# Four foot X-wing (ILM tribute)



## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is my tribute to the four foot X-wing that was made,but never appeared in Return of the Jedi. This was a pet project made by Ira Keeler and Mike Fulmar. This was seen by Lorne Peterson ( ILM modelshop master at the time),and it was shown to George Lucas. It was decided to film it,but it was never used. Lorne Peterson recalls "We filmed it,but it was too blurry to be usable for the small details we wanted. It would've been too expensive to reshoot it for no longer than it was to be on screen."



This has been a true labour of love. I've been working on this since May of this year,but it has been in the planning stages for a year now. I had to start over from scratch when I found out it was too small! I got the wrong dimensions for this from a fan based web site. The known kit parts for this didn't fit to the scale. I had a good friend on another forum (that is now defunct) go to the exhibition in Australia where is was being displayed and get the true measurements for it. Now all the parts fit in the correct scale.



I'm in the finishing stages of the engine housings right now,but I hope to have more to show soon. These are the photos I have from the first stages to present day. I hope you'll all enjoy them and follow this to the end with me. :wave:


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)




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## fxshop (May 19, 2004)

Dyonisis said:


> This is my tribute to the four foot X-wing that was made,but never appeared in Return of the Jedi. This was a pet project made by Ira Keeler and Mike Fulmar. This was seen by Lorne Peterson ( ILM modelshop master at the time),and it was shown to George Lucas. It was decided to film it,but it was never used. Lorne Peterson recalls "We filmed it,but it was too blurry to be usable for the small details we wanted. It would've been too expensive to reshoot it for no longer than it was to be on screen."
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Could not see any photos? If you need any electronics drop me any email! Randy Neubert / VoodooFX


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Thank you for your interest,but please don't use my thread to advertise you products! I'm aware of your business - no advert is neccessary. My father was a computer programmer,and an electronics expert. I do my own wiring and I too make and sell lighting kits for all my projects and models I sell. Photos now posted.


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## Maritain (Jan 16, 2008)

Wow, that is great, your off to a good start! Looking foward to more.


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## hal9001 (May 28, 2008)

Dyonisis,

When you're finished, you know what would look much, much better? If it were displayed in *my *house!

Good idea huh? Always willing to help.

Keep up the inspiration!

hal9001-


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## fxshop (May 19, 2004)

Quote by Dyonisis to VoodooFX:

Thank you for your interest,but please don't use my thread to advertise you products! I'm aware of your business - no advert is neccessary. My father was a computer programmer,and an electronics expert. I do my own wiring and I too make and sell lighting kits for all my projects and models I sell. Photos now posted. 

Sorry for trying to help, good luck with this one Rob! you will need it!:wave:


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

I'm sorry if you took that offensively - I meant that this model will not be lighted. This is just the master. I'm planning on releasing this as a kit. Who's Rob?


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

hal9001 said:


> Dyonisis,
> 
> When you're finished, you know what would look much, much better? If it were displayed in *my *house!
> 
> ...


This _can_ be in your house! This is not a model for me to build,but rather it is the master for a kit that I hope to produce sometime next year. This will include a lighting kit with an armature in it with a pilot and an R2-D2 unit with a cold cast head. I'm still in the process of editing this thread,so please be patient. I skipped over some pictures and double posted others. This site only allows eight photos at a time,so this makes it harder for me to copy and paste them from my email drafts. I'll insert the text descriptions for these pictures once I have everything sorted out. 

I'm still making parts as you read this,so I won't be able to post as often as I get more progress,but I will refresh this thread as neccessary. Thank you all for your patience.


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## mikephys (Mar 16, 2005)

Dyonisis said:


> Thank you for your interest,but please don't use my thread to advertise you products! I'm aware of your business - no advert is neccessary. My father was a computer programmer,and an electronics expert. I do my own wiring and I too make and sell lighting kits for all my projects and models I sell. Photos now posted.


Are you the owner of this thread? I didn't realize this forum granted such powers to the originator of each thread. Next time I start a thread, I'll have to pay more attention to who I want commenting in it.


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## falcondesigns (Oct 30, 2002)

If you want to stay here,might be a good idea not to insult one of our members right off the bat.You have goos skilles,but bad manners,Alex


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

Let's keep this thread on-topic, please. If you've got issues w/someone, you really should take them up via PM or email. Should you see someone violating TOS, hit the REPORT POST button and file a complaint that way; or shoot Rob/*Carson Dyle* or myself a PM. 



falcondesigns said:


> If you want to stay here,might be a good idea not to insult one of our members right off the bat.


The comment by *Dyonsis* wasn't insulting. He was asking *FXShop* to not "advertise", which I didn't take Randy to be doing - just offering some help. *Dyonsis* didn't have to come across so brusquely, but perhaps there's some history there of which we're not aware? 

Regardless, he can ask folks to keep things focused in the thread he started. LOTS of folks do that when their thread gets off-topic or starts to go in a direction they don't like. 

Also, last time I checked, you're not a Mod so you might not want to make threats of someone "not staying here" because of what they've had to say - especially when there was no violation of TOS involved. 

.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

OK. I think my message came off as turse. I didn't mean it that way,but the inflection of my thoughts can't be conveyed through the internet - even with emoticons. I already apologised,even though this is my thread. I only made this suggestion as it was posted publicly. I've had trouble on other forums with spammers,and members posting until the original topic was forgotten. 

This is meant to be a work in progress with the intent of inspiring others. What may have been an innocent comment - I mistook as a spam advert. Now this thread is littered with unneccessary comments,and is therefore now tainted! This makes me not want to post any more pictures here. If anyone else here has anything they would like to say,please leave it confined to PM only. Thank you for looking.


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## falcondesigns (Oct 30, 2002)

First of all,my comments were not a threat,mearly a suggestion.Second,I will defend my friends if I feel they are being slighted,as I would defend you,Griff,if you were my friend.Dyonisis made his response,and the matter was closed.And lastly the last time I looked this is Carson's forum,not yours.If you have a problem with me,PM me so we can reslove it.Alex


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

falcondesigns said:


> First of all,my comments were not a threat,mearly a suggestion.Second,I will defend my friends if I feel they are being slighted,as I would defend you,Griff,if you were my friend.Dyonisis made his response,and the matter was closed.


If you feel that were the case, why did you feel the need to rebuke him? Cherry Picking whether you feel a matter is "closed" or not after _you_ make your comments doesn't work out when we're talking about people and their manners. 


> And lastly the last time I looked this is Carson's forum,not yours.


