_lamorous _lennis

 AARRRGH, aircraft, models  6 Responses »
May 242012
 

Some years ago, Pegasus Hobbies released a great big 1/18 scale model kit of the Bell X-1. Always wanted one, but never bought until a few days back when I came across one for cheap. On the box, the “Glamorous Glennis” markings in the photos of the model were blotted out with a black marker. In the box, the GG references and the references to _huck _eager were blotted out of the instruction sheet. The GG decal was actually cut off the decal sheet.

Why? Well, it seems Pegasus Hobbies got a Cease and Desist order from Yeager’s people. Somehow he’s got his name and the GG name copyrighted. Even though the GG is a world-famous taxpayer-funded historically important and widely publicized vehicle – exactly the sort of thing that you’d imagine was “public domain,” it’s apparently not… or at least it’s not worth the bother of fighting.

Sad.

Good thing I never planned to build it in the GG configuration. Maybe an X-1D or E. Or even a swept-wing, V-tail proposed configuration… or even the S-1 “tactical” plane.

 Posted by at 12:03 pm

Who wants: F-102 control yoke replicas

 aircraft, awesomeness, models, new products  2 Responses »
May 242012
 

Some time back I came into possession of a control yoke from an F-102 Delta Dagger. It’s an interesting thing… I’ve never seen another control stick quite like it. It’s two handed; the left-hand stick can be unlocked, and used to slew the radar dish around. It looks like something that should have been used on a Colonial Viper or similar sci-fi spacecraft.

It seemed to me that there might be a market for replicas at several levels of detail. The simplest would be a basic “kit” of cast urethane resin, featuring the main stick including the right-hand control, the left-hand stick, the connecting “joint,” a few separate toggles and decals; next would be a finished & painted & decaled display piece based on the kit; next would be a kit with all the bells and whistles; and last would be a finished version of that kit. The basic kit I would guesstimate at $75 or so; the finished detailed piece at something like $350 or so.

Any interest?

Anybody know any Hollywood prop houses working sci-fi flicks who’d be interested is getting a bulk purchase???

 Posted by at 8:42 am

X-15A-3

 aircraft, models, projects, rockets  3 Responses »
Apr 282012
 

The most advanced variant of the X-15 that stood a fair chance of getting built was the X-15A-3. Where the X-15A-2 was a stretched version of the X-15, with increased internal propellant tankage and additional external tankage, the A-3 would have been stretched even further. Additionally, the wings and horizontal stabilizers would have been removed and replaced with highly swept delta wings, and the rocket engine would have been upgraded (or simply replaced with a new and/or more powerful engine). The nosecone would have been stretched.

The end result would not have been much of an increase in speed, but duration and range would have been greatly increased. As long as the A-3 was, it was still to be carried to altitude by a B-52. Like the A-2, external tankage could be carried for increased performance, but for some reason the design featured only a  single centerline tank.

The photo below shows a display model of an early design of the A-3. The final design had diamond-shaped wingtip fins.

 Posted by at 7:20 am

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
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