Blackadder Thunderhawk Project, A Work in Progress

    Thanks,


    Flying Lascannon Strut:


    Surprisingly the proportions appear okay and when the wing is positioned aft about a centimeter the strut should fall about mid camber (of course ''camber'' isn't something that concerned engineers in the far distant future but we won't go there.)


    http://i.imgur.com/GfpJUvo.jpg


    The tubing seems to provide enough friction to maintain the position in "Attack" and "Stowed" mode but I'll double sleeve the tubes just to provide for wear.


    http://i.imgur.com/41URWSj.jpg

    "It is easier to deceive people than it is to convince them that they have been deceived."

    TurboLaser Struts 1


    My old drafting table has seen better days. Since the advent of digital drafting it has been employed as a styrene cutting board instead.


    Right now it is a convenient place to image the T'hawk as the model has become too big to readily display on conventional furniture.


    http://i.imgur.com/RoDb5QE.jpg


    Detailing the struts started with the root camber although "camber" is not the correct word to describe the bowing of the flight surface as it is symmetrical top and underside. Camber technically would refer to an asymmetry between top and bottom curves. Anyway I like the "camber" because it adds interest to otherwise boring flat surfaces with minimal effort.


    http://i.imgur.com/oW9Sv3R.jpg


    The struts in the stowed position as in the conventional FW original take on a less dynamic demeanor (IMHO) now that I see them in the attack mode. Those of you with FW T'hawks might want to try this configuration for a change from the ordinary.


    http://i.imgur.com/RJVMlvc.jpg

    "It is easier to deceive people than it is to convince them that they have been deceived."

    Turbo Struts Continues:


    Trying the struts out for fit everything seems in order to mount at least temporarily the Lasers so I can get an approximation where to put the tip saddles.


    http://i.imgur.com/AIuz4Ot.jpg


    With the struts in the attack position this thing really give a thrilling aspect to the T'hawk concept.............. I'm starting to like this model.


    http://i.imgur.com/dySV1XK.jpg


    (Note to self; install stops to limit degree of travel for the struts.)


    The obligatory little guy for scale comparison. This ship is huge.


    http://i.imgur.com/8efdRtY.jpg

    "It is easier to deceive people than it is to convince them that they have been deceived."

    Thunderhawk Gun Ship Ball Turret:


    It seems my procrastination has paid off. By slacking the pace of progression I find I have an interesting appendage to incorporate into the hull. Whereas the forward cargo bay has two side egress doors I am considering replacing them with the new FW Ball Turret weapons. These should not be too difficult to fabricate from scratch and should make for an interesting amendment to this vehicle.


    "It is easier to deceive people than it is to convince them that they have been deceived."

    Awesome work till here and I have no doubt the rest will be as well planned and worked out as these parts, what I would like to ask: Are you a professional designer or do you have a comparable job? Everything you post looks as if you were. :up:


    Arantor

    "Gut zu spielen heißt nicht, zu gewinnen, sondern gute Entscheidungen zu treffen!"

     für eine bestandene Bastelherausforderung

    ThunderHawk The Resurrection:


    After a six month hiatus I have been shamed into bringing this project to the fore once again.


    Starting where I left off with a few new ideas we'll begin with the flying Lascannon airfoils. It strikes me that the Thunderhawk is actually a biplane.


    Nothing really to see as most of the work is only detail but I'll keep you abreast of the developments.


    http://i.imgur.com/TESoKFb.jpg


    Considering this model is made of styrene these foils are surprisingly heavy so the straps I am installing now will actually serve to supply friction to keep these wings in the attack position otherwise they would droop under their own weight.


    http://i.imgur.com/WTMQTO9.jpg

    "It is easier to deceive people than it is to convince them that they have been deceived."

    What the F???


    I guess it pays to procrastinate; I began with renewed vigor on this project obtaining inspiration from both the 3D rendering and the FW model so this effort will be a compilation of a few Thunderhawk versions including the Video game model.


    http://i.imgur.com/7SpklaY.jpg


    One thing that surprised me is the scale of the bitz that I know are on the FW model that look minuscule on this model.


    Granted my version is not bound by cost and shipping weight and is not notoriously undersized as GW and FW models tend to be. MY T'hawk is 26 inches long whereas the FW version is 19.5 but I was so amazed at the discrepancy that I had to check the FW images to be sure I had the correct bit(z) :D


    http://i.imgur.com/pQUXo1v.jpg

    "It is easier to deceive people than it is to convince them that they have been deceived."

    Pause and Reflect:


    Time to step back and see where we are proportion-wise.


    Mounting the Flying Lascannons struts shows me I must extend the wing roots about 13 MM which will increase the wingspan about one inch. The Lascannon length is okay so that can be detailed today.