Rob/*Carson Dyle* is the primary Mod here, that's true. 

However, I've got what's called "Super Moderator" priviliges thru-out Hobby Talk, which means _I can step in as a Mod in any forum_ whenever there's an issue - such as with this thread. While I defer to Rob on how he specifically runs this forum, whenever there's a spat like this I've more than got the "authority" to step in as I did. It's been that way for over two years. 

*This matter is now closed as a side-track on the subject of this thread*. If anyone else has a problem with this, it needs to be taken to PM. 

Keep to the subject of the thread in your posts w/in this thread. 

Thank you for your cooperation.


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

Well, if this were truly MY forum I'd BAN ALL OF YOU!

Just kidding.



From what I can tell, this appears to have been, essentially, a misunderstanding.

I'm aware there may be a tendency for occasional ill-feelings to migrate over to Hobbytalk from other forums, and vice-versa. This sort of thing may be unavoidable given the closed-knit nature of the sci-fi modeling community, but it's unfortunate nonetheless. I'm not sure to what extent pre-existing personal issues are at play here, but in any case I'd respectfully ask everyone to refrain from remarks of a personal nature. This generally tends to be a pretty civilized and well-mannered forum, and I'm sure we'd all like to keep it that way.

Getting back to the topic at hand, that's quite an ambitious build. Good luck with it, and thanks for sharing.


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## Prowler901 (Jun 27, 2005)

Yes, back on topic.
Dyonisis, you mentioned that you hoped to inspire others with your WIP photos. Well, you are certainly inspiring me :thumbsup: This is an awesome build. I do hope that you will continue to update us. The X-Wing has always been my favorite space fighter of all time.  Thanks for sharing your skills with us.

Todd


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## joejoejedi (Mar 19, 2006)

Hey, Is this x-wing going to have movable wings?


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## fxshop (May 19, 2004)

Carson Dyle said:


> Well, if this were truly MY forum I'd BAN ALL OF YOU!
> 
> Just kidding.
> 
> ...


 Sorry for making so much trouble, there are no personal connections past or present with the poster and the matter has been resolved in my book, I will not make any more replys to this thread. Sorry! Dyonisis, Falcondesigns, Griff & Rob... Randy:thumbsup:


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## mikephys (Mar 16, 2005)

I apologize as well. My comment just furthered the misunderstanding.

But, back on topic: I can't wait to see this X-Wing take shape. This is a very cool and ambitious build. Please keep the progress pics coming!


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

No worries, guys. Water under the bridge. S'all good, etc.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Thanks for the compliments everyone! Yes,this will have an armature in it to allow for wing mobility. I'll offer a lighting kit with this for a more reaslitic appearance. I'll include LEDs and fibreoptics for those who want to light the R2-D2 and the cockpit,as well as the engines. 

Here're more photos for you guys to feast your eyes upon. I was going to add descriptions,but time doesn't permit me to right now. Enjoy!


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is a part that I took wire off to use for scratch building. This is a component from a Hewlett * Packard computer. The rest of this became a cat toy. 










This is another component from the same computer. I took the wire off this one for the Saturn V rocket housings that I'm making right now.










These are the Saturn V engine housings. I'm working on the internal piping that goes on the inside of these. I just finished putting the sheet styrene over these when I took this photo. Some of these pictures in this thread are out of order,so I'll have to edit some of these posts to reflect the correct order of construction.










This has been horribly scribbled on so I can tell which end to leave the tiny step which is nearly impossible to see in the reference photos.










This shot was taken to show the straightness that these two have. I glued 60 grit sandpaper to a plastic board with 3M spray adhesive. Then I dragged each of these across it to ensure true symmetry.










These are the greeblies that go on the ribbed area of the engine housings. The one on the far left is the correctly finished version. 










In this picture you can see the lips that are present on the original ILM models of the seventies. This was replicated by Ira Keeler to look like the original versions. I replicated mine to look the same as well. This was originally designed by the Airfix company to align the two rocket body parts without hassle.










The other greeblies that go on the outside of the engine housings.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is the rest of the progress on the Saturn V housings for right now. I started the laser canons first,so I'm trying to finish those.










I was going to use sprue that I stretched over the burner on my gas stove,but I didn't have enough in the same diameter. I ended up not using it afterall. 



















These photos are to show a comparison between the first attempts at making the greeblies. These are the finished versions. The ones on the bottom in the other two photos are the prototypes.





























This is the piping in its' transitional stages.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is scrawled with a horrible drawing so I could get a sense of scale. I made all the parts to it from this.










This is the begining stage of the outside greebly on the laser canon body.










These are the greeblies that go on the outside of the laser canons. The one on the bottom is the prototype. The new one on top will replace it. I didn't realise it was disproportionate to the original ILM model when I first made it. 










This picture was taken for example. I had yet to make the finished version of this - V.2. This is V.1 in this photo. 










Comparison shot. 










This is to show a better vision of what this will look like when cast.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is the properly finished version that will be cast for the kit.










Here you can see that the box for this on the side is smaller,and the flange on the end (to the left of your screen) is also smaller. The one on the bottom has the more pronounced rounded over edge on the right side as it should. All the parts are now proportionate with the original ILM model. There is only one small modification that I still need to do before this is completely finished. This is the model that I want to build if I was going to pay $600.00 for a kit of this size. I want to offer professional quality,and not crap! . 










You can see that the new version is also thicker as per the ILM model. Please forgive the fuzziness of this photo - the batteries in my crappy camera are dying,and I'm trying to use them up completely. I had just enough juice left to take this picture before it stopped working.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Here I glued sheet styrene strips to acrylic (persplex) in a stairstep pattern to achieve the shape I needed. This is the only way I could think of to achieve a concave shape without a lot of grinding. 












I glued a piece of 60 grit sandpaper to the same PVC pipe that I cut the laser canon cylinders out of. I then ran these across it until it was correctly arched. This shot is for comparison. Sorry for the blurriness - the batteries in the crappy camera I'm using are dying,and it doesn't allow for much time to get a perfect shot before it stops working.











That's all I have for now. Stay tuned for more updates.


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## mikephys (Mar 16, 2005)

Wow. The way you are sweating the tiny details, this should turn out great. Please keep the pics coming.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Thank you,guys for the compliments. All your comments,and compliments are very reassuring that I'm doing this right! Here're more photos for you all to feast your eyes on.



