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OOOO shiney.!!!

Sweet.

Very nice blade set!

Progress has been made, not a lot, but some...

In order to decide upon the final position of the gunner, I needed to get that tail bent in the other direction (it seems to have decided on a curve that it's happy with, so that's what I'm working with...), and I needed to decide what I was going to do about this ammo thing...

So once the tail had made up it's mind to be slightly less bent than I told it to be, I found that I could have the space provided by the alcove out to the depth of the seat/cupboards that is moulded into the interior. This means I can't build out far like in the front or the gunner's control panel, but I can now start designing storage for ammo...

There needs to be ammo represented for both the sponsons AND the main gun. Whereas for the sponsons I can get away with some kind of container to house ammunition, the main gun has shells (supposedly about the size of a marine's fist). This meant that I needed to make shells...

My first idea was to try and cast some using my Oyumaru as I thought it would be easier to keep casting them up than carving them all the time... I was wrong, none of the casts I tried worked so I ended up carving some from a piece of round sprue and the carving turned out to be easier and quicker...

On a side note the evil-looking curved blade in the new set is actually really good for the sort of carving where you pull towards your thumb. The length and curvature of the blade makes me think that it's made for this... Plenty of carving with a new sharp blade = zero cuts... very impressed, I will get more when I need them.

So the carved shells are shown in the picture below.
I need to decide on how to add the shell casing look to them. I'm thinking either wrapping paper round them, or just carving in a line or two round them... Thoughts?

And because a picture of some pointy bits of plastic wasn't going to be very exciting to look at I added a mock-up of the gunner with an arm.
I don't know yet if it will be resting on the console (as it is here), or be on the buttons/dials of the console (which may require a little cutting).


In other news;
You may remember being mentioned, a little competition that had been running recently, that involved making a pile of junk.
Well, my little pile of scrap metal actually won 1st place in my category! I was not expecting that. With the very high level of the other competitors I would have been surprised with any prize.


I now need to think about designs for dispensing of these shells...

I've tested out the one shell with some paper wrapped round it, glued with superglue and then a little light sanding.
In order to see if the effect works I had to paint it...


As these will be situated within some kind of mechanical structure I won't add a bottom to the casing.
If it becomes visible in a certain position I'll add a disk of card/plastic to the bottom.

Do we think this looks enough like a shell?

Steel rounds for AP

It looks EXACTLY like a shell!

that set of blade looks very good... in fact I had my eye on none of these sets for quite a long time too... the ones with the plastic apparatus in black around the blades...far left and far right at the bottom of the pic is supposed to be for very thin strip making... something I assure you will come in extra handy... you´ll soon be able to not ever look at evergreen stuff again

the shells looks very good... tho a bottom small disc for that extra detail will be a good idea...if needed...

merry belated Christmas doc and a happy new year

Viktor von Domm wrote:that set of blade looks very good... in fact I had my eye on none of these sets for quite a long time too... the ones with the plastic apparatus in black around the blades...far left and far right at the bottom of the pic is supposed to be for very thin strip making... something I assure you will come in extra handy... you´ll soon be able to not ever look at evergreen stuff again

Cool. Good to know. I will definitely find a use for everything.

merry belated Christmas doc and a happy new year

Ta. Same to you dude.

shasolenzabi wrote:Steel rounds for AP

dsteingass wrote:It looks EXACTLY like a shell!

the shells looks very good... tho a bottom small disc for that extra detail will be a good idea...if needed...

Good good. I will continue onwards now that they have been OKed (I had actually already made more shells anyway, but it's nice to know that they look the part).

I have tried making the dispenser for the shells today, but I'm not feeling it. So I will try again...

Shell looks great, your patience for carving these out is amazing. Again just like the hut, you show infinate patience to detail.

Oh and congrats on the catergory win, great result, great model. For once I did not even get a mention. Was a very good competition.

Talking of comps!!!!

 Camkierhi wrote:
Shell looks great, your patience for carving these out is amazing. Again just like the hut, you show infinate patience to detail.

The carving of the tips were actually really quick and easy, using round sprue helped. Get a point and then sand it smooth...done. It's a bit more time consuming wrapping paper neatly round each one, but worth it.
Thanks.

To think that I considered (before I started) somehow casting up the full 120 shells and then building a rack for them inside the tank.
There's no way it would fit...

Oh and congrats on the catergory win, great result, great model. For once I did not even get a mention. Was a very good competition.

Thanks.
It was a very close competition at every level. I get the feeling that it was only a few points or brush-strokes for any piece to have taken a prize over another.

