BSC2025 Wirelizard's small dropship/shuttle

[Wirelizard]

Didn't get quite as much done this last week as I'd hoped, but there's a few more detail panels on the nose, the ramp is mounted, and I decided the thing needed vertical stabilizers because with the wings in place it looked kind of flat and slab-like.

First, the ramp, and some detail/gap-filling panels on the inside surfaces of the rear extensions.


The vertical stabilizers going on. They're set at 90 degrees to the top surface of the wings, but because the wings "droop" slightly when attached to the body, they'll wind up angled slightly outward once installed.


The wings and their new vert stabs propped approximately into place. Still some cleanup and detailing to do on the verts, but I'm pleased with the shape and the addition they make to the beast's overall shape.


Because the left hand side pulled skew at the rear somehow during construction, I'm going to have to piece the frame of the roof together carefully so the whole damn thing still works. I think I'm actually going to glue the wings on now and build the roof frame up using the wing roots as part of the structure, it should be easier (for pain-in-the-ass values of easier...) than other methods.

Oh, and in "things I can't show you", there's now about 30 tiny decals in the cargo bay, and I have plans for half a dozen more...

[snitcythedog]

Pretty dam spectacular at this point.  Have you started the landing gear yet?  I will be interested to see what you come up with there.

[Wirelizard]

Pretty dam spectacular at this point.  Have you started the landing gear yet?  I will be interested to see what you come up with there.

Sort of. Not much to look at yet, mostly just plastic wheels on bits of wire. They'll be detailed after they're installed, and I haven't even cut the gear bay doors yet, those will be fitted dead last.

The wings are mounted!


Rear view, with some old school clothes pegs holding the left engine on at the back.


Front view.


The last piece of fabrication I have to do is the sides of the roof frame. As mentioned, the side walls pulled skew somehow during construction, especially on the left. That wing still needs a bit of fiddling and one more round of glue to settle it, and filling the gap between the sides of the roof and the inside edge of each wing root is going to need careful piecing of styrene strip.

However, the wings on and the detail panels on the nose finished mean we have an end to major construction!

[Mick_in_Switzerland]

That looks very good.

I am really interested in you technique.

[snitcythedog]

Pretty dam spectacular!

[Wirelizard]

Side rails along the roof are done, just the landing gear left to do and we are DONE. There's a bit of putty work needed at the edges of the roof frame, and one engraved line on one wing that went skew and needs to be filled.

I'm thinking I'll prime the beast before putting the landing gear on, and possibly even start painting before... which will mean the WIP photos need to stop.

Last night while the side rail glue was curing I whipped up a 12"x12" landing pad, and this morning while pretending to work from home it got paint and a bit of detail.


The pad itself is 1/8" foamed PVC board. I need to get more of this stuff from our local plastic supplier, it's lovely to work with for scenery. Much tougher than foamcore, easy to cut or sand, and it takes engraving beautifully - the expansion lines in this pad are all just pressed in.

The white and green hazard/alignment lines are just quick masked with tape and stencil-brushed on, nothing fancy; same with the top portion of the wall on the right. It'll all get a quick acrylic or Contrast wash and maybe a bit more drybrushing. That's the sort of thing I can keep doing in between more detailed paint work on the actual shuttle, happily.

Here's the shuttle on the pad. The rail/wall on the right isn't fastened down, just sitting on it's own base.


So, putty tomorrow, primer tomorrow night, paint starts this weekend! I'll remember to get one more round of shareable WIP images once the beast is primed... and I'll have to remind myself ot get painting WIP images to share after the contest starts!

[Lost Egg]

Now you're just showing off, making terrain as well as your build.

Looking forward to seeing that beast painted up.

[Spinal Tap]

Fantastic work, looking amazing.

[Ragnar]

This is such a fine piece of modelling.   

[Wirelizard]

Primer! Which means this might be the last couple photos I can show off until the actual BSC starts...

The underside. I've left the landing gear off entirely for now until painting is much further along to avoid damaging anything.


The top. I haven't checked yet, but I really, really hope the masking in the cargo bay has protected the finished paint and decals in there...


The roof got that little sensor pod/vertical fin on it entirely as a handle to make it easier to get on and off the model. I realized that having to hook a thumbnail under the edge of the roof was not ideal...

Glad folks are enjoying following along, I've learned A LOT, this is by far the most ambitious scratchbuild I've ever done and the biggest styrene build ever. I've learned a lot, and also this sort of styrene scratchbuild + kitbash details is kind of addictive and I'll definitely be doing more!

[Dr Mathias]

Looks ace man, well done!

[Tarnegol]

...is kind of addictive...

That's from inhaling Plastic Weld...


It looks fantastic, can't wait to see it in colour!

[Lost Egg]

It does look very cool, congrats.

[Daeothar]

...this sort of styrene scratchbuild + kitbash details is kind of addictive and I'll definitely be doing more!

Isn't it? 

You've managed a truly inspiring build there, and I can't wait to see it painted.

Oh, and welcome to Styrene Builders Anonymous 

[snitcythedog]

It looks outstanding.  I am still interested in what the landing gear will look like as the rest of the build is solid.