[MOC] Zero-X

[NathanR]

The Zero-X spacecraft appeared in Gerry Anderson's classic movie Thunderbirds Are Go, where it carried the first men to Mars. With a highly modular construction, the vehicle comprised a main body, a Mars Excursion Vehicle, and a detachable nose cone and lifting bodies to assist with flight in Earth's atmosphere. Unfortunately, the first Zero-X was sabotaged and crashed on launch. The second mission went more smoothly, but disaster struck on the return to Earth when one of the lifting bodies was destroyed and the escape unit damaged. Only the timely intervention of International Rescue allowed the crew to survive.

This model is available in two configurations. The default flying mode:

And the take-off configuration:

(Take-off configuration is basically the same as the flying model, except that the lower wing has a minor modification to add wheels, the upper wing has a more extensive modification, and a wheel block is added to the main body)

The model is fully modular, with detachable wings, MEV, nose cone, and (of course) the escape unit:

 

This is a digital build, and has not been tested in real life, but all the parts do exist and I believe it would be robust enough for swooshing. It's my first time using Stud.io, so I'd welcome any feedback on the design and the quality of the instructions. Stud.io files and instructions can be downloaded for free here (personal use only):

https://bricksafe.com/pages/NathanR/supermarionation/zero-x

[Techam]

nice micro landing gear and pilot

 

[Sajuuk]

I like how clean and minimalist this build is!  Very cool!