# A Model Build to end the Summer



## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

I thought that I would end the summer on a high note and start and new model build, just for the fun of it. For those of you who tune in to my YouTube channel every Tuesday and Friday, this will NOT be featured on the show as the build is just going to be too much to film. Besides, sometimes, I like to do things just for me and not have to worry or be concerned about filming, editing, posting etc. Either way, it will be here on the forum as well as the channel's Facebook page for anyone who is interested. I hope you enjoy the build.

Today, I started off with a few parts and I have to say that some of them had me scratching my head with trying to figure out angles and compound cuts etc. My head still hurts but after 7 hours, I finally have something to show.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

I don't have a clue what it is yet. 

I started a 29 Ford coup a while back. Just now getting to the wheels. I plan to use straight pins or pinner nails for the spokes. I don't have a chuck for my lathe so I an using my router to cut the wheels and hubs out. I can cut a 1/2" diameter circle with the set up I have for my router.


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

It was another 7 hours on the build today. In the first part of the build, I dropped a piece on the spinning router bit and gouged part of the lower nose. To cover up the gouge, I drilled two 1/4" diameter holes. Well today, I turned down some 1/4" diameter dowel to fill the holes and make it a design feature of the ship. Just shows that even when you make a mistake on these builds, you can (in most cases) recover quite nicely. I also managed to get the nose cone finished and added some more to the body and the cargo bay. The angles on this build are ridiculous but they are definitely challenging. More tomorrow I guess.


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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

X-wing fighter from Star Wars? Love the details, so far!


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

mikechell said:


> X-wing fighter from Star Wars? Love the details, so far!


That would be what I'm making. Hopefully it will turn out alright.
So far, it's been a tortuous journey of angles.


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

Spent 6.5 hours today, cutting small, compound angled parts and drilling small holes to assemble the cockpit. I'm still not done this piece as I have a few smaller details to add but either way, 6.5 hours later, we have somewhere for the pilot to sit. I just dry fit it in the body for now to make sure the angles were right. Still a lot more to go before this can be glued in place. And that was the day.


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## FirebirdHank (Jan 25, 2021)

And all I did today was re-make one wheel for my M-37 military truck. Your build looks great so far, keep up the good work and keep posting.


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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

Excellent so far, it looks.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

That is some tough cuts, looks good.


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

I had a couple of hours to kill this afternoon so I decided that I finish off the cockpit. I turned a couple of control joysticks on the lathe and cut a couple of ebony circle for the display area. I also shaped and installed some control buttons behind the joysticks and routed and installed the main display grid. That was all for today. My eyes still ache after making that display grid. LOL.


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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

Impressive. Seems all is proceeding as planned.
I'm truly looking forward to this finished model!


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Buddy you left me in the dust, that is some REAL detail.


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

BigJim said:


> Buddy you left me in the dust, that is some REAL detail.


Thanks Jim. I really had to think about the grid display. I didn't just want to rout grooves in a 1X3/8 piece of stock. I really wanted the grid to stand out. Lamination was my only solution for this without using paint or stain. I'm pretty happy with the results.


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

I spent another 6 hours on the build today and I managed to get the cockpit installed as well as the walls of the X-wing around the cockpit installed. A few trim pieces finished off those panels just nicely. I have to say that this is one of the more challenging builds that I have done. I'm hoping for a full day on it tomorrow and also hoping for some good progress. It really doesn't look like I did much today for spending 6 hours on it.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

The second photo from the top, did you use a router to plow the lines?


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

BigJim said:


> The second photo from the top, did you use a router to plow the lines?


Yes sir. A 1/16" diameter router bit raised to 1/16" off the router table's surface. Then it's some careful setup with a mitre fence and the router table's fence and some stops to get the results that I want. It's a time consuming process but well worth it for the results.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Kenbo said:


> Yes sir. A 1/16" diameter router bit raised to 1/16" off the router table's surface. Then it's some careful setup with a mitre fence and the router table's fence and some stops to get the results that I want. It's a time consuming process but well worth it for the results.


I was wondering how you got that so crisp and perfect. I know that did take some time and thought.


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

Spent 8 hours figuring out how to make the wing housing today. There were a whole mess of angle to figure out and more dry fits than I care to mention but in the end, I got it made. I realized after I had it glued together that I neglected to cut one of the long slots for the lower wing assembly so I had to do that after it was all glued together. I also found that a quick dry fit, didn't allow the assembly to fit in the front end of the model so I had to make a bunch of adjustments, but it all fits together now. Coming along nicely.


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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

Stellar work !!!


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

mikechell said:


> Stellar work !!!


Thanks. It's appreciated.


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## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

Very nice Ken! Are you also going to make a tiny R2-D2 to sit in the back?


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

sanchez said:


> Very nice Ken! Are you also going to make a tiny R2-D2 to sit in the back?


Of course. I don't know how much it will look like R2 being that small but I'm going to give it a whirl.


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

Had a few hours to kill this afternoon so I decided to do a little work on the model. I added the final little trim pieces at the rear of the wing compartment and got all 4 wings cut and the detail panels routed in them. The wings are only 1/8" thick and the routed lines are mirrored on both sides of the wings so I had to reduce the routing to 1/32" deep so that I didn't compromise the stability of the wing or cut right through. These routings are nerve racking. LOL.


