Scratchbuilding a Speeder

I decided that the most practical design for Pete’s speeder would be a side-saddle design. The motor placement was too cumbersome for Pete to straddle, and I was trying to minimize the unit's overall height as much as possible. I took one last look at the drawings, discarded them, and started scratchbuiling.

I built a shell around the motor and drive using plain styrene. I was careful to ensure that shell didn’t interfere with the worm gear, while snugly fitting around the tops of the drive wheels. Using my thumbnail as a ruler, and some photos from Gn15.info (currently under construction) I ‘imagineered’ (and revised) the speeder’s dimensions until it looked like a plausible diesel unit.

Happy with the basic form, I went hunting for some detail parts. Scrounging about it my toolboxes produced some vinyl zip-ties, a 3M wire connector and some cable clips. Perfect! These bits of junk became the bumpers, exhaust pipes and the light manifold.

More to come…