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Ok, since jumping into the VN genre with my Kenn Miller figs this summer, I figured my boys would need a ride.
This is a mostly-wood construction.
I tweaked the dimensions mostly across the fuselage because plastic figures don't compress the way real bodies do and I wanted to be able to fit a proper amount of troops without things looking underscaled. There has been just over 1 inch added to the width.
There weren't any plans available to me, but I found some small line drawings online which I shot onto a roll of parcel paper for my basic measurements and proportions (although the particular model was later than the one I was building).
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I started with a basic box shape. Top and bottom are 1/4" plywood and sides are doorskin (very thin laminate paneling) to allow bends and curves.
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This is the bottom. Since my drawings were 2D, I had to make my sidepanels to the profile of the finished dimensions. Thus, the slight curvature of the top and especially bottom of the hull have to be added during construction. The wooden baffling strips follow the same outline as the panels. These are used to shape and bend more doorskin over for the curve underneath the hull. The panels are then trimmed to their proper dimensions.
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Result. Notice that guides are in place on the side of the hull to guide the contouring that comes next.
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These are the before seen guides shaping the contour of the cardstock I will then cover in Bondo.
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More to come........
This is a mostly-wood construction.
I tweaked the dimensions mostly across the fuselage because plastic figures don't compress the way real bodies do and I wanted to be able to fit a proper amount of troops without things looking underscaled. There has been just over 1 inch added to the width.
There weren't any plans available to me, but I found some small line drawings online which I shot onto a roll of parcel paper for my basic measurements and proportions (although the particular model was later than the one I was building).
I started with a basic box shape. Top and bottom are 1/4" plywood and sides are doorskin (very thin laminate paneling) to allow bends and curves.
This is the bottom. Since my drawings were 2D, I had to make my sidepanels to the profile of the finished dimensions. Thus, the slight curvature of the top and especially bottom of the hull have to be added during construction. The wooden baffling strips follow the same outline as the panels. These are used to shape and bend more doorskin over for the curve underneath the hull. The panels are then trimmed to their proper dimensions.
Result. Notice that guides are in place on the side of the hull to guide the contouring that comes next.
These are the before seen guides shaping the contour of the cardstock I will then cover in Bondo.
More to come........
