MANDO STARFIGHTER

[Duncanator]

Yup, the Naboo fighter was one of the first models I was tasked with when I joined the art department up at Skywalker Ranch.
I'll snap some pictures when I get home tonight

 

[Hunk a Junk]

Thanks hunk a junk...Yep, I have those screen grabs but I was hoping to find some close ups of the engine greeblies/cockpit. If u want any of the files to scale down and print for your build, just let me know.

I will let you know! I'm having fun for now doing some rudimentary cad work. I need to improve my skills so I can someday (I hope) approach your level!

 

[Hunk a Junk]

I don't have any references of the Mando N-1, but I do have production castings of the Ep1 N-1 maquette if that is of any use.
I did the original sculpt of the N-1 for design development as part of the Art Department on Ep1.
They used my maquette as reference for the CG models, full sized set pieces and pyro models.

I would love to see these! The Mando version has some clear differences, especially the ribs on the engine spikes and some details where the cockpit bubble closes. I'm also curious just as general knowledge if it was ever discussed whether the ship had landing gear. The Ep1 panel lines on the lower hull suggest gear doors (and I think the cross section book indicates gear) but the racks in the Naboo hangar seems to indicate gear were never intended.

 

[Analyzer]

Excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor

 

[RonS]

Excellent work!
Love that ship!

 

[Duncanator]

I snapped a few pics of my N1 maquette castings, and here they are!

And, yes Hunk a Junk, there were gear doors scribed into the maquette. If I recall correctly, the landing gear was to look similar to the Queen's ship landing gear - kinda' curved and pointy.

I also included a door for loading R2 from below. My "logic" for that was that he was oriented sideways, with one shoulder facing forward.
Since his head could rotate all around, he didn't need his body facing forward, after all.

The original drawings had a more flat bottom. I added the "boat-hull" bottom as well as the chines (or winglets) along the fuselage edges.
I still have the original wooden model tucked away somewhere (I'll see if I can find that too). It has the wings coming straight onto the body without the curves at the wing root. It shows how the design developed as we went.

Sorry I couldn't do a straight side view - the foreground engine blocked the fuselage contour.

You can see the straight rifling on the torpedo barrel in this shot (as well as bubbles in the leading edge of the casting).

 

[Eruonen]

I snapped a few pics of my N1 maquette castings, and here they are!

And, yes Hunk a Junk, there were gear doors scribed into the maquette. If I recall correctly, the landing gear was to look similar to the Queen's ship landing gear - kinda' curved and pointy.

I also included a door for loading R2 from below. My "logic" for that was that he was oriented sideways, with one shoulder facing forward.
Since his head could rotate all around, he didn't need his body facing forward after all.

The original drawings had a more flat bottom. I added the "boat-hull" bottom as well as the chines (or winglets) along the fuselage edges.
I still have the original wooden model tucked away somewhere (I'll see if I can find that too). It has the wings coming straight onto the body without the curves at the wing root. It shows how the design developed as we went.

View attachment 1551213

View attachment 1551214View attachment 1551215
View attachment 1551216

Sorry I couldn't do a straight side view - the foreground engine blocked the fuselage contour.

View attachment 1551217

You can see the straight rifling on the torpedo barrel in this shot (as well as bubbles in the leading edge of the casting).

This has been my favorite single seat starfighter since the moment I first saw it. So cool to see and hear about this

 

[joberg]

TFS your wonderful work with us Duncanator

 

[GEEK1138]

Wow, thanks dude...these will really help to compare to when fairing my lines. Love the logic on the R2 hatch.
Just thinking ahead...if anyone has a hi-res image of the HUD panels...I'm thinking to have them at least lit up with the other blinky lights in the cockpit. I have this screen grab but it's cropped and a bit blurry;

 

[Analyzer]

I snapped a few pics of my N1 maquette castings, and here they are!

And, yes Hunk a Junk, there were gear doors scribed into the maquette. If I recall correctly, the landing gear was to look similar to the Queen's ship landing gear - kinda' curved and pointy.

I also included a door for loading R2 from below. My "logic" for that was that he was oriented sideways, with one shoulder facing forward.
Since his head could rotate all around, he didn't need his body facing forward after all.

