How to Build Stands for the Galoob Star Trek Micromachines By Fen Yan 11/1/98 Updated 11/8/98 Introduction: The stands provided with the Micromachines fit the ship models poorly. The stands described herein are easy to make and cost only pennies each. I have listed the exact materials I have used and where I bought them. You will probably find better alternatives, depending on your skills/tools/resources. For example, hardwood bases with holes drilled into them would be sturdier than balsa wood. Materials: 1/8 inch diameter hardwood dowel (Home Depot hardware store): about 40 cents for a 4-foot-long piece. This dowel will be cut into smaller pieces. 3/16 or 1/4 thick x 1 inch wide balsa wood strip (Hobby Shack model airplane store): about 50 cents for a 3-foot-long piece. The balsa wood will be cut into 1-inch-square pieces to form the base for each stand. 1 inch diameter zinc washer (Home Depot hardware store): 6 cents each. Each donut-shaped metal washer is glued to the base to provide weight so that the stands don't tip over. 1 can of black gloss spray paint (Home Depot hardware store): black helps the stands blend in unobtrusively into the background. I used Rust-oleum Gloss Protective Enamel for $3.98. Tools: X-acto knife with standard blade (most hobby stores/office supply) Small saw (with miter board recommended). I got mine at the hobby store for about $8--"Zona Saw & Miter Set containing a No. 250 Mini-Miter box and and No. 200 Razor Saw with 32 TPI and Ultra Thin .008 inch blade") White glue (I used Elmer's glue, any glue which bonds paper/wood will do) Wood-metal cement (I used a tube of 527 Multi-purpose cement made by Bond--use in a well-ventilated area) Nail, 1/8 inch diameter Ruler & marking pen or pencil Fine grit sandpaper Procedure: 1) Use the ruler & marking pen/pencil to mark off 1 inch sections onto the balsa wood strip. 2) Use the ruler & marking pen/pencil to mark off several 1.25-, 2.25-, and 3.25-inch sections onto the dowel. Using different lengths will allow you to place ships close to each other on the square grid mapsheet without having them "bump." Different lengths can also serve to differentiate identical-class ships. You may prefer to use different heights for your stands. You will need one dowel section per stand. 3) Bases: Use the saw & miter to cut the balsa wood into 1 inch squares. You will need one square per stand. 4) Use the saw & miter to cut the dowel into the lengths which you marked off in step 2. 5) Insert the nail into the center of each base so as to poke a hole to fit a dowel. Try to not collapse the wood surrounding the hole; make a nice, round hole that will fit the dowel snugly. P.S. A drill would be handy here.... 6) You will find that the Micromachines won't fit as is onto the dowels. Use the x-acto knife to whittle (shave strips off) one end of each dowel. Whittle at a distance of 1/4 inch or so from the end. This should require 6-8 strokes, depending on your technique. Don't whittle too deeply or at too sharp an angle. Constantly check the fit of the dowel with one of your Micromachines (I suggest using the Galaxy model as it is front-heavy and requires the best fit). You want a snug fit; too loose and the Micromachine will fall off. 7) Use the whittled end of the dowel to test the fit of the hole in the base. Next, test the fit of the unwhittled end. Fill the hole with white glue and insert the dowel (unwhittled end first) into the base, this time permanently. Make sure the dowel is all the way into the hole and that the dowel is aligned vertically. Repeat this for the remaining dowels and bases. 8) Liberally apply wood-metal glue to one side of each washer. Drop the washer onto the base (glue side down) and press it firmly down, making sure it is centered on the base. Repeat for each washer. Allow the washer (and dowel) time to form a solid bond with the base. I usually let the stands to dry overnight. 9) When glue has dried, check the bottoms of the bases for irregularities (especially where the dowel was inserted). Sandpaper will quickly remove any bumps. 10) Painting: Arrange the stands onto a something flat, rigid, and disposable such as a piece of cardboard. Take the stands outdoors and spread out a lot of newspaper beneath your stands. Give the stands several light coats of black spray paint. Let this paint dry as per instructions on the can (at least 5 hours). I found that wearing latex gloves helps keep the leaky spray paint from dirtying the hands. 11) When the paint has dried, test the fit of several of your ships on the stands. Make any adjustments with your x-acto knife, though remember than a loose fit is not correctable. For those tight fits that require you to twist your ships onto the stand, make sure you hold the stand by the dowel (not the base). Conclusion: I know that the Galoob Micromachines are not to scale and can be called "cheesy" by true miniaturists, but I have fun playing the dice game with them. I've played a half dozen multiplayer games with these stands and have broken only one. Next project: a Borg Sphere from styrofoam, flocking, and mosquito netting? Or shall we trot out the Death Stars?