Crowley Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 While Stargrave is still months from being released, there has been some info that's made it out into the wilds, and one bit is that there will be a scenario that takes place in a hanger bay of some sort, and requires 4 ships/shuttles. Now, I've been watching a lot of Star Wars lately, from Clone Wars to Rebels to The Mandalorian, and got this crazy idea to scratch build a small cargo ship. I even dreamed about it. So, after work one evening I got to it. I started with a sketch and some basic dimensions. Then got cutting. Mostly the ship is made from regular cardboard, glued together with hot glue. Here I've got the basic structure coming together. And then the overall ship shape. The basic construction took about 2 hours tops. I was really pleased, overall with how it was coming along.... but then I got more into it and... When I got the second engine on... I realized that they weren't quite the same size. I did a bunch of fiddling trying to get it to work. Then ignored it, and added more structure to the top of the ship. This is the top of that little 3 legged thing that comes with pizza to keep the box from squishing the pizza. Loved the shape, and figured that'd be great detailing for the ship. Then I cut off the engines and replaced them with these cylinders made from tissue box and a pair of Reaper bases. You can also sort of see the pencil sketching on the hull where I thought different bits of plating should go. And speaking of, I got started on it. Here you can see the hatch on the port side. The paneling was done with the same tissue box card applied with wood glue. The paneling was a bit too busy, and I'm not real thrilled with how it looks here. Maybe it'll be better when painted. Up top, I'm wishing I'd been more symmetrical with the panels. I went with a cleaner, less busy look for the starboard side. And here you can see the aft main hatch. Adding detail to the prow and the front of the engines. Still not sure how I'll detail the rear of the engines. Working on some landing gear. They're made from GW 20mm bases, kabab skewers, and the inner tube of a roll of dog poop bags. Given how tall it is, I added some washers for weight to the bottom of the hull. And here I'm adding the clear plastic to the cockpit. I want the smooth surface for when I paint it up. Then I built out the cockpit cladding and here you can see the fins added to the engines... And the detail added to the back of the engines. Then it was primer time!! 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Palmer Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 That is coming along great, Crowley! It always amazes me what can be accomplished with some skill, a little cardboard, and some time. And I distinctly see a Razor Crest inspiration in that design! 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeepnewbie Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 Very nice Crowley! I’m looking forward to seeing how it comes out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowley Posted January 20, 2021 Author Share Posted January 20, 2021 After letting the ship collect dust for a bit, I finally got back outside and added a second coat of primer. I then took the family on a long walk in the park. When we got back, and had dinner... well... what else was there to do but work on my ship! I started with a very rough overbrush of a tan paint that I had mixed up at the local home improvement store for a project some year back. We still had more than half the can, and well... I'm a little lacking in craft paints. I thought I got pics of that, but apparently not. After that, I mixed in some Reaper Ultramarine Blue, and then brushed over the tan with that. Then I used Metal Tone on the engine bits and the hatch on top. After that I added in some variety using Redstone, Cavalier Orange, and more of the Ultramarine Blue. Then, using a sponge and some black craft paint, I added more weathering, and using Filagree Silver, some highlights to the exposed metal. I also added some spots of what I think of as blaster scorch marks. Overall I'm very pleased with my first attempt at making a cardboard model. it's a little rough, but will still look great on a table covered with sci-fi terrain. That isn't to say I would make my next one exactly the same way. For one thing, I didn't measure nearly well enough, and while I started with a plan, I was winging it way more than I should have. I was inconsistent in how I did the paneling. I should have figured that out before I started gluing. I also made the top structure way more complex a shape than I should have. Yes, card bends. That doesn't mean you should be making curved surfaces. I should have put in some detail under the top hatch. But either way, the Lana Emirp is ready to ungracefully fly. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malefactus Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 It really is a SPLENDID creation. It brings to mind some pf the grittier SciFi space craft...The Ice Pirates comes to mind. VERY WELL DONE! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowley Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share Posted January 24, 2021 Thanks @malefactus@Jeepnewbie and @Chris Palmer Construction has begun on my next ship. This is a small personal shuttle, with basically enough power to get you up to orbit and back, but not enough for interplanetary travel. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werkrobotwerk Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 the new one looks a bit like a cylon raider 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowley Posted January 27, 2021 Author Share Posted January 27, 2021 Working on the back of the engines... 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowley Posted January 28, 2021 Author Share Posted January 28, 2021 Got some more work done today. Might get to start painting tomorrow, depending on how quickly I can get the rest done. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowley Posted January 29, 2021 Author Share Posted January 29, 2021 Okay, I think it might be time to paint! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowley Posted January 31, 2021 Author Share Posted January 31, 2021 (edited) And then there was paint! Primed with Benjamin Moore premium flat interior paint, with Reaper's Gory Red and Apple Barrel Black. Edited January 31, 2021 by Crowley 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Khan Artist Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Those look great! I challenge you to use a blister pack in the next one for a canopy. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowley Posted February 2, 2021 Author Share Posted February 2, 2021 On 1/31/2021 at 1:08 AM, Great Khan Artist said: Those look great! I challenge you to use a blister pack in the next one for a canopy. Well... Hmm.... That wasn't in my plans for the next one, but I could make it work... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowley Posted February 21, 2021 Author Share Posted February 21, 2021 Just realized that I never shared the finished pics of my little shuttle. And here it is with the Lana Emirp Space RV 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowley Posted February 21, 2021 Author Share Posted February 21, 2021 Work has begin on my next ship, a short range cargo hauler with cargo pod. I spent a couple hours late last night working on mocking it up. I had a vague idea of what I wanted, but wasn't really sure how exactly I wanted to get there. Like I said at the beginning, this is just a mock up. I've decided to try doing the cargo pod out of 1" pink foam, rather than building a box. I should be able to get a much more square shape that way, and I don't need it to be hollow. The flatbed will probably be made of 1/2" pink foam. I'd use foam core if I had any, but I don't. I could use cardboard, and still might, but we'll see. As with my previous ships, the underside will have minimal detailing, as no one is going to see it. I'm hoping to have most of the construction done by the end of the week now that I have a plan! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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