The original drawings had a more flat bottom. I added the "boat-hull" bottom as well as the chines (or winglets) along the fuselage edges.
I still have the original wooden model tucked away somewhere (I'll see if I can find that too). It has the wings coming straight onto the body without the curves at the wing root. It shows how the design developed as we went.

View attachment 1551213

View attachment 1551214View attachment 1551215
View attachment 1551216

Sorry I couldn't do a straight side view - the foreground engine blocked the fuselage contour.

View attachment 1551217

You can see the straight rifling on the torpedo barrel in this shot (as well as bubbles in the leading edge of the casting).

Thanks for the info and the great shots!

Love the changes/additions you made. It really added a lot

Totally makes sense for the R2 unit

I think this is another reminder of what has been one of the most disappointing aspects of post Lucas, Disney era Star Wars... the lackluster designs

This was just one of many amazing ship designs in the prequels and it was great to see the N1 surface again in the Mandalorian

 

[matty matt]

I always wondered how the R2 units were supposed to fit in these. I remember seeing illustrations that showed the astromechs being disassembled inside the body of the ship with just the dome exposed, but Duncanator's original idea sounds much better.

 

[Hunk a Junk]

And, yes Hunk a Junk, there were gear doors scribed into the maquette. If I recall correctly, the landing gear was to look similar to the Queen's ship landing gear - kinda' curved and pointy.

That's what I thought (I just filled those scribe lines on the toy -- so sorry to erase your vision! Blame Disney!) Interesting that they then went with the racked hangar concept on the set. I get it, there isn't much room in that ship for gear. I kind of wish they had scaled the ship up slightly, but it isn't the first Star War ship where scale screws up internal configurations (*cough* Millennium Falcon).

It's a real treat to see that maquette! Thanks for taking the time to do that! So the original was made from wood and then molded in resin? Just for the sake of the historical record what kind of wood and did you use something like Bondo to fill in contours or was it all just carving and sanding? Sorry if this off topic.

 

[Duncanator]

That's what I thought (I just filled those scribe lines on the toy -- so sorry to erase your vision! Blame Disney!) Interesting that they then went with the racked hangar concept on the set. I get it, there isn't much room in that ship for gear. I kind of wish they had scaled the ship up slightly, but it isn't the first Star War ship where scale screws up internal configurations (*cough* Millennium Falcon).

It's a real treat to see that maquette! Thanks for taking the time to do that! So the original was made from wood and then molded in resin? Just for the sake of the historical record what kind of wood and did you use something like Bondo to fill in contours or was it all just carving and sanding? Sorry if this off topic.

I’ll start a new thread tonight. I don’t want to derail this one.

 

[GEEK1138]

No need...don't worry about derailing, I'm more than happy to hear more about the N-1 origin

 

[Hunk a Junk]

It really IS handy to see a clear representation of the proportions: the length of the tail spike in relation to the width of the ship, for example. I know the available kits (Ertl and Fine Molds) are slightly different and the Estes rocket version is different than the Hasbro toy. Even if the Mando version is slightly different from the Ep1 version, it's really good to have a baseline reference.

 

[GEEK1138]

OK, a lot of work later...I have all the shell templates sitting on a steel bar. Nothing is spaced out properly yet but it gives me idea what I'm up against. Next up; insert the lower bar and weld the two spines together in a kind of ladder pattern, to fix everything in place;

 

[Duncanator]

Duuuuuuude!!!!
So cool to see your progress.
The full sized Ep1 props used adhesive-backed mylar sheet for the chrome, but Mando's looks like most of that is raw metal.

 

[Searun]

The sights your party tent has seen. Your creations in that “factory” are outstanding.

 

[joberg]

Holy...

 

[GEEK1138]

Hey guys, so this project has been on the back burner for a bit while I tackled other jobs but hopefully now I can continue with it.

So the next stage is getting the moulds ready for glassing, which means the steels have to go in first...Every alternate pair of moulds is filled with Jablite and carved to shape. Once the steelwork is welded in place, I can fill in the gaps