Topic: Rogue One U-Wing vehicle playset -- 1:18 scale for 3.75" figures

[WhillsScholar]

Length (wings folded in): 54.5 inches
Wingspan (wings swung back): 6 feet

I gathered together the templates I created to make this U-Wing, along with photos and my notes about the building process, into a ZIP file. It's available at the below link. So you can download this kit for free to make your own 1:18 scale U-Wing! (And please do, and share pictures of your own customized U-Wing.)

www.mediafire.com/?todzssgzqyqy48u/

To see more pictures:
http://imgur.com/a/VCxsf

“The garbage will do!” --Rey

The parts:

Shipping boxes; and cereal, cookie/snack, frozen food boxes pulled from recycling bins.

Wood stirring sticks and paper coffee cup sleeves pulled from coffeehouse trash.

4 salt containers (main engine housings).

4 tall yogurt cups (engine mid-sections).

4 stout yogurt cups (joiner between engine main and mid-sections).

4 plastic “shot glass” cups (engine ends).

1 white poster board (top body plating sections).

1 white project board (wings).

2 marker pens (cannons).

Plastic wire ties (engine wiring and junction boxes).

1 lid from Pringles can.

[WhillsScholar]

Other news: I may design and release separate plans to finish out the inside of the U-Wing, maybe this summer if I have the time. It would comprise of these main elements:

1. The backplate with the circular power reactor (I envision that we could use the bottom of a large, plastic juice bottle for this).

2. The removable, 6-seater bench.

3. The two archway pieces that separate the cockpit and troop hold sections.

4. And, of course, two separate pilot seats. (The single cockpit seat in my current design has always been meant to be a placeholder.)

If my U-Wing vehicle playset could be considered a dollhouse (which it essentially is), then these four things would be furniture. So that’s why I plan to release the plans for these as a separate download kit, and not an “update” to the main build.

[WhillsScholar]

A question I’ve been asked: if you’re not familiar with model building with cardboard, how should you start trying to build this U-Wing?

My recommendation is to start with building the cannon housing. It’s a small component and not too difficult to build, but is also one of the most important since it “anchors” the look and underlying front structure of the ship. Focus on getting it right, and you will be well on your way.

Next, build the top cockpit. Focus on getting this part right. You’ll need to use the xacto blade to carefully cut out the windows, and this should encourage you to hone your cutting skills.

Next, build the top section. It’s just 5 main pieces (without the detailing).

Next, cut out and assemble the wings.

Once you have the above 4 components built correctly, this should motivate you to continue because when you arrange these parts on a table or the floor, you will see that it’s already looking like the U-Wing. You’ll have the top section of the ship, which should give you a boost and sense of accomplishment.

The troop hold can be difficult to put together and align correctly. I suggest building it upside-down. Temporarily tape the sides of the troop hold to the bottom plate/floor of the troop hold, then tape the sides onto the large core plate. Take the three sections of the back: temporarily tape the largest bottom piece (which would be the top piece, right-side-up) to the troop hold sides, and adjust to make sure the sides and bottom are properly aligned. Then take the smallest, top piece (which would be the bottom piece, right-side-up), and temporarily tape it to the troop hold sides, adjusting to maintain proper alignment. You fit in the middle piece last.

It is important, of course, to ensure that the troop hold’s sides and bottom are in correct alignment. Otherwise, the ship’s bottom section will be lopsided, and this will also throw off the three triangle pieces that make the lower cockpit windows, the moulding pieces that join the troop hold and lower cockpit windows, and mess up the sliding of the doors.

[WhillsScholar]

A good question I’ve been asked is what tools did I use to make this U-Wing. And here they are -- not pictured are super glue and toilet paper.



Just as I wanted to keep the materials that the U-Wing is made of simple, cheap, and easily acquired (shipping boxes, food packages, etc.), this philosophy extended to the tools. There is nothing expensive, hard to find, or “exotic” about these tools.

The Sharpie marker was used to trace the template patterns onto cardboard sheets. The red pen was used to mark measurements.

Masking tape was mainly used to temporarily hold pieces together until they were glued. The tape would be carefully pulled off before pieces were glued together.

As for the glue, believe it or not, it’s just cheap school glue. I suppose a hot glue gun could be used, but I avoided using this, because hot glue tends to dry too quick for me to handle cardboard pieces, positioning them correctly before the glue dries. School glue is designed for paper, and that’s what cardboard is -- two thick paper sheets that sandwich a corrugated (fluted) sheet between them.

The coffee stirrer was used to spread the glue thinly across the cardboard, wipe off excess glue, or jab glue into tight spots. Toilet paper was used to wipe away excessive amounts of glue and also spread it.

The only other kind of glue I used was super glue. You should use this when gluing together the plastic cups that make up the engines, and when gluing plastic detailing pieces onto these cups. Don’t use super glue on the cardboard or paperboard. Super glue doesn’t work as well on paper and damages this material.

The glue stick is for applying the decal sheets onto the cardboard.

The white masking tape was used on various parts of the U-Wing to cover the ends of the cardboard and other detailing. I didn’t cover all exposed ends. This is mainly an aesthetic choice. (You can find white masking tape in the arts & crafts section of Walmart.)

The black electrical tape was used for the cannon guns.

A cutting tip: Cut your cardboard against two large-sized sheets of scrap cardboard. Even if you are working on a cutting board table that has a surface that can withstand cuts, you will get cleaner, straighter cuts if you cut against two layers of cardboard. This also helps to keep the blade of the utility knife sharp, since it won’t get worn out faster running against the harder surface of the tabletop.

[Rezikai]

Wow, massive and big like it should be.

Grats on it, shes a literal work of art. I can't wait to see the interior parts.

[Tamer]

Wow, o wow. This is fantastic! Off to share. Thank you for sharing it.

[hemble]

That looks fantastic 10/10

Ron

[larifari]

Fantastic,amazing & mind-blowing!!!! 

[FialaFernbrugg]

wow
that is an awesome playset

[WhillsScholar]

Here's a preview of the upcoming Accessory Pack I'm currently designing. It will have templates and instructions for interior items -- which will include better pilot seats, the troop bench, and these you see here: the archways and power generator back wall.




This Accessory Pack (which will be a separate download package) will also include templates to upgrade the look of the side doors.





You won't need to cut new doors -- just cut out and glue on this additional piece!

There will also be three new pieces you glue to the sides of the lower half of the U-Wing that will make these upgraded doors flush with the sides of the troop hold... and improve their sliding.

[WhillsScholar]

The Accessory Kit will be ready for free download before July 1! I plan to include some old-school, Kenner-style decals, too.

[WhillsScholar]

Here's a bonus item that will be in the Accessory Pack: templates and instructions for building this rotating gun mount. You'll be able to put this inside the U-wing's troop hold, aiming it out one of the side doors. I'm trying to design it so that most of the missile launcher accessories that come with the Rogue One figures can fit on it.

I deliberately designed this to be a toy-ish, asking hypothetically, if Hasbro made a U-wing at 1:18 scale, what play elements might they include in it? Now you can put those action figure missile accessories to good use!

[FialaFernbrugg]

I could never have imagined that it would be possible to make this high level of detail only with cardboard and toothpicks.
Excellent work.

[Tamer]

Very nice. Time to go share more on this to the front pages.

[WhillsScholar]

Another piece planned for the Accessory Pack: