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+--- Thread: Alien Narcissus *Completed* (/thread-2586.html)
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 05-17-2018
So, for the past week I've been working on preparing the model for possible 3D printing at Shapeways.
With the idea of going with a size similar to the Halcyon offering (around 8 1/2 inches), I scaled the ship down and split it in two.
I didn't worry about hollowing it out at this stage as I just wanted to get some feedback from the automatic checking system as to whether it would be a viable print or not.
As it turned out, it looked good in the FUD plastic (now called Fine Detail?). There were only minimal issues with wall thickness that I needed to correct.
The price for a "solid" model was aorund $700 !
Strong and flexible (now called Versatile Plastic?) for the same "solid" model came in at $350 (but was much less forgiving with regards to wall thickness and would need more work).
Shelling the model (I assumed), would reduce the cost right down...
I tweaked the model based on the FUD feedback, and then shelled it out.
The difference between a "solid" model and a hollow one (in FUD) is only $140??
The shelling had a more dramatic effect on the Strong & Flexible material, bringing it down to $150, but with a few issues that would require some of the detail to be removed.
My next thought was to try a 1/2 studio scale (at around 15 inches long)...
The FUD blew out to $2.5K lol
The S&F came in at $450.
The larger scale eliminated most of the wall issues too, so very little would be lost at this scale.
Would either of these models be of any interest to anyone?
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 06-10-2018
The beauty of having a digital model is that you can "build" it in the virtual world.
That way you can work out exactly how it should go together (in theory at least!)
For the past couple of weeks, this is what I have been working on...
Creating patterns from a digital model is not as simple as it sounds.
I've put much thought into how it all should go togther, and particularly in which order.
The acrylic frame will be built around a welded steel armature - just as the original was.
I will be using locating "pins" to aid in positioning some of the parts.
As noted previously, due to the nature of a hand built model made in the 70's, things are not always symetrical, or square.
This will allow me to replicate these "quirks" as best I can in order to stay as true to the original as possible.
That being said, the original model had some bondo work in places too, so as a consequence I have opted to use 3D printed parts in these locations to replicate the finished "bondo work". It will be indestinguishable from the original when done, but will make construction just a little easier.
I will use magnets to make some of the panels removable (the underside of rear hatch area and the cockpit) and possibly for attachment of the armature "plugs".
The model as it currently stands uses 66 locating pins, 14 magnets and just under 150 individual acrylic parts.
Here is a rough animation of how I see it going together:
Moving forward, I will need to organise to get an armature welded up and get the acrylic sheets sourced and cut.
From there I can move onto the physical build...
RE: Alien Narcissus - Turrican - 06-12-2018
Wow....awesome animation work.
Looks most impressive and i really looking forward to your "real world" WIP.
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 06-12-2018
Thanks very much Turrican - me too!
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 06-23-2018
I've started to organise the bits and pieces I need to actually start the build *finally*!
I have ordered the steel for the armature frame. It will be 25x25x2.5mm square section - as per the original model.
I have made up the 60 odd guide dowels I need and have started compiling the 3D printed parts.
There are a few pieces of off the shelf styrene tube, pipe and sheeting used on the original - I now have those in hand too.
I have all the model kits used on the ship apart from two, but there is only a single piece in each of those kits - so just two pieces I dont have yet...
I am currently working on producing the patterns for the acrylic and styrene sheets so that I can have those cut.
It begins!
[attachment=19589]
I've set up a facebook page if anyone wants to follow along on that platform too.
The link is in my signature at the bottom of my posts. Cheers!
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 06-28-2018
I have uploaded my collection of reference images (of the Narcissus in varying stages of construction) to my facebook page if anyone is interested.
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 07-23-2018
Been taking a few weeks break with my family, but now that I am back I will be looking to push the build forward.
Not much to show as yet, but a lot of work going on in the background...
The armature is done and in hand.
[attachment=19608]
The acrylic templates have been finalised and I hope to have them cut this week.
Once that is done, the build should progress at a fairly steady rate.
The ship uses 3mm, 4.5mm, 6mm and 8mm acrylic (with the majority being 3mm) and there are 130 individual pieces that make up the body of the ship.
More to follow...
RE: Alien Narcissus - marvin - 07-25-2018
Cant wait to see what you did with the part build up. Did you do slots so everything clicks together?
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 07-25-2018
Cheers Marvin,
Yes, I've used a few slotted connections, a few magnets (for some removable panels) and lots of small locating pins/dowels.