Talking of comps!!!!

Indeed, talking of competitions; Everyone pay attention,
If you haven't noticed yet, the next round of the -=I_=-eague terrain competition is soon to start (run by Camkierhi, so that's another competition he can't win ).

You can find the thread via the link in my sig' (it's the one that says "Terrain Competition" )

I will however have to sit this one out (which therefore gives the rest of you a better chance of winning ) as I don't really have the space to keep building terrain pieces
I also don't have the space to work on another project on my modelling board with the tank and some commission pieces (which really need some more attention ).

Also, Beebopdrums2424 is also running a competition to paint a simple guardsman. So check that out too, there's still time to compete.

So many comps these days. Happy holidays.

Happy New Year.

happy new year doc!

happy new year man hope you come up with more crazy conversions and toilets to inspire this year coming up

cormadepanda wrote:So many comps these days. Happy holidays.

You're not wrong. It seems that it would be possible to do nothing but competitions constantly.
I need some down time between competitions to relax a bit. I do keep my eye on the various competitions running and I may dip into more in the future, if the timing's right.
I also just don't have the space for too many projects on the go at once. The individual pieces of the current tank I'm working on don't all fit in my working space all at once and I have next to zero space to put things aside. So, for now, I have to do one or two things at a time.

Cam, Vik and Bama: Thanks and a Happy new year to you.

Happy New Year everyone!
May 2014 bring you nice things and happy times.
I will certainly continue to bring you many more mad, crazy, weird, wonderful (hopefully) and unexpected things.

On that note:
I'm now happier with where the ammo dispenser is going and I have something to show for it...
Top pic' is the first, aborted, attempt. Just wasn't feeling it and I wanted something more... sci fi...
So the other pictures show you the early makings of the new dispenser. I'm aiming for it to end up looking like a serpentine channel. So it will get a little bulking up on the sides and will look all nice and curvy, like.

The bottom picture is a scale shot of the shells and to show what the dispenser looks like on the inside.


Thoughts?

Shells and dispenser look great.

Might I suggest (though maybe late, unless you are planning on more shells), instead of carving the sprue, fixing a length of round sprue to a power drill and turning it - at relatively low speed - against a sanding block to shape it? And lightly pressing against one of those blades while turning, lathe wise, would serve for carving the dents.

Speaking of which, maybe adding a second groove near the bottom of the casing? That could help with the workings of an auto-loader and/or case extractor, if it were a concern...

Cheers, and happy new year to you too.

I like the progress dr. I enjoy the dispenser a lot.

Littletower wrote:Shells and dispenser look great.

Might I suggest (though maybe late, unless you are planning on more shells), instead of carving the sprue, fixing a length of round sprue to a power drill and turning it - at relatively low speed - against a sanding block to shape it? And lightly pressing against one of those blades while turning, lathe wise, would serve for carving the dents.

Speaking of which, maybe adding a second groove near the bottom of the casing? That could help with the workings of an auto-loader and/or case extractor, if it were a concern...

Cheers, and happy new year to you too.

Thanks LT.
Yeah, that would work well, good idea.
I carved about 12 of them and have only wrapped these 5. Some of the others will find a use in the turret. (when I get there)
I'll do something with the bottom end on any shells that it will be visible for.

I should probably do an empty one or two as well...

cormadepanda wrote:I like the progress dr. I enjoy the dispenser a lot.

Cool. Thanks Panda.

Love the dispenser. You have given me the bug, off to have an itch.

And I have used Littletowers suggestion in the past and it works pretty well, about the only thing is you need stiff stock material, if it's too flexible it can flick around on you. I used the acrylic rod as opposed to the styrene when I did it. Just for future reference, if you want to do another 1000 rounds say.

Looking great here though, your rounds look spot on.

Are you taking orders for crates/bogs still?

 Camkierhi wrote:
Love the dispenser. You have given me the bug, off to have an itch.

Good good.
Thanks. There's much more to do on it and that will hopefully make it even better.

And I have used Littletowers suggestion in the past and it works pretty well, about the only thing is you need stiff stock material, if it's too flexible it can flick around on you. I used the acrylic rod as opposed to the styrene when I did it. Just for future reference, if you want to do another 1000 rounds say.

Looking great here though, your rounds look spot on.

Good to know, makes sense.
Thanks again.

Are you taking orders for crates/bogs still?

I am indeed. Plenty still in stock.

I think with that amo dispenser look you went the 40k look just right....

Thanks Vik. Glad you think so.
Hopefully it will look even more so once I've added the surface details.
That comes next, because I've finished the body of the dispenser...

