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All looking interesting.

Thanks much, Doc- it's been a productive few weeks for me!

Dont stop then! Good luck, Meer_Cat, You're on the roll!

Still rolling hot, Wirecat- here's an update for the last couple of days:

Missile pods for the Condor are assembled and basecoated (because delivery flyers have missile pods, you know):



These will get dinged up and weathered some, the rockets will get detailed and one pod will have a hot cable wired to the hard point, because the integral arming circuit is bad....

The undelivered cargo crates are base coated and the canopy 'Perspex' is fitted and glued in:



The big bit, completed just tonight, is the landing carriage for the Condor. This was built out a piece at a time (too many weird angles for me to calculate and measure and get it right) and built up into the rack and then the skids were added:







I didn't plan to add the skids at first- but the darn thing was too heavy towards the tail. I tried adding weight (dime coins) into the cockpit itself, but couldn't fit enough weight. So, I added the skids and it worked fine- no extra counter-weight needed. And I like the look better with them.

Because the landing pad is so small, it's clearly intended for VTOL aircraft, which means I need to add a ducted fan under the fuselage aft of the engine housing, to simulate a vertical take off capability. Once at altitude, the jet stream is ducted out the back of the jet pods, instead of down, and the turbofans in front must act as compressors to supercharge the airflow- or something.

Thanks for looking in, your comments, observations and suggestions are always welcome.

More follows soonest!

Looking great Meer_Cat, keep up this amazing turn over of progress if you can, it's fun for the rest of us.

The extra labor you put into the landing gear really paid off .

That is looking seriously nice sir, brilliant work.

Thanks for looking in Cam, Theo, Syro- and for the kind words!

Got a lot of puttering done tonight, little things that lead to bigger things worth showing in pictures. One thing I will share tonight is this:



I used plastic canvas for the 'no-slip' surface on the landing pad, and these are some of the off-cuts/trimmings. I read somewhere here on Dakka about one of you guys (maybe JohnnyHell?) trimming the stubs from plastic canvas to make rivets. I couldn't find my tiny sequins, so I tried it- you can see the addition on the trim strip on the nose of the Condor on the right. Not gorgeous, but actually looks pretty good at a distance of a foot or more. I need to trim them smaller, thinner, so they look more realistic.

Also, it's hard to see, but I left one of the 'rivet strips' intact- didn't cut the stubs off. To me, that looks a fair impression of a belt of bolter or stubber ammunition. I may mess around with something, another scratch-built machine gun, and see what I can do with it.

Started another project tonight- it'll be a 'middle of nowhere' water pumping station when finished. It's a proof-of-concept terrain piece for the pipe sections I've been casting, and lets me use up some more 'precious junk' floating around on my shelves.

Thanks for looking in, more follows soonest.

Meer_Cat,

Interesting idea on the launch pad.

Cheers,

CB

Thanks, Captain! I'm following your HMCS Chilliwack project with great avidity.

Just one quick pic tonight- I've gotten a lot of detail work done over the last couple days and pretty soon will be close enough to final assembly that intermediate pics won't have much point other than to spoil the grand reveal, so here's a general idea of what the finished project will look like:



I do still intend to have a white beacon light mounted on a high mast, an elevator (lift, for my cousins across the sea) for moving personnel and cargo up and down from the pad and red and green landing lights- plus a metric crap-ton of additional detail. Because, as I frequently say, if it's worth doing, IT'S WORTH OVERDOING!

Oh, also finished gluing up the pipes for the desert pumping station and detailing the pump house itself. Found an older Bitspudlo Eldar wannabe Farseer on a jetbike, so I started deflashing that- although it is a fairly clean kit. Other than that, nothing much.

Impressive. Most impressive! Some lifts/raising platforms on the side?

just needs a way up/.down added?

Wirecat, shas, you're both thinking in unison!

Yep, I'm picturing a small, square personnel lift at one end (for those hoighty-toighty pilot types) and a broader, 'shelf' lift on one side (picture the elevator on the side of an aircraft carrier) for cargo. Work ran long today (will all week- I'm on the platform teaching) but I'm hoping to get some work in tonight that will advance the project some.

