometimes doesn't.

[goober]

I got my "Saturn" bundle today, along with the offer on a Patrick Moore DVD issue. I'm not sure I need this, but if Coz Colin can comment...?

[Coz]

[Bugger me - I've just typed a lengthy answer and update, only to find that you get logged out after x minutes! Log back in, you lose your text.....bloody hell!
I'll do it in notepad and then paste - more later!]

[Jen]

:lol::lol: why do you get logged out? sometimes im in here all day :whistle: i never have to log in :P

[marki]

Me neither. Logged out????

[Coz]

Quite.
Logged in, typed with astounding speed for five minutes, pressed "Submit"...and it asks me to log in again.
Did so.
Text gone.
Patience gone.
Concentration gone.
Sense of humour gone.
Blood pressure up.
Temper up.

And do y'know, it was the best damned piece of writing I'd seen in years.....

(By the way, <pedant alert> the word is "neither"!</pedant alert>

[Coz]

[Right! We'll try again!]
Can't comment on the DVDs, I'm afraid - I didn't sign up for them. Have to admit that I'm not particularly interested in astronomy as a whole, and seeing that they didn't deal specifically with the orrery, I decided not to bother.
We've finished the build in the UK, with the exception of the (official) power supply unit. That's about three weeks overdue now, so needless to say a few folk have strapped an alternative to it in order to check things.
Suffice to say, some are experiencing headaches at the death. Quite a few reports of faulty and/or noisy motors, for example.
In my particular case, I can't get an earth/sun orbit time anywhere near the suggested 36.5 seconds (=10 days) even at full speed, leading to lots of tinkering. Tighten some bits, loosen others, to gain a second or two. The downside is that this tends to have a negative knock-on effect elsewhere....usually the arms.
Another concern has been with the collars (!) - or rather, the support arms. It appears that there's even a range in arm diameters, from about 2.95mm through to 3.05mm. Granted, just a "gnat's" as they say, but you get a "bad" arm and a "duff" collar, and you've got a bad combination there!
Don't get me wrong - it's still an impressive looking piece of kit, but whether it's the "accurate working model" that's claimed....well....time will tell, I suppose.

[marki]

G'day Coz

Have you clicked the remember me box under the log in?

I always mix up my i's with my i's especially after c's :D.

Mark

[Coz]

Of course, the more astute of you will have noticed that the above statement is, by and large, utter b*****ks.

36.5 seconds = 1 year.
1 second = 10 days.

[Coz]

<indignant head>
YES!
OF COURSE I HAVE!
</indignant head>

[****....where's this box, then?]

[Coz]

[Oh...that box.]

[marki]

:D

[Jen]

:lol::lol::lol::lol:
yep thats the one :thumbsup:

[PeterM]

Hi Colin,
You gave us the height, and thank you for that. Now that Jupiter is in place it sure looks like it will be needing a wide shelf when completed to rotate, can you tell us how wide. Thanks again.
PeterM.

[Coz]

Morning, Peter....
To avoid knocking off that Moorcroft vase or blinding the sleeping cat, you'll need 2' (x2' for obvious reasons) - that'll give you a bit of clearance, but not much.

[Coz]

Morning all.....
Still unfortunately having fun and games with the motor - just how something so small and plastic manages to sound like a bag of spanners is beyond me - but thought I'd bang up a couple of videos of the "finished" item.
http://www.musicodes.co.uk/orrery99.html
I say "finished" - I'm still waiting for the official power wall-wart, which hopefully is a little more attractive than the once-white alternative strapped to it at present. I've also cut the audio - you'd have kittens if you heard the racket that the motor is kicking up.
Until the replacement turns up, there's obviously little point in calibrating for speed - not that I know how to do it anyway. The subject (i.e. achieving a speed of 6.8 rpm) is mentioned briefly in issue 1, and refers to more info being in a later edition - I've either missed it, or it's in #52.
(By all means have a look, but frankly I can't face ploughing my way through 51 magazines - with no index!)
The same applies to positioning the planets - there are references to this in issues 1-4, but they seem contradictory (or ambiguous) in places.
Of course, there is a third option, which is me being dense.
(You choose, but don't let me know, thanks!)

