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Orbital Hunter killer


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And here we go again. 

Some of you may have seen my last scratchbuild, a Hover tank from the Airfix Star Wars Slave 1 kit.

I just used the lower hull for the tank. So what of the rest of it?

I'm going to use it on this thread to build an orbital hunter/killer ship which would damage and salvage enemy spacecraft.

I'm fairly well hooked into building Maschinen kreiger stuff so this will be another one from that universe, albeit not an 'official' craft.

(Unless of course, Kow Yokoyama San happens by, and gives it his blessing).

 

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Here are the main parts taped together to give you a feel of the thing. In the foreground is a pencil sharpener. You'll find out why later.

 

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Oh look, a box of bits. Some of which may or may not be used here.

 

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Ah, proper Slave 1 kit bits to fill the 'wheel arches' (well, what else would you call them? I've cut down the lower sections. They'll be trimmed to fit better later.

 

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And, a pencil sharpener in bits, along with an engine cowling from (I think) an old Matchbox kit?

 

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So, glue the cowling to the 'wheel arch' filler after fitting the (ex Wessex) nut & bolt plus washer and spacer. Now we have a swiveling thruster pod.

 

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Told you! The rocket nozzle is what you get when your Biro runs out and you save the shiny bit on the end. Good aren't they? (cheap too, no one else saves them)

The thrusters remind me of bits on Russian helicopters, notably Kamovs). It's the ribbing you know.

 

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Time for cockpit checks. I took the Slave 1 cockpit, slotted in an old 1/32nd Revell bf109 cockpit, added an Airfix Porsche 917 driver (built about 45+ years ago)

and a load of greeblies for you to try to identify. Though even I don't know where some of them came from!

 

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Here's the cockpit slotted into place (it really isn't an impressive fit) to show what's going on. I also push fitted a thruster together to show how that bit works.

 

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I painted/repainted the cockpit as required and gave the pilot a lick of IJN grey with added green tape belts.

 

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And finally this afternoon I started to block in the underside with plastic card. 

I'm out all day tomorrow (Airshow at North Coates) and working on Monday (Hinckley area). But then I'm off for the rest of the week, so hopefully I may get more done then.

Thanks, as always, for looking and bearing with me while I try to work out where the build is going. Usually it's controlled by whatever flits through my head at the time and

what I can find in the spares boxes.

Comments and gifts of curry* are gratefully accepted.

Cheers, Pete

 

*(Though I just had a very nice chicken one along with a bottle of Wold Top Scarborough Fair. Yum).

 

 

 

 

 

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Great imagination! Can't wait to see the end result. :D

In the old Verlinden book 'On Plastic Wings' there's a chapter called "1+1=1", but you've improved on that with "1/2 + 1/2 = 2"! :winkgrin:

 

Cheers :bye:

Hans J

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Time for a bit of an update.

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I built a simple square of card in the front and found this hood from a '60's American car in the car spares box.

The peak in the middle just happens to match the peak on the front of the ship.

 

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With a bit of chopping and some more plastic card the bottom was covered over, and I applied Humbrol filler.

Not easy to see in this shot but I kept the two grills on the hood.

 

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And here's the back end. All this filler was rubbed down later and Milliput applied as required. I used the Humbrol as a base filler,

and to fill holes, but the Milliput will give a finer finish I feel. It should be good for more rubbing down tomorrow.

As always thanks for popping by,

Pete

 

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Nice shaping, the back/underside looks convincing and I like the engine pods. I wonder if the front/upper fuselage needs something to disguise or smooth the donor shape a little more?

 

I'm getting a Dune vibe from the cockpit (yay!) which I *think* is down to the Slave 1 engine fairings looking like the wheels on the old Dune buggy kit?

 

Will

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Will, Thanks for the input. I was pondering some sort of weapons pod fit on the upper front as I applied the filler.

I was also thinking about rubbing down most of the surface to lose the Star wars skin detail.

It's very much a work in progress and even I'm not too sure where we're going!