Thanks for looking in, and for the advice!

Platform looks good and I like the idea for the lifts, especially the hoity toity lift .

I've got some definite ideas on ho the lifts are going to fit on- I need some time to get the platform supports fixed onto the base, so that everything is sturdy first. This has been a tough week, but I should get some time in soon and get this project moving again. I'm only on the platform teaching one day next week- but for two different classes.

Still going to try to have working LED landing lights, too.

I often think about adding lights then think they will barely get used in reality so why bother, just do a little OSL painting and that will do.

I did a lift on a piece a while back and did it by sticking a strip of magnetic stuff up the wall and put some magnets in the platform, performed well and meant you could easily move the platform.

All looking great bud, you really are making some great stuff, lots of inspiration.

Thanks Cam!

With the landing lights, it more to try it out, than I think I will ever use it. But if I learn a bit of soldering (I used to do some, need to re-acquire the skill) and wiring and work the formulas for voltage, resistors and LEDs- I might use them on something else that _does_ need them.

I think I remember your project involving a lift- I may have to rethink my approach to incorporate the magnets so they are more useful for gaming.

So many things to try- so little time!

Thanks for looking in!

The wedding I cleaned up from last night had some strings of micro LED lights that are battery powered. I’ve seen them at HobbyLobby, I think they’d be a great use for scale models.

Platform and craft looking good.

Thank you Theo, Doc!

I'd read an article on using old Christmas light strings for the same effect, and considered going that route. But my Dad was an Interior Communications Electrician in the Navy during the Korean War, I was soldering things together at age 11. So for this one, at least, I'm going to solder my own circuits and see what happens.


Besides, you get 8 billion resistors for a buck, and if you cut the wire leads off, they look remarkably like energy drink cans, Red Bull and the like!

"Let no bit go wasted" The Monks of Eternal Scavenge

More follows soonest. I have another class this week coming, but it is only two days and is mostly office briefs to new chums- very little actual instruction or facilitation from me, so I hope to have some time to get some real work done. I'm at the point where a lot of the sub-assemblies are finished, and the whole big thing is getting ready to emerge from the chaos of my work bench.

Sheesh! Lots of little steps getting done, but not up to major assembly yet. Here's a couple of pics:

This will be the 'office' for the delivery company- obviously inspired by Clanmac's Junktown. Insaniak gave out the company website for the mdf containers and I made the front windows and door from styrene strip. The 'air conditioner' is a casting from Hirst Arts Robot molds. The louvers on the back are Lego shutters purchased on ebay (saw that trick somewhere here on Dakka too):







These next pieces have been fun so far. The mobile welding rig is another kitbash from Hirst Arts Robots mold. The 'jet turbine engine' will be hanging from a chain hoist and is made from:

- the 'squirter' part of a shampoo mechanism (a' la Flinty)
- a water bottle cap
- the trigger safeties from aerosol bug bombs
- styrene cut to be the turbine vanes (as like Klaus, Alaricuk and JohnnyHell, just not as precise)
- a pony supplement paste syringe cap




I'll arrange for some internal integuments to be visible through open maintenance hatch, probably some wires spilling out.

The fun step coming up is breaking out the airbrush to get some base colors on the container office, the Condor flyer and jet engine. Then it's assembly and lots of washes to get the shine off the spray painted grey supports and platform. Going to have to cut a stencil so I can get a landing number painted (and then weathered) onto the platform. I've got elevators to build also. Plus a lot more scatter around to (as Doc H informs us) 'help tell the story'.

I've been collaterally building a piping test piece too- that is now all cast and partly glued up and base painted. Needs Bolt Gun washes and some other weathering and is mostly done. Pictures shortly.

More follows soonest.

Looking good there sir, nice mix of bits and interested to see how you go with the painting.

Liking the “office” looking forward to see what it turns out like with paint on. The mobile welding rig is a great idea too.

Thanks for looking in Cam, Alaricuk!

