Thanks for the demo. I think I like the look of #2 better. I'll give it a try, hopefully without splitting too many.
Outland Shuttle Build
- Thread starter Hot4Darmat
- Start date
I spent some time building one of the landing gear legs. Whew. That was maybe one of the hardest things I've ever built in paper, and I've built some tough models...even built a couple of naval ships. For some reason paper ship models seem to have some of the finickiest teeny bits in them, and by comparison, science fiction paper models have seemed a little less cruel...until now. I think a little redesigning is in order.
Anyway, here are a couple of shots; one of the leg sub-assemblies before being put together, and another after.
Anyway, here are a couple of shots; one of the leg sub-assemblies before being put together, and another after.
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Oh and these things seen in the background above are the main thruster arm supports. There will be 4 of 'em. They hold the main engines and are covered by lots of top and side plates. In the studio model, these were made of brass plating and lots and lots of tubes. I had to go for strength here so only the bits where the tubing really showed has been made into a fold-over tube-looking part.
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Ya gotta love any model supported by a copy of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar".....
Seriously, great work so far. I can't wait to see how it turns out.
Seriously, great work so far. I can't wait to see how it turns out.
A very worn and beaten copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar too. Its been through two little boys and is currently being heavily used by a third...
The photos seem to reveal all the horrible flaws in my folds and edges...it didn't seem to look so bad to me until I saw those closeup pictures.
I used a shish kebab stick to help roll the main leg tube, and then decided to just glue it and leave it in place for strength. Also, after trying to roll 4 teeny tiny little tubes with thinner paper for the small hydraulics assembly, I gave up...my fingers weren't cooperating, even with the help of tweezers. I just coloured a few round toothpicks with a silver inked pen and voila. Wish I'd thought of that from the start.
The photos seem to reveal all the horrible flaws in my folds and edges...it didn't seem to look so bad to me until I saw those closeup pictures.
I used a shish kebab stick to help roll the main leg tube, and then decided to just glue it and leave it in place for strength. Also, after trying to roll 4 teeny tiny little tubes with thinner paper for the small hydraulics assembly, I gave up...my fingers weren't cooperating, even with the help of tweezers. I just coloured a few round toothpicks with a silver inked pen and voila. Wish I'd thought of that from the start.
S
Soaring
Le gasp! I think it looks great! From my point of view, the pictures portray a very detailed monster :_
My operating theory is that toothpicks or shish-kebab sticks are perfectly ok. They are made of wood, as is the cardstock we're using. The wood is just "pre-paper" material. It all comes from the same place....
Thanks. (and thanks for the nice rating to whomever did that. Nice.)
As for commercial. No, I'll give this one away when its done. I suck at too many important little details, and don't have the graphic skills necessary to bring this to that level in my opinion. Plus, I've resigned myself to this activity as hobby. Many many people devote huge amounts of time to their crafts and hobbies simply because it brings them pleasure without expectation of turning it into income generating activity. Some want to make money at it...I just don't. I have a good job, and don't need the extra income...or the stress that would accompany the whole "vendor" thing. If someone complained after paying, I'd feel like crap. If someone complains when its free, I just say: "Hey, it was free, whadidja expect?" Anyway, thats a discussion for another thread, but I appreciate the vote of confidence immensely.
It fuels my motivation to push forward. Its gonna be awhile, though.
As for commercial. No, I'll give this one away when its done. I suck at too many important little details, and don't have the graphic skills necessary to bring this to that level in my opinion. Plus, I've resigned myself to this activity as hobby. Many many people devote huge amounts of time to their crafts and hobbies simply because it brings them pleasure without expectation of turning it into income generating activity. Some want to make money at it...I just don't. I have a good job, and don't need the extra income...or the stress that would accompany the whole "vendor" thing. If someone complained after paying, I'd feel like crap. If someone complains when its free, I just say: "Hey, it was free, whadidja expect?" Anyway, thats a discussion for another thread, but I appreciate the vote of confidence immensely.
