1/35 Ian McQue's Remora flying boat [scratch build]

[voozet]

On 18/07/2022 at 21:53, 2lefthands said:

Verrry good!

Can`t wait to see it docked

Me too. but it will take time 😆

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Another element of the dock: an elevator.

I dived into my stash and found some piece of vehicle armor. I bought it from someone for pennies, it was badly painted, luckily I managed to remove most of the paint. The buffers are part of the mechanism that locks the window blinds. I've put it on pieces of polystyrene.

 

The elevator is made of polystyrene, the drive is two sherman wheels 1:35 (I think) on a frame made of sprue part. The mast is wooden. It was too short so I attached a piece of HIPS

 

The control panel is improvised 😋

 

A brake found in a stash. I have no idea what it is but it fits.

 

Primed.

 

 

Thx for watching.

W.

 

[2lefthands]

So much love for details in this build!

[voozet]

Tests have shown that the "hanging dock" works. However, you will have to wait for better photos, because the column was only assembled for the photo session. The "concrete" pillar of the platform is the weakest element of the dock so far. Despite several attempts, I did not manage to achieve the effect of concrete. The first time I do it on a cardboard surface, and I'm not doing it well (Before that I have used plaster casts , unfortunately - I ran out of plaster of paris, and even worse - it also ran out in local stores where I used to buy it).

 

 

I managed to almost completely hide the connection point between the ship and the platform. I used low-profile tires for this (in this position their modern look is unvisible).

 

The platform needed a crane. First, I wanted to use a model I made for some Warhammer orc construction, but eventually decided to make a new one. The gears are parts of a professional printer cartridge. I made the arm, rope drum and gearbox (? - I don't know what it's called in English) from HIPS. I added some details from my spare parts collection.

 

 

This is more or less how it looks after assembling:

 

 

In front there is a gear that transmits the drive needed for rotation. It is a fake because the crane will not be movable. I guess.... 🤣

 

 

I am also slowly adding details to the platform itself. It is made of cardboard and wood which are not my preferred materials. Therefore, I cover the surface with polystyrene. Sometimes it's part of the armor of the 1:35 tank. I have never assembled modern armored vehicles, so I probably got these parts from someone. Visually, they fit great, only required a slight correction (I cut it into pieces and glued it in a different order).

 

Ok. Now I go back to the struggle with pillar...

Thanks for watching!

W.

[voozet]

Docking platform is finished. Or rather: I decided that it is. It should probably have some rails or other fall protection, but I don't want to escalate it any further. I'll paint the warning stripes on the edges and that will have to be enough.

 

 

I added a few details to the front part because it was quite poor. A few days ago I bought a lot of parts from Takom models. There are nice lettering on the sprues - I decided to use it. The "R" looks fine, although it doesn't mean anything.

 

This part of the vehicle looks like an air outlet (I think that's what it was). After removing the paint and adding the polystyrene tunnel, it can ventilate again. I added a piece of sprue as a bumper

 

I also used parts of armored vehicles to improve the appearance of the platform surface. Fuel tanks seem to be part of some Russian tank from the Soviet era. What are hatches I don't even try to guess.

 

The panel with pipes is made of sprues.

 

And here: a piece of a PC mouse wheel. I think...

 

Thanks for watching.

W.

[Hunter Rose]

Looking fantastic! Really like the crane

[Pete in Lincs]

Looking fabulous. Parts from tanks etc can be used almost anywhere in this sort of build and they always look good.

Nice crane BTW.

Three years ago I finished my second build of this type with a suspended display as you've used. I don't know if you saw it, but here's a link

 

[Richard E]

That's a very neat and imaginative scratch build which complements your work on the boat perfectly - all of the pipework and associated clutter make the platform look a lot like a fuelling or liquid transfer station.

[voozet]

2 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Parts from tanks etc can be used almost anywhere in this sort of build and they always look good.

