What I actually need is ABS/PVC/styrene/acrylic/whatever plastic tubing with a 1.5" outside diameter. Based on the scale/size of the blueprints I've drafted, the nacelles need to be that thick. So, 1" won't do it.
Studio-scale TOS Shuttlecraft
- Thread starter Eric Ardros
- Start date
trekriffic
Sr Member
TAP has 1.5" OD tubing as well. Click on the link and scroll thru the drop-down menu. Lots of sizes available.
Oh, okay. Thanks!
Alright, so I managed to pick up the acrylic tube I needed for the nacelles.
Didn't even have to order online; I'd forgotten there's a shop in town here that specializes in everything plastic (sheet, tubing, etc.).
I've already marked off the areas that are to be cut out -- forward landing gear, inset step -- and will be doing so tomorrow.
As I've now gotten that material, I have begun cutting out the various parts I traced out on styrene. Pics to follow shortly.
Didn't even have to order online; I'd forgotten there's a shop in town here that specializes in everything plastic (sheet, tubing, etc.).
I've already marked off the areas that are to be cut out -- forward landing gear, inset step -- and will be doing so tomorrow.
As I've now gotten that material, I have begun cutting out the various parts I traced out on styrene. Pics to follow shortly.
My humblest apologies to everyone following this for not having posted this update sooner, but given the aforementioned job situation I've been spending a fair amount of time looking for something else to fill the void left by the previous one.
Anyway, as promised, here are a few progress pics:
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 12 (the beginnings of cutting out the pieces transferred to styrene)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 13 (at this point, I've managed to put the main parts of the upper half of the hull together; the front plate is just loosely taped in place for test fitting)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 14 (wanted to see what the hatch doors would look like, so I taped them in place just to get an idea)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 15 (close-up of said hatch doors)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 16 (good thing I decided to just test fit the front plate, as I discovered I need to trim a bit off the sides; I've got the correct taper to the hull (front to back, top to midpoint), but somehow miss-measured the base of the front plate)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 17 (also decided to test fit the engine housing at the rear, and it's a perfect fit; will cut out the recessed engine vents before gluing in place)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 18 (also started working on the nacelles; the forward landing gear and inset step have already been cut out, and will be working more on those details soon)
That's it for now, I'm afraid. I know it's not much progress as yet, but I've done what I can when not busy looking for work. Questions and comments welcome, as always.
Anyway, as promised, here are a few progress pics:
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 12 (the beginnings of cutting out the pieces transferred to styrene)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 13 (at this point, I've managed to put the main parts of the upper half of the hull together; the front plate is just loosely taped in place for test fitting)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 14 (wanted to see what the hatch doors would look like, so I taped them in place just to get an idea)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 15 (close-up of said hatch doors)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 16 (good thing I decided to just test fit the front plate, as I discovered I need to trim a bit off the sides; I've got the correct taper to the hull (front to back, top to midpoint), but somehow miss-measured the base of the front plate)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 17 (also decided to test fit the engine housing at the rear, and it's a perfect fit; will cut out the recessed engine vents before gluing in place)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 18 (also started working on the nacelles; the forward landing gear and inset step have already been cut out, and will be working more on those details soon)
That's it for now, I'm afraid. I know it's not much progress as yet, but I've done what I can when not busy looking for work. Questions and comments welcome, as always.
trekriffic
Sr Member
That's coming along nicely! Good luck on yur job search by the way.
@ Steve: Thanks, on both counts. I am hopeful to find something else sooner rather than later.
@ Joe: Don't worry, I'm definitely taking the "measure twice, cut once" approach with this. Like you, I've learned that the hard way over the years, lol. With the exception of the front plate, it's all been fitting together perfectly, so that approach is working.
As for the "buy more material" part of it, that's something I'll have to do a bit of tomorrow, lol. Right now I'm just focusing on having enough material on hand to finish the outer hull and nacelles, then once that's taken care of I'll concentrate on fabricating the interior.
I figure building up the interior and all the small details therein will likely take more time to get done than it will building the shuttlecraft itself.
@ Joe: Don't worry, I'm definitely taking the "measure twice, cut once" approach with this. Like you, I've learned that the hard way over the years, lol. With the exception of the front plate, it's all been fitting together perfectly, so that approach is working.
As for the "buy more material" part of it, that's something I'll have to do a bit of tomorrow, lol. Right now I'm just focusing on having enough material on hand to finish the outer hull and nacelles, then once that's taken care of I'll concentrate on fabricating the interior.
