Have any of you tried making copies of turrets from ships, mainly the hawk's, using easy mold and green stuff? That's all.
Questions for expert modders
While it certainly should be possible, I suspect that such a turret would most likely be very fragile, especially the barrels. Also, green stuff is probably not the best material for such a small item, I would recommend superfine Milliput instead.
The best results are going to be either resin cast turrets or plasticard one off turrets. If you have no experience with mold making and casting, then I recommend just making turrets from polystyrene card(plasticard) and tubing, which can almost always be found at hobby RC/Train stores.
Resin casting means having a 2 part silicon mold, and getting clean casts for such a small part will be tedious labor and will still require cleaning mold lines. Unless you already have the materials on hand you are looking at a minimum $40 cost assuming you know how to make the mold and how to cast resin properly for small parts. On top of that, you'll still need a perfect master turret to make the mold from, and FFG's models are far from perfect. Most likely you'd still end up making your own master turret from plasticard and tube.
Looking at my own HWK-290, the barrels are pretty small. I'm almost inclined to suggest finding an already existing part from something else that looks like a turret. Could be from another model kit, or it could be some random part on some random product. Certainly something I'll keep a lookout for, but this is likely to be something you happen upon by chance. I wouldn't know where to begin looking off the top of my head.
Great feed back, and what I thought may be the case. Thank you both!
Check out these guys. The make all sorts of plastic sheeting and tubes and extrusions. Ideal for scratchbuilding.
I wouldn't bother trying with milliput or green stuff as the base for the work. That product is designed to fill gaps and cover flaws.
Personally I think you're better off just making a rough approximation from brass rods and plasticard. It'll be significantly more durable than the stock turret, which can only be a good thing.
As for other turret alternatives, I'd suggest Battletech or turrets from Ground Zero Games' 6mm line.
I recommend just making turrets from polystyrene card(plasticard) and tubing, which can almost always be found at hobby RC/Train stores.
How important is it to cut card edges at an angle when you aren't doing a 90 degree joint? Would it be okay to just putty the gap smooth?
You should be fine as long as the cuts are nice and clean. You can spend time trying to mitre the edge, but a butt joint is just as good on a small model and it's surprising what a coat of paint can disguise.
You should be fine as long as the cuts are nice and clean. You can spend time trying to mitre the edge, but a butt joint is just as good on a small model and it's surprising what a coat of paint can disguise.
Basically this. These models are small enough that 90 degree joints are fine for assembly and if you want fancy angles you can go for it.
I use Squadron Green putty for filling in seams and cracks, as it comes premixed and can be sanded down completely smooth.