Hoplitespear
Sr Member
Hi there,
all my previous threads where in costume forums but my hobby has shifted. Since my first visit on this forum the modelling sections have always fascinated me.
I’m amazed by all the talent here, the star wars builds are amazing, but scratch builds and kit bashes amaze me even more. After seeing all the posts of the big names here, I decided to try modelling instead of prop/cosplay making.
I started off with a kit to see if I had any affinity to the craft or the drive to complete a model.
As per usual I over estimated my abilities and didn’t wane settle for a simple tank or plane. So I went to the store and came home with the Revell Bismarck 1/350. A few weeks ago I was able to complete it. You can see it here. Although it’s far from perfect, many mistakes were made and it took me a long time… it got me sold, hooked to modelling.
Now tanks, boats etc… don’t interest me much, it’s the scratch build space ships or kit bashed sci-fi vehicles that do it for me. I’m not ready yet for a complete scratch build, as styrene etc is still new for me, so I decided to alter an existing model.
This brings me to the topic (title) at hand. I work at a Volvo dealership and when looking at one of the toy models on our desk the idea struck me to make a blade-runner/sci-fi/post-apocalyptic hybrid of a Volvo FH truck. One with hover engines etc…
So I went out and bought the Italeri Volvo FH16 1/24 kit. Some styrene stock and other random supplies and got started.
The plan is to keep the original engine and suspension of the truck but retro-fit it to hold hover engines. Imagine technology getting a huge boost overnight and people changing the current vehicles to adapt to air-traffic/flight. (kinda like the DeLorean from BTTF).
So to have something to build on I decided to make the engine and chassis original and then start adding sci-fi stuff.
Engine:
Chassis:
And then I got hit with the realisation of what you guys do, it is not just throwing greeblies at it and calling it sci-fi it has to ‘work’. Stuff has to look like it is supported by brackets, connected, ‘could work’.
So my way of connecting the normal engine to the new ‘technology’ is the drive shaft. I got an old Type XXI U 2540 sub kit from a friend and got some stuff out to make a cover for the drive shaft. The idea is that the shaft’s rotation generates some kind of energy powering two huge engines that generate energy to hover.
Drive shaft cut up and modified:
Installed(first time making something out of styrene, damn it’s not that easy :s):
I altered the two sub engines to fit on the chassis of the truck and connected them to the drive shaft mod with a huge conduit.
My idea for the actual thrusters are cut up ping pong balls. They have the exact diameter of the original tyres that came with the kit. I cut two holes with an exacto-compass. Then fitted a piece of the original rim from the kit.
This is what I have so far! I know it is not a star wars ship or something else fancy but I want to share this, I have a feeling I can learn allot from it.
More to come!
-Hopli-
Edit: maybe a good time to add my first question. How do you guys do this for painting, I primed as much as I could before installing. But I just can't build more without permanently installing some parts. Do you try to keep as much separate as possible? It’s going to be a pain painting those engines underneath that drive shaft.
And if I paint the stuff now before adding more, I won’t be able to spray primer w/o masking (which in this case is impossible). Any tips?
all my previous threads where in costume forums but my hobby has shifted. Since my first visit on this forum the modelling sections have always fascinated me.
I’m amazed by all the talent here, the star wars builds are amazing, but scratch builds and kit bashes amaze me even more. After seeing all the posts of the big names here, I decided to try modelling instead of prop/cosplay making.
I started off with a kit to see if I had any affinity to the craft or the drive to complete a model.
As per usual I over estimated my abilities and didn’t wane settle for a simple tank or plane. So I went to the store and came home with the Revell Bismarck 1/350. A few weeks ago I was able to complete it. You can see it here. Although it’s far from perfect, many mistakes were made and it took me a long time… it got me sold, hooked to modelling.
Now tanks, boats etc… don’t interest me much, it’s the scratch build space ships or kit bashed sci-fi vehicles that do it for me. I’m not ready yet for a complete scratch build, as styrene etc is still new for me, so I decided to alter an existing model.
This brings me to the topic (title) at hand. I work at a Volvo dealership and when looking at one of the toy models on our desk the idea struck me to make a blade-runner/sci-fi/post-apocalyptic hybrid of a Volvo FH truck. One with hover engines etc…
So I went out and bought the Italeri Volvo FH16 1/24 kit. Some styrene stock and other random supplies and got started.
The plan is to keep the original engine and suspension of the truck but retro-fit it to hold hover engines. Imagine technology getting a huge boost overnight and people changing the current vehicles to adapt to air-traffic/flight. (kinda like the DeLorean from BTTF).
So to have something to build on I decided to make the engine and chassis original and then start adding sci-fi stuff.
Engine:
Chassis:
And then I got hit with the realisation of what you guys do, it is not just throwing greeblies at it and calling it sci-fi it has to ‘work’. Stuff has to look like it is supported by brackets, connected, ‘could work’.
So my way of connecting the normal engine to the new ‘technology’ is the drive shaft. I got an old Type XXI U 2540 sub kit from a friend and got some stuff out to make a cover for the drive shaft. The idea is that the shaft’s rotation generates some kind of energy powering two huge engines that generate energy to hover.
Drive shaft cut up and modified:
Installed(first time making something out of styrene, damn it’s not that easy :s):
I altered the two sub engines to fit on the chassis of the truck and connected them to the drive shaft mod with a huge conduit.
My idea for the actual thrusters are cut up ping pong balls. They have the exact diameter of the original tyres that came with the kit. I cut two holes with an exacto-compass. Then fitted a piece of the original rim from the kit.
This is what I have so far! I know it is not a star wars ship or something else fancy but I want to share this, I have a feeling I can learn allot from it.
More to come!
-Hopli-
Edit: maybe a good time to add my first question. How do you guys do this for painting, I primed as much as I could before installing. But I just can't build more without permanently installing some parts. Do you try to keep as much separate as possible? It’s going to be a pain painting those engines underneath that drive shaft.
And if I paint the stuff now before adding more, I won’t be able to spray primer w/o masking (which in this case is impossible). Any tips?
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