A Missile Pod Work In Progress

[R3C0N]

No spam please, try to add something substantial to your posts in future, thanks.

 

[Chevysrule]

I am not going to be able to work on that middle section for a little bit, due to lack of space at the current time. Work is being switched to the third, biggest section (the one with the right hand grip on it), and I will have pictures up in a few days or so, when enough progress is made on it.

 

[The King Cobra]

Oh, what the hell... third time is HOPEFULLY the charm.

Individual PDO file

File zipped with release notes and an image for posterity

​

Have fun, and if it still doesn't work, shout me and I'll email the damned files one by one if I have to.

I love your file so much Arcanine! It looks so much better now. And now there has to be an unfold for it

 

[Chernobyl]

Working on it >.>

 

[Steffenator]

Just how big is this thing supposed to be when it's done? 60-80 pages is insane; you'll just want to leave it made out of paper, or you won't be able to lift it off of the ground, forget heft it all over a convention... show off.

 

[Chernobyl]

I got a length overall of about 170cm, but I need to check this. And it'd be wise to build this out of wood, as I am - fibreglassed paper would be far too fragile, heavy and hard to keep flat.



Weight shouldn't be an issue if you're sensible with the materials you use. I'm using MDF for the central piece, and uPVC pipes for the tube section. Details in Pep, naturally.

 

[The King Cobra]

I got a length overall of about 170cm, but I need to check this. And it'd be wise to build this out of wood, as I am - fibreglassed paper would be far too fragile, heavy and hard to keep flat.



Weight shouldn't be an issue if you're sensible with the materials you use. I'm using MDF for the central piece, and uPVC pipes for the tube section. Details in Pep, naturally.

Good idea Arcanine

 

[Steffenator]

170 CM... hmmm... conversions, conversions...

What is that in english again?



I suppose you could carve one out of styrofoam, then glass over it... I just can't fathom how many... um, kilograms, a wooden missile pod would weigh... Hey, that's not a bad idea. Just pep the thing, then fill it with expanding foam... POW!!! I'm a genious. Actually, using 1/4" plywood (or 'door panel') would cut the weight WAY down, and still be strong enough to hold together, especially if you put a layer of glass on it... or in it. I made a boat out of 1/4" plywood in HS, and it was tough as nails.



While I'm thinking outside the box, I think I'm going to try "glassin" my next peice with felt instead of glass cloth. That's how they do it with custom car stereo installations. I hear it comes out pretty rigid, and the cloth is thicker.



I'm babbling.

 

[Chernobyl]

Nix the self-expanding foam idea. You'd be surprised at how heavy it can be once fully cured - under the right conditions it expands up to twice its 'liquid' volume and practically doubles its weight. You'd need several cans of the stuff to make any headway, and you'd have serious problems with the stuff curing properly if you sprayed too much out at once.



A better idea, if you wanted to add weight, would probably be to use packing foam or some form of polystyrene foam carved into shape and packed in tightly. Remember, a fully-scaled Missile Pod will be longer than you are tall - cut the weight down and save your arms the strain.

 

[Mark Lucas]

"Just how big is this thing supposed to be when it's done? 60-80 pages is insane; you'll just want to leave it made out of paper, or you won't be able to lift it off of the ground, forget heft it all over a convention... show off."



Just imagine the weight of the real deal. Solid(well, besides the barrel) aluminum, titanium and steel. 4-600 pounds.

 

[Steffenator]

Nix the self-expanding foam idea. You'd be surprised at how heavy it can be once fully cured - under the right conditions it expands up to twice its 'liquid' volume and practically doubles its weight. You'd need several cans of the stuff to make any headway, and you'd have serious problems with the stuff curing properly if you sprayed too much out at once.



A better idea, if you wanted to add weight, would probably be to use packing foam or some form of polystyrene foam carved into shape and packed in tightly. Remember, a fully-scaled Missile Pod will be longer than you are tall - cut the weight down and save your arms the strain.

