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Ian McQue Inspired Flying Rig


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Looking great! Think the front cab could look very cool with some louvres/grilles over the front windscreens, might make it look a little less like a  HEMTT

austin-rover-metro-autoplas-rear_360_b62
Like this, but on the front windows, and looking a lot cooler than a metro :D



Ive also found a new artist to follow thanks to this thread, he has some really cool art style and unique designs. some of his artwork for Mortal Engines gets me tempted to do a steampunk airship scratchbuild.

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  • 2 months later...

Ok...it's been a while. Sorry 'bout that. I haven't been at the bench as often as I'd like. I’ve developed a bit of tendonitis in my hand from work and haven’t been able to put the hours in.

 

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The top round radar shroud (?) was made from two Tamiya Flakvierling 38 fenders glued together and a styrene disc to fill the hole in the center. It sits in the recess where a hatch was meant to go.

 

I added a rolled steel texture to the lower half of the ship using Tamiya putty thinned with a bit of acetone. I also scribed some flame cut marks into the edges of the styrene and scribed a groove that I hope to add some weld beads to. My hope is it will help to give a rough hewn look and up the McQue factor a bit.

 

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You can also see that I drilled some small holes below where the cab will be for some ladder rungs. I'm still undecided if they'll make the cut.

 

Here you can see I've added more details to the lower hull. The electrical lines are solid-core wires meant for electronics bread-boarding. They're stuck down with superglue and a small bits of aluminum tape.

 

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Next up are the two front stabilizers on the bottom of the ship. This was one of those magic scratch building moments, where I agonized for weeks time about how I was going to make these and then today I pulled some parts from 4 different kits and they all fit perfectly. These came together in a few minutes.

 

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(I probably should fill those ejector pin marks...)

 

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Here they are in place:

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that's all for now. Thanks for looking in. :beer:

 

 

Edited by Photon
OCD
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6 hours ago, Photon said:

I pulled some parts from 4 different kits and they all fit perfectly.

It always amazes me how that happens. Welcome back, I hope the hand continues to recover. It is looking really good.

I like the idea of using the fenders. I may have to steal that one! Oh, and yes to the ladder rungs under the cab door.

Pete

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This thing is very pretty in a clunky chunky kind of way.

I really like how it all ties together. The HEMTT cab looks just right perched up there.

(I saw a couple of those on the road just the other day. Must be National Guard weekend.)

 

Some rust, crud and battered paint will be just the thing to finish it all off with.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yes, my hand is feeling much better. Thanks!

I’ve not worked on this since my last post except to start to plan out the paint job. Shameful.

have been working on the Nostromo Airlock a bit and should have a update soon. 
But truthfully the main reason is, some kits I had ordered from Japan for a future project finally arrived and I admit that I’ve been mucking around with them instead of focusing on all the outstanding stuff piled everywhere. ADHD is for real, man. 🥺

My projects seem to  start out with an explosion of enthusiasm that gradually tapers off the closer I get to finishing, then it’s all I can do to keep from getting caught up in a new project.
Thanks for the friendly prod. I’m going downstairs right now and putting the new kits in a closet....

 

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  • 1 month later...

Alright.

I finally got some bench time squeezed in on this guy.

First up are the twin loudspeaker horns on the top. I 3D printed them in styrene. They looked really deformed and needed a ton of sanding and filling. They still look a bit catawampus, but I figure if I paint enough rust on them, everything will be okay (modelers mantra). The're glued to a rack made from some kit parts.  I'm thinking of adding a couple of revolving beacons on either side.

 

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The front end of the craft was looking pretty barren. I thought it needed a bit of sci-fi tech to smarten it up. This is supposed to be some kind of infra red camera (I guess?). It came together fairly quickly from an assortment of kit parts.  A bit of white primer to make sure everything's cohesive. The lens is from a bag of polystyrene half domes sold as fake pearls. A bag of 500 in 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, & 12mm sizes was only $4. They glue readily with Tamiya cement. Expect to see them encrusting everything I build, moving forward.

 

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Some more bolt heads (Meng brand) were glued on the lower side. These things are really tiny. I typically lose two for every one that I manage to get attached.

 

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Next up is the front stabilizer. Sheet styrene, more Meng bolt heads, and some kit parts.

 

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I had wanted this to be removable (like the other stabilizers) for easier painting. However, due to the weird angles and the fragility of the parts, it wound up being easier to build it in place (ie. it's glued on). Some really dubious mechanics going on there...don’t look too close.

 

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So we are getting near the homestretch. I think I have what I need to paint and weather this as planned. At least I hope I do, as all the local shops are closed indefinitely.

Thanks for checking in. I hope everyone is well and braving these rather surreal times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Photon
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Love the camera. How about more 'domes' at the sides, rear and top/bottom. Then the driver can have vision all round. 

Just a fixed dome with a ring around it (mounted on a tank wheel?) Maybe just one revolving light top and bottom?

A ladder or step under each door? It's a long way down! Plus grab handles at the rear of the door? Or a way to climb onto the top?

That's something to do with stretched sprue (cheap & easy) it'll fill in a bit more time too.

Stowage baskets on those big rear side panels would visually breakup their size.

Ignore me, it's just stuff that I would do or that I've seen on Ian's drawings, which always inspire me.

I'll get around to one of these one day.

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Thanks, Pete. Those are all great ideas. I am planning to add ladders and handles. I was waiting because they are delicate & I am not...I just recently broke the window on the other side. Now both side windows are missing. I guess it just became a hot summer day in flying truck land.

 

I think adding more camera domes is a good idea. I’ll see what I can knock together.

 

 

 

 

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  • 2 months later...

A quick update. After much trepidation, I finally started painting. I have a ways to go, but so far I am encouraged. This is my first attempt at hairspray chipping and first time using Mission Model paint. So far I am loving both. The mission model paint is so much easier to work with than the Vallejo Model Air that I was using earlier. 

 

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The mottled/distressed finish is just a result of redistributing the paint that was coming off during the chipping process. I love a free lunch. I haven't even started the weathering yet. This is just the base coat. I will be following with the usual oil paint filters and washes.  

 

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More soon...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks, guys


Weathering continues. Here's sneak preview. Hopefully, I'll be done by the weekend. 

 

For these, I basecoated with $3 hardware store spray paint, in this case Rustoleum Satin 'Expresso', which is a nice deep brown color, as you might imagine. 

Hairspray over that, then sprayed white acrylic. Masked with Tamiya tape, then sprayed the red and black. Let the paint dry long enough to clean my airbrush, then started chipping straight away. Again, the streaks are artifacts from the chipping process that I manipulated to look streaky rain marks. The rust is enamel (Light Rust Wash by Ammo/Mig*).  I just dabbed it around bolts etc, then pulled it down with a small flat brush ever so lightly dampened with odorless thinners. 

 

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* amazing product. highly recommended 

Edited by Photon
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