My wife probably does not share this view, because she looks at me strangely when the courier delivers another package with pieces of plastic 😄

 

2 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Three years ago I finished my second build of this type with a suspended display as you've used. I don't know if you saw it, but here's a link

I have seen it many times, hence some similarity. The difference will be that the keel (bottom part) of my ship will not have contact with the base. There are quite a few large protruding parts of the boat.

 

18 minutes ago, Richard E said:

all of the pipework and associated clutter make the platform look a lot like a fuelling or liquid transfer station.

Floating gas station was my first idea for a base. I even printed vintage looking logos of several petrochemical companies to stick on the pillar as a billboard. But now I am leaning towards another option: I will stick some kind of propaganda poster from the communist era in Poland. "The enemy is awake" or "The Party is the servant of the nation".

[voozet]

As I wrote: I am not satisfied with the pillar. But I already have a plaster 😉. Casting the pillar in its entirety would be difficult and consumed a lot of material, so I decided to only cast the walls and set them on a wooden beam.

For front and rear wall I used a storage box as a mould because it has cool embossing. I added these white polystyrene pieces to differentiate the surface. They need to be glued, otherwise they will flow out when pouring the plaster. Unfortunately: I used too strong tape for this and had problems with taking the casting out of the mould. It has cracked in several places but this doesn't worry me, as I was planning to add cracks anyway.

 

After casting and gluing walls to the beam, it looked like this:

 

Then I made next mould out of polystyrene for the side walls .

 

I learned from my previous mistakes and this time the casting was ok.

 

I love working with plaster because you can control it very well, and achieve cool results. The cracks on the top panel were done with a knife. There were air bubbles in this area that I had to hide because they looked unnatural.

 

The pillar still needs a lot of work but so far I am satisfied with the result achieved.

Finally, a photo of the pillar with the platform in place and the platform (primed).

 

 

Thanks for watching.

W.

 

[2lefthands]

Priceless modelling, really good!

[Model Mate]

Just found this and it's absolutely fantastic! Scratching fantasy stuff looks like so much fun, and you've made a wonderful model so far.

[SprueMan]

This is a terrific model.

I love it!

[Chief Cohiba]

I read through this not for the first time, but for whatever reason didn't post before. Honestly I have no idea why, as this is truly great, awesome, I dare to even say more: beautiful!

But think: I'd guess if a by then aspiring new filmmaker, like one George Lucas or so, would have seen this in early 1974, he would do some research and call you: "I have something in my mind of a rather worn spaceship, I didn't make up my mind how to call it, maybe "Centennial Sparrow" or something", and ask you to to  do something visual about it".

 

I'm totally sure you'd been the right guy for the job...

[voozet]

Thanks gentlemen. It's very motivating to read so much good about yourself.

 

On 18/08/2022 at 20:52, Chief Cohiba said:

But think: I'd guess if a by then aspiring new filmmaker, like one George Lucas or so, would have seen this in early 1974, he would do some research and call you: "I have something in my mind of a rather worn spaceship, I didn't make up my mind how to call it, maybe "Centennial Sparrow" or something", and ask you to to  do something visual about it".

 

I'm totally sure you'd been the right guy for the job...

But think: a few years later and three days before the movie's premiere, Centennial Sparrow is still not ready. I think George Lucas might be a bit disappointed 🤣

 

‐------------

The construction of the base continues

The first idea for the lower part of it turned out to be wrong. The combination of soil / sand and concrete in my performance looked terrible.

 

So I poured plaster over it. I cut out the sewage holes with a drill with a wood cutter. I also cut gaps between the plates and cracks.

 

Cracks hide imperfections of the casting.

 

By the way, I believe that this is the strength of my modeling: I have the ability to use the mistakes I make for the benefit of the model. I work carelessly and inaccurately, but I don't care about it, because even if something goes wrong, it can be used. This is an example: I forgot to make a mold for casting a sewer pit that's why I had to cut it with a drill. Part of the base is wooden, at this point the edges of the hole were terribly frayed. First I wanted to putty it, but when I looked the second time I saw algae and seaweed in these frayed wood fibers. Just had to paint it green and voila:

 

The base is pre-painted, now requires a drybrush and weathering.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for watching. 

