Reminiscing on time spent at south station

[Stickframe]

Hello gents, 
 

Off on a new project.  It has a few build requirements:  It will try and stick with the spirit of the concept as it moves along (this will make more sense as you keep reading);  It will rely to the greatest extent possible on kits from the stash!  No new kits! maybe new materials, glue and paint;  and, well guys, it might be a bit odd when it's done.

 

So, on we go.  

 

The following few character images show the basic concept of this project - in three graphic chapters:

 

ahhh, "Misty watercolor memories.....Of the way we were" 🤨  (B Streisand)

 

 

uhhh???? what the heck???  "Because something is happening, But ya' don't know what it is, Do you, Mister Jones?".....(B. Dylan) btw groovy graphic assembled in...PowerPoint! used their Design Ideas tool!)

(Note the center image - looks like a tracked lowboy with a shelter atop)

 

 

And, our story - a guy reminiscing on being sent out to the south station - for some time, and what it was like out there.   About this graphic....yeah - I tried... it's made with PowerPoint and Photoscape X - not exactly Photoshop!

 

This will require a leap of faith by all involved - including me! 

 

I saw a project in the Sci Fi section where someone is building a pretty cool Ian McQue concept air ship.  I really like McQue's work, and you can see some of it above.  I'm mostly a ground ship kind of guy though, so I did several searches of his work and found a few ground based vessels that move on tracks, and some peculiar buildings.   So, for this project we have an OshKosh Global HET A1 (the high mobility version of the M1070)  and trailer, converted to a halftrack, camped out for a while at south station.  

 

At this point, well, I can't and won't guarantee the dio will look "just like" this - but, it is planned to "feel" like it when we're done.    I just don't know as of right now where this will go, but, I've already jumped right in, starting with the truck:

 

 

This is the OshKosh M1070 Heavy Equipment Transporter (HET), an 8x8 truck (Hobby Boss kit).   I have gone ahead and begun converting it into the Global HET A1, a 6x6 version (upper pics).  There are similarities and many differences between the two - and above you can see the big difference is in the rear axle configuration.  I like the look of the Global HET - If I just had some of those fat, high flotation tires!!   This required some head scratching to design and build.

 

So, lots of changes - the chassis is shortened in the rear and will be stretched in the front, all the tabs, bolts, rivets cut off and as you can see above, some carefully cut off and reused, and suspension attached.  I made operable, and not just adjustable steering.   It also needs an all new hood/bonnet, which will be a difficult task - the Global HET has a less angular design than the M1070, which has a variety of odd shapes and compound curves.....perfect.  

 

And:

 

As this project is in the realm of sci fi, a half track is simply required!! 

 

Hence the reason for making this the 6x6 version - the two drive axles now serve as power for two final drive sprockets (off-set by planetary gear transfer cases), on independent bogeys!  I don't want this to look like a simple toy - it needs to at least demonstrate convincing realism.  Therefore, into the realm of mechanized agriculture and some homework!  It turns out lots of tractors are both four wheel drive (which this would in effect be as there are two drive axles) and use tracks - very interesting stuff - and good and, well, strange looking!   I discovered this can be done in two broad ways.  On the upper left, you can see a fixed rail track system, which is essentially bolted to the tractor via a pivoting hardbar and final drives.   Nice! except, my fancy HET has air ride suspension, and the hardbar set up would prohibit flex, or result in heavy torque twist.  Or, look for a way to keep the "wheels/bogeys"  independent. 

