Another Escape Pod (Masterpiece Models Base)

[vectorzero]

I swore I would stop at 4 ANH replicas, but well, you know.... (Note there are hyperlinks in the text below to link to the referred RPF articles)

Anyway, after Jason was kind enough to get the greeblies cast for the escape pod and I just happened to be in Vancouver before the world went wrong, I managed to not only buy these wonderful pieces (Greeblie pack 08 and Greeblie pack 09) but also get the factory tour of Masterpiece Models! A great day.

Now that Dan is well under way with his project here, I thought I'd also start a build thread because one can never have enough of the escape pod.

The castings are excellent, in particular the pod itself which is a lovely piece of resin slush casting. But as I'm paranoid I wanted to ensure stability of this large piece of resin so it still looks good in 10 years time. Cue Andy (flyscriber) to undertake the construction and painting and to come up with engineering solutions to make the replica solid enough to outlast us all. You may remember Andy's armature work on the Y Wing and the TIE fighter, which are works of art in their own right.

We're at the armature design and further research stage, so this one could take a while.

 

[vectorzero]

Here's the initial view of how the metal armature will look, and how it will insert into the main body. The metal structure will be bonded into the resin body to take the stress of mounting and to counter any distortion through the course of time and any temperature changes in the environment.

 

[3DImpact]

Oh gosh - now you have me paranoid about mine lasting for years!

But this is really neat! Will be watching with attention - great idea to stabilize the structure...

Dan

 

[vectorzero]

Whilst the design is under way, there are a few cast pieces which I'm going to swap for original parts. Although the castings are good, some of the parts are very small and the details are so hair like they are near impossible to remove from the casting flash.

I've identified a fair few of these parts using the published parts maps, but I'm stumped on a few of them. C, D and F are particularly hard.

A = McLaren M23, B = Airfix 1/600 Scharnhorst (2 parts), Airfix 1/600 Bismarck (3 parts)
C = ?, D = ?, E = 1/24th Bandai Panther G or Jagdpanther
F= ?

 

[vectorzero]

I can see all except A in the photograph Jason took of the donor parts before casting.

 

[dirtydave]

A is from Tamiya 1/12 Yardley McLaren M23.

 

[vectorzero]

A is from Tamiya 1/12 Yardley McLaren M23.

Thanks Dave. Am I right in saying that those are these parts on the original? Sprue E, parts 12 or 13?

 

[vectorzero]

E is Bandai 1/24th Jagdpanther D12.

 

[dirtydave]

Yes.The cast that came with my kit look really good.Unless you already have the M23 kit I would use the ones from the kit.The M23 is not a cheap model.

 

[dirtydave]

Found E last night.Really expensive model.

E is Bandai 1/24th Jagdpanther D12.

 

[Scott Graham]

Here's the initial view of how the metal armature will look, and how it will insert into the main body. The metal structure will be bonded into the resin body to take the stress of mounting and to counter any distortion through the course of time and any temperature changes in the environment.

View attachment 1278925View attachment 1278926

Is there any chance I could buy an armature from Andy. This solution would help me with my concerns about the stability of mine too!

 

[vectorzero]

Found E last night.Really expensive model.

Yep. Of course I sold my mine AND my McLaren recently.

 

[3DImpact]

Yep. Of course I sold my mine AND my McLaren recently.

Oh gosh :-(

Dan

 

[Flyscriber]

Is there any chance I could buy an armature from Andy. This solution would help me with my concerns about the stability of mine too!

If you need an armature i can certainly get one cut for you. There are many changes to make to the design at this stage. Once it is completed and measurements checked ill let you know. Be aware that it may not be a plug and play, it may need some tweaking to fit each model as i have no control over the thickness of the main body casting.

 

[Scott Graham]

If you need an armature i can certainly get one cut for you. There are many changes to make to the design at this stage. Once it is completed and measurements checked ill let you know. Be aware that it may not be a plug and play, it may need some tweaking to fit each model as i have no control over the thickness of the main body casting.

Thank you! Sent pm‘s to you both!

 

[vectorzero]

The stash has been raided and orders placed for some necessary donors to ensure the tiny detail parts are as sharp as possible. The design for the internal armature is now complete and the CAD file has been sent to the laser cutter. The armature will be cut from 2mm steel.

While that's happening the engine end has been removed from the body. The large hole will allow the sections of the armature to be inserted and then spot welded together in place.

For further rigidity the inside has been reinforced with two layers of fibreglass matt. The armature is slightly undersized to allow for variations in the wall thickness of the casting. The gaps between armature and the interior wall will be bridged with a low exotherm filler. The fibreglass should ensure a good key between filler and armature making the pod really stable over time.

 

[vectorzero]

Internal armature laser cut from 2mm steel. Test assembled and inserted to check clearances.

In keeping with the other models in the collection there will be a couple of mounting points. A primary display mount and a secondary mount which will be used in conjunction with the primary for securing the model during transit. You can see the principle in play below with the TIE X-1. The primary mount is at the rear, with a secondary mount in the base of the cockpit sphere. The travel rig locks the model securely from the back and below to ensure all the stresses and shocks go through to the armature and not the resin.

 

[vectorzero]

Still looking for assistance on C,D and F from post #4. moffeaton ?

 

[dirtydave]

Found these on SSM.D = Aurara 1/600 Iowa.F = Fujimi 1/700 Kongo.

 

[Sparky70]

C - Airfix 1/600 Graf Spee