It fuels my motivation to push forward. Its gonna be awhile, though.
Sorry. I'm in the middle of an insanely busy work stint. Plus parenting...oh and a new computer that's sucked up a bit more of my otherwise rare free time.
I hope to get some more building done this weekend, but this will, unfortunately, be a slow burn type of project for the next little while, I'm afraid.
I hope to get some more building done this weekend, but this will, unfortunately, be a slow burn type of project for the next little while, I'm afraid.
Also, there was a disturbing setback in my progress. My oldest son knocked down some of the the bits I have been working on from their safe place at the top of a bookshelf, while climbing the shelves to get at something else he wanted (which he knows he shouldn't have done, but...he's 5). He failed to pick them up from the floor afterward, and the toddler (20 mos) son "got at them" squish, slobber, squish.
Now we get to watch daddy cry...
Lost my scale cube and the two engine supports. At least the landing leg was OK.
Now we get to watch daddy cry...
Lost my scale cube and the two engine supports. At least the landing leg was OK.
Kids......don't ya' just love 'em sometimes?? Sorry to hear about your King Kong episode though. I was just dropping in on this thread to tell you how much I am enjoying it and how much I admire your craftsmanship and ingenuity. When you recover sufficiently to pick up the thread again it'll be great news.
Got another piece of news that'll set this project back abit. Just learned that my (eldest 5 yr old) son may have cancer. Yup. Freaked. Stressed. Not sure what to say or do. Reeling, feeling rudderless, and "it always happens to someone else" no longer applies. Needless to say, hobby stuff's taking a back seat until we get a clear diagnostic and histology report from the most recent surgery.
Now I wish I hadn't barked when he climbed the shelves.
Will be on hold for awhile. Thanks for your patience.
Now I wish I hadn't barked when he climbed the shelves.
Will be on hold for awhile. Thanks for your patience.
Thanks very much...and my apologies for taking this build thread suddenly into the personal realm. I appreciate your thoughts and yeah, I tend to immediately go to the worst case scenario, regardless. Occupational hazard, or maybe unhealthy personality trait. Nevertheless, I'll be perfectly happy to eat crow and say that I over-reacted if that ends up being the case. Still its unlikely I'll be building much on this model for awhile (...but ironically, i can see that I may become very focused on it too, who knows). For those who may be interested: my wife's blog on this and other related stuff.
Stay Calm and Carry on
Stay Calm and Carry on
Duncan !! very disconcerting news cousin. As parent of a child with a disability, I can understand how traumatic any problem with a child's health can be for a family ( Even if its only a scare) Its a real roller coaster ride of emotion for quite a while. Your family will be in our thoughts, and I pray that the diagnosis is favourable.
Thanks again for the supportive comments and the warmth. This is truly a great little e-community, and I for one am grateful to be a part of it. Roller coaster is right. I feel like I've had my little "freak out" and am much calmer, and moving ahead in a much more normalized fashion. My wife and I will weigh all the information and risks, not worry about things that aren't in front of us yet, and go with best practices and recommendations we can (sage advice there ekuth, thanks). Thats all there is to do.
Back on topic. Progress! Oddly I got a bunch more building done today while the lads were out playing in the snow and the littlest napped. Not only did I regain the ground lost by the aforementioned squishing incident, I finished building one complete thruster arm assembly. Pics soon.
Back on topic. Progress! Oddly I got a bunch more building done today while the lads were out playing in the snow and the littlest napped. Not only did I regain the ground lost by the aforementioned squishing incident, I finished building one complete thruster arm assembly. Pics soon.
Here are a few photos of the progress made today: One of the thruster arm assemblies completed (nearly...the engine itself is still missing, the three attitude thrusters pointing up at the end, and there will be a few more panels and greebles here and there).
On to the pictures.
On to the pictures.
