Saturday, May 17, 2014

Dropship - 15mm SciFi WIP

I bought this from Khursasan a few weeks back.  This is my first time working with a resin model in over 20 years. I think this is a great addition to my Earth Force Marines and I'm looking forward to getting it painted and on the table.

This is a very good model - cast well with few blemishes or bubbles - with excellent detail.  It was easy to clean and the parts all fit together very nicely. There was a slight miscast on the one foot pad but it was fixable with a bit of filing.  Overall, this is another fine Khurasan product!

I wanted my model to be adaptable, so I decided I would use neodymium magnets to assemble the cargo bay and turrets/hatches. This is the first time I have ever tried this on a model. I did ok with the drilling and glueing, but I learned one must make the connections magnet-to-magnet. I tried to attach the cargo bay by using metal wire on one side and magnets on the other. It did not have enough strength to hold so I had to add two more magnets. Live and learn.

Bottom of lander.  You can see the magnets in the bottoms of the holes for the turret/hatch and where the cargo bay fits into the lander. You can also see the "extra" magnet I had to install in the middle.
Top of cargo bay. You can see the "extra" magnet I had to install just forward of the top hatch. You can also see the ends of the wire pieces I recessed into the tabs that fit into the lander.
Hatches and turrets.
Bottoms of hatches and turrets showing recessed magnets. 
The assembled dropship in military mode with turrets.
The assembled dropship in civilian mode with hatches.
I also am thinking this could be a "stealth" mode and imagine the turrets popping up to surprise an attacker.
I attached the rear bay door with magnets and in this case using wire on one side on the connection and magnets on the other worked fine.  The door can be opened and closed during a game to show embarkation/disembarkation or just for coolness factor. : )
The cargo bay and rear bay door.
Door attached and open.
Door closed up for flight.
I am considering painting it in the same color scheme as my Scifi buildings.  Either that or I will go with the basic gray as on Khurasan's website.  I just have to clean up a few spots where I added some fill and then I can wash it all with soapy water (again) and prime.

Until next time, carry on!


16 comments:

  1. Very nicely assembled and customized. Looking forward to seeing your chosen color scheme.

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    1. Thank you! It is a good model. Worth the price, IMO.

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  2. Well this was worth seeing. A fine model and excellent use of Magnets. Whichever paint scheme you decide on It will be nice to see this completed.

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    1. I will post when I've finished it. Really leaning towards the desert paint scheme of my buildings.

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  3. Nice model dude. Can't wait to see it painted.

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    1. You might have to wait a bit but I will post as soon as it's finished.

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  4. It's huge!
    And truly great work with magnets. My experience end with putting some in large holes of FOW tanks :D.

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    1. It is a relatively big ship for 15mm. But a great addition for a planetary invasion force. The magnets were surprisingly easy to install. I'm pleased with the result.

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  5. Nice looking kit. Well done on using magnets not something I have tried yet. Looking forward to seeing you paint this baby up

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    1. Thank you for taking a look. I'm looking forward to having it finished as well.

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  6. Excuse my heresy but if you go the civilian route have you considered painting it up more colourfully? In the UK we have some companies with `coporate' color schemes, some brighter than others. UPS is brown, the Post office is red, Eddie Sobart trucks are green, white and red. Lots of logo options.

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    1. Heresy excused, but I prob won't be going that route. I'm thinking I like the idea of this being a dropship for planetary insertion for my Earth Force Marines. Although, if I was doing a different sort of project, I might paint it up like a UPS or FedEx truck. That would be fun for a quirky Traveller type campaign.

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  7. That is really a "meaty" looking model and should paint up well.The magnets are a great idea and should work well.

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    1. It is a large model - completely appropriate for it's battlefield role. It will paint well, I think. Hope I can do it justice.

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  8. Ironmonk: I've nominated your for the Liebster Award! Congratulations!

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    1. Thanks, Jay, but I will have to decline. I'm not into the chain letter type thing.

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