iambrb
Well-known member
So while recently trying to paint a very small-scale model, I found myself fumbling with it as I tried to hold the part in one hand, the airbrush in the other, and turn the model to get both sides. The human wrist only twists so far, and I remarked “Man, I sure wish I had a turntable.” As the model set drying, I took two Ibuprofen for my wrist, and began doing some research, looking online at big box retailers and even a trip to Lowe’s, looking at the hardware used to build a “Lazy Susan” of sorts. The hardware store route had the extra burden of the parts (Upper & lower surfaces & the ball bearing mechanism, plus build time), and while there is the cat’s meow turntable from Tamiya, it is not inexpensive at almost $25. Being nothing if not cheap, I figured there just had to be another way. While looking at Flea-bay (Ebay) I did a search and came up with “7.5 turntable” and found this link:
http://tinyurl.com/jn3ucyl
The company, TCP Global, is an inland port location in Duncan SC, so while yes, they are items made in China, they are located right here in the US. Also, at $8.99 delivered, it looked like it was worth a shot, so I ordered one. Being that the item was here in the US, it took only a few days to get to me (admittedly I live only about 60 miles/96.6 kilometers from the sender) via a padded envelope. When I broke it out, there were several things that I immediately really liked about it:
1 – No petroleum packaging smell. This was not smothered in grease. It is ready to go as-is
2 – Well molded. It was made out of decently thick material, and was not in any way flimsy
3 – Roller bearing. It had roller bearings and turned VERY smoothly
4 – Design. The overall design was 7.5 inches/19 centimeters, had both little rubber feet on the bottom to prevent slippage, and also the top had a natural ‘lip’ that would protect the bearings/innards from overspray.
In the pics below, I show the item top & bottom, and its relative size with a 1/35th scale KV-2 sitting on it. The last pic shows what it looks like opened up. This is the bottom only; it cleanly shows the location of the bearings (the upper portion had little grooves for the bearings to rid in). That is handy info if you plan to make a detachable stand for it, as I do.
I have only had the opportunity to use this once, but it is proving itself to be a very nifty little item, and fits neatly into the bottom of my toolbox when not in use. If you were considering a turntable but do not want to spend a penny more than you have to, you really should consider this product. Thanks for reading, hope this helps, and happy modeling everyone!
http://tinyurl.com/jn3ucyl
The company, TCP Global, is an inland port location in Duncan SC, so while yes, they are items made in China, they are located right here in the US. Also, at $8.99 delivered, it looked like it was worth a shot, so I ordered one. Being that the item was here in the US, it took only a few days to get to me (admittedly I live only about 60 miles/96.6 kilometers from the sender) via a padded envelope. When I broke it out, there were several things that I immediately really liked about it:
1 – No petroleum packaging smell. This was not smothered in grease. It is ready to go as-is
2 – Well molded. It was made out of decently thick material, and was not in any way flimsy
3 – Roller bearing. It had roller bearings and turned VERY smoothly
4 – Design. The overall design was 7.5 inches/19 centimeters, had both little rubber feet on the bottom to prevent slippage, and also the top had a natural ‘lip’ that would protect the bearings/innards from overspray.
In the pics below, I show the item top & bottom, and its relative size with a 1/35th scale KV-2 sitting on it. The last pic shows what it looks like opened up. This is the bottom only; it cleanly shows the location of the bearings (the upper portion had little grooves for the bearings to rid in). That is handy info if you plan to make a detachable stand for it, as I do.
I have only had the opportunity to use this once, but it is proving itself to be a very nifty little item, and fits neatly into the bottom of my toolbox when not in use. If you were considering a turntable but do not want to spend a penny more than you have to, you really should consider this product. Thanks for reading, hope this helps, and happy modeling everyone!
