orthofox
Well-Known Member
I've been out of the modeling mode for several months now due to my work schedule getting dramatically worse recently. This has been a major diversion from my main project, a 1:72 scale replica of the HMS Pegasus 1776.
With a very small window of opportunity several weeks ago, I thought I could knock out a VERY quick and brief scratch-built, kit-based speeder bike inspired by those in the Star Wars universe, but a bit more in the style of Ian McQue, but less utilitarian and more....built for speed. Like a racing speeder bike. However, what was originally intended to be a weekend "throw-away" excuse just to get to fool around in my shop on a rainy Sunday afternoon has now developed into a bit of a thing....as things of this nature do.
What inspired me? This clipper guard that came with some beard trimmers:
I just thought, Man - that would be the most awesome grill on the engine of some kind of speeder bike.
So I dove into a bunch of old models I bought from an antique store for $5 each and found the makings of a the body of my speeder bike in a model plane - the type with the super fat but short fuselage. After attaching a couple of the components with a literal piece of sprue, I could see what I wanted this thing to be:
"
On to building an engine. It started with a contact lens enzymatic cleaner kit - the type with cages that hold your contacts as you immerse the entire thing in a peroxide bath to de-calcify them...
I wanted this to be 1/35 scale as that would match some other Ian McQue kit builds I'm working on. Plus, I have a couple of 1/35 scale WWII German motorcycle kits from which I could pull a rider and maybe the chassis of a vintage bike to use. But back to the engine. I started adding on parts...
A chunk of plastic laying around my shop from God knows what. I hope I don't figure out what this is used for a year from now and realize I actually need it back.
More of that airplane's parts:
And then a part I printed on my 3D printer that I thought looked cool.
Bashed together with some other parts from another WWII German bomber kit, and I've got the start of my engine.
And after a bit of primer on the engine block and the assembled body frame that the engine will fit in:
Next up: Assembling and weathering the the front half of the speeder.
With a very small window of opportunity several weeks ago, I thought I could knock out a VERY quick and brief scratch-built, kit-based speeder bike inspired by those in the Star Wars universe, but a bit more in the style of Ian McQue, but less utilitarian and more....built for speed. Like a racing speeder bike. However, what was originally intended to be a weekend "throw-away" excuse just to get to fool around in my shop on a rainy Sunday afternoon has now developed into a bit of a thing....as things of this nature do.
What inspired me? This clipper guard that came with some beard trimmers:
I just thought, Man - that would be the most awesome grill on the engine of some kind of speeder bike.
So I dove into a bunch of old models I bought from an antique store for $5 each and found the makings of a the body of my speeder bike in a model plane - the type with the super fat but short fuselage. After attaching a couple of the components with a literal piece of sprue, I could see what I wanted this thing to be:
"
On to building an engine. It started with a contact lens enzymatic cleaner kit - the type with cages that hold your contacts as you immerse the entire thing in a peroxide bath to de-calcify them...
I wanted this to be 1/35 scale as that would match some other Ian McQue kit builds I'm working on. Plus, I have a couple of 1/35 scale WWII German motorcycle kits from which I could pull a rider and maybe the chassis of a vintage bike to use. But back to the engine. I started adding on parts...
A chunk of plastic laying around my shop from God knows what. I hope I don't figure out what this is used for a year from now and realize I actually need it back.
More of that airplane's parts:
And then a part I printed on my 3D printer that I thought looked cool.
Bashed together with some other parts from another WWII German bomber kit, and I've got the start of my engine.
And after a bit of primer on the engine block and the assembled body frame that the engine will fit in:
Next up: Assembling and weathering the the front half of the speeder.
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