Razor Crest - 1:34 - Modified/lights - Build log. (pic heavy)
- Thread starter Hoplitespear
- Start date
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Hoplitespear
Sr Member
Hey everyone,
Thank you for all the nice comments!!!
Ok so an update, a late one and a weird one.
I had a 'modelers block' ? I don't know if you can call it that. I was detailing the ship on the top and got stuck every time because I needed the seams to be closed and the hull more complete.
So in a rush late night (when thinking is out of the window) I 'quickly' glued the complete hull and engines together. The right wing didn't go in for 1.5mm and I panicked..... I couldn't push it further in and the glue set.
I just placed it there looking at it and feeling so gutted, closed my workshop and didn't go in for a few days.
I don't know if anyone else had this happen to them before. Especially with a model project. It took me a few days to rekindle the joy and enthusiasm. It was the first time this 'block' was this huge and scary.
Anyway ... I got over it, sat down at my workbench and just powered trough the annoying part. Filled the seams, let them dry, sanded, filled again. And by the time a few days went passed I picked up my enthusiasm and started working again.
I don't know why the right wing wouldn't completely sit flush in the opening that it had to go in. But there is no visible evidence that anythign is wrong shapewise or angle wise.
So to start in the correct order:
Before this 'intermission of hell' I decided to work on the bottom part of the center hull piece, after detailing the top, and focusing on the landing gear. This model is designed to have retractable landing gear and can either be mounted on a stand 'in flight' or on the landing gear. 'landed' (obviously). This design choice is nice but it created a visible problem.
The landing gear looks like an elephant with chicken legs. This huge monster of a hull... supported on fine tiny feet. In short it doesn't look appealing at all:
This picture not only shows the skiny legs but also the start of the reinforcements I put in place. Which brings us to problem 2.... When I put the complete ship on the gear, it bends outwards like crazy.
I did want to use the included system due to correct height and basic sturdiness (not enough but a start) as a basic structure. I connected both ends with a metal piece stopping the bending outwards by a significant bit. After that I added big styrene square stock to stop the wobble from front and back:
I also cut the landing gear doors in half and permanently attached the front part to shorten the gap by a big margin and getting it closer to the look of the model in the series.
Now this is the part in the timeline where we enter the 'intermission from hell' so picture taking kinda went out of the window. My plan now was to thicken the landing gear to give it a more massive sturdy look. Not knowing how in hell I was going to do that (intermission of hell) I started on my crazy glueing the thing together spreee....
I got pictures of this, it also shows the work on filling up the seams. Sanding this beast is tricky. I have to clamp it putting it upright on my leg and sand that way but it gets the job done. You can also see some first detailing of the tail piece. It has an inner spot where allot of greeblies live. I mostly focused on some tubes to give the part more depth.
After I came back to the light i found inspiration to do the legs and started adding detail. I used the piston pieces printed for the doors, since I wasn't going to make the model with an interior apart from the cockpit. The biggest styrene i could find. A few cut up pens and other stuff.
I made the feet longer in the back. added detail (more to come later after first primer). Added the doors on the inside, the doors that slide over the whole leg. Wires, springs etc...
I also did some starting work on the back door. Although I'm making this model doors shut. I still want acces to the electronics. I cut of the axels that fit the holes in the back of the hull for the ramp. Drilled four holes and added magnets.
placed the part in its place, glued styrene strips and added magnets to the back of those. Did not do anything else here, more on that later.
So after all that sanding on the seams, the rough detailing of the landing gear I decided it was best to give this thing a primer coat.
I needed to see the overall look better, the spots on the seems that still needs attention and a better idea of where more detail could be added to give a better feel and look of the Razor Crest.
This is the point where I became completely free of my 'intermission of hell' and got my courage back to continue the detailing and work on this model.
I apologize that his post has more text in it. I needed to vent and nobody I know is a modelmaker or can relate to my issue i had.
I hope you still enjoyed this update. The next part is sanding the hull more, adding more intricate detail on the places I altered. I know this all looks 'rough' but I am planning on adding more small parts and parts that look like they have function to either the altered top and landing gear.
Then I will probably prime it black and focus on the cockpit interior. (Fiber, detail etc)
I hope you had fun reading this and watching the pictures!
-Hopli
EDIT: some spelling and crappy grammar.
Thank you for all the nice comments!!!
Hey Chuffy, I'm not going to light up the front of the engines. i did put 0.5 mm Fiber at the top and bottom. i didn't wanne do a LED because I didn't want it to emit to much light. I'm sure the lights erve as a reference point, and aren't meant to actually light up anything. I still can do the rear, I don't know yet. The two at the front is a big yes, the exhausts is a yes. And i have fiber top and bottom of both engines.
