Halcyon Aliens Dropship
1/72nd Scale

Page 6, cleaning up
Page Number

Time to get ahead...

So Some Headlights Are in Order!

Or what passes for headlights on this thing.
Welcome back to the hellhole troops and troopettes.
Wish you were here...and I was elsewhere...
Nah on second thoughts, be a bit crowded with you lot in here anyways so ya better off sitting where your at trust me.

Right then, enough frivolity and here we do go.
Now there are lights on the front of this thing, two lots of two to be precise.
Here's the part with the holes in where the aforementioned lights do go.




So plan is for a set of twin LEDs in each.
So some plasticard, aluminium pipe slicing and a dollop or three of epoxy stay put gunk brought together without much aggro.
3mm super bright white LEDs, four of used for this turnout.
The lot duly set into position and a dab of paint applied.








Set and sorted so time for a light test.






Not bad.
So the clear covers slapped about and slapped where they should be.
Then the said clear bits covered in filler and left alone for a bit to cure.
While that was occurring, the front bit the lights were in got glued to the fuselage.
So while all that was doing the curing thing, time for some test fitting of other bits.
Now the first up was to put the two parts together that fit on top of the lit up front piece.
it also covers the front end of the APC bay.

And this is where it all went a bit pear shaped for a minute or three.

Thing is that when this part is in place...


The top of the bay at the front makes it sit about 1/4" above where it's supposed to be.
After a quick bit of measuring up,
No amount of material removal from that part would make it sit where it was supposed to be.
in fact only a small amount could be gotten away with.
This was done.


So nothing else for it, some razor saw action and some ceiling dropping in the bay occurred.


So that sorted lord save us all, time for some sanding down.
Some 400 grit faffing about later and we got this.


Well a bit of panel line clearing out, followed by more wet & dry doodads.
600 then 1200 grit and finally a goodly rubdown with Bare Metal products plastic polishing fluid.




And the inevitable light test...again...for the hell of it like.






'Twas a bit chilly in the hellhole at the time so camera at the ready and a bit of condensing breath assistance.


Nice eh?
So a bit of covering for the holes/lights in the APC bay and some clearing up.
I was told by the client that no lighting in the bay was required.
And on with that pesky top bit.
With a bit of fiddling about inside.




And just for you curious types,
Here's the above top bit pic with some approximately placed lines on to indicate where the bay if it was left 'as is' would have come out to....


Kind of too much sticking out and not enough space to hide it under deal...
Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints i'm tellin' ya.

Onward anyways!

And that lot just left alone for now.
And next up...

Cockpit Conundrums!

Oh yes!
Now as noted before concerning the 1/72nd scale...
Or as I look at this, 1/72nd that's shrunk a bit in the wash scale...
Fitting in a decent cockpit was going to be a regular laugh riot.
Here's what the kit gives you to work with.


Yep, that's it, the sides, a floor, a sorta clear canopy and two easy chairs.
Well that's what they look like to me.
Well first things first, the easy chairs got thrown with no small amount of vitriol into the spares box.
After a quick comparison to their replacements that is.
Said replacements courtesy of Aries Hobby Models resin GRU-7A ejection seats.
Said mob hailing from the Czech Republic as it happens.




Now ain't that a sharp wee beastie?
The seats come with a tiny fret of photo-etch metal detailing and we'll deal with that as we go along.

So a bit of trimming off of the bottom lump and a test fit where the seat are supposed to go.


So all well and good except when placed in the cockpit sides and the canopy dry fitted there's no room for anything else.
No pilots, no instrument panel, no nothing in fact.
Not good enough so a bit of fiddling about and the seat dropped back about 3mm or so.


So more or less the right sort of spot sorted so a dab of the stay put gunk.
When all cured, in mit der painting like thing.




Well getting somewhere...not entirely certain where though.
Ah well plodding on and next update to arrive real soon will,
with any luck,
be the cockpit finishing as soon as I get the pics sorted.
So stay tuned folks, back in a jiffy with another update!
Go easy now you lot.

Page 6, cleaning up
Page Number