Doc Zoff's WIP

Thanks Gorb,
So I've figured out why I'm suddenly so reticent to progress Toni, and basically it's because I've tensed up. Toni started off as a joke, a cute lil' pony head grafted to a bunch of GW spares to create a twisted gothic Frankenstein horror. Initial painting was also for shitz 'n' giggles with no concern for colour theory and no real plan for the final outcome... just 'slap it on and see what happens'.

Looking back through this WIP I can see that I started taking it more seriously around the time that I shaved off the sheepskin chaps and decided on the lizard skin legs, and that's also the point when progress really dropped off.

Conclusion... I need to stop worrying about messing up the progress I've already made and go back to 'slap it on and see what happens'. The perfectionist in me screams "Nooo! Don't ruin it!", but I think this is exactly what is holding me back. I just have to take a leap of faith and assume that 'slap it on' will work out okay, based on the evidence that it was working out okay before I tensed up.

That said, time spent on a different project will probably help take the tension out of continuing with Toni...

I'm fancying an armour project, and the obvious cross-over would be a 40K AFV, but to my braille scale biased eyes they all look rather clunky and toy like (hardly a fiar criticism as they are specifically designed to be played with). I seriously considered buying a land raider and converting it into a much smaller scale (guessing around 1:250 scale so I'm thinking seriuosly small!) Attreides Spice Harvester, which I think could look awesome but the £45 price tag for just those parts that I'd use turned me off this idea ("for now"... the harvester could look cool, a carry-all to lift it from the sand before Mr Wormy chomps it could be amazing... way too ambitious for right now though).

Next project decision
I'm thinking the GW Ork Trukk as a braille scale Mad Max style conversion, with lots of welded-on styrene sheet armour plating and recycled 1/72 or 1/76 parts. The armour plating could hide major surgery such as lengthening and widening the chassis, and provide a blank canvas for adding tank turrets, machine gun platforms/towers, drivers cab etc. I'm imagining a general shape more like the Ork Battlewagon, but looking at sprues of both kits the Trukk's chassis based construction looks easier to work with than the Battlewagon's 'armoured box' (and the Trukk is cheaper!). This project also really appeals as an opportunity to re-purpose various stalled AFV builds. I'm immediately thinking of four 1/72 humvee kits which turned out to have warped chassis, they're sat waiting for major rework to save them but piratising them is much less work, the rectangular windscreens could easily be butted together and plated around to create an armoured ship-bridge style drivers cab.

I likey!! I'll hit the GW store later today, hold some 1/72 figures up to their display 40K vehicles to check whether the concept will work, and then hope they've got a trukk in stock. Game on!!

Definitely feeling more enthusiastic about this, my mojo is restored... it's the right decision!

Update:
Phoned the local GW store... no go on the Trukk, but they have the Battlewagon. After further examination of the Battlewagon sprues yup, that'll work and maybe better.

I'm visualising an armour cab over the twin axle front wheels, and I might use the kit dozer blade but if so I'll have to 'rescale' it to 1/72 by removing the oversized rivets, thinning the armout plate, maybe weld on some I beam framework and other scale detail, etc.). This whole front section could be articulated with the mid section to allow for cornering, probably wise given the implied size of the vehice, if so I might set the front wheels further apart so the cab unit looks more stable. A complete new central section (1/3 to half of current vehicle length) built around a heavy I beam chassis supportingplank decking with an industrial power plant/gear housing assembly surrounded by machine gun/defensive emplacements and varied armour and railway sleeper style shielding. Below the chassis I'll mock up transmission, fuel tank and general storage to look suitably busy (if space permits maybe some suspended drone vehicles that can be drop released). Rear section using the kit caterpillar tracks will be a personnel carrier type armoured citadel body with some seriously overpowered armaments mounted above (I've got stalled Merkava and King Tiger kits that might end up donating their turrets) armoured look-out posts and probably more defensive emplacements depending on available space. I'll probably avoid using any of the GW kit armament as it is so obviously over-scale for the effect I'm hoping to achieve (might repurpose for power palne bits instead).

I've checked my scratch-building supplies and I'm spoiled for choice with square rod, round rod, angel and I beams, and balsa strips in a good choice of sizes. I know I can put my hands on styrene sheeting in various thicknesses and clear sheet for glazing, plus OO guage corrugated iron sheet that has obvious uses. I have soft wire in various gauges and jewellery tools for shaping it to represent hydraulic piping, conduit, transission, etc.

It' s all just imagination at the moment, until I compare some 1/72 figures to the Battlewagon kit I won't get a clear idea of relative sizes and how much of the above will actually fit (maybe just the one tank turret then, awww!). It's really hard to get an impression of how the scales compare, however if a GW ork can fit through the kit cab door, those kit front wheels must scale up to ten or maybe fifteen feet tall in 1/72 (better add mounting ladders to my parts list).

I'm really hoping that my imagination isn't misleading me and that I can pull off the 'rescaling' illusion, because if I can this beast is going to look frickin' massive! I'm thinking 'land ship' here... following project could be 'land aircraft carrier' (whoa!!! slow down there!)

Time to go to GW now, and so it begins...

A GW Ork Battlewagon has been purchased and here is a quick concept sketch roughing out the basic spacing of the wheels and tracks.
Attachment 72442
Actually, this is such a great depiction of my vision that it's hardly worth me building it now (yah think!). The stick man is roughly to scale so we're looking at a pretty substantial vehicle in 1/72 scale. The scribbled superstructure is much lower than the GW vehicle so the final vehicle proportions could differ significantly. To my eye the track unit looks far too high for it's length (just like a Meng Models 'toon' Sherman) so I'm planning to partially conceal it behind armour skirts along the lines of WW2 panzer schruzen.

Next stage will be to create a basic mock up with kit parts, corrugated cardboard and tape, then seat some braille scale figures on it to get a better feel for the rough dimensions and decide on general shape and layout.

As unfortunate as it is to hear that you and Toni are experiencing a "trial separation," it makes sense... If you're heart isn't in it, it's just gonna end up like microwave Mac'N'Cheese; all fluff, and no soul.

Sounds like you have quite the project planned with the Battlewagon, and I'd surely like to see what you can pull off with it!

Good luck, and Keep it coming!

Hi DaBeebs,
I still intend to finish Toni, my guess is that I'll suddenly find motivation to finish him when the new 'Battle Bus' build get challenging.

Early progress has been removing and starting clean up the of the running gear and chassis parts, There are some chunky sprue joins located in the wheel tread recesses, they would've been easy to remove if they'd been on the raised treads but cleaning up in the recesses is a bee-yatch!

I mocked up a very simple cardboard prototype to trial the bsic shape...
Attachment 72467
I think the length and width are about right, but obviously the superstructure is just whatever was to hand so final height will be much higher. The green cab unit is the Airfix Quad tractor I recently started, I probably won't use the Quad in the final project, but I definitely like the idea of a recognisable vehicle cab that's been grafted into place. The cab (and the little green army man sat on top) also gives the first indication of scale, as hoped it looks like at braille scale it'll make a really dominating vehicle.

The scale difference also suggests that I'll be able to have two or three levels of 'decks', which with ladders and railings etc, should greatly strengthen the perception of scale. But overall I still only have a very vague idea of how this build will turn out... hmmm, I feel like I've been here before! :)

After another look, I think the cab unit doesn't look well enough supported and would be better with a double axle at the back, suspect that will mean ordering the Ork Trukk kit, which give me another pair of wheels which I can add to the trailer so that it also looks more stable. The Ork Trukk probably isn't a bad call anyway as I can probably use the chassis frame for the cab unit.

After another look at images of the Ork Trukk sprue I see that it's a six-wheeler (more wheels is good for this project) and also features an engine block. Big bonus, as I'd planned to build a rather generic boxed in engine compartment with exhausts and transmission connections to suggest it's role, but the Trukk's huge-ass (in scale terms) V6 with exhaust manifold, etc is MUCH better... I suspect a bit of plastic surgery could see this upgraded to a V12 (and why not!). Suddenly all those hours playing Car Mechanic Simulator are paying off!
I'm just hoping I've placed the store delivery order in time for the Tuesday delivery slot. "I want it NOW!!"

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Doc Zoff

...(more wheels is good for this project)...

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More wheels might be better for the final result, but they are utter mutha f##ka's to clean up!! Spent a whole evening just scraping seam lines from the complex tread patterns from these four wheels, with another six weels on order. Yippee!!

There was also good news this evening, I started going through my small scale armour spares and made some great finds, the highlight being a 155mm Long Tom artillery gun. It should mount really nicely onto one of the Battlewagon turret bases to create a rotatable artillery platform, if I surround it with scrap armour walls to provide fire protection for the gun crew it should look something like an open top ship turret. I also found most of a Sherman tank, the main gun of which looks a very similar calibre to the ammo boxes provided with the Battlewagon. I'm wondering whether I can combine the two to create a gun turret with an ammo auto-feed. I can either disguise it with scrap armour to hide it's origins, or maybe leave it quite obvious that it's been culled from a Sherman. (if so, I also found the allied star decals)

The catterpiller tracks join along the centreline and look like they'll also be a beast to clean up, so I am wondering about gluing square U beam (not sure if this is the right term, plastic rod shaped like a square U in cross-section) to each link to look like a field modification to give better sand traction. If these beams extend out beyond the edges of the tracks they'd spread the vehicle weight more widely, plus with sharpened ends they could look like a pretty good defence against any raiders who try to pull alongside at speed. I did wonder about putting the vehicle in an ice scene instead of sand, but I decided on the Mad Max look, even if it is more cliche'.

So there are still lots of part to clean up and build into sub-assemblies before I can offer any overall vehicle photos, plus until I have the sub-assemblies built I won't see how best they'll go together, so I don't want to glue the main vehicle components now, and then wish I'd done it differently later.

