Alien Derelict - decent progress

Finally, FINALLY, some movement ahead.

I've overcome the stumbling block with the command module. You might remember that i had in mind to use two EMA hemispheres for this but wanted a spacer between the two halves so i didn't just have a ball on the end (Martin Bower did that on the original that inspired this build, but i really like how he used the spacer idea on his 1999 Battlecruiser).

Trouble has been sourcing the right diameter spacer.

Here's the progress - scrapped the ball idea completely and am now using my daughters old toy microphone. It already has tons of nifty ribbing and detail and looks like i can just slip it over the main part of the ship.

I'm going to keep the purple bit on the end off as then you can see the diaphram inside, which i intend to glue bits to. So, it'll be more of a nod to Martin's as you can see here he did the same sort of thing, albiet inside the clear hemisphere.

The second pic of mine is the bit i've been dreading. The EMA cone takes to glue jsut fine. The B&Q piping doesn't. I've wrapped Plasticard all round the pipe so i can stick kitbits to it, but it doesn't extend far enough, or thick enough, to touch the cone enough to give a good join.

So, have smeared gap filling all round the inside of the pipe, jammed the cone in and let gravity and time do its job.

Seems to have worked but, just to be sure, you can see i've added some Plastruct strips along the body near the cone.

This is mainly to make good locating areas for when i attach the wings (i'll be butting the wings up against them) but i've also made them touch the cone and then coated where they touch with liberal amounts of liquid cement.

You'll also see i've started putting on go-fasta stripes on the cone for panel lines.