These are the laser canons after two weeks of finagalling the details,and greeblies for them. I had to go back several times on different parts of these and start over to get it right,until I figured out that one of the triangular shaped panels is on the WRONG side! Meaning that the two are identical as the ILM model was,but the outside greebly for the laser goes on the opposite side,so that these will have the same detail face up where the square hole cutout is.












This is a close up of the chip detail. 












Two of the stripes on the out side of these have yet to be attached. I'll post photos of this after I correct one of these to explain this better. These are just taped on for placement right now. The long chip on the left canon is too long. I'll have to scrape it off,and start over. 












This is a comparison shot. There are small imperfections in these that aren't visible in the photo. I'll have to rework them to my liking. These need to be perfect for me to even consider casting them.












This is the actual thickness (0.20") that this is supposed to be. I thought that these greeblies went around the ouside of the engine intakes were supposed to be 1/8" of an inch thick,but after looking at the reference photos,I see that there's a blocked (Stug) part extending past the background piece that attaches to the wing. This is where I had to cut off the excess to make the correct shape. There's also a slight ridge on the outside of the Stug fender part. I'll have to recreate all of this for it to be accurate to the original ILM model.












This is the start of the laser canon base. This measures 1/2" inch wide by 4" 1/2 inches long. 










This is the master for the afterburners. The small piece beside the afterburner is what most of the guys on the RPF mistakenly call "turkey feathers". This is actually called a thruster flap. This is what determines how much more thrust the engine will produce by how open these parts are. When the thruster flaps are open all the way it produces less thrust. When they're closer together it produces more thrust making the fighter go faster.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

I was trying to show that this still needs to be rounded true. I didn't know that this was so far off until I looked at it in bright light. The sunlight washed out all the detail in this photo.












Here's a closer view of the thruster flap.












These are obviously all the parts for the intake greeblies. This serves no real life purpose. It's only ornamental. The one on the top is the original master. The one in the middle is the correctly shaped version,and the one on the bottom is the mishapened starboard side. This one will have to be redone. The angle of declination from the top point to the top edge of the bottom rail is wrong. This is the Stug part that will be glued to this separately. I'll have to fix this before I do.

I found this out after scrawling the horrible drawing that now adorns it. I was looking as I was doodling,and noticed that the part was out of proportion to the original version. This was after I cut out the bottom piece for the top starboard (right) wing. Needless to say,I had to start over by cutting the middle piece to the size it is now. I'm glad I didn't cut both of these out at the same time! I'll transfer the shape to the new piece I'll cut for the top right wing. The styrene sheet with this tracing on it was instrumental in figuring the correct angle in relation to the original specs.












I was trying to show more detail in this shot. This was done to give you guys an idea of what still needs to go on here yet.













These are the thruster flaps traced out to be cut. I didn't want to cut these out until I could get a picture of them. The bottom parts were scrawled to check for clearance - I wanted to make sure that there was enough material on this sheet for them.


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## Model Man (Oct 1, 2007)

Totally sick, dude!


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Well,here's more to look at. 

These were taken late last night. I didn't get to bed until 4:00 this morning. Believe it,or not - This took 6 hours for me to make from beginning to end. Why so long? I had to start this over. I didn't get very far before doing so. What pisses me off is that this is still wrong! The long shaft is too small in diameter! I need to either restart this,or I need to find some way of fixing this one. Otherwise,I won't be using this part. The other two parts came out right,but this one that ties them together is the hardest part to make. I think this was either a kitbash in itself from three,or more kits - or it was completely scratch made on the original ILM model.


Either way,I hope you all will enjoy these pictures.













This photo,and the one before it were taken while it was dark outside. If you look closely,you can see the stretched sprue I used to bulk this up. Unfortunately, I had to fill the spaces between the rings,and sand it all smooth. I have to make some minor adjustments to the piece that looks like an elongated fire plug (to the right of the one that looks like a pirate canon) on this yet.












These are the basic parts. I cut a small V shaped groove into this with an Exacto knife. I widened it a little with an Exacto saw,then cut the final shape with the machinists' drill bit beside it. This bit is less than 1 mm in diameter.













This is laying over the edge of the table because,I didn't cut the tab that I used to handle this part with while adding the stretched sprue to it. This wasn't glued together,but laid out for example.














A closeup of the tab I made to hold this while finishing the final greeblies,and stretched sprue.











A closeup of the "elbow" part. 













A far away shot for a sense of scale. This is about two inches long from stem to stern (end to end).














I still have yet to glue this together at this time,until I figure out how to make this right. 

This looks a hundred times better in person. For some reason the camera I'm using makes all the detail wash out even in overcast conditions. I'm really starting to hate it! You can clearly see the colour variation between the night,and day photos. I wasn't able to make this better no matter what I did to it! I had to tone down the contrast of a couple of these pics for this reason. Unfortunately,this wasn't one of them.


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## bccanfield (Nov 17, 2002)

Thats amazing -- building it from such basic materials (plastic sheet, pvc pipe, odds and ends found around the house etc.). Looking forward to seeing more pics and techniques as it progresses.


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## Model Man (Oct 1, 2007)

>_For some reason the camera I'm using makes all the detail wash out even in overcast conditions. I'm really starting to hate it! You can clearly see the colour variation between the night,and day photos._

This may or may not work for your cam, but if it has an auto-exposure you can't manually set, aim at a large area of brightness such as a nearby sun patch on the table. Hold the shutter down half way, this *may* lock the controls. Re-aim at the part you want to shoot. If you can manually control the exposure, then it's just a matter of stopping it down over the course of a couple test shots. 

Great work!


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Model Man said:


> >_For some reason the camera I'm using makes all the detail wash out even in overcast conditions. I'm really starting to hate it! You can clearly see the colour variation between the night,and day photos._
> 
> This may or may not work for your cam, but if it has an auto-exposure you can't manually set, aim at a large area of brightness such as a nearby sun patch on the table. Hold the shutter down half way, this *may* lock the controls. Re-aim at the part you want to shoot. If you can manually control the exposure, then it's just a matter of stopping it down over the course of a couple test shots.
> 
> Great work!


 Thank you! I think I'll check it to see if it has some type of setting for the light exposure. I was thinking about that yesterday when I snapped these photos. This has an internal shutter,and it only closes when a picture is taken. I can't do much to it,as it's a digital camera (digi-cam for short). Thanks for the advice! 

Here it is - finally finished. This is the original part along side the new correct version. For some reason,I can't stop thinking about a doll house rocking chair back when I look at either one.










This is the other backing plate for the top right,and bottom left engines. I'll make the rest of this today.










Here's the photo I used for most of my reference. I used others for the length,and width,but they aren't very clear,or closeup. I think this is a semi truck brake assembly on a big model. I had to guess the diameter of the second part. It's not perfect,but damn close!


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## galaxy_jason (May 19, 2009)

Can't wait to see the final result. Your attention to detail is amazing.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Thanks,Jase! This part isn't in any kit scan I've seen on any site so far. So this will have to be a scratch made part. I remade the shaft as it may be called. This is the part that looks like an anorexic fire plug was too small. This entire part with the exception of the smaller "arm" coming out at angle is made from sheet styrene glued in layers,then sanded half round shaped with an emery board and a popsicle stick with 120,and 220 grit sandpaper (superglued to it),and finished off with 600 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper. This is what took so long to make this - that and the small sprue I glued to it wouldn't stick very well!

The smaller "arm" part is made from bent sprue with 0.20" of an inch thick sheet styrene glued to the end of it. I shaved that down with 220 grit,then glued a second piece of sheet styrene that I glued to it,and sanded a slightly larger diameter around it with 220 grit. This completes the concentric circles that are present here.

I made a small indent with a machinsts drill bit as I did before,and I fitted it to the long part until it fit perfectly. I'll make the small curvature around the discs that are glued to the "arm" with Elmers' sandable wood filler. I'll post pics of this for example when I get to it. 

Forgive the blurriness - damn crappy camera! 










I was trying to show measurement with this photo. The top of the ruler is mm - the bottom is inches shown for scale.










I tried to adjust the camera exposure to no avail. I had to turn the lamp on for you guys to see this better. I thought this would've helped,but obviously,the camera has other ideas today!


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## galaxy_jason (May 19, 2009)

Not sure if you have seen this, its my version of a 4 ft Xwing. Not as detailed as yours, but it flies!...

http://galaxyphoto.com/rockets/x-wing.html


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

That's really supercool! I love seeing stuff like that!  I know yours doesn't have the detail that mine will have,but you can always change that after I get this cast,and offer it in kit form.  

Here's my new cutting mat that I bought from www.myatomic.com This sure beats the glass cutting board I was using. This won't dull,or break my Exacto blades anymore! This has marks for stars,dowel sizes,angles,as well as measurements for inches,cms,and mms. 
The squares are one inch each. This is twice what most other cutting mats measure. This is 12" X 18". I love the brand new smell this has too! 



Here's the other side for the top right wing,and the bottom left wing assemblies. This is a little longer than the one used on the ILM model. I'm still debating whether to use this one,or make another that's more accurate to the original. I hate the one on the ILM X-wing,but I want accuracy,so there will be no complaints later! I think I might make two different versions and offer both. I like the way this one looks better.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Here's a small update. 

This is the afterburner in its' final stages of completion. I have to glue the thruster flaps to the housing yet. I glued a small strip of sheet styrene to the housing in the line where the tops of the thruster flaps stop. This would make the strip your see around the circumference of the afterburner,or the equator straight with the flaps themselves in accordance with original specs.

I glued the outer strip you see on this over the smaller one inside. This helps to take the angle out of the styrene strip,so that it's straight with the Phantom engine part when assembled.










You can't see it yet,but there is a small trench in the bottom of the main strip that the flaps go into to help align them with the trailing edge of the afterburner housing. I'll have to snap a photo of this to show everyone what I mean. It's late,as I've been working on this,and the other parts for the wings all afternoon,and into the evening. It's now 1:00 A.M. where I'm at. I've made some progress,but not had a lot of time to take pictures - SORRY people! 

More progress to get done tomorrow/today,so I need to get to bed. I'll post more pics when I can get around to them. Stay tuned.













Now,I'm not going to leave you hanging people! I changed my mind. Here's a shot of the inside trench. I thought of making this while watching the original "Little Women" movie from 1949. I took this photo in front of my monitor.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

More slow progress. It's hard to scribe straight lines on a circular surface. I've been working on this a little at a time. I'm slowly chipping away at multiple parts at the same time. I'm not ready to share the progress with the other parts I've done yet,as they're still in the subassembly stage. 












This makes my arm look fat,but it isn't. It's the angle I took this shot at. I was trying to show the detail at this angle because the afterburner being a cylinder shape,keeps rolling over. 













I hope this is visible enough to see all the scribe lines at this angle.












This is the other side. There are a lot of lines like this on these that I have to supersize the reference photos to see. I still have yet to put all the little greeblies on outside of the band. The thruster flaps will come last.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

More Greeblies,and scribe lines. The following pictures are a 360* view of this from all sides. This was made to resemble the same features as the original ILM model. Now I can put the thruster flaps on it.


















































This tiny piece on the top left running up to the lip is made up of four pieces that I glued very carefully,then applied. I glued the stretched sprue that makes up the length. I cut into it,then I glued a tiny piece of styrene to the empty space. then I glued another piece on top of it with a tiny drop of superglue to take up the space between the two for the solid triangle shaped part that was missing.

I sanded it all smooth with 600 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper. This completes the part. 













All these greeblies were handmade from sprue and the same sheet styrene that I covered the rest of this with. The scribe lines took longer than these to make. This was made from styrene sheet that I scraped with an Exacto blade to this shape. I then glued stretched sprue to this to make the tiny bands on each end. Then I glued a tiny square on the junction between the main strip,and the piece itself. I drilled into the top with a 0.15" of an inch drill bit to make a small depression in it. 


I still need to clean up a couple of places where there are still a few burs from scraping,but nothing that 600 grit can't handle.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

A view of this with the thruster flaps. These are all meticulously cut by hand to be identical to each other. This is what took me so long to get to this point. I'll finish the Saturn V engine housings next,then move on to the laser canons. I've been jumping around from one part to another to break up the monotony.












Closeup of the tabs that make up the ends of the thruster flaps. I wish these would've stayed straight with each other from top to bottom when I took this photo. 

























A clearer view of the details that went into this part.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is another 360* view of this in its' almost finished form. I filled this to remove the undercuts beneath the thruster flaps. I couldn't glue these down without making them deformed versions of themselves. This allows me to have them flat,and keep their original shape,and appearance.

This still has a little bit of woodfiller here,and there,but I'll clean the rest of this up when it dries. This will keep most of the filler under the thruster flaps without washing it all out.





I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is it with the excess filler removed. I had to fill in a few spaces that weren't completely filled in all the way. This is finished.



I'm getting a little colour washout with the camera between the two materials. One side of the thruster flaps is slightly yellowed,but the other side isn't. This is from the lighting flashing back at the camera. The PVC is slightly yellow in colouration,so it makes the flaps look yellow on the side with the most light exposure. This filler can be cleaned up without having to worry about staining,as it's waterbased.


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

I love the progress! Great job. BTW: I'm kinda new here, so I really don't know too much, but I THINK it is possible to run out of "picture" space at some point and the system will shut off your ability to post pictures. I mention this because your pics are awesome, but big. I think I'd be sick if you had to stop posting because you used up your alotted picture posting space. I check this thread all the time! Like I say, I'm a newbie, but what few kit builds I've posted about, I've intentionally "shrunk" my pics. I still don't know how to "thumbnail clickables" yet. I imagine it's easy, though. Thanks for taking the time to chronicle all these wonderful steps. Look forward to more...........:wave: 
*Question to veteran posters: Am I correct??*


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## Prowler901 (Jun 27, 2005)

HOLY COW!!! Your attention to the fine details is crazy! Beautiful work sir, very well done. I also check this thread several times daily


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## Magesblood (May 12, 2008)

so many pictures of the same thing...


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

I was just thinking that lastnight!  I was trying to show this from a 360 degree angle. I guess that is too much. I won't be doing that anymore for objects that are cylindrical. There's a lot of detail on this model,and I'm just trying include as much as I can. I've had to omit a lot of the progress in between photos to save bandwidth. I'll have to do more editing when I post photos on my photobucket account. I wish I could make these smaller with an option for supersizing these when clicked on. I'll see if this is something I can do from photobucket,or on this forum.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Thank you all for watching this thread patiently! I'm working on this as hard as I can. Here's a small update,so that you all won't think I've fallen off the face of the earth. I wish this was finished but glue drying times have posponed my progress a lot! 


I'm very glad that there are people out there looking at this. Most of you don't know,but I look at this thread everyday to see if there are any new replies from other members. I love seeing your responses to my work. Thanks again for waiting patiently as I work to bring this to you!





This is the cylinder that I originally used for the laser canon. I put the styrene over it,but it was too thick on the end toward the heatsink. So,I had to remove it the hard way,and start over. I covered this with stripper to remove the styrene,and superglue. This ruined the surface of the PVC tube,so I had to sand it with 32 grit,150 grit,and finally 220 grit to make this straight,and smooth again. 

I glued three layers of 0.20" inch thick sheet styrene to this before discovering that I needed to make this a lot thicker than it was in order to make this exactly the same as the ILM model,and for this to be in the proper scale. I glued two sheets of 0.40" thick sheet styrene to this,but the first sheet cracked in several places,as the diameter was too small,and tight for the plastic to adhere easily. This has slowed my progress on this part of the build. 

The styrene was straight when I took it out of the box,but slightly bent from being rolled from the distrbutor. The second layer was a lot easier to glue to this. There was a small gap that I had to close,but it took a lot to get it sealed with styrene pieces,and superglue. It took rubber bands,and a piece of sheet styrene wrapped around this to keep it tight against the tube until the glue dried. I had to sand this again to smooth it. Now I need to shape the top edge taper,then glue the greeblies to it. I bought the aluminum tubing,and brass rod for this today. I hope to finish this tonight. If not all,at least most of this tonight,as I have to make two identical sides.






















I originally scored this sheet (this tube is laying on) to make it easier to glue to the tube,but the score lines made flat shapes all the way around the outside of the tube,making it impossible to not have an octangonal surface to sand out. 













These photos show that this was a mess,even when I resurfaced this with new sheet styrene. The plastic sticking out is what I used to fill the gap between the two ends of the sheet covering this tube. There's a smudge where a piece of styrene was glued to this.













Rough sanding marks indicate where I smooth this out,but it still needs finessing.






















I had to insert more styrene into the end of this to close a tiny gap. It pays to measure your tubing - I wish this came out better than it did!  I measured once,but I cut twice thinking it was a straight cut on both sides. Oh,well.... Remember kids....measure twice,cut ONCE!


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

The styrene pieces didn't go deep enough,so I had to reglue more to this to make it soild all the way around. I'm glad that this is only the master - I'd hate to make four of these individually! I scrawled a horrible drawing on this to get the scale for the greeblies that go on it. This will all be sanded off once these are made - superglue doesn't stick to graphite.













I tried to make small rings out of sheet styrene,but trying to drill holes,then cut close to the hole while holding this part with needlenose pliers in one hand while holding an emery board in the other hand to sand it to shape - is like skiing,and doing your taxes at the same time! 

You can barely see the first attempt at doing this on the tiny acrylic rod with the styrene piece to the right of the styrene strip with all the holes drilled in it. I broke down after only five minutes of this monotony! This is why I decided that it would take less time for me to go to the hardware store,and buy the correct size aluminum tubing for this! I took this picture afterwards to show the difference between the two. The first one from aluminum rod is to the right of the styrene failure (straight down from the Exaco blade).















This is a closeup,so you can see what I'm talking about.










The materials I use for the job. 










The finished parts waiting for the next step in construction.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

OK. Here's the latest. I haven't much more progress to show,as I've had to bend all the copper wire by hand. This stuff is very rigid. It's also coated with enamel,so I'll have to strip this coating off before I can solder these parts to each other. This will make a solid joint. I've also had to put a slight radius into all the metal,as it's very delicate,and I don't want to twist,or distort these parts. I have to very careful while doing this,so that these parts will be true once cast. 

It's been even worse,as I have to straighten out the copper wire from being rolled onto the computer components I took it from - I drew this multiple times in between my thumb,and a 3/8" (1 cm) drill bit to smooth out the kinks. I further straighten the wire with a pair of needlenose pliers. This takes most of my time while making these pieces. That,and rebending the wire to copy the contours of each part to identical specifications. After making a master part - I have to go back,and change the bend in some of these parts,so that they are perfectly identical in shape. 














The mess that is my work table.
















Freshly minted piano frames. The one on the far left is the original. The solder joint from the original connection was too far into the part. I hate to waste anything,so this will be straightened,and reused for something else. Needless to say,I had to make a new one. This isn't too much trouble other that duplicating this shape by HAND. [] The small bend at the bottom was made by wrapping it around a 3/32" inch drill bit. Each one of these took about fifteen minutes to make - there's a lot of bending in each of these,including the cylinder radius.















Freshly cut new aluminum rods. The ends of these will have to be soldered shut,so they can be cast without tearing the mould while being removed. Silicone will fill every tiny crevice,and hole,so I have to master every part of this model accordingly.










