Scratch Build - Star Destroyer out of Cardboard

hawkinss

hawkinss

New Member
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Started the project with building a base for the hull to rest on.
 
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Roughed out the lower hull from a single sheet of cardboard. Stand worked nicely in forming the angle. I cut a thin strip of material out of the inside center line and glued in place.
I cut and formed another matching piece for the upper hull.
 
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I cut back roughly a 1/8" (Thickness of the cardboard). Glued the edge and secured it with tape. Then ground off the excess material. The top hull I ended up trimming the excess first so there was less excess to grind off.
 
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Created the front point of the trench. Cut out excess material and formed a lap seam to extend a continuous piece for the trench.
 
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Started crafting the main hanger box. I cut out long windows along the top edge to allow the future led lights to cast light underneath the tubing structure. I also cut out two small bays in the front and one larger bay in the rear.
 
Love it. Lately I've been doing a ton of cardboard work because I can get it as hard as fiberglass with nothing toxic, meaning I can do it at the kitchen table and not have to suit up. I'll definitely keep watching.

-Rog
 
I will mostly use cardboard as much as possible. I anticipate that some things I will have to fabricate out of other materials. We'll see how it goes.
 
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Got the Hangar bay in. OOOOPS! Had to trim some cardboard to fit. I used stripped copper wire to set up the ceiling tubes and track system. I hot glued the ends in place. Roughed in the side walls and tested the indirect lighting cast with a flash light. I think it will work nicely when I install the LED lighting system. Glued in place and painted the hanger with a flat white. Completed the side walls and glued those in. Up next is to wrap the cover plate and craft the the tracking system accessories.
 
For internal hardening, I use wood glue. For the exterior I am going to try glue a thin layer of chipboard (aka Eggo boxes 0.45 MM) to the existing hull exterior. My hope is that the layers will be strong enough. If not, I may apply a layer of mod podge and seal it with primer and paint. As I get closer to that I'll do some test samples to see if that will work or if I need to initiate an alternative path.
 
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Sorry for not posting for a while. I have had other priorities pop up and haven't been working on my project for a couple months. this is a pic of the small FWD hangar roughing in the structural beams with round toothpicks.
 
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Here I used some plaster mixed with wood glue to fill in the cardboard seams. Sanded smooth and is ready to glue on the first layer of skin. I recommend using a larger piece of cardboard to avoid having to do this. Next time I will either go down to the bike shop to get a couple boxes or go to a furniture store to see if they have larger pieces of cardboard (From a dresser, couch or mattress, etc). I glued on a strip of chipboard from an aluminum foil box as the hull edging.

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Here I am laying down the first layer of 0.45mm chipboard from, you guessed it "let go my eggo" boxes. For this layer I will glue larger sheets onto the bottom hull. Once dry, I'll lightly sand the the printed coating so that the glue will adhere when I add the second, more detailed, layer of skin on top. The glue will not stick to this layer if you don't sand it. For the sample I tried, sanding allows it to bond really well.
 
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The first layer of skin is glued down and lightly sanded. I've started cutting out sections for the second layer that will have the scoring marks throughout the bottom hull, making it look like individuals panels. Hope to have that done and pics uploaded to view in a couple weeks.

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Pic of the gunship over my project. Finally got all the figures and turrets, including the two pilots in the cockpit. I'll have to see if Zac Paris has a stand for the gunships.
 
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