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WAR ROCKET from FLASH GORDON
Building a replica of the model I originally worked on for the 1979 film
The main body of "Ajax is made from an ABS tube cut in half to allow for the walkway that runs almost its whole length. This plastic tends to pull in on itself when cut in half so I had to turn a series of Perspex bulkheads to hold the model to shape.
The 2 halves are clamped together. The "trim" around the walkway, cut from 1.5 mm ABS sheet, is also stuck on at this stage.
The vac-formed nose in Perspex has a separate Perspex bulkhead to fit it to the model. Here the cabin floor is in place and the clear Perspex tubes are cut down ready to fit around the sides of the model.
The rear engine section turned in "modelboard" with all its trims added in varying thickness layers of ABS plastic
This photo shows how the clear Perspex tubes fit along the model and blend into the underside, with EMA hemispheres on the front. Another tube like this runs along the top.
The wings, partly constructed in 1.5mm Perspex, are cut to fit along the sides of the model. Also the top gun turret and walkway have now been added. The walkway is Perspex, the turret is an EMA hemisphere.
The model comes together as the wings are fitted and the top fin in added, this time made of 5mm Perspex
I had to have brass etch sections made for this model as the detail was so complex. Both the rear of the walkway, the railings along the side & the window frames were all done this way