billclo | 05 Jun 2014 12:23 p.m. PST |
This is a work in progress for a scratchbuilt Ramscoop Fuel Processing ship and Tanker for Full Thrust (though it could be adapted for other genres). It is intended to scoop hydrogen out of nebula, and process it into Tritium slush and Antimatter Tritium slush for Starship fueling. Up to 8 vessels can refuel at once. I will also be posting a SSD when I have one made up. Initial parts: 16 GZG black starship bases a PVC join piece (1 end threaded, the other non-threaded. A Hose barb that screws into the rear of the PVC piece.
2 halves of the fuel tanks. I gave up trying to sand them to get a perfect join between the two; too labor intensive and not easily done to boot.
8 Fuel tanks, with stem to attach to the main hull. I later decided that I needed a stub on the other side (in the empty hole) for ships to dock to for refueling.
Second stem attached to the fuel tanks.
Stem removed, leaving .10" stub left for ships to dock with.
First fuel tank attached. The main hull of the ship has a massive particle accelerator inside it to convert some of the Hydrogen into Anti-Hydrogen.
All 8 fuel tanks attached. Also shown is the forward fuel scoop assembly – made from a measuring cup from some cold medicine.
Fuel scoop attached.
The ship is to be attached to the top of the hull. It is a NAC Frigate, but in reality it is the control module/escape vessel for the entire ship. It houses the crew, since the rest of the vessel is not designed to accommodate crew (except for maintenance). The bolt stub on the right is to be attached to the rear hole of the hose barb.
NAC frigate (Command module/escape vessel) attached to the top of the hull for photo purposes.
Unpainted completed ship. I attached 6 pieces of 1/16ths brass tubing from the rear of the hose barb to the mid-point under the rear fuel tanks to represent part of the engine assembly.
Primed and ready for painting.
Primed and ready for painting.
More to follow after I get it painted. |
kidbananas | 05 Jun 2014 1:07 p.m. PST |
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Cosmic Reset | 05 Jun 2014 2:21 p.m. PST |
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Stealth1000 | 05 Jun 2014 3:06 p.m. PST |
I am loving that. Great work. Very inventive. |
Micman | 05 Jun 2014 3:29 p.m. PST |
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TheBeast | 05 Jun 2014 4:49 p.m. PST |
Yeah, well, I hate it. No, that's not it. Oh, right, I hate YOU for thinking of it first. ;->= Doug |
jimklein1966 | 05 Jun 2014 4:54 p.m. PST |
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billclo | 05 Jun 2014 5:41 p.m. PST |
The Beast, Were you working on something similar? |
jpattern2 | 05 Jun 2014 7:27 p.m. PST |
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TheBeast | 06 Jun 2014 7:37 a.m. PST |
No, but seeing the bases glued together, I'll be thinking of SOMETHING. ;->= Doug |
billclo | 06 Jun 2014 8:44 a.m. PST |
Those GZG bases are a bit tricky to line up correctly so there isn't a major seam between the two. I am looking into what I can do to hide the seams w/o major work (sanding and puttying, as it's harder to do it once the fuel tanks were glued on). I have a bunch of GZG bases I was going to try and sell, but perhaps I ought to hold a few back in case I need them for another kitbash? :) |
billclo | 06 Jun 2014 10:11 a.m. PST |
I found some neat 1/16ths yellow and black hazard tape that should do a good job of covering the fuel tank seams. link |
haywire | 07 Jun 2014 12:59 p.m. PST |
Oooo
. I am wondering how it would look with a clear base on top. Agroship!!! |
billclo | 07 Jun 2014 4:52 p.m. PST |
That would work pretty well, I would think. :) Reminiscent of the old agro ships in an old '70s movie Silent Running. imdb.com/title/tt0067756 |
TheBeast | 08 Jun 2014 7:10 a.m. PST |
Oh, thanks, I'll be stuck with Joan Baez's voice in my head the rest of the day
Still, for those of us who're paint-disabled, it's a great idea! Pretty certain Valley Forge, or near homage, was used in the background of both BSG's. Doug |
