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Scratchbuilt Sci_Fi Shuttle

7K views 64 replies 9 participants last post by  Russ31073 
#1 ·
This is a recreation in 1/35 scale of a shuttle model I did in 1980, the original was smaller, approx 1/60 scale. The inspiration for the original was the various craft on Battlestar Galactica. Just realized that the six inch stainless steel ruler in the photo is the same one I used in 1980.
Table Wood Font Automotive design Art

Passenger/cargo compartment walls and roof on. I originally thought about making clear windows in this section but decided against it. I may still build this as I did back then as a cargo shuttle with a wide cargo door on one side and a crew door on the opposite side.
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Engineering section closed in. On the original I simply stuck on the engine exhausts from an MPC X-Wing fighter as the engines. I plan on making more detailed engines on this one.
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Bottom side, I will have 4 small lift motors and tripod landing gear on this, similar to the original.
Creative arts Rectangle Wood Art Automotive design

Crew compartment coming together, this will be fully detailed since it will have large windows, just like the original. I will update the controls, the original had joystick controls on the seat arms and clunky crt monitors with a representation of a computer keyboard at each work station. I will follow the Spacex design for the Dragon Crew capsule controls, flatpanel monitors at each station with possibly some smaller monitors scattered about for dedicated displays.
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#10 ·
Very nice project.
What about the original one you created in the 80's? Doesn't exist anymore?
Sadly no, it does not but I do have the original drawings that I made of it after I built it back then. I am doing this from memory and updating it a little as I go, including almost doubling the size and I plan to look up the drawings after I finish it to see how good my memory of this is.
 
#13 ·
After more than a couple hundred parts and hours of tedious work I have the basic form of the shuttlecrafts main engines. I wanted them to be similar to the MPC X-Wing fighter parts engine that I used on the original without being a direct copy of them. The most difficult part is now done, the rest will be fairly easy to complete.
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#14 ·
307 individually cut bits of styrene sheet, rod, tubing and 2 days of work went into creating the engines for the shuttlecraft model.
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I was going to use a couple of these old MPC Astronauts from the 1960's as the crew but the seated ones look as if they are posed to sit on a toilet and appear very constipated or otherwise in distress.
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#22 ·
Found some crew figures for this model, the crew figures from the USS Enterprise Bridge model. There are three seated and one seated female figure, I will use three of them. These and a few of the decals from that kit will be the only kit parts that I will use on this build. I thought about using one of the standing figures but the pose is too stiff.
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#29 ·
No, just a generic sci-fi shuttlecraft. These were the only figures that I had and I am removing the starfleet emblems from the figures I will also paint the uniforms different than the Starfleet standard. I built the original in 1980 based on design ideas from several sci-fi shows, movies and comic books. I need to find the blueprints I drew up back then of this to see how close I came to the original design using just my memory of the original model.
 
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