Progress on The Speeder (1/35)

My model of Nystrup Gravel's little speeder is progressing. The upper body is assembled and fitted with window frames. The sides are made from two layers of plasticcard. The outer layer is grooved 2 mm sheet from Evergreen with a thickness of 1 mm. while the inner layer is 0,5 mm. With bracing in the corners this makes a comparatively sturdy construction. The laser cut window frames are cut to size from the original size. The wooden window frames are secured in place with two component epoxy glue. The two sliding doors were cut from 1 mm. plasticcard and glued on the outside of the speeder. Plasticcard is glued with my standard thin plastic glue 'Contacta' from Revell.

The wooden frames of the speeder are made from simple profiles of wood and epoxy glued to the lower bottom plate of the model. The frame will be fitted with strengthening bands modelled from plastic strip and fitted with Scale Link axle boxes. Couplings will be a simple metal plate, a 'horn' and some chain links. Mainly to enable the speeder to be coupled to a train and pulled, as the speeder's engine wasn't sufficiently powerful to pull anything but an empty skip or a flat with a crate of beer.


Parts for one side of the speeder. At the top an example of the laser cut window frames I used for the build. I don't know what scale they are produced to, but bought them as I thought they could come in handy. So they did - but not in a building as I imagined. I have plenty more, so some might find their way into a larger structure one day.

Rear wall in the speeder fresh out of a sheet of plasticcard. This is one of the things that makes scratch building so great: A plain sheet of plastic made into something you've created yourself. And even the cut off piece above will probably be built into a model some day.

Current status on the speeder. The wooden frame is still way too long and will be cut back. The square (well, almost...) hole in the middel will house the radiator for the engine that was transversly mounted under the central seat. You even had to fill the fuel tank from inside the speeder!

See the finished speeder.