"Shuttles and Spacecraft for your Starport?" Topic

I ran across this awhile back, and think it would make a great, small, personal shuttle for your local Starport:

link

I really like the molded on detailing of the cockpit.

A bit on the expensive side, for a little piece of foam, once shipping is factored in ($10 for ground shipping), but if you purchase several in quantity, that'll help defray the cost a bit. They're only $5 USD each, not including the shipping.

Sadly, my local Hobby Town doesn't stock them, without the rocket to carry them aloft ($35 for the set), and can't special order them either. A shame, since that'd be the way to go to avoid the added shipping costs, and give local retailers a little business.

Might make for a fun toy for the kids, or big kids too, if you dare to let it be used as originally intended.

Other options I've seen for various craft include:

1. Inara's Shuttle ornament;
2. Khurasan's large trader vessel;
3. Khurasan's upcoming Cormorant Lander release;
4. Khurasan's other, upcoming alien-looking lander release;
5. Quinjet for use as a large lander/dropship;
6. and, the Galileo shuttle from TOS Star Trek, if you want to go old school.

So, what types of orbit capable spacecraft populate your local 15mm scale Starport, or Spaceport?

I've got one of the RC Quinjets that I'll kitbash eventually. Also an old Tau whatsitsname, another kitbash project that awaits me. If you can ever find a 1/72 scale Thunderbird 2 you can't go wrong.

For non military landers/shuttles, I'm keenly awaiting the Khurasan Cormorant.

Adding to your list, the Terminator Salvation airborne hunter-killer. It has twin engine nacelles on the wings that tilt to provide VTOL. And the fuselage is very big, clearly housing a cavernous cargo bay (or life system for a large crew/passenger complement if it's intended for long voyages).

Combat Wombat VTOLs

I've got a handful of these shuttles, that I hope to use:

TMP link

But I may be willing to part with these three …

1) My Inara shuttle:
TMP link

2) My Khurasan "Dual Purpose Light Spacecraft" (TTC-2500):

3) My Khurasan Pelagic "Sea Wasp" (TTC-1208, works best for 10mm or even 6mm):

Dan
PS. Earlier suggestions:
TMP link

I quite like the Combat Wombat Chinese Shuttle:

All of my yes, great find!

If you don't mind getting some glue out:

It's a work in progress…

My mate Roger did a cracking job on this conversion

Wish I could take credit for it!

John T

Those all look great, and I've seen most of them posted here on TMP, but haven't seen the red, spacefighter looking design.

Is it a scratchbuilt model, or a commercial one?

Lots of good work there !

The red one is a scratchbuild from parts left over from a Land Booster Spirit (which would make a fine addition itself)

link

G.

but haven't seen the red, spacefighter looking design.

In spite of the Tau markings, has a bit of the Star Wars/Transformer feel. Not that I'd recognize a particular one. Probably from scratch, methinks.

Not so sure about the converted 'copter. Is that a greebled MI 8? Fine troop mover, though.

Has anyone, for the basic brick, started with a quartered tube, say, plastic Xmas cane, and set card between? Maybe quartered Easter eggs at the corners?

Cockpit from a 'copter for the front, though some of you could make one from a sectioned large egg look like Space 1999 Eagle, and several half Easter eggs as nozzles?

Otherwise, subs always offer possibilities. Maybe a chopped Seaview?

Doug

Edit:

The red one is a scratchbuild from parts left over

Awesome reuse/recycle!

@John Treadaway

That's a great looking shuttle! Is that the quinjet?

McWong73 mentioned the Thunderbird 2. I don't have a link handy, but that kit is being re-released and is available for pre-order through Hobby Link Japan.

TheBeast: "Has anyone, for the basic brick, started with a quartered tube, say, plastic Xmas cane, and set card between? Maybe quartered Easter eggs at the corners?"

Hmm. Are you thinking of stating with accessable partitioned interior space, and then building the ship around it?

TMP link

Dan

I have a Dash Rendar's Outrider hasbro ship. Its great in 15mm.

Daemonscape have a number of resin ships, ex Ground Zero Games.

A Buffalo and a Big Rig next to a Combat Wombat VTOL with a 15mm figure for scale.

@John Treadaway

That's a great looking shuttle! Is that the quinjet?

I think so…

I will ask Roger again when I next see him (if he doesn't pop onto the forum in the mean time)

John T

Definately the quinjet from the avengers

Its a little too trekky for my liking but this happy meal toy is very cool after painting

link

I have a Revell Maquis Fighter from Star Trek Voyager (still unassembled two years later) that I think would work quite well as a 15mm spaceship: link

Not much cargo capacity so perhaps a courier? Obviously you would need to add an undercarriage of some sort (I thought the skids from a GW Tau ship?). I thought it would make a good centre piece – big enough to be eye catching, small enough to not dominate the table. I figured to paint it something other than that boring pale grey that Star Trek seems to use for all ships manned by humans.

I think they also did a kit of the shuttle from DS9 (I'm not a big fan of Star Trek so not sure if that was the right show) that I think would work even better. Unfortunately, I think its one of those kits that went out of production because nobody bought it, and now costs a fortune because nobody can ever find them.

Hi All,

Yeah…all correct the dropship from Johns Hammers game that we put on at Salute this year is a Avengers Quinjet toy.
We decided we needed a really large dropship that was capable of carrying a large amount of gear as I always think the current ones that are around just look too small.
The Quinjet was a perfect base model….it was cheap,(as the Avengers film had been and gone!) and about the right size.
The whole thing was stripped down and the working parts glued into place apart from the rear doors which still open. I think the only things I added were a couple of chain guns to the sides and the odd aerial. I was fortunate to have just been brought a airbrush and compressor..so painting was relatively easy after a couple of 'mis-starts' due to me getting the hang of the air-brush. The whole thing was 'dirtied down' with more airbrush work. Couple of things I didn't get time to do, due to the fact that Salute was rapidly approaching at the time, was detail up the landing gear and add some extra 'wings' to make it not look so much like a Quinjet. The cabin windows could have done with some more work, as they were just added from a old 1/72th aircraft kit I had laying around…..would have liked to have spent more time on those. I also wish I'd have brought anyother jet, as, with a coule of changes, you could use it as a smaller dropship/troop ship for 28mm skirmishes.

There are several variants of the Quinjet.

The one above is the larger toy, which is quite useful for carrying a platoon of armored vehicles, or about a company of infantry, in 15mm scale. It's large enough to be able to do double duty, carrying about a platoon of 25mm/28mm infantry as well.

There's a smaller, R/C model, which just runs on the ground (not to be confused with the the third, R/C flying Quinjet model). It runs about the same price as the larger toy, but appears to me to be about 11" long, and 11" in wingspan, based upon the box size.

Here's a pic of it:

http://theminiaturespage.com/

The larger toy is about 15" x 15" in size.

It appears to me that the smaller R/C model is really only useful for 15mm – 18mm scale (possibly up to 20mm, if desired).

Another plus for the smaller model, is the cockpit looks to be just about perfect for use with 15mm/18mm troops, as is, without any conversion necessary.

Here's a pic of the styrofoam Manta II, if you didn't want to click on the original link:

I'd like to see some other ideas for small, personal, orbital capable craft as well. I suspect there must be some other good ones out there like this, too.

AWuuuu,

Looks like we had the same craft in mind.

Dan

I've collected a bit of a fleet over the last few years.

Khurasans DPLS – lovely model!

‌

Brigade Games Athena Dropship. It's not seen much but this is a very nice piece of kit- a 22nd century Osprey.

Combat Wombat Bullfrog. A great piece of industrial hardware.

The Johnny Lightning Gallileo model, lightly weathered. Slightly smaller than 1/100 (1/120?) it still looks comfortablers alongside the others.

GZG 25mm VSTOL dropship (now Daemonscape IIRC). A big old solid brick of a machine, repurposed for 15mm.

I've also got some of CWs Chinese shuttles. as yet unfinished. They're around the size of the Gallileo.

Ooops. Brigade Models, not Games. Apologies to both fine companies.

Have been designing a dropship cut from 2mm MDF (there is a picture on another post), done a first cut but have found few minor oops in cutting layout (insert selection of very naughty words), along with a need to modify the landing gear bays & need for a bit of internal structuring to make easier to assemble.