Thanks! I hope I won't dissapoint.
Hey Nick, I'm trying to detail up as much as I can but I'll have to draw a line somewhere. I add surface detail here and there but in general the Crest is pretty much flat. So I'm focusing on the top cause that was really bad from the print. And a big other focus will be the inside of the cockpit. That's for soon.
Ok so an update, a late one and a weird one.
In short the issue I had:I had a 'modelers block' ? I don't know if you can call it that. I was detailing the ship on the top and got stuck every time because I needed the seams to be closed and the hull more complete.
So in a rush late night (when thinking is out of the window) I 'quickly' glued the complete hull and engines together. The right wing didn't go in for 1.5mm and I panicked..... I couldn't push it further in and the glue set.
I just placed it there looking at it and feeling so gutted, closed my workshop and didn't go in for a few days.
I don't know if anyone else had this happen to them before. Especially with a model project. It took me a few days to rekindle the joy and enthusiasm. It was the first time this 'block' was this huge and scary.
Anyway ... I got over it, sat down at my workbench and just powered trough the annoying part. Filled the seams, let them dry, sanded, filled again. And by the time a few days went passed I picked up my enthusiasm and started working again.
I don't know why the right wing wouldn't completely sit flush in the opening that it had to go in. But there is no visible evidence that anythign is wrong shapewise or angle wise.
So to start in the correct order:
Before this 'intermission of hell' I decided to work on the bottom part of the center hull piece, after detailing the top, and focusing on the landing gear. This model is designed to have retractable landing gear and can either be mounted on a stand 'in flight' or on the landing gear. 'landed' (obviously). This design choice is nice but it created a visible problem.
The landing gear looks like an elephant with chicken legs. This huge monster of a hull... supported on fine tiny feet. In short it doesn't look appealing at all:
This picture not only shows the skiny legs but also the start of the reinforcements I put in place. Which brings us to problem 2.... When I put the complete ship on the gear, it bends outwards like crazy.
I did want to use the included system due to correct height and basic sturdiness (not enough but a start) as a basic structure. I connected both ends with a metal piece stopping the bending outwards by a significant bit. After that I added big styrene square stock to stop the wobble from front and back:
I also cut the landing gear doors in half and permanently attached the front part to shorten the gap by a big margin and getting it closer to the look of the model in the series.
Now this is the part in the timeline where we enter the 'intermission from hell' so picture taking kinda went out of the window. My plan now was to thicken the landing gear to give it a more massive sturdy look. Not knowing how in hell I was going to do that (intermission of hell) I started on my crazy glueing the thing together spreee....
I got pictures of this, it also shows the work on filling up the seams. Sanding this beast is tricky. I have to clamp it putting it upright on my leg and sand that way but it gets the job done. You can also see some first detailing of the tail piece. It has an inner spot where allot of greeblies live. I mostly focused on some tubes to give the part more depth.
After I came back to the light i found inspiration to do the legs and started adding detail. I used the piston pieces printed for the doors, since I wasn't going to make the model with an interior apart from the cockpit. The biggest styrene i could find. A few cut up pens and other stuff.
I made the feet longer in the back. added detail (more to come later after first primer). Added the doors on the inside, the doors that slide over the whole leg. Wires, springs etc...
I also did some starting work on the back door. Although I'm making this model doors shut. I still want acces to the electronics. I cut of the axels that fit the holes in the back of the hull for the ramp. Drilled four holes and added magnets.
placed the part in its place, glued styrene strips and added magnets to the back of those. Did not do anything else here, more on that later.
So after all that sanding on the seams, the rough detailing of the landing gear I decided it was best to give this thing a primer coat.
I needed to see the overall look better, the spots on the seems that still needs attention and a better idea of where more detail could be added to give a better feel and look of the Razor Crest.
This is the point where I became completely free of my 'intermission of hell' and got my courage back to continue the detailing and work on this model.
I apologize that his post has more text in it. I needed to vent and nobody I know is a modelmaker or can relate to my issue i had.
I hope you still enjoyed this update. The next part is sanding the hull more, adding more intricate detail on the places I altered. I know this all looks 'rough' but I am planning on adding more small parts and parts that look like they have function to either the altered top and landing gear.
Then I will probably prime it black and focus on the cockpit interior. (Fiber, detail etc)
I hope you had fun reading this and watching the pictures!
-Hopli
EDIT: some spelling and crappy grammar.