W.

 

[Yg Models]

fantastic build, add oil🥰

[Chief Cohiba]

17 hours ago, voozet said:

I think George Lucas might be a bit disappointed

Maybe that's why Peter Jackson's adaptation of "Hell's Angels" never made it into production and he quit WnW? 😉
 

[Muchmirth]

I’ve said is before and I’ll say it again…. Amazing!!!! All of just amazing. The platter dock and the wheels nicked from the Sherman all just so imaginative and brilliant scratch building…. The boat looks pretty special too!

Edited August 22, 2022 by Muchmirth
Typo

[The Spadgent]

Truly inspirational. 🙌👏👏👏👏 Fantastic work.
 

Johnny.  

[Hunter Rose]

Those cracks are fantastic, very realistic

[voozet]

I think the ground floor of the dock is finished (maybe I'll add some rusty scrap if I feel like painting it).

Although not: in the photo, I noticed that the elevator dampers are not finished 🤣

 

 

The barrel is a spare fuel tank from some Soviet tank. I bought it already painted so I only added rust. Water is a two-component epoxy resin with the addition of dry pastel pigment.

 

In the second sewer pit, I drowned a tank wheel that looks like a gear.

 

There is also an elevator nearing completion (it only needs to be secured with varnish). I guess...

 

 

The hut was enriched with a chimney. I don't know what this element is and where I got it from. But it looks like the perfect chimney.

 

 

 

Painting the roof was a nightmare. I used Tamiya flat aluminum and airbrush but it was so hot the paint was drying in the air. And the roof looked like silver sandpaper, not aluminum sheet 😆 The addition of the oil wash only made the situation worse. I didn't want to start over so I polished it using Micromot with polishing roller.

 

The platform is already painted with the base colors. I screwed up the fuel tanks in the middle so I need to fix them. Initially, I chose the orange color, but it did not match the whole thing. I have already partially removed this paint. I will try to use the present look as a rust effect, highlighting it with pigments. If the effect will be not good, I will paint it again.

 

Finally: a small demonstration of the entire dock at this stage.

 

Thanks for watching.

W.

[Pete in Lincs]

It's all starting to come together and looking fabulous. 

Does it need some graffiti, or an advertising sign/poster or something on the tower? 

Or, power cables/pipes running up the side?

[voozet]

It definitely needs everything you write about @Pete in Lincs. But first I have to finish painting. Moreover, the graffiti attempts so far have ended in a total failure 😝

[Richard E]

Jaw duly dropped

 

1 hour ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Does it need some graffiti, or an advertising sign/poster or something on the tower? 

Or, power cables/pipes running up the side?

 

As my learned friend suggests you have made the whole scene look very unloved and some litter, dead leaves and general detritus would finish it off perfectly. 

[The Spadgent]

Looks fantastic! How did you do the pools of water if you don’t mind me asking? 
 

Johnny.

[voozet]

30 minutes ago, The Spadgent said:

How did you do the pools of water if you don’t mind me asking? 

I've only done this a few times so I'm not an expert 🙂 

I use a two-component clear epoxy resin for this. The product is Cristalline 940 but I am not sure if it is available outside of Poland. In any case, it is a resin for jewelers, artistic carpenters, toy makers etc.

It is colorless so color has to be added. There are special dyes for it, but I don't use them. I use powdered pigments (dry pastel scrapped with knife directly to the resin). I choose the proportions using a syringe (resin/hardener - 2/1). First I measure out the resin, then mix it with the pigment in some pot, then add the hardener (the hardener is thin so it cleans the syringe, you can use it many times).

I paint the place for water before, just like all other grounds in the diorama, I add sunken objects, plants, junks etc.

I pour mixed resin into the mold/hole and use a toothpick to eliminate any air bubbles.

This is a pond I made using this technique. That's the base for my never finished DIY nurgle beast sculpture (the WH40K world).

 

I don't know if I was able to explain it well considering my poor English. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

W.