Shipyard - Hullcutters

In modelling aeronefs from Space 1889 (Sky Galleons of Mars) no collection would be complete without Hullcutters! In my collection I have two distinct styles 'High Martian Hullcutters' which tend to be better finished and more advanced and 'Low Martian Hullcutters' as seen below, which are slightly more crude.

Construction of all three uses roughly the same techniques, a balsawood core with strip wood, cocktail sticks and cardboard glued with either superglue or PVA 'white glue'. I did produce a whole range of design sketches for these models, but in the end the models just 'grew', adding a bit here, trimming a bit there! In addition the Hullcutters used at 'Salute' in 2005 were also a great help in designing and building these models, see;

http://www.salute.co.uk/salutegames/cloudships/main.htm

The work-in-progress shots show the construction much better than words, but for a 'walkthrough', the construction would proceed as;

Balsawood shapes, first cut and then sanded to shape, glued together and then sanded again. Hull detail could be card or stiff paper glued with PVA glue and rams built from either stripwood (needed for strength) or balsawood. The detail around the ram is 'greenstuff', first added and when set, carved and sanded to shape.

Further detailing comes from plastic card and rod (the guns), cocktail sticks (the masts), matchsticks (railings) and scrap plastic from old toys or one of my favourite materials - knitting needles!

Before painting each of these models was painted with PVA glue and then base coated with a mix of acrylic paints and PVA glue.

The models are painted with sombre acrylic paints and Klear (Future in the US) washes. The flags are hand painted.

The propeller discs are cut with an Olfa compass cutter and each of the Hullcutters are based as are all of the fleet - on Games Workshop 40mm round bases. For anyone new to the site the models are built to the scale of 1/300 or 1mm = 1foot and are about 100mm to 120mm long.

Tony