Wednesday 28 January 2015

It's finally finished!!!!........ nah, just kidding :p

Here's some more progress pic's of the Hovertank, taken with a new phone camera! About time.

Final incarnation of the conning tower shutter door.

The three variants I tried.

Test fit with locating shaft....the blue bit :)

Look, it opens too, yippy!!!

The hydraulic ram's I'm making to open & close the shutter door.


This part of the build had been a bit of a bitch so far. I first tried to have a cage like door for the conning tower, but it looked a bit meh. So then I tried heating up some acrylic sheet & bending it to the shape I wanted, but the heating process browned it so much that it looked pretty bad too. Finally, I bit the bullet & made one out of a plastic icecream container. I cut out some louvres for the front & cut out some sections on the sides....then stuck mesh over them. I think it looks ok, so after I've strengthened it up a bit more she'll be as good as gold.

Now I just have to finish off the hydraulic ram's, add the locating shaft's to the conning tower & shutter door and it'll be done.



Some of the wire & plumbing work on the left hand side.

Close up's, oooohh!


I ran a heap of wires along the left hand side of the Hovertank & then installed copper wire brackets to look like their being held in place by them.....instead of super glue :)

After the shutter door is done I'll start on the right side, adding some cabling & other bits & bobs.


Remember I said I'd fill you in on the history of theses engines?

Well, here it is baby!!!!!


Previously, I mentioned that the engines were not my original idea. They actually came from a Japanese kitbasher from back in the day (not sure when, but it was ages ago, ok). Here's a link to a page that shows you the many & varied model kits that he pilfered to make this beast,

http://www.maschinenkrueger.com/models/bk25_2.html

There is another page out on the net that tells you a bit more about the process he went through to build it, but you can see where I got the idea for my engines from anyway :)

Ok, enough blathering from me, back to the workbench for me it is then.

Cheerio.

11 comments:

  1. The more you add the more genius it gets (and you've not added one single skull), it's really inriguing...

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    1. Woohoo!! I've been called a genius :) I'll have to tell my wife that is what she is to call me from now on....instead of "hey you!"

      Thanks for the praise JB, I'm quietly confident I can resist the urge to skullify it up :)

      Cheers.

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  2. Never underestimate the power of yakult, that's what i always say. I love this build, it revs my engines :D

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    1. I honestly think that this strange tasting drink has more to offer in kitbashing potential than it does to the health of your gut.

      Glad your liking the build so far Crooksy :)

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  3. Can't believe what I'm seeing. Mindblown. Absolutely wonderful, man!

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    1. I'm getting to the point end now, so it won't be long :)

      Thanks Suber.

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  4. Can't wait!
    Will you be playing some sort of geriatric Rogue Trader style scenario to test it once completed?

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    1. :D did you mean to type "geriatric" Ace? Or was it supposed to be "generic"? Either way, both of those terms fit quite neatly when talking about RT. Most of us are getting on a bit now :)

      Regarding the rules, that's a good point you raise. I'm not too fond of the RT vehicle rules..... A bit too clunky. I love all the fluff written about the different types of vehicles, just not how they play out in game. I honestly haven't thought about how this things gunna game like. I just looked at this old toy in my kitbashing pile & I thought to myself that this thing would be cool as a Hovertank!

      So, in answer to your question, no, I have no idea how I'm going to use it in a game.....yet.

      Cheers Ace.

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    2. Def meant geriatric! I just had my birthday wizz past me this week... cant remember which one it was?? They all look the bloody same after a while =(

      I never got the chance to play RT - I came into the hobby around 93' so it was pretty much 2nd Ed 40K (still a firm favourite of mine) or 4th Ed for WHFB.

      Creating a datafax (I think that's the right term?) for the HoverTank would be an experience!

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  5. Two comments in one: That hovertank is going to be the bomb. Absolutely wonderful. I keep thinking you've done splendors with the thing and then you drop in a crazy detail that tells yet another story, and it all develops like some insane tortured symphony in styrene. I love it! Second, that Japanese fellow's land speeder thingy is truly magnificent. That's a degree of polish and prevarication rarely seen in kitbashing. I completely missed the P-38 booms. Splendid piece of inspiration. Thank you.

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    1. No worries Composer,

      I think the vehicle he built looks top notch too. I'd buy one, if they weren't so damn expensive! I've toyed with the idea of building one myself, but, you know, too many unfinished projects as it is :)

      I'm glad your liking the build so far, it is taking quite a while though. When I think back to the Walker, I banged that one out pretty quickly. I think it was the impending flight that spurred me on to get it completed. Maybe I need to set myself a "completion date" to have a target to aim for?

      Anyway, on with the show :)

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