I figure building up the interior and all the small details therein will likely take more time to get done than it will building the shuttlecraft itself.
trekriffic
Sr Member
I've often wondered where to get the seats for the interior. Does anyone sell them and in the correct scale you need or will you make them yourself ? If so, how?
Well, as far as I know, there aren't any sources for obtaining the correct scale and style of seats for the interior.
Therefore, I will be scratch-building them myself, using a design sketch I drew recently.
The plan is to make them out of sheet styrene. Actually, I'll only be making one out of styrene, and then molding/casting the rest I need.
Therefore, I will be scratch-building them myself, using a design sketch I drew recently.
The plan is to make them out of sheet styrene. Actually, I'll only be making one out of styrene, and then molding/casting the rest I need.
Here's another quick update:
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 19 (have begun adding the "lip" around the middle; the plan is to have this on both the top and bottom halves, so as to help line up the hull when putting it together)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 20 (these are all the pieces that I have managed to cut out and start working with)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 21 (close-up of the rear section pieces; I've even begun work on the landing gear)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 22 (close-up of the side hatch)
I regret that I don't have more progress to show everyone, given the interest some have shown in my project. The fact of the matter is, I've been busy desperately trying to find another job, and I'm running low on funds to buy more of the materials I need. At this point, I'm scavenging what scrap pieces I can find amongst my prop stuff so I can continue working on this.
I'll try to do what I can and post updates more often. After all, I want to see this get to the molding/casting stage just as much as everyone else.
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 19 (have begun adding the "lip" around the middle; the plan is to have this on both the top and bottom halves, so as to help line up the hull when putting it together)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 20 (these are all the pieces that I have managed to cut out and start working with)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 21 (close-up of the rear section pieces; I've even begun work on the landing gear)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 22 (close-up of the side hatch)
I regret that I don't have more progress to show everyone, given the interest some have shown in my project. The fact of the matter is, I've been busy desperately trying to find another job, and I'm running low on funds to buy more of the materials I need. At this point, I'm scavenging what scrap pieces I can find amongst my prop stuff so I can continue working on this.
I'll try to do what I can and post updates more often. After all, I want to see this get to the molding/casting stage just as much as everyone else.
JFB64
Well-Known Member
You're making great progress Eric and you have nothing to apologize for. I'm sure a lot of us are in the same boat. I just set out a resume today and need to buy over $200.00 worth of materials for my Moon Bus build. I know exactly how you feel. Might I make one suggestion, in future photos, put something in them to show the scale. I know how big it's suppose to be ,but I'm still picturing something the size of the AMT model. I look forward to seeing more and don't get discouraged.
Joe
Joe
Thanks, Joe. Your kind words are greatly appreciated.
Being in the same boat as I am, I imagine you can also understand the frustration in not being able to get more done on a project like this.
On a personal level, I wish I had more done, but given my circumstances I'm doing all I can. Hopefully I'll get this done sooner rather than later.
I really want to see this all come to fruition, not just for myself but for others.
And as you requested, here's a size comparison pic for you, taken with my Motorola Krazr K2 cell phone alongside it:
http://a.imageshack.us/img716/622/dsc00641hh.jpgStudio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 23
To give you an idea of the immense scale of it (compared to AMT/ERTL's version) my cell phone meaures about 4" in length. Big, huh?
heh
Being in the same boat as I am, I imagine you can also understand the frustration in not being able to get more done on a project like this.
On a personal level, I wish I had more done, but given my circumstances I'm doing all I can. Hopefully I'll get this done sooner rather than later.
I really want to see this all come to fruition, not just for myself but for others.
And as you requested, here's a size comparison pic for you, taken with my Motorola Krazr K2 cell phone alongside it:
http://a.imageshack.us/img716/622/dsc00641hh.jpgStudio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 23
To give you an idea of the immense scale of it (compared to AMT/ERTL's version) my cell phone meaures about 4" in length. Big, huh?
heh
Alright, so over the course of the last day or so I really put my nose to the grindstone and focused on getting more done on this. The following pics show my current progress:
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 24 (Finally got the bottom half mostly assembled! Yay!)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 25 (Here's how it fits with the top half; perfect!)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 26 (Another shot of the two halves together, this one from the rear)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 27 (I added a cross brace to help maintain the proper shape; this should help with molding it)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 28 (A quick test-fitting of the hatch components)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 29 (Close-up of hatch components; added a thin styrene layer to the front to show recessed windows)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 30 (Close-up of rear landing gear)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 31 (For such a small part, this is actually pretty big; the hydraulic piston measures 3 1/4" long and the landing pad measures 1" by 2.5")
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 32 (Close-up of the seat assembly; only one of these will be scratch-built for molding/casting)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 33 (Measures 2.5" in height overall)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 34 (The base measures 1 1/4" tall and the chair measures 1 5/8" tall by 2 1/8" wide by 1 3/8" deep)
And there you have it. I have to say, I'm very pleased with the amount of progress I was able to make on this build in just the last day or so. I think this is the most work I've done on it in a single stretch, lol.
