Sci-fi kitbash

[Andy T]

I fancied trying my hand at something different, so when this image popped up on Instagram (2092lab) I figured I'd have a go at making something in a similar style.



I picked up a bargain apache kit from Ebay, deconstructed one I had on my shelf, and got my box of scraps out to make a start:



First up was to mark up the fuselage for surgery:



No going back now!



And here's the stubby bobtailed result, getting a floor:



Wifey was out for the evening so I carried on, making a start on the underside of the front section. Obviously it all looks very rough, ready and unbalanced right now but hopefully it should start coming together as I define more of the shapes

 

[Waspie]

I fancied trying my hand at something different, so when this image popped up on Instagram (2092lab) I figured I'd have a go at making something in a similar style.

View attachment 504486

I picked up a bargain apache kit from Ebay, deconstructed one I had on my shelf, and got my box of scraps out to make a start:

View attachment 504487

First up was to mark up the fuselage for surgery:

View attachment 504488

No going back now!

View attachment 504489

And here's the stubby bobtailed result, getting a floor:

View attachment 504490

Wifey was out for the evening so I carried on, making a start on the underside of the front section. Obviously it all looks very rough, ready and unbalanced right now but hopefully it should start coming together as I define more of the shapes

View attachment 504491

This is going to a fun fix to follow!!

 

[Tim Marlow]

Great start. Looking forward to this…..

 

[Airborne01]

Looks like it's going to be a cracker!
Steve

 

[Jim R]

Sitting comfortably and watching with interest. Quite a dramatic start.

 

[Stefee]

This I gotta see, will bring sleeping bag and suitable supplies.

 

[Andy T]

Thanks all, quite a following already!

Last nights insomnia was caused by working out a way to pin the wings, since they might be a bit fragile. That led to - "why not make them swivel so it could perform VTOL?"

Those voices in my head will get me into trouble one day...

 

[RonGlass]

Thanks all, quite a following already!

Last nights insomnia was caused by working out a way to pin the wings, since they might be a bit fragile. That led to - "why not make them swivel so it could perform VTOL?"

Those voices in my head will get me into trouble one day...

Sorry Andy, I was distracted by the voices inside my head. What was that you say ?

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Okay, it's a bit late to say this now, but with a build like this, it's always ALWAYS a good idea to have some kind of plan as to where you're going. A rough sketch, or even a solid idea in your head. Some people just throw stuff together at random. I think half of Games Workshop 'designers' do that
And it certainly looks like you do, indeed, have a PLAN

 

[Andy T]

Thanks Chris, although I'm not sure there's that much of a plan. I have an idea and inspiration though, which is where I usually struggle.

For the wings I started out by drilling through the fuselage to accept some styrene tube, 3mm od, 2mm id:



With that fixed in place I ran some more tube (2x1mm) through to link the wings together, and put some 1mm copper wire inside that. A 2mm hole was right on the limit for the size of the wings so I had an oops moment where it broke through, but once glued & sanded it's fine:



Hopefully you can work it out - the wings will be glued to the thinner tube, which can rotate inside the wider tube. The wire core just adds a bit more strength.

With both rear wings on:



The process was repeated for the front pair:



Another reason for adding the wire was to give me a bit of adjustment as I never imagined my drilling would be spot on. It's come out very close to what I wanted though - level at the rear, slightly anhedral at the front:



I'm still trying to figure out a way to do the top of the front fuselage. I've trashed plenty of styrene sheet trying to mould it so might end up just building it out of layers like the underside. That means lots of sanding though. Where's that 3d printer when you need one!

 

[Gern]

Could you build frames then add thin sheet strips to them like the wooden boat builders do?

 

[Andy T]

Yes, that's an option I've seen used.

I'm just experimenting at the moment, making "hoops" of fairly thick styrene strips. That should get me close to the shape I want (tapering towards the front) while being thick enough to sand some material out



I'm just messing around with the settings on my heat gun to soften it enough to bend evenly.

 

[Mickc1440]

Great idea Andy and nicely executed so far, I’ll join the throng

 

[Jakko]

I like what you’re building there

 

[Waspie]

Some seriously advanced ‘Blue Petering’ going on there Andy.

 

[Andy T]

Thanks chaps

Some seriously advanced ‘Blue Petering’ going on there Andy.

I never earned a badge as a youth so I'm trying my best now

 

[SteveT]

Wow, this is hard core stuff! Can't wait to see more. Superb!

 

[Andy T]

Many thanks Steve, your wish is my command

After some testing, playing the strip over my heat gun at 300°C for 20 seconds softened it just enough to be moulded around a make up brush ferrule:



I made plenty. There are a few test rejects in the picture too:



Lined up in size order, they were then trimmed and glued in place one by one:





After some shaping with a rotary tool then sanding with 60 grit, we're starting to get the shape I'm after:

 

[Jim R]

You're full of clever ideas Andy. What's the saying "Necessity is the mother of invention". I like the rotating wing mechanism and the front shaping. What else will you have to figure out before this is done

 

[Jakko]

That’s a cool solution to the problem — I like it