    The overall length of the T'hawk is 26 inches, 7 inches longer than the FW version and I am hard pressed to find a place to photograph the entire model.


    http://i.imgur.com/k9Xxgjy.jpg


    Likewise the front view; with the struts in the stowed position it looks very much like the 3D image.


    http://i.imgur.com/nhIFBJ5.jpg


    With the struts deployed it has a decidedly menacing appeal.


    http://i.imgur.com/Ap7umoC.jpg


    This model is starting to grow on me; mebbe I should work on it more often.............

    "It is easier to deceive people than it is to convince them that they have been deceived."

    A Couple of Building Hints:


    I am frequently asked for building plans and templates and I ruefully have to answer there are none. I work strictly off of computer images I find on the 'net. For this model I have largely to thank an artist on 'Deviant Art' for these fabulous 3D imagings. Of course I do not copy his work strictly but also incorporate the best of the FW T'hawk, the T'hawk from the video game trailer and some original thoughts of my own especially when it comes to making movable parts.


    http://i.imgur.com/uzMW7Oi.jpg


    The other tip is a bit more prosaic but at least I can feel better about being able to share information......


    http://i.imgur.com/NwKolGN.jpg


    I needed a spacer jig for the rings around the Laser Barrel so I fashioned this in less than a minute and had a rude but effective spacing tool 1,0 MM thick.


    http://i.imgur.com/9OQySAw.jpg

    "It is easier to deceive people than it is to convince them that they have been deceived."

    Arcane Lascannons and Fist Sized Rivets:


    Good, at least the rivets show in both these images, I'm trying a new method of making rivets; in this case the rivets are 0.035 inch styrene rod and shaved to about 0.010 thousandths thick ideally. I can install about six rivets per minute so the 128 rivets per strut (top and bottom) should only take about 20 minutes but actually because of the tedium took about an hour and a half.


    http://i.imgur.com/MyjH3rP.jpg


    It strikes me that the rivets small as they are are in scale about the size of a fist which would look rather silly on an actual aircraft but my tired old eyes can't deal with anything smaller. I remember with Lucie I actually installed quite a few 0.020 thousandths rivets and at the time 35 thousandths rivets were a cakewalk.


    http://i.imgur.com/y5yGZUs.jpg


    The other new feature in the images are the Lascannons which are quite the same as on the FW model Baneblade sponsons turrets but scaled up about ten fold. The increased size gives the futuristic weapon a toylike quality but perhaps some more detail will perk them up a tad....

    "It is easier to deceive people than it is to convince them that they have been deceived."

    Too Dumb To Walk and Chew Gum:


    Well it's not often that a person can demonstrate his stupidity on an International scale but I've managed.


    Anyone can present their work on a forum as flawless but not much is to be learned from that; it is also necessary to publicize your errors so new modelers won't be discourage if their efforts are not acceptable on first go.


    All the while I've been building these struts the thought has continually crossed my mind I have to seal the crude ends of the camber. So blithely ignoring these subliminal messages I proceeded to add more and more detail until now the omission is so glaringly apparent that my conscious mind also perceives it.


    So below to the right is the strut with the rude end end exposed and to the left is the end seamed with 0.010 strips that still need to be dressed:


    http://i.imgur.com/v5w0ocG.jpg


    Good enough is not in my lexicon so I will bite the bullet and rectify the omission.


    http://i.imgur.com/UzD03Af.jpg


    Not being one to throw away an opportunity that can demonstrate my maxim, "Good enough is never good enough." I'll do the penance and seal the ends and sand away the surplus so the next time these sections are seen the mistake will be rectified.


    http://i.imgur.com/6lD4PY6.jpg


    Besides, a touch of humility is good for the soul. :D

    "It is easier to deceive people than it is to convince them that they have been deceived."

    The Cockpit and Canopy:


    I only have a few major components to go on this model; the cockpit and canopy, the horizontal stabilizer, the two canard wings, Volcano cannon, and cockpit interior.... whoops and the twin ball turrets, maybe not so few after all.


    Below are the six walls and the floor of the cockpit ready for assembly.


    http://i.imgur.com/LGg4pr0.jpg


    The cockpit recess and the 3D image in the background I am using for inspiration.


    http://i.imgur.com/PnL1iP1.jpg


    The cockpit walls glued together with angle styrene and 6,3 MM strips used for corner reinforcement and gussets ready to slide into place.


    http://i.imgur.com/6v81sHH.jpg


    The cockpit walls and canopy will be a removable modular construction and the floor a separate unit for ease of dis-assembly for detailing and painting. the whole will plug in snugly without the need to be glued into place.


    http://i.imgur.com/0pmBhx2.jpg


    With the cockpit walls established I am ready for the exterior bezel that moulds the canopy to the fuselage.


    http://i.imgur.com/1Yj941i.jpg

    "It is easier to deceive people than it is to convince them that they have been deceived."

