Scratchbuilt TIE Bomber Hanging in Rack

OTnROTSfan

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RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
Its DONE - finally! The TIE Bomber is completely removable and reversable via a custom-designed "hinge" I created (note the wings are up "into" the gantry). That was the trickiest part, besides drilling through the plexi case to make it "float"...

I finally got it to a makeshift photo studio without breaking anything... I am very proud of everything, since I hadn't scratched/built anything besides house models in 15 years. (That, and working in engineering 60-100 hours/week for almost two decades). I'm back to the hobby, completely stoked, and got my next five projects lined up already. Just need to clone myself and... :cool Me so happy now!

I still am learning model photography, but here are the final pics. Pardon a few shots [still] with reflection. Most are pretty good. I tried to light it with flourescent overheads to give that "Imperial cold" feel. You can also get a feel for the size of the case (17 in x 18 in x 30 in). I'm just happy that with all of the design I put in to this "relearning" project, that I remembered to make it fit through a standard door... :thumbsup

I also have the full buildup pics of the Bomber and the gantry, if anyone wants to see them... I had done the buildup elsewhere... but would be glad to repost them and more. I'm a newbie, so go easy on me... hehe it's been 15 years... well, 16 now that it's done... I have learned much [young one], but I'm not a master, yet... :) Thanks to all who inspired and hope this is just a little different take on doing Studio Scale in a dio.

SS-TB-In-BayKKH001.jpg


Rest are here: (hope I posted these correctly)...

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t94/OTnROTSfan/SS Tie Bomber in Rack Final/SS-TB-In-BayKKH002.jpg

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Kevin
 
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Sheesh Kevin, what a build!!! :cool:thumbsup:cool:thumbsup:cool:thumbsup
I saw some of your progress over at Starshipmodeler. The detail is awesome and the final dio is just to cool.
The Tie Bomber on its own is an sweet build, but with the hanger it just rocks. Awesome work!!
 
WOW !
That's what I call 'something completely different...'!
Great idea and nicely done!:thumbsup
 
What figures are they?

Keith - SW Battle Packs... I still think they are slightly oversized, but they were the closest in the 1:3x range I could find and they came out ok. The cool thing is once you cut the bases and guns off some of them the arms move, and also the heads move. The worst part was I had to buy four packs just to get the standing stormtroopers... had to do it, though... :thumbsup

Thanks for all of the continued compliments everyone!
 
Wow. Refreshingly original and wonderfully executed! Great color mix, great use of materials, superb scratchbuilding, and an interesting subject that captures drama. Very nice.
 
Aww shucks... :$

How the hinge works: there's a set of five thin, but stiff, diameter wire rods that feed through a bolt and through the two aluminum rods supporting it. Originally there was one thick rod, but it was hard to level/adjust the ship. The slight "bend" in the thin rod bundle allows it to help settle the weight over center, as well as make slight adjustments.

The nut is epoxied in, so you could turn the bolt to turn it backwards, after first popping off the end cap and pulling the rod bundle out (which is handy for replacment, too), then putting it all back together. At least I think it all still fits backwards, since I moved the hanger back slightly late in the project.

Why use the extra Leo and MK parts in the hinge/hanger? That was part of my tribute to main contributor kits. It took several designs to make that work and still expose the ship details from all sides...


TR005.jpg


TR027.jpg


Flip the hinge back, carefully slide the ship in, and the wings just clear the gantry edge, making the ship pull up into the middle of the rack. That was a key feature I wanted to pull off. Of course, this is all while the heavy case is balanced over the edge of the table and you are reaching backwards up into it... trying to not have it fall and slice through your neck... :wacko It was either that or cut a working hole through the table...

TR28.jpg


Presto...

TR29.jpg
 
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Wow!. Stunning work mate!. Iv'e been watching your progress on Starship over time and it's been a pleasure viewing, it is amazing.
Stu
 
Thanks all. I was really shooting for originality after being inspired by several of the SS TIE Bombers (ok, ALL SS) built up from time to time on these forums. This would never have worked out without an enormous amount of design efforts to make everything fit together, sometimes months down the road.

Even with my crazy schedule, hopefully I can get one of these dios done per year, depending how big they are... and um, how much space the wife lets me continue to consume... :love

For me, to be original or unique, my dios have to: interpret (not necessarily copy) an action scene, tell a story by looking at it, and have some structural elements to it (my specialty). I have my next two projects finally picked... now just need to get to designing again so I can start building in the fall when I generally have more time.
 
OTnROTSfan, that is a FANTASTIC looking display! The detailing in the gantry is awesome :eek :eek
Thanks for sharing it with us.
I am just blown away, Petseal
 
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