Do love the Khurasans design.

Regards

Well here's one I'm going to be working on soon got the template printed and the foamboard, now I just need the time

mil-net.net/hercules.cfm
The write up said it's 2 feet long
I will be making some changes, printed off more then one set of templates, I have to make the basic one to see how I can modify it to my needs as a cargo ship for my Traveller game

You know…there are AutoCAD files for the Hercules. That means that you should be able to get the kit laser cut and save some build time.

Also, I wanted to add the mech-scale Leopard and Union Dropships to the list. The Aroura from the clicky Battle tech game as well.

Ran across a styrofoam space shuttle today, which was about a foot long, and only $6.00 USD, in the hobby shop.

A little too near-future for me, but might work for others. Probably lots of other plastic ones around that size, or smaller as well available too, but they probably run a bit more.

With some new paint schemes, or camo, they might make for decent filler for your local spaceport.

Krazy Ivan
Thanks for the tip, I can get away with foamboard but I don't think my accountant (wife) will let me get by with the extra cost of that I'm afraid (in more ways then one yup I'm a chicken)

Ravenstar studios has a nice shuttle dropship.

Okay seeing Deamonscape's 25mm repurposed to 15mm, after google searching plus a couple of the 6mm for 15mm look really nice and will have to add them to my wish list

I'm going to have to throw some money at Demonscape in preparation for the arrival of my Robotech kit.

Really loving the Scifi vessels.

Also did not know there have been r/c Quinjets made.

Think I will need locate the smaller (11" by 11" one).

Out of curiosity, anyone got the Helicarrier?

How do 1/100 figures look on that and moreso if anyone has this 11" quinjet, how does that Look on deck?

Some great looking stuff in this thread and i would like to chime in and recommend for small 6-10 man shuttles either the Combat Wombat Chinese Shuttle or the ex GZG Buffalo now produced by Daemonscape both are very nice little models.

Hello, I'd like to ask John Treadaway if he can get me in touch with his friend that did the Quinject custom job seen in the posted pic. I am trying to do almost exactly what he did by modifying the side of the jet with vents that allow weapons to be attached there. Any help you could give would be most appreciated!

His name's Roger. I'll mention this to him.

John T

Thank you John! Since I don't see a way to send private messages on this board, my email address is Geoff at OU dot edu.

It's amazing what a little paint job can do:

Gives a whole new spin on things, really… and yes, I have an Eagle packed away just waiting for a new lease on life as a general purpose armed landing shuttle in the Japan Aerospace Self Defense Force's elite Special Naval Landing Force…

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

@ Golf Whiskey.

Thanks for your kind words RE the Dropship. As far as I can remember,(I'll do a visual check tomorrow), I used two bits of lego and some mini guns from Puppet WarsEU…….sounds cheap now doesn't it. I did have more plans for the build, but, as Salute was approaching fast,( and the giant Hammer's game), most of them got put to one side. I wasn't 100% happy with the cockpit windows and I really wanted to 'extra detail' the 'toy' landing gear…but…ran out of time!

Happy to answer any other questions.

@ Bullwinkle:

Thanks so much for the reply! If you could, would you mind posting a couple more pics that show the underside of the wing, and if it is a lego piece after all, maybe show what piece it is?

I've looked around and the closest thing I can see to what you have there from GW is a Tau Pirahna twin engine. I'd love to replicate the look you have for yours though!

I've managed to get one of these beauties, minus the sticky out bits (rescued it from the kids before it gets too smashed up) and compared to my 15mm stuff it'll make a decent large starcraft.

This is the one (although not mine, just a pic of the same toy) and with a bit of gluing and extras, it'll make a great transport. Its a nice model, they have them on ebay for under a tenner that would make great conversion fodder.

Nice, you will have to show picture of it when you are finished

Is the ClearHorizon Raven Dropship designed as a squad transport? Basically, 1 HellDiver squad per Raven?

Thanks!

@Golf Whiskey…haven't forgotten…works just got the better of me today…will try and photo the dropship tomorrow. I also have one of those GI Joe toys…but not done anything with it..it is massive…and,(the toy) works as a weird 'gun thingy'..so you can 'depress' and shorten the 'neck'…..maybe interesting.

Not another project!