Freehand X-Wing Starship
This is the shortest and quickest instructable I've ever written - just to share this quick freehand X-Wing model I made my son this morning.
We just went to a Star Wars exhibition a couple of days ago, and he's been obsessed with all the different starships in the catalog ever since.
We just went to a Star Wars exhibition a couple of days ago, and he's been obsessed with all the different starships in the catalog ever since.
Supplies
A fine tip marker, razor blade/Xacto knife, Rigid white cardboard.
I used 2mm PVC foam board, which is a common model making material I had lying around. It cuts super cleanly, doesn't dull blades. It also has a super smooth surface, which takes permanent markers well.And finally, it's more durable than cardboard or matte board, and is waterproof so it'll hold up to spills.
I used 2mm PVC foam board, which is a common model making material I had lying around. It cuts super cleanly, doesn't dull blades. It also has a super smooth surface, which takes permanent markers well.And finally, it's more durable than cardboard or matte board, and is waterproof so it'll hold up to spills.
Design and Template for the Wings
Referring to a photo of the X-Wing Starfighter, I realised that it could easily be simplified into 3 flat planes: two sets of wings in an X, and an upright piece for the cockpit/fuselage.
I sketched one wing with the wingtip guns and jets directly onto the PVC sheet, and cut it out.
I then traced around the first wing to make a second identical wing, and cut that out too.
Then both wings need a slit cut so that they can slot into each other in an X shape. (see photo) This slit should be wider than the thickness of the material, to allow the pieces to flex into a roughly 120 degree angle.
I then drew details freehand on the tops and bottoms of each wing. I was just going for a loose scribbled style, as opposed to my usual CAD and CNC design flow.
If you'd like to copy my design, just print out the image attached as a template and cut the pieces out. The grid shown was 1cm X 1cm.
I sketched one wing with the wingtip guns and jets directly onto the PVC sheet, and cut it out.
I then traced around the first wing to make a second identical wing, and cut that out too.
Then both wings need a slit cut so that they can slot into each other in an X shape. (see photo) This slit should be wider than the thickness of the material, to allow the pieces to flex into a roughly 120 degree angle.
I then drew details freehand on the tops and bottoms of each wing. I was just going for a loose scribbled style, as opposed to my usual CAD and CNC design flow.
If you'd like to copy my design, just print out the image attached as a template and cut the pieces out. The grid shown was 1cm X 1cm.
Design and Template of the Fuselage
I then drew up the fuselage to fit around the wings. See photo attached. You can use this as a template too.
The X-Wing pair slots into the fuselage from the back, between the two rear jets. I eventually glued this slit together for better strength, but it works fine without any glue.
The X-Wing pair slots into the fuselage from the back, between the two rear jets. I eventually glued this slit together for better strength, but it works fine without any glue.
That's All!
That was just my quick and simple process for making a toy freehand, through simple sketching and cutting. No rulers, no measurements. It's freeing to do that as a change from precision of CAD and CNC processes sometimes. No need a laser cutter or 3D printer. Just use your hands once in a while!
Enjoy.
Enjoy.