![]() The project to this point took over 250 hours, I expect to put in another 8-10 to finish everything up. ![]() I ran out of time so there are still details to be finished like detailing the cockpit interior, the photon torpedo tubes and the intake ends of the engines. The canopy and cockpit are ¼” plywood and ½” pine strips. The “weapons systems” are PVC pipe, plywood, sonotube sections and rigid plastic drain pipe. The engines and nacelles are made from sonotubes, cardboard, fiberglass and Styrofoam. The ribs and stringers were ¼” plywood and ¾” pine strips the wings were made from 2×4 pine and ⅛” plywood. The cure was to double up the ribs at the wing attach points so the wings could just be lifted and “plugged “ into position, just like plugging in an appliance into a wall outlet. Strengthening the rear of the fuselage to support the weight of everything else was tough the wings were supposed to be open for display because it looked terrific, but in that position the landing gear put tremendous strain on the wings which in turn wanted to wrench themselves out of the fuselage. I made the first 5 feet of the nose removable using through bolts and wing nuts at a seam in the plywood, and reinforced the same rib so it would support the nose landing gear. I decided to build the fighter like a giant model airplane, using hollow ribs and stringers to form the fuselage, then cover them with ⅛” plywood for strength. The final version is 23 times larger than the model, a little snug for tall adults, but a perfect fit for kids! I bought a Revell model of Poes’ X-wing, started measuring both models and drawing plans. Looking at the model I realized the engineers at Kenner had selectively compressed the original design just enough so the toy wouldn’t be too big, but the action figures used with it could still fit easily into the cockpit and look proportionally “real”. I did figure out that a full-sized replica would be close to 40 feet long and 20 feet across the wings, way too big for the space I had to build in! I needed to scale the build down, but by how much and how to do it and still make it look right? I bought a battered Kenner X-wing from 1977 on eBay to use a basis for measurements. After searching the internet for days looking for plans, I realized there weren’t any and I was going to have to come up with Plan B. The challenge was: it had to come apart to make it easy to transport, be big enough (and strong enough) for an average-sized adult to fit inside the cockpit, be built as inexpensively as possible, and be done in 5 months. Several months ago I was asked by a friend if I could build a replica of Poe Damerons’ X-wing fighter from the latest Star Wars episode. Gift the gift of Make: Magazine this holiday season! Subscribe to the premier DIY magazine todayĬommunity access, print, and digital Magazine, and more Share a cool tool or product with the community.įind a special something for the makers in your life. ![]() Skill builder, project tutorials, and more Get hands-on with kits, books, and more from the Maker Shed Initiatives for the next generation of makers. Membership connects and supports the people and projects that shape our future and supports the learning.A free program that lights children’s creative fires and allows them to explore projects in areas such as arts &Ĭrafts, science & engineering, design, and technology.Microcontrollers including Arduino and Raspberry Pi, Drones and 3D Printing, and more. Maker-written books designed to inform and delight! Topics such as.A smart collection of books, magazines, electronics kits, robots, microcontrollers, tools, supplies, and moreĬurated by us, the people behind Make: and the Maker Faire.Together tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators across the globe. A celebration of the Maker Movement, a family-friendly showcase of invention and creativity that gathers.The premier publication of maker projects, skill-building tutorials, in-depth reviews, and inspirational stories,.
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