Konstrained Kitbash Korner

[Chris_Timm]

You guys seem to have an inexhaustable supply of rocket design ideas oozing out of your melons!!!!

How about some designs that are constrained a bit for us lazy people who hate to cut tubes to a custom size, cut fins to any size, and print out custom decals.

Basically a kitbash design using the pre-cut fins, tubes & decals from whatever kits that are currently available. Mix & match several kits if needed.

The Renegade, the Screamin-Mimi, the Enduring-Freedom kits, the X-Prize kits, and heck, even the small kiddies kits like the yankee! (I love that cone).

Thats one heck of a pile of parts to kitbash from.

Just trying to come up with something to use up all these kits that I got at half-off sales.
The older I get, the less creative I become.
You guys don't seem to have that problem.
Must be the power of cheese!

[bikegod]

Screaming MIMI, minus extra fins, but put the tubes (with or without whistles) on the remaining fins. You could get more body tube from the Storm Caster for a longer body.

I took the Viking kit and instead of the 3, 4 or 5 precuts, I made 3 sets (canard, main and trailing) fins. Looks like a mini guardian, but no transition to a smaller tube. That's a fun one to play with.

As far as cutting tubes, I personally try not to. Not that I don't think it is hard, but usually unnecessary since there are so many precuts out there.

check out Semroc, and try out RockSim (they have a free demo that is pretty cool). It lets you put all kinds of tubes and nose cones and fins together. Thats how I built the NuB-1ST. I did make my own fins though, and I could have cut some of them from the StormCaster kit that it first came from.

Oh, the decals came from a kit too. See if you can guess which one.

[EchoVictor]

Cool color scheme!

Later,
EV

[snaquin]

Oh, the decals came from a kit too. See if you can guess which one.

Nice :)

Those decals look like they came from the Estes 220 Swift .....

[bikegod]

righty-o!

HannahMonster had a 220 Swift painted light purple and covered in Disney Stickers.

I found those in my rocket box and added them to the NuB-1ST. Now I could make stuff like that with some TrimKote and a swivel x-acto. You should see the repair that I did on the Skywriter.

I used Chrome TrimKote to make the "2" and the Eraser Band. Mixed my own paint color to make the eraser. I personally think that it looks better than the original colored tube that came with it. Testors yellow is really pencil colored. I may have to replace the top tube as well (though it wasn't damaged) since Carl's tubes are better than Estes'. I didn't bother trying to fill any of the non-existent spirals, though the precolored Estes tube had visible ones in it. Since I had to paint the repaired tube, I just painted them both then added my "pencilization"

I'll post a pic later.

[bikegod]

Hope you enjoy my messy desk.

Please check out my Gemini DC done in Chrome. First time out with TrimKote. I still used most of the stock stickers from the kit. I trimmed the fins with a Permanent Marker to bare wood. Came out looking pretty good I think.

Chrome doesn't photo too well but up close even my wife is impressed.

And of course my Mini Guardian (AKA Viking with Card Stock fins). Wife thought she would suprise me with a kit from Michaels. 3 times I have taken it out, and each time something happens that gets us a "failure to launch." That and the NuB-1ST both got tread on by HannahMonster. No tube damage, just fins/Wing. All better now except for the cosmetics.

[Tau Zero]

You guys seem to have an inexhaustable supply of rocket design ideas oozing out of your melons!!!! [snip]
The older I get, the less creative I become.
You guys don't seem to have that problem.
Must be the power of cheese!(stage whisper) "*Dang.* He figured it out." :rolleyes:

(tapping foot in mock disapproval) Okay, which one of you guys told him? :eek: ;) :D


Cheers,

--Jay

[EchoVictor]

Not me! :rolleyes: I was too busy this evening stuffing my face with Culver's fried cheese curds. [cue Ace Ventura voice] YUMMY!!!

Later,
EV

[snaquin]

Hope you enjoy my messy desk.

Please check out my Gemini DC done in Chrome. First time out with TrimKote. I still used most of the stock stickers from the kit. I trimmed the fins with a Permanent Marker to bare wood. Came out looking pretty good I think. Chrome doesn't photo too well but up close even my wife is impressed.

The chrome Gemini DC really looks great :D Good job on that one BG!

[EchoVictor]

Alright Chris,

since I was the one that thought this was a cool enough idea to warrant an extra thread, here's my first crack at it.

I call her the "Reneceptor". It's simply an Estes #2109 Renegade converted to look like an old K-50 Interceptor. You could use either the original decal style, or for my example I used the decals from the Interceptor II.

The only change you'll have to make is two cuts to turn a couple of sustainer fins into lower stabilizer fins.

Enjoy!

Later,
EV

[Chris_Timm]

Now thats what I'm talkin' bout!
I noticed something on the drawing.
The Reneceptor pilot diverted all power to the forward shields!!!!!
Or is that a shock wave before it goes into hyperdrive?

[EchoVictor]

That's a halo effect of PowerPoint converting all of the elements into a JPEG file. The nose cone is actually a parabola shape with two background-colored slices layered on top to create the ogive shape. The line is a single pixel mismatch between the two shapes.

If you really wanted to get fancy, you could use the scrap from the balsa sheets to make the little vanes that are on the end of the old K-50's side pods.

But, you said you wanted as lazy as possible, so that's what you got! :D

Later,
EV

[CPMcGraw]

Alright Chris,

since I was the one that thought this was a cool enough idea to warrant an extra thread, here's my first crack at it.

I call her the "Reneceptor". It's simply an Estes #2109 Renegade converted to look like an old K-50 Interceptor. You could use either the original decal style, or for my example I used the decals from the Interceptor II.

The only change you'll have to make is two cuts to turn a couple of sustainer fins into lower stabilizer fins.

Enjoy!

Later,
EV

Nice kitbash, EV. I've got a Renegade NIB, and I just didn't want to built it stock.

Now for a challenge...

You drew this up for a "quick, simple" conversion. If you were going to really "doll it up", what would you have done differently?

[EchoVictor]

As an Interceptor tribute, or as a no-holds-barred bash?

Later,
EV

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

You drew this up for a "quick, simple" conversion. If you were going to really "doll it up", what would you have done differently?

A little eyeliner, some rouge, maybe a nice pair of fishnet stockings with the line running up the back. :eek: :eek: :cool: :rolleyes:

[CPMcGraw]

As an Interceptor tribute, or as a no-holds-barred bash?

Later,
EV

No Holds Barred...
Gofer Broke...
Take No Prisoners...
Dang The Torpedoes...
To Infinity, And Beyond...
Boldly Go Where No Kitbash Has Gone Before...
Hang 'Em High, But "Aim Low Cause They're Ridin' Shetland Ponies"...
Let No Infinitive Remain Unsplit...

[CPMcGraw]

A little eyeliner, some rouge, maybe a nice pair of fishnet stockings with the line running up the back. :eek: :eek: :cool: :rolleyes:

THAT might have actually improved the original... :D

[EchoVictor]

A few last questions for this challenge.

Using only parts found in the Renegade package (including the packaging itself)?

Or can I add other items (dowels, ping-pong balls, other decals, etc.)?

If only Renegade parts, is there a side impetus to try and use up as many parts in the kit as possible?

I'm enjoying this immensely. :D I've already got a couple of ideas noodling.....

Later,
EV

[CPMcGraw]

A few last questions for this challenge.

Using only parts found in the Renegade package (including the packaging itself)?

Or can I add other items (dowels, ping-pong balls, other decals, etc.)?

If only Renegade parts, is there a side impetus to try and use up as many parts in the kit as possible?

I'm enjoying this immensely. :D I've already got a couple of ideas noodling.....

Later,
EV

Keep it flyable. No sense attaching parts that get ripped off every flight, or worse, get knocked off due to hangar rash. Keep it within the dexterity of movement of the average Old Fart's fingers to actually build. If you have to stand on a stool to reach between your teeth to attach some goo-gah, it's not worth the effort (unless you're taking pictures of someone else doing it, but that's another challenge...). Try to use the primary parts of the Renegade in an obvious way to at least suggest where the design came from. Single stage or two-stage, doesn't matter; but I'd suggest single-stage, just to keep it simple and to reduce the potential flight damage. Turn the Renegade into a modern "Super Kit", with true craft-style details similar to those used in classic kits of the past (paper, sheet styrene, balsa...). Don't add any new NCs; this kit has more than enough already.

Just a few "common sense" constraints, that's all...:rolleyes:

[BAR_Daddy]

Oh oh oh...it must be a two-stage.

Maybe a cluster on the booster???

So many possibilities...so little build time!

[EchoVictor]

Well, I decided to built my "Reneceptor" idea. Here she is, sitting next to my original Interceptor and Interceptor II. Pretty close, eh?

Later,
EV