I.S.T.A.P ( Imperial Single Troop Aerial Platform )

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thundergod

thundergod

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As I've always been a fan of the STAP from the prequels ( and Clone Wars show) , I thought it'd be interesting to conceptualise how the Empire would develop the design .Rather than a "combat " vehicle , I theorise that the concept would be utilised as a patrol or crowd control craft . This is reflected in my design . Here's what I've got so far .


And here after I've added the "wing/platform" and armour .




The ISTAP is scratchbuilt from sheet styrene and parts from "spray-mister" bottles I found in a "Poundshop" . The engine units are from an abandoned project from a year or so ago .

 
Natedog said:
Me thinks there's some imperial shuttle parts and some AT-AT leg parts in there too. :)

Lookin good!
Click to expand...

No kit parts at all ( as yet ) , but I'm taking inspiration from existing designs , so the "wing" does resemble the Lambda Class Shuttle's wing . The part that looks like the AT-AT part is actually from the spray mister , but now you mention it , I see what you mean ! That was completely unintentional , but I plan on making the top section reminiscent of the AT-AT's "head".






 
I've started to add some detail to the "head" of the ISTAP as well as mocking up the handlebars . The head's not permanently connected yet , as I'll need to finalise the position of the foot-rests etc . I want the position of the rider to be more straight up than on the Trade Federation version , as I imagine that riding position would be rather uncomfortable for a human pilot ! .






 
Only had time for a little work on the ISTAP as I'm in need of re-stocking some materials . I've addeda mount to the side to house the troopers Sniper Rifle and I'm planning on adding a mount for the Macros on the top . Also decided on a Scout Trooper as rider , as Commander Vandash was just a place holder . I originally intended the rider to be a Sandtrooper , but as mine is a custom based on an early Sideshow Stormtrooper ,which suffers from the dreaded loose joints , getting him to stand/hold on to the ISTAP was a bit of a challenge !


 
cool scratch build TG............fits right in to the SW universe.
looks as if the gun holders are made from picture hanger hooks?......works well.
 
Put a bit of grey primer on the ISTAP to give me some idea of how I'm doing . Still a bit of work to do , but it's moving along briskly !
 
Wow man! Awesome design! You kept the the look of the first trilogy. Will the plate with the holes that holds the top and the bottom stay like that? Other than that, love it!
 
No , the plate with the holes is the area that the next bunch of work will be taking place . The top part will ultimately sit lower than it is in the photos and some of the holes will remain , but others will be further cut away into "slots" and details will be added ( hopefully) to reflect that this area is moveable , like on the Prequel Era STAP .
 
thundergod said:
No , the plate with the holes is the area that the next bunch of work will be taking place . The top part will ultimately sit lower than it is in the photos and some of the holes will remain , but others will be further cut away into "slots" and details will be added ( hopefully) to reflect that this area is moveable , like on the Prequel Era STAP .
Click to expand...

Ahaha glad you understood my question ahah, that was more that badly formulated haha. Okay i see, can't wait to see the rest of the progress, this will look awesome man!
 
Works been slow on the ISTAP the last couple of weeks as the small matter of my car being written off in a collision has taken up all of my spare time ! Anyhow , I got a little work done , mainly adding some detail to the "head" section with styrene strip , as well as the "intakes" of the engines . I found some vinyl medical tape which had a nice texture to it , which I used on these parts as well as to the "standing platform" of the wing section . It doesn't show up too well in the photos , but once it has some paint on , it'll add some interest to these areas .






This is the area were the head section is mounted to the wing . It's been cut to the correct size and shape and the holes expanded into slots . When I bring the parts together , I'll probably add a few wires and cables for detail .


The underside of the head has also been detailed with bits of tubing and a couple of parts from the guts of the spray bottles .


I've also started on a rudimentary seat/harness , to make riding the beast at least a little less traumatic for the pilot . ( My idea is to make this look like this was added later by the rider(s) , after a couple of close shaves/bad experiences !) :lol
 
Got my base colour on the ISTAP and after a good 24 hours drying time started with the weathering process . First of all I gave the whole thing a rub down with a worn sanding pad to roughen up the surface a little as the paint ( being car paint ) was pretty glossy . I mixed up a pastel chalk wash , added a few drops of washing-up liquid and give the whole model a generous wash . After a few minutes and before it had time to fully dry , I wiped the majority off with a damp cloth . Then , over the course of the next hour or so , I used dry paper towels and the worn sanding pad to rub, scrub and polish away the remaining residue . This is where working in 1/6 scale differs from modelling in smaller scale , as you can be quite heavy-handed and it adds to the effect . Next , I'll be using different colour washes to add a little more dirt and grime . Imperial craft and equipment is usually shown as being clean and well-maintained , but in my "back-story" , I see the ISTAP as being a craft coming to the end of it's operational life and being utilised in "back-water" garrisons and the like and this is reflected in it's less than pristine appearance . There is still a bit more construction to be done , as looking at the model , one practicality has occurred to me , how the hell would you get ON the thing ? My answer is to build a small boarding ladder which will fold under the horizontal wing/standing platform and some kind of hand-grips to ease boarding . I still want to add a little more stowage and personalisation to the vehicle and I'll need to sort out some kind of display base or even diorama .






The repulsor-lift nozzles are fully positionable .










 

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