A closer look at the latest brass cooling line I made. These took about a half hour to make altogether. Remember - these are all handmade with no bending device,other that a pair of needlenose pliers.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Here's another ridiculously small update. This is a closeup shot of the piano frame mounted for example. This still needs a little tweaking at this time,so it's not glued to the Phantom engine. I soldered these after stripping the insulation off the wire. 












A little closer shot. This is for detail. You can't really see the sanding,and tiny tooling marks,but I tried to capture this in its' raw form anyway. You can't tell in any of these photos,but these are made from two sizes of wire,just as the original four foot X-wings' are. 












Here's the piano frame for the other side in its' raw form. Each of these will be wetsanded with 600 grit before gluing. This will produce a smoother finish on the cast versions of this part. 

Please note the prototype of these to the right.













This is what it'll look like when it's done. This tube looks a too big in diameter,but once all the greeblies are on this it'll be to scale,and it'll have the proper appearance to the original ILM model. This is half a days work. I had to bend,and sand forever to get these to look halfway respectable. These are soldered,as metal doesn't like superglue very well. It'll stick metal to plastic,but not metal to itself.













OOOHHH! Soft fuzzy memories shot.  This came out like this for unknown reasons,but I was trying to show the other associated parts with it.












This what the photo above was to look like. I just wish I could take a picture of all the hard work,and sweat that went into making these from scratch,and all the bending,and bending,and rebending that it took to get them this far! The rest of the greeblies for this will be next step. Afterwards,this will be finished once the lip at the top of this tube is beveled,and banded.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Here're three comparison shots for you to see what I'm trying to duplicate.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Dyonisis said:


> Let it be said that I'm a humble person willing to admit his mistakes!
> 
> 
> 
> This is what it'll look like when it's done. This tube looks a too big in diameter,but once all the greeblies are on this it'll be to scale,and it'll have the proper appearance to the original ILM model.




Let me correct myself. This tube looks too big because it is!!! I held this next to the afterburner today,and it _IS_ too big in diameter,so I had to strip this - again!!  Remember people,speed is nice,but accuracy MUST come first! 

For those who are wondering - I edited out the background in this photo,as there was a bunch of junk hanging on the wall behind it. This was too much of a distraction,so I deleted it along with the bow on top of the cookie jar,and the refrigerator on the other side of the stove.

I feel there's enough clutter in this picture to look at with the tea kettle,spoon rest,glass cutting board,simmering pot,and cookie jar as well as the stove itself.










This is the homemade bandage I made out of masking tape. I pushed the knife blade I was using with my thumb. I taped it when it started to feel sore.
(notice the hair stuck to the tape) 










Any way,I'm so pissed right now!! Words can't describe it! I'm more disappointed than anything. I was so proud of my piano frames after all the hard work I did. Now,I'll have to reshape these to the 0.40" less diameter this tube is now. I didn't realise this was too big until after I held the two parts together. I'm glad I didn't glue anything to this yet! 

I have to think like a model maker,not just a builder. I always test the fit,and the proportion before progressing to the next step,but this time I couldn't without knowing the exact size of these two once finished. This is difficult when trying to guess what this will be in relation to the overall diameter of the other parts associated with this part of the build. I figured that this would be correct,as it looked to skimpy when I held the afterburner to this before adding the last 0.40" sheet. I now realise that the parts laid on top of this give the Phantom engine it's bulk. Oh well,back to the drawing board!

Here's the proof. This afterburner is just a hair bigger that the Phantom body. This is only in the band of the afterburner. The Phantom engine is almost the same size in relation to this. After I sand this smooth (again) it'll actually be the correct diameter I'm looking for. This won't be noticable until all the greeblies are glued to this.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

A horrible rash has broken out on this part,causing it to break out in hives! 

Actually,I melted some styrene pieces in a bath of acetone to soften them up. I then smeared these pieces into the depressions in the tube made from the knife blade going too deep while I was scraping it. This process makes the styrene pieces bond permanently to it. The styrene acts as a filler that bonds to itself. Once this has solidified,it makes an invisible repair when sanded smooth. I put this softened styrene on last night. It has since hardened,and is now ready to sand. I was so excited to see this worked exactly as it should the first time,that I couldn't wait to post pictures of it. 

(Notice the burned piano frame on the bottom right corner.) This happened after I tried to remove masking tape from it that was used to hold it in the correct placement. The flame made the copper too soft (annealed it),so I could no longer use it.














I've since made a couple of new piano frames. One of these was 1/32"nd (1 mm) too small,so I disassembled it,and used the round wire for another piano frame to solder it to. I was unhappy with the idea of having to make new ones,but I have to ensure that these are correct! The one on the far right was a dismal failure. I made this one after I tried this the fourth time. I've made five of these altogether now. The piano frame in the middle will need a little more tweaking before being glued to the tube. Then I'll make the rest of the greeblies for this now that it's the correct diameter. I hate the idea of redoing every part of this,as it's slowed my progress,and there aren't too many more parts that I've made that need to be finished. I guess that this is just part of the game.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is the tube for the Phantom engine after a second time filling small holes,and depressions in the surface with sheet styrene softened with acetone. I put a small amount of acetone in a glass bowl to cover the styrene pieces. After about ten to fifteen minutes,this is ready to apply to my engine part with my fingers. I then smear it into the holes just enough to cover them over. Then after it has hardened for a few hours,I sand it smooth. This completes the process,and there is no evidence this ever happened to the finished product. It's quick,easy,and it leaves no trace of a repair.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

As you all probably now know,this is the kit I needed for the vault of the hyperdrive motivator. I'll recast this myself out of polyester resin,so I can cut the tank body to the length of the original ILM model without destroying the Tamiya model. The Gepard body is 3" 5/8 wide,and 7" 7/8 of an inch long. When cut down,the body of the Gepard tank will be 6" long. The overall height of the fuselage will be roughly about 8". The Salzo fuselage end is 3" from top to bottom.

This is shown for size comparison. The Captain Cardboard,and Salzo kits used the same 1/72nd scale Sherman tank model body that ILM used back in the seventies. This should give everyone an idea of how big this four foot version is compared to the original studio scale models.










You can see that this is the correct version for this kit. This Flakpanzer Gepard model is 1/35 scale.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

OK,people. This is probably going to be my last post for a while. The holidays are upon us,and I need to take the stuff off the cardtable I usually work at. It'll be needed for the kids to eat on. 