 

So, I set up a system with two independent bogeys, connected via tensioner at each axle - like on the rail of a tracked dozer!  as shown in the sketch, and in concept on the two studies above.  As this is being built only using parts from the stash, I have a couple of the Oroshi Bradley M3A3 kits - so, I'm using those idlers/roadwheels, final drives and metal tracks.  Among the challenges here is using the parts I have in a way that appears to function as sold.  As such, the final drives need to be elevated above the rollers, so both can rotate and allow a track to convincingly be drawn over them.   This required several visual tests before I settled on an approach:

 

In brief, the bogeys are symmetrical left/right, but asymmetrical front/rear.  The bogey "carrier" is .040" styrene.  You can see, the road wheels are spaced equidistantly from the axle centerline (me guessing that's a good way to evenly distribute weight), while the final drives are off-set for clearance.  The final drives are set up using the Orochi parts as intended, with some cutting.  The idlers and road wheels attached via a remarkably tedious process of cutting and assembling telescoping lengths of alu tubing....good fun.

 

And above, dry fit - not exactly an "instant" half track!  If you look carefully, you can see a tensioner and shock absorber mounted between the bogeys, which will allow them to rotate independently of one another and up and down with the axle, while the final drives stay in fixed position, attached to the axle. 

 

And - that's where we are.  Next will be addressing the front body work.  I'm not looking forward to this task!  Then, onto the HET trailer (which is very big even in 1/35) and what ever sort of "shelter" for it.  I have a remnant 1/32 scale box van that has some nice panels, and an ICM ZIL 131 emergency truck bed/shelter, which I plan to bash together into something appropriately mysterious and dieselpunkesque - we'll see!  

 

And of course, ground plane, buildings, debris and figures - a long way to go.

 

Thanks for having a look - 

Cheers

 

Nick  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 4, 2021 by Stickframe
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[Pete in Lincs]

Well, I've been looking at all this on my left goggle screen as I cruise along at low altitude in the Desert ski fitted microlight.

I'm down near the Southern (Non irradiated) edge of the ranch. Looking for errant Mutacattle that may be nesting deep down here away from the herd.

Weird? Well this build all looks perfectly normal to me.

 

Nick, I love it all. I'll lay in supplies and watch from a discreet distance. (McQue can be catching, but I think I'm already infected).

I have a Revell Fuchs 6x6 in the stash and a 'Toon' Tiger tank, and have been wondering about a half track version for a while now.

Four wheels at the front, tracks at the back and a big load deck with ribbed side panels. (And a McQue style load). Just need lots of time!

[silver911]

Well this is certainly a different direction from the F1 dio !

 

My tired brain has not quite grasped where it's going...but count me in Nick

 

Ron

[Stickframe]

Well guys, yes - going back and looking at my intro, I can see how this "might" appear to some to be a bit out there....and, yes, it is!   

 

Ron to your point about the F1s - they have a clear history, complete with many photos to illustrate how they were/are built for all of us to see - so, the order of the day is to maintain some degree of authenticity.  For this though, another story - but, I certainly hope to include some bits from those cars - the braided hoses and anodized fittings, special brackets, linkages and so on - why not??  I'm glad to know you're willing to see where this goes! 😀  If not, it could be a pretty lonely build! 

 

And yes, Pete, we received a report about a strange, unauthorized craft skulking around the edges!  It was clearly visible from tower 12A!  That must have been you!  Your Freighter build might have been a key catalyst for me to jump into this.  I really enjoy scratch building, and as long as this is in the realm of sci fi, there is a lot of latitude for "why not?" build elements, using all sorts of base materials (like on your Fuchs idea!) - on vehicles, buildings, ground plane and figures.  You can keep me honest along the way  - if it looks bad, let me know!  😁    An interesting attribute of McQue's work is his color palette - seems the colors are very rich/saturated, but also, distinctly weathered and tarnished.  Funny enough, on one of his images the "vehicle"  sure appears to be painted in the Gulf Racing color scheme!  Maybe the HET receives a tangerine chassis, and zenith blue body...🤨 ??? no, really.....!

 

I think this build will be fun, and I'm looking forward to getting past the relatively pragmatic problem solving on the HET, and into trying my hand at creating respectable interpretations of the concept art.  

 

For now though, that truck - getting the bonnet/hood right has me nervous.   A few builds ago I made a Peterbilt 348 tractor, which has similarly frightening hood - compound curves and all.  It was in 1/24 though, so I could rely a bit on tenacity (to be more clear, bending, forcing, pinning, gluing) over precision to make it work.  I'm just not as confident in how to do the same in 1/35?   We'll find out soon enough tho, as that is my project for today.  

