Bit late, I know, but better late than never.

I am loving the Podtel... I haven't built any Sci-Fi in a long time, but this may suck me back in... ruined versions for Gamma World? I can do that!

PodTel = what a frickin COOL design! - an "I gotta have!"

Yeah! What they said!
Podtel is really, really cool!

Do the HL 300 ahve functional lights?

Akmor: I invisage putting in transparencies for the lights (colored for the rear), a AAA battery and some "grain of rice" bulbs [check the model railroad suppliers]; perhaps some of those new LED minilights... [not a clue where to start looking for those...

Oh - you were only joking?

It would be awesome a fleet of those on the table layout in a darkened room as the players came in.... the expression on their faces

The Podtel does look like it has some potential.

If someone does put some mini lights in the vehicle I would suggest they surround the light emitter with some dark cardstock to help keep any light bleeding to a minimum. Of course if you want a radioactive glowing vehicle then that would be unecessary.

Aluminum foil works well for this -- totally lightproof.
Steve

The podtel is a Swiftscenics release? Whoa. Can it be stored flat?

Exactly what I was wondering.

We've recently expanded the definition of SwiftScenics to include "simple" structures. As much as we'd like to make everything fold flat, its not always feasible or particularly swift

Nope, it doesn't store flat. When I was developing it, I wanted something simple that was not a box, and I didn't want any of the extra build fuss or structural compromises that came with fancy knock-flat or modular build paradigms. Just something simple, static, and fun to look at.

I never planned or intended for this to be a SwiftScenics release, but Denny felt it still fit into the SwiftScenics mold, so that's where it ended up in the catalog.

Denny...is a ninja. Who knew?

...only his victims

The podtel is a simple structure that's easy to put together? Curious. To my eyes it seems rather a fiddly fold, but I might (and probably am) wrong on this. I wish I actually had use for it just to find out how it's going to be folded, or are the instructions going to be free?

Nope, it's all very simple geometry. It's not a single complicated origami-like thing you fold out of one sheet of paper, it's a bunch of separate box, sandwich fold, and cylindrical parts that you glue together.

It's also a lot bigger than it looks, which adds another layer of simplicity to the process.

Is this out today?

Bought and Downloading. Cant wait to see it on my table.

Bought and...
Podtel : downloaded
HL 300 : doesn't appear on my Collection!!

I double checked my order : I did buy the two at the same time...

Akmor: Fixing that right now. It was a file reference issue.

Should be fixed now! Sorry about that.

Looks fantastic!

Why do I think that it is part of a major low end chain, sort of like a futuristic Econo Lodge?

The Auld Grump

I think I might do my best to fit the Podtel into my Eberron game...

Grump: That's pretty much what I had in mind, a large chain of budget motels that folded up at some point after switching to an independent owner-operator franchise model, then things just kind of went downhill from there.

Like, it's one of those "What on God's green Earth were these people thinking?" business failures where it's really obvious to everybody except the upper management that you can't really run a motel like an unattended laundromat without Unforeseen Consequences taking a bite out of their collective keister.

I also really liked the idea of taking the whole concept of a seedy hot pillow to a ludicrous yet predictable nadir, and an anonymous unmanned motel that operates like a giant vending machine just seemed so deliciously, absurdly perfect for both the bad part of town and for capturing the sort of naively optimistic "we're gonna drive around in nuclear powered cars in 20 years and have robot butlers" kind of futurism.

Talae: I was intrigued when I looked up Eberron. I kinda like the idea of a fantasy setting where magic is commoditized and used for awesomely mundane purposes in the same way that technology is today. I don't know why, but the idea appeals to me.

Note for kitbashers - huge obnoxious neon signs! Not much work to use these in a Cyberpunk setting.

Still, bigger rooms than Gibson's coffin racks.

As for Eberron... somehow the setting just feels right to me. Society uses tech to solve X problems. (Where X can mean communication, transportation, defense, etc..) How would using magic to solve those same problems effect society?

One of my favorite settings.

The Auld Grump

Thanks! No problem. I was in no hurry

Absolutely a GREAT model! I wish you'd design an entire futuristic city. The Podtel is such a refreashing design.

I have now downloaded the Podtel and started printing
Now I just have to find the time to put it together along with the 100 of sheets of things to build
Still the ninga's I am painting are coming along nice...

Great looking models Chris, but you guys are gonna kill my wallet!

Sweet, will be getting the Podtel as soon as I can get some money on my credit card. Already have a use for it and background drawn up for my ATZ Mayhem City campaign, same as what I mentioned over on your Blog Chris, it was built as a Hotel of the Future type deal that either didnt prove to be popular or involved shoddy construction causing them to deteriorate faster then they should have, but more detailed, posted it on my blog http://dougslandofthedead.blogspot.com It is part 4 in a series of fluff for fictional companies in my campaign the direct link to the article is http://dougslandofthedead.blogspot.com/2011/08/fictional-companies-in-my-campaigns_11.html

I plan on building them in sets of 2-4 (probably will average out to be 3) towers to represent one complex, either the Podtel itself, or a cheap "pod" apartment complex. I am also going to try and turn one or two pods on the rundown Podtel into a mini police station (will pull the needed graphics from the Mayhem PD set) taking up two pods next to each other(office in one pod and holding cell in another) as per Tommyguns suggestion on your blog.

Keep up the good work Chris, can't wait to see what else you come up with, preferably stuff that can be used in a modern day setting like the Podtel.

Chris,

When scrolling through the pages, I notices that Parts 11 and 12 in the core and variant spindles are of slightly different lengths, and the center "side" is wider on Part 12. Is the difference in width to account for the thickness of the paper? If so, what would make the height different?

I have these pages getting viewed as full sheets in Adobe, and the header and reg marks do not move at all between the pages, nor do the absolute top and sides of these parts, but the center section score lines definitely move, and the bottom is definitely longer on Part 11.

Am I crazy, or what?

@Eldorf - you can make the balcony sections on the top of the bops and add in a filler section to make a larger space for your police to use. Hmmm... I wonder if I can whip this together quickly enough to make the Podtel Residence Inn "suites."