Early days!

I love how excited you sound in planning this uber project :)
Keep going, I want to see some pictures of this monster armored mashup beast.

I agree...the enthusiasm is certainly felt on this side of the screen!

Keep us posted on your progress!

Thanks for the keen responses and apologies for lack of replies, my home wi-fi has been shakey and keeps barfing when I try to save WIP posts.

Still sourcing and cleaning up parts, as soon as I've got some sub-assemblies built and can mock up basic layout I'll post some photos. 155mm Long Tom clean-up is progressing so I might be able to post an artillery turret mockup in the next few days.

In the meantime I've just looked for suitable figures, and looky looky....

https://stanjohansenminiatures.com/Road%20cars.htm

Sweet!!... Suitable figures plus support vehicles will be a huge advantage in setting the overall scale. Buying vehicles could very quickly get pricey, but having a 'Demon Hauler' or 'Big Red Battle Rig' alongside will emphasise the collossal size of 'The Beast' (or make it look totally unbelievable?). Hmmm, hydraulic ramps on the back of The Beast leading to vehicle hangars? (idea stolen from the original 'The Italian Job').

Another idea has just fired... I've got some old damaged OO gauge railway trucks and coaches stashed away in the loft. Weathered down to rusting carcasses and half burried in sand could compliment the post apocalyptic theme. The coaches will be uninspiring British Rail stock, but I can probably weather them to the point where even the most ardent train spotter won't recognise them (okay, maybe that's impossible, but I can make em old and rusty). If I find any fuel wagons they could be piratised for fuel storage cylinders on The Beast (it's not Mad Max without the means to horde fuel!).

The 155mm field gun is now close to completion, and when I offered it up to the Battlewagon turret it just fell into place. It literally took a minute or two of filing to make it look like it was desgined to live there. Pure luck, but I'll take it!! :)
Attachment 72549
Attachment 72550
Photos are even worse quality as usual because my phone battery was too low for flash, but I wanted to get some images before leaving for work.

Neat, the gun looks like it was designed for the mount!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gorb

Neat, the gun looks like it was designed for the mount!

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Yeah, and it was complete blind luck! This is no false modesty on my part, they just fitted together as easily as a horny teenage couple gettin it awn!! There's more tidy-up and detailing to do, but I 'm really pleased with where it's got to. We all know that these moments of synergy are unusual, so best to make the most of them when they come along!

:)

Attachment 72467This is inspired hobbying. Keep up the great building.

I really love if people start to think outside the box and create something unique on their on.
Looking forward to see this further developing. Btw... nice advertising for "Rennie" LOL

Another display of brain power !!! Unique and genuine vision....

I really want that Citadel paint pot to become a permanent part of this build.

Thanks everyone,
I'm kinda stuck waiting for the Ork Trukk now, as I want to bring the major components together to see how the basic vehicle shape will look and whether any major re-engineering will be required. I should get a call from GW tomorrow to say the Trukk has arrived, hopefully in the morning so that I can nip round and collect it during my lunch break (otherwise not until Wednesday).

It was also a real washout with the railway modelling store as they've reduced their stock of construction kits and also repackaged their 'leftovers'. I used to just root through for a selection of bits and he'd call it a few quid, now each piece is bagged and priced and very quickly adds up to a whole lot more than a few quid. Can't blame him as he's got a business to run, but still rather a bummer!

Haven't posted for a while because I've not got much visual progress to show, it's been endless clean-up of Battle Wagon and Trukk parts. plus sourcing and clean-up of a wide variety of other bits and pieces. Still no photos as I keep changing ideas about what goes where, but I am getting nearer to moving from concept to actual construction. I've also decided that I need even more wheels than the combined Battle Wagon and Trukk kits can provide, but that buying more GW kits just for wheels is getting stupidly pricey (plus the seam clean-up on the kit wheels is just the screaming pits) so I've started experimenting with casting copies of parts (I believe this is legal for own use, but not for resale). I'm getting some reaonable moulds using ComposiMold re-usable mould material, but now I need to source some two-part resin, which has been delayed by car problems (initially no transport to the hobby store, and now I have transport the cost of a new clutch has left me with very empty pockets... meh!).

In the meantime I've dug out, piratised and cleaned-up a Hornby OO gauge tanker wagon which looks cracking as a mahoosive fuel stash, It's got a 'NO NAKED LIGHT' stencil on the side so I might try and retain that... positioned right next to a flame thrower would show a characteristically zealous distain for life! I'm also stripping down an old OO gauge British Rail slam door coach. Initially I'd thought to use this as post-apocalyptic scenery half buried in sand, but it's offering itself as the main crew area, probably with scrap armour walls and walk-ways & gun emplacements built around and on top. Any tips on removing early1960s enamel paint? I'd thought sanding but there's a real chance that it's lead based so maybe not!

So yeah, slow progress (the prospect of cleaning those wheels has resulted in lots of 'CBFA' delays) but it is still moving in the right direction.