I get this “modellers block” you mention all the time. This is why I always have at least 2 (usually 5 or more!) models on the go at any one time. When one of them annoys me or I get bored of it, or I ruin something, I just work on another model for a bit.
Your Razorcrest is coming along really well. I have paused on mine as I have realised the only way to make the canopy windows is to vacuum form them and I don’t have the equipment or the space to use it at the moment. So it’s good to see yours progressing!
Your Razorcrest is coming along really well. I have paused on mine as I have realised the only way to make the canopy windows is to vacuum form them and I don’t have the equipment or the space to use it at the moment. So it’s good to see yours progressing!
HMR
New Member
I totally get it aswell, that block feeling. For me, going back at it straight away usually makes it worse, because I am a bit stressed out by then and end up screwing things up even more. Needless to say, it spirals easily.
Stopping and taking a step back never makes it worse. This is the way.. (I just had to, im sorry.)
Really nice build!
Stopping and taking a step back never makes it worse. This is the way.. (I just had to, im sorry.)
Really nice build!
Jaffa007
Active Member
Amazing progress [emoji1433]
Writing is also very therapeutic helping to vent, it also helps others who may feel that their build/modelling abilities aren’t up to ‘the great builders’ we see, that everyone has build problems, and it’s ok to take a break.
These projects are for enjoyment, there not ‘work’ lol so relax, take a break and carry on.
Writing is also very therapeutic helping to vent, it also helps others who may feel that their build/modelling abilities aren’t up to ‘the great builders’ we see, that everyone has build problems, and it’s ok to take a break.
These projects are for enjoyment, there not ‘work’ lol so relax, take a break and carry on.
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joberg
Master Member
Great update: yes, the landing gear looks solid and the details are tops 
Funny that your Flemish newspaper you're using to protect your table is mentioning job for Lutjin Hydraulics As for the "block"; everyone is getting it and, as the others have said, it'll pass. Don't push it and try to work your way through it...let the Force return naturally
Funny that your Flemish newspaper you're using to protect your table is mentioning job for Lutjin Hydraulics As for the "block"; everyone is getting it and, as the others have said, it'll pass. Don't push it and try to work your way through it...let the Force return naturally 
Analyzer
Sr Member
I'm, having the same dilemma with the landing gear myself. Yours turned out fantastic.
It is hard to find good close up ref to get a solid feel for how they work and all the mechanisms in them
In fact I am not sure sure the landing gear could physically exist on the ship. When they retract where do they go?
Interior shots show a pretty clear bay area and I am not sure where all those pieces could could up or roll up into
I would love to see some decent close ups of the bays opening and closing. Most shots they already seem to be fully or almost fully out or closed
It is hard to find good close up ref to get a solid feel for how they work and all the mechanisms in them
In fact I am not sure sure the landing gear could physically exist on the ship. When they retract where do they go?
Interior shots show a pretty clear bay area and I am not sure where all those pieces could could up or roll up into
I would love to see some decent close ups of the bays opening and closing. Most shots they already seem to be fully or almost fully out or closed
Jaffa007
Active Member
Here’s a link to screen caps website. All the stills you need....if you don’t mind scrolling through them all [emoji23][emoji1417]
Might be some worth looking at for details.
Might be some worth looking at for details.
Chuffy 70
Active Member
*Everyone loves a good rant now and again, we modellers understand the frustration the hobby brings, so let it flow.
It seems with most Star Wars ships the landing gear seems to disappear into some kind of Tardis scenario!
loving the metal engineering holding your gear in place... I'll show you mine when it comes later this week....
It seems with most Star Wars ships the landing gear seems to disappear into some kind of Tardis scenario!
loving the metal engineering holding your gear in place...
I'll show you mine when it comes later this week....
Hoplitespear
Sr Member
PART I (due to 20 images limit)
Hey everyone.
Ok some updates!
The plan for this weekend was simple, finish painting the cockpit so it can be permanently glued in. Therefore enabling me to marry the cockpit and aft section into a full ship, which then enables me to fill the last gap and get an overal 'look' of the hull.
The cockpit is a single printed piece and 3 chairs. I started by adding some surfaces to the flat looking sides.
You can also see the holes drilled for the 0.5mm Fiber.
This proved tricky with the 3D print. I had to drill holes in the bottom to enter the honeycomb structure inside the print. Not all fibers found a way outside, but enough to get the desired effect.
Cleaned up and painted the chairs. I also did the back which will never been seen again -.-'.
I sprayed the cockpit with black primer, and then with grey primer just from above to create a passive shadow.
Hey everyone.
