SHOW ME EVERYTHING...
The materials you will need for this project are as follows:
◗ Craft board
◗ Balsa wood
◗ Plastic sheet
◗ PVA glue
◗ Bostik or UHU glue
◗ Food bag sealing clips
◗ Five-way lever connectors
◗ Floor protectors
◗ Plastic piping or lolly sticks (...a lot cheaper)
◗ Cable ties
◗ Kit spares
◗ Cotton gauze
◗ Spray paint in various colours
The ‘spares’ I mentioned were some Warhammer plasma guns sold on ebay and the cotton gauze is a bandage like material. There are quite a few items but none of them are particularly expensive. There’s also some optional LED’s and some decals for detailing but I’ll come to that!
1. WATCH YOUR FINGERS
Make a simple L shaped structure from the balsa wood and plate this with some of the craft board.
2. EVERY MEAL IS A BANQUET
These are the easy seal food bag sealing clips and lever connectors and floor protectors.
3. I HAVE A CLASS TWO RATING
Lay out the food bag clips, and floor protectors as shown. The easy seal strips are cut in half, and then used as pillars and supports. These were lightly sand papered to give a better key when painting. The floor protectors are self-adhesive, and are cut to make textured wall panels, as shown.
4. YEAH BUT IT’S A DRY HEAT
The plastic lolly stick was warmed over a flame, bent to shape and cut to size. Extra detail was provided by the lever connectors, one of which you can see in this shot.
5. I LIKE TO KEEP THIS HANDY
The lever connectors were stuck in place, and more lolly sticks heated and bent, and cut as shown. These were then stuck in place. Any joints were covered with a sleeve of paper.
6. DROP YOUR LINEN...
Cut a length of the cotton material. I purchased a large roll of this from ebay. This is used to provide a grid like pattern to the flooring. PVA glue it down and trim once dry. The cable ties are then cut to length and used to edge the mesh flooring.
7. I NEED TO SEE ELECTRICAL ACCESS TUNNELS
The locks on the cable ties are cut from the ties, and are punched with a riveter and then stuck on the walls as air-conditioning vents. Then the complete model is sprayed black as an undercoat.
8. VASQUEZ, CLOSE THE SHUTTERS
The doors are cut from plastic sheet. These are then detailed and sections of the cable ties and scrap are fitted to give a better effect.
9. PULSE RIFLES, WITH ABOUT FIFTY ROUNDS...
The plasma guns were cut down and, once painted, make great looking close circuit TV cameras. Perfect for recording those pesky alien attacks!
10. DON’T LOOK AT THE LIGHT NEWT
The optional LED lights and battery were the final flourish. They make great bulkhead lights and add to the dramatic effect of the piece. They need drilling in position and the battery fitted out of sight, however this shot shows the corridor with the lights turned off. A few decals I had in the spares box and a highlight of grey and red finished this project. On our next build I will move onto the lifts, control rooms and an escape pod. So, that’s it man. Game over, man. Game over!