"Plans For "Hercules Dropship"? Could Work For 15mm?" Topic

When I search for "foam core dropships", I keep seeing pics of this elusive craft, and hints that there were plans available for download. But when I click on most links, they seem to be dead ends.

TMP link

link

So …

Does anyone know where those plans may be found today?

And could it work for 15mm?

Thanks,

Dan
TMP link
TMP link
TMP link

Try this link.

mil-net.net/hercules.cfm

Hopefully have pasted it correctly

Yes would be a large 15mm drop ship. Might want to re-arrange the doors.
Would be great if one of the companies that do laser cut MDF could get permission to make it. Might need a little reworking, but the basics are sound.

The pdf link here worked for me.

mil-net.net/hercules.cfm

Awesome!

And yes. I agree with you "would be great if one of the companies that do laser cut MDF could get permission to make it".

PDF link

PDF link

Thanks so much.

Dan

Looks super-cool. The bays would be a bit tall for most 15mm infantry and vehicles, but not terribly so.

Would look cool to have some hovertanks <s>rolling</s> sliding down the ramps.

I do want to laser cut a dropship kit but I just don't have the time right now. I could convert the PDF without too much trouble but tracking down the owner and negotiating would be more trouble then designing my own.

Plus I can do better with styrene.

"Plus I can do better with styrene."

You mean as a styrene kit for production?

Dan
TMP link

No I'd do my signature styrene and mdf combo. I could do a rounded front nose for instance.

This thing would certainly work in 15mm.

The plans are freely available. Vectors and AUTOCad files for the Hercules plans are already available on the net. Guys like CorSecEng may not be able to just sell the kits without a licensing agreement, but there is nothing stopping you from taking those files and commissioning one from a shop with a laser cutter. You are just paying for laser time and materials.

Corsec, if you make a styrene/MDF beast like that, well, I'll buy at least two, even at ~$70.

What is a good size? Enough bays to drop 6 Merka 5 sized tanks? I'm assuming you all are looking for something that could drop a platoon of troops and support.

I would love something that could have the top half lift. That way I can fill in the interior details.

Size? Not longer than 14-16 inches, if possible:

TMP link

That's just me though.

Dan

So the bays really help determine the size needed.
What is the size of a large tank?
3x4inches?
Could also make the bays with moving dividers, so larger things could still fit without having to make it all huge bays.
Would also look at making the cockpit changeable so it works as a huge 6mm Lander, heavy 10-15mm, and a troop for 32mm.

Lee

As for height, add a flat to house drones and maybe other flyers?

Or perhaps dual ramps, tanks on bottom infantry on top.
Rapid deploy?

Neil Nowatzki is the designer of the Hercules. I can get a hold of him if you wish.

Best,
JBR

Downloaded it all sometime ago just haven't had the time to do anything with it, even printed off a couple of sets of templates and got the foamboard as well and yet there it all sits.

I like the overall design.

I was thinking of making the sides solid, and having either a rear, or forward ramp (not sure about the clearance underneath the fuselage for the forward door), for deploying vehicles from it.

Interested for use as a very large cargo transport for space battle games……approx1/300 or 1/600 but all that detailing could be done as an add on with hatches etc from other sources…… Following this closely!

Okay, Santa, I want the option for shortened bays just large enough for tanks (I can do without the chin gun), and I'll hinge and magnetize the doors, and please option reinforcement for the winglets, and please put a place for a carrying handle, because walking into the game room carrying this full of troops would be TOO KEWL!

*ahem* Will be watching as well.

Doug

Heck, if someone were to laser cut the Herc, I'd be in for 1-2 guaranteed, possibly 3. Fingers crossed for panel lines laser etched into the various pieces :)

I'm considering this at reduced scale, cut from 1 or 2 mm styrene, for 6mm scale. That'd require some modification to the templates no doubt, but would let you smooth out surfaces with a little sanding. Basswood might be interesting too, but cutting would be a bigger challenge sans a jigsaw.

Hm.

--M

OK all,
As I am not in a biz, I will try to cut one of these out with the Laser.

Hopefully this weekend, still lots to get done after the flood and rebuild in the hobby room.

What mats do you think would be best?
MDF, Foam Core, or plastic.

2-3mm thick sound good for the 15mm one?

The details I will try to do in 0.50mm plastic but those will take a bit of clean up.
But the details really make the model I think.

Figure one as is first then we can figure out changes.

After a year found a place to get 1/8 MDF here in ABQ.
I have 3 49x97" sheets on the way. About a week I hope.

Would like to do the details in Laser Board, but the only decent supplier for cost I can find requires a min order of 300USD, plus shipping.

For my laser that is about 900 sheets, so about a .40 per 9x14 sheet a good deal if I had a use for that much :)

For the thickness on the laser board more like 1130 sheets.
Wow that is a lot of boards.

.4 mm thick

I wouldn't mind seeing one of these in both a 15mm configuration similar to the current plans, and a 28mm version of a dropship/small cutter.

Keep the size the same, but have different exterior details for the cockpit and maybe a different cargo configuration. Instead of drop side doors, have flat sides with a dropping front or rear hatch for troops.

