TIE Bomber Scratchbuild

Cool trip!

Yeah, it was fun. We live about 4 hours from the mountains and try to get out camping several times per summer. This was the latest in the season we've ever gone though. It got to freezing at night. I guess it makes for better mountain-top photos with the snow though.

It looks like I'm hijacking my own thread a little here, but what the heck.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled modeling...
 
Man, I had no idea what some of these parts looked like. I know there are part scholars here that know exactly which donor kits each part comes from, but I'm not one of them. The research you've done is as impressive as the build!
 
Man, I had no idea what some of these parts looked like. I know there are part scholars here that know exactly which donor kits each part comes from, but I'm not one of them. The research you've done is as impressive as the build!

A lot of my research consists of asking my friend Darth Daniel to photograph components of his studio scale TIE Bomber kit which is made from original source kit parts. He's quite the donor part guru too and knows the sources of quite a few donors on quite a few kits. He'd no doubt call what I call the "bomb chute" the "Morser Karl" after the railway gun kit the parts comes from.

My work is doing the calculations to downscale the various parts in order to fit the scale I'm working in. You can see my various sketches in some of my photos through this thread.

Of course the downside to my approach is that some details I've replicated will be hidden away when inside or behind other parts. The bottom 2/3 of the bomb chute for example will go inside the lower bomb launcher part itself and be mostly invisible. I try to plan ahead and look at the ship as a whole, but it's not always possible to predict what details will be visible in the final assembly (even though I have photos of the finished prop), so I tend to err on the side of caution. A photo on a screen is quite different from a 3 dimensional object in person.

Cheers,

K.
 
Of course the downside to my approach is that some details I've replicated will be hidden away when inside or behind other parts. The bottom 2/3 of the bomb chute for example will go inside the lower bomb launcher part itself and be mostly invisible. .

That is precisely what I was thinking about. I looked at your assembly of the "bomb chute" and thought, "What the bleep is that?" Then I Googled a few images and saw it mostly covered. That's the kind of stuff I would fudge. Back when I built props for a TV show, the mantra was to only build what would show on screen. Some of that philosophy has continued into my model building. If it doesn't show, don't bother. Don't make it if you can fake it. Etc. When looking at others' stuff, however, I'm envious of those who go that extra mile.
 
I figured if I built the whole part, it would help with fitment during assembly too, even if it's not visible when finished. I'm not sure how much will show when looking "down" into the bomb launcher along the chute and I'd hate to leave it blank and have it turn out to be visible from certain angles too.

I hear you about TV shows and movies and how they only build what they need for the shot or scene. I'd use the same philosophy in that situation too. However for my actual models, it's kind of like how I do bang up jobs on mostly invisible cockpits - I never know how much will be seen when it's done, so I do it all. Plus a model is meant to be scrutinized in person whereas in a show it just whizzes by and is gone.

Being as detail obsessed as I am though, I can never fudge things when I have actual references to go by. It was a tough pill not being able to put the rivets on the last part for example. As the saying goes, "time you enjoyed wasting wasn't wasted". My wife just laughs at me. At least she knows where I am!
 
Here we go, back at it. I'm onto the bomb launcher itself now. This was a tricky part to figure out and design. It took a lot of staring at references and sketches to finally be to the point that I was ready to actually start fabricating. Making the ribbed details to go up the front and rear faces was a bit tedious and I'm not 100% happy, but I'll accept what I've got and move ahead. I'll keep pecking away through the weekend and hopefully get the rest of the shape of the launcher roughed out.

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Thanks for looking as always.

K.
 
Incredibly planned/detailed scratch - building going on again Keiko . Nice tip for using white ( PVA ) glue (?) to temporarily hold pieces in place . Thanks again .

Ged :cheers
 
Cheers to you too Ged! I haven't heard of PVA glue, but maybe that's the Australian name for what I'm using - it's just the white glue (in my case "Elmer's" brand") that little kids use in primary school and occasionally eat. I guess I never mentioned it before, but I do use it a lot for test fitting parts together as I build and seeing how the whole thing is coming together. For example, right now the mid-spar is white glued between the hulls.

K.
 
LOL!!! Keiko ... Just occurred to me that perhaps I’m thinking of a different type of ‘ white ‘ glue , if little kids can consume it without serious side effects !?. That type sounds like ‘ Clag ‘ - used in schools over here primarily for gluing paper products and papier-mâché projects . It’s a paste like substance ( non toxic ) .
PVA ( Aquadhere ) is more commonly used when working with wood . Because it dries clear and if applied to a ( less than wood ) porous material like plastic , it would leave a skin type residue that’d be easily peeled / scraped off . That’s what I thought you were referring to . Matter of fact , until I ‘ discovered ‘ Micro - sol , that’s what I’d been using for ‘ glass ‘ replacement details for instrument panels etc.. on earlier builds .
It never occurred to me to use it for holding parts ( temporarily ) in place , til you mentioned it ! ;)
 
cracking progress there

this particular build is a great reminder that you don't have to be a mega ILM pro model builder to produce the stuff they did - its a real delight watching how you go about scratch building here - its a talent that is not limited to the likes of the Lucasfilm that had mega budgets

you just keep building to these incredible standards, I'm loving every instalment
 
Thanks for the nice words G.S., I appreciate it.

I'm certainly no pro, but I'm having fun and finally getting a model I've wanted for years and years. I'm having fun with this thread too and the interest is keeping me going.

I'm continuing on the bomb launcher. It's a tricky part because it's got details on all the surfaces and is a pretty precise shape. At this small scale, a pencil width here or knife thickness there can throw me off, so I have to be careful and precise. Even so, this component will have a little filler when it's done.

It wasn't a big modeling weekend though - I had some time consuming house chores this weekend. I did get a bit done this evening though and made sure to document the progress.

Only 3 pics this time, but hopefully some interesting stuff to see there. (Out of sequence as usual!)

Cheers,

K.

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Minor update as I proceed with the bomb launcher. I've been working on squaring up all the seams as well as the front and rear details and the upper details that go on the top ledge which I'm calling "toolboxes". It's all coming along - I wasn't super thrilled with the quality of my joints and corners as they were in the above post, but with a few shims and some careful sanding tonight, I'm much happier now.

It's waiting for the filler I just applied to cure so that I can do a bit more sanding to give myself the most square/flawless base I can. With that satisfactory, I'll be moving on to placing those details that are underway here too, plus the gussets and bolt heads on the bottom side of the ledge.

Just 2 photos tonight, but I'll be back tomorrow.

Cheers,

K.


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G’day Keiko ,

Don’t know if it’s just me and the iPad I’m using , but I can’t seem to access your latest photos / attachments .

Ged
 
I really like a lot this WIP
thanks a lot for sharing Keiko

where did you get your midro drill bit set please ? I cannot find such an item like that to sort my drills.
 
Mid-morning update. Coming along nicely. I should have no trouble finishing this part before the evening is out. Did I just jinx myself? I hope not!

This sub assembly has been quite challenging, but I'm pretty pleased now that the edges are nice and true and the detailing is underway.

cheers,


K.

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edit:
Honestly, I have no idea how the computer chooses which order to put the pics in. I swear I do the same thing every time with much variety in the result. I think you guys can figure out what's happening here though.
 

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