(COMPLETED) The Battlecruiser - Starcraft 2 Hyperion model - 1:300
- Thread starter Dabboy
- Start date
TerranCmdr
Active Member
Colossal amount of work you've put in on this! I'm very impressed with your attention to detail and craftsmanship. I know from experience cardboard is not the easiest thing to work with.
Dabboy
Active Member
New photos of the completed wings.
The wings spread over 2.7m (almost 9 feet), so one main challenge was to design them in a way they can be retracted while going through narrow corridors during an exhibit.
First I added two tenon tongues (made of double layered cardboard for strength) to each wing which fit inside a hollow space on each side of the main engine.
This mortise and tenon joint technique makes it easy to slide the wings in and out when mounting the ship. However because of the wings’ heavy weight and relatively long wingspan, they tend to arch downward and not stay flush against the main engine.
Another thing I wanted was to have the wings still loosely attached to the main engine in retracted mode so we don’t have to carry them while moving in narrow areas or through double doors.
For this I put a wood beam across the main body (see above picture) along which I attached two bungee cords with tie wraps. I cut a slit in each wing where the wood beam and the bungee cords can slide into. The bungee cords are then stretched and hooked onto the tip of each wing to hold them tight when in flight mode.
Now to retract the wing, i simply have to pull it out of the mortise hole and let it hang vertically.
And voila this is how i can reduce the width of the ship from 9 feet to about 5 feet!
Now let’s talk about the wings themselves
They each feature a massive Tokamak reactor. This is probably the coolest feature in my opinion and gives the battlecruiser a very unique distinguishable look. However in more modern battlecruiser models, this feature is no longer because they have developed more efficient and stable reactor technology.
The wings are also equipped with auxiliary forward and retro thrusters to help during sharp turns.
Here’s an underside view
Another cool feature is the shield shaped tips of each wing. This part holds magnetic field coils which creates plasma shield in tandem with a core matrix to protect the ships. There are also blast doors which can be opened to let smaller aircraft (medivac, wraith) exit.
rear view:
Side view:
Front view:
Next is to add the underside details and starting the painting stage!
The wings spread over 2.7m (almost 9 feet), so one main challenge was to design them in a way they can be retracted while going through narrow corridors during an exhibit.
First I added two tenon tongues (made of double layered cardboard for strength) to each wing which fit inside a hollow space on each side of the main engine.
This mortise and tenon joint technique makes it easy to slide the wings in and out when mounting the ship. However because of the wings’ heavy weight and relatively long wingspan, they tend to arch downward and not stay flush against the main engine.
Another thing I wanted was to have the wings still loosely attached to the main engine in retracted mode so we don’t have to carry them while moving in narrow areas or through double doors.
For this I put a wood beam across the main body (see above picture) along which I attached two bungee cords with tie wraps. I cut a slit in each wing where the wood beam and the bungee cords can slide into. The bungee cords are then stretched and hooked onto the tip of each wing to hold them tight when in flight mode.
Now to retract the wing, i simply have to pull it out of the mortise hole and let it hang vertically.
And voila this is how i can reduce the width of the ship from 9 feet to about 5 feet!
Now let’s talk about the wings themselves
They each feature a massive Tokamak reactor. This is probably the coolest feature in my opinion and gives the battlecruiser a very unique distinguishable look. However in more modern battlecruiser models, this feature is no longer because they have developed more efficient and stable reactor technology.
The wings are also equipped with auxiliary forward and retro thrusters to help during sharp turns.
Here’s an underside view
Another cool feature is the shield shaped tips of each wing. This part holds magnetic field coils which creates plasma shield in tandem with a core matrix to protect the ships. There are also blast doors which can be opened to let smaller aircraft (medivac, wraith) exit.
rear view:
Side view:
Front view:
Next is to add the underside details and starting the painting stage!
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JediMichael
Master Member
That thing is is so ridiculously huge and really well done for cardboard.
Any plan to coat it with anything for protection?
Hate for it to get wet and ruined.
Any plan to coat it with anything for protection?
Hate for it to get wet and ruined.
TerranCmdr
Active Member
Wow, great job on those wings! Looks like a great way to move it around easier.
Dabboy
Active Member
Yup after i’m done painting it i’ll add a clear protective coat on top.
hopefully it’ll last a little while
I finished building the bottom part of the ship that will cover the standing desk it sits on. had to slightly change a few details so that it fits with the frame of the desk but overall looks good enough. all the parts are designed to snap onto the desk and are removable during disassembly.
also added some more details under the ship
JediMichael
Master Member
Yep. Its so massive. Any ideas when it could be finished?
Funny, I've been playing SC2 a whole lot lately.
Just the campaign levels trying different things for a challenge.
Like I just played Maw of the void, where you first get battlecruisers. But, the challenge being, only keep the starting 3 for base defense and use other units to finish out the level. Even on normal its tricky, as you are suppose to have the battlecruisers.
A hard one is on the Protoss campain using only Sentrys for your attack force.
I'm always experimenting with different ideas.
Funny, I've been playing SC2 a whole lot lately.
Just the campaign levels trying different things for a challenge.
Like I just played Maw of the void, where you first get battlecruisers. But, the challenge being, only keep the starting 3 for base defense and use other units to finish out the level. Even on normal its tricky, as you are suppose to have the battlecruisers.
A hard one is on the Protoss campain using only Sentrys for your attack force.
I'm always experimenting with different ideas.
TerranCmdr
Active Member
I've worked extensively making large foam props using a large hotwire cutter, CNC, and Kuka robot. Yes it's definitely possible but even for something of this size, 3d printing would be much easier to accomplish. EPS would probably be lighter but after hardcoating and finishing the weight savings probably would be negligible.
Dabboy
Active Member
but it would cost so much more
one day hopefully will invest in 3d printer!
At least the base material i used was free (almost)
anywho, I finished painting and wiring the main LED strips
Now I need to do the auxiliary lights and add the servos and smoke machines for the weapons/yamato gun!
JediMichael
Master Member
I love how from a distance you wouldn't even expect this to be made from cardboard.
Its really looking good.
With my 2 foot model sitting next to the tv, I look at this ship (at least the SC1 version) every single day.
Its really looking good.
With my 2 foot model sitting next to the tv, I look at this ship (at least the SC1 version) every single day.
JediMichael
Master Member
That turned out really great. You'd never knew it was just made from cardboard. Enter any contests?
I was showing an employee at The Hobbytown USA about 20 mins from me the Battle Cruiser I made a few years back and he said I should enter it in a contest they will be having in October. I'll check it out and see it that works out or not.
I was showing an employee at The Hobbytown USA about 20 mins from me the Battle Cruiser I made a few years back and he said I should enter it in a contest they will be having in October. I'll check it out and see it that works out or not.
TerranCmdr
Active Member
Woooooooow! What an impressive piece of work! You should be extremely proud, this is really an amazing feat.
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