ANH * Death Star Laser Turret

[wasili]

Hey guys,

While drawing, i thought it nice to put some of my 3d modelled Turret kitparts together in a simple render. For some parts i went crazy and even put the injection molded taper in them. I also see a purpose for these parts in future projects, so why not...

Cheers,
Wasili

 

[moffeaton]

That is some serious stuff.

 

[Watson]

awesome

 

[dsp5500]

Where are the Sprue's? :lol

 

[Talkierg]

Great stuff:thumbsup

 

[TazMan2000]

That's very wise Wasili. In the future these kits will be harder and harder to get and become more expensive.

TazMan2000

Hey guys,

While drawing, i thought it nice to put some of my 3d modelled Turret kitparts together in a simple render. For some parts i went crazy and even put the injection molded taper in them. I also see a purpose for these parts in future projects, so why not...

Cheers,
Wasili

[url]http://i345.photobucket.com/albums/p377/bubblejumper/DS%20Laser%20Turret/Wasili-DSLaserTurretwip013-1.jpg[/URL]

 

[jawsmodels]

Thats fantastic work.

 

[Scott Graham]

That's nuts Wasili. Making the parts in 3d on the computer really does seem like a way to save the kit parts for the future. Why not give the whole sea lab kit a shot?!

 

[Lee S]

That's great!! I should send you the Galactica parts I made years ago for the CG model. Growing the smaller pieces will be easier than casting them soon.

 

[stonky]

Great stuff! May I ask, what's your 3D modeling software of choice?

 

[joewhite]

CRAZY! But cool!!!

 

[wasili]

Guys, thanx for the enthusiasm. :thumbsup :thumbsup

Previously i would simply take a given dimension from a kitpart (length or whatever) and draw it as a line on the pic. It's effective, but not as effective as seeing the parts in 3d compiled on the turret. Based on those, i did a 3 day re-tweek of the turret, burning the midnight oil, to get this accurate. I believe i'm as accurate i can be at this moment.

@ Lee:
Would love to see those CG kitparts you made. I always have the railgun parts in mind from the earlier radiosity renders. And thanx for offering.

@ Stonky:
I use Rhino 3D as my preferred 3d modelling software. Fits in nicely with AutoCAD for 2d and my cnc software/hardware.

Other news. I spent the entire day machining parts for the top (including multiples), and will have the all final parts up tomorrow.

Cheers,
Wasili

 

[moffeaton]

Woo!
Great news!

 

[Jedi Dade]

Wow - are those ready to be printed?

Jedi Dade

 

[wasili]

Hey guys,

Some heavy Turbo days gone past. Have been machining like hell, burning the midnight oil, refining each part before going to the cnc. At the same time, i could run multiple sets of parts on the machine

The thrill is high at the moment. And i've been running the music during the ANH trench run in my head over and over again in the past days.

I've said it before, but finally tomorrow is D-Day

Until then, here's the parts breakdown for the barrel set: styrene assembled boxes + abs plastruct machined barrels. This is what you will get. All the parts for one set: \/

The boxes are made from 2mm styrene. They're hollow, as you can see, so they weigh next to nothing. After sanding smooth, i add some putty to fill up where necessary, and then sand again. Kill me for it, but i do need me some putty. I know it'll all be covered in parts, but that's not the point. \/

The aft boxes have two 'fins' each. They will be loose, so you will have to glue these yourself. Here's a pic of the box + fins. \/

One note on the fitting of the ABS tubing and the boxes. The boxes have machined perfect round holes ( i even went to a fellow modelmaker to use his very expensive machine). But the ABS tubing can be a tad off, a bit oval in exxageration. And by that i mean on one side the diameter is +0.1 or -0.2mm, and on the other side it's -0.1 or -0.2. Just so you know.

Now for some play time.

Assembled:

Okidoki, i'll get me some shut-eye. Tomorrow i'll also get back to those that have PM-ed in the past two days. I haven't forgotten about you. Was only using the lone braincell for something else.

Have a good one.

Cheers,
Wasili

 

[moffeaton]

Above and beyond!!!

 

[Talkierg]

Great update:thumbsup Love it:love

 

[Scott Graham]

Great job Wasili!

 

[wasili]

Thanx guys.

Oh, and Scott, with you talking about doing 3d modelling of the Sealab. I really want to 3d model the parts of the Sea Lab and the Entext Porsche, but i have neither. And working from pics doesn't work for me.

As for the turret...

I machined all the parts of the top. Last thing to do for the set is to do the engraved lines on the outside of the 5 panels. I'm doing that now, but having a bit difficulty getting up to speed today :sleep..I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, though.....opcorn

Cheers,
Wasili

 

[wasili]

Holy Batman,

Already 4 days without a pic. Time for a quick shot up the vains......

Quick turret assembly with tape, NO glue. \/

The T-profile is NOT INCLUDED in the kit. I'll get the exact Plastruct# (ABS T-profile, 4.8mmx4.8mm - 1.5mm thick) out for you guys. The rest you see here, is. \/

I didn't even bother to bend the 1+0.5mm sheets in the middle of the 'canyon'. The inside walls have slots, so i could slide them in position. The thin strip on the T's is laying loose, and i gave it a bit of a bend. \/

"But W, how do i get those frikkin T-profile bits in the exact right spot ?". Good question, mista builder. The inside walls are indexed with tiny dots, indicating the position. And check them well, on the top rear they are closer together. \/

And sorry for the blueish shots, we had a clear sky when i shot them.

Have a good one. I'm off to make fried rice with chicken, corn and cashewnuts. Quick and dirty, unlike my models :lol

Cheers,
Wasili


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EDIT: T-Profile at Plastruct is T-6. You will need to cut 100x of these pieces at 3 different lengths (max about 21mm), so with cuts included, you need about 3 mtr.
http://www.plastruct.com/pages/OnlineProductDetail.lasso?-op='eq'&CCode=T-6

For Euro customers, E.M.A. in London, UK calls it PST-6. Same stuff though.
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