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Tracy Island 2.0


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First topic. Tracy Island 2.0......it's 2.0 because I made this 2 years before but only used "left overs" etc.etc. That one was sold so I thought....let's try it again but better and more detailed. So....I started to "study" Blender and bought a 3D printer to make a lot of things I need myself. 

I'm making a Tracy-Island cutaway model like the one in the books

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Started with the TB1 Launchbay and here's what we've got untill now.

The rocket ( F-Toys) was bought, all the rest is handmade and it's only 22x11x6 cm ( Rocket is 5 cm ).

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To be continued...ps...looking for a F-Toys TB2 model....

Visit my website

Edited by Graspaps
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So much detail! It looks amazing so far. Now correct me if I'm wrong but did not the original TV show hangar feature an orange squeezer stuck to the wall? I notice there is something similar in your hangar...

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You are right! In a documentary about 'Thunderbirds, I seem to remember one of the original Thunderbirds designers, who appeared in that documentary, indicating something like he always regretted that they had used that lemon squeezer, every time he saw it on screen. Funnily, I never noticed it until he mentioned it, and as a youngster the Island's details, even the squeezer seemed "realistic" to me! Never occurred to me that the roots of those palm trees must have taken quite a battering, when jerked aside to let TB2 pass through. (Were they meant to be "real" trees, or "fake" trees to deceive visitors?). The model under construction by Graspaps looks quite convincing. The programme makers would have found 3D modelling a boon in the Sixties. One thing I wonder about nowadays is: how did they run the whole Island and maintain its technology with just a couple of servants (including the graceful Tin-Tin, whom I have just discovered is The Hood's half-niece) and with no sign of a ground crew? Maybe unseen robots / droids worked the night shift, or some repair guys who were sworn to secrecy.

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Hi guys, you are partly right. Problem is (and that makes this build rather difficult ) there wasn’t “one” launchbay or “one”  goes for all they used in the show. There were many, often in different scales and…..they sure doesn’t look the same. If you “google” Thunderbird 1 launchbay and look at the pictures and video’s you will see there’s a few variations of the “orange squeezer” to. There’s a grey one, an “orange one” and a “orange-gold” one. I’ve used the last color. But that’s not all. If you compare picture there are many variations in this launchbay so one has to make choises.

Another thing is the scales…I’ve taken the “cutaway” drawing to be my reference but the dimensions make no sence.

For instance….if you use the 1:700 scale on all parts (which I do) there’s no way TB1 would have fitted in his hanger (which is part of the house).

While being lifted from it’s launchbay up to the hanger the nose would have hitted the ceiling 🤣🤣. Of course they used different sets here too which varied in size. So…ones again…choises must be made. 
it is 100% impossible to make “the one and only correct Tracy Island (parts)” because, as said, there never was “one”.

Hope this helps and hope you like it.

For more TB …visit my website.

https://diggelenhans.wixsite.com/hans-van-diggelen/fab

 

As for all the maintenance….the guys did all that by themselves. That’s why they all were single. No time for girlfriends….Alan tried but didn’t got very far either since duty always called 😇

 

Edited by Graspaps
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Worked hard on the villa so it's 99% ready. Funny thing is that when you take pictures you see where some improvement is needed so that will be done too.

Had a lot of fun making the lounge and yes. there's a piano and a statue. The whole scene now measures 15x23x10cm.....

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Ordered the Konami TB3 which is about the right scale for the next part. Enjoy

Edited by Graspaps
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(1) Impressive details so far .... the little "portraits" of the Tracey brothers are cute. Will they have flashing eyes? (LEDs behind them?)

(2) Concerning their social life, I sometimes felt sorry for John Tracy. According to thunderbirds.fandom.com, he spent every other month alone on the orbiting satellite, TB 5. I think he might even have welcomed alien visitors, provided they weren't one-eyed rock snakes (which we now know actually do exist on Mars).

(3) John's eavesdropping communications equipment on board TB 5 was very useful in rescue work (apparently he could even hear giant alligators on Earth), but it might be banned nowadays under the EU's General Data Protection Regulations. Anyway in his alternative 21st century there was be no EU, I suspect.

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Hi Peter, the portrets are 2mm x 3mm so lo leds i’m afraid. As for John…..yep….poor guy but, on the other hand….it might have been a relieve when you live with your dad, grandma, an old servant, four  brothers and one girl. Getting away from that for a month doesn’t look that bad.

Perhaps we should feel more sorry for the one girl……😬

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  • 2 weeks later...

Working on the TB2 launchbay. I found some 3D podvehicle files so there will be some very small vehicles and planes in the hangar. Also found the Ftoys TB2 ( in Australia ) so that's great too. I have some TB2 3D flies and I printed one for measurement purposes but the problem is in the detals and the decals ( can't print white decals ).

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11 hours ago, Neil Lambess said:

Loving this ....in all the years I've rewatched Thunderbirds its never dawned on me that TB1s upper hangar takes up most of the house !

Well, in fact it did as you can see here..

Villa cutaway

What’s more disturbing is to imagine the enormous sound and dirty fumes launching this from your pool must have given, not mentioning the same situation x 10 when TB3 is taking of from inside the roundhouse but we were children back in those days and we didn’t see all the impossibilities

watching this great show!!!

 

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3D impression of TB2 Launchbay and hanger. Since I print a lot of items I use this to get everything into the right scale before printing.

When an item is finished in Blender I append it to the hanger file to get it into the right scale.

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Time for an update. Been building on the TB2 launchbay and hanger ( and I'll say it again.....on a 1/700 scale ). Got me some podvehicle 3D files ( thank you, Ralph ) with were re-scaled to 1/700 and a lot of little items to dress up the launchbay. Far from ready yet. Lots of work must still be done. Waiting for the TB2 to arrive from Australia.

Comments are welcome. Enjoy !!

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5 hours ago, Alpha Juliet said:

Every little boy's dream!  Love this thread! :)

Thanks, yep….it’s the ultimate “Blue Peter” version 🤭🤭 and I’m amazed by what one can do with Blender and a 3D printer on this scale.

The TB1,2 and 3 are the only bought items. The rest is all 3D printed. I made a lot of items myself and some, like the pod-vehicles, where bought as a printfile, rescaled, altered a bit and printed. Now working on the test-centre, power station and labratory.

After that it’s time for the TB3 launchbay and roundhouse, the boathouse, some “hidden” powerstations. After that everything must be put in 8t’s place to comstruct the island. When all that’s done I will conclude that even in this scale it’s BIG 😬😬 and it will end in the Historama museum ( like 90% of my work ) or in an advanced Thunderbird collection…..

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Lab and powerstation added. I've placed the first part in an Island envirement ( scenery must be added but that will have to wait till the whole Island is ready and......I've added lights !! The red lights are alarmlights, they "blink".  More lights will be added. Next part is place the TB1 set in an "Island envirement. Pictures are not great but I didn't feel like "building up the whole camera-show" again,

Feel free to comment.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Btw I've made this my new reference for the build. It's more detailed.

 


 

Edited by Graspaps
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  • 3 weeks later...

TB3 launchbay and elevatorshaft are ready. ( yes, there is a little man on a coach on his way to tb3.....)

Added some scenery.

As usual there are some things that need some improvement which you nortice when you take close-ups

 

Next is the roundhouse and then the boathouse so.......we're getting there. I should because another huge project is waiting........The Fuhrerbunker with full interior on a 1/35 scale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Graspaps
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