I'd be down for one of those.

Lfseeneey,
I'll be looking forward to seeing your progress. It seem seems like there are a number of ways this project could be done.

I'd use foam core, and thicker blue board, or pink foam, depending upon availability, for the larger, thicker sections, so the model is lightweight.

That way, it can be mounted on a flight stand too.

Heck, I'll even take a Chickenhawk or a Sandfly class transport, like the Bellflower:

TMP link

Dan

ATTN: Commercial and private Hercules producers.

I heard from Neil Nowatzki, the designer. Here's a quote from his email…

"Anyone that wants to produce a kit from my plans is free to do so, even for commercial purposes. Go forth, be fruitful, and produce, I say. Feel free to pass that on if you get a chance.

Thanks,
Neil"

So, there you go. It's open source, per the designer.

However, a man's time is worth something, and I've always regarded Neil as a design genius.

So (hint hint), IF you do produce a commercial version of the Herc, feel free to kick a little bit back to Neil, if only as an expression of gratitude. And give him a design credit. Think of it as an exercise in karma.

Anyone needing Neil's contact info can email me.

Best,
JBR

I've actually built one of these from foamcore – it's a real beast size-wise.

Each bay is easily big enough to hold a gw space marine or 2. The whole troop bay is detachable too, so it would be no problem to make something interchangeable that would carry 15mm tanks.

It's stowed away in my parents loft at the moment, otherwise I'd post size comparison pics.

OK working on a "quick version"

That is one not perfect, as I am doing traces over the templates.

So not everything will line up like a designed from scratch for laser.

But hopefully will make a decent model.

2 of 10 pages down so far.

Lee

Excellent! How big are you planning to build it?

Dan

Just a thought,

If you made the detachable bay section a little taller, make the inner bay walls shorter to add an upper floor level, could it then be used as a mobile maintenance section, command center or even an temporary outpost,

With walls added to the upper floor then it could be what ever you wanted

Actually Dan I was thinking of sending it to you to build if you would like.

Just got the Laser back into where it belongs today, and the materials should be in next week, I hope.

as for size the bays look to be about 2" wide, so I think it will work for 15mm alright.

Adding an upper section for drones or flyers should be doable.

Awesome!

I've just received 60 of these stanchions for use with spaceship corridors/hallways:

link

These were tempting too:

link

What do you think?

Dan

Rough Day only 1 page done today.

Hate being in a body that is broken.

"Hate being in a body that is broken."

Me too!

Dan

Ok
Got the plans all converted and squared up a bit as well.

Starting on the Panels now, to get the effect some will be 3-4 Sheets deep, will use some polystyrene and laser board to keep thin.

Been told MDF should be in this week.
Will do the main body out of it.

I'll send the Ship out as soon as it is cut, then the Panels when I have them done, or when your ready will send what I have.

I had a dig around on my HDD and found some WIP shots of my Hercules build, so I thought I'd share. I took these 10 years ago, with a camera that was rubbish at the time, so please excuse the poor quality!

The rest of the gallery is here: link

As you can see, its a big beast. Should be just right for a 15mm dropship or light spacecraft. The modular nature of the "pod" means we could potentially design several variants of ship by just swapping pod out.

Lfseeney, would you consider offering the panels seperately? The paper "decals" are falling off my herc, and it would be nice to re-do it with more depth.

So, what do the dimensions of the Hercules end up being, when made as the original files have it?

Length, width, height?

Thanks,

Dan

Looks like the bays are about 2 1/2 Inches on my sheets each.

So my guess is 20-22 inches long.

Being all spread out makes it a little hard to see, and there is no Spine part that seems to go the whole length.

MDF should arrive on Thursday, if Lucky can start cutting this weekend.

Panels are slow going, but making progress.

Bays 2 1/2 " wide

Maybe 3" tall

So the whole thing say 22 " Long 7-8 tall width around 10" I think

All guesses of course.

Dan,

Got the MDF in, have 8 of the 10 pages cut.

Will send the stack to you, and keep working on the Decals.

Only have 2 pages done so far of them.

So you may want to print those out on card stock, I'll send the few I have.

All parts labeled as the Templates, a couple of extras marked as such.

Hope you like it.

I built one of these for 15mm myself. Just about perfect as a Dropship, fast cargo shuttle, Courier, Scout, Patrol Ship, or even a Heavy Bomber.

So, CorSecEng, now that the creator's basically open sourced the design, any chance?

Any progress on this, or similar projects, lately?

I'd love to get one too…

Have sent a box to Dan.

Pretty sure the stuff I sent will need some TLC, as it was converted from the hand drawings.

Know he has been busy as well.

If it lookers to have promise can look at fixing issues, adding some tabs to make it faster and easier to put together.

The templates are slow work, many details, and most need to be 3 layers to really look proper.

Once we hear back how the proto went can look at fixing it,
But know it will be, from me, like a pre built house, plenty of work left to be done.

If your ok with that PM me I will try to keep you up to date on it.

Dan, you're going to have to keep us up to date!

Just throwing this idea out there, has anyone every thought to double the size of the templates and make a ship twice it's original size :D