What is Starshiphulls.com all about?

Starshiphulls.com is all about, ?well Starship Hulls, Model starship Hulls to be precise. If you're a modeler, scratchbuilder or hobbyist like me you've probably got boxes, big boxes, of cannibalized kit sitting under your work bench and you're thinking what am I going to do with all this stuff?

How does Starship Hulls work

Like this!

1. I Provide a Corel Draw Template that you download for a small donation and take to a local engraver or laser cutting service and one result is pictured above.	2. You buy PVC or metal plumbers pipe and wooden baterns (or download the Universal Rib Spacer for greater accuracy) from your local hardware store like those pictured above	3. You assemble all the parts and you have a Starship Hull ready to be clad and detailed with all your thousands of detaied parts

This sounds too good to be true!

Initally I was going to do the whole "make them, sell them and make loads of money thing". Only one Problem, while I could get them cut, have a website, get publicty etc I couldn't afford to ship them all over the world. So rather than let a good idea die I went all public sprited and developed the voluantrary donation, down load your own copy and do-it-yourself sort of thing.

Why am I insane enough to do this?

While I'm a big SF fan and I love the X-Wing fighter, Millennium Falcon, Starfury etc etc…..I built all those kits and want to scratchbuild my own original design. Words are easy, actions are hard. The options open to us Kit bashers are limited. We can get a few kits, throw them together and we have something new, even if it that bit does look a bit like a F-104 tail section and isn't that a Sherman tank? Or we can go hunting for interesting shapes from the toyshop, computer shop, rubbish tip or well anywhere really, honestly how many tines have you thought "Wow, that shampoo bottle would make a great……." (insert engine nacelle, spaceship body, hover tank etc…) The problem I have constantly encountered is finding a big, solid shape I can use as the basis for my starship. They can be found quite easily, things like vacuum cleaner tanks, big water pistols, PVC pipe, almost anything. Unfortunately all these things come with strings attached, or toxic chemicals inside, or are made from unworkable material or require one of those wonderful glues that will not only poison you but make your grandchildren sterile. Again you could be safe and just buy a licensed item such as a Imperial Star Destroyer, Jupiter 2 or Starblazers Yamamoto. Good idea and quite nice kits but lacking one thing, SIZE! If Hollywood model maker can have 36, 48 or 60inch models why can't I?

Yes its great having all those detail pieces isn't it. Now if you only had a body shape to hang them on!

That's were Starship Hulls comes in. Precision laser cut frameworks in 6mm Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF). Designed to be easily assembled with normal hobbyist tools these kits depict cargo, warship, and utility vessels, some of which have several different design options and can be built to various scales. And the best bit YOU chose how big you want it to be.

Probably NOT for the Beginner

Well almost as we do have a Basic Hull. These kits are NOT complete kits in themselves. They are frameworks only; think of them as ribs from a rowboat hull. Just as the ribs would act as supports for wooden planks to make the rowboat float the framework of MDF act as the ribs which you then cover with plastic sheet to make you basic starship. Each framework has a centre cut hole designed for 2½ inch (50mm) pipe (either high pressure PVC or Plumbers pressure pipe) to pass through and recesses around the edges the accommodate ¾ inch (18mm) timber battens. Both these items are available at your local hardware store very cheaply. So you buy the length you want and build the ship to the size you want. For full details see the Build Tips page.

Then the fun starts as the boxes of detail parts come into play you can while away the hours gluing gribble all over the hull, ripping it off, cursing and gluing it on again, dropping the damd glue, then stepping on it $&^#*@....etc, You know, all that relaxing modeling crap!