The last two shells are both visible, so I had to add bottom ends to them both.
Just a piece of plastic, glued on, sanded to shape, drill the dimple for the hammer and painted on the ring as I couldn't carve it (I did try).

So, as I said, surface details to be added to it and then that's done.

I now have to start thinking about other sections of the tank...
I can't do the spare ammo for the sponson weapon(s), until I know what form they will take. Which needs the sponsons built first...
I will also need to plan, at least, the removal of the exhaust from the outside of the tank before I can plan the sponsons...
Also need to fill the gaps that the removal of the interior doors left...
I still have the inside of the front and roof of the tank before I can add the final details to the interior...
I need to re-build the front plate of the tank (with it's hatch) before I can do the inside of it...

I can't finish the gunner until his surroundings have been finished, and that needs...
The spare ammo placed...
The sides of the tank attached to the floor of the tank (with added plates beneath the console legs)...
The roof above him detailed (as he may be reaching up to something up there)...
And that needs the roof of the tank extended up so that the gunner actually fits in...

Once that's all together, I can then finish the last details of the inside (that's wires and cables...) and probably paint it before closing the hull and starting on the outside...

I think that's all. Much planning ahead

Thoughts, Ideas, suggestions welcome.

I have a quite troublesome question... have you thought about a RL lightsource inside the tank? there will be so much cool work gone to waste if it wont be seen... of course removable top option aside...

and then... since there is a nid gunner... wouldn´t a nid turret be a good choice too?... sort of a new take on the automated working turret?...

the shells looks really good by the way... very convincing... we went with the family for a little scavenging walk... and we found lots of spent 9mm shells... blank cartridges...and I can now rightfully assure, you did an astonishing well done job on these!

and the dispenser looks the part in each minuscule bit too... something you could think of for a new casting project too

 Viktor von Domm wrote:
I have a quite troublesome question... have you thought about a RL lightsource inside the tank? there will be so much cool work gone to waste if it wont be seen... of course removable top option aside...

It's an interesting thought.
It would be tricky, but not impossible, because I would have to fit all the workings (well switch and battery) into the side pieces of the tank.
For now, I will say; no. But I will review it when I have finished the interior and we can see what the visibility is like without a light and I can still add one before sticking the roof on.

and then... since there is a nid gunner... wouldn´t a nid turret be a good choice too?... sort of a new take on the automated working turret?...

Also an interesting thought. But that does take the tank away from being a recognisable Predator.
Also, if the turret is alive, there's no need for a gunner...
And, from the whole kit, I like the Predator turret the most. But I do have an interesting idea for making it a little WWII in it's looks that you may or may not like...
I will save that idea for the future though. A living turret of some kind...

the shells looks really good by the way... very convincing... we went with the family for a little scavenging walk... and we found lots of spent 9mm shells... blank cartridges...and I can now rightfully assure, you did an astonishing well done job on these!

Thanks. I'm only working from images, so it's good to know.

and the dispenser looks the part in each minuscule bit too... something you could think of for a new casting project too

Oh, really... I'll add it to the list and make a better version (there's quite a few things that need fixing on this one and it'll need to be in parts to cast) on my next casting adventure.

yeah... a plan to assemble casted bits for the dispenser would be the best option

as for the other points... I totally agree... this makes no real sense then... and the turrets of the predator are indeed a very good looking part of the tank...

but since you like the ideas I am very glad you will use them for later projects ^^

Yep, added to the list and highlighted as something to try soon together with the sinks (I should get around to them before Dave goes elsewhere... ).

but since you like the ideas I am very glad you will use them for later projects

I'm forever adding ideas to my list of future ideas (which is approaching it's fourth page...) and I've only ticked one thing off the list since I started making it (the living Auspex). So many ideas, so little time...

So many ideas, so little time...

what a perfect epitaph

Your sponson ammo is dependant on the weapon, are you intending to have the weapons swappable? And what about using Vik's excellent idea on the sponsons, Nid acid sprayers instead of flamers. And the gunner being a nid would have a "hive"link to the sponsons! Then you would not require to invade the interior with ammo racks. Just thinking out load.

 Camkierhi wrote:
Your sponson ammo is dependant on the weapon, are you intending to have the weapons swappable? And what about using Vik's excellent idea on the sponsons, Nid acid sprayers instead of flamers. And the gunner being a nid would have a "hive"link to the sponsons! Then you would not require to invade the interior with ammo racks. Just thinking out load.

but ammo racks are the best!

That ammo rack is simply outstanding! you are a very clever little Dr aren't you! :-)