The Studio Scale Tie Fighter Project
- Thread starter DaveG
- Start date
crackerjazz
Sr Member
Woooooooooow
!!!!
!!!!
SeargentSpecter
New Member
Love it, love it, love it! :thumbsup
Time to get started with fabrication of the hull. While all the detail parts will be 3D printed I wanted to use EMA domes for the hull, as the original had been made. The computer model file was used though to create the various cutting paths for the CNC (Computer Numerical Control) router which was used to make all the modifications to the domes.
Since I plan to mold the hull, I neither needed nor wanted it to be hollow. First the areas to be milled flat for the cockpit and tail cone were filled with epoxy sculpting putty, backed up with a disc of plexiglas for extra strength and allowed to set overnight until the epoxy hardened. The domes have also been sandblasted to both aid in the adhesion of the epoxy and make laying out the scores lines later with a pencil easier.
To hold the domes in place on the CNC router while milling, a circular channel was cut in a scrap of MDF into which the dome fit snugly. The dome was then clamped down with another piece of MDF with a circular hole in it.
The top of the dome was milled down to the correct height followed by a recessed pocket to fit the parts to be added during final assembly.
The two halves of the hull with the first sides milled out. The smaller holes are for jigging the domes up for the next steps.
Next the other areas to be milled out were filled with epoxy putty and the larger ones backed with plex.
To help align the two domes during gluing little tabs of styrene were glued along the outside edges alternating sides. The domes were glued together with JB Kwik Weld epoxy and clamped by running a threaded rod through the small holes and using blocks of MDF to evening distribute the clamping force.
After the epoxy had set up for about five minutes, I used a single edge razor blade to slice off the styrene tabs and still soft epoxy that has squished out of the joint. After another two hours, the JB Weld had completely set and I was able to wet sand the joint smooth.
To hold the ball while milling it was necessary to make a custom jig fixture. Two square pieces of MDF were cut on the CNC with a circular recess. The ball was then sandwiched between these plates and the whole assembly held together with a threaded rod run through the center.
A rectangular pocket was milled in another piece of MDF into which the jigged up ball could be clamped in register using the little notches milled in the square plates.
Then the top and bottoms, as well as mounting holes for the wing pylons, could be milled out in succession, rotating the jig 90 degrees and clamping it back down between sides.
The hull with all the milling complete. Ready for scribing the panel lines.
Since I plan to mold the hull, I neither needed nor wanted it to be hollow. First the areas to be milled flat for the cockpit and tail cone were filled with epoxy sculpting putty, backed up with a disc of plexiglas for extra strength and allowed to set overnight until the epoxy hardened. The domes have also been sandblasted to both aid in the adhesion of the epoxy and make laying out the scores lines later with a pencil easier.
To hold the domes in place on the CNC router while milling, a circular channel was cut in a scrap of MDF into which the dome fit snugly. The dome was then clamped down with another piece of MDF with a circular hole in it.
The top of the dome was milled down to the correct height followed by a recessed pocket to fit the parts to be added during final assembly.
The two halves of the hull with the first sides milled out. The smaller holes are for jigging the domes up for the next steps.
Next the other areas to be milled out were filled with epoxy putty and the larger ones backed with plex.
To help align the two domes during gluing little tabs of styrene were glued along the outside edges alternating sides. The domes were glued together with JB Kwik Weld epoxy and clamped by running a threaded rod through the small holes and using blocks of MDF to evening distribute the clamping force.
After the epoxy had set up for about five minutes, I used a single edge razor blade to slice off the styrene tabs and still soft epoxy that has squished out of the joint. After another two hours, the JB Weld had completely set and I was able to wet sand the joint smooth.
To hold the ball while milling it was necessary to make a custom jig fixture. Two square pieces of MDF were cut on the CNC with a circular recess. The ball was then sandwiched between these plates and the whole assembly held together with a threaded rod run through the center.
A rectangular pocket was milled in another piece of MDF into which the jigged up ball could be clamped in register using the little notches milled in the square plates.
Then the top and bottoms, as well as mounting holes for the wing pylons, could be milled out in succession, rotating the jig 90 degrees and clamping it back down between sides.
The hull with all the milling complete. Ready for scribing the panel lines.
MonsieurTox
Master Member
Great job Dave ! I love all those CNC tricks and jigs ! Cant wait to see more !
I'll take the pic of the part you want asap !
I'll take the pic of the part you want asap !
Hi guys.
Just happened to stop by this thread and noticed people are looking for original 1970's Koolshade. A friend of mine (who is not a member here) tells me he has acquired some Koolshade (original 1977) that he's willing to sell. Some is dusty and needs washing but is in mint condition otherwise. Send an email to me "jim@smallartworks.ca" and I'll pass your name along to him and then you can deal with him directly. Hope it's OK for me to post this here. If not, mods please delete or place where you think it should go. I figured since this was a TIE thread it could be best placed here.
Thanks.
Just happened to stop by this thread and noticed people are looking for original 1970's Koolshade. A friend of mine (who is not a member here) tells me he has acquired some Koolshade (original 1977) that he's willing to sell. Some is dusty and needs washing but is in mint condition otherwise. Send an email to me "jim@smallartworks.ca" and I'll pass your name along to him and then you can deal with him directly. Hope it's OK for me to post this here. If not, mods please delete or place where you think it should go. I figured since this was a TIE thread it could be best placed here.
Thanks.
ALL FINISHED!!!
Okay, not really! I was at Comic Con last week and had the opportunity to pick up a mint-in-box TIE from EFX (at list price no less!) and as much as I would have liked to have finished my own DIY version, it was just too good a deal to pass up.
And besides, as I like to say, It's my favorite color... the color "Done"!
It's a bit of a shame after all the work I put into the CG model, but that was, in many ways, an end in it's own. Besides, I might make the files available open source through a Creative Commons license, haven't decided yet.
Okay, not really! I was at Comic Con last week and had the opportunity to pick up a mint-in-box TIE from EFX (at list price no less!) and as much as I would have liked to have finished my own DIY version, it was just too good a deal to pass up.
And besides, as I like to say, It's my favorite color... the color "Done"!
It's a bit of a shame after all the work I put into the CG model, but that was, in many ways, an end in it's own. Besides, I might make the files available open source through a Creative Commons license, haven't decided yet.
I don't have any of the Tamiya paint to compare it to. If someone wants to send me a paint chip I'll shoot and post some comparison pics.
Where did you find the Harrier Jet pilot?
You have to read the fine print... As stated, that's not my finished model, that's an EFX Collectibles TIE purchased at Comic Con last week.
crowe t
Well-Known Member
Is the studio Tie Fighter Pilot actually a Harrier Jet Pilot? If so what kit did it come from?