billclo | 09 Jul 2014 5:37 a.m. PST |
I finally painted this up, and will be putting on the decals shortly. Blue tanks are for hydrogen, red tanks are anti-hydrogen (antimatter). Painted, side view:
Painted, front view:
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tkdguy | 09 Jul 2014 9:05 p.m. PST |
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Dementation | 09 Jul 2014 11:55 p.m. PST |
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billclo | 11 Jul 2014 9:25 a.m. PST |
I have finally finished up the ship. I will be posting a SSD for Full Thrust and special rules for it in the near future. The ship is intended to use a Ramscoop to harvest Hydrogen from a nebula, converting some of it into Antimatter for starship fuel. It can fuel up to 8 ships at once. The ship on top of the Tanker is a NAC frigate converted into a Command Module and emergency escape vessel for the crew. Here are the pictures: Front side view
Top view:
Rear side view:
Front view, showing the Ramscoop and Frigate Command Module:
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trynda1701 | 11 Jul 2014 11:11 a.m. PST |
Impressive, Bill. Between this and the old Call to Arms: Star Fleet freighters you made out of pencils and bullets(!), I am loving your scratchbuilds. They may just be targets in a typical Full Thrust game, but at least they are impressive targets! Mark |
billclo | 11 Jul 2014 11:37 a.m. PST |
Thank you. I look at it as an scenario objective, rather than just a target, but that's just me. :) I hope to perhaps run some Full Thrust games at a HMGS convention someday, so this ship is likely to make a game table appearance at some point. :) |
TheBeast | 11 Jul 2014 3:08 p.m. PST |
Handsome beast, but I can't help thinking a little extra is required inside the Bussard. Maybe a light wash? A few paint strokes to break up the measuring markings? Important thing about 'just targets', if HQ declares them valuable, you are still expected to stand harm's way… Alas, most objectives in my games are off the table edge at my back. 'You have to get through me, first.' Never really get to see them. Doug |
trynda1701 | 11 Jul 2014 3:09 p.m. PST |
If you're a Klingon, it's a target, if you're Orion it's an objective… "Lemme see, at 1,000 Cr a tonne of hydrogen, and double that for anti-hydrogen…"
SCORE! :) |
billclo | 11 Jul 2014 4:27 p.m. PST |
Yes, I guess it could use something on the inside of the Ramscoop, but I don't know what exactly. I've posted a SSD and beta rules for use of the ship on the Facebook Full Thrust Group Files area. For those who want to request it by email, you can email me and I'll send it to you (it's an Excel document). "bill clo dude at Com cast dot net" or Private Mail me. |
Mako11 | 12 Jul 2014 3:09 p.m. PST |
That's an excellent design, and model. I really love the paint-work, decaling, and addition of the escape vehicle to the model. Well done! Thanks for sharing. That's a lot of anti-matter fuel. Wouldn't want to be anywhere near it when the shooting starts, since it would probably cause a black hole, or three, in the region, if hit by weapons fire. |
billclo | 12 Jul 2014 3:17 p.m. PST |
I bet it would. It's intended to refuel a fair number of ships at one time. I left it up to the players to determine for themselves how much fuel a given ship class needs, and how long it takes to refuel. If you'll read the associated rules, you'll note how awful the explosion is when this ship blows up… ow, ow, ow. :) |
thedrake | 18 Jul 2014 4:24 a.m. PST |
Gotta be the coolest scratchbuild I have ever seen! And thanks for making the rules+SSD available as a pdf--will have to try it out in one of my solo FT games. Thx, Mark |
billclo | 18 Jul 2014 4:28 a.m. PST |
You're welcome, Mark. Please let me know how it works out. |
billclo | 28 Jan 2015 6:05 a.m. PST |
Mark, did you ever get a chance to use the fuel tanker in a game? Or anyone else? |