 

Thanks for having a look - enjoy the weekend 

 

Cheers

 

Nick 

 

 

[Stickframe]

Hello gents,

 

Making headway on this, both in terms of actual model progress and concept development.

 

First up, the truck - a simple 3,218 steps, and we have a new hood/bonnet 😁 :

 

Well guys, this is as close as I can get on the updated hood.  In addition to being more aerodynamic (sort of) than that on the M1070, it is larger on the Global HET to house a different engine (see lower center image of comparison).  I didn't even attempt to squeeze in even a dummy engine - it was challenge enough to get the core project to at least look credible.   

 

 

There are more bolts, brackets, and even some cutting to go.  If you go back and look at both sets of images, you'll see the grill on the first collection is different than what's shown on the second - the location on the second is right.  I was thinking about a comment @RichO made on his recent build, about scratching parts and then discovering you didn't build it correctly (in his case because of two sets of images).  In my case, I was lazy and built what I thought would look about right.  Pretty far along, I realized it didn't look right and actually looked at the picture of the prototype!! uhh, yeah.  Even more ridiculous, I originally went though the effort to carefully layout and make the shell (laminated three .040" sheets) and cut out the correct center, rounded corners and all - then just stuck some PE on it...🤦‍♂️  Yeah, good move.....  That simply wouldn't abide, so I peeled the etch off, and cut, filed and cobbled something closer together.  It makes a huge difference in the appearance of this beast.  

 

And today, rather than jumping right back into the truck, I spent some more time thinking about the concept, and made up a couple more image boards:

 

 

 

 

Scale and pattern will be important in this build.  The idea is a cluster of complex, relatively small structures framing the setting for whatever activity the "players" in the scene are a part of.   Oh - I had to include the dilapidated hangar for @bar side!  Clearly part of a small time airstrip, but really interesting structure and cool skyline.

 

I'm thinking about how this will all go together - it wants to be somewhat vertical and cluttered, but decidedly not an urban streetscape.  Thinking about this, I looked at four concept layouts:

 

 

Concept A might be the most conventional, with the beige oval as visual focal point, amidst a small grouping of buildings (orange squares).

 

Concept B would have some variation in topo - maybe a creek or ravine (dashed line) separating the focal area from a little hilltop village.

 

Concept C would be based on a a deep foreground and strong backdrop - with a only few buildings, and some other type of visual screen (light orange) like a fence, elevated pipeline, conveyor belt, elevated narrow gauge track etc?  

 

Concept D would create a village as the primary focal point in one corner, and would include a relatively deep foreground.

 

As of now - I don't have a preferred concept.  Part of my thinking here is being informed by how I might be able to photograph it when it's done.   I've tried various layout concepts that eliminate background distractions on other projects.  There is a point of diminishing returns with this approach.  For example, you can make a "Y" shaped street layout, with streets lined by tall buildings, with each view corridor terminating on buildings.  This works great in real life, it's a fundamental urban planning concept.  It's less good on a model.  By doing this, the dio looks great from the "inside" - or for street level photos, but from the "outside" all you see are the backs of buildings, so you can't see much of the "focus" of the project!  So, won't do that again.

 

Thanks for having a look and happy model building - 

 

Cheers

Nick 

[bar side]

Nothing like a post apocalyptic hardened shelter & watch tower.  Narrow gauge could work with a converted armoured munitions train & bunker weapons store. But those opening pictures reminded me of the napoleonic forts on the Thames estuary.  
 

 

But I also have an interest in German armoured trains and station buildings.  So lots that could go in here I think.  Should be fun!

