Lead Adventure Forum
Other Stuff => Workbench => "Build Something" Archiv => Topic started by: Daeothar on January 20, 2020, 10:26:20 AM
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Well not mine, obviously ;D but I will be building one.
I was thinking of something akin to the life pod that two certain droids used to fall into the Tunesian desert, or the pod that serves as the objective in both iterations of the Lost Patrol board game.
It'll be the first terrain piece to match the (still very WIP) new terrain table I'm building right now. But if anything, it can serve as a proof of concept for the materials I've selected to cover the table :D
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Should be awesome... 8)
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Cheers :)
However... Last night I watched a Youtube video detailing a way to create very realistic concrete rubble by ways of embeddding metal wire as rebar in pre-coloured plaster, which then gets smashed (literally, with a hammer :D ) into rubble. And the end result was some of the most realistic concrete rubble I've ever seen (short of actual concrete rubble, obviously).
So now I'm contemplating switching over to that, to create some sort of destroyed compound wall, or perhaps a bunker of sorts.
Both have an equal amount of appeal, and both will require the same amount of my time and effort I reckon. So now I've got to decide which way to go. Tonight I'll have my first free evening to work on this project, so I still have the entire day to ponder this dilemma... ;)
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And the pod it is! :D
I stumbled onto a large Surprise Egg thingy at the local Action today. I was there for some new plastic primer, and when I'm there, I always browse the toy and crafts isle for anything interesting or useful.
Now, I had been thinking of a spheroid shape, but I think this not so much ovoid shape (it's more like a rounded off cilinder, really) will do nicely.
I plan to have either a part blown off, revealing the insides, or an emergency door opened, doing the same.
Inside, there'll be some sort of cryo-tubes, or grav-couches (or both lol ); the tropish things. You know; with a window offering a view of the occupant, hoses and cables connecting it to the pod, etc. At least one will have to be opened, and one will bbe closed, with the glass cracked and foggy, with a blood smear on the inside.
As you can see, the ends of the 'egg' come off, and I'm planning to leave one on for the top/nose, and the recessed area of the other end will house the (retro/braking?) thrusters.
Still not decided on the positioning of the pod on the ground. I could have it sit on its thrusters as if it made its automated landing, buried at an angle, nose or tail first in a mound of dirt, as if it slammed into the ground, or completely on its side.
I did think about landing balloons, like on the Mars Rovers, but I think they'd be hard to model convincingly... so thrusters it'll be I think.
So; here's the rough shape, Construction Inspector present for size.
Let the building begin. TO THE MANCAVE!! ;D
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Sounds interesting, I like it :)
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That's a great shape to work with- very unusual and a good size.
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Did a first sketch tonight. This is just a very rough idea; it's prone to change a lot once I get cutting and glueing, but obviously the basic shape is pretty much decided... ::)
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Very useful shape what kind of plastic though ?
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It certainly is; when I saw it, I knew it was the one I would be working with.
As for the material, that's a bit of a thing. It's the same plastic the original Kinder Eggs were made of. So glossy, thin, quite flexible, and nearly impossible to glue or paint ::)
So I constructed a cylinder from polystyrene that fits inside, and the interior bits can be glued in place in the usual way. It is slightly smaller in diameter than the outer shell, so the walls can be spaced to look like a double-walled pressure chamber. It will also allow me to show exposed wiring, construction elements, such as beams etc in the place where a big hole was blasted into the side of the pod.
As for the outside; I will key it so it will hold a good plastic primer, and I'll take it from there. I was not planning on adding much to the exterior anyway. The only features will be some portholes, the escape hatch/door and recessed handrails and steps, as in my sketch. But I'm figuring I can add those to the inner tube, and work them into the outer shell with putty.
At least; that's the plan :)
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Illustration looks brilliant :)
I find if you lightly sand the plastic with wet and dry paper,very fine,that paint seems to key pretty well. I’ve airbrushed modified Nerf guns(for stage props) done the same way and the paint is still good after 5 years.
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Cheers :)
I've worked with this type of plastic before; it's not my favorite, but when a bit of care is taken, especially during prepping, it's perfectly serviceable. I once used a gumball machine in 2012's Trash Bash (http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=39246.msg458145#msg458145), here on the LAF, and that was (partly) made of the exact same material. And that tower is still holding up today, 8 years later!
The only thing I can think of that would be detrimental to all the work going into it, is a drop off the table or a bump against a hard edge.
But then; that's true for most projects and materials... :D
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Haha,indeed :)
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Some more progress shots.