My birthday is saturday,so I'll be 100 miles away from home,and the internet anyway,as I'll be visiting relatives for the holidays. This is likely to be the last I have to offer before Christmas. If I can get the rest of this done before then,I'll post photos of it. There are a few other parts that need to be added to this before it's complete,but I wanted to show everyone what was happening in my recent absence from the forum. 

This is the Stug reinforcement for the wing stabalizer. Please,keep in mind that this is all HANDMADE to the the approximate specifiacations of the original from acrylic,aluminum tubing,and sheet styrene. 

This is made from 3 pieces of acrylic for the base. I originally made only 1 piece for this,but it was too thin,so I had to make it twice as thick. Although the light I was using was bright,and washed out all the details for the most part,there is a bevel across the top edge of this acrylic as per the ILM model.

This measures a little over 3" 1/2 inches long,or almost 9 cm. The semicirclar part (center) is comprised of 10 indidiual parts,and it took me over 2 hours to make. The rectangular part next to it (which still needs to be trimmed) is 4 parts,and though you can't see it,there are tiny lines scribed into this just like the original part. The number 8 shaped part took 6 tries for me to get correct . This is made from 5 pieces. The "arm looking parts,and the crossmember that they're glued to came first,and were nailed perfectly on the first try. The circular part on the end by itself is 2 pieces. Last,but not least,is the oblong piece (top left corner). This is made from 19 individual pieces of sheet styrene,and aluminum tubing - all cut,and shaped by hand. None of these small pieces are glued to the base yet,as I still need to make the other part to this. 


When I have more time,and better opportunity,I'll take better photos of all these pieces in their details. I need to save batteries for family photos. If you have any questions,don't hesitate to ask. I might not reply right away,but I will check back periodically for responses.
I'll let the photos the rest of the story. Merry Christmas,and happy holidays! 












































This is for comparison.


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

This is an awesome build! There's nothing better than a big model...except for a REALLY BIG MODEL!


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Thanks,madcap! 
Still not done,but the holidays are taking up my free time with shopping,wrapping presents,and baking. Tomorrow we're having company for dinner. 

This WILL be the last I'll be able to post for a while. Most of this is done,but there are still small parts that need to be attached to the base. I had to juggle last minute shopping,cooking supper,wrapping presents,and finishing this up. There were some last minute changes I had to make to this.

I know that this doesn't look like much,but I had to make four versions of the small styrene piece in between the acrylic parts. This is very difficult to establish the correct angle of incidence between the corners,and the braces of the styrene supports. I also had to reposition the brass tube pieces that I cut,and shaved into rings. I had to wetsand a lot of uneveness out of these parts,and remove superglue smudges.

This will be finished by the time you all read this in the morning,


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

OK. This is definately my last post of the year. It'll also be the last for a while. 

These parts are just in the prototype stage. The "bowtie" is wrong,so I made two new ones since this picture was taken. 










This is the styrene fascia that I had to redo. It was too far inward towards the acrylic backing. I took this shot to show that this is the correct depth now. I know that the picture is blurry,but even after replacing the batteries,taking all the Christmas photos killed them,so there wasn't much power left to take this with. You can still get an idea of the thickness needed for the flange to be right. These are the four white spars,and bottom flange that make the enclosure for the "bowtie" shaped piece,and the transfer casing under it.










The remnants of the old flange surround. This is one of the most trying parts of this build,as there are so many small peices that make up the bulk of the Stug reinforcement.









The flange detail "bowtie",and transfer casing.









The first two failed attempts. 










I took multiple photos of this in an attempt to show all the fine details,and rivets that I made from drops of superglue gel. I applied these with the tip of a piece of sheet styrene shaved to a needle point. 










This is it in its' finished form. You can't really see the rivets made from superglue,or the bolts made from acrylic rod in this photo,but this will give you an idea of what this should look like when glued together. I realise that being clear,all these tiny details are almost invisible. This is why I took so many photos.










Please note the acrylic rods to the left of the white square. These are supposed to resemble bolts. The original ILM model had these made from scratch with styrene,only they were asymmetrical in shape. I used acrylic rod to avoid having them mis-shapened.









[


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

You can't see them,but there are *FOUR* rivets that stand up above the surface of the acrylic base.

























In this photo you can just barely see the two rivets by the slanted greebly.











If you have an irregular 17" or 19" inch screen like mine - scroll to the right,and you'll actually be able to almost see all four of these rivets that I painstakingly made from several drops of superglue gel to make each of these stand up enough to have a convex shape. I wetsanded them with 600 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper. 










A closeup of the parts that need to be cast separately. I can't master these to be cast as one piece,as there are undercuts,and details that require this to be three separate pieces during the casting process.










A shot of all the parts ready to be cast. I just need to clean this up in a couple of places,and it'll completely done.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

OK modeling people, I'm going to revive this thread sometime this week (I hope)! I know that it's been over a year since I posted any updates, but I've been away from this project long enough. I need to get back to it, and finish what I started. I've made a lot of progress since the last time I posted anything here, but I only posted it on three forums - two of those I'm no longer a member of now, so I'll try to keep you all in the loop. I've had a lot of housework, and remodeling to do this summer, so it'll be about fall before I get to really making this a reality. I'll post new progress ASAP, but it'll be a day, or two before then - I have to repaint the house, and hopefully before the rains come, and wash it all off again. 

~ Chris


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## Ray22 (Jun 4, 2011)

Good to see you back on this Chris it gives me inspiration on my studio size x-wing I started a week ago I started with the fuselage and then will do the wings engines then detailing but nice to see someone tackle the legendary 4 foot beast now there will be 2 in the world.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Thanks, Ray. I'm glad to see you're inspired enough to tackle something similar. I'm not going to be on here as often - I need to do more work, and a lot less lurking, but the old lady has her sewing table in my work room. This means I can't do anything until she's done with her projects. I already started the R2 unit, but I need to finish the head, body, and leg, so I can cast them in multiples for other models. I hope to sell copies of this soon. Thanks for looking. I hope to get progress posted before my computer blows up!

~ Chris


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Reviving this thread next week. I have some things that I hope to show then. I have the casting supplies I need so desparately to finish some of the multiple parts. I need more silicone rubber mould, and resin than I have but I won't be able to finish this until I get paid again. I have to make a fuselage form, and vacuum former. This will happen soon (I hope), but in the meantime I need to scale a Luke figure from clay. I still have to figure out how much clay I need to make him in this scale without running out before he's finished. For those interested, stay tuned. This should be interesting since I haven't had to sculpt anything for quite some time! :freak:


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## Bobj812 (Jun 15, 2009)

Cool! Been wondering what was up with this - thanks for the update.