[Stickframe]

@bar side, well, yes, no, maybe, yes, maybe....😁  Funny thing about this build, I have a basic image in my mind - but it's more about character than content.  As the model truck is remarkably big, it will eat up a lot of land on a dio, so I don't want to get too settled on a refined concept until I see what this looks like on a base.  Is it so big there won't be much room for the "rest" of a dio??   It seems to me, that one way or other, this will need some foreground to look right.  The "ratio" of foreground to "giant" truck" kit might have led me to think about those pole tower buildings - keeping the ground plane visually "light", even somewhat transparent?   

 

So, as we move along, feel free to share your thoughts! those German towers - wow! those are something.  Certainly massive/spindly structures - 

Cheers

Nick 

[RichO]

Oh Boy, this is going to be fun to watch.  I'm already hooked with the half-track idea.  Nice scratching.

[Pete in Lincs]

The truck looks good and I love the image boards. For some reason the central round one on the first appeals to me.

I remembered this image from way back. An ex Russian potato station apparently. Very weird. Cantilevered to the max!

https://weburbanist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/floating-abandoned-farm-building.jpg

 

I also think you'll need to figure out the size and position of the truck relative to any buildings and the baseboard size.

Which will be the dominant feature? Truck or buildings? Is the truck parked out of the sun/or hiding by using an overhang on a building?

There is a Japanese model genre that just does buildings. Shops with apartments above etc. Graffiti, and decay are much in evidence. 

Maybe that sort of thing might hook you in the future?

It's strange the directions we go in sometimes. I'm leaving Ma.k for Star Wars for goodness sake!

[bar side]

That makes sense.  Those forts are still there & they are British ones and they are still there today

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maunsell_Forts

 

But for background ideas I guess you already know 28 Days Later?

https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/

 

i think at least one office I worked in is on there!

[Stickframe]

Hi guys, 

 

I just couldn't tell if the modification to the truck was working, so came up with an unattractive graphic to see:

To provide an explanation, the top image was WIP from Sunday  - I just couldn't tell how my version was adding up against the real deal.  So, I began experimenting with images.  I selected a line drawing of the real truck then "cut out" the "white space" making a transparent line drawing which I placed over the photo above.  Unhappily, when I took the side view photo,  I didn't make much effort in assuring that it was a straight on image, but it's close enough for this study.  

 

As you can see the scratch truck/hood is fairly close to the real deal - which makes me breath a bit more easily!  Unhappily, the hood on the model is white styrene, so there isn't a lot of contrast, but enough to see where it meets the firewall.  I can also assure you, that the radiator/nose is vertical on the model - just looks slanted because of perspective. I selected a few points on the front fenders, which I reworded quite a bit, and they are where they should be.   You can barely see the outline of the hood vents, and you can see, I made mine too short - I'm not sure if I can fix that at this point.  I really don't want to destroy the part, in the process of fixing it.

 

@RichO, thanks and glad you like the truck - this might turn into quite a fun, if not odd project, and as you've guessed, I'm liking it so far 😁 

 

@Pete in Lincs, So many (valid!) questions!! I finally figured out how long the model truck will be....just about 24"!  not small, but clearly relevant to how in the heck I'll figure out what this dio will become.  Thinking about it, I wonder if the dio might be pretty sparse, like concept "C" above,  with at least one tall tower of some sort - staying with the character of the McCue structure - with it being the outpost.  Then, thinking about that big trailer. I planned to do something McQue like on the bed, then a few small buildings, but what if the trailer itself becomes the "station" sent out on a mission at the outpost?  Then, the station becomes a full on, "ground ship"? maybe a couple levels, fore and aft, observation deck, fuel tanks, crane, and so on.  It occurred to me that trailer is designed to carry the M1A1 Abrams tank which weighs in at roughly 68 tons, so it could probably handle supporting and moving the "station"!  This would reduce the need for many other smaller structures (No, I'm not going to build a giant dio! this will be big enough as is!) As I keep working on the truck, I'll keep pondering the concept.