[PCH]

Hi Coz,

nothing happening when I click on that 'finished' link. Anyone else?

Cheers :thumbsup:

[Coz]

Hi again...
Just tried that link again - works fine for me!
There's a triangle of videos (short, albeit) on it, in Flash format.
Maybe your PC isn't "Flash Player" enabled?
(Free from http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/)

Update on earlier post - issue 52 just arrived, with new earth cog and proper power supply. Both look OK.
Only reference to speed calibration seems to be a trial and error job - hours of fun!
There's also an "assembly hints and tips" section, which is nice way of saying how to rectify things that you might have cocked-up en route.
Unfortunately, no replacement motor or other spares already ordered....sigh.

[Jen]

It worked for me thanks Coz :thumbsup:

[Coz]

.....and this is what you want to try and avoid getting!

http://www.musicodes.co.uk/orrery6.html

[Jen]

:eyepop:well i hope i dont get one of those noisy things :scared:
:tasdevil::tasdevil::tasdevil:

[Coz]

PARDON?
It did actually get noisier as time went on, after I'd videoed - video'd? videod? - filmed it, so I couldn't help but take the thing to pieces, could I?
http://www.musicodes.co.uk/orrery5.html
Not much to it inside - 3 screws to open, a few blobs of sticky, clear grease, the motor itself of course, and a collection of 5 plastic gear cogs and a spring.
("Chewooooouuuu" - that's the sound the spring makes, by the way, as it flies past your ear when you open the unit without thinking what you're doing...you have been warned!)
All cog teeth looked OK, and so did the spring, once I'd found it again....
Moved the grease around a bit and put back together.....a tad quieter, but in one direction anyway.
Spurred on by my obvious genius, I then added a blob of non-drip white grease to each cog and motor drive shaft, and screwed the thing back together.
["And what happened?!" cried Jen, excitedly]
It made not a jot of difference.
Actually, that's not quite true....it made no difference to the noise, but as it heated up, I was taken back to one of my childhood holidays in the Scottish isles, and a trip around a kipper smoking establishment.
Curious, how these things tend to stay with you.....
I am still waiting for a replacement from the magazine distributors.
(That's a motor, by the way, not a kipper smoking establishment....)

[Jen]

:lol::lol::lol: but wait what happens next :rofl::rofl:

:D

[Jen]

Buahahahhahaah :lol::lol::lol::lol:
to be continued on the other forum LMAO :rofl:

[goober]

Well, I don't know about the others, but my model is now officially "big". In the last couple of months my wife sent it crashing to the ground with planets flying everywhere (amazingly no damage), Saturn and Uranus have been installed (first assembly problem noted - the Saturn gear collar was badly threaded and needed replacing), and some new bigger feet have been fitted to stop it toppling.

It's looking very impressive... just big!

[Stubbzie]

Hi Guys. I too am putting together this orrery, BUT, what apeice of C#%P
Im trying to rescue my $500 investment but I seem to have all the bits no one else wanted (or sent back). All the prob's posted here I seem to have. anyway what Im looking for is the Forum mentioned by a few members

PeterM said
you can easily find the forum of Sir Caldwell-Moore's TV series with the same name that started in 1958

COZ Said
suggestions/answers can be found on the forum based on a certain world-famous TV programme, on the major UK TV channel, presented by an illustrious, knighted chap. Need I say more?!


Sorry Guys may be im a bit thick but could someone post the link as
I cant easly find this forum and dam I need some help

Cheers Stubbzie

[Coz]

Google is your friend......
http://forum.skyatnightmagazine.com/tm.asp?m=61909&mpage=1&key=

[Stubbzie]

Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou

Kids not so upset, wife not yelling so much, Patiance returning, blood pressure lowering, Life expetency increacing.

