Dune Crawler Factory Studio Scale Model: Part 1

Last year I built a study maquette of my own design a factory crawler from the the novel Dune. This model was built rapidly out of foamcore, insulation foam, paper and wood dowel. The goal was to send images of it off to Denis Villeneuve in hopes of contributing to the pre-production phase of the new Dune movie. Crazy.

So that happened and well, "hope springs eternal"... I'd be OK as a guest on Adam Savage's Tested. Ahem.

Back to RL. It is now time to turn this study maquette into a physical model. It will be in 1/144 scale and made out of plastic and brass. I am going to build this model as if it were a filming miniature. 

I have read the big "D" a few times. The last time I kept a detailed list of any mention/description of all the technology in the book:

When I am reading a book, if I think I'm going to be building a model...I make lists. (I also made a very nice list for issues 1-100 of the Fantastic Four, Doom's helicopter is on the drawing board).

I had several goals in looking at the original source material, 1) I needed to unload the DLVoD, 2) By looking at Herbert's descriptions come up with the things that are right based on what he wrote and 3) base the designs on my own experience relative to the book.

So, as a refresher, here is the maquette.

This maquette is built rough and rapid. It is important to not get hung up on building materials or process.

Drawings are a starting point. Building the 3 dimensional maquette will force you to face: 1) what is the logic that makes this hardware work, 2) what it will look like from all different angles, 3) what shape is it and 4) how do you create areas of light and shadow to maximize its effect on the viewers feelings.

Here is a link to the older maquette post: Shai Hulud

Using the maquette a 1:1 side view is made, measuring are the key points. The first thing to figure out is the chassis. Unlike the fragile maquette, the new models will be movable and sturdy. All four track units pivot at the drive wheel. The rear track unit pivots underneath the bean shaped tank.

The core chassis of the crawler is made up several thich ABS panels. I always check to make sure I have all the plastic and brass beforehand. Sometimes you find a piece that works, but can't find any more, or it takes a long time. So source your stuff early. Also cheaper.

There is a knuckle, or transmission from the crawler to each track unit. I wanted each to be moveable and hold positions to animate the vehicle. This would mean making a joint with detents...which from experience I knew would be a disaster. There are lots of these kinds of joints used in toys, so I just needed to find four identical ones. I ended up finding a Lego knockoff movable joint that would do the trick. Plus, I had more and could buy more if needed.

A shot of the maquette with a paper cut out of the core chassis positioned approximately where it will end up. Again, always check that what you are building will work.

Once satisfied, I make some photocopies, cut out, trace with a sharpie on the ABS plastic.

Here is the plastic part.

The square panel will be the front base. Square aluminium is used to make the front main axles. All the parts will me screwed together, to aid in construction and deconstruction. Much easier to be able to work on individual parts. And I hate commitment.

I used the mill to insure the hole would be perpendicular to the sheet. In this case this hole will become the main pivot in the chassis. Overkill, but the machine was handy and easier to use here than a drill press. 

Here you can see all the main chassis components. The front is to your left. Under the rear tail you can see the pivot for the rear track assembly. Armatures are dull in comparison the the outer skin of the miniature, but with out a well thought out and durable understructure, building and moving the finished model is a complete nightmare. Besides, I like all the building stages. Except grinding and filling resin. Ugg. No resin on this miniature.

The Knock-off Lego joints are mechanically fixed to the axles. I lathed a blind hole in the aluminum stock, hand cut the slot so it will be locked in place once it is screwed on. These are areas that will be subject to wear and tear, so you don't want the connections to be loose. If they are, the movement will cause wear on the connection and get loose over time.

Here is the joint screwed in place (screw is not tightened down).

Rear axle parts. 

Front chassis plate. Learned to use cutting fluid with aluminum the hard way.

These are those "knuckles" again. On the axle they have a dog leg, or an in and out. Main axle from body goes to one end, a shorter drive axle comes out on the other end. I need to capture the parts so I can drill the same hole on all four. I realized I could use the blocks themselves as a way to hold these in the vice.

The blocks make the part square. I put the first one in lined up with the vice edge, center the spindle, slow down the speed and carefully drill. Leave everything the same, put in the next "knuckle", repeat. There are five "knuckle" units here, I always make an spare once I'm set up.

Here is the drilled "knuckle" in place. The tank wheel is a 1/16th scale drive wheel from a T-34. Was trying  to decide if I was going to cannibalize these for my track units.

Here is the chassis lined up with the maquette. The model is comprised of 1) chassis/armature, 2) track units, 3) body, 4) sun parasols and 5) external framework for evacuation by a carry-all.

The next bit of work is to create shrouds for the "knuckles". I'm going to make a pattern to make a vac-form for this. The ABS plastic block is the size of the "knuckle" outer dimensions (the tubular connector on the left end of the "knuckle" will get cut off). The holes on both parts match.  

I drill the same size hole in a chunk of MDF scrap. The MDF scrap is double stuck to the sander bed. I flip over the drill and push into the holes. I can then rotate the ABS pattern to quickly make the rounded ends.

Once .060 Styrene is pulled over the the buck, it will then be ready to cut off. An arbor saw chucked in a drill press gives a nice even cut.

Here you can see the plastic shell in place. Everything looks very plain at this point. Patience! Details come last. We need a good foundation first.

This is rectangular brass stock that will become the main structure of the four track units. They are double-stuck to a sheet of plastic so when I cut them all at once they will be the same.

Finished parts with milled slots. There will be a smaller telescoping section of brass inside, the axles will protrude from these slots. The movement will allow me to adjust the track tension.

I leave you for now with an overall shot of the armature. See you next time!

LINK TO PART 2