Sorry, but I'm not following you on the expanding foam thing. Being someone who uses expanding foam on a regular basis, I can guarantee that after it's expanded, its actual weight doesn't increase one iota. It does increase its volume, but no new material is introduced, and the pockets are filled with some fancy gas, so it stays the same weight, just puffier. The bigger issue would be if you put too much in, it would burst your fine pep job like a frozen water pipe. I'm not trying to start a debate, but I hate people walking away ill informed. I'd also hate for you to have to walk around toteing your cool MDF missile pod on an apliance dolly.

 

[Chernobyl]

Well, you may very well be right and I'm not about to start a foamy debate about it - it may be a simple matter of the type of foam I use, but I've always noticed that the finished, foamed product weighs considerably more. I guess some research into the matter wouldn't go amiss.



And believe me, I know *exactly* what you mean about filling in too much, too quickly.

 

[Steffenator]

I like you Arcanine, I was afraid that my inability to shut up would piss you off, but you sifted through my crap and found the usable information... Good job.

 

[Chernobyl]

I like you Arcanine, I was afraid that my inability to shut up would piss you off, but you sifted through my crap and found the usable information... Good job.

I'm harder to annoy than one may believe. tl;dr, back on topic.

 

[Chevysrule]

A little update:

Just got a little it done on the third section. As some of you know, most of my time has been going into my 3D models, and therefore not this, which means little, slow progress. Also, about five minutes ago, the pieces in the picture were all together. However, I was working quickly, and major warping occurred, which means I have to redo that part. The moral of that little story: take your time when pepping, working fast only means more mistakes.



Arcanine: What all did you modify in The King Cobra's model? Just the middle section only, right?



More updates to come, and more frequently I hope.



Feel free to comment, critique, etc.

 

[The King Cobra]

Sorry about the warping Chevy but I hope it will still turn out really good which it is. I can't wait to see this thing as a whole!

 

[Chevysrule]

Sorry about the warping Chevy but I hope it will still turn out really good which it is. I can't wait to see this thing as a whole!

I can't wait to see it finished too, and hope it meets everyone's expectations.



Well I think the warping is just about fixed, but it's still a little warped and no longer a big problem:

Side view.

 

[insert username]

Tottaly cool keep it up (man i want one) c(X

 

[Chernobyl]

Arcanine: What all did you modify in The King Cobra's model? Just the middle section only, right?

Yes and no.



The central 'tube' was re-scaled as well - if you wanted to start on my file you'd have to do the entire lot. You couldn't make a hybrid of TKC's file and my own, the scaling wouldn't fit right between them.



For reasons of accuracy and absolutely shameless self-promotion, you'd be far better off working from the edit rather than the original. It's more accurate, and I made sure to optimise the file for unfolding in Blender (you could probably lower the Line Angle threshold to about 165 without losing any essential detail). That being said, it's absolutely, entirely your choice, and I'd be behind a build using any version.

 

[Chevysrule]

Yes and no.



The central 'tube' was re-scaled as well - if you wanted to start on my file you'd have to do the entire lot. You couldn't make a hybrid of TKC's file and my own, the scaling wouldn't fit right between them.



For reasons of accuracy and absolutely shameless self-promotion, you'd be far better off working from the edit rather than the original. It's more accurate, and I made sure to optimise the file for unfolding in Blender (you could probably lower the Line Angle threshold to about 165 without losing any essential detail). That being said, it's absolutely, entirely your choice, and I'd be behind a build using any version.

Aww, okay. Well I have no card stock, am too busy to unfold it (though eventually I will, and I say, eventually), and I am too lazy to restart the build. But your remodel of it is really amazing, and I really wish I could build it (maybe in time I will make it too, but I don't know).



Anyways, I have a question for everyone out there with experience (as in, I don't want an answer if you haven't attempted it yourself, unless you have a lot of knowledge on the subject matter to make up for a lack of experience in it). Can I take what I have so far, say on the third section of the Missile Pod, and resin and fiberglass what I have done, and as I progress keep on resining and fiberglassing, so as to eliminate the need for expanding foam, as it will be strengthened with the fiberglass on the inside by the time I'm done? Or would just the fiberglass and resin not be enough to sufficiently strengthen it?