The contest theme for one of the more recent Baylug meetings was Halloween, so I pulled out all my orange and started building. Like the Life On Mars Pastel Fighter, it was interesting to see what could be built from the limited number of pieces. However, this time around I had many more bricks and plates at my disposal. I used two different shades of orange, but unfortunately even photos taken outside in full sunlight fail to reveal the difference very strongly.
I knew I wanted to have a little black in there to more fully echo the holiday theme and the Train windshield made an interesting choice for the cockpit of a spaceship. I thought that the vehicle began to look kinda street-racerish, so I added some chrome bits for that stylin' flair! I even had enough pieces left over to make a stand, which was nice because the wings have quite a deep angle.
I had two of the Train windshields and they both fit perfectly in the model, but I'm most happy with the engines. I think that the combination of the chrome barrel with the clear radar dish cover is pretty groovy, especially with the trans-antifreeze 1x1's underneath. Chrome and clear, oh so sex-ay!
Here you can see how the landing gear holds up the wings while in flight mode. You can see the camera's viewfinder reflected in the chrome brick in the stand!
I had exactly four 1x4 click-hinge plates in orange, and they allowed me to make the engines rotate upward so that the wings could fold in more tightly. However, as you can tell from this picture, the model is still very heavy in back (much like the Cloud Cruiser), and it barely stays balanced.
A close-up of the landing gear arrangement which once again arose out of having only a limited selection of pieces.
Another shot of the rear with the engines and wings in park mode. You also have your first glimpse of one of the occupants, where I used the backwards clear helmet technique to achieve a spooky-lookin' face.
The first time I saw the clear helmet backwards, it was a real V-8 moment! The neatest thing is that the spherical nature of the helmet actually distorts the face a bit, which helps to up the creepiness a notch or two (easier to see close-up). I also gave the pilots trans-red hook hands. You can also see the clear jewel and chrome dish spotlight combo. Chrome and clear again, oh yeah, baby!!