With most of the ship being not "quite" symmetrical, it's important that the panels are assembled in the correct location and orientation.
This can be hard to tell looking at some of the pieces, so I have added a few "marker" holes to help with orientation (they will be hiddem by the styrene plating).
There's just so much to think about! I'm sure you know what I mean
I'm working on my tolerances at the moment to try and make sure that everything will fit together as it should...
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 07-29-2018
The 3mm acrylic has now been cut and is my hands.
After looking at this ship in the digital domain for years (literally), it is so cool to see it in the physical world.
I'm really looking forward to being able to start the build.
The acrylic parts look fantastic. They are super sharp and very accurate.
I had all the parts printed 1:1 on paper and have checked each piece of acrylic over the top of the print out.
Included in the files that were cut are all of the tiny holes that were drilled over the ship (and there were many), and all the engraved panel lines too.
This means that they will all be located exactly as per the original (the benefits of having a photo matched CAD model!)
The parts made from the other thicknesses of acrylic will be cut later this week.
I have ordered a tube of Weld-On 16 in preparation for the start of the build shortly.
Apologies for the images - it's really hard to try and capture clear plastic in photos!
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RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 07-31-2018
All the acrylic parts are now in my hands and the build has begun!
Is it wrong that I'm having this much fun building it? lol.
Everything is just falling together so far.
Hopefully it continues...
Going to call it a night, but this is my progress after a couple of hours:
[attachment=19614]
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 08-01-2018
I spent another 1/2 day on the ship today.
The armature is now built in, and the ship is very sturdy.
I will look at organising a way to mount the model via the armature to make working on it easier going forward.
The 3d printed parts have worked well in combination with the acrylic and everything is fitting together as it should...
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RE: Alien Narcissus - Turrican - 08-03-2018
Finaly you made it to the real build.
Looks really awesome so far.
Keep going!
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 08-03-2018
Yes, I'm finally there!
It's been a long time coming, but I'm really enjoying the build so far.
Have gone a little further since the last pic but have stopped tempoarrily as I've run out of glue lol
More on order though...
Thanks for your interest Turrican
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 08-04-2018
I have re-stocked on glue!
I manged to find something to hold the ship while I work on it - an old lamp stand.
It's weighted at the base and has a ~15mm dia metal upright.
I printed a small plug that goes into the armature with a hole to fit over the upright to make it more snug.
Seems to works well.
You have to use what you have available!
The ship is progressing well. I have fitted the nose section and the 3d printed parts worked well there.
There is a hole in the base of each "nostril" in case I decide to add lighting later.
I've added the panels to the underside at the front (where all the "important" stuff is).
The styrene/hips sheets I will need later in the build have also arrived. I wasn't able to source any locally, so had to order them in.
I have printed the last couple of pieces I need to complete the base of the ship and will continue on it tomorrow.
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RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 08-06-2018
Apart from a couple of minor non-structural pieces, the acrylic is now done.
On the whole, it went together very well.
I did find a couple of areas that I could improve on (in terms of the way it goes togther) and have adjusted the model and files accordingly.
The top front of the ship has been made removable and is fixed in place with magnets.
This leaves the possibility of doing an interior in the future.
The underside panel at the rear (between the engines) is also removable - as per the original.
This allows removal of the airlock area and again the possibilty of adding details there too at a later date.
The next step is to spend some quality time with a sanding block patching and blending the panel seams and joints...
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RE: Alien Narcissus - Turrican - 08-06-2018
Slowly it starts look like a ship :-)
Stupid question maybe, but why those models are have an acrylic hull and not one out of polystyrene for example.
If i look the star wars models, they also seem to had use acrylic as well on those.
Is there any special reason? Always thought it's so brittle to work with and cracks if get bend to much or drilled.
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 08-06-2018
I suspect it's because it was readily available, easy to use and availbale in various thicknesses.
I've had no issues with cutting or drilling it, and when glued together it forms a very strong bond.
All good attributes for a model maker!
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 08-08-2018
Stay frosty!
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RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 08-10-2018
Test fitting of the top engines...
I'm happy to report that they are a perfect fit
![[Image: thumbsup.png]](https://www.therpf.com/images/styles/smilies/thumbsup.png)
A couple of shots of them in place:
[attachment=19633]
this is the original model at a similar stage of construction:
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RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 08-12-2018
I spent the weekend filling and sanding (and filling and sanding)...