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On 7/23/2019 at 10:55 PM, Will Vale said:

down to the Slave 1 engine fairings looking like the wheels on the old Dune buggy kit?

Sorry, Will, I'm not familiar with that kit? I rubbed down all the filler this morning and I'm happy with the result.

I also removed all the Star wars skin detail/greeblies/panel lines from the 'wheel arches' and I think they look better.

This afternoon I braved the heat in the manshed and built some mounts for weapons. I'm quite chuffed with the result.

I'll post pictures tomorrow.

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And, pictures, as promised.

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First, open the landing gear spares box. Take a pair of B-26 Marauder mainlegs in 1/48th and two TSR2 leg braces in 1/72nd.

Slice and dice as required, drill mounting holes, breathe sigh of relief when it all lines up. I added two Panzer track links underneath for effect.

 

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The rocket tubes are from a 1/32nd MBB 105. I'm thinking a sort of Panzerfaust in space. Panzerfausts are common in the kreiger universe.

A hollow charge rocket projectile should stop most things. Even up there. These tubes are temporarily held in place with Tamiya tape for the pictures.

 

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Here's the left side, the track link is obvious. The white square is bits of plasticard used as a brace between the tubes.

The gold bit across the top is guitar wire. The pegs that the tubes mount to are on cut down sections of Airfix Stalin tank sideframes.

(They are where the little wheels fit).

 

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Here at left you can see the pegs. the tubes only have a single hole as a mounting point. 

I may build an outer plate affair to go where the Tamiya tape is, otherwise things may get floppy. (Ooer!)

 

Thanks, as always, for looking and bearing with me as I career through yet another spares box special.

Pete

 

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Pete, this is proper modelling for fun, I lurk on your threads to try and get my  personal build mojo going, this should do it. As Adam Savage would say, " This boy can sure make with the greeblies Ma,  ya hear? Damn!"

 

Anil The Inspired Again

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Okay, I promised some more pictures today and here they are, if only to inspire Anil to get off his butt and start earning dosh on the bay! :laugh:

 

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I left it last night in this state. We have landing gear (Revell 1/32nd MBB Bo105) and a huge boil on the nose.

 

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That isn't a boil, it's a P-38 nose. Do the machine gun recess holes look like Space Shuttle manoeuvring thrusters to you? they did to me.

 

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Add a section of Airfix bomb to fair it in and await filler for the edges.

 

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Here you can see how I mounted the landing gear skids. Drop tanks. Simples. They & the nose got faired in this morning with Milliput.

The skids will get dressed up with greeblies to try to disguise their origin. I'll probably use bits of tank track.

 

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These are what I made up as endplates to hold the rocket tubes in place. Bits of a T55 tank.

 

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And here is another bit of a T55. It's mounted on the panel that goes under the tail. looks like a mounting plate for something, eh?

 

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And here is that something. I recently bought a couple of built RIKO HO scale mobile cranes. Took them apart and here's one of the booms.

If this machine is going to disable satellites etc then it needs to take them back to a base for salvage. Hence the swiveling boom.

 

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Now you don't want to get too close in orbit, so this should be enough reach for a safe distance.

I need to make a 'grabber'/hand thingy for the end. Plus there would be a camera and lights there too.

 

And that is where we are at as of this morning. The Milliput is drying and later today I'm off to Leicester for family stuff.

I won't be online down there, but I will be back home on Sunday morning and back to work again on Monday. Oy!

 

Thanks, as always, for looking, wondering WHIH and generally being there. It's good to know I may have piqued someones interest.

Cheers

Pete

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Time for another update. I managed to get a couple of hours done this afternoon.

All that Milliput underneath got rubbed down and I took some pictures....

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Last week I took the Slave One antenna dish and filled in its four holes. Solid tank track for the big ones and wishbone shaped bits in the others.

 

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The business side looks like this. I think the tank track looks a bit, future solar panel?

Also in shot we have a Kubelwagen wheel inner part and an Airfix Bloodhound launcher.

The Kubel wheel fits onto the launcher 'prongs' and a centre spigot on the dish fits onto that.

