For the last few weeks I've been helping Axeman with the decal and texturing work on the Vulcan warp shuttle. Solid reference material on this one is pretty hard to come by but we've managed to scrape together enough to get most or it done pretty accurately. However, one bit has proved especially troublesome, that being a detail on the underside of the shuttle itself, just below the phaser emitters, which according to Probert's site is actually two bits off of Darth Vader's TIE Fighter kit. What I'd like from you folks who specialise in model kit building is a good photo of the part in question so Kenny can accurately model the thing. I've already been to starshipmodeler.com and culttvman.com in search of this and found nothing of use, so any help would be appreciated.
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
Hm. Are you sure it's *Darth Vader's* TIE fighter? It looks vaguely like a cut down bit of a standard TIE model. Whatever model it's from is obviously pre-1978, so tracking down the models available shouldn't be too much of a problem. Were they making accurate models of SW ships back then?
The part in question is the vaguely V-shaped part that if you look at the TIE head on, would be the part blocking the view of Vader's legs. It's the outer portion of his controls that takes up the bottom half of the cockpit glass. I have a couple of this kit, but I don't know if I have one here or back at my parents' place a province away. If I have it here, I'll scan a pic!
I didn't know that was on the Surak...good find!
Also, don't go by the Surak blueprints as published in Fact Files or ST:TM...they got the wrong registry. It should start "VS-" for Vulcan shuttle, not the erroneous "V5-" that's been circulating.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
quote:Midway down this page is a top shot of the cockpit hatch: that's the part you want.
I think I see it, but the picture isn't big or clear enough to be able to extract much dttail from it. But if either one of you can scan the part in question, that'd be great.
quote:I didn't know that was on the Surak...good find!
Now you kids can go scratch build one of your very own.
quote:Also, don't go by the Surak blueprints as published in Fact Files or ST:TM...they got the wrong registry. It should start "VS-" for Vulcan shuttle, not the erroneous "V5-" that's been circulating.
Don't worry, I keep my shiplist reasonably up-to-date. Mind you with this typeface that's a very easy mistake to make, since they look so similar. The small print Vulcan typeface is another story, I had to guestimate so I'm sure it's not 100% authentic.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Isn't that the 'dash board'?? Just inside the front window, holding up the steering control?
Posted by Masao (Member # 232) on :
The piece looks like a good match. All you need to is trim the sides and lop off the bottom corners.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
So it should look somewhat like this. Plus whatever he has glued in the middle there...which could be one of the TIE's chin guns...could be anything really.
Posted by Masao (Member # 232) on :
I'm wondering if the bottom and sides have also been modified a bit and the middle center has been squared. I think yours is flipped horizontally but does show the correct shortened tips at the top. Posted by Axeman 3D (Member # 1050) on :
Cheers for that guys, now I'll just have to go and build it on to the bottom of the shuttle.
Posted by SoundEffect (Member # 926) on :
There is some part in the center because you can see some shadows in the posted picture way above, but I can't identiy it as a TIE Fighter part as well. If there were a better image of the area of the shuttle, the part may be more obvious.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
Unfortunatly photo's of this thing are pretty scarce, so what you see is what you get. As for what that little widgit is; it's either one of the TIE's chin mounted guns or just a bit of randomly glued together plastic/flash. Either way it has a T-shaped pace with a short cylinder (topped by a concave surface) at the junction.
Posted by Axeman 3D (Member # 1050) on :
Thanks for the input guys, here's my pass at the 'nurnie' on the underside, using the picture above as a template. Technically I suppose it's a nurnie as it has a function, no matter how spurious. Greebles are more your common or garden simple boxes stuck to models to give surface detail, rather than more intricate detail performing a specific function. I wonder who thinks this crap up? Anyway...
Posted by Styrofoaman (Member # 706) on :
Some type of thermal control surface prehaps? Hmmmm....
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Prahaps it's a physical computer interface and transmitter for instructions to the warpsled when the ship's not joined.
Posted by Captain Mike XLVII (Member # 709) on :
"Mom, i read about Star Trek model makers online last night and learned the difference between a nurnie and a greeble."
"That's nice dear..."
Posted by Axeman 3D (Member # 1050) on :
I'm sure it's marked on the plans I got sent as a sensor cluster, but quite frankly it could be the quantum flux capacitor or 2 bits off a TIE fighter for all the difference it makes. The main thing is that the model is now all the more accurate for the input. Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
My money is on it being an Aludium Q-36 EXPLODING SPACE MODULATOR! to rain attomic destruction down upon your enemies!! Mwahahahaha.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
It's the ship's mandatory, obvious, and easy to use, Self Destruct Mechanism.
Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :
Indeed. The TMP Blueprints call it a Sensor Array.
Posted by Axeman 3D (Member # 1050) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jason Abbadon: It's the ship's mandatory, obvious, and easy to use, Self Destruct Mechanism.
Someone's been shopping at a certain supervillain supply website.
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