I'm glad I am not the only one in this. About the canopy's I'm going to try plastic from bottles at first, printing in clear was not an option. I may make a tiny vacuum form machine for my shop vac if the bottle option doesn't work.
It is the way! and it worked! I learned that I have to stop when I get stressed instead of trying to force something.
Thank you, well I didn't want to 'complain' to much but I had no where else to post my frustration. Great community here!
Is that a firm you know? or work at? XD. thank you for the helping words. Taking the step back has helped!Great update: yes, the landing gear looks solid and the details are tops
Thx Analyzer, I guess it all folds up in the broad extensions on the sides. I don't think mine would fit anymore XD but its the 'look' that counts since I'm building it in 'landed mode'
Thx! Can't wait to see yours! The plan was to 'bluk' them up, the whole ship (now that i have it in front of me) seems so massive, its HUGE. It wouldn't look right on tiny struts.*Everyone loves a good rant now and again, we modellers understand the frustration the hobby brings, so let it flow.
It seems with most Star Wars ships the landing gear seems to disappear into some kind of Tardis scenario!
loving the metal engineering holding your gear in place...
Ok some updates!
The plan for this weekend was simple, finish painting the cockpit so it can be permanently glued in. Therefore enabling me to marry the cockpit and aft section into a full ship, which then enables me to fill the last gap and get an overal 'look' of the hull.
The cockpit is a single printed piece and 3 chairs. I started by adding some surfaces to the flat looking sides.
You can also see the holes drilled for the 0.5mm Fiber.
This proved tricky with the 3D print. I had to drill holes in the bottom to enter the honeycomb structure inside the print. Not all fibers found a way outside, but enough to get the desired effect.
Cleaned up and painted the chairs. I also did the back which will never been seen again -.-'.
I sprayed the cockpit with black primer, and then with grey primer just from above to create a passive shadow.
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Hoplitespear
Sr Member
PART II (due to 20 image limit)
I put this aside and worked on the front section. Starting with the landing gear. Giving it the same treathment as the ones in the back.
Followed by adding a flood light at the front landing gear. I also added a bit of weight, warning for you people that do this exact same print, the model is extremely back heavy, if you want it to stand, you need to add some weight to the front.
I also painted the window struts black on the inside. Added the two red landing lights for the front. You can also see styrene on the back side of the window struts. Due to having no supports there while printing the area was mangled. I added these and filled them to give it a smooth look.
Inserting the cockpit!!!!! A bit difficult with all the fiber but I managed to get it all in there only losing 2 fibers in the operation.
This promptly followed by me wrestling fibers for 40 minutes and getting all the electronics in order.
The fibers are connected at random to red, white and orange LED's. These are then paired with the flood light and front landing lights to end in two wires.
I now have a set of wires coming from the cockpit, a set for each engine and a set from the flood lights in the back. All these will get connected to one set going out of the right landing gear for power.
These will get disguised as pipes leading to the ship on the landing pad. I am planning to create a landing pad to mount the ship to. And maybe have that pad live on a wall or in a coffee table!
The back is closed with my magnetized ramp you saw in a previous post, giving me acces to the clamps, if i ever wanted the cables going out removed and add batteries.
Here after followed a quick 2 minutes of glueing the front permanently to the rest of the ship. Now I am at the stage where I wanted to be. Ready to finalize the hull and start painting.
I am really really glad with how the cockpit and cockpit lights turned out, the pictures don't really do it justice. In real life it looks really good. Very happy with the paint job. For those that noticed, i decided against adding a light inside the cockpit next to the fiber, it didn't look right, not the correct feeling of a cockpit. I know there is a light off course, but lets say its landed and the systems are 'warming up'. Nobody is in the cockpit so nobody needs a big light..
The complete glued up razor crest (I added the cannons for effect, these didn't receive any treatment yet though).
I hope you liked this update, again many thanks for supporting me in that bit of a rough patch. I'm really excited to start this huge paintjob. Planning on taking it slow and making sure it looks the part!
See you soon,
-Hopli
I put this aside and worked on the front section. Starting with the landing gear. Giving it the same treathment as the ones in the back.
Followed by adding a flood light at the front landing gear. I also added a bit of weight, warning for you people that do this exact same print, the model is extremely back heavy, if you want it to stand, you need to add some weight to the front.
I also painted the window struts black on the inside. Added the two red landing lights for the front. You can also see styrene on the back side of the window struts. Due to having no supports there while printing the area was mangled. I added these and filled them to give it a smooth look.
Inserting the cockpit!!!!! A bit difficult with all the fiber but I managed to get it all in there only losing 2 fibers in the operation.
This promptly followed by me wrestling fibers for 40 minutes and getting all the electronics in order.