In the centre of the dish is a tank bit that looks pretty future tech. Guess what happens next...

 

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Assemble the parts and hey presto, we have long range interplanetary comms. (possibly).

 

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And here it is fitted. The launcher rotates and will lift the dish clear of the fuselage. When retracted the dish is clear of the floor.

 

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And here you can play spot the greebly. I spent half an hour or so searching for bits to 'kreigerise' the crane boom.

As it stands it looks a bit plain and ordinary. It needs the treatment! I also need to make the 'grabber' for the end.

Yes, there's a tiny Wessex and a tank in there just for fun.

I've found that when I fit the crane it makes the model tail heavy, so I need to figure a way to add weights to the nose.

As always, thanks for dropping by.

Cheers, Pete

 

 

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Another little update. Only a couple of pictures as the camera batteries died. :sad:

Here we have the crane with greeblies added.

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I've used all sorts of bits and pieces so if you know what they are, please tell me.

 

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Although I can recognise a ladder and a liferaft when I see them.

 

I should get more batteries tomorrow so I hope I can post more pictures. I got a lot more done today so we can play catchup.

Thanks for looking,

Pete

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As promised, another day, another couple of batteries, so here we go again.

Are you sitting comfortably? 

 

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I'm not sure what this bit was meant to be but to me it's vaguely WW2/cold war radar so it sits here under the tail.

 

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And a side view of the tail. I'm not sure where I got the green bit or what it's from. Underneath it was a hole so there's more of that tank track in there.

Behind it is, I think, what was supposed to be an intake. After rubbing down all the Star wars detail around here I've added some Slaters microstrip.

The white bit is ex fw190 gunpod. The grey rods could be comms aerials. The silver bit is ex B-17 ball turret. Sticking out of it is landing gear from a Zeon flier.

The other side of the tail is identical, BTW. The green bit could be a cut down 1/72nd Chinook sponson?

 

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Here they are again. They could be radar emitters for safe landings?

 

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The grappling gear on the end of the crane arm. I used a small ladder shaped bit as the basic frame. Then we have two wheel mounts from an Airfix 1/32nd car.

Two brake units and lower legs from an Italeri Hornet and a WW2 U/C leg cut up. Hopefully I've taken enough pics to make it all out.

 

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At left the U/C bits are dark green. On top is a cut down F-18 U/C leg as a buffer. Underneath lights and camera.

 

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A little too much flash but hopefully you can make out what I aimed at here. Remember Ripley in the power loader in Aliens?

Well the brake units will motor across on a worm drive to grip whatever needs gripping. There are green rods here for the worm drive.

 

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The brake units would be inflatable and maybe electromagnets to hang onto the captured object.

 

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Here it is in place on the end of the arm.

 

 

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Hello, what is this? It looks like....

 

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Yes, it could be Grubers' little tank. Well I found it in the spares box. What else am I going to do with it?

It will very soon be time to think about some paint. Probably various shades of grey.

As this is a Lunar based space going jobbie, I'm thinking of keeping chipping to a minimum, but some weathering?

I hope you found something you like here. As always, comments, thoughts etc are welcome.

 

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12 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

As this is a Lunar based space going jobbie, I'm thinking of keeping chipping to a minimum, but some weathering?

Yes but what about micro-meteorites and all of there little impacts. I would do a section of panel with a bunch of random little craters in it. Like the pilot flew through a little cloud of B-B sized meteorites. 

 

Dennis

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2 hours ago, Photon said:

Can’t wait to see it come together once you hit it with some primer. 

Me too. I'm not sure if that will be this weekend. I need to sort the canopy and get it fitted.

Add to that lousy (rain) weather and I'm not sure how much spare time I'll have but I will try.

Thank you for the nice comments.

Regards

Pete

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Well the rain didn't happen today (yet) so I got things done (Chopping wood ready for the Winter for one) and then got the afternoon to myself.

So, I have pictures for you pixel hungry critters!

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What we have here is landing gear. MBB Bo105 skids (x1 1/2) so there are three support struts because this beast is tail heavy, thanks to the crane.

