Back at the shipyard.

I know it's been a while since my last post so here is where I am and what I am doing in regards to Traveller stuff.

After my last build of an Imperial shuttle I decided to build another iconic Traveller starship,  the Beowulf.  So I put my best man, actually only man, on the job.  

Here I am trying to decipher the ship illustration against the deck plans.

 After looking and looking at the plans and comparing them to the illustration I decided they did not match perfectly.  Oh well another artist interpretation.  

FFE deck plans, my guide not blueprint.

A view of the plans that helped me get some of the dimensions so I could begin. 

 The first thing I would need would be a strong durable and lightweight material for the keel or base of the model.  I went with 1/8" plywood.

Plywood, what little starships are made of, well sort of.

Yes that is a real table saw with a 4" blade.  Scary little thing.  It excels at cutting plywood.

I cut a piece of plywood that is about 4 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches to be the keel.  This is the platform that the ship will be built around.  

Ah ha done!  No just kidding. This is a Free Trader from RAFM.  I am using it also for inspiration in the design.

The first part of the ship interior support structure.  I made them a bit bigger than the plans to make it look more like the RAFM model.  I also figure it ads room for fuel storage which the deck plans seemed to lack.

As you can see the ship is starting to take shape.  I am still trying to figure out how to make the nose for the ship.  

A side view showing the engineering section and some L bracket cardboard to support the forward part of the model since from the front of the cargo to the nose the ship tapers up.  

I placed the model on top of the deck plans to show I am trying to keep it within scale.

Yes I used a calculator to figure out some of the more technical questions about dimensions and such like what if half of  that measurement.  

Just a view of the ships aft.

I want to have the window viewport in the hull.  I may have to trip it down to fit in with the shape of the hull.

Well this where I am at with this build.  My next step will be to get the exterior hull over the frame.  Once that is done I will add the top section where the passenger staterooms are.  I do have pieces for landing gear and the thrusters.  I will have to wait for spring before I paint it.  Once it is finished it will be quite light since most of it is cardboard.  I would love to add led running lights to it powered by small solar cells.  I hope to have more on this within a bout 2 weeks.