Alien Derelict - the start

So i've had a hankering for a while to come up with my own "tube ship with a ball on the end" a la the Discovery or the Battlecruiser in Space 1999.

Always been put off though by the huge drain (and expense) of kit bits to do the large, blocky engine area.

Was watching the 1999 episode "Dragons Domain" (best episode - and creepiest tv moment ever) when i realised that this ship has a ball on the end.

Now, always liked what Martin Bower did here with the flared cowling/recessed engine bells and set apart tubing.

So thought i'd have a go at something similar. Not studio scale though - those tubes are from the Airfix Saturn V kit which would make it too blummin' expensive and too blummin' big.

I wanted something about two feet long, so sat down with a large piece of paper and drew life size what i wanted. From that i could take measurements and order parts from EMA - two hemipsheres for the ball and two 60 degree cones for the engine area (one for the flared part, the other radically cut down to make the inwards facing "lip" on the edge). No tubing though - i'll be stuffed if i'm gonna fork out a tenner for it.