Non-railway modelling

[saxokid]

Been making more Tamiya tanks on lockdown again such great fun...

[saxokid]

Few more update pics of same tank destroyer ..

with secondhand colours now added to this one ..

[saxokid]

Been adding three tone rust effects to tank exhaust stacks..

[saxokid]

Few more pictures now with weathering and battle scars too..

[saxokid]

Been adding battle scars to this tank destroyer after looking over wartime photos..

[Barry Ten]

Any guidance on how tracks were fixed to the hull? I've got some left over from the KV-1 and thought they'd look good glued in place.

[saxokid]

Heres my latest ww2 german tank build with camo paint finish..

stil alot more to cover on this ...

[Barry Ten]

On 02/09/2020 at 17:58, Tony_S said:

These are not super detailed models as they have to survive crashes. The Matra and Audi were body kits with chassis assembled to fit. The Oreca was painted but had bits missing so they had to be made from plasticard and filler.

The chassis was for a 1950s Ford Fairlane. 

Tony

 

I remembered this post as I've been doing some digital conversions to some of my older Scalextric cars, and finding it very satisfying to get them running again.

 

I had a lot of Scalextric stuff as a kid, all from the 60s and 70s, then a few cars I bought on a whim in the early 90s (two Le Mans cars and an F1 Ferrari) and then there was another hiatus until i bought a complete digital set about ten years ago. Only this year have I started converting the older cars to run on the new circuit, as well as refurbishing some of my better "Classic" track pieces to link into the newer Sports pieces.

 

I found the digital conversions fairly easy provided there's enough room in the car, as the wiring is straightforward and basically analogous to hardwiring a DCC decoder into a loco. For the one F1 car I've done so, I had to cut a slot in the base plate to make room for the chip. I had a lot more trouble with inter-compatibility of the pickup guides as some of my older cars - the 90s ones - had the blue plastic guides which don't work with the detection spots in the digital track. They need to be changed for black ones, but the units supplied with the digital chips were all the wrong type so I had to order some longer-stem ones from ebay. All the cars I've converted now work with the digital lane changers and lap counters, but there's still the odd issue of the pickup guides that need addressing, mostly it seems when I've reused one of the older black ones from the 70s. Over time it seems that they've slightly changed the depth and length just enough to cause issues with the crossovers, where a car will sometimes jump lane or jam in the "dead frog" bit.

 

The other thing I ran into was that my older cars couldn't get an traction on the newer Sport track, so for a longer fix I've ordered some grippier tyres. However, I was able to sand a bit more adhesion into the older tyres, and then add a spot of weight at the back, and this helps. The newer cars all have magnets. 

 

I've also been ordering decals and replacements bits to cover damage and wear and tear to some of the older models, which should be fun.

[Barry Ten]

This probably counts more as toy restoration than modelling, but here goes anyway.

 

This Scalextric Datsun 260z was a firm favorite when I was a youngster as it ran so well, being notably

smoother and quieter than most of my other cars, and better at cornering than the top-heavy TR7.

 

 

 

The model came in blue plastic with a decal sheet. Unwisely, I just applied the decals and carried on racing with it. It was only after a few crashes that I realised the decals were flaking off and probably would have benefited from sealing. I varnished over those that weren't too bad, and then attempted to touch-up the rest with paint, which didn't work very well. The varnished ones have held up well, which is a good sign.

 

Now that the model's been dusted-off and converted for digital running, I was pleased to be able to find a complete decal sheet from ebay. So the Datsun will now be stripped back to plastic again, re-decaled, and this time given an all-over coat of varnish. I think if you'd told the 14 or 15 year old me that 40-odd years later he'd be able to fix his Datsun by ordering supplies via computer, he'd have been pretty amazed - not least by the fact that the Datsun still existed in the distant future of 2020!

 

The digital bit was easy, by the way, as there's loads of room in a saloon car:

 

 

I used the single-seater chip which is meant for F1 cars and the like but works just as well in larger ones. The wires could be considerably shortened, as well as neatened by removing capacitors, but as there's room enough I didn't bother. Some grippier rear wheels are on the way, but for the time being I re-profiled them on sandpaper, and then added a bit of weight under the rear, and off she goes as good as new. Other than cutting and re-soldering wires, the only alteration to the chassis was the drilling of a small hole for the LED which needs to point down into the track, located between the motor and front axle. I've done six of these conversions now and the placement of the LED doesn't seem all that critical, as they all worked first time.

[Northmoor]

30 minutes ago, Barry Ten said:

So the Datsun will now be stripped back to plastic again, re-decaled, and this time given an all-over coat of varnish. I think if you'd told the 14 or 15 year old me that 40-odd years later he'd be able to fix his Datsun by ordering supplies via computer, he'd have been pretty amazed - not least by the fact that the Datsun still existed in the distant future of 2020!

 

40-odd years ago, you'd have wondered if it was likely you'd see a real Datsun in 30 years, since 37-odd years ago, they started to leave more and more of themselves on your driveway, returning to the earth from which they'd come!

Lovely job anyway.

