It’s critical to get your lines straight on the base shape of a model like this. Nothing looks worse than a finished scratch build that is lopsided. So I took care to line up the boxing. Below, I’m making sure the bottom is smooth before proceeding to detail the hull.
My only regret with this build is the use of thicker wood frame. It makes the ship look squatter than the older card board model. But that doesn’t hurt the overall look of the model and unless you’ve seen the original, you won’t know it should be skinnier.
Creative use of tank parts and truck engine parts mixed with strips of styrene inside the nacelles.
The offset engine needed to have something in the blank area beside it, so I used some tank parts and scratch built what looks like a removed second engine.
In the original film my friends and I made in high school, this top panel was blown away. So I went ahead and made the panel removable and filled it with details to make a little sub room right ahead of the engine room.
Super thrilled with how the details turned out around the engine.
Progression of details
I’m also thrilled with the top of the nacelle area.
Keeping the details flowing as we go back towards the front.
The other side of the ship.
I really like this area of the side runner near the front. It was important to keep the details small and make the panels follow the angles of the model.