I cut out the inside of one of the end-caps (the top one) for better access to the interior during the build. This will obviously be closed off after the insides are all done.
The 'legs' on the interior tube are there just to keep the curved wall in place while the plastic cement sets; they'll be removed shortly.
The floor has had some grating added by now.
Then there are some shots of the pod's intended final position, with the door and blown out section scribbled on. The door will probably end up a tad smaller, and the hole lower (so engine bits are showing). But there should be a clear see-through.
The blown off door will have a separate base, as will one grav-couch/ cryo-tube.
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Love this...
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Cheers :)
Some more progress this afternoon.
I cut out the door and the blast damage with my Dremel, and cut away some of the bottom, to make the pod sit on/in the ground at an angle. I then bent the material of the hull outward with some pliers, not being too careful, as the more haphazard, the better.
Also, I added a trim to the top of the interior cilinder, to make it look neater (I had a bit of a mishap when my ruler shifted when cutting the plasticard for the cilinder).
Next will be a base, and displaced soil around the pod, plus the funnest bit; the interior and detailing!
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Looks excellent....although I must say it’s not a great advert for the Mega Corporation that produces the escape pods if they explode on impact....was it manufactured by ACME Corp
;) :D
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Looking good
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(http://D1-games.com/ForumPics/Gaming/InterstellarUpdate.jpg)
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What?! Plasticard stocks are at an all time low? That needs to be addressed immediately.
Hope I don't own any DWAN stock...
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Looks excellent....although I must say it’s not a great advert for the Mega Corporation that produces the escape pods if they explode on impact....was it manufactured by ACME Corp
;) :D
That's not from an explosion... it's as if... something tore it's way in.
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Yes, that must be it; no way a well produced and trustworthy piece of equipment like this could ever fail of its own! :D
I'm going to leave the cause of the blow-out ambiguous on purpose, so the piece can be used in a number of different scenarios.
Right now I'm working on the four pods that will be inside the (escape) vehicle. Well, actually... 3 will be inside, right where they were bolted down during fabrication, but one will be on a separate base, having been blown out of the pod sometime during planet fall. Could have happened outside of the atmosphere, or during the touchdown/crash; who knows?
3 pods will be closed, including the one outside of the pod, and one will be opened. I'm thinking up a hinge mechanism that will not impede any other pods opening, and also leave enough of the interior of the pod visible to show it's indeed empty. With four pods inside, it's becoming cramped pretty quickly, so I'll have to be inventive here...
The outside door will have been blown out by explosive bolts, which are there in case of an emergency (after the previous emergency which triggered the launch of the pod, obviously. When it rains, it pours :D ). Therefore it will also be on a separate base.
I am planning to keep the base(s) as small as possible. this will enable me to set down the pod in even very cramped spaces, and the separate door can then be placed nearby at any angle and distance. I had originally planned to make it part of the pod's base, but I think this will be much more versatile on the table.
Obviously the same goes for the ejected tube, but making that a separate piece had always been the plan.
The accompanying fluff in my mind has coalesced into the tubes inside of the escape pod being a combination of grav-couches and cryo-tubes, to ensure the safety and survival of their occupants during both atmospheric ingress and possibly a (very?) long space journey towards a planet capable of sustaining human life. This also means that there will be no need for huge amounts of supplies for the occupants to see them through months or even years of drifting through space towards (relative) safety.
Obviously there will be survival kits available for the occupants for when the pod finally makes planet fall somewhere.
The lower part of the pod, below the floor, is dedicated to the pod's deep space and deceleration engines and their fuel (which won't be much, obviously), while the top part of the pod houses the navigational and life support systems, possibly a low level AI to manage all systems while the occupants are sleeping.
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And all of a sudden, there's just 10 days left, and I failed to make any progress beyond what I already posted... :o
Dutch Carnaval really got in my way there, and now I can actually feel the deadline.
Better get cracking tonight!
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Good man :)
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And all of a sudden, there's just 10 days left, and I failed to make any progress beyond what I already posted... :o
Dutch Carnaval really got in my way there, and now I can actually feel the deadline.
Better get cracking tonight!
Know that feeling...I’m away during the week for work so going to have to blitz it at the weekend to finish in time.
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And all of a sudden, there's just 10 days left, and I failed to make any progress beyond what I already posted... :o
Dutch Carnaval really got in my way there, and now I can actually feel the deadline.
Better get cracking tonight!
It sure goes by fast... :D
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Well, I didn't get to do as much as I'd wanted, but there was significant progress nonetheless!