 

@bar side thanks for sending that link!  It's new to me, and has all sorts of interesting images, any of which might help refine the concept.  Your office made the cut eh?  that's pretty cool.  My office for many years probably wouldn't make it, unless there is a category for dull mid rise buildings in successful financial districts, surrounded by either: new high rises or really nicely done remodels!  I don't miss the place that much, at all! 😁

 

Thanks for having a look - tomorrow will be mostly a "real" work day, so not much time to fool around with this "crucial project"!  😁

 

Cheers

Nick 

[silver911]

I think the concept will remain in flux until the end...afterall...in this kind of world the boundaries are never fixed...the only limitations are your imagination...and your desire to reach the end.

Fantasy is a wild ride at any time...and...in this respect...a ride for us all to enjoy...but i'll save my thoughts for later 😱

 

Crack on mate...looking forward to next update

 

Ron

[bar side]

Yep made the site.  That L shaped office third picture down.  And the collapsed inside.  Some might say it wasn’t a lot better when I worked there but that’s a tad harsh!

 

https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/british-xylonite-manningtree-brantham-essex-july-2012.72878/

 

They had scary explosive materials on that site.  Acid pits to clean the plastic & all sorts.  There was a fire alarm and a klaxon.  If the fire alarm went you safely evacuated the building.  If the klaxon went you ran!  It was suitable run down & decrepit in many places.  Even had its own on site rail tramway

[Pete in Lincs]

@silver911 I'm with you. In flux and enjoying the wild ride.

 

@Stickframe The trailer is the building? Like it. There will be loads of fun adding bits to a basic shape here. Maybe even a gun turret?

Two storeys sounds good. Added on bits, McQue style. A vehicle of some kind hanging on lifeboat davits from the upper storey?

A crane & fuel tanks sounds good. That means pipework to add detail.

[Pete in Lincs]

Out driving today, mind in neutral (as usual) then I had a thought.

Sticking out of the front of the trailer (upper story) over the truck cab, a flight deck. Maybe a big shutter door into the trailer?

Have a look at the back end of small warships, the Helicopter Hangar. Semi recessed into the flight deck is a one man control room.

Again, as on US Carriers for launch control. This one has a rough external access stairway from the lower deck. All rather ramshackle.

Then you can pose a small McQue flier on the flight deck. A ratty windsock hangs from a pole on the trailer roof.

Hey, can I come over and build this thing for you?

 

[Tzulscha]

Oh I do like this!

The truck already looks pretty good, which makes me wonder what other vehicles might be found in this setting.

Are we out in the desert?

What is being processed way out here?

 

 

[Pete in Lincs]

15 minutes ago, Tzulscha said:

What is being processed way out here?

Lizards.

[Stickframe]

Yes! @Pete in Lincs catching lizards! big ones at that!   @Tzulscha, funny you'd ask about other vehicles....read on!

 

But first, progress on the big truck:

 

 

It now has tracks! it's alive!!!   As stated in my self imposed rules, still only digging through the stash - and yes, the Orochi Bradley comes with metal tracks!  and....they fit just fine!  I'm in pretty heavy disbelief they fit so well!  in the pic directly above the track was not set correctly on the final drive - it is now!  All in the "I can't believe it" department:  it sits flat; the track rails stay put only dry fit; and, the width- looks like it's supposed to!   For scale on this, take a look at the driver's seat, which looks tiny.  Also in the lower right corner above, you can see the track width/alignment - really shocked/pleased it works!  And more:

 

 

And with the cab - Bigger!!  you'll note, the back doors - this truck doesn't come with back doors, but, I had an extra set from an old MATV kit.  I dare say, with mirrors attached, there are only a few small bits to add.

 

Which brings us to vehicle 2 - a real oddball, the Takom Skoda PA II!  of course....🤨  well....a Chezch designed (1925-27) armored car, used eventually by Germany in WWII:

 

 

Yeah, another from the stash  - but, not as it was supposed to be built!  First, take a look at the orange colored, uh, well, whatever it is -  the curves reminded me of the Skoda!  But, it needed some modifications - first, a lift kit!  and some giant tires from an M 1083!  (also from the stash).  Next, carefully carve off the roof, and add a driver's area - dash board, etc, seats, from an old MRAP kit - and of course, a big digital monitor! 