[Ben B]

 

Daleks!   

 

I love all the military vehicles, boats and things on this thread, built to a very high and impressive standard.  However, I'd like to make clear straight off the bat that I'm an art-photographer who likes to make things, rather than a dedicated model maker, hence why this is more of an experimental shoot with some custom-made and rebuilt models rather than a straight model build. 

 

I'm a massive Dr.Who fan, and the earliest two 'classic' era serials I can remember are "Genesis of the Daleks" and "Remembrance of the Daleks".  Anyway, I had a somewhat stressful meeting this week that's been dominating my thoughts somewhat, and wanted a distraction, and something that wasn't railways too for a change.  Auntie Beeb are having a 'Dalek Day' next week, to celebrate their return for the festive special, so I thought I'd dig out some Dalek models.  It needed to have the minimum of complex model-building for time reasons.

 

 

Some context; about 7 years ago, the BBC ran a short film competition for the Doctor Who website, and I did a stop-motion film with Daleks versus tanks, shot on a beach in Wales in the middle of the night, with real fire effects.  I'd custom-modified some toy Daleks for the vid, including this moneybox rebuilt into a Special Weapons variant.  Fast-forward to Spring 2019, after I'd built the Engine Shed set for a miniatures shoot (for an article in Model Rail), I decided to do another Dalek shoot before I dismantled it all as I wanted to try some of the smoke effects and lighting tricks from the train shoot, in another context.  The Daleks were repainted into 60's-style silver and blue to increase reflections, and modified slightly.  It was a pretty fun shoot to do, but I had to dismantle the set before I could do too many pics, and I wasn't happy with some of the after-effects and edits like the lens flares.

 

 

So, this weeks shoot then; I had little time, less money, so it seemed like a good tribute to 80's Doctor Who already...  A quick hunt on eBay turned up this broken Radio Controlled Dalek, spares or repairs.  It was the black variant from the Season 2 finale, and missing loads of parts, but I was able to do a bit of a refurbishment and a rebuild to patch up the damage.  I also repainted it into classic 80's Supreme Dalek colours for a bit of variety, but toned-down somewhat so where "Remembrance" had bright silver, mine was done in gunmetal (Citadel acrylics) with blue and orange highlights here and there.  I also weathered it; the battered Dalek in "Dalek" (series 1) looked a lot better to me before it was glossed-up for the second half of the episode.  The replacement eye is a small LED torch, which is kind of a nod to the 70's-era command Dalek from the Pertwee era that had a torch for an eye.  After painting, I hit it with gloss spray varnish, to increase the reflections for the photographs.  The arm and gun needed rebuilding, but I didn't have time or parts to hand.

 

 

Quick test with my beloved radio controlled Bronze Dalek; my first Christmas present after leaving home for Uni.  Who's too old for toys for Christmas?

 

 

For the shoot, I was stuck working indoors as I didn't think the local constabulary would be happy about me going out on a night-time location shoot in the present lockdown.  I wanted to recreate some of the atmosphere of the Dalek boarding-action against the space station in "Resurrection of the Daleks" or the Starship Aristotle in "Into the Dalek".  And yeah, dutch-angles ahoy, though that was partly because of the size of the Daleks and the limited shooting angles of the sets.  Reading up on the various camera tricks used in the episodes, Daleks look most powerful when backlit and shot from low-down, so that's what I'd mainly be going for here.

 

 

Long exposure shot, with an attempt at incoming weapons fire, just trying the idea out.  It's a string of Christmas lights taped to some brass channel.  Didn't quite work in the limited confines of this set.

 

 

The set; it needed to look like a generic Sci-Fi corridor.  The floor is some Scalextric track from a pile of odds and ends, the hatchway is ply and MDF, and the pipes (to provide a bit of relief detail) are a flexi-hose spare from a tumble drier, and some cable trunking offcuts.  The grilled walls and ceiling were to let through steam and light for the shots, but also following on from design cues mentioned in the behind-the-scenes bits of Red Dwarf, where they used packing crates to create odd shadows and lighting, and improved texture.  The lights floor and ceiling were picked up from B&M for another build, but suited the scene here.  The flashing lights above the door are from a Playmobil lorry.

 

 

Improvisation for the shoot- yes, the corridor is indeed a laundry basket.  I did say I was tight for time and budget!  4 usb-powered humidifiers, some bike lights, an LED desklamp, and some other torches to supplement the on-set lighting.  The complication here was that I couldn't repaint or modify the basket, so everything had to be temporary and removable.

 

 

Overall, it turned into an entertaining and distracting little shoot, and it did the job it needed to do, distracting me from the awful, awful meeting, though I had to be careful the lighting and steam effects didn't make it look like an episode of Live at the Apollo presented by a Dalek.  I want to do more shoots with the Dalek models, perhaps resurrecting my rebuilt Special Weapons variant, maybe returning to a night shoot out somewhere with fire effects and things.

 

 

Final shoot; a lot of the BBC promotional images for the upcoming festive special are shot in daylight, with swirling clouds of steam.  Only one of the humidifiers was battery powered and portable, but it was a nice sky this morning, so after the school run I strolled out to the woods to try something.

