Another Escape Pod (Masterpiece Models Base)
- Thread starter vectorzero
- Start date
AMT 1/25th W-925 is likely. In either the 1971 or 1974 variants.
The top (non engine end) thrusters are the escape tower shrouds from the Saturn V. In some shots from those published at Modeler's Miniatures and Magic by Patrick Wood, there is clearly nothing inside one of them. Will keep looking. I wonder if its the end of a pipe to feed CO2 or something.
Bondoman
New Member
Holy crap that armature is amazing! I just started my build as well. Would it be possible to buy the armature off you but in lasercut acrylic maybe? I feel like that would save a lot of both material cost, shipping and still keep good structure through the years? (and some model weight ofcourse)
I totally agree, that this bucket might get tested hard through the years to come, depending on mounting
Many thanks. Looks like that’s the part. My kit scan was rather blurry so I missed the match.
Armature installation.
It should be noted that fitting an internal armature like this is a lot of work. Where the uneven interior due to the slush moulding process meets the cad design there are inevitably gaps and clashes. These summary pics don't show the additional cutting and filing of the armature that was necessary to get a snug fit at the key points on the central trench and at the engine end. The welding is quite heavy due to lack of availability of 0.6mm welding rod. The 0.8mm welding rod used means nothing is going to move easily. None of this work will be visible in the end, but its good to know it will be solid for future
All my Star Wars studio scale replicas have been designed around a modified drill SDS system. You screw the SDS widget into the model, and then connect the model to a (custom) stand and secure with a grub screw. So this shot shows the SDS adapter screwed into the armature and protruding correctly through the hole drilled in the casting. Resin is 2cm thick at this end!
Armature spine was welded up, and then was set into position using car filler (pink material) as a seal to stop any material dripping through the main support hole, and gumming up the SDS system. About 20mm depth of fast cast resin was then used to anchor this end to the top of the escape pod.
Once cured the remaining quadrants were put into place and welded to the spine. Difficult work in that small space.
After cooling fastcast resin was poured in and slushed around all the edges. This anchors the armature to the inside of the pod. 6 thin layers were used to build a really strong structure.
It should be noted that fitting an internal armature like this is a lot of work. Where the uneven interior due to the slush moulding process meets the cad design there are inevitably gaps and clashes. These summary pics don't show the additional cutting and filing of the armature that was necessary to get a snug fit at the key points on the central trench and at the engine end. The welding is quite heavy due to lack of availability of 0.6mm welding rod. The 0.8mm welding rod used means nothing is going to move easily. None of this work will be visible in the end, but its good to know it will be solid for future
All my Star Wars studio scale replicas have been designed around a modified drill SDS system. You screw the SDS widget into the model, and then connect the model to a (custom) stand and secure with a grub screw. So this shot shows the SDS adapter screwed into the armature and protruding correctly through the hole drilled in the casting. Resin is 2cm thick at this end!
Armature spine was welded up, and then was set into position using car filler (pink material) as a seal to stop any material dripping through the main support hole, and gumming up the SDS system. About 20mm depth of fast cast resin was then used to anchor this end to the top of the escape pod.
Once cured the remaining quadrants were put into place and welded to the spine. Difficult work in that small space.
After cooling fastcast resin was poured in and slushed around all the edges. This anchors the armature to the inside of the pod. 6 thin layers were used to build a really strong structure.
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The secondary (transit) mounting point is through the side, so was further embedded in even more resin in case it ever gets used for display. Screw and masking tape are there to stop leakage of the resin during curing. You can see the tube (highlighted) welded to the armature.
Then the whole thing is capped off again ready for the main build to start.
Then the whole thing is capped off again ready for the main build to start.
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Looking at the Yorktown I think I see the parts you mean. It's close but the profile is slightly too tall and the hole relatively too small.
The base "cap" has been reinforced using filler to capture the end of the metal armature and lock it into position. This makes the end of the pod solid and free from any flexing which may have shed greeblies in the future due to movement.
The base seam areas have been filled, sanded back and filled again. They have then been finished with 800 grit to provide an optimum key for the detail parts.
The base seam areas have been filled, sanded back and filled again. They have then been finished with 800 grit to provide an optimum key for the detail parts.
Work stands have been fabricated for the detail work. There is a second stand (not shown) which attaches via the mid mount.
The flat surfaces between the edges of the conical shapes have "sunk" during the curing stage by a minimal amount. To ensure the flattest possible surface for the styrene shaped panels the main body has been primed and then block sanded to true up any surface undulations.
You can see from the images that the main areas where the sanding took material off is around these sharp transitional areas. This was probably not enough to affect the capillary action of the super thin CA that will be used, but this preparation will definitely help the alignment and fit of the flat styrene panels.
The flat surfaces between the edges of the conical shapes have "sunk" during the curing stage by a minimal amount. To ensure the flattest possible surface for the styrene shaped panels the main body has been primed and then block sanded to true up any surface undulations.
