Well, THIS took long enough…

 blather, models, news, science fiction  7 Responses »
Apr 232012
 

In March, Pegasus Models released a 1/32 plastic model kit of Vermithrax Pejoritive, the dragon from the 1981 movie “Dragonslayer.” It’s not the pose I would’ve chosen, and it’s pretty pricey, but I’ve wanted a good model of this critter ever since I saw the movie… thirty years ago (holy crap… I’M OLD!!!)

One source is HERE.

It’s hardly news that a lot of spiffy model kits have been released in the past few years. A number of modestly awesome Star Trek kits, “War of the Worlds” kits (both 1950’s and 2005 movie versions), re-releases of “2001” models, all kinds of stuff that model builders have been dreaming about for years… decades, even. While that’s great, it may be the last gasp of greatness for a dying hobby. Plastic model kits, like model trains, are a dwindling part of the hobby industry. Hard to compete with Yon Computer Games.

 Posted by at 8:56 pm

Space Station V Assembly Instructions

 awesomeness, drawings, models, new products, science fiction  13 Responses »
Apr 092012
 

The Space Station V model I mastered for Fantastic Plastic is about to be released in the next month or two. I am working on a set of instructions for it, all computer rendered in the form of 2-D line drawings taken from the 3D CAD model. This is the first model I – or Fantastic Plastic – have done that has photoetched parts, in this case all the frames and longerons needed to make the “unfinished rim.” I have a suspicion that the model will look substantially awesome when completed. The pages shown below are to be printed out on 11X17 pages; this allows for full-size orthographic views, handy for getting the rims right.

The model was created in Rhino, the 2D drawing created via the “make2d” Rhino command. Distressingly, the model is at, and often beyond, the memory capability of my computer… I cannot render the space station *and* an Orion III spaceplane at the same time, for instance (“out of memory” error). Just for giggles I’d love to continue tinkering with the model, to create a more detailed version with internal details for cutaway views and the like, but that would cause my current computer to just plain roll over and die. For those knowledgable about such things, is this a matter purely of hardware, such that a new more powerful c0mputer might be able to breeze through it, or is this a software issue that would not be aided by a new computer? I have no firm plans on procuring a new computer due to fiscal concerns, but if I were to do so (anyone wanna fund a new computer? There’d be some Space Station V diagrams in it for ya…), what should I look for?

 Posted by at 11:03 am

Who wants a big X-15?

 aircraft, awesomeness, blather, history, models, new products, rockets, spacecraft  1 Response »
Apr 062012
 

A professional colleague of mine has produced a 1/15 scale model of the X-15A-2, and can make a few more. The first part of the photos below show it sans stand; the second part shows it with a temporary stand. I understand that this particular model is spoken for, and will have a stainless steel stand. I imagine the production run will be rather small, considering the size and level of detail involved. The price he’s asking is $4,750 plus shipping. If you are interested, let me know: scottlowther@up-ship.com/blog

Some detials: the drop tanks are held on by rare earth magnets, the front tank tube opening on the body has a little hinge that you can close after droping the tanks.  The ventral fin is removable, held on with magnets, the horizontals are positionable.

And, yes, I’m quite jealous.

 Posted by at 4:24 pm

Things Fall Apart

 AARRRGH, blather, models, new products, science fiction, spacecraft  3 Responses »
Mar 102012
 

If someone wants me to make ’em a CAD model, I will… for a price. The price is variable depending on perceived difficulty (and boy have I been burned on under-estimating how challenging some things can be). Upon receipt of the first half of the payment work begins; upon receipt of the second half of the payment, the CAD file is passed on.

A few times, the second half doesn’t happen.  So far, I haven’t had a customer refuse to pay because they don’t like the renderings of the CAD model, but I have had customers flake out or just plain vanish. So I’m left with a partially finished, or completed, CAD model with no client. Feh. One such is this sci-fi starship:

I’m shopping this around. If’n yer interested, let me know.

 Posted by at 9:49 pm

Hiller VJ-100

 aircraft, models, projects  1 Response »
Feb 112012
 

Another of the CAD models I tinkered together with the notion of kitting it is the late 1940’s Hiller Helicopter VJ-100 jet-powered tailsitter. It needs work to the cockpit and the exhaust (especially the thrust vectoring vanes), but is otherwise pretty close.

 Posted by at 2:53 am

Triamese

 aircraft, models, new products, projects, rockets, spacecraft  8 Responses »
Feb 082012
 

Another CAD model I’ve been tinkering with is a Convair “Triamese” space shuttle concept. If it were to be  turned into a kit, the parts would include the wings either retracted or deployed… due to the difficulty in making the numerous little hinged doors actually work in practice, making a truly VG model would be impractical.

 Posted by at 1:06 am
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