Excalibur Prototype Helps Prove Out Design

has started to build the first mockup for his precise

. This is a test fit to prove out the dimensions, and it's already provided some interesting results. When compared to high quality renders, a slight curve exists around the lower nose section that wasn't apparent at first. It's a more difficult thing to portray in a physical model, but that's part of the challenge. Even though these builds are still preliminary, it's exciting for Excalibur fans to see that familiar fuselage start to take shape!

You have to plan your build. You can frequently work around spots you didn't plan properly, but not always. Also the mock isn't so much meant as a means of exact build, but rather a means of low-cost construction that will lead back into additional design work. As I've said I do not have design experience or training. Add to that my rather dubious knowledge of geometry... yeah. Uphill battle with a fairly substantial learning curve involved. But that's also the appeal of the project for me. More then anything else, the mock-allows me to work with the physical design and understand how sections work with each other and see details that may not have been apparent in the line studies.