Ute Speeder (as inspired by Star Wars Downunder)

[puddingwrestler]

Astute members skilled in the arts of deductive reasoning will no doubt be aware that I dwell in distant lands down under, and that I find great joy in hacking things apart to turn them into other things, often with a science-fictional bent. Those with extra skills in these areas, and a sound working knowledge of fan films will be aware that these facts line up rather nicely with a certain filmed entertainment known as Star Wars Downunder; a film which combined every single cliche about australia AND star wars into a magnificent beer-soaked melange of wonderment.
Having just watched it again as part of GeekFest, I was inspired to build a Ute Speeder - the signiture vehicle of Orodongia, that most Aussie of planets far away and long long ago. Of course, I do not plan it to be in any way accurate to the film. Just inspired by it. This is the one in the film:

Mine shall be considerably more vintage, being, as it is, made from the forward parts on an AMT 61 Ford Galaxie customising kit (the re-issue) and the back part of a Revell 37 Ford pickup (the only tray I had spare)


Except the original issue of the Pickup, not the recent customising re-issue. I got it for my birthday when it was fairly new, started it, never finished it, and it has languished half painted e'er since.


Behold the main parts!

Butchery commences with the sawing of the body in twain behind the doors, and removal of the roof. Custom front light housings and grille assembly in place. This being a reissue of a 1960s AMT kit, it suffers from ye olde traditional 1960s terrible fit. Took me ages to reshape the parts to actually fit where they are supposed to fit. I sometimes wonder about these old kits...

The forward part, now mostly completed apart from obvious things like filling the wheel arches and adding a crap ton of putty. Stand by for further strange and wonderous images and updates. Scale Reference Cat may even make an appearance. Who can say?
Also stay tuned as I try to work out how to build the engine pods - I have absolutely no idea right now. Same for the interior, except it will have bucket seats.

[PR19_Kit]

Hehehe, only a Digger could come up with the concept of Ute speeder. 

[puddingwrestler]

And now, behold the night's labours, and those of the last 45 minutes, performed in the chill light of dawn (although it's 20 out there and heading to 28 - the phrase is too good to miss just because of summer!)

Fig. 1: The underside of the hull is installed, as are many pieces of plastic to reduce the amount of putty required.

Fig. 2: The upper grille and headlight pods are blended in thanks to PSR(tm)

Fig. 3: The tray, having been lovingly sawn from the fender assembly of the 37 pickup, is now assembled and ready. The Ford logo on the inside of the tailgate is puttied over - the one on the outside will have a number plate installed to hide it.

Fig. 4: George Takei glimpses the amount of Tamiya grey putty on the underside, and is forced to say 'Oh my!"

Fig. 5: Wheel well, filled with plasticard and putty is sanded back. Note some holes which need to be fixed.

Fig. 6: One side of the lower grille is now blended in. The other side is left unblended for reference.

Fig. 7: The underside is now basically all blended in.

The nose, seen from it's natural viewing angle.

Small holes etc. are filled with Tamiya white putty, because I ran out of grey. I like to use grey because it stands out from the parts more, making it a bit easier to see how the sanding operation is going. But my tube was in a terrible state, and the white is flowing beautifully.

This afternoon I shall be voyaging to the den of Mad Juzzy the Flutist to build a foamcore castle with his daughter. And possibly a cardboard one with his son. So updates may be sporadic and lack detail.
Things to do:
Build and install an interior (Got seats from a Chevy Nova, and the side panels from the same kit seem to fit pretty well - have to develop a dash and floor pan etc.)
Build and install some sort of frame for the tray.
Build and install fuel tanks under the tray.
Build and install engine pods (thinking about using hose fittings, but they are pretty big, so might change my mind)
Finish smoothing the bodyword and install lights and possibly grilles.

[zenrat]

This looks good.

[puddingwrestler]

Further progress!
Yesterday was a bit of a right off - powerline works meant I had no power from 0900-1600. Since I had not checked my letter box in a week (holidays you know) I didn't realise this. So I ended up going op-shopping and cinema-viewing, and did not really do any model work. The modelling room is dark and required powerful lighting of the manner invented by Edison. (Did a little light globe go off above his head when he came up with light globes - making him the first man to have that happen, or was he the last man to have a little gas-lamp above his head? THE PEOPLE DEMAND ANSWERS!)
Anyway, this morning's progress:

Source 3.1: Roughly what things look like mocked up.

Source 3.2: The Chevy Nova interior fits pretty well... I didn't want to use the stock interior from the Ford since a: It's got benches, not buckets and B: Half the back seat would need to be cut off, leaving the front half of the cushion, which would look weird.

Source 3.3: Yup. It's got a front.

Source 3.4: Scale reference cat decides to demonstrate the scale of the shelves in the cupboard I keep part of my stash in.

Source 3.4: Scale reference cat demostrates the scale of the 1/32 Fulcrum which dwells in the depths since I inherited it from my brother. He is safe in the knowledge that he cannot be extracted from that part of the cupboard due to cramped conditions, so can get away with being in the fabled forbidden lands of the modelling room with little fear of reprisals.

Source 3.5: Having made the mistake of leaving the cupboard, Scale Reference Cat has been ejected, and work started on the worky-bits under the tray.

Source 3.6: The worky-bits are made from the supercharger bonnet scoop from the Nova, plasticard and drop tanks from a 1/48 Monogram P-51 (I think I turned the body into a retro-future scout car of some sort. Scale Reference Cat has been doing his best to knock it off the shelf at every chance so it's now got no wheels.

Source 3.7: Plating in the back of the body has started. Out of 1mm styrene, so this is actually some sort of siding with grooves which will need ot be hidden.

Source 3.8: And you know, sort of rounded off and blended in.

Source 3.9: Hobby Boss ME 262 endinges and cut down wings will provide power. I decided the hose adaptro idea I had was far too big - more of a podracer size than a sensible landspeeder size. Also, they'd have meant the ute speeder had to ride VERY high just so  they could clear the ground. Ladders would've been required for getting in.

Source 3.10: Mock up of the ute speeder as it now stands, with the body basically done (some puttying of gaps is still needed), the interior mostly in place (more detailing needed - I will glue the seats in after painting) and the tray with engines in place (the fuel tanks are not glued in - they will also go in after paint. There'll also be a roll bar.)

Well, it's Games Club night tonight, and Holiday Program this arvo, so I will not really get a chance to work on this any more. On the plus side, Games Club tonight is Star Wars: Edge of the Empire, an RPG of great renown and mysterious symbols. And the GM's been very generous with the credits, so my social awkward southern teenage Twi'Lek mechanic can really get stuck into souping up his blaster to a dangerous degree and dreaming about the speeder bike he wants to buy. And soup up to a dangerous degree.

From his comfortable spot betwixt the window and the robot-decorated christmas tree I have not taken down yet, Scale Reference Cat send his best wishes and refuses to divulge his exact dimensions.

[zenrat]

Happy gaming.