 

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The engine was out of focus on that last shot so here you are. Yes, that's a V8 cylinder head and yes, that's a 1/35th Panzer jack. Both mounted on a piece of T-55.

 

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Now @Corsairfoxfouruncle reminded me about micro meteorites etc so we need some shielding on the nose just in case.

These are sections of donated Airfix 1/24th Typhoon panels. Mounted on stretched sprue (flexible) that is then cut flush and Meng nuts'n'bolts added.

 

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The canopy is on too. No framing on the original so how does Matey get in & out? I masked for frames so he can.

The white stuff is typists correction fluid. Marvelous stuff. Invented by Michael Nesmith's Mum IIRC.

The excess will wipe off with a cloth dipped in IPA. (NO, NOT the beer!) or it will rub down flush.

 

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Those Chinook sponsons didn't look right. they do now. That, I think, is a 1/48th Mosquito exhaust shroud. Donated by a workmate.

 

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At the back I added steering thrusters which were previously under the misapprehension that they were custom car intake stacks.

 

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The belly of the beast. Under the skid the square bits were tank track parts. Now they will be magnetic pads.

This thing would be short range, so to get to Earth orbit from a Lunar base it would piggyback on a Sternail.

(If you Google Sternail, any pictures of a model in a garden are mine, taken in Riyadh some time ago)

The oblong bits above are Mosquito bomb bay tanks with a tank stowage box fitted.

 

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The other side. The red bit is an Airfix goods wagon air tank I've had since the mid '80's! Sticking out of it is a tank towing loop.

 

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At the fuselage rear those third skid supports needed, erm, support. Thick card and Meng boltheads do the job nicely.

I could have shortened the gap between the two other supports and so brought this forward but I thought this looks more Kreiger.

 

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Above the plate I added support pieces. The white tube parts BTW are bits of lollipop stick.

After I took the pictures I got out the grey primer rattlecan and took the model out into the garden.

So now it's all a uniform grey and is drying in the garage. Next will be inspection and fixing of faults/gaps.

Thanks for dropping by, please recycle your empty beer bottle/cans as you leave.

Cheers, Pete

 

 

 

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Time for your weekend update people. I hope you're still awake at the back?

The model has come on in leaps and bounds since the last post. It's now painted.

First was a coat of grey primer last weekend. I dabbed on bits of Humbrol Maskol and left it until this morning.

I did a bit of touching up where the grey primer showed it to be necessary, Then brushed on a bit of thin Tamiya silver in various places.

A few more dabs of Maskol on that, I added some silver tape, then hit most of it with rattle can white primer in a thin mist.

After lunch, a mist of Tamiya light grey and I then rubbed off all the Maskol when the paint was dry.

I meant to add a coat of semi gloss clear before the decals, but I forgot. Doh! So it's been decalled now too.

I hope you find something of interest in the pictures.

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The chequerboard shield is a rub down from a Monogram? Do17 I bought in about 1989! Mostly the rest of the decals are Tamiya P-47. 

I couldn't resist adding the silhouette, the name below it reads, Republic Razor.

 

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The tape is obvious. I've used some bits as if they are repair patches but others are to ward off those pesky micro meteorites. They are the reason for the chipped paint.

 

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I've added a bar across the cylinder head on the thruster. It might hide the obvious?

 

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More decals. Most of them sort of make sense where they are, but others are just for decoration.

 

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Even the crane got a couple.

 

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The nose deflector panels. I applied more rub down then scratched most of it off to make them look pre-used, then added the number 3 numerals.

 

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The comms dish even got markings.

 

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As did the rocket tubes.

 

There are still some bits to touch up, and I want to give it a coat of clear matt before final assembly.

I've been wondering what name to give this and I think I'm settled on the Fw190 nickname, Wurger, Butcher Bird.

If all goes to plan I will be home alone tomorrow so I may get to the finish line and post a RFI tomorrow night.

See you there! Thanks for looking, please leave comments etc under the mat by the back door.

Pete

 

 

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