Now I can begin working on puttying/filling/sanding the seams and refining some of the finer details, while finishing up the few remaining sub-assemblies (ie. rear panelling underneath main engine, nacelle support struts). More to come.
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 24 (Finally got the bottom half mostly assembled! Yay!)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 25 (Here's how it fits with the top half; perfect!)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 26 (Another shot of the two halves together, this one from the rear)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 27 (I added a cross brace to help maintain the proper shape; this should help with molding it)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 28 (A quick test-fitting of the hatch components)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 29 (Close-up of hatch components; added a thin styrene layer to the front to show recessed windows)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 30 (Close-up of rear landing gear)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 31 (For such a small part, this is actually pretty big; the hydraulic piston measures 3 1/4" long and the landing pad measures 1" by 2.5")
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 32 (Close-up of the seat assembly; only one of these will be scratch-built for molding/casting)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 33 (Measures 2.5" in height overall)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 34 (The base measures 1 1/4" tall and the chair measures 1 5/8" tall by 2 1/8" wide by 1 3/8" deep)
And there you have it. I have to say, I'm very pleased with the amount of progress I was able to make on this build in just the last day or so. I think this is the most work I've done on it in a single stretch, lol.
Now I can begin working on puttying/filling/sanding the seams and refining some of the finer details, while finishing up the few remaining sub-assemblies (ie. rear panelling underneath main engine, nacelle support struts). More to come.
Here's some more WiP pics. I didn't get as much done today as yesterday, but it's something:
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 35 (added the rear panelling underneath where the main engine will be; the top half of the rear panelling will be attached to the top half)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 36 (also finally cut out the front windows)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 37 (here's a better size ref pic for those interested; it's not a Coke can, lol, but I hope this helps to give a general size comparison)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 38 (close-up of the rear panelling on the bottom half)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 39 (here's all the other components made so far and being completed; today's addition was the nacelle support struts)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 35 (added the rear panelling underneath where the main engine will be; the top half of the rear panelling will be attached to the top half)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 36 (also finally cut out the front windows)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 37 (here's a better size ref pic for those interested; it's not a Coke can, lol, but I hope this helps to give a general size comparison)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 38 (close-up of the rear panelling on the bottom half)
Studio-scale Shuttlecraft -- Pic 39 (here's all the other components made so far and being completed; today's addition was the nacelle support struts)
Thanks, Phez! I've wanted to do this particular model for a few years now, so am glad to finally be able to do it
I don't know if I'll have much time to do any work on it this weekend (have a bunch of things to do out of the house both days), but if not hope to have more progress to show everyone early next week.
Stay tuned...
I don't know if I'll have much time to do any work on it this weekend (have a bunch of things to do out of the house both days), but if not hope to have more progress to show everyone early next week.
Stay tuned...
Thanks!
As anyone in the online prop community who knows me is aware, I'm kinda big on scratch-building stuff, lol. Especially in the case of this piece, like the old saying goes: "If you want something done right, do it yourself". Only then will I be happy with the results, and know it's as accurate as can be.
I'm going to go out and try to find some appropriate tubing to cut into quarters to make up the top and bottom edges of the hull, much like what Will ("feek61") did for his own studio-scale build a couple years back. Then I should have everything I need to finish it off.
Hopefully I'll have some time later today to do more work on her.
As anyone in the online prop community who knows me is aware, I'm kinda big on scratch-building stuff, lol. Especially in the case of this piece, like the old saying goes: "If you want something done right, do it yourself". Only then will I be happy with the results, and know it's as accurate as can be.
I'm going to go out and try to find some appropriate tubing to cut into quarters to make up the top and bottom edges of the hull, much like what Will ("feek61") did for his own studio-scale build a couple years back. Then I should have everything I need to finish it off.
Hopefully I'll have some time later today to do more work on her.
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