First Model: Gekko (Eureka 7)

[TLHarrell]

After being severely abused on 4chan for actually trying to work on coming up with some new content, I've moved in here. Hopefully I'm better received here. I'm not going back to that cesspit. Let the porn spammers and 12 year old kids have that site.

First model up: the Gekko from the anime series Eureka 7.

There is a Halflife 2 mod group that has a 3D model of the ship, but it's got some serious inaccuracies that I just can't quite live with, that spoil the overall look of the model. That's the only one I've been able to find, so this is a non-existent subject. I'm starting this one completely from scratch in Autocad 2002. I'll likely share the 3D model with the mod guys before unfolding and chopping it up into a model just to be nice since they shared their 3D model with me.

Overall model length will be somewhere around 18"-24" long. I'll sort out a length when I'm done making the mesh so I can avoid having too many ridiculously small pieces to fold. The model itself will have creased triangular faces for the majority of the surfaces, because I've found flattened curved parts to be too fiddly for me.

I have fast forwarded and screenshotted my way through the majority of the show and appear to have enough reference material not only for a nicely accurate 3D model, but some nicely detailed panel lines and other features. This one should come out nice.

As far as tabbing goes, I think I'll actually supply internal tab parts to go behind the join lines to make the surface more even, similar to many commercially produced aircraft kits.

This is a work in progress, so I'll update as I go. Any suggestions, tips and pointers are appreciated as this will be my first released model.

 

[Soaring]

I have no prior info on the model at hand, but I'm sure you'll do a good job

 

[Maico Shark]

Looking forward to your build.

 

[TLHarrell]

Got some modeling done on the cockpit/neck areas, mostly just a 3D outline of where stuff goes, an edge reference. It's tough since not all the reference pics actually jive with each other. I spent about an hour trying to sort out exactly what was wrong with one of my side views from the show. No amount of tweaking and stretching would correct the alignment of major components. Turns out for some odd reason the wings are actually shown swept BACK on this particular shot. All other reference shows forward sweep. The wings do not move, therefore this one reference pic goes in the dumpster.

Something tells me this isn't going to be a slam dunk... at least I'm learning more 3D modeling skills. :thumb:

 

[TLHarrell]

:thumb: Ok. Finally getting somewhere useful with setting up the wireframes for the model. I think as far as main structure, I'm spot on with the proportions. Got the wings blocked in as far as their sweep and droop. I'm pretty happy with it so far.

I'll post another cad screenshot soon. I've got tomorrow off, so I'll be doing more modeling.

 

[SEBRET]

that's an extremely attractive craft. I wish you luck.

 

[TLHarrell]

Yeah, I've liked this particular ship since I first saw it on the show. Having looked at it in even more detail, I've really gotten to know the layout of it better and I am amazed. My favorite thing is that the flight deck is suspended in a pod under the nose, with a stairway down to it about 2/3 of the way back. Behind that, at the same level as the flight deck is a U-shaped bench and table with a fantastic view back under the wings with the gun pods on both sides. The pilot at the forward station has a glass floor. Talk about a view! Wish it were real.

Finished revising the wing section and started skinning a little bit. So far the surface triangulation isn't bad at all. Smallest triangle on the wings is about 0.15" on the smallest side. There will be a lot of scoring if you build it the way I've designed it, but the surface will be really nice and smooth from it.

Of course, it'll get a tad fiddly when I start connecting things together, but this model will also have a rather rigid internal frame to support the skin and to provide the exact position for things.

 

[Soaring]

Looking nice, I saw your moldy Crow and Galactica, nice job.

 

[TLHarrell]

Thanks. The moldy crow is my own model, nearly done but I'm working on sorting out how to do the texturing. The Galactica was a download, but it's certainly a nice piece.

I'll be releasing the moldy crow later on. I think it needs some work though as I borrowed the design from a model on Sketchup and I think the cockpit area is wrong. I remembered it being longer in the game, and I've seen other references lately that were more correct.

 

[Soaring]

Oh, and the wing looks great! Gotta say, depending on how you designed it, even the most complex curves don't need to be scored. Like that wing, it's possible to just use a pen to roll out a more spherical plane. Rather than using the alternative score, cut, glue, for every few sections of it.

I went to do some "research", sorry about all that abuse on that 4 thing board. I've been there a few times, nothing but pirates and trolls. I feel sorry for the designers who post their work their.

 

[TLHarrell]

Yeah, I'm a hard scoring type of person. Detail and precision. When I post the kit, you can score yours with a pen if you like. With these small bends, you won't even see white where the joints open on most of the surface. It's an anal-retentive way to go, but I like my models to come out exactly as I drew them in CAD. This skin will come in fairly good size chunks to reduce the amount of gluing required, and there will be no tabs. Should be a really clean and easy build if you follow the scoring.

I was working on a model of a Tydirium Shuttle until I found a better one online. I had the scoring so precise that I could wrap the skin around the entire body in one pass, after all the bends (both mountain and valley folds) and curves it matched each point precisely around the bulkheads that supported it. I still have the test build of the main body at work. I was pretty shocked at the precision that is possible with paper if you plan it right.

 

[rapierdragon]

can't wait

Beautiful ship to choose to do.

I've seen the show and the ship is, in some shots, long and graceful, kind of like a swan with its wings extended. One can almost imagine the two massive dark 3-gun turrets as the legs folded up and under the body during flight (rather than out and along teh back of the body, their bent at the knees, almost like the Swan was getting ready to land on water).

 

[TLHarrell]

This thread is no longer being updated. Catch me on Myspace or PM me.