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wish you some restoration of energy^^

Remember that, since this is going to be Steampunky, you can have pipes, tubes and grilles all over the outside of it, not just the inside. Then you can layer more armour over that, but not as tight, leaving gaps and such. For the exhausts (I saw your comment in the Tanks thread) I'd suggest tall tubes, with flared, pointed ends. Or put those conical 'caps' on top of them- basically, some kind of decoration.

absolutly what i have in mind for these parts, i still picture the old steamtank from the WFB line... the one with the exploded cigar looking chimneys...ah what the heck pics are worth a thousand words^^


and the exhausts:


if i can manage this look i would be very proud... i think i will try to do a "modern" and old style merger look...if my building abilities will support my plans that is^^...

today i begun to refit the hull...did some cutting and glueing and used the green foam to make a ramp and door related fron...i guess the tank will get also a raise^^ sort of and gets a fourth layer of the pink foam...i picture this tank as a heavy assault vehicle that also carries troops to the front and is still a heavy hitter... some Landraider version for IG...

pics will happen not before tomorrow evening CET^^

as for the armor and pipe...if you could provide some inspirational pics i would be most thankful anvildude, i have tried to come up with some helpful pics from time to time but i have to say my results wheren´t for the best^^...


vik

I'll see what I can throw together.

thanks man^^

For the exhaust, have you considered taking a piece of plastic tube and sliding a spring over it. You could then stretch the spring to get the pitch of the spiral you wanted. Once glued in place your primer coat should make it look like a piece of spiral pipe. Just make sure the spring fits snugly over the plastic tube.

Or do that, then use some heiß-shrink tubing over top.

That's actually a really good idea. I might try that myself.

Anvildude wrote:Or do that, then use some heiß-shrink tubing over top.

That's actually a really good idea. I might try that myself.

I think that the heat shrink tubing is a good idea. That will probably bring the whole thing together and not allow any gaps between the spring and tube.

heiß-shrink

that sounds as if we are onto something interesting here...but i haven´t heard of that before...where to get that?

the springidea sounds really a nice touch and this way the structure would be even instead of when i would do it in GS or other ways like using wire or string...

heat shrink is a black tubing material that looks and acts like rubber, you can get it at most automotive stores, but it's not exactly cheap. Nice thing about it is that once you have wrapped it around something, you can then use a lighter or a hairdryer and it will shrink to fit really snugly. the more heat you apply, the the more it shrinks and the tighter the fit will be.

well seems i have to investigate a bit here...need to find out availabilities in germany...the technique to use seems fair enough to be usable in my "limited" sense of handywork^^

Heat shrink tubing should be available at an electrical parts store or radio shack. Even your local hardware store should have it. It is primarily used to cover and protect connections in electrical wires.

ephrael wrote:Heat shrink tubing should be available at an electrical parts store or radio shack. Even your local hardware store should have it. It is primarily used to cover and protect connections in electrical wires.

I actually saw German electrical installers using the shrink tubing for the in ground wiring when I was stationed over there in the 1980's Must be plentiful and low cost by now.

i have looked on ebay for that and saw that it was indeed quite cheap... will later on make a visit to the hardwarestore and see if it is available in the shops...


on the main subject here...here are some picture updates...i begun to glue thin sheats of foam to the sides of the tank mainbody to get a more even looking surface...also i made the promised hatch/ramp to the front of the tank...i guess the pics will far better explain my work...and also i worked on that sponsonthing ...used a cork (foamcork ...disgusting to see in your winebottle i guess but quite good a material...and cheap as it was a gift^^) and for the barrel i used a cut up mortalbarrel...please don´t hesitate to tell me your thoughts on this as i only made one for now and want to see your reaction to that built...before i do three more^^ ...of course this bit will see some more detailing to it....



boysideshot of mainbody of the tank...has atm two sides with platings of foam too...not seen on this pic...

close up to show the front ramp... i have tried to get a Landraider look to the thing...


and the mortar/cork sponson bit...




please bear with me your thoughts...

vik

I'm really excited to see whether you foamy tank will ever make it to a gaming table. No offense, I appreciate all the work that's going into it, but I think it will take a whole lot more work, to make the foam surfaces become playable. Can't wait!

