How Would You Build This?

My daughter plays a video game called Destiny, and she showed me some of the sci-fi spacecraft that she uses in it. They looked pretty interesting, so I went online looking for images of them, and found this one (attached).

Looking for suggestions about how folks here might building something like this as either a model or mid-power bird.

Have at it, folks!

Patience.

With a credit card

More importantly, how would you make it stable? It looks like it would be stable in one plane with those tubular things on the sides but I don't see anything to keep it pointing straight in the other.

solid lead nosecone

Oddman beat me to it. Might even have to go with gold to keep it stable.

Very Interesting Fantasy Scale model:
I agree with a couple of the other posters,
This one will take a fair amount of nose weight and addition of clear Polycarbonate fins on the main body between the outer pods. If these fins can be attached far enough back with a planform that brings the area below the aft end, it should lessen the nose weight required.#9 Lead shot would be my suggestion for Nose weight it packs really tightly in tiny spaces. encapsulated in epoxy it's not an environmental problem. I know the NAR doesn't like lead, but on Odd-rocs like this its almost a necessity.

Any other images, maybe from other aspects? (side, front, etc) Screen grabs?

This looks like it could lead to a quite flyable model. If you built those big side-pods as giant tube fins, with a little flow-through space on their inboard and outboard faces, they just might provide enough lateral stability to make the thing work.

Modify it, and have it with canted motors (2-4) coming out of the "nose", and drag the rest behind it like the tapeworm or squid

Or do a Dr. Zooch style and make fire flame fins.. and extend a hidden body tube further aft to hold the motor. Less adding weight to the nose and a better CP/CG situation.

You could always just fly a brick... solid and heavy enough.... anything will fly fairly straight with a big enough motor! Just make sure it goes high enough to deploy and use it's recovery system. Though this is not really recommended as a safe practice.


Jerome

MIcro max motors and a solidly mounted pylon bolted to your desk. A blue background and a little Hollywood magic-presto! Flying model!

I don't think it would be too hard to do, but definitely not a beginner's project. The "side pods" would have to be tube fins (hollow). Most of the rest could be built using conventional cardstock methods. I don't know how much power it could take, though. You mention mid-power. Hmmmmm.....I don't know if it could hold up to much more than a pair of Ds. Maybe if you built it light, a pair of 24mm Cs would be enough. Maybe, maybe, a pair of BP E motors, if it was well constructed.

[edit] On a closer look, I see that there are actually *3* engines shown in the pic. I think what I would do is to make a false "display" aft end like what's in the picture, that would be removed for flight, and would fly it on a single engine (the display aft end could have an extension that fit into the single motor mount tube).

You could build it, but have a removeable 3/16"x48" Wooden Dowel with a Weight on the end that you could insert for actual launching that would put the CG out infront. You would'nt notice the Rod/Dowel too much when it's in Flight.
As for Recovery, I got nothin'.

Stretch it and tell your daughter she will be much happier with the XL model.

Neat looking design! If you were to make a static model, it would be straightforward with standard card model techniques like sooner.boomer mentioned.

For a flying model, ditto for what everyone said:

• tons of noseweight up front, add that "flight probe" TopRamen suggested, or a regular one (see the USS Enterprise or TIE Fighter)
• cardstock forms (see SR-71 & Asteroid hunter)
  • shrouds for the back
  • planeforms for the body
  • toothpicks, dowels, cardstock for the support structures
• regular fin(s) or clear polycarbonate fin(s) out the top, possibly bottom, or JeromeK99's Zooch suggestion

The front view seems to suggest that there are two pods/engines/cannons/stabilizers/whatever sticking out below that will help the stability. You can also move your motor mount further up beyond the 3 aft engines to help the CG.

For recovery, standard deployment out the front if you have enough room, or rear-eject? If the side pods have caps in front, you can vent the ejection charge and deploy from the pods (forward or rear facing).

You could also try one of the other ships which look flyable build stock. I'm following w/ great interest! Good luck!

I agree with the last post. Watch your stability in both x and y axes. I would recommend clear vertical fins either on the main body or the tube fins. Try balsa or plywood sheet for the top structure, large body tube for the side pods and standard rocket techniques for the core. Some sort of flight probe in the front would also be indicated. Try a clip on model rocket core on the bottom of the model or run it through the central tube. Look at Sirius rocketry's Interrogator for more ideas. Reminds me of some of shrox's designs.

Hmm... that first design reminds me of a Star Wars pod racer w/ fairings minus the pod, flying backwards... That last one looks like it's heavily based on a Zeta Gundam variant in wave rider mode. It has the same shield/nose, dorsal fin, intakes, and similar wings, waist/hip guards, side hip cannons, and main cannon (rough size & location).

For either of the bottom two designs, build an upscale gyroc, add kibble, use helicopter recovery, and call it a day!

ps - the Interrogator looks neat!