(Before saying anything else, thanks for doing that and sharing your results with me and the forum.)
WOW! That's FANTASTIC! That exceeds what I was even hoping for!
Your welcome and Thank You for the kind words.
Before I begin, I'm going to apologize... I'm wordy. If it takes 10 words to say it, but three words to say it concisely, I'll use 30. So when this gets long, I warned you. ;)
And, if you have questions, ask them. I'll do my best to answer them. If I don't respond in a day or two, PM me.
What you will need:1 - Tef Dragonfly (if you haven't looked, they are $7.50 for three. I don't believe shipping is to bad, but that may depend on where you live).
1 - 20-723CHB Warrior Helicopter chopper blade - $1.00 (Caution: There is a 20-723WPB. This is the top propeller and gun. Also, not the one you want)
While I usually suggest a jeweler's saw (an I still do), for this mod a razor saw could probably be used.
You'll also need a set of regular drills (say sizes 1/16 - 9/64)... Note, I have the handle of a screw driver that had changeable ends and a chuck (similar to a pin vise, but bigger). This allows me to drill by hand. You can probably get away with a power drill or dremel, but please drill carefully.
A set of hobby files
A hobby knife
and Glue
Not a large list.
I'm going to break this down into two parts. The first "easy Ferret", is just that. It took me 45 minutes to get the basic shape and maybe another 45 of tinkering and refining it until I was happy. What you will end up with is the mini in the pictures attached (not the end version I painted), and honestly, it would probably do for a Ferret stand in... The "advanced Ferret" is the one I painted.
When trying to decide if you want to try the advanced Ferret, you may want to keep a few things in mind... It does take a little bit of skill/knowledge in sculpting. Not a ton, and I'm pretty sure the walk-through can get you through it, but it is something to think about. The other thing is that almost everything I do is a conversion or mod these days. Because of this I have built up a collection of brass, styrene, putty and tools not normally used by people who mainly paint. Between brass and styrene, you are probably talking $12-$15 and you will use minute portions of each one. The loctite putty I suggest is another couple of dollars. I have a set of sculpting tools that a friend sent me, which if you bought something similar at Hobby Lobby/Michael's, even with the 40% off coupon, I think they would still be $5-$10. All of this stuff costs nothing to me because I already own it, but for someone looking for a one-off Ferret, that is a substantial investment all at once.
What to do (An easy Ferret)The large wing array on either side that gives the original mini its name has to go, so you'll need to cut them off. If you have to leave a little behind, do so. Just be careful not to dig to far into the side panel. It is better to file that down later than gouge it now. (Note: I found the first wing easy, because the other side helped stabilize it. When working on the second one, it wants to roll).
(Note: If you are the kind that likes to drill out Machine Guns and Lasers and such, before you do the next part, drill the nose gun. This will involve a pin vise and small drill bits that I didn't mention, but it is optional based on your preference).
Next up, chop the nose down and the gun off. On this cut you can afford to cut at an angle towards the back. What you want to be careful of is the gun, because you will need it later. You want to keep that cylinder piece it is attached to also, so try not to gouge it too much.
The Tail... If you are going to try the Advanced Ferret, you can cut the vertical tail wing off (if you do this, make sure to eliminate the bulbous part at the bottom and cut the part between the two stabilizer wings flush.). If you are stopping at the Easy Ferret, file the sides of the pod thing on top flat, so it looks like part of the tail. Do the same with the pod thing underneath. File the back edge of the tail so it is angling backwards more sharply. Do whatever little touch-ups it requires to make the tail "tail" shaped.
As for the stabilizer wings, I found them to be to long, so you'll need to trim a millimeter or two off each. When you are done, they will look chopped, so then you will need to file down the edges and do some general reshaping.
Underneath the fuselage, is a piece that looks to me like landing wheels. It has to go... When looking for your line, use the underside of the tail (between the engine pod and the stabilizer wings). This will require you to cut into the fuselage under the cockpit, but you want to reduce its overall height a bit anyway. When you are done, it should sit pretty flat (meaning that there shouldn't be a lot of gaps along the bottom, NOT that you should make the bottom flat... In fact, if done right, the only thing to keep it from rolling over should be the stabilizer wings).
Next comes shaping, and does it need a lot...
Just behind the air intake, is a little dimple I suspect was meant for a propeller (none came with the mini, so I don't know). Starting about there, but lined up to miss the two vents on either side of the air intake, file that whole section down flat with the top of the tail.
Next, just in front of the stabilizer wing, are two tiny little extensions. File them down flush with the fuselage.
Then work your way up and down both sides of the fuselage, filing down any protrusions and basically rounding the whole thing. If done correctly, those engine details on the underside of the tail should be ground down to nothing. You may want to also spend a moment reshaping the nose.
Reshape the nose gun so that the cylinder part is as round as possible (you still want a cylinder, so please do misunderstand and shape it into a ball).
That should take care of the shaping... If you are unhappy with some part, work until you like it. If you plan to try the Advanced Ferret, just know we will be adding material and shaping that, so it doesn't have to be perfect.
Find a drill bit that most closely matches the cylinder part of the nose gun, and drill a hole in the bottom of the fuselage, under the cockpit (you may want to gauge it based on the front of the machine gun not sticking past the nose of the Ferret). Make sure it is deep enough that the top of the machine gun touches (or almost touches) the bottom of the Ferret. (Note: you could just chop the gun flat and glue it on. But this should help keep it from ever being knocked off, and it is a lot easier to file down the bottom of the cylinder and the gun barrel... Because it is a little tall for what you want otherwise.)
Lastly, drill a small dimple in the top of the air intake housing... The Warrior propeller is going to be flipped over when we add it (so we get the dimple in the center facing up), and this will give somewhere for the nub to fit into (Note: if you are doing the Advanced Ferret, do not glue the propeller on at this time)... And since more than likely you cut the hole for the stand off when you cut off the landing gear thing, drill a new hole for whatever kind of stand you are using.
That's it! You should have something similar to the pictures attached (although yours should have a tail, if you are stopping here)... A nice little
submarine Ferret.
If this is where you are stopping, I hope it came out well.
Next up, the Advanced Version.
Caz