This has solved a few of my prob's and light is back at the end of the tunnel (and I thought it was the 3:15 from the city, silly me)

It warms me cockles to hear that most people are getting on just fine with this project and I probably have just been unlucky to score a few dodgy parts ie earth gear, Mars cog sticky in places, Saturn's collar and on she go's

I found dealing with multiple prob's is locating the exact peice(s) that is causing the issue(s), enter you chaps to help clear a fuddled mind

So

Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou :)

Cheers Stubbzie
(The Not So Great But Trying Hard

[goober]

Reading through that forum I realise I haven't tested the orbits fully. It will take me about a day to get Uranus around a complete orbit!

[erick]

Pedal faster?

[Jen]

:eyepop: sorry to hear about you Orrery Stubbzie hope it all works out for you ok in the end :thumbsup:

[Stubbzie]

Thanks All for the help

Spent today very carefully filing down the longer of the two halves (part 70) of the Gear axel in the first small cog sandwich between mercury and Venus, to try to remove the slap in it. This worked well after I repeated the process for the next two small cog sandwiches (the one through the plate and the next one down). Be care full as you can take too much off.

Finding the precise torque to tighten the earth post screw to was rewarded with a smooth flowing earth and a beer (even served by my lovely sandy in a chilled glass, now that’s a turn around....Thankyou Ice in Space)

Mars, the god of war, ya not wrong he's also a b!t(h
My tears of frustration went unnoticed while trying to incert the planet arm into the gear collar (part 31)..... it didn’t fit
I have read somewhere that the planet arms and collar holes have been Released in more than one diameter. I managed to get one of each........mint
But with patience, a few hail marys and a lot of mixing and matching with the other collars I found a collar that fit (that was lucky as only one collar had the right size hole).

By slightly loosening the grub screw holding the planet gear arm (part 50)
to the main post, I managed to find enough space between the large cog and small cog sandwiches to get a smooth flowing ars (sorry did I forget the M)
Graphite from a 2B pencil helped heaps with a bit of lube, just draw a smigin on where you need it

My Jupiter's droopin
and not just coz Im middle aged. I read that the clip part of the plastic support that comes with the longer planet arms will fit wonderfully between the large cog and the arm preventing them from droopin onto the small cog sandwiches and scrapen there way past

Saterns gear collar is, well, Buggered
The hole for the grub nut, to hold the planet arm in place, is drilled way to big and will need a replacement.
I'll hit them up for a new base plate as well as the one I got has 3 ugly stains in the brass plating

The best bit is that the electricity parts are still gittin here......Oh boy
I’m off to up the life insurance, I’m sure I'll loose the no claim bonus over this one

Thanks all for ya help and encouragement I'll keep ya's posted

Stubbzie :screwy:

[mswhin63]

Yes I have Saturns grub screw drill out too big as well, obviously a batch problem. I thought I over tightened it.

Jupiter sags a bit but not the plastic clip that comes with it, that is the hole it slots in is also too big.

Will contact them soon.

[PeterM]

Just noticed how big a droop I am having on the Saturn arm. When all the planets are lined up (As in the pic on the mag) it quite obvious as it looks skew-if to all the others including Uranus. I think the extra weight is pulling on the gear on central shaft and the gear has an awful lot of play in it in all directions at the central shaft compared to the other gears. I have pulled it apart several times and still can't get rid of the play.
I have just rang Eaglemoss and the lady there seemed to know about this straight away indicating a known issue and referring me back to my local newsagent to get them to order a new kit from part 28 through Gordon & Gotch. Have just called the local newsagent and he will see what can be done. Does anyone else have this problem, are there any other solutions?
Thanks
PeterM.

[goober]

Coz suggested using the black support struts (or part of them) to hold up the heavier planets. I haven't had any Saturn droop. Got a new batch of issues this morning, but haven't checked to see what's in them ... hopefully Neptune.

[ponderstibbons]

I've been following this thread as a lurker, but have just joined iceinspace so can now contribute.

Some comments earlier in the thread suggested that this series is a scam - I don't think you can call it a scam when you're upfront about exactly how much it's going to cost and what you're going to get. And the website certainly has all of the details in easy to read format.

Like Jen and her skeleton, I,ve collected a few of these series in the past (Classical Music, Great Literature, History of the Car and Agatha Christie) and all in all I'm very happy that I got value for what I paid.

