Merlon's not quite 40K SF thread

[Merlon]

Long term lurker on the forum, thought it time to make a contribution.
I have always want a SF shuttle which could carry more than half a dozen people and a few tea chests.
Found one on Etsy, but the delivered item fell well below par, so decided to have ago at my own.
The case this drill bit came in piqued my interest

A bit of work with some styrene sheet turned it into a passable cockpit.

The wife working away for a few days meant I could create chaos in the back bedroom, her office, glue fumes were quite intense.
Hull core built, had a think about the exterior look of the shuttle and went with big wedge for overall shape.
Passenger module on port side with exits fore and aft. Cargo module on starboard capable of holding 6.1 metre (20 ft) ISO container or small vehicle.

After destroying several cereal boxes for templates, was able to get a decent fit for the upper parts of the shell.

Model will now probably  fester for a few months, whilst I contemplate how much detail to put under the shell.

[OSHIROmodels]

That's looking great 

[LouieN]

Welcome and a nice start

[Kourtchatovium104]

Good idea! 

[Merlon]

Thank you all.

Steadily adding bits to the shuttle, long way to go.


Most of the work cannot be seen from above, but should be visible low angle from across the table.
Establishing height of undercarriage to allow roll on/roll off of ISO container.


In a complete change of pace, for an SF staple, sculpted some mushrooms to add to terrain eventually

[Metternich]

  Edible?  If so this planet has a real future in fancy grocery exports.

[Merlon]

  Edible?  If so this planet has a real future in fancy grocery exports.

In the rich world of fungi, who knows
Might be edible, might have lethal toxins, might be useful chemical source, the spores might clog your lungs. Worst of all they might be like Ophiocordyceps unilateralis the "Zombie Ant Fungus" (genuine article)

[Merlon]

Sometimes the fiddly bits take an inordinate amount of time.
Cargo bay door now is hinged, latches to do next.
Intakes for the engines sorted, resin copies made. One spare in case Capt Co*kup comes to call. Knew that Metal Thunderhawk would come useful one day.


The structural skin is complete apart from the belly. Once that is done time for the cosmetic overlay and surface detail.


Quite pleased with the over all shape.

[hubbabubba]

It's looking very promising.

[Merlon]

Thank you.
I must admit it has been a long time since I did any scratch building and I am enjoying getting back into the groove again.
The piles of shame have had cobwebs on them for far too long.

For a model that would just be a background feature, I may be  investing too much time and effort, we shall see.

First stage of adding wrinkles complete, time for a cuppa and then decide how far to take this.

[OSHIROmodels]

Cool 

[The_Beast]

...
The piles of shame have had cobwebs on them for far too long.

For a model that would just be a background feature, I may be  investing too much time and effort, we shall see.

"Piles of shame..." Not 'preaching to the choir' by half!

Honestly, the first piccie after the bit was removed revealed the cockpit, and I figured some grebbling and I would be seeing something like the Stargate Atlantis jumpers.

That this grows and grows is a good thing, given the progress you've making.

Keep shaming us false starters!

Doug

[Battle Brush Sigur]

Now that is a cool build there. I really like where this is going and how it goes.

[Merlon]

Thank you all

"something like the Stargate Atlantis jumpers.

That this grows and grows is a good thing, given the progress you've making.

I must admit I had never heard of a puddle jumper before, mainly because - not having Sky- I never saw Stargate Atlantis.
Well the shuttle is now fully plated top & bottom - stands on its own undercarriage. It won't get any bigger, as I said at the start I wanted a shuttle that was capable of more than "half a dozen people and a few tea chests". So it is time to try painting, that means getting to grips with an airbrush, hmmm.

Bit of background fluff
Liason shuttle for orbital insertion /recovery and intra system journeys
Crew: 2
Passengers: standard seating 16, high density seating 24.
Cargo bay: capable of holding 6.1 metre (20 ft) ISO container or small vehicle.
Two dual occupancy airlocks, one fore, one aft
Standard life support. 54 man days

Cargo bay can be fitted with option modules for mission support.

So while I wait for the paints to arrive for the decided colour scheme, built a mission objective. A communications relay tower.

[Daeothar]

Great shuttle, and with the plating, it has a very definite Star Wars vibe! I'm very interested to see how it will look painted

Also; the cell-tower is looking really convincing too...