 

And, from the ol' model RR days, a narrow gauge crane!  Is it coming or going?!  perfect for creeping up on those big lizards!  😁  I still need to add a winch, and lots of do-dads.  I bent this a bit to make it fit, but, it fit pretty well as is.  Added a few stiffening panels, used metal bolts to attach it, and added rods here and there.  Something odd about this, beyond the obvious, is it is really big! I almost turned back on this, but, as my story is evolving, I decided this recovery vehicle will become part of the mission at the station!  

 

OK gents, happy model building - 

Cheers

Nick 

[Pete in Lincs]

Nick, You've nailed it! The truck looks fabulous. I like the different rear doors on the cab. Whatever is in the back needs better protection than the driver!

The fit of the tracks, It always amazes me that you can take parts from two different kits and they fit together so well. It happens all the time. Weird.

I've seen that 'orange thing' picture before, and the Skoda just looks so good compared to it. Like the crane idea. 

As I say, you've got this nailed!

[bar side]

Strange as it sounds the vehicles still look like they could work.  I am not so sure about some peoples idea of steam punk etc where sticking something on a vehicle that stops it functioning makes it look good.  I grew up around HGVs & garages, so any Heath Robinson engineering looks about right though.  The narrow gauge crane looks quite at home there!

[silver911]

Dare I say it...ok I will...already this looks like it will outshine your recent F1 dio...and that's a hard act to follow.

 

Superb scratching on vehicles...and all looks 'believable'...at least to my tired old eyes.

 

Ron

[Stickframe]

Hi model builders, 

 

@Pete in Lincs, @bar side, @silver911, I'm glad you guys are having fun with this too!  Having seen your projects, I can say,  I've used them as references along the way! Pete with repurposing parts from whatever is available, and Bar Side and Ron, making something that appears to work mechanically!  For today, I have an update on the recovery truck:

 

 

As you can see, I kept adding parts, and now this has a bit more of a safari look.  I kept the open air cab, but added a giant sunshield and roof rack.  And, more grab rails steps, details etc - and Bar - well, I had to add a couple of angle irons to the wrecker frame - seemed it was begging to be tipped over before.  I included the picture of the old Chevy 4x4 - something about the curves and headlights reminded me of this beauty!  And, I really like the looks of that Chevy!

 

Next up, one more vehicle - I found several McCue images that caught my eye - plenty odd looking, industrial, and again, odd looking:

 

 

The units with the tall cab, next to a flat bed caught my eye, and seemed good for this project.  Seeing these images remidned me of airport vehicles, a specifc type of truck used in agriculture, that you'll see running around the Salinas Valley, here in California, and the industrial odd-ball, the half cab!

 

 

I'm sure everyone has seen the airport service vehicles - lots of purpose built vehicles, that would look pretty weird away from the aiport!  The two in the upper right are the ag trucks I mentioned.   They were built here in the Bay Area for a long time.  They were lightweight 6x6 crop trucks used in tomoato fields.  Finally, the lower two images are broadly referred to as "half-cabs", for obvious enough reasons.  They saw use carrying long loads - rebar, metal, pipe, etc.  While I didn't build one of any of these, I did take bits and ideas from each!

 

And, of course, back to the island of unbuilt models, for a resin model of Gama Goat!  I bought this a long time ago.  It was a unique, small resin kit I could afford - but never decided to build.   It was intended to be a versatile and inexpensive, artuclated 6x6, load handler used by the US Army between 1970 and 1990. I understand they were moderately successful, but underpowered - and the load capacity not great.  I don't know what compelled me to think this would be useful or even appropriate for this project, but, well, take a look:

 

 

Of course!  convert it to a non-articualted 6x6 with dual rear tires! (Pete, the tires for a MAN 8x8 - I purchased the resin set because they were on sale, really cheap! a long time ago.  Why? well, they were cheap! maybe I'd find a use for them some day! 😁)   

