Blackadder's Scratchbuilt Thunderhawk

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Blackadder

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The wing root mount plate and engine mount tab outboard with one piece temporarily tacked in place to demo the approximate position. I think it's too far forward but that is the beauty of modular construction for once they are assembled I can place them where ever they appear correct.

U9zxol.jpg
 

Blackadder

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The landing gear wells are coming along quite nicely. I've had a thought to build each wing separate from the hull and mount them with screws for easy disassembly for transport. This will be quite a large model and damage will occur if in one piece.

tpPDel.jpg


http://i.imgur.com/tpPDe.jpg
 
Z

Zathros

I would consider going to a company and presenting this as a prototype of a model. This thing rules, and yes, it is inspirational!!
 

Blackadder

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I would consider going to a company and presenting this as a prototype of a model. This thing rules, and yes, it is inspirational!!

I appreciate the compliment but there are such things as copyright laws. The original concept is GW/FW's and there is the unknown individual who provided the excellent 3D renderings. Perhaps you may have heard of a small company that offered a couple of kits featuring two Imperial Titan like figures. FW who does not even have such kits had them removed from the market because they looked too much like the Epic figures.
 

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Blackadder

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Not to put too fine a point on it the figures offered now look nothing like the Emperor Titan in point of fact they look reminiscent of the robots in the rather silly movie "Ice Pirates" which may be grounds for further litigation. :D But battling droids are nothing new witness the newest movie "Real Steel". No, it's the ambulatory cathedrals that FW took exception to.
 
Z

Zathros

Love landing gear. This kind of detail ca throw a model over the top, but since yours is already up there, it just frosting on the cake! :)
 

Blackadder

Well-Known Member
Found some shots of the landing gear and bays of the FW resin kit:

Whoa those are some fantastic shots, much better than anything I have. Very much appreciated; I am in your debt.

Viewing these it very much reinforces what I have suspected all along; FW got the main gear retraction all wrong.

As the forward (angled) retract cylinder contracts it pivots the main strut forward. the landing pad with what I assume is a leveling cylinder collapses forward with the main strut intersecting with the hull well forward of the gear well opening instead of covering it forming a door as FW intends.

My main strut perforce will collapse vertically and the angled retract cylinder will be more of a stabilizing/centering device to keep the gear from swiveling.

The whole hydraulic/mechanical structure from an engineering standpoint is totally inadequate for a vehicle the size of the T'hawk but at least it will keep the external configuration intact with the gear retracted.

The forward strut is a different case and I may be able to adapt the FW design by placing the foot pad further aft on the shock strut the short strut/pad may intersect the hull where FW intended when retracted and cover the well.

The Blackadder, I'm not an engineer but I play one on the internet :D
 

Blackadder

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I'm trying to build the wings as light as possible because I want the upper wing appendages with the lascannons on the tips to be movable and not be a truss for the support of the lower main wing as in the FW model. FW really ought to research into drilling and tapping threads into resin and installing machine screws to hold the heavier pieces together. Crazy glue and even epoxy sometimes just isn't enough.

When I get to mounting the wings on the hull I'll do a tutorial on screwing.

Not what you're thinking,

Blackadder

Back when I was building Lucie I bought some gray ABS plastic box beam tubing manufactured by Plastruct. I don't recommend using this stuff but I've got to get rid of it.so I'm using it to frame the engine mounts and the wing core assembly. It's stronger than styrene but doesn't cement well with styrene glue unless you rough the surface up with sandpaper. Or you could use ABS cement which I believe is mainly acetone.

3ydfPl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/3ydfP

TPmC6l.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/TPmC6

Before you get your 'nads in a knot the just installed beams will be cut very short; they're just left long for now to insure they are parallel. That is a building hint; it's easier to insure frames are parallel and true if they are long than short. The discrepancy in trueness is easier to detect with the longer length.
 

Blackadder

Well-Known Member
We're starting at the ground floor building the wings so there shouldn't be any question later on how it was done. Now if I can just do it without a mistake.

ZDVp7l.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ZDVp7

I calculated the wing outboard of the engine should extend 17.5 mm excluding the wing tip armament That seems a bit small to me but figures don't lie. We'll just have to see I can always make them bigger.
 
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