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

Had some time to kill today so I headed out to the shop to work on some of the model piece. I decided to work on the engines which was all lathe work. I managed to get a catch on the first one I turned and ruined it but everything else went pretty smoothly. I just dry fit them together to see if they looked right. I'm not done making these as there is more to do but that is enough for today. I can only stand at the lathe for so long.


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

Well I spent a good part of the morning today building a little jig to hold one of my trim routers so that I could do the fluting on the engines. Let's just say that this one that is pictured is actually the 3rd prototype as the others failed miserably. Either way, I got all the fluting done on the engines and then made most of the wing brackets to hold the engines in place. I only managed to get two of the engines and brackets installed and I'm far from done but after 7 hours, I was pretty much done for the day. I'm thinking I may go back out there again tonight and see if I can get more done.


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

Spent another 5 1/2 hours on the build today. Worked on the laser cannons which took a long time. They aren't finished by any means but the hardest and most time consuming part is done. I also worked on the lower wings and their engine mounts. Once that was all done, I finished off the day by starting to add some more details to the wing's engine brackets. That was enough for one day. A dry fit shows that things are going nicely. More next week folks.


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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

I haven't been in for a couple of days. Love coming in to see all the work you've put into this model. The Force is surely strong with you!


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

Spent another 7 hours on the build today. Made a bunch of trim pieces as well as the laser cannon mounts. Glued in the engines and the cannons and basically all the trim to finish off the wings. There are a few more pieces to add and those would be the mounting brackets and I laid out the holes and cut marks on all 8 of those and cut them. I still have to sand them and install them but that will be a job for tomorrow.


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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

Are you doing all of this from dimensional blue prints from the fanbase? Or are you just using a picture and figuring it all out on your own?

Fantastic work so far!


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

mikechell said:


> Are you doing all of this from dimensional blue prints from the fanbase? Or are you just using a picture and figuring it all out on your own?
> 
> Fantastic work so far!


This is from a set of plans but calling them "dimensional" is a stretch. For a build that has been nothing but angles and compound angles, there isn't a single angle mentioned or listed. LOL. I've had to measure and figure out everything on my own.


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

Spent another 7 hours on the build today. I got the wing mounting brackets finished and mounted on the wings. I also finished up the last of the wing trim pieces and dry fit the wings in place. I had to turn the wing retaining pins and make the axles that hold the assemblies into the wing housing. I also made the filler pieces which go in place when the wings are in their open position. I then glued the wings in place and glued the wing assembly onto the nose of the ship. It's nice to have it together now instead of in pieces. I then turned my attention to the lasers. I had to cut all the pieces and turn some on the lathe and then glue them all together. I finished off the day with a dry fit of the lasers. These will not be glued in place until pretty much the end as there is too much man-handling of the model while working on it and they will most likely get broken.


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)




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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

Had to wipe the drool off my chin. 
Able to take out a Death Star with one shot !!!


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## BigCountry79 (Jun 2, 2021)

I'm really enjoying this by the way...it's really starting to come together!


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

BigCountry79 said:


> I'm really enjoying this by the way...it's really starting to come together!


Glad to hear that you are enjoying it. There's still a little more to go before I'm done this one. It's been fun so far.


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

Had a few hours to kill so I decided that I would work on the model. I got the landing gear made for the ship but that was about all. Time consuming little pieces those landing gears. LOL.


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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

The Empire is beginning to shake in it's collective boots!


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

Well the model got finished today with the final pieces of the droid and the canopy for the cockpit. The canopy was a huge pain to make but I'm happy with the results. The laser cannons got glued into place as well and after 80 hours, we can call this one finished. Thanks for tagging along with the build. I hope you liked it.


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)




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## BigCountry79 (Jun 2, 2021)

I really enjoyed seeing this come together and I appreciate you sharing it!


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Absolutely fantastic, looks great Ken.


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## croaker (Aug 11, 2012)

Thats fantastic


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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

Excellent! Your connection with the midi-chlorians is obviously strong! May the Force always be with you.


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## Bob Bengal (Jan 2, 2021)

Where is the Death Star in those photos? The SawStop?


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

Bob Bengal said:


> Where is the Death Star in those photos? The SawStop?


These were taken after the fatal laser cannon shot to the energy core. The Death Star is no more. LOL.


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## BigCountry79 (Jun 2, 2021)

Kenbo said:


> These were taken after the fatal laser cannon shot to the energy core. The Death Star is no more. LOL.


So the death star is the dust collector...


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## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

And an R2-D2, just amazing!


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## faith michel (Sep 10, 2017)

Good job @Kenbo.. we are waiting you for battlestar galactica viper.. i am a bsg fan









SM-J700F cihazımdan Tapatalk kullanılarak gönderildi


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

faith michel said:


> Good job @Kenbo.. we are waiting you for battlestar galactica viper.. i am a bsg fan
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I used to love that show as a kid. I'd forgotten all about that. Awesome stuff.


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## K1ngwind (Oct 13, 2021)

Kenbo. Its amazing!!!!! You're Master of woodworking. Congratulation. Its really fantastic model. I enjoyed this topic. Kind regards Ivan, Russia.


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