well i think you are right in one point, the tank will need a whole lot of work to be anything near to being usable in a game...for now i have scale issues and conceptual issues...also the big gaps in the foamplates do get on my nerves as it is hard to get them to look right...but as of now i am not throwing the towel...i think this can be managed still and with some help like your tips about the miliput milk this can be achieved... also i am secretly planning to get me some bits from zinge that could help me in this endeavor to get a better and realistic look to the model...

ok, here's how your gonna solve your problem with the gaps in between the foam armor plates:


click on the image of my fighta and then zoom in until you can see up close and personal the main fuselage, what you will notice is there's an area of brown along one edge where the primer has been scraped off. what your looking at is a cardboard strip from a cereal box that has been cut to width, and then scored ever so slightly down its middle to help it fold easier. do the same thing and glue them onto your tank and it will look like armor strips, from there you just add rivets. I used super glue on mine but you can't do that, so you'll have to play around with your glue to get it to work for you, but it's an easy and simple solution, as well as cheap, and by cheap, i mean dang near free.

And I'm still working on that example pic, for the Steampunk look. The render's just not coming out, for some reason. I may have to draw it the old fashioned way.

thanks sebastiansynn, i thought about that too...it is a very good way to get detailed edges to the model and while doing so still stay as you put it straight to the point damn free^^ bythe way... my three kids munch away so many cornflakes and whatnot on a dayly basis that i have plenty suply and even in stock of that cardboard^^ the foam and cardboard also respond really good to my PVA glue so i think it will be in conclusion only be an issue to fix the cardboard while letting it cure...

at anvildude...that sounds like a delicious thing either way^^


vik

Going for a big beast with plenty to do!

yep^^ i think when i use the cardboard way to make the surfaces even and secure the tank will make a true leap in a better looking direction...

what do you think about the sponsons? sadly the glue didn´t work well enough with the cork and the mortar piece...so i will today do an attempt to use those capsules for photofilms...Like these:


the thing is they are big enough to hold a metal mini inside...so i will do also rivets and viewpoints in those firepoints...

your ideas?

vik

Nice, use some pins and they might be mobile!

ah again with the pins^^ i have to totally rethink the design of the sponsons as i think this needs a very new aporach from the one i before had in mind...i will get probably closer to your design but in a bigger size...have you seen the mortar being used as a barrel? whats your tankdesigner point of view here?

I felt it was a very nice approach for a different heavy weappon like Hvy Bolter or auto-cannon.

thats what i thought too^^ so i guess i will be using this in the next installment of the project... for your own tank you used autocanons and bolters... you recon i should do so too? or would be a complete boltersetup fourtimes all around the sponsons be worthwhile too?

All bolters, that make it a "Female" tank like in WWI all machine guns and no cannons.

well then i have to construct a big madame with big guns^^ oh the dirty world of tanks^^

Hope you didn't misunderstand my comment as disencouragement, you can do it, I'm sure.
As for the gaps, never mind! Get a load of milliput, milk the surfaces and what gaps are left you just fill with normal milliput, then don't bother really sculpting the edges, just let it dry. For the next step I hope you have a "Bandschleifer" otherwise it will be tiring. Sand the whole thing down! Now you have a smooth, durable, gapless surface and can start the detailling, adding rivets and gak.

well santa was not very supporting in the heavy tool department this year... so no bandschleifer sadly...i guess i will be going for option 2 and start adding cardboard to the hull...the things i learn with this project i can then transform for the next project that i will definetly do in plasticcard! then the whole issue of miliput and GS can be reopened for the different material...

as for diencouragement, i totally see your point baiyuan, the thing sometimes looks for me even as if it begs to get thrown against the wall, but then i shook myself and start fresh anew^^...

i have today worked further on the sponsons...by the way,what is the correct name for the weaponplatform? the cylindric bit?... well anyway i glued my bolter barrels to the filmcans and now the will have to get a mount...to make them movable...i still need to figure out how to do that... the pin idea somehow wont work as the foam these will be standing on are not stable enough to support certain tryouts i did...
any ideas?

vik

If you don't have the cap on the film canister, you could just have cardboard-lined circles cut into the top and bottom of the sponson 'platforms', the things on the top and bottom of it that hold it to the tank. Carve out a slight dip behind the sponson mount, and just put the cylinder in without gluing.