I got a first layer of paint on the shipping container last night, using the new airbrush. I'm still getting used to it, and how to thin the paint properly, etc, so want to have another go tonight. I'm still puzzling the best way to fasten the 'support pillars' (made from the supplement syringes) to the wooden base- I'm thinking that I'll roughout where everything goes, drill a hole and insert a flathead drywall screw through the bottom, so it sticks up through the base and work a blob of greenstuff around the screw and fit the tube down over it- that should dry out nice and steady! It has to be a strong bond, because there will be a fair amount of superstructure stuck on top....

More follows soonest!

Wonderful mix-n-match recipe here, Meer_Cat. Should be good after paint has brought it all together!

Good work. Nice little container-shack.

 Meer_Cat wrote:
... Plus a lot more scatter around to (as Doc H informs us) 'help tell the story'...

As your doctor I advise you to tell a story.

That shack is nice! can't wait to see it painted up

Good evening all and thank you for looking in- I'm sorry I haven't been as active here lately as I would have liked to have been!

Wirecat wrote:
Wonderful mix-n-match recipe here, Meer_Cat. Should be good after paint has brought it all together!

Thank you Wirecat! I've added some more gewgaws to the turbine engine and it and several other pieces (to include the servitor/mechanic that will be tinkering with it) are lined up ready to spray paint- I just need an unoccupied minute to do so! As Napoleon messaged to Ney- marching away from the battlefield at Quatre Bras to support the Emperor at Waterloo- "ask me for anything except time!"

 Dr H wrote:
Good work. Nice little container-shack.

 Meer_Cat wrote:
... Plus a lot more scatter around to (as Doc H informs us) 'help tell the story'...

As your doctor I advise you to tell a story.

Thanks Doc! And I _always_ follow doctor's orders!

 shasolenzabi wrote:
That shack is nice! can't wait to see it painted up

Thanks Shas! It's good to have you stop in and comment, and good to see you back on the boards generally- you've got some great stuff going on.

Here is a shot (using my phone, I forgot my little camera at the farm this past weekend) of a project that I've been running concurrently with the flying pad/delivery service build. I'd normally have waited to post anything until I had more to show of the whole project, but I am _very_ pleased with how these pipes came out, so wanted to share with you all.

The pipes themselves are cast from dental plaster using Hirst Arts mold #320. They are for a small project that I think I've mentioned here before of a 'desert pumping station'. The project is a platform for learning things about using my airbrush, and wow! what a difference from the techniques I regularly use with brushes!

I primered these white and then basecoated them with copper (the same craft store, $1 a bottle copper I used in the LOER competition a few months ago- just needed liberal amounts of flow-enhancer). The airbrush applied the coat much more smoothly, thinner and more sparingly of paint than I could have done with a brush. I then airbrushed on a very dark grey (craft paint again) at all the joins and flanges to form the base of the corrosion/oxidation look I wanted. I then airbrushed the dark turqouis-ish green-blue onto the dark flat grey, but lighter and lesser. Last, I drybrushed an even lighter shade of blue-green base turquois to act as highlights. Like I said, I'm extremely pleased with how it came out, but it is well known that I am a) biased and b) half-blind. What do you guys think?



More follows soonest- the desert pumping station is almost ready to start gluing things down to the base board!

Those are sweet looking pipes, some light colored like a green/gray for verdigris may be called for depending on how old the pipes are supposed to be in your terrain. Just an idea is all.

I think you're right Shas- too much bright, shiny copper showing through.

I hit the main pipe lengths with another coat of dark grey, then a coat of the turquois using the airbrush, to tone down the shine some. I didn't airbrush on the lightest color turquois so that the oxidation at the joints would stand out more.

Here's new pics (apologies for the lighting):







The pipes are tacked into place on their base, which is granite flecked grey with weathering dirt rubbed in on top and they are in pretty much the final layout arrangment. Really, the only piece I plan to add is the pump shed itself, with its satellite uplink.

Thoughts? Constructive criticism greatly appreciated.