Bouncing around working on a few things this week. Started on the canopy and cockpit layout. Also worked some more on the engine platform as well as scribed in the side door.
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Chronicles of Riddick C-19 Undercutter Build
- Thread starter Blitzkreig
- Start date
Bouncing around working on a few things this week. Started on the canopy and cockpit layout. Also worked some more on the engine platform as well as scribed in the side door.
Plugged away on the conopy a little bit tonight. I vacuum formed multiple canopies out of old styrene signs to use to make window templates. Artist tape helped me lay out the canopy frame. It took about four tries before I finally got the look and shape I was looking for.
The image above also shows the fairing along the front of the fuselage. I'm still working out the shape of it. I figured I would just cut one of the canopies in half and then trim to the shape that matches the fairing. But once you lean the faring out a little bit, the front of it doesn't wrap around far enough so I ended up having to use one full canopy for each side.
Below I'm adding some detail from the films for the archway behind the cockpit. Roughing things in with pencil. To frame later with styrene.
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Thank you sirThat looks really good
Feel like I finally nailed the canopy layout. So I went ahead and cut out the template and traced the pattern onto my wooden vacu-form plug. I'm going to build the frame out of plastruct right on top of the plug.
Still working on the fairings at the front. I think they need to be a little smaller. Making progress.
Thanks, ya its got me excited about the build again.
Thanks, I've been looking forward to this part.Cockpit look mighty good
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A little cuttin' and carvin' today. Trimmed out the canopy area using my Dremel Lite. A great little tool. But I think my favorite is this little metal ruler below. I use the edge of it to just carve the styrene. It shapes things like a mini Rasp. And has the added bonus of leaving a smooth surface.
So my intention was to build the canopy frame over the vacu-form plug below. I had placed some wax paper under the canopy body to keep excess glue from sticking to the wood. Something from my days building Balsa Free Flight planes over a blueprint. Just make sure the waxier side faces up. Anyway, I found that it was harder to manipulate the pieces without access to the underside. So now I'm just using the plug for alignment and building free hand.
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joberg
Legendary Member
Nice KorschView attachment 1755456
A little cuttin' and carvin' today. Trimmed out the canopy area using my Dremel Lite. A great little tool. But I think my favorite is this little metal ruler below. I use the edge of it to just crave the styrene. It shapes things like a mini Rasp. And has the added bonus of leaving a smooth surface.
View attachment 1755457
So my intention was to build the canopy frame over the vacu-form plug below. I had placed some wax paper under the canopy body to keep excess glue from sticking to the wood. Something from my days building Balsa Free Flight planes over a blueprint. Just make sure the waxier side faces up. Anyway, I found that it was harder to manipulate the pieces without access to the underside. So now I'm just using the plug for alignment and building free hand.
View attachment 1755458
View attachment 1755463
View attachment 1755464
I got some more work in on the Cockpit Canopy this week. Assembled a lot of the framing. Still need to complete the left side, but I thought I would share some progress. I'm still working on the window panels and finalizing the fairing size. Also, I'm thinking I'll add the weld lines to the Fairings and nose. An interesting thing I noticed studying the ship is that it's both cast and then welded as well as riveted and bolted together. I wanted to add the protective window panels too. So, I made the frame with different sizes of H Channel as well as Half Round and Strip Styrene. The panels slide nicely within their channel with enough room for windows. I wasn't sure if I was going to add window glass. Ya know maybe keep the ship as more of a filming model. But with such large window area and it being a static display. I think I'm going to go ahead and add the clear canopy. What do you think?
A few build photos below and my tool of the week. This great electric pen eraser. I know it sounds crazy an eraser, but I write all over the styrene as I build. This eraser works great removing the pencil lines as well as any blemishes from the surface. And it holds a USB charge for months.
I've always dug the lines of this ship.
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Thank you sir
Ya it has some interesting features. Here is another angle showing the protective plates collapsing down off the windows.Wow...I'll have to watch that movie again; had forgotten how detailed were those cockpit windows
Like an isopod…
Ya the panels do overlap like an isopod
Finished up the framing with the right side. It went smoothly. Modeling is at its best when you're in the groove, right?
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joberg
Legendary Member
Very clean
Modeling is great when, as you said, you're not only in the groove but everything fits/works well the first time around