- you know you've done a good weekends work when you have sanded down your fingertips until they bleed!).
*note to self - check the best before date on the bondo/filler before using, as product that is 11 years out of date doesn't set anymore...*
The top engines are now attached and look great - very happy with them.
They still need to be blended into the main hull at the top.
The top of the ship is pretty much done, but I'm spending the extra time to make sure I get this stage looking spot on.
It would be much harder to fix later on.
Starting to become a little more recognisable now....
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RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 08-17-2018
I've been working on and off during the week to finish off the filing and sanding.
The top is pretty much done now.
The engines have been blended into the main hull and the nozzle support "upstands" have been added (to the area below where the main engine nozzles will sit).
The piping for the small side thruster nozzle has been put in place too.
I'm currently working on the lower engines and will add them to the ship shortly.
Most of the filing and sanding on the underside is done too.
I'll update with some more pictures once the lower engines are attached.
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RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 08-19-2018
The first stage of the build is now complete and the main hull acrylic is done.
Very happy with the way it's turned out so far.
I've added the engines to the underside and they fitted well.
They look sharp and clean with good definition in the panel lines.
I added all four nozzles to the engines and they fit nicely over the top of the supports (exactly as per the original model).
The only items that were molded and cast on the original ship were the engines and nozzles, eveything else was hand made.
Although I'm sure the intent was for the nozzle supports (and the trapezoid pieces below them) to be the same, I have confirmed via my CAD model that they each have subtle differences and are mostly unique.
All of the parts I have produced, replicate these variations.
I have used dowelled registration holes in the ship and in the parts to ensure that each part is located as it was on the original.
The underside has seen the addition of the turreted strips on either side at the rear.
I am currently printing the clamp attachments that fit on each side of the ship.
I have designed an armature plug that will allow them to have a push fit into the armature.
I will be able to use this on all four of the armature openings.
I've managed to track down another donor kit I was chasing.
That leaves just one more kit (with only a single piece left).
I will start work on producing the layouts for the styrene now and transfer them to the blank sheets I've purchased.
More updates soon...
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RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 08-22-2018
Currently mapping out the styrene that needs to be added to the ship next - and there's a lot!
365 individual pieces...
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RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 08-23-2018
The docking clamps are done.
I wont attach them to the armature plugs until the styrene is in place, as they they need to be positioned over the styrene on the top side of the ship.
The parts layout is done and I will look at transferring it over to the plastic in the next few days.
I have also had my layouts printed out full size onto paper so that I can use them as templates for locating the (many!) parts as accurately as possible.
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RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 08-26-2018
Had a productive weekend.
I managed to get both sheets of the styrene templates (which covers the entire ship) transferred over to plastic.
I then spent the rest of the weekend cutting them out and sticking them on!
I have to say, I'm quite enjoying the process.
It's time consuming - due to the sheer amount of parts, but with a refreshing beverage and some good tunes, it's quite therapeutic! lol
I've made a good dent in the plating for the top front half and hopefully I can find some more time during the week to continue a little further...
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RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 08-29-2018
Continuing to add plating to the top of the ship.
Currently working on the rear quarter panels and the airlock area.
It's a time consuming process to make sure that everything is located correctly (to match the original).
The full sized paper templates I had printed are a big help in this regard.
It's reassuring to see everything is fitting as it should.
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RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 09-02-2018
The plating for the top of the ship is now complete.
Not much to write about as it was just a case of cutting, sanding and gluing into place (repeated over and over!)
I'm happy to report that it all fitted, matching my templates and the CAD/photomatched model.
I have glued the clamps to the armature plugs and attached the "Evergreen" sheeting to the top of the engines - as per the original.
I've included the obligatory Coke can for scale in the last shot and a pic of the original model for comparison.
[attachment=19701] [attachment=19702] [attachment=19703]
[attachment=19704] [attachment=19705]
I'll move onto the plating the underside next...
RE: Alien Narcissus - Satazius - 09-03-2018
Amazing work. So much fun to watch this come together. Wow.
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 09-03-2018
Thank you!
I appreciate you following along.
RE: Alien Narcissus - JAWS - 09-06-2018
That's beautiful work.
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 09-06-2018
(09-06-2018, 07:07 PM)JAWS Wrote: That's beautiful work.
Thanks very much Jason!
A small progress update:
Work continues on the underside plating this week.
