Re: Vtols on variable height bases.

Robin Fitton wrote:
> I considered a couple of very
> small close fitting brass rods, but getting the perfect fit would be
> difficult.

Actually a decent hobby store will have various sizes of brass rods 
which will fit quite nicely inside each other, in round and square 
cross-sections.

I have used square cross-section rods for mounting some mini spaceships.

  I take about a half inch of a rod and mount it in the bottom of the 
mini, and I take a length of the next size up and mount it on a base. 
The small rod on the mini fits perfectly in the larger rod on the base, 
and since they're square the ship doesn't rotate on the (hex) base 
(obviously one must take care to make sure everything is aligned so the 
ship doesn't end up pointing in some "weird" direction).

I think I used 1/16 and 3/32 inch sizes, not sure off hand though.

ANYWAY, you could do something similar for your VTOLS; take a short 
length of brass rod, put it in the mini's mounting hole.  Take a length 
of the same size rod, put it on a base.  Then just use varying lengths 
of the next size up and swap them in and out to change the height of the

VTOL.

[Warning: bad ASCII diagram follows.]

VTOL
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You could make, say, 1", 2", and 3" height adjustors for different 
height modes.

Cheers,
--Jerry Acord