 

[Barry Ten]

Fantastic Daleks, and very effectively shot.

[Barry Ten]

I've been doing some repair work on this Brixham Trawler which used to belong to my late dad.

 

 

By the time it came into my possession it was in a sorry state, with a snapped main mast and another broken spar at the rear, as well as various bits loose. I seem to remember it got sat on or knocked off a shelf. I must admit it's taken me a long time to fix as I couldn't work out a way of repairing the main mast without undoing the rigging ... which I didn't fancy! In the end I bit the bullet, did a sketch of the rigging, then started snipping ... but as it happened, I only needed to cut one thread in order to free the mast sufficiently. I drilled into both halves, inserted a metal stiffening rod, then fixed it all back together with araldite - surprisingly easy once I'd taken the plunge. I repaired the broken spar similarly. The loose thread at the front had a hook on it which attaches to the front of the hull, but it''ll be over-tensioned that way so my wife's going to redo it but a bit slacker, so the mast isn't strained. Some of the rigging was unglued temporarily, so will be put back once the boat's been cleaned.

 

A very satisfying repair job, after such a long procrastination.

 

 

 

Edited December 18, 2020 by Barry Ten
grammar

[Barry Ten]

Here's another Scalextric refurbishment project:

 

 

This UOP Shadow was bought in 1979 and while a very simple model, was always one I liked.

 

Over the years it had lost its airscoop so I was pleased to be able to find a perfect replacement from Roger Barker Slots & Toys. The car also had a split pinion gear which was replaced from a batch of new ones I ordered a year ago.  Finally, it had no grip on the newer type of Scalextric track so the rear tyres were replaced by new grippier versions. The resulting performance was excellent, with no need for additional weighs or magnatraction.

 

 

The digital conversion was slightly trickier than the others I've done as there is no floor plan for this type of model, and not much room in the side-pods.  I squeezed the chip in next to the motor, securing it with a double-sided sticky pad. An LED needs to be arranged pointing down at the track, so I made a cross-member from black plastic card and fixed it into place, with a hole pre-drilled for the LED. Testing showed that the car was correctly detected by the track, with lap counting and lane changers all working properly. Result!

 

I'll source some replacement decals at some point as the ones on the car a bit scruffy, and it's missing a number from one side.

Edited December 19, 2020 by Barry Ten

[sir douglas]

about 5 hours ago the Eduard factory has been hit by fire, nothing is known yet about severity or cause

 

dont need to log in to see the photos

https://www.facebook.com/ModelarMagazine/photos/pcb.3867241836660578/3867241246660637

[sir douglas]

a little bit more, it was the adjoining storage warehouse no the factory, so their products may go out of stock for a while but production hasnt been affected

Edited December 20, 2020 by sir douglas

[johndon]

My current, non railway, modelling projects, USS Iowa in 1/200 scale and USS Enterprise in 1/350 scale.

 

 

[Barry Ten]

That Iowa is enormous!

[johndon]

23 minutes ago, Barry Ten said:

That Iowa is enormous!

 

I used to think the Enterprise was a monster of a kit until I got the Iowa. The 1/200 scale bug has bitten now and the Iowa has now been joined by the Hood and the Hornet.  If Trumpeter ever had the audacity to do the Enterprise in 1/200, my wallet would be in big trouble...

 

[Barry Ten]

I wonder if it's a function of models that the longer we live with them, the smaller they get. The Nimitz seemed huge to me when I opened the box, and pretty big when I was building it. But by the time it was finished and in my office, it seemed to have shrunk to just "quite big".

[johndon]

You could be right, my late wife bought me the Enterprise for my birthday over 20 years ago and, other than gluing the hull together, I'd done nothing with it until last week when I suddenly got the urge to put the island together.  Picking the whole ship up (having worked on the Iowa for a couple of months), it suddenly felt rather 'small'...

[johndon]

Insomnia and four hours of work and swearing has seen the aft crane pretty much built and painted, a couple of touchups needed...

 

[railroadbill]

In May 2018 there was an exhibition of various props, scripts, cameras, stills and clips from Stanley Kubrick's films, held at the Design Museum in Holland Park London. Very popular, a long queue to get in but it was worth it as it was very well curated. Just sorting  through some  pictures and I came across these I'd taken at the exhibition. They are all from the 2001: a Space Odyssey display.

 

 

This is the Moon shuttle that Floyd and other scientists use to reach the monolith excavation site.

The sets and most props were destroyed after filming and this is a same sized reproduction made in a Los Angeles workshop. It's about 4ft long.

 

 

 

[railroadbill]

 

The Pan Am Orion III space plane (queue Blue Danube Waltz).  Again this is a reproduction of the original prop.

 

 

As the label says it's 44" long and described as "studio scale".

 

 

 

[railroadbill]

 

Discovery on it's way to Jupiter...  as this was hanging from the roof it's hard to say how big it is but perhaps 4 or 5 ft long.

 

 

"Open the pod doors  HAL!"