I have nearly finished the grav-couches annex cryo-pods. In the picture, the two on the right are done, the second one from the left just needs the seals around the lid added and the leftmost one is the one that will be opened, so I created a simple interior, with straps and cushions. The lid/door will be swiveled up by means of an arm on the right of the pod.
All pods still require the addition of this arm and a small control panel and/or display screen on the pod.
As you can see, the three closed pods are filled with some sort of cryo gas (getting technobabbly here ;) ), which will safely keep the occupant asleep during the escape, no matter how long this might take. The onboard AI will also assess the physical condition of the occupant, and could opt to keep them asleep, even after touchdown for their own safety, until medical assistance can be provided by outside sources.
All of this does not really matter for the occupant of the pod on the right, who probably failed to properly apply the safety harness before closing the pod, and was thrown around violently during touchdown.*
On the outside, I have cut out the indentations where the handhold rails and footholds are. The footholds will remain as is (but obviously the open holes will also be covered from the inside), but handhold rails will be put into the slots next to the door, as per my initial sketch.
It's going to be tight, as I will have to do some traveling this week, severely cutting down on my hobby time. But I'm still mildly positive I can make it (as long as I don't catch anything... ::) ).
* The DWAN corporation will not be responsible for this loss though, as clearly the occupant did not follow the safety instructions, and no compensation will be forwarded.
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That is some fiddly work- really nicely done. I have all confidence that this will be done by Sunday. :)
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LOOKING GOOD :-* :-* :-* :-*
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Hopefully it's a short trip and you stay healthy!
Any comment from the DWAN corporation regarding the rumors the safety equipment was substandard as interior camera's showed the occupant following procedures?
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That looks very good 8)
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Looking good mate!
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Thanks all; replies are always really encouraging :)
It may not look like much, but I actually managed quite a bit in the small amount of time I could free up this week.
I've basically finished the cryo-tubes; they're scheduled for painting next. I added the swivel/extender arms to the sides, with some thingamabobs to make them suitably techy. In theory, the mechanism should work, at least dimensionally. I did run into some challenges because of inaccuracies in the building of the pods. A result from building them from scratch, by hand. Ideally, I would have 3D drawn them, then printed and cast them. But alas, my skills in those regards are still in their infancy, so this was the faster (but sloppier) alternative.
Then again; they will be hidden away inside of the capsule, totally invisible to anyone playing at the table it's deployed on. I have had to remind myself constantly that micro-detailing these was futile because of their eventual position, but I ended up spending way too much time on them anyway, but at least I'll know the pod has been detailed to the (almost) full extent.
I also keyed the surface of the entire pod, to better hold the primer, and sealed up the back of the openings for the foot steps and handholds from the inside. I've selected the greebles for the exposed engine compartment area, which I will probably just hot-glue into place.
Oh, and I made the door, including detailing and bending it to the curvature of the pod. It will be on a separate base, just like the one cryo-tube.
Still to do:
- Create and print the decals
- Paint the interior before closing up the pod
- Close up the pod and clean up any ragged edges
- Add a base to the pod
-Add a base to the door and cryo-tube
- Mask and prime the pod
- Paint the pod and weather it
- Take pictures
- Get some actual sleep (optional)
And all of this over the weekend. I take it the deadline is Sunday 2359h? because if it's Sunday 0000h, I will not be making it for sure (sleep or no sleep)...
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Genius work, the magic is in the details... like that blood splatter.
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I love the shape and design of the pods. It amazes me how clean and tight they are built, especially considering how small they are- really well done.
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I love the shape and design of the pods. It amazes me how clean and tight they are built, especially considering how small they are- really well done.
Totally agree +1
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Totally agree +1
I wonder what's most fun to look at fine detail or to put is there...
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Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm having a blast! :D
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Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm having a blast! :D
Checking in on the BSC is the highlight of my day. :D
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Checking in on the BSC is the highlight of my day. :D
There certainly is some brilliant work!
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Well, I actually finished on time yesterday evening!
But due to the fact that Hammers informed us that the deadline was moved up 24h due to a small mistake in the original contest post and because my basing glue had not dried completely (causing some temporary discoloration), I will be sending my pictures this evening instead.
It has been a true roller-coaster, but it was super fun and I'm really happy with the end result!
Can't wait to see what everybody else has been up to; this is going to be a pretty awesome gallery :D
Good luck everyone! :)
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And entry sent!!
I just hope the collage does my humble contribution justice... :)
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Can't wait to see what everybody else has been up to; this is going to be a pretty awesome gallery :D
Yeah, I agree. :D