I'd like to show you what I just finished:
It's a model of one of the flashing beacon things on the Sulaco hangar deck (from Aliens).
I was trying to figure out the dimensions and drawing up plans, and eventually I decided I was never going to get it right unless I made a study model. When I started I was throwing it together pretty fast, as it was never intended to be 'finished' properly. I was printing out sections of my plans on paper and using them as templates, cutting the parts from plasticard and foamex.
However as time went by I realised that I was going to end up painting and finishing it after all. A shame in some ways because if I had been intending it as a proper model I might have done some things differently. But for what it is, I'm satisfied.
If you've never given these pods a second look before, you may be surprised to note that instead of a rotating light they have a rotating 45º mirror with light shining at it from below. The mirror hangs down and is rotated presumably by a motor up under the dome. Unfortunately I couldn't fit a motor in there, so I cheated and put the light in the top, motor below. (The effect is the same.) Three AA batteries (in the boxy part) power a motor and a white LED. It was quite a thrill to get it all together, with the mirror turning and the light flashing around.
I know I've never seen a model of one of these before. It's like one of the 'forgotten props of Aliens'.
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