X-Wing Conversion

I did some work on the wings last night. I used the existing wings as a template to cut out new wing tops and bottoms and to mark where I'll scribe panel lines. I found some strip styrene in my stash that I'll use as spacers between the upper and lower sections. Finished up with the engine (I think) and got a starter resin casting kit. Once back from camping, I'll give it a go. I may not get much done next week, I'm preparing for a week of aviation overload..Airventure in Oshkosh Wisconsin.

The wings got cut in half, which means I have to make the bottom wings from scratch. I'll use either .30 or .40 sheet styrene to make the top and bottom sections of the wings. And I'll have to cut off the connector on the top wing so I can mount the cannons once I remake those. I'm toying with the idea of scratchbuilding the top wings but I haven't decided yet. I have to leave room for the 3mm led I'm using for the landing lights. I have to confess, I'm getting tired of cutting this thing up. I've got bits of melted plastic EVERYWHERE!

A good friend volunteered to make a display box for the X-Wing. It turned out so cool! The center post had the wiring for the cockpit, landing lights and the engine light that I'll put in soon. It runs on 5 Volts, which means I can use a USB wall adapter or a computer to power it all! The switches turn on the lights in the vehicle AND strobe lights on the top of the box! He's quite the genius both as a carpenter and an electrician. The plastic piece on the post is molded to the lower fuselage, so when I attach the electrical the X-Wing will fit snugly to the post, with no wiggle!! The guy's awesome!!

I made this vacuform box last weekend. I was thinking I might take the engine housings and vacuform them to make it easier to attach the underside engine and the wings. Vacuforming is a process using vacuum  pressure to mold an object. You need a mold, a vacuum and the plastic material. This is not new to me, many years ago I made plastic housing for rock polishing machines that my father had invented but that's  another story. Anyway, I took a piece of 1x4 and some 1/4 inch plywood and made this 6x9 inch box. I didn't have any pegboard so I marked and drilled out 161 holes. Yes, it took a while but it was well worth it. After cutting out a 2 1/4 in hole for the shopvac, I gave it a test and lo and behold it worked! There doesn't seem to be any leaks around the sides and it really holds down whatever you put on it. Next up is making the frame to hold the plastic. Our old toaster oven is being retired so once I get that, I'll be able to use it to...

Now that I've cut the wings apart to make a real "X-Wing", I need to make the engine compartment under the wings.  The first step is to cut the engine housing from the fuselage. Then cut the excess material away. Which leaves me with this. I can now work on the engine itself. I started off with a piece of PVC pipe and  a leftover bit from the engine I cut up earlier. Glued them together and now adding bits and bobs to make it look more like an engine. Once I'm satisfied with this I'll make a silicone mold and then resin cast 4 copies, one for each wing. I've still got some more work to do on this, but it's coming along.