The fibers are connected at random to red, white and orange LED's. These are then paired with the flood light and front landing lights to end in two wires.
I now have a set of wires coming from the cockpit, a set for each engine and a set from the flood lights in the back. All these will get connected to one set going out of the right landing gear for power.
These will get disguised as pipes leading to the ship on the landing pad. I am planning to create a landing pad to mount the ship to. And maybe have that pad live on a wall or in a coffee table!
The back is closed with my magnetized ramp you saw in a previous post, giving me acces to the clamps, if i ever wanted the cables going out removed and add batteries.
Here after followed a quick 2 minutes of glueing the front permanently to the rest of the ship. Now I am at the stage where I wanted to be. Ready to finalize the hull and start painting.
I am really really glad with how the cockpit and cockpit lights turned out, the pictures don't really do it justice. In real life it looks really good. Very happy with the paint job. For those that noticed, i decided against adding a light inside the cockpit next to the fiber, it didn't look right, not the correct feeling of a cockpit. I know there is a light off course, but lets say its landed and the systems are 'warming up'. Nobody is in the cockpit so nobody needs a big light.
.The complete glued up razor crest (I added the cannons for effect, these didn't receive any treatment yet though).
I hope you liked this update, again many thanks for supporting me in that bit of a rough patch. I'm really excited to start this huge paintjob. Planning on taking it slow and making sure it looks the part!
See you soon,
-Hopli
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stevielewis
Well-Known Member
Totally awesome work so far. Cockpit details and lighting is perfect!
Chuffy 70
Active Member
Looking very nice, the landing light works well and love your cockpit set-up too...still loving that orange and grey colour on the hull
Cant wait to see what kind of landing platform you have in mind and I've forgotten to take pics of my landing gear, but I'll definitely add them here by the weekend
Cant wait to see what kind of landing platform you have in mind and I've forgotten to take pics of my landing gear, but I'll definitely add them here by the weekend
Hunk a Junk
Sr Member
Really great work. I probably missed it, but what are your plans for the cockpit clear windscreen?
rbeach84
Sr Member
Awesome! Also, your command of English grammar far exceeds mine of Dutch! Which is zero...sadly.
Now, vacuforming is no mystery. You obviously have the skills to fabricate the 'male' forms and a simple vac rig. I once made one from a cardboard shoe box reinforced with a coat hangar wire grid to support a window screen mesh 'platform' taped over the hole I cut in one side using duct tape. I cut some fiberboard frames of same outer dims as the platform side of the box, with rectangular cutouts of different sizes to let me match my form sizes and conserve plastic. The clear plastic sheet was secured over the cutouts using thumb tacks pushed through the plastic into small predrilled holes. A hole sized to fit my vacuum cleaner hole was cut into the end of the box and reinforced with duct tape as were the box sides and seams to ensure it was airtight. I used a couple of bricks on the oven rack to support the frames and to allow for the plastic to sag. So, hose in the box, vacuum on, once the plastic heated to the max droop point then tightened back up some, used oven mitt to grab and throw on the form setting on the platform and boom! It was done. Crude but it worked. The box would collapse a bit to relieve the suction, and the plastic would self seal the frame. The flexibilty of the setup made it work. The tricky elements were heating to correct temp, good aligment of the frame and speed!
So, moral of the story is if *that* works, I expect you can come up with something.too.
Cheers! Robert
Now, vacuforming is no mystery. You obviously have the skills to fabricate the 'male' forms and a simple vac rig. I once made one from a cardboard shoe box reinforced with a coat hangar wire grid to support a window screen mesh 'platform' taped over the hole I cut in one side using duct tape. I cut some fiberboard frames of same outer dims as the platform side of the box, with rectangular cutouts of different sizes to let me match my form sizes and conserve plastic. The clear plastic sheet was secured over the cutouts using thumb tacks pushed through the plastic into small predrilled holes. A hole sized to fit my vacuum cleaner hole was cut into the end of the box and reinforced with duct tape as were the box sides and seams to ensure it was airtight. I used a couple of bricks on the oven rack to support the frames and to allow for the plastic to sag. So, hose in the box, vacuum on, once the plastic heated to the max droop point then tightened back up some, used oven mitt to grab and throw on the form setting on the platform and boom! It was done. Crude but it worked. The box would collapse a bit to relieve the suction, and the plastic would self seal the frame. The flexibilty of the setup made it work. The tricky elements were heating to correct temp, good aligment of the frame and speed!
So, moral of the story is if *that* works, I expect you can come up with something.too.
Cheers! Robert
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