Although I do acknowledge that some would just see the cash out as a waste - and who knows, they may be right http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/../vbiis/images/smilies/rolleye09.gif

Anyway, back to your comment - I think you will find the final instructions in issue 52 - there's a video of the final construction phase on the official web site at http://www.build-solar-system.com/tv/building_pop3.html

Incidentally, I've had no problems at all with mine - I'm up to issue 40, and have just added Uranus.

(My wife, of course, went into a schoolgirl giggle fit when I told her I'm up to Uranus).

And while I was looking at aforementioned video I bumped into this:

www.build-model- (http://www.build-model-)orbiter.com

Looks like here goes another $800 - still, it leaves me $100 over from my tax bonus.

btw Coz, I couldn't make that link of yours work http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/../vbiis/images/smilies/doh.gif - I keep getting directed to a website hoster.

[Jen]

:hi::hi::hi: Hi Tony
:welcome: to IIS :thumbsup: Im glad to hear your solar system is coming along smoothly ;) so is mine woohoooo :D I think i might add some update pic's to show it off :thumbsup: its looking frickin awsome :lol:

[Coz]

They were lodged way back in March, mate, and I've changed host server since...didn't think anyone would still be wanting to see 'em, so didn't bother trasnferring them.
Will dig 'em out later tonight and up them to the new host.....try again in a few hours.

EDIT : Search though I have, no joy finding the old images, I'm afraid...sorry.

[goober]

Yes, I've only had one minor glitch with Saturn, but apart from that it's been faultless. My Neptune bundle turned up last week sans issue 37 (sold out apparently, coming later).

[goober]

One issue to go.... phew!

Now I see they are offering the Earth/Moon/Sun orbiter. Must resist...

[Jen]

Yeah we are all a bit excited that after all this time woohooo Dam it looks mighty fine too i tell ya :thumbsup::thumbsup:
My only problem is Pluto sags a bit and hits the bottom gear must have a play with it on the weekend :D
Hey have any of you got your tool kit and folders for the mags with it yet :screwy:


Oh my son has already told me i have to get the earth/sun and moon one too :doh: lets just hope this one dosnt go on as long ;)

[Sonia]

I signed up for this! But got made redundant so had to cancel it :(

[goober]

Yes, got the toolkit very early on, and they've been tossing folders at me regularly (I've been getting mail order batches of four).

Built it all up last night and it looks fantastic finished. Just need the final part (the AC power unit adaptor).

[Jen]

:doh: dam it i dont have any of that stuff :screwy:
yeah cant wait for the motor woop woop :D

[mswhin63]

I'm still waiting for issue 37 and 39. Might give them a call.

The Jupiter and Saturn issue was resolved quite easily too.

I use the toolkit for the DOB as well.

[goober]

The toolkit is a bit cheesy, but nice to have I guess.

I watched the new model DVD last night - looks lovely, but an order of magnitude more complex than the solar system model.

[PCH]

Where did you see the new model DVD Doug?

[goober]

The DVD of the Earth/Sun orbiter came in my latest bundle of Solar System issues. Basically a 40 minute promo of the new model kit, including a 30 second skit by Patrick Moore (hilarious), a few minutes with the designer, and a 30 minute, piece by piece video of building the thing. The last is the most interesting - looks quite intricate.

[PCH]

Thanks Doug,

it sounds like a nice piece of kit - I think I'll probably go for that one as well :D

[PeterM]

Just received my final issue with the power supply and the small replacement gear for the Earth that some had issues with. So switched it on and wow .... it actually works! There is no noise from the motor/gearbox as many in the UK were having. In fact the only issue I really had was a bad wobble in the Saturn gear, this was a known issue in the UK and a simple request to my newsagent promtly had the replacement kit (part28?) to me within a fornight. I do notice that the Jupiter arm is sitting on the gear below but it doesn't seem the affect the orbit, is this the issue Malcolm had?
So after nearly $800 I now have what I always wanted from when I was first interested in Astronomy as a young boy - my own brass Orrery that looks fantastic and actually works. This will no doubt be passed onto the kids as a family heirloom and then probably end up at the Cash Converters... I wonder what people are paying for completed models, not selling, just curious.
Jen about this time last year I replied to a post by you when others were kind of knocking the project. I said I reckon we would be the ones who ended up laughing, well seems my prediction was about right.
I don't think I will take up the Earth/Sun orbiter, well maybe still no sure. How have others fared with their models?
PeterM.