    Cockpit Flange:


    This is coming along so quickly it's hard to believe how much I begrudge devoting time to this model. I'd much prefer working on the Reaver project which I plan to pick up again tomorrow.


    The cockpit rough work is just about completed and I am ready to start framing the canopy.


    http://i.imgur.com/mVblXDh.jpg


    It really paid off giving the time to make precision cuts etc because the plug in cockpit wall slide in well like they were made for it.


    http://i.imgur.com/HU3q9fH.jpg


    I am a lazy fellow and I hate filing and sanding filler so making things fit properly in the first place pays dividends in the long run.


    http://i.imgur.com/u3WVP9j.jpg


    The apron in front of the cockpit needed to be extended over the bonnet.


    http://i.imgur.com/RaKm5NU.jpg


    and it still needs about another 3.0 MM extension so the windscreen will have the proper angle but it's enough for now.


    http://i.imgur.com/LvDV57M.jpg

    "It is easier to deceive people than it is to convince them that they have been deceived."

    Canopy:


    Hard to believe such a simple structure would be so hard to duplicate.


    I suppose I should have done a drawing to get the angles and proportions right instead of extrapolating from the screen in fact as I write this I'm thinking, "Why didn't I do a drawing????"


    http://i.imgur.com/fd7UclF.jpg


    Well we'll see where dead reckoning takes us and it is a reasonable facsimile so much the better otherwise, "Back to the drawing board."


    http://i.imgur.com/Tp6kgMj.jpg


    I took these images rather more for my benefit than any sense of beneficence because I need a 2 dimensional image to see what this construct looks like so far.


    It's difficult to get proportions right on a 3D object when working from a 2D image. Yeah a drawing would have been better....


    http://i.imgur.com/Z8U8bBH.jpg


    Another problem is the next step because there is a certain amount of fudging when 3D art is presented. What looks correct on a flat projection does not translate always into an actual object. (At least in my experience.....)


    http://i.imgur.com/M2mT22a.jpg


    The angled facets of the triangular side windows I have doubts about because I think the glass (perspex) will be bent to make the real object representation. something the artist needn't be concerned about.

    "It is easier to deceive people than it is to convince them that they have been deceived."

    Canopy Alteration:


    I don't like either the FW canopy or the 3D version but I lean more toward the 3D version.


    http://i.imgur.com/EFF5kSB.jpg


    It seems to me that the framework around the windows should be as narrow as possible but I mustn't let my prejudices alter the look of the T'hawk too much.


    http://i.imgur.com/9ebv197.jpg


    Anyway the steps that I deem necessary to frame the canopy should make it clear how it was done


    Or not.

    "It is easier to deceive people than it is to convince them that they have been deceived."

    Yes, the rear tipp of the triangular side windows would have to be bent inwards, as the window frame seems to have this little 'tail' feature.


    But I guess having the upper edge's vertical surface run as wide as the hood is thick in the back part should divide the remaining hole into 2 triangles.


    Acceptable?

    When working with these tiny angles the utmost care must exercised to get everything as accurate as possible or the frame will look lopsided and sloppy.


    I am going the provide an in depth account of my procedures (for better or worse) so as to provide a guide for those attempting similar work.



    Limit of Visibility:


    To cut the lower sill of the side windows requires a lot of pure guesswork. I have no tools that can measure the tiny compound angles required to reproduce the sill strip which in it's rectangular form is 1,0 X 2,5 MM/0.040 X 0.100 inches.


    The strip on the right lower corner already shaped........


    http://i.imgur.com/s5nEZni.jpg


    I beveled the edge of the strip by drawing it's length across the blade of the 'Utility knife' at what my best guess is the correct angle. Then I pared back the rear edge of the window frame on the base piece to correspond to the adjusted width if the sill strip. that cut is almost perpendicular to the frame of the after cabin. I then cut a compound angle to accommodate both the front slope of the cockpit and the cant of the side window frame and glued in place. I repeated the procedure for the other side.


    http://i.imgur.com/qWr7qjk.jpg


    After gluing both side sills in place I adjusted both the converging angles and the cant angles of the frame by eye as no tool is small enough to measure the angle.


    http://i.imgur.com/c3RHQFw.jpg

    "It is easier to deceive people than it is to convince them that they have been deceived."

    Reinforcing the Roof Frame:


    Ostensibly I will be building the side and roof frame without support and from very thin material besides. To reinforce the joints I glued two scraps of quarter millimeter/ one one hundredths strip styrene as an internal gusset.


    http://i.imgur.com/Sl4xBj7.jpg


    This will give solid support for the roof frames until the canted side frames can be assembled.


    http://i.imgur.com/9I9Z8C0.jpg


    In addition the gussets will supply support once the construction is completed so the cabin will not have weak joints holding it together.


    At least, that is the plan.

    "It is easier to deceive people than it is to convince them that they have been deceived."