 

This build has not been easy.  The Gama Goat kit has a pretty complicated suspension, which was  tedious to make - and of course, I broke parts several times along the way.  What you can't see is all sorts of added metal rods of several diamteters to hold all this together.  Of course, in addition to me beating it up, it's getting heavy, so a few parts just snapped.  Once the suspension was beefed up, the next problem was that the vehicle height is not uniform - the front slopes downward....perfect - and, the overall height of the front and back isn't the same.  So, on went several strips of leveling styrene. 

 

Then, made up the bed - using a couple sheets of .040" sheet, bound and divided by 1/4" channel - it's strong!  It occurred to me that the bed could help to stiffen the model - which was supposed to be articulated.  Being articulated would have been cool, but I couldn't do what I wanted with the mid-body split, and it was flimsy, something I'm confident I'd eventually break.  I eventually pinned brass strips beneath, linking the front and rear, which helped - it no longer flexes.

 

As for that cab - the top is from the kit.  It's neat looking - but is warped and a bit of a pain to work with.  The rest of the cab is just styrene sheet.  I wanted this tall and in keeping with the character of the McQue studies, and the resin cab provided a good starting point.

 

 

And the bed - this is where the project took a curve.  I noticed one of the McQue sketches showed a vehicle with a "V" shaped bed.  This made me think a lot about the overall purpose of the "station" and this dio.  So, the station, out in the middle of nowhere - maybe serves a team of flying patrols?  And these vehicles serve as the recovery/field service fleet for said flyers!  The crane truck to lift and the flatbed to haul!  But, you'll note, the bed has a cradle, maybe matching the countour of an airframe????🤨...yes! But, I'll say more about that later!

 

The flatbed will get more details as it looks pretty sparse as is.  I'm thinking about adding brackets here and there where the bed cantilevers off of the main vehicle.  It needs a bumper and "more" in general, so that's what I'll be adding.

 

Thanks for having a look - this sci fi stuff is pretty fun!  I'm looking forward to staging a dio layout with all this stuff!  And remember, the half track is out there to pull a still to be built, really big trailer, which will be the base of the station - lots more to build!😁

 

Cheers and happy model building - 

 

Nick 

[silver911]

First off...your passion for this project...and the resulting fun you're having...shine through in abundance.

You really do have a talent for scratch building...and the perfect imagination for interpreting a given scene...this...coupled with dedication to achieve what you see in your minds eye...translates into a superb rendition of the 'story' behind a scene.

 

Understandably...you still have a lot of things to add to the 'half cab'...not least of which is the cab access ladder...ropes...cables...sand ladders (in case of getting bogged down!)...sand bags...straps for tying down recovered gyro copters...tool chest...shovels...fuel cans etc. etc.

 

Much as I love the recovery truck and half cab...if I am honest...it's the trailer for the half track that intrigues me most...your interpretation of which will be the focal point of the whole scene.

 

One aspect I would be looking at now...is the ground based details...tents...supply crates...oil/fuel drums...chairs...you get the idea.

Also...another vehicle I would consider adding...a mobile 'workshop'...but that's just me 😉

 

What you have created so far is nothing short of inspiring...and has me looking forward to the next update...bring it on mate 

 

Respect

 

Ron

Edited June 20, 2021 by silver911

[Pete in Lincs]

Well, I think @silver911 has saved me a lot of typing! We all seem to be on the same page here.

I can 'see' the mobile workshop too, Big, boxy, with a tent for shelter on one side. 

I always wondered about using a Gama Goat in a Sci Fi dio.

Keep on keeping on! (Keep on truckin', Baby!)

[bar side]

Nice half cab.  Makes me think that this was a special based on an Alvis Stalwart

 

 

the wading board they used on the Alvis would look cool, plus the water jet propulsion gear & front crash bars

 

 

Just proves that no matter how mad someone has built it already!