How would you make a flying camera?

[JollyBob]

Like the Spy in the Sky cameras from Judge Dredd...

Quite small, I guess drone sized, for a 28mm project.

I was thinking of trying to cobble something together from a 40k style gun scope and some little plasticard wings but am open to suggestions as I am a bit of a clot. 

Anyone? 

[Cory]

I did one where I used a bead and then cut a 1mm slice off of some plastic tubing for the eye. I added some copper wire to the base as dangling wire and used that to hold it up, then put some clothes cut from glue soaked tissue to turn the wire into an errant clothesline.

[Billchuck]

What form factor do you want?  Airplane, helicopter, multirotor, antigravity?

[JollyBob]

That's s good question, I hadn't considered that.

I guess the picture in my head is kind of just floating, so either antigravity or small multi rotors like a modern drone.

I guess the antigravity version would be easier to model as I could just fudge any propulsion systems without them having to look too realistic.

[Will Bailie]

Without reinventing the wheel, how about a WH40k Tau drone?



should be relatively easy to convert a gun to a camera?

[Billchuck]

One choice is a tricopter style drone.  Use some beads for three ducted fan pods.  Make a central mass with a camera-like thing (your scope would work) and some other bits and pieces.  Drill each pod for a piece of wire, and drill the body at the back and on each side 1/3 from the front.  Glue the pods to wires and glue the wires to the body.  Add a flying stand and you're done.

[SotF]

Depending upon how big you want to make them, you might consider utilizing some of the variant jump/jet pack conversion parts that some places use and attaching a camera looking thing to it. I used to have some that I got from puppetswar and used for various drones in more near future and cyberpunk games.

[dbsubashi]

How about 15mm GZG drones? They have rotor, ducted fan, and several other styles.

[Andym]

A bit of plastic card tubing and some GS?......

[Connectamabob]

I'll give that a crack. Do you have a DL link for the file?

[Billchuck]

I finally went looking for a picture of the flying camera you mentioned. For scratchbuilding a camera assembly like that, dig around your local toy store and look for doll cameras of the size you want. You might also find them in craft stores that sell dollhouse furnishings/decorations, or maybe something for a kid's charm bracelet in the head and necklace section.

[Mick_in_Switzerland]

These tiny space ships from EM4 may give you a start.  I have some and I was thinking of using them as high tech drones for 28mm.
They are at the bottom of the page.

http://www.em4miniatures.com/acatalog/Science_Fiction.html
The smallest are 10mm Long

[Connectamabob]

Just for reference (as it effects the design), we are talking about low hovering type drones, i.e. stuff that'd be hanging out down between buildings to peep in windows, or with one or two stories above people's heads? Figure it's a given if it's for for tabletop purposes, but the ones seen the Dredd film were definitely of the high-altitude aerodynamic sort.