You can see from the images that the main areas where the sanding took material off is around these sharp transitional areas. This was probably not enough to affect the capillary action of the super thin CA that will be used, but this preparation will definitely help the alignment and fit of the flat styrene panels.
Work on the main cladding is under way. The small squares have been applied to the outer ring of the front ‘door’ detail using Tamiya extra thin cement.
Some adjustment was needed to get these to have the same overall look of the original. The work was done on the model to allow comparison with the reference shots.
Note that the laser cut base layer of cladding panels which sit underneath this area are not yet present. The main cladding sections are significantly shorter than the buck. They will need some reworking to ensure everything lines up before fixing in place.
Some adjustment was needed to get these to have the same overall look of the original. The work was done on the model to allow comparison with the reference shots.
Note that the laser cut base layer of cladding panels which sit underneath this area are not yet present. The main cladding sections are significantly shorter than the buck. They will need some reworking to ensure everything lines up before fixing in place.
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There are two issues to resolve with the laser cut panels supplied in the Masterpiece Models greeblie pack. The first is that some panels are too short and others too long to fit the various sections of the buck. The second is that the buck itself is not a perfect set of frustums. You can see the issue here. The panel does not reach to the next frustum, and the bottom edge is not parallel.
The main panels were recreated in a CAD system. They were then printed out onto paper and applied to the buck to understand the corrections needed. This took 3 three iterations until all the lines matched with the edges of the bucks, and the gaps between the panels themselves were parallel.
Step 1showing adjustment marks.
Step 2 Getting closer.
Step 3 Final adjustment
The main panels were recreated in a CAD system. They were then printed out onto paper and applied to the buck to understand the corrections needed. This took 3 three iterations until all the lines matched with the edges of the bucks, and the gaps between the panels themselves were parallel.
Step 1showing adjustment marks.
Step 2 Getting closer.
Step 3 Final adjustment
Once the main panels were done the rest of the cladding was taped on to get some idea of the trimming needed. The greeblies were also used to get a more accurate position for the nibbled cut outs.
Looking good.
Looking good.
One of the trickiest points so far is getting the large styrene panels to firmly adhere to the resin body - in the right place. Some tests were done with CA and epoxy resin. In the end the super thick CA was used. This is stressful as the risk is the glue going off before the alignment is correct and the tape is applied.
Once the main panels were down the next layer could be applied using styrene cement to create the bond. All edges have been carefully bedded down to avoid creating any undercuts which will look poor at the painting stage.
My preference in studio scale replicas is not to recreate the uneven shapes seen in some of the structural elements. In the rush to make the movie many compromises are made which are not seen in the few seconds the miniature has on screen - especially with a fast moving camera. As I'll be looking at the thing, my wish is to see a model constructed as if the modeller had the time to get the thing just right.
Why say this? Well, there is again a discrepancy between the length of the tapered panels at the engine end and the buck - they're too short. The panels have been extended to eliminate the gap. But the unevenness of length apparent in the reference photographs will not be reproduced so the panels look similar.
Once the main panels were down the next layer could be applied using styrene cement to create the bond. All edges have been carefully bedded down to avoid creating any undercuts which will look poor at the painting stage.
My preference in studio scale replicas is not to recreate the uneven shapes seen in some of the structural elements. In the rush to make the movie many compromises are made which are not seen in the few seconds the miniature has on screen - especially with a fast moving camera. As I'll be looking at the thing, my wish is to see a model constructed as if the modeller had the time to get the thing just right.
Why say this? Well, there is again a discrepancy between the length of the tapered panels at the engine end and the buck - they're too short. The panels have been extended to eliminate the gap. But the unevenness of length apparent in the reference photographs will not be reproduced so the panels look similar.
The window has been recreated by painting the surface of the buck with a high gloss lacquer to look like glass. The final panelling is now going down carefully trimming to ensure alignment and accuracy to the reference shots.
Looking really nice! Good work! I had the same issues with the supplied laser-cut panels and just made my own from scratch, hand-fitting and trimming to shape. No worries if the end result all looks goo and yours is looking great!
I'm going to enjoy watching all the greeblies go on...
Dan
I'm going to enjoy watching all the greeblies go on...
Dan
The trench takes a little work to fit the tank track. You can remove the guide horns from the track so the surface is flat, and it will follow the cylinder smoothly.
Or you can cut a trench for the guide horns so the track will have a more complex bond with the underlying resin a little more strongly. This also avoids spending hours painstakingly removing each horn, so the track does not have lumps and bumps when glued down.
Here's the route of the track horns marked out, then the groove cut. Having coated the interior heavily with resin, there is no danger of cutting the pod in two!
The track attached and looking 'right'.
Or you can cut a trench for the guide horns so the track will have a more complex bond with the underlying resin a little more strongly. This also avoids spending hours painstakingly removing each horn, so the track does not have lumps and bumps when glued down.
Here's the route of the track horns marked out, then the groove cut. Having coated the interior heavily with resin, there is no danger of cutting the pod in two!
The track attached and looking 'right'.