[Jen]

:D:D Great stuff Peter it does look awsome my pluto sags a bit on one of the gears but after a bit of tweaking i think i can overcome that problem :thumbsup: I have had a family emergency so i havnt picked up the last copy yet so its gonna have to wait till next week :sadeyes:
Oh that year went so quick and now i have an awsome Orrery woohooo ;) And yes gotta sign up for the next one too :lol:

Are you guys jealous that you didnt go through with it :lol::lol:
Post some pics soon :P

[PCH]

I just got the power supply today and can very happily report that it does in fact go around very noislessly and effortlessly. A replacement earth cog was supplied, which I haven't tried yet as I hacked and filed the original wheel surprisingly well and it works fine. I switched it on a couple of hours ago and it still hasn't done a single complete revolution. I can't remember what the time for one rev is.

My Pluto doesn't sag, but Uranus and Saturn do hang a little. It doesn't really bother me and I won't be fiddling with them, as they don't seem to be harming either themselves or anything else by resting on the lower gears. I suppose over the next few thousand years they might wear away a bit of a channel.

I suppose to do it justice, and so as not to totally freak out the Director of Dusting, I should put it in a perspex cabinet or something.

I was pleased to see that with the final mag came a free issue #1 of the new "Earth, Sun and Moon Orbiter" series, complete with free model of Earth. It does look impressive enough to want to collect, but that would be falling into the trap wouldn't it? Hmm - it does look good though ;)

[erick]

Gonna bring it to Snake Valley so we can have a play with it, Jen?

[mswhin63]

Hi Peter,

Still waiting for issue 39 and 52, regarding Saturn I did have a problem and it was fixed by providing another 2 earlier issues which has the same collar. It also fixed the Jupiter.

I really got it for the books and reading which I read often as I can. Very handy with all the rain here. But starting to like the Orrery as well. I do have concerns about the earth moon gear too.

I will be calling them soon as I can't continue further without issue 39.

[Jen]

[/B][/COLOR]
I might just do that Erick ;);)

[Lumen Miner]

:rofl: 1:02am and talking about models. Your funny Jen :)

[goober]

Phew ... last bag of bits here in the PO BOX. Just got to get it home and see if it works!

[Jen]

:hi::hi::hi:Thanks :P
:lol::lol:
;)

[goober]

I just opened my final baggie of bits and see they have sent me parts 1, 2 and 3 of the Earth - Moon - Sun orbiter for "free"... wicked, tricksy... we wantsss it.

[goober]

It lives... it worked... it actually moves. Ran it for an hour on the table... more therapeutic than watching fish :)

Now... do I want to do it all again with the new model...?

[mswhin63]

Finished mine as well, very quiet running although having an issue with earth rotation but may need a bit of alignment.

Now there is another issue build an Earth, Moon and Sun orbiter. :eyepop:

http://www.build-model-orbiter.com/

[Rickster]

Hey all,
I have also completed my Orrery, and I have had no problems with the operation as some of you have described. Having said that, I am not happy with the painting of the planets which to be honest is quite poor. The worst being Jupiter and Neptune. Neptune is completely wrong! Did you all notice how the original promotion pics showed lovely painted planets which look similar to pics taken from spacecraft? Very dissapointing to recieve second rate painted planets, especially considering the model is not exactly cheap.
I will say I am very happy with the model apart from the above mentioned. I am going to get them painted correctly in the near future.

On another project, the Sun, Earth and Moon orbiter, I'm sure you all received the first three copies free as I did. I was really keen to build this project, but unfortunately when I unpacked the Earth model and noticed how badly put together and cheap it looked, I decided I will not pay for rubbish. Again, the Earth and Moon model in the promotion look really well made, how dissapointing they then send rubbish to the paying public!

Have you all had the same experiance?

