About the only way to describe what is going on with the Aries is to just show this photo:
What you see here is essentially the model cut in half. I have only 3 parts to make to call this model finished. The first is the conical section that connects
the top of the elevator to the shallow conical section you can see stuck to the ceiling. The second is the video screen seen in the passenger cabin in a couple
of places. Third is the cylinder that fits in the center of the baseplate, on the underside. I need to find someone with a lathe to do the missing cone and
this cylinder or I'll have to make them by hand. That's not impossible, its just time consuming. There will also be some wedges that will secure the
upper section of the landing gear to the top of the baseplate.
There are several important things to notice here. The first is how much room there is between the floor and baseplate. I've been asked if this model will
have much room for hiding batteries. You could probably put a motorcycle battery in there, but you'd have to beef up the legs! Another thing to note is the
Z-G Toilet. I've put it into the model for this photo, but it has not been trimmed to fit exactly as yet. I need to finalize the floor/ceiling assembly in
order to create the opening in the wall for the Z-GT to fit properly. The floor/ceiling assembly has to be oriented properly so certain items line up
correctly. On the inside, its the position of the 2 Z-GTs, the gaps for those castings to fit into the wall correctly and how all that lines up with the
exterior, specifically aligning to the position of the airlock door. This alignment is actually very easy to figure out, its just getting the parts fitted into
this final format that will take some time. Part of this process is also designing alignment tabs/pins/blocks so the builder doesn't have to worry about
these things.
The elevator is modeled with the door open, which I think everyone will like. It also presents a nice lighting opportunity. The shapes that connect the
elevator to the ceiling will be hollow. It should be noted that the connection of the elevator to both the floor and the ceiling makes the floor much more
stable.
The real disappointment is the flightdeck. It would not balance for this photo properly, so I had to stick it into place backwards. The important thing to note
is that it is too long for the space. Even with the compression I built into this part of the model, this is the first opportunity I've had to see if it
was going to fit. So, I have to do some modifications to shorten this thing up. I don't know exactly what to sacrifice, but it will probably be the rear
seating area.
The parts left to make are actually very simple and won't take any time at all. Trimming back the flightdeck until it fits will also be fairly simple as
there is really only 1 way to do it. So, this cross-section assembly has told me what I needed to know-- everything fits. This means I can finally cut the
lower hull into 4 quarters and make the molds. This means I can also derive the final wall/window ring relationship and make those molds. In other words, with
the exception of the flightdeck, I can start making the production molds for this kit!
What you see here is essentially the model cut in half. I have only 3 parts to make to call this model finished. The first is the conical section that connects
the top of the elevator to the shallow conical section you can see stuck to the ceiling. The second is the video screen seen in the passenger cabin in a couple
of places. Third is the cylinder that fits in the center of the baseplate, on the underside. I need to find someone with a lathe to do the missing cone and
this cylinder or I'll have to make them by hand. That's not impossible, its just time consuming. There will also be some wedges that will secure the
upper section of the landing gear to the top of the baseplate.
There are several important things to notice here. The first is how much room there is between the floor and baseplate. I've been asked if this model will
have much room for hiding batteries. You could probably put a motorcycle battery in there, but you'd have to beef up the legs! Another thing to note is the
Z-G Toilet. I've put it into the model for this photo, but it has not been trimmed to fit exactly as yet. I need to finalize the floor/ceiling assembly in
order to create the opening in the wall for the Z-GT to fit properly. The floor/ceiling assembly has to be oriented properly so certain items line up
correctly. On the inside, its the position of the 2 Z-GTs, the gaps for those castings to fit into the wall correctly and how all that lines up with the
exterior, specifically aligning to the position of the airlock door. This alignment is actually very easy to figure out, its just getting the parts fitted into
this final format that will take some time. Part of this process is also designing alignment tabs/pins/blocks so the builder doesn't have to worry about
these things.
The elevator is modeled with the door open, which I think everyone will like. It also presents a nice lighting opportunity. The shapes that connect the
elevator to the ceiling will be hollow. It should be noted that the connection of the elevator to both the floor and the ceiling makes the floor much more
stable.
The real disappointment is the flightdeck. It would not balance for this photo properly, so I had to stick it into place backwards. The important thing to note
is that it is too long for the space. Even with the compression I built into this part of the model, this is the first opportunity I've had to see if it
was going to fit. So, I have to do some modifications to shorten this thing up. I don't know exactly what to sacrifice, but it will probably be the rear
seating area.
The parts left to make are actually very simple and won't take any time at all. Trimming back the flightdeck until it fits will also be fairly simple as
there is really only 1 way to do it. So, this cross-section assembly has told me what I needed to know-- everything fits. This means I can finally cut the
lower hull into 4 quarters and make the molds. This means I can also derive the final wall/window ring relationship and make those molds. In other words, with
the exception of the flightdeck, I can start making the production molds for this kit!
