GI Joe Adventure Team Action Pack – Airborne Surveillance

As my second GI Joe Adventure Team Action Pack, I decided to make a set that will again give the ATV a purpose. This set will snap to the back of an ATV or Trouble Shooter. This time, a rack will carry two remove aerial surveillance drones.

(The first Action Pack, a Jetpack, will also have an ATV component, but that isn’t printed yet. It will be a rack to store the collapsed jetpack for ground transport.)

Also in the set will be a computer tablet touch-screen video mapping and drone control system on a flexible armature which will attach to the back of the ATV or Trouble Shooter, most likely slipping over the back ledge and onto the tow hook for support.

Here are some of my first images, from Maya:

This is the top of the drone featuring a smooth ring-like body with a central hub and three bracers. You may be reminded a bit of the Jetpack design. This is on purpose. i want to have a consistent design aesthetic for these sets, and this is not an unfamiliar concept for science fiction aerial drones.
at-surveillance-prototype-1

The three central struts connect to the hub, but the bottoms also swivel down to form a tripod of legs for landing.
at-surveillance-prototype-2

Since the surveillance camera dips a bit below the ring (for a full panoramic video image) the legs are necessary for a landing that won’t damage the camera.
at-surveillance-prototype-3

While the legs will swivel down on hinge pegs, the cuts to make this necessary are not yet made to the model above, so bear that in mind.

I will probably print the body in white with black detail, much as you see here, but I may put some color on them, perhaps make the central hub red. Not sure.

On the ATV itself will be a rack that snaps into the slots (like ATV rails or the winch does) and the drones will snap into two harnesses there. No concept yet of what that will look like.

Stay tuned. More to come.

So here is the first prototype print. I think I will be changing the black insets to red, as well as putting a bit of red on the center of the hub.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I have some refitting to do, the legs are a bit loose, and the camera is a bit small, but I think it’s actually 90% complete, and I just started it a couple of days ago.

The armature will be mounted on the back of the ATV, and two harness racks will also mount there that the drones will snap onto.

A sticker will go on the screen, with a printed map and control interface on it.

Here is the sticker, which should be set to print at actual needed size:

AT-Surveillance-Touch-Screen-print

It prints so that when you cut away the black edging you are left with a 6cm x 4cm image. The black is printed just to give you some leeway so the edge you cut (which is always so hard to cut exactly) is black instead of white, looking like paper. You can print this on sticker paper to make it easier, or you can glue it to the screen. Glossy paper recommended because it’s supposed to be a glass touch-screen.

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  1. Pingback: Adventure Team Remote Surveillance Set – Designing the Trays | Huxter's Words

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