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Hi all, quite recently Airfix Model World asked me to build something a bit 'left of field' to add more of a sci-fi/fantasy theme to the magazine and then sent me this little gem. It's the 2016 issue of the Hasegawa Vanship (with steam torpedo) from the Japanese anime series Last Exile. I'll be doing more along the same vein in the near future and must say it made a refreshing change from all the aircraft and ships....

 

Here's a review of the kit from this very site.

 

Vanship with steam torpedo review

 

 

A great little kit with bags of character, sort of Steam Punk trike meets 1930's Auburn Speedster. The mouldings and fit were superb as is to be expected of Hasegawa though it was still fun to spice it up a bit. The original 2012 packaging came with the Vespa as a separate vehicle as well as a nice diagram depicting a servicing scene with bonnet open and all the engine paraphernalia on show  however with this re-issue you get a resin steam torpedo as well as pilot and navi crew and an updated decal sheet  instead. As I had the original diagram I thought I'd do something a little different and open up the bonnet on one side and scratch-build the inner workings. Various kits and lead wire, brass rod, plastic tubing, etc were harmed in the making of this area of the kit though the 'engine block' itself was a large piece of scrap resin shaped to fit onto which everything else was attached. I also added  a few little extras like reflective lenses, acetate windscreens, detailed airbrake interior parts, wooden flooring, PE bodywork panelling and portholes, scratch-built instrument panels, replacement resin seats and cloth seat harnesses....

 

Airbrushed using various Alclad metallics along with a few of their Hotmetal lacquers and AK Xtreme Metals enamel paints, Gunze acrylics for the interior and Abteilung 502 oil washes to weather.

 

 

The diagram that came with the original issue....

 

 

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Hopefully Hasegawa will release more Vanships from the series....All in all good fun, hope you like it.

 

Cheers :cheers:

 

Melchie

 

 

 

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And finally a bit of fantasy bloom and sheen....

 

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Thanks chaps glad you like it, certainly a lot of fun, might well go for a full servicing diorama at some point.

 

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I wish there was a large scale vanship out there.

 

Pete, must agree, a 1/32nd or 1/24th Vanship would be a LOT of fun.......now if they could see their way to producing a 1/72nd Turan Transport Vanship or Claimh Solais class Battleship then I'd be first in line !

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Incredible scratch-build of the engine! Great work! I may have build another vanship on day, (just not one with the vespa).

4 hours ago, general melchett said:

Pete, must agree, a 1/32nd or 1/24th Vanship would be a LOT of fun.......now if they could see their way to producing a 1/72nd Turan Transport Vanship or Claimh Solais class Battleship then I'd be first in line !

 

1/48 with a complete engine compartment I would build.

Edited by Kuro Nezumi
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amazing model - I have never seen anything like this before so its quite a shock to my old circuitry when something different like this pops up in plastic

 

very nice work  -  very convincing

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3 hours ago, Head in the clouds. said:

mind you that little tail wheel looks like it will rattle like a shopping trolley at anything over 1mph!

Unless they borrowed it from a Skyraider.

They always look odd on those.

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Thanks for the kind comments chaps, really appreciated. 

 

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that little tail wheel looks like it will rattle like a shopping trolley at anything over 1mph!

 

Got to agree there, I think the idea was that the contraption would be airborne before the ''Nikola Tesco-Shopping Trolley' phenomenon could take effect.....

 

Cheers Munch, glad you liked the article, Will it appeared in April's issue, (one with the red Jet Provost on the cover) so maybe you haven't got it quite yet....

 

 

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Can't stop thinking about this model.  Checked it out on Amazon and seen the little Vespa too - love the looks of these designs. In fact I have liked the looks of this so much that you have inspired me to check out the anime!  About to start episode 1 of 26 right now. 

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Thanks TCS glad to have been of some help, there really are some wonderful creations out there...the Vanship designs alone provide plenty of variety for modelling particularly when it comes to dioramas, I can see a few more making their way onto the work bench in the future and maybe some scratch-builds too.

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19 hours ago, general melchett said:

Will it appeared in April's issue, (one with the red Jet Provost on the cover) so maybe you haven't got it quite yet....

 

Ah cool, I think the last one I saw was March (with the Swordfish) Glad I haven't missed it!

 

W

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