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## 67657 (Mar 4, 2010)

Likewise; this is a VERY impressive build, man! Can't wait to see more!


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

I'm sorry that I haven't kept up on this - I've been knocking my brains out trying to get other things done. ID'ing parts for this has been a hurculean task to say the least. I've been working on this as a solo project for over two years now. I've had some help from a couple other people, but that has been touch, and go. I'm plotting out the fuselage - this will happen next week. I'm going to build a vacuum former to make this with. I have to make the forms for the fuselage before I know how big to make the vac-former. I'm using balsa forms to shape it. This will be done in three pieces. There will be six pieces in all - three for the top, and three for the bottom. I need to figure out how long, and wide to make the forms. These will be cut out, and glued, then reinforced. I took pics, but I'll post them in a couple days. I'm working on several projects at the same time. This takes a little time, and attention from each one. Please be patient, people. I haven't given up on this one - it just takes a lot of planning to make this happen. 

~ Chris​


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## Trek Ace (Jul 8, 2001)

I've been working on a single diorama on and off for nearly nine years, now. I understand that these things can take time.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Ed Holt - Modelnutz helped me with these. He sent me the parts that I needed, but couldn't get locally. Thanks, Ed. I hope to have something to send you soon - I'm won't be able to make all this myself!










It's happening, people! I need to get this finished this week. I started this last night. I have the silicone rubber, and resin to cast. The problem with that is, I don't have enough silicone rubber to cast all the parts I need, and the resin I _do_ have is slated for other projects. I'll make at least a couple moulds for it. I need to make mould boxes for these, then pour the rubber over the parts. I'm making the forms today, and hopefully will have something to show this weekend, or the beginning of next week. Patience is the key. Thanks for staying with me on this everyone! 


*THE RESIN*​ 










*THE RUBBER*​










This is the bottle of hardener that they send with each of these kits. It's mixed by weight - not volume. I need to get some mixing cups, and stir sticks. This will be the hardest part - weighing it out!


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

Really looking forward to this (along with your other X-Wing!!):thumbsup:


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Here's a little of what I've been doing the last few days. I'm stuck in a rut. I can't figure out the detent of the fuselage to cut along the sides, and the wrap around for the cockpit area. The cockpit cutout will be the hardest.. I can measure from here to eternity, but I can only cut once! I'll have to make some type of shape for this to build this around. Hopefully I'll get the rest done on the top of the fuselage today, or tomorrow. Enjoy what you see until then. ~ Chris 










I was trying to shape this more to the vault the way it was cut. Somehow I couldn't get it just right no matter how I did it. I ended up making the strips I had in storage serve the purpose that I originally intended for reinforcement. These did double duty.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is Mitzy - she's helping me. Her sister, Mandy was sleeping when I took this picture.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is 1/8" strip that I cut into "purfling" with knife. The "kerfs" are slots that I cut to relieve the balsa to wrap around convex shapes. This is what is used inside guitar bodies to hold the top, and back to the sides. It also gives it reinforcement along its' edges. This will serve the same purpose. It took me half an hour to do this. I broke some of the pieces since it was so flimsy, but it was neccessary to do this anyway - I can't just glue the edges together, and hope that they'll stay. I'll just cut the broken spaces between them out, then butt them against each other to make a solid joint.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

I'm waiting for mould boxes to be built. I'll post more progress on this sometime in the next couple days. I've been busy, and had to take a day off to collect my thoughts.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

OK. Three months and NO progress to speak of. I've been recently refitting the 1/48th scale version of the MPC X-wing. I'm using this kit as an experiment in moulding and casting. I have a little more progress done on this, but I need to get back to the shop to finish the wings, and the cockpit. I'm going to finish the fuselage this week in tandem with the smaller of the two X's so that I can get at least the forms done. I have to make some moulds of each, and learn how to make a cheap, and easy to use vacuum former. This will be the next step in making this kit a reality. I just needed to figure out how to make a mould box without using a lot of silicone rubber while moulding so I can have a durable mould, and save money with this design. I'm sure I can do this without a lot of trouble. Please stay tuned. More to come. 

~ Chris


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Project shelved until further notice. Thank you all for reading, and to those who participated in this thread. 

~ Chris​


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

Dyonisis said:


> Project shelved until further notice. Thank you all for reading, and to those who participated in this thread.
> 
> ~ Chris​


I just saw all this for the first time and just wanted to say, very impressive! I hope you're able to get back at it soon, I look forward to someday hopefully seeing the finished product :thumbsup:


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Well, the way things are going now I don't think it will be any time soon if ever. I'm sorry for this but until things improve, or my living situation changes for the better I won't be back on this project. 

~ Chris​


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

*sadface*


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Even MORE bad news! The original form that I started from balsa is now kaput! Meaning that the mildew I cleaned from my bedroom walls, and floor claimed another victim - the balsa form for the fuselage. It fell of the box I had it on, and in between the wall and the box itself. When I finally found it the whole thing was covered in mildew, and completely unsalvageable! I'll have to start over from scratch, and all new materials.  Don't worry people, this WILL begin again - the phoenix rising from the ashes, just not right away. I've the bug to finish it again - it's biting me REAL HARD to get this done. I'm almost finished with the other projects that I started so long ago, and once those are done this will be started, and finished to completion without anything in between to distract me. The weather's been nice, and the only thing stopping me now is ME, well that and I need silicone rubber, and resin to finish making the moulds for this, and the other two projects that I'm racing to complete before summer is officially in full swing. Stay tuned. This isn't over yet!


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

I'm back on this now, People! I'm making progress, but not much to show for the moment. Meaning that I won't be posting a bunch of silly nonsense in between photos with very little done. From now on I'll be showing fewer photos, and more complete progress since I don't want to get a bunch of junk cluttering up this thread. I've already decided that since someone else has built one of these on another forum that I won't be offering it here for sale after all - not publicly any way. This will be through P.M. only since I caught flak about the legalities from another member here about the 1/48th scale version I might not be offering as a kit here as well. I haven't decided on that yet. I made all new plans, and a new form in already started. I have photos, but I won't be showing any of those until the basic top, and bottom fuselage forms are completed. Stay tuned for this one too - it's not over yet! This one is about to become interesting. You haven't seen anything yet as the best is still to come!

~ Chris ​


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