The Alexa - a Sisters of Battle Scratchbuilt Thunderhawk: main fuselage

I've been trying to avoid posting incomplete WIPs on this blog, instead posting conversions when they are completed and painted models when they are finished. But the Alexa is such a large project the assembly needs to be split up into separate posts. You can read the initial genesis of this project here.

The first thing I did was create a cardboard mockup to check the size and compare the plans to the official models, various 3d mockups and so forth. The size is good, but the main wings are too short - they are about 8.5" and they need to be nearer 10". It will be easy to design a new template for them.

The sides of the fuselage are made of the Pegasus gothic kits - I just glued them together and made a floor for them with the 3mm plasticard, with some braces on the dorsal side. The wedge-shaped cockpit and front hatchway was similarly made, all from the templates.

You can see how an (old) Immolator fits in the front section. It is not perfectly clear from this shot, but I am "cheating" the inside. The section with the rose windows will form a "command deck" for staff officers to run a campaign from, with the cockpit fo'ard and dorsal of that. This means, technically speaking, there is no way to actually exit the main body of the craft from the front door!

Not pictured is the front door I made, with working hinges and hidden magnets - I only took a video of it and blogger doesn't let me host it! I shall have to get some static shots of it.

The central engine is a cut-down podracer engine, with the rear cone cut off and a GW flier piece glued in place. It is just resting in place here.

The tail was simple but fiddly; I want to use the Pegasus roofline pieces to make the dorsal structure (where the main gun is mounted) so I had to rework the template. I made the tail from three layers of plasticard (a central 3mm layer skinned with 1.5mm) and cut a trench in the 3mm plasticard to give the impression of a control surface. Full disclosure; I miscalculated with the template (it reaches to the floor of the fuselage; I did not account for the central engine) so I will have to modify the finished piece).

Just a single picture of this, but there was a fair amount of work there. You can see the space which will become the command deck (the aft bulkhead will be a GW scenery piece with Aquila doors) and the cockpit. The idea is that the pilot and first officer / navigator can sit on the elevated chairs, with space on either side for others to look out, and a lower level for the staff officers. I had wanted to use plastic Sisters for the pilots (so it was a plastic Thunderhawk piloted by plastic Sisters of Battle, as in the meme) but I couldn't source any Immolator gunner torsos, just the legs. I will use some metal Seraphim torsos.

The cockpit needs a lot of detailing, but the main structure is there. I think the next stage will be the other main structures - the wings, dorsal structure and attaching the engines and tail.

Let me know what you think!

=][= Danforth Laertes