ClanMcLean.net Image Repository :: C4X Glimmerwing Fast Transport

C4X Glimmerwing Fast Transport

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The Glimmerwing is a fast transport cargo ship with a 1 man crew. Designed for hauling moderate amounts of freight quickly, it has oversized engines and roughly 60% of the ship is cargo space. Accomodations for the pilot include a Nutri-Mat, bed, & potty. Builder's notes: Originally, this ship was intended to compete in Mark Sandlin's civilian MOC contest. I'm a little slow at building, so here it is something like 6 months late. At any rate, the ship is approximately 60 studs long by 46 studs wide by about 17 bricks tall (with the landing gear extended). This is my first ship with pneumatic landing gear. It's fully retractable and when extended, the gear holds not only the ship, but a full load of cargo (literally!). It's nearing load capacity for the 3 cylinders that are there, though. I didn't anticipate the front getting so heavy... or really, the whole ship either -- it's quite portly in real weight. I think I should have actuated the front gear with two cylinders, not one. Retrofitting that would suck though... there's not enough room without widening the ship at that point by 2 to 4 studs. An unfortunate side effect of this being my first pneumatically geared ship is that I didn't know the cylinders leak air. Essentially, you can extend the gear and it'll sit there just fine for a couple of hours, but eventually will sink back down to the ground. The next round of gear must have a way to sit on it's on weight without relying on the cylinders for extention -- that'll take some thought, I guess. The rear cargo deck is actuated by the wheel on the top of the ship amongst all the greeble stuff. I used some of my wife's heavier sewing thread for "cable". The engine's are attached using tecnic axles. All atempts at using studs were too weak to past the "swooshing" test. (Which it did fail several times... those engines shatter quite nicely when they fall off.) At the end of the construction though, it will pass "swoosh" and I feel one of my more aesthetically pleasing ships to date. Comments and criticism are appreciated.