Departing from recent development I've come to a compromise with regard to the use of safety grilles, and taken the arrangement at the front of the vehicle (lowest edge seen here) and applied it to all four sides. This has several advantages: half the weight of the original all-encompassing mesh it still extends substantial protection all round, besides being both purposeful and practical in terms of design criteria.
You'll recall from schooldays that if you were ever to fall off a chair with no restraint, it would be forwards, sideways or ~ everyone's favourite ~ backwards. What I've gone for here therefore is an outline that won't burden test-flying, yet which could still be carried forward to production types.
To make it I've simply applied sixteenth by one inch (25mm) angle alloy so as to form a tray into which perforated aluminium sheet is pop-riveted in place. To do this I have had to remove three of the motors because all four will now be braced by this section of alloy along the inside edge, with bespoke bracket now required only along the outer.
This in itself reduces the part count whilst providing a commonality of construction. So far as the latter is concerned, most of us assembling a set of IKEA drawers will be aware that the process is a whole lot simpler once you've made the first of these.
As regards parts count, among the most successful British armaments was the STEN gun, not least because ~ according to a museum I visited in Arnhem ~ part count was reduced by no less than two thirds by a pair of Czech engineers.
