Almodelling

This week marks a pretty major milestone for the project: the cockpit is finally built and primed.

The video is a little longer than usual this time. The cockpit took quite a bit more time to build, and rather than breaking the process into several smaller updates, I wanted to show the whole construction in one go, from the first shapes to the finished result.

As with the engines, the original sketch remained mostly a starting point. Once I began working directly with the materials, the design naturally evolved, and I allowed myself to move away from the drawing while trying to preserve the sleek racing silhouette I originally had in mind. I have to admit that there was a moment when I became slightly worried about that. As the main body came together, the cockpit started to feel much thicker and heavier than I had imagined. Fortunately, adding the external metal framework changed the proportions quite dramatically. It extends the silhouette, breaks up the mass of the body and gives it back the slightly fragile appearance I wanted for the racer while maintening a bold look.

A few leftover photo-etched parts from previous projects also found their way into the build. They proved especially useful inside the cockpit, where those very small mechanical details help add another layer of complexity without overcrowding the design. And with a coat of primer, everything finally becomes one object. Styrene, metal rods, photo-etch and assorted bits disappear beneath the same surface, making it much easier to read the overall shape and all those little details.

Alongside the podracer, I have also started working on the Lothal environment for the final scene. The base itself will remain relatively simple, but it is beginning to take shape and I should have enough progress to share it properly in the next few days.

Which means there is now only one logical next step…

Painting. Finally.

I have already spent quite a bit of time testing the colour palette/weathering direction I want to use and spoiler alert: we are definitely staying on Lothal.