Maybe the wheel was not invented on the planets they visited..! 
Battlestar Galactica: Open Troop Transport "OTT"
- Thread starter Revell-Fan
- Start date
Excellent start. I wonder why the writers of these shows always considered wheels to be obsolete, when in fact, they could have made wheeled vehicles with wild suspension systems, and still make the look modern. Wheels will be around for a very long time!!!
Yes, but.... hovercraft are just so cool, & maneuverable! They just have a little problem with braking. Of course if you turn off the lift fan you'll come to a screeching halt. Hopefully, you have skids underneath on land. If you're on water your hovercraft body better be able to float.
Sky Seeker
:tank:
- Apr 5, 2013
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Actually, I have "flown" a couple of Hovercraft, and they float excellently on water. Many make good fishing platforms. The Scat hovercraft floats, as most every one I've seen. They have flotation build in. I'd hate to try and row one though!!
> BUMP! <
I've refined the structure a bit and added some "leg space" and a dashboard. @Rhaven Blaack and I have been discussing the interior of the craft. It is still undetermined which kind of vehicle was used as a base. The only hint at it were several front views which showed two round front lights which stood very close together:
At first I suspected a golfcart but that is too low. Next good guess was a small jeep but would there be one with the front lights so close together? I ran a quick google search and found several Willis Jeeps like this one:
The height looked OK, too, so as of now this vehicle is the closest guess. Stay tuned!
I've refined the structure a bit and added some "leg space" and a dashboard. @Rhaven Blaack and I have been discussing the interior of the craft. It is still undetermined which kind of vehicle was used as a base. The only hint at it were several front views which showed two round front lights which stood very close together:
At first I suspected a golfcart but that is too low. Next good guess was a small jeep but would there be one with the front lights so close together? I ran a quick google search and found several Willis Jeeps like this one:
The height looked OK, too, so as of now this vehicle is the closest guess. Stay tuned!
WELL. While checking the old screenshots again I noticed something:
A steering wheel!
Looking again very closely at this side view made me reconsider my guess that a jeep was used. The nose is too close to the steering wheel. The dimensions are closer to a golfcart instead:
That would too coincide with the position and look of the seats. Hmmm....
A steering wheel!
Looking again very closely at this side view made me reconsider my guess that a jeep was used. The nose is too close to the steering wheel. The dimensions are closer to a golfcart instead:
That would too coincide with the position and look of the seats. Hmmm....
A look into the BluRays gave some additional insights into the structure of the vehicle. I have refined the lines and am now tweaking the interior a bit.
I think that you are on the right track with both the (possible) base vehicle that was used and the design as well! I like how this is looking!
One thing: No matter how "scifi" the vehicle is supposed to be, it will come with a steering wheel! :Grin:
maybe it is an older military "ute" similar to the one in stargate Atlantis episode "Duet"
This looks like it is going to be a fun build! I am looking forward to adding this to my collection!!!
As you may have noticed, RB has started the test build of the 1/48 version:
www.zealot.com
Battlestar Galactica/Buck Rogers Hover Vehicle
Greeting ladies and gentlemen, I have taken a (albeit slight) break from the BSG (memorial) diorama to bring to you another @Revell-Fan exclusive model (I am slightly surprised that no one else has made a model of this vehicle, since it is a very simple design.). This vehicle was used in both...
www.zealot.com
The most tricky part of this design is the fact that it is open (which is why we have called it "Open Troop Transport", of course ). This creates a problem: You cannot insert an internal skeleton to increase the stability of the front. The original vehicle had a shell of plywood mounted on a small vehicle. To add some "flesh" to the frame of the model I decided to beef the skin up with laminations. The 1/24 version will receive 3 layers and the smaller ones 2 layers. In theory a good idea but the inner skins need to be smaller with each lamination in order to fit inside. Developing an idea to do that was the reason why this thready was put on hold.
When Rhaven and I decided to tackle the Med Sled we were facing a similar issue: The stretcher was supposed to have three layers but each layer needed to be a tad smaller than the precious one. I tried reducing the size on the canvas but this did not work. Then I tried SketchUp's joint push-pull plugin. It allows you to offset a 3D shape by a specific amount and thus create a smaller version of said shape which should fit snugly inside the mother shape. On the stretcher this worked like a charm. All three layers were offsetted by the paper thickness of 0.2mm fitted like a glove:
I thought this would also be the case with the OTT. I was wrong.
I offsetted the cabin and unfolded it. RB's test failed, it was too big and the outer skin could not be closed:
I then went back to the drawing board and offsetted the shape even more. This time the outer hull could be closed but when I glued the cabin into place I noticed a HUGE gap on the nose:
That was totally unexpected. So I went back to the drawing board and after some serious trouble-shooting I decided to go the easy way and to laminate the front with coloured plates instead. That should be relatively "fool-proof" and the only way to solve the issue till I have gotten a chance to get a closer look into it again.
These shapes are 0.1 mm smaller than the faces of the front half and must be adapted to fit inside in order to avoid any bulging on the edges during folding.
). This creates a problem: You cannot insert an internal skeleton to increase the stability of the front. The original vehicle had a shell of plywood mounted on a small vehicle. To add some "flesh" to the frame of the model I decided to beef the skin up with laminations. The 1/24 version will receive 3 layers and the smaller ones 2 layers. In theory a good idea but the inner skins need to be smaller with each lamination in order to fit inside. Developing an idea to do that was the reason why this thready was put on hold.When Rhaven and I decided to tackle the Med Sled we were facing a similar issue: The stretcher was supposed to have three layers but each layer needed to be a tad smaller than the precious one. I tried reducing the size on the canvas but this did not work. Then I tried SketchUp's joint push-pull plugin. It allows you to offset a 3D shape by a specific amount and thus create a smaller version of said shape which should fit snugly inside the mother shape. On the stretcher this worked like a charm. All three layers were offsetted by the paper thickness of 0.2mm fitted like a glove:
I thought this would also be the case with the OTT. I was wrong.
I offsetted the cabin and unfolded it. RB's test failed, it was too big and the outer skin could not be closed:
I then went back to the drawing board and offsetted the shape even more. This time the outer hull could be closed but when I glued the cabin into place I noticed a HUGE gap on the nose:
That was totally unexpected. So I went back to the drawing board and after some serious trouble-shooting I decided to go the easy way and to laminate the front with coloured plates instead. That should be relatively "fool-proof" and the only way to solve the issue till I have gotten a chance to get a closer look into it again.
These shapes are 0.1 mm smaller than the faces of the front half and must be adapted to fit inside in order to avoid any bulging on the edges during folding.
Chris' test gave me some new ideas. I have revised the unfold accordingly and now the whole vehicle is being built like a plane with interior. There are no longer two halves but one big outer hull. You assemble the top shell, leave the bottom open and insert the formers and the cockpit from below. Then you close it up and attach the skirt.
Just a bump. For several weeks now I have been working on a new model which is eating up all the spare time I have. I'm sorry I can't tell you what it is now in order not to spoil anything. ETA is mid October, so I have to hurry. Don't worry, I'll post the build in a few weeks. But don't hold your breath, it's a one-off and nothing sci-fi related. But it's a special one-off (at least for me).
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