I've started at the rear and have made good progress so far.
The central armature cover plate is now in place, but is hard to see as it isn't painted and still looks clear (the pink is glazing putty underneath).
The panel between the engines is removable and fixed in place with magnets (the original was screw fixed - note the four holes in that panel).
This will allow access to the airlock interior (which is also removable) so that it can be detailed at a later stage.
I'm hoping to get the rest of the plating finished off over the weekend.
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RE: Alien Narcissus - Turrican - 09-07-2018
Just can say wow, that's pure awesomeness!!!
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 09-07-2018
Thanks Turrican!
RE: Alien Narcissus - RU41 - 09-07-2018
Outstanding! Love watching your progress.
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 09-09-2018
(09-07-2018, 02:31 PM)RU41 Wrote: Outstanding! Love watching your progress.
Thank you very much!
Speaking of progress....the styrene plating is done (thank God!).
There are a LOT of pieces that need to be glued on to this ship (be warned anyone that decides to tackle it!)
I am glad that this stage is now finished.
This is how we currently stand in the order of things to do:
Stage 1 - Acrylic frame - completed
Stage 2 - Styrene plating - completed
Stage 3 - Kit part and styrene detailing.
Stage 4 - Painting and weathering.
Stage 5 - Decals.
I now need to spend a bit of time mapping out the kit parts so that I can produce template layouts, similar to what I have done for the styrene. Once again, there are a lot of parts! Should be fun though
![[Image: 1f642.png]](https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/f4c/1/16/1f642.png)
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More updates soon...
RE: Alien Narcissus - Turrican - 09-12-2018
Well... would say much more closer is impossible, isn't it ?
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 09-12-2018
Since it replicates my photomatched 3D model perfectly, I'd like to think so!.
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 10-01-2018
Well, that took a little longer than expected!
All 600+ kit parts are now assembled and sorted.
All 1:1 layouts have been drawn to accurately locate each part.
Let the kitbashing begin!
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RE: Alien Narcissus - bg_451 - 10-03-2018
Awesome work! A few dollars spent on kit parts then....
What an amazing replica. Good to see the love for this ship.
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 10-03-2018
Thanks BG
RE: Alien Narcissus - marvin - 10-05-2018
oh man you are going to have soooo much fun getting all those kit parts on a section. Within a few hours it'll look spot on to the original. Love that stage myself. Feels like all the hard work pays off in a few hours. Really like how you approached this project!
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 10-05-2018
Thanks Marvin, you're not wrong!
I've only been working on it for a couple of days, but I'm loving it!
It's amazing what effect sticking on the kit parts has.
[attachment=19765]
I imagine it will be a similar epiphany once primer goes on too - cant wait!
Thanks for the comments Marvin - much appreciated.
RE: Alien Narcissus - Satazius - 10-06-2018
This was an amazing project when it was all CG. To see it being physically realized is just spectacular. So well done. It's a thrill to see this.
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 10-06-2018
Thank you very much Satazius - thats very kind of you to say.
More updates to follow soon
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 10-06-2018
I started with the most detailed section of the shp - the underside engine area.
Everything is fitting together nicely (the 1:1 templates are are big help for this).
Just taking my time getting everything in the right spot - and having fun too!
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Here it is completed, along with the detail strips on either side of it.
Between the "nose", the armature cover plate and the rear between the engines is also finished!
[attachment=19781] [attachment=19785]
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Very happy with the progress so far.
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 10-06-2018
A couple of comparison shots with the original model:
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RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 10-11-2018
Working my way around the back of the ship.
Both the lower rear quarter panels are now complete.
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Next up will be the area forward of the lower engines - that will then finish up work on the underside.
RE: Alien Narcissus - NS4 - 10-14-2018
I've added the last few pieces to the area in front of the lower engines....and the underside is done!
I can't wait to put some primer on it now.
I had planned to give it a spray today, but the weather is not playing nice (storms and rain). I'm hoping to get a chance later in the week.
Once that is done, I plan to take some photos to compare against the original at the same stage of construction.
Having digitally matched all the reference photos, I know the exact (relative) locations of the camera to the model, as well as the focal distances.
I'll set my camera up in exactly the same location using the same settings to get a true comparison photo!.
In the meantime here are the latest progress shots...
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RE: Alien Narcissus - Turrican - 10-15-2018
Man, that's marvelous!!
Speechless. So clean and perfect, just awesome!
That's a master piece!