Cheers
Rick

[Craig.a.c]

Earth on mine is stilling going around half way before sticking and not wanting to go around any further. I also saw the dodgy looking earth that came with free with the last issue and have also decided not to by it. Oh well, live and learn.

[jye]

Hi there,

Just came across this forum while searching for the Build/Model/Earth - and was looking for peoples experience with the Build Solar System - so thanks!

Disappointed to say they've stopped all new subs of Solar System now - even though you can fill out the full form on site. So that made my decision between the two much easier and I received my first issues last night.

Just saying hi!

Thanks,
Jye

[goober]

Hi Jye - you're building the Earth - Moon - Sun orbiter? I'm in as well - four issues in and I have an Earth that spins on a stick :)

[michaellxv]

'We' (basically the whole family contributed) ... My daughter received an A++ for our model of the Solar system at school. I think i'll stick with that. :D

[erick]

Same here! Someone at work got excited and I'm roped in to help build it - she will spend the ridiculous amount of money to get the whole lot!

I'm going to love building it for her.

[Jigen271]

Hi there all. I am new to this forum. I have lived in Okazaki Japan for the last decade. My father just recently retired and I looked high and low for a decent birthday present for him. I know that he is in to Astronomy so I decided to get him the DeAgostini Build your own Orrery kit that you guys have been talking about. The pictures are wonderful and the instructions are detailed enough for him to build the kit, however, the rest of the magazine is in Japanese. Would any of you who are building the kit consider being so kind as to scan the magazines for my father? If you are interested in the Japanaese version of the magazines I am sure that he would reciprocate. Anyway hoping for a little help.

Thanks ahead of time,

Adam

[Jen]

Hi Adam welcom to IIS :hi::hi::welcome:
Yes is is a nice collectors piece (it looks awsome) some people have had a few problems here and there but all in all it does look great except for a bit of the paint job on some of the planets could be better :lol:
Anyway here is the website for you to check out http://build-solar-system.com/index2.html

maybe that could help you if not PM me and i will see if i can scan the instructions to you OK :thumbsup: Good luck ;)
Cheers :D

[Jigen271]

Thanks for the link. I saw that. I buy the magazines for my father here in Japan and then send them to the US and he puts the pieces together. The magazines are beautiful but he would really love to be able to read them. He can't read any Japanese so he asked me to find the mags in English. I contacted the company in the States that distributes the magazines but they were less than helpful. The customer service rep I talked to suggested finding a fourm of people building the orrery and ask for scans of the original magazines. I just sent another box of about 18 more magazines. If you would be willing to scan them in maybe there is something that I could do to repay the favor. Thanks again for the quick reply.

Adam

[Jen]

:) Ok no problem Adam, im glad i am able to help someone in here for a change haha ;) im usually always the one asking for the help around here :lol::lol: i will scan them at work for you in PDF format when i go to work this week ok :thumbsup::thumbsup:
PM me your email address and i will email them to you :D
Did you just need the instructions part of each mag on how to put it together or is it the whole mag?

[PCH]

As far as I can make out Jen, he's after the whole of each mag. Well volunteered, it will take forever to scan and even longer to send by email. It would be quicker for his dad to learn Japanese :thumbsup:

[Jen]

:lol:
:doh:Oh oh what have i got myself into here :lol: 52 mags :screwy:
Maybe work wont allow me to email such big files from work, might be better off doing it from home then if thats the case :rofl:
Yeah it maybe quicker to learn Japanese :rofl:

[jye]

Okay. Feel stupid. Somehow have misplaced issues 2 and 3, and need to get the instructions for completion of these issues.

If anyone has a scanned copy of just the instructional pages, it'd be a massive help!

Thanks,
Jye

[Jen]

Hey Gday Jye :hi:
The instructions arn't in every mag. They come in different phases week 4 or 5 had the first lot of instructions to complete stage 1 ;)
cheers Jen
:D

[jye]

i feel so stupid. hahaha. okay, note to self: open the other magazines, then ask questions.

THANK YOUUUUU

[Jen]

:lol::lol::lol: Your welcome have fun with it cheers :thumbsup: