Blackadder's Landkreuzer P500; Der Wühlmaus

[Blackadder]

The Black Library of Caltroon:

The Black Library of Caltroon mentions the 'Armories' carved out of the living rock in the mountains of Cardiff boarding the Tyne estuary. What little is known of the 'Armories' is there are numerous galleries that go on for miles on each level and and it has never been established how many levels there are.

All that is know is all the exploratory parties no matter how well armed and provisioned never return from the depths and sometimes eerie howls reverberate from below............

So they are described in the Novel, 'The Lords of the Starship'

The Blackadder has exhumed from the safer levels a forgotten behemoth he calls the Landkreuzer P500; Der Wühlmaus.

http://i.imgur.com/gCCG15S.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/gCCG15Sl.jpg

More than half again the size of the 300 tonne Baneblade the P500 weighs in at 500 metric tons and was the creation of the Blackadder when he tried to scratch build a Baneblade from images he found on the internet more than six years ago.

Not being as practice as he is now about all he got right was the width of the hull and tracks from the front, 8.4 meters. I guess that excludes the sponsons.

Seen here compared in size to his favorite tank Arethusa

http://i.imgur.com/MF75gyP.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/MF75gyPl.jpg

Once again Blackadder has taken up the cudgel and will attempt to complete this monster as a noble companion to his titan squad.

http://i.imgur.com/8keowq4.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/8keowq4l.jpg

Of course this will be in the Lucius pattern and I may revamp the asymmetrical superstructure and center the turret.

It will have dual Main cannons, outsized sponsons dual Lasers surmounting the sponsons that will house 90° arc rotating bolters.

http://i.imgur.com/5JS6Q1o.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/5JS6Q1ol.jpg

So aside from everything else I intend to do this shall also be on my plate.

After all I have 38,000 years before these have to be ready.........

[Darren Richardson]

ohhh that looks awesome even in it's current state...

[Blackadder]

This could be the perfect candidate for the new Super Heavy available to the Solar Auxilia in the latest Horus Heresy rulebook (Book IV); the Stormhammer.


It pays to share your work on the internet. You literally have a world of input to draw on. Thanks very much for this information; you have given me an edge on replicating in hardware the image offered in the rules with virtually no regression The machine imaged and mine are virtually identical with very few amendments.

https://41.media.tumblr.com/d7d3203668614d1876fa109b0274686d/tumblr_ng6eb8hzOr1u19hiso1_1280.jpg

Now it just remains to be seen if I alter my intended trajectory to this new information????????????

[Blackadder]

Unilateral Development;

One thing that has alway bothered me about this tank was the unilateral asymmetry of the superstructure of the Armorcast model. Since I am redesigning this tank I decided to make the casement symmetrical (and center the turret) which regretfully eliminates the character of the original, superfluous as that may have been. Other than causing angle incident headaches it served no discernible purpose; nevertheless I am sorry to see it go.

http://i.imgur.com/KNgyHgc.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KNgyHgcl.jpg

So after producing a paper template I transferred the coordinates to styrene and rough cut the piece with scissors. (Yes I know the lines are not symmetrical but I know what they mean.........)

http://i.imgur.com/QGdkYrL.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/QGdkYrLl.jpg

Once the top is glued in place I can sand the bevel and add the sloping casement.

[Blackadder]

Turret Toolboxes:

One thing I do know, the toolboxes on the back of the turret have to be executed with a fine degree of tolerance. It is very easy to make them lopsided and then they just look like hell; it would be better just to leave them off.

When I refurbished my Armourcast Baneblade I just cast them out of resin and sanded them into shape easy peasy

http://i.imgur.com/p0GJbDu.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/p0GJbDul.jpg

but today I am going to build them from scratch as I don't want to play with all that messy resin.

http://i.imgur.com/6MAWrez.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/6MAWrezl.jpg

So we start with the false bottom plate and I don't know how big/deep I want the boxes so I made the plate a tad extra long. When it's finished the end plate should be relatively square i.e.equal on all four sides but I won't know the dimensions until I get the angled side on.

http://i.imgur.com/pUvzaqE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/pUvzaqEl.jpg

[YorkNecromancer]

ne thing that has alway bothered me about this tank was the unilateral asymmetry of the superstructure of the Armorcast model. Since I am redesigning this tank I decided to make the casement symmetrical (and center the turret) which regretfully eliminates the character of the original, superfluous as that may have been.

Oh, but the asymmetry! The asymmetry! :(

All joking aside, this is a niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice looking start. Good luck! I find that with superheavies, it's all about the endurance. :)

[Blackadder]

The Sounds Of Sanding:

One of the questions I most get is how do I manage to get my edges and corners so crisp and smooth and without using fillers. Well I've attempted to answer this on many occasions recommending the tools shown here but it was only this morning that it came to me that I sand by sound...........

http://i.imgur.com/PCFjBdi.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/PCFjBdil.jpg

The big problem with sanding anything especially soft material is maintaining a level stroke with the sanding block or file. Most people when they sand have a tendency to rock the tool especially at the end of the stroke where they reverse the sanding direction. This causes two problems; one, by necessity the edges become more sanded as the pressure at the point of contact increases at the fine edge causing more material to be abraided and two, the double stroke of the reverse of the direction.

There are two ways to eliminate this. The first is easy just sand in one direction but the problem there is you still have the extra pressure at the end of the stroke. The second is to sand in a circular or figure '8' motion which I learned when honing chisels on a stone and carried over into sanding just about anything.

So check your sanding progress often and if possible reverse the piece so the edge surfaces gets equal work and try to decrease the pressure when you get to the end of the stroke so the edges don't get over-sanded.

So where does the 'sound' come in?

This morning I was absently sanding the small turrets seen above and I noticed that the sound of the sanding dropped in pitch as I made flush contact with the entire surface of the work. I probably do this subliminally so I know precisely when the surface is flush and smooth. You'll have to practice with this technique but it's better than filling with greenstuff which you have to sand again anyway.

HTH

Oh, and the scissors.......... On thin styrene up to a millimeter I use a good pair of scissors to rough cut the excess close to the edge of the work. they are much easier to control than the knife and you are less likely to cut too close and damage the corners.

[Blackadder]

Black Styrene:

So why hasn't someone asked, "Where did you get the Black Styrene?"

http://i.imgur.com/UisXGyh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/UisXGyhl.jpg

Well people who have been following my threads for years know but to newcomers and new forums that I am posting on will be surprised to learn that the black plastic comes from IBM printer cartridges. My company use to throw them out by the hundreds each year.

I've got enough to last me a few decades............

http://i.imgur.com/0PzKNGC.jpg

They're thick plastic over 2,00 MM so you need a saw to cut them, a hacksaw will do and the plastic is compatible with with standard styrene plastic cement.

And they're free........

Plus you're recycling.

[Blackadder]

The Fearful Symmetry:

Even with her plasticard only half installed and none of the detail accomplished The 'Kreuzer' is an exercise in brute force.

http://i.imgur.com/zMCCoZB.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/zMCCoZBl.jpg

Almost a third again larger than the standard Baneblade she already weighs over half a kilo, one and an eighth pounds. That's a lot of styrene.

http://i.imgur.com/8j5K4wz.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/8j5K4wzl.jpg

The faceted superstructure is a marked departure from the Classic Baneblade and will mount a centerline main turret.

http://i.imgur.com/YBuh9Lz.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/YBuh9Lzl.jpg

The top view alongside the Baneblade shows that for aesthetic value I shall have to widen the track covers I'm guessing 5 MM each and build out the sponsons correspondingly. This is one of the reasons I scrapped the project years ago because the complexity of the modification was beyond my then abilities.

Hopefully I'll be up to the challenge now................

[Blackadder]

You're Not Going to Believe This But:

Just an FYI before enclosing the bottom of this model. The problem is I rarely take the time to document the internal structure of these smaller models so the infrastructure is lost until someone takes a hacksaw to see what's inside.

This way no one will be tempted.........

http://i.imgur.com/heuyf6S.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/heuyf6Sl.jpg

From the bottom view to the superstructure before the final sanding of the facet work which I am rather pleased with.

http://i.imgur.com/XBP3x6Q.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/XBP3x6Ql.jpg

Faceting rarely comes out this well as the angles especially towards the end usually tend to go awry with a lot of fudging to make the last pieces fit.

These came out pretty much perfect. Whew!

[Blackadder]

If the Wine is Sour, Throw It Out:

If the wine is sour, throw it out has ever been my maxim. One of my favorite movies is 'The Agony and the Ecstasy' where Michelangelo dissatisfied with his work scraped it off and started over. The lesson I learned from that was never be satisfied with 'Good enough' so when I saw five years ago that this tank was not going to come out the way I envisioned it I put it aside for better days.

http://i.imgur.com/IyflQu4.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/IyflQu4l.jpg

Well better days are here and still I am dissatisfied. First my behemoth has too small a track width as was my initial thoughts half a decade ago so I set out to remedy this.

Note in the image above the Baneblade on the left tracks equal about a third of the overall width of the tank excluding sponsons where as the tank on the right about a quarter including the new added on centimeter of width. So now not only do I need to widen the track housings but I also have to widen the tracks as well which will necessitate making new tracks. This is a daunting project as I do want to make tracks with precisely the same design as the gorgeous original Baneblade skull track segments. So the first order of business will be to make two track links; one with the skull and one with the standard track design but a quarter again larger overall. Then I have to explore the possibility of casting them them.

The second problem with the tank in the image above is the front deck is sloped side to side which was not apparent in the then original black plastic model but is painfully obvious in the white styrene sheathed present. That shall have to be rebuilt.

http://i.imgur.com/o9Ifcus.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/o9Ifcusl.jpg

In the above image we see the added on strips I will use as a basis for the widened track housing. The lower stringer will define the upper edge of the bogie access panels. The sponsons will be positioned maybe a quarter inch more forward.

http://i.imgur.com/l5ZrKOE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/l5ZrKOEl.jpg

This rear image shows where I am dissatisfied with the engine housing, the angled panels on either side were not large enough top to bottom so I am redoing them as well the left side panel already chopped away.

http://i.imgur.com/scJGi2N.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/scJGi2Nl.jpg

This top view demonstrating perhaps more clearly the object of my discontent.

As I said, the wine was sour............

[Blackadder]

No, Not Spaced Armour:

But rather my strategy for making the tread well wider without rebuilding the whole model. Although it might have been easier to rebuild the whole model.

http://i.imgur.com/3rzCeFn.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/3rzCeFnl.jpg

Once I get the exterior sides on and remove the inner track race things should move a lot quicker.

I doubled the thickness of the track housing and fenders because 2,6 MM armour might look sufficient for a Baneblade but on this model it looks too thin. This armour will be 5,0 MM thick.

http://i.imgur.com/akJuepy.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/akJuepyl.jpg

The new engine compartment looks much better with the diagonal side panels rebuilt.

http://i.imgur.com/WGklzZw.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/WGklzZwl.jpg

The inner track well wall shows with the black and white sandwich running fore to aft the 5,0 MM thickness of the armour. Once completed the exterior plating of the well will be just as thick.

Finally, the front bottom view. with all the work clean and tidy for a change this finally looks like it will come together.

[Blackadder]

Come On Blackadder, It's a Toy Tank:

I have to regain my perspective. I sometimes get the impression I am too carried away by what is ostensibly a toy plastic tank but it is what it supposedly represents.

We have the Baneblade , a 300 tonne monster tank as big as a two story house literally (scale-wise) and now we have something half again larger. A 500 tonne construction that makes the Baneblade appear as insignificant.

http://i.imgur.com/AzkgYUl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/AzkgYUll.jpg

I purposely took this photo with both tanks positioned with the rear bulkheads even so the front ends represent the overall length of each vehicle. The Baneblade is clearly outclassed.

http://i.imgur.com/pNhPjtm.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/pNhPjtml.jpg

Note the Landkreuzer has no treads as yet.

Blackadder you clearly need to get some professional help :D

[Blackadder]

Dammit Jim I'm a Doctor Not a Sculptor:

Well er not a doctor either but a mechanic and the bottom line is, 'Don't quit yer day job Blackadder.

Below is my attempt last night to try my hand at making the treads I so much covet; not so easy as it would seem............

http://i.imgur.com/GuTTJne.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/GuTTJnel.jpg

Funny how a photo solidifies imperfections your eye compensates for or ameliorates, this skull looked pretty close to my 3D perception...... Not!

http://i.imgur.com/D4Q3xcB.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/D4Q3xcBl.jpg

However the generic tread seems satisfactory.

The new treads are 3,0 CM as opposed to the FW cast originals which are 2,5 CM wide.

Now that I have a prototype I figure it will take me about 15 minutes per tread to manufacture the generic treads if I make cutting jigs and start an assembly line.

I figure I will require 12 skull treads and 36 generic not counting the 32+ blank treads I shall need for the bottom run.

[Spy_Smasher]

Did you carve that skull in styrene?

[Blackadder]

Yes 6,3 X 2,0 MM Strip styrene...........

Only 78 More To Go:

Well it seemed like a plan making these treads the hardest part being carving the skull. The tracks themselves are easy albeit tedious but I see no way of casting them without compromising the detail.

http://i.imgur.com/rMmTfg2.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/rMmTfg2l.jpg

The two that are done didn't take all that long perhaps a half hour tops.

http://i.imgur.com/uGPWti7.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/uGPWti7l.jpg

[Spy_Smasher]

You don't think you could just cast the skull symbol only with a press mold? I don't have any experience with instamold but it seems like a perfect application of a press mold and some green stuff. You wouldn't have to break out the silicon and resin.

[Blackadder]

The skulls are already cast using Instamold and green stuff, I'm 'way ahead of you......:D but thanks for the suggestion.

How the Skull Was Made:

No one asked (which is surprising) but I'll give the procedure anyway.

I started with a strip of styrene 6,3 MM X 2,0 MM which would give me a skull about a millimeter larger than the original; that would be about a fifth again larger.

I then used my #11 Xacto tip to auger out two small holes where I estimated the eyes would be. The holes were much smaller than the finished eye sockets.

Then I augered the hole between the eyes for the nose(again much smaller than when finished).

I could see then that I had to add some small pieces of styrene to the strip for the cheek bones which I cemented on and allowed to dry.

Once dried I began to shape the dome of the skull. Since I already had the size estimated it was a simple matter to scrape away the surface copying the contours of the dome and face until I had a rough facsimile of the skull shape.

I then set about carving the eye sockets using the edge of the skull for a guide the outer rim of the eye socket would be paper thin.

delicately cutting away the excess enlarging the socket ever so slightly until again I had rough sockets cut, I did the same for the nose recess,

Again with the #11 knife I scraped the character contours in the forehead and cheeks and incised deep creases on either side of the nose to create the muzzle.

I pared down the styrene on either side for the jaw recesses. This where I stopped:

http://i.imgur.com/D4Q3xcB.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/D4Q3xcBl.jpg

I brushed the entire surface with styrene cement to smooth the rough knife scratches, the thin cement not the glue, and allowed to dry over night.

This morning I cut the final detail and undercut the jaw for where it would be separated from the stock strip.

[Darren Richardson]

Amazing work as ever Blackadder✴

[Spy_Smasher]

Gotcha. Well, I am really enjoying the build.

[Blackadder]

Yankee Ingenuity:

Yessir thanks to Henry Ford and his assembly line idea I'm moving great guns on fabricating these treads.

I have all the skulls made and partially sanded down to the right thickness and I have a good start on the skull tread. I've got enough segments for 26 skull treads which is a lot more than I need but there are always a few crips so its better to make spares plus I can always hang the surplus on the turret for spares.

http://i.imgur.com/D8F547E.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/D8F547El.jpg

I made 16 skulls last night which should suffice for the time being no point in wasting greenstuff although each skull requires about a BB sized bit of greenstuff.

http://i.imgur.com/NpkxLnW.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/NpkxLnWl.jpg

You can see I have to trim down the skull thickness as it protrudes too high above the tread.

I thought the skull segments would be the hard ones to reproduce but it appears the generic treads are/will be the labor intense ones.

[Blackadder]

One Down 79 To Go:

Well the first track link is completed. Start to finish I'm guessing it took a half hour to build from scratch including glue drying time. Once I get jigs built and get an assembly line going I'm sure I can finish the next 79 in about eight man hours but of course I don't have that time to devote consecutively so over the course of a few days give or take should see them assembled.

The first image shows the back of the link; strangely I only took the one and no close up.

http://i.imgur.com/b0xUsuC.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/b0xUsuCl.jpg

This next image shows all the skull treads ready for the final assembly and a segment of a Baneblade track for a size comparison.

http://i.imgur.com/xFU3uLk.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xFU3uLkl.jpg

The image below shows a closeup of the thickness of the link. The standard Baneblade link is 4,25 MM and my link is just about 6,0 MM.

http://i.imgur.com/20C9ghv.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/20C9ghvl.jpg

A close up of the tread detail, each tread has 27 individual pieces of plastic including the skull. It's a very labor intense construct.

http://i.imgur.com/rQi5MiQ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/rQi5MiQl.jpg

And finally the bogie wheel compared to a Baneblade bogie.........

http://i.imgur.com/2m8BKsq.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/2m8BKsql.jpg

God what a monster this tank will be.

[Blackadder]

68 To Go:

Well the ones I deemed the hardest to do because of the sculpting and number of pieces are ostensibly complete in their basic assembly. There are some that think I should have cast the prototype and be done with it but my way proved best albeit much more labor intense because although the components remained more or less locked in stone size-wise subtle shifting of the components position-wise was and still is necessary for the best artistic appeal.

http://i.imgur.com/bIB8Dux.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/bIB8Duxl.jpg

Case in point, originally I cast two different sized skulls and eventually went with the smaller which was about 1,5 MM shorter in breadth.

Here you see the skulls glued in place and on the individual frets they look adequate and I was satisfied but seeing them all together as shown here they are wrong; especially when paired up with the generic tread links, lower right in the above photo, where it will be subsequently revealed that the skulls need to be re-positioned.

http://i.imgur.com/GdB8tMM.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/GdB8tMMl.jpg

And so it turns out lunacy does have it's purpose.

[Blackadder]

Tread Factory:

After a few failed attempts at making a decent mould/casting I decided to go back to my original plan of making treads by hand. there is just too many problems with casting at least in the way I am geared up to do it. Were I into the manufacture of these for profit I would engage a qualified mould maker but since it is a one shot deal I decided to tough it out.

Below is my tread assembly line in various stages of production so you can see the progression.

http://i.imgur.com/aRx4q2Q.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/aRx4q2Ql.jpg

And I couldn't decide which image I liked best so here it is again......

http://i.imgur.com/5dXu9eI.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/5dXu9eIl.jpg

[Blackadder]

Hitting My Stride;

Well the first ones were tedious because I didn't know where I was going with these.

After I finished the skull treads I knew what the basic tread thickness and the overall size would be and I did have the prototype for the generic tread pretty much nailed.

Yesterday I played around with speeding up the production process and it was kind of a down day production wise but this morning I hit my stride and accomplished quite a bit in the hour I devoted to production.

I glued the strips together the six long strips to the right. That represents the amount of track necessary to do each strip being cut into 11 segments 3,0 CM long 66 in all; probably a few more than I need.

http://i.imgur.com/kes7Wb7.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/kes7Wb7l.jpg

The five generic to the left are completed track faces and still need the back side of the track installed and the 3 center rows are pretty much what I accomplished in the hour this morning..... easy peasy :P

http://i.imgur.com/8AWq65s.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/8AWq65sl.jpg

I hope to be half done today with the track faces.

Then I can start on the blanks for the bottom run of the tracks.

[Kirsten]

you are completely mad... :p

[Dave Mcturk]

you are completely mad... :p

lol. but youre having fun.

always amazes me when ppl model things that wont be seen ! [i mean its a model for a game not an engineering project]

the tracks underneath only need feature on the bit that extrudes from under the hull for example.

but perfectionist is as perfectionist does

[Blackadder]

Great minds think along similar tracks (groan) I can to that realization just this morning; I can mould the bottom run out of a single piece of plastic with just the inner surface of the run segmented. Thanks for the suggestion.

Oh and BTW no one will even see these even in a game. They'll just sit on my curio shelf.

My son's friends don't have armies that can compete with these point values.

Ha!

'course they could gang up on him..............

[Blackadder]

And You Guys Thought I Was Crazy:

Well I figured out a way that I do not have to make 80 individual treads, I probably don't need any more than the 44 presented here.

Of course I have to make the bottom run but that can be all one piece except for the inner track segments which is really quite simple

http://i.imgur.com/pbJ9a0g.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/pbJ9a0gl.jpg

So now I can go back to twiddling my thumbs and toes Ha, Ha!

[Blackadder]

How It's Done:

Or how I do it anyway; I'm sure there's a better way but I don't know of it.

I'm about ten minutes away from finishing up what I hope is sufficient number of tread links so it's a good time to take a break and show my production line; this time for installing rivets:

First you have to cut the rough cut rivets and for that I use the half inch Xacto chisel (Center right on the board) and I cut about twenty at a time from the 1/16th inch diameter rod center board just below the cement bottle.

I have two tread links just below that; the upper one is a completed link that I use as a guide to maintain the correct spacing and the one below that is the uncompleted work piece with one rivet already installed.

http://i.imgur.com/lseMphu.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/lseMphul.jpg

The pieces to the right are the tracks that are yet to have rivets installed; only eight left.....

and to the left twenty four links I just completed this hour.

In the close up image below i'm trying to demonstrate how I pick up the rivets because no one can pick up the individual rivets by hand and install them with their fingers without going bats**t crazy or with tweezers either for that matter.

No , what I do is just touch lightly the individual rivets with the sharp point of my NEW #11 Xacto blade and brush a drop of glue onto the area of the tread link where I want the rivet to be and lightly press the rivet on the Xacto point into the glue drop and hold slight pressure for a few seconds....

http://i.imgur.com/7vjYGDd.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7vjYGDdl.jpg

Withdraw the knife and the rivet stays glued to the tread..........

Do that operation 128 times and you're done.

Easy, Right?

[Wolfshade]

Wow. I know that your work is painstaking, but things ike this really put into context the labour of love that goes into every little aspect.

[Blackadder]

Well you have to look at rivets as a minor part of the overall scratchbuild. Granted it's tedious but if you listen to talk-radio or sort of watch a movie/tv or (god forbid a sports event) while you do it you'll be surprised how much you will accomplish subliminally. I use to watch my grandmother knitting afghan doilies while watching TV and think how can she do this without slashing her wrists but it does work. You'd be surprised how much you can accomplish without consciously putting your mind to it.

[Blackadder]

Tread Links 1.02

Okay so the tread links are cleaned and the excess bits of plastic sanded and cut away; the rivets filed down to a uniform height, we're ready to install the front end link plate. I glued all the link to continuous strips of styrene leaving a slight gap between so I can cut them separate once the glue dries. this is so much easier than cutting each individual piece plus all the front strips are of a uniform height.

http://i.imgur.com/llrREyj.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/llrREyjl.jpg

A closeup of the rivet rows and the tread pattern reveals slight anomalies in the spacing and placement but the casual observer will not notice, "Hey that rivet is half a millimeter too close to the other."

http://i.imgur.com/DMHHxGy.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/DMHHxGyl.jpg

Government Work.

[Blackadder]

Helpful Tip On Filing Rivets:

The key is where I said "rough cut", (if you look at the second picture [previous post]you will see the cut rivets are nowhere near uniform in size or shape.) I glue them on and file to the proper height. The problem is the type of file. Small rivets require a steel emery board (Diamond fingernail file)

http://www.venusworldwide.com/images/Diamond%20Nail%20File.jpg

or they will drag off. Larger rivets naturally can take a coarser file.

[Blackadder]

A Big Dividend:

More than likely an exercise in complete lunacy but to have accomplished this pays me a big dividend; thumps chest over heart, here.

I gave up on this project half a decade ago because I couldn't conceive of making treads and by treads I mean plain old run of the mill tank treads, not FW Baneblade treads. I really, really, really, coveted those skull treads and every so often I would look at this uncompleted model and think, "Someday I'll make this work."

Well today just a few minutes ago it became a reality and as I savor the result and a well made Martini I am sharing this moment with all of you.

http://i.imgur.com/njFbp76.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/njFbp76l.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/zECI63y.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/zECI63yl.jpg

Cheers,

[Kirsten]

those are amazing. you are still mad of course, but one hell of a talent.

[Darren Richardson]

Yep you are Mad in an utterly BRILIANT way Blackadder, now I so want to see this finished!

[Blackadder]

High praise for what is ostensible a compulsive mental disorder.

Thanks for the replies.....:D

Bogie Chassis:

Revamping this tank requires a new set of chassis for the bogie wheels. The original chassis were pretty primitive and my skills have increased over the years.

These will provide much better attach points:

http://i.imgur.com/XUH53pe.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/XUH53pel.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/7V2tYPM.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7V2tYPMl.jpg

[Blackadder]

The Track Blocks:

My original track blocks were an abysmal failure and I discarded them. These new ones will be much sturdier and easy to work with.

http://i.imgur.com/IBxX1Re.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/IBxX1Rel.jpg

Note the 6,3 X 2,0 MM centering strip I am using to align the bogie wheels, much better than the centering spine of the original track block.

In the image below I know the centering strips don't look like it (I had to measure myself) but they are 12,4 MM from each track well wall.

http://i.imgur.com/AUVcPWr.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/AUVcPWrl.jpg

So now we have a true and sturdy base on which to mount the wheels.

http://i.imgur.com/9GPvGfV.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/9GPvGfVl.jpg

Next; The manufacture of the drive and idler wheels:

[Blackadder]

Years Ago:

When I was a budding scratch-builder I made the bogies for this monster. Having already been apprised pf how outlandishly over-sized it was I search around for a shortcut to make the over-sized road wheels.

So I have a complete set of bogies made out of a 5/8 inch dowel for the axle, a 7/8 inch OD ABS tube (I don't know where that came from) and I went to the dollar store and bought a couple of packets of felt tip markers,

http://i.imgur.com/xNljHtG.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xNljHtGl.jpg

cut off the end plugs and beveled the inner vanes.

http://i.imgur.com/vHznqfW.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/vHznqfWl.jpg

and there you have it , 16 reasonably detailed road wheels with a minimum of effort and talent.

And there for some reason I let the project drop.

Had I used my head I should have noticed that even if the drive wheels were larger in diameter, they still had the same sized inner core. (I actually just noticed that as I type this.... Ha!)

Anyway that's where we are today; trying to see if we can't improve on that other fellow's work.


Next Reply Please

[Blackadder]

Blackadder's 'Crown' Experiment

I love 'Eureka' moments, one came to me two nights back at 3:00 AM where for the few previous days I had been mulling how to produce the drive/idler wheels for the tracks. (The Blackadder has very little to occupy his mind these days.) anyway even though I have an even better way, I'll share this eureka moment with you as it is a more general way to make tank road tires.

BTW for those unfamiliar with "Eureka Moment" I enclose the following link:

https://www.google.com/search?q=apprised&oq=apprised&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8#q=archimedes+crown+experiment

I hate repetition and the thought of making 40 round tires with axles to make 16 bogie wheels and 4 drive wheel frustrates me and sends me into a state that inactivates me. Rather than wallow in my doldrums I usually just switch to another project which is better for my mental health. Therefor 5 years ago when stymied by the problem, I built Lucie the Warhound (and numerous other projects as well) instead.

So my eureka solution was this, rather than trying to cut round road wheelsof the proper thickness or sandwiching a half dozen or so thin disks together I took thin strips of styrene of proper width (in this case 1/4 inch) and wrapped it around the largest diameter styrene tube in my inventory 1/2 inch which coincidentally was just about the size of the axle needed.

Here we see the first of the eight road tires required already completed:

http://i.imgur.com/kjkte9R.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/kjkte9Rl.jpg

I'll demonstrate how to make the next one;

Measuring the proper axle spacing I glued the end of the 0,25 MM styrene strip square on the 1/2 inch styrene tube, then when sufficiently dry I filed the end to a fine taper so a lump won't form when I wrap the strip around the axle.

http://i.imgur.com/FxfJVxP.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/FxfJVxPl.jpg

When the strip is completely wrapped around I insured the wrapping was squared and tight and glued the free end to the wrap. I the proceeded to apply thinset styrene glue to the edges of the entire wrap and allowed to dry.

http://i.imgur.com/v3bSz1e.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/v3bSz1el.jpg

I used the milled jaws of the vernier calipers shown to true the wrap edges before applying the glue. (Engineers cringe)

Since the tires will be thicker than the one strip of styrene will achieve I wrapped a second around the first in the same manner. Now that the tire diameter is significantly larger than the 1/2 inch axle it was safe to use a thicker wrap, in this case I used 0,4 MM strip styrene.

http://i.imgur.com/w2F2RXF.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/w2F2RXFl.jpg

Here we see the tire finished wrap with the vernier calipers in place to compress any spiraling edges so the strips aren't telescoped.

Next post please.

[Blackadder]

The Mantle Of Lunacy:

Since I am so very often labeled "Crazy" I may as well don the appellation and adopt it for my very own to wit; last night I deemed the bogies too plain and spiffed them up a bit. with center axles and lugs.

http://i.imgur.com/YFEzXU7.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/YFEzXU7l.jpg

After drilling close to 400 holes my placement became a tad erratic.

http://i.imgur.com/dhQX89Z.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/dhQX89Zl.jpg

Since the skirting of the side armour eclipses half the road wheel I'm sure no one will see the discrepancies.

But I'll have to be more careful on the very prominent Idlers.

[40kGamer]

Great method mate! I punted a tank scratch build a couple years ago when I realized I had no idea how to make all the wheels outside of throwing hours at them... so I wandered off to other projects and still have these partially constructed tanks staring at me from the WIP shelves. Thanks for sharing.

[Blackadder]

That what my treads are for.

Glad to be of assistance.

Time To Space the Road Wheels:

Well the new tread block seems to be just about perfect; the tire hubs appear slightly below the proposed fender skirting and the block sufficiently long enough to mount the outrage number of bogies. Yeah I'm guessing about all this; that's what comes of working without a plan boys and girls..........

http://i.imgur.com/plMUYT8.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/plMUYT8l.jpg

The next step will be to determine the best spacing taking into account the drive sprocket and nose idler wheel the hub of the nose idler being just under the leading edge of the fender.

[Blackadder]

Looks Like a Plan:

With very little forethought and purely by accident everything is rosy, the bogies seem just the right size for the tread run. i need to space them about a millimeter apart as opposed to the present image but nothing critical.

The two nose tires which are at odds with standard 'Christie suspension'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christie_suspension

conform nicely to the FW/GW design none the less so it's acceptable.

http://i.imgur.com/GbiwiJx.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/GbiwiJxl.jpg

Even without the front idler the wheels look businesslike and seem adequate for the extra two hundred tons this tank has over the Baneblade

http://i.imgur.com/ZQhYR7R.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ZQhYR7Rl.jpg

With the body removed the clean installation is revealed so those who want to copy this design, feel free.

http://i.imgur.com/KfELvs0.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KfELvs0l.jpg

Only please don't ask for plans, diagrams or templates; I regret to say there aren't any.

[Blackadder]

No Need To Rush:

Let this be a lesson, it doesn't pay to rush these projects. I was about to affix the road wheels to the wheel base but on seeing this I will have to wait until the drive and idler wheels are done. Otherwise the wheel placement would have to be redone.

http://i.imgur.com/CjK0qfR.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/CjK0qfRl.jpg

but everything else seems satisfactory.

[Blackadder]

Smacks Forehead:

On re-examining the side armour fender skirting there's a grievous error in the rear cutout and only this image brought it to the fore:


http://i.imgur.com/CjK0qfR.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/CjK0qfRl.jpg

My problem is that I was following the Armorcast Baneblade profile when I initially built this.

http://i.imgur.com/SRV3wxa.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/SRV3wxal.jpg

Where the cut out is significantly larger.

http://i.imgur.com/JK0IvrB.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/JK0IvrBl.jpg

That's why the skirt access panel cutouts won't work out.

[YorkNecromancer]

As someone once said to me recently:

http://i.giphy.com/7rj2ZgttvgomY.gif

I am totally stealing that method of wheel manufacture. F***ing amazing work.

[Blackadder]

As someone once said to me recently:



I am totally stealing that method of wheel manufacture. F***ing amazing work.

Okay just remember to draw the plastic strip across your fingernail to impart a curve to the strip so it easier to wind as secure.

[Blackadder]

Well I've been a fortnight on Florida and no one seems to have missed any updates so it appears if I were to somehow depart this mortal coil no one would notice............ a comforting thought...................

[interrogator_chaplain]

Yeah, it can be sad not getting reply's to your threads. So I know where you're coming from. *AHEM* (http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?35611-Interrogator_Chaplain-s-Finished-Dark-Angels-Mechanicus-amp-Others/page4) Sorry, something on my keyboard.

FWIW, I don't usually leave comments on your threads because you can only state how much you venerate one's acute attention to detail, only so often. But also that I find the Armourcast Baneblade a tad dull, but that's hardly your fault.

[Psychosplodge]

Well I've been a fortnight on Florida and no one seems to have missed any updates so it appears if I were to somehow depart this mortal coil no one would notice............ a comforting thought...................

poke your head into the announcements board and check out one of the latest threads (http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?53160-A-greeting-and-a-thank-you)
I think theres plenty that follow you, but without feedback it's easy to see why you'd think that.

[Blackadder]

God what a wienie you are Blackadder! Boohoo I didn't get any mail; poor baby.......... just goes to show don't post when you're tired and high (Martini).......Ha! Just got back from Florida last night 19 hours of driving and decided to check my threads before retiring, my apologies. Somehow I thought that post was funny last night............. and 'interrogator_chaplain' point taken.

Sorry to have been so remiss. I tend to look on my threads as informal tutorials on 'how to' scratch build techniques where someone might ask how such and such is done rather than a "Look what I can do" tour d' force. With that in mind I usually seek out similar scratch building threads almost exclusively given the short allotted time I devote to forum surfing. I've resolved be more attentive to at the very least my loyal respondents in the future.

[Psychosplodge]

lols.

That's one way to look at it. You're not the only one I've seen be disheartened by the seemingly lack of response. Just keep watching the views number go up.

[FireHazard]

Almost 6,500 views on this thread alone shows just how much we love and respect you :)

I can honestly say I never tire of looking over your various project threads as there's always something to learn or something to marvel at (though I also easily get lost as you seem to have so many on the go at the same time!).

You keep building and posting, I'll keep on viewing.

[Blackadder]

Almost 6,500 views on this thread alone shows just how much we love and respect you :)

...........(though I also easily get lost as you seem to have so many on the go at the same time!).

Yeah I get bored easily so I have to jump around.

I hope to resume building tomorrow, much too tired today.

[Spy_Smasher]

I've got 2 of the latest versions of Baneblade, magnetized up the wazoo. I've also got one of the first plastic Baneblades and an Armorcast Baneblade sitting around unassembled. I was considering selling them but I've become inspired to do a little converting. Maybe some custom super heavy tanks for my Sisters and Inquisition.

I should be able to get to it before I die. :)

[Blackadder]

Okay; I promise, I'll have a production post readied later today but I have to address the above post......

If you have an unassembled NIB Armorcast Baneblade I would surely consider selling it on ebay or the like as I believe they go for quite a bit more in virgin condition than the original price to an avid collector; certainly a lot more than their detailing warrants. The reason I converted mine is it was pretty poor shape when I got it so anything done improved it.

And what is the "Latest version of Baneblade?" Did I miss something?

Wow; searched "Latest version of Baneblade" and found this:

http://www.thetopdraw.com/view/images/uploads/baneblade-whole_1374141894.jpg

Surely someone has a lot of talent and time on his hands.

Now I see (infer) at least eight crew members and half a dozen or so free roaming servitor skulls, a bin for spent small shell casings, a lot of skulls, icon, and altars and a tech priest but I see no live ammo magazine for the big guns and no perceivable engine; what am I missing?

[Blackadder]

Appended to; "What am I missing..........."

Well the upper tread run to be sure. The artist has acknowledged that he was aware of the necessity of the upper run of tread as he shows the tread cutoff end in the front of the tank fender but then he ignores the issue and has the sponson gun server (gunner?) and some abbreviated individual smack dab in the space where the tread should be.

Then there is the question of fuel. In my reading preparing to make my version of a Landkeuzer I referred a lot to the largest produced tank (to my knowledge) the German Panzerkampfwagen VIII 'Maus'. The spec's show it carried 710 US Gallons of fuel internally and 400 gallons of fuel in the external reserve and had a battlefield range of 39 miles. BTW that works out to 185.5 feet of travel per gallon if you're interested and at top speed of 8.1 MPH. The big problem with the Maus was developing an engine powerful enough to move the tank and small enough to actually fit inside.

The artist here didn't address either the interior fuel storage 95 cubic feet or a reservoir cube size of 4.56 by 4.56 by 4.56 or appreciable space for any sort of propulsion unit.

Certainly the tiny barrels at the end of the fender couldn't carry enough fuel for more than a few miles at most. BTW note the surge baffles.........nice touch.

But it is a pretty picture......XD

[40kGamer]

Has GW addressed tank engines before in the fluff? I had always assumed that tech advances had lead to some alternate power source/fuel. Maybe something akin to a compact fusion reactor. Something similar to what powers marine armour only bigger/more powerful.

And I understand your pain of going between 2D and 3D artistic mediums. I always have a 'what was the artist thinking when they drew this' moment when transitioning concept art to 3D. :)

[Blackadder]

The misconception that nuclear power is some sort of exotic powerplant panacea is mistaken. granted the fuel takes up relatively small space compare to diesel oil which I believe the Baneblade runs on hence the aux fuel drums and exhaust mufflers on the rear track guards and rear panel. All a nuclear reactor does is produce steam by boiling some liquid. the steam the turns turbines that produce mechanical energy to drive screws or in the case of the Baneblade some sort of transmission. All these are rather bulky items not to mention the condensers and fluid reservoirs and noise abatement shields.

Okay; I promise, I'll have a production post readied later today

Wow; searched "Latest version of Baneblade" and found this:

http://www.thetopdraw.com/view/images/uploads/baneblade-whole_1374141894.jpg

Surely someone has a lot of talent and time on his hands.

Now I see (infer) at least eight crew members and half a dozen or so free roaming servitor skulls, a bin for spent small shell casings, a lot of skulls, icon, and altars and a tech priest but I see no live ammo magazine for the big guns and no perceivable engine; what am I missing?


Appended to; "What am I missing..........."

Well the upper tread run to be sure. The artist has acknowledged that he was aware of the necessity of the upper run of tread as he shows the tread cutoff end in the front of the tank fender but then he ignores the issue and has the sponson gun server (gunner?) and some abbreviated individual smack dab in the space where the tread should be.

Then there is the question of fuel. In my reading preparing to make my version of a Landkeuzer I referred a lot to the largest produced tank (to my knowledge) the German Panzerkampfwagen VIII 'Maus'. The spec's show it carried 710 US Gallons of fuel internally and 400 gallons of fuel in the external reserve and had a battlefield range of 39 miles. BTW that works out to 185.5 feet of travel per gallon if you're interested and at top speed of 8.1 MPH. The big problem with the Maus was developing an engine powerful enough to move the tank and small enough to actually fit inside.

The artist here didn't address either the interior fuel storage 95 cubic feet or a reservoir cube size of 4.56 by 4.56 by 4.56 or appreciable space for any sort of propulsion unit.

Certainly the tiny barrels at the end of the fender couldn't carry enough fuel for more than a few miles at most. BTW note the surge baffles.........nice touch.

But it is a pretty picture......XD

[40kGamer]

The misconception that nuclear power is some sort of exotic powerplant panacea is mistaken. granted the fuel takes up relatively small space compare to diesel oil which I believe the Baneblade runs on hence the aux fuel drums and exhaust mufflers on the rear track guards and rear panel. All a nuclear reactor does is produce steam by boiling some liquid. the steam the turns turbines that produce mechanical energy to drive screws or in the case of the Baneblade some sort of transmission. All these are rather bulky items not to mention the condensers and fluid reservoirs and noise abatement shields.

Fission reactors are bulky but Fusion one's are theorized/expected to be very different. Plus if we consider the evolution of the modern computer from a warehouse sized clunky apparatus to the current micro sized machines that have vastly more power it isn't hard to imagine a similar change in the scale and scope of power supplies. Fluff wise the Imperium uses Promethium as a primary fuel source (an unstable radioactive element if they are drawing on the periodic table) one can theorize that the engines are some weird hybrid between standard combustion and fusion. This would allow for the primitive exhausts and the extra fuel barrels.

[Blackadder]

The Wheel Thing:

Every type of model has certain pieces that if done right no one notices but if done wrong ruins the model.

That's how I feel about the road and drive wheels on tanks.

seemingly insignificant, partially covered still if less than detailed they stand out like sore thumbs when it comes to displaying your work.

Witness this beautifully detailed effort that somehow just doesn't make the grade because of the painfully plain road wheels. (and fenderskirts but that's a different story......)

http://i.imgur.com/lLBFqz2.jpg

So now I shall attempt to detail the drive and idler wheels on the Landkreuzer and also fix the fender skirt doors on this and my Titan Hunter. It's about time since I shelved it more than six years ago.

http://i.imgur.com/gNnpaRB.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/gNnpaRBl.jpg

In the images above and below we see the tools required to make the wells in the wheels for the final detailing. Now that the blanks are fully formed the rest should be easy.

http://i.imgur.com/nhl8Fjb.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/nhl8Fjbl.jpg

The procedure came to me on the long drive to Florida last week and I was aching to see if it would work and it did.

Now why was I so confounded by such a laughingly simple process?

[Blackadder]

BTW, found this in my travels today........

http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Promethium

Seems like the fuel is good ole' internal combustion engine stuff after all.

[Blackadder]

Disc Making:

There are a lotta ways to make small discs but this is the easiest way I've found to do it without a lot of special tools and compasses, trammel points, and expensive disc cutting dies.

I glue scraps of plasticard (in this case 1,0 MM) to the ends of styrene tubing by simply dipping the very tip of the tube into the glue vial.

and allow to dry for a few minutes..........

http://i.imgur.com/hQ8B0Hd.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/hQ8B0Hdl.jpg

Once dry take your standard household scissors and trim off the rough excess.
(upper end of the medium length tube)

then take your sanding block and fine sand off the rough edges until the disc is flush with the side of the tube; usually takes a few seconds.
(lower end of medium length tube)

Once shaped take your utility knife and slice off the rounded end cap.

http://i.imgur.com/rZtG4W6.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/rZtG4W6l.jpg

Walla! a relatively perfect disc in a few minutes with no special tools and if you need a larger disc than a half inch use a bit of plastic gel cement and an appropriate sized metal washer same procedure.

http://i.imgur.com/GNZNLpr.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/GNZNLprl.jpg

Yeah I know it's Voila but I sometimes post on a French site and it drives 'em crazy........Ha!

[Blackadder]

The Never Ending Process:

More and More this track manufacture seems interminable. The more I do there is even more left to do..........

I'm trying to make a reasonable facsimile of the FW Superheavy suspension and track.

Below see the beginning of both front and drive wheels marked for detail drilling for boltholes and reinforcement strapping.

http://i.imgur.com/8r5G86G.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/8r5G86Gl.jpg

And please don't tell me just to buy them from some other tank kit.

No one has captured the pure artistry of the FW original Baneblade.

http://i.imgur.com/1YkXBvR.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/1YkXBvRl.jpg

The GW Baneblade runs a poor second.

[Blackadder]

Playin' the Odds:

Well I have four chances to produce two acceptable outer drive wheels of the eight sides I have to work with. The others I can hide on the inner track where they won't be seen (Whom I kidding? I could never accept that...........)

http://i.imgur.com/SD6Xkgk.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/SD6Xkgkl.jpg

Anyway the one on the lower right seems to be acceptable so now I have a one in three chance of duplicating that effort.

The inability to calculate odds is one of the reasons The Blackadder does not gamble.

[Blackadder]

Mindless Tedium:

Only 48 more of these little b*st*rds to go............

http://i.imgur.com/qBZ4CFl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/qBZ4CFll.jpg

This is a good job to do while you're watching the telly; it goes faster that way.

The Blackadder isn't an Englishman but he plays one on the internet.....:D

[Psychosplodge]

So we're teaching you proper English then? :D

[Blackadder]

Hmmmm!

No, I refrain................

Prognosis Negative:

This is where we separate the suspicion of mental instability from outright clinical insanity.

Why I subject myself to this form of torture when I would give anything to say "good enough" is becoming of great concern to me.

Gluing these little batons on the drive wheels is bad enough but folding them down to unify the diagonal reinforcements stretches credulity.

http://i.imgur.com/Mw772tZ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Mw772tZl.jpg

The closeup reveals the fraction of a millimeter variance that had me annoyed.

http://i.imgur.com/uomMeQw.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/uomMeQwl.jpg

Checking into a clinic on the morrow............

[Mud Duck]

And please don't tell me just to buy them from some other tank kit.

No one has captured the pure artistry of the FW original Baneblade.



"But by God, I will! Or die in the trying!" :)

[Blackadder]

Die trying! That's a tad extreme (Hopefully) :D

What a Difference a Day Makes:

Well two days but there's no title that mentions two days.......

If someone told me that these would come out like this I would have looked at him suspiciously

http://i.imgur.com/lhQ5KF1.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/lhQ5KF1l.jpg

But here we have left to right the various stages to completion and the first end result and I thought the envelope was sealed.

[Psychosplodge]

This is an impressive amount of patience or madness...

[Blackadder]

The implication is that I'm mad? It's been stated before on numerous occasions.......on many, many forums.

Finished:

The Wheel Suspension is finished. It's too early in the day for a celebratory martini but perhaps I'll have two this evening.

These wheels have been a thorn iin my side for jeez over six years and now they are finally done in what? A COUPLA WEEKS!

Procrastination thy name is Blackadder.

So here are the twenty road wheels and drivers held on place on the tack base with a rubber band of course they have to be spaced properly and mount brackets for the drive and idler wheels but G** D*** they're done!

http://i.imgur.com/4Ze7kpJ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/4Ze7kpJl.jpg

The image below compares the FW Baneblade with what could be considered a true scale Baneblade chassis/hull.....

http://i.imgur.com/rh3jlqe.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/rh3jlqe.jpg

A profile setup shows the wheels not too big and not too small. Once spaced out properly they'll adequately do the job.

http://i.imgur.com/JYklLWf.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/JYklLWfl.jpg

[Wolfshade]

Looking good :)

[Spy_Smasher]

How do you decide the spacing? Do you math it out or feel it out?

[Blackadder]

How do you decide the spacing? Do you math it out or feel it out?

The Spacing on the road wheels?

In the image above the wheels are just held in place with a rubber band so I could get an idea of the proportion and the hull clearance height. The spacing between the wheels hadn't been worked.

To accomplish the spacing I will first mount the idler and drive sprocket wheels divide the horizontal road wheels at appropriate equal spacing and the two inclined road wheels last at what looks right to me spacing. The inclined road wheels will probably be installed after the track is installed temporarily as the have to contact the track at a as yet unknown distance from the wheel suspension block.

Feel it out I suppose.........

All my scratch work is "Seat of the pants guesstimation."

[Spy_Smasher]

All my scratch work is "Seat of the pants guesstimation."Experienced guesstimation.

That's what I thought. I think in my own scratch building efforts I've been too obsessed with mathematical perfection when the "eyeball test" would have been sufficient. I think that's why 3d printing appeals to me so much.

[Psychosplodge]

The implication is that I'm mad? It's been stated before on numerous occasions.......on many, many forums.

:D

So 4/4 correct first time or is there half a dozen thrown away as well?

[Blackadder]

Road Wheel Covers:

You would think that scribing the road wheel covers would be a simple matter but proportion, spacing and plotting required a LOT of work to get them right and whether they are right is subjective.

Anyway after numerous attempts i finally have obtained reasonable results shown here.

http://i.imgur.com/twLEzBj.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/twLEzBjl.jpg

Now all that needs be done is scoring the covers to simulate the panel seams.

http://i.imgur.com/HhL5fz6.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/HhL5fz6l.jpg

[Blackadder]

How To Drill the Holes:

Well how I do it anyway.

http://i.imgur.com/Qv408va.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Qv408val.jpg

First you have to measure where the holes will go and that is self-explanatory and needs no expounding on but here is where your eye is better than pains taking measurements. If it looks right it's close enough we're not going to quibble about fractions of a millimeter.

Tools you will need:
http://i.imgur.com/85wWSdu.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/85wWSdul.jpg

Next take your #11 sharp tip Xacto blade and auger a tiny hole in the plastic where you will be drilling the pilot hole; this will keep the drill bit from wandering once you start drilling.

Now you're gonna need a lot of holes and they have to line up reasonably well so check the augered hole in relation to the panel edge and the seam edge so if it's the tiniest bit off you can adjust it by tipping the drill bit to force the hole in the direction you want the correction.

http://i.imgur.com/KWtp0BW.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KWtp0BWl.jpg

Now take your Pin Vise and hand drill all the pilot holes making sure they are reasonable straight and of a uniform depth. I don't recommend power drills for this as the material is too soft and will melt at high speed drilling.



Once you have all the pilot holes drilled hand drill all the proper width holes

http://i.imgur.com/YP45Ud4.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/YP45Ud4l.jpg

I have two Pin Vises to make the work easier.


http://i.imgur.com/Qv408va.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Qv408val.jpg

[Blackadder]

The Beat Goes On:

Once the holes were drilled I filled the inner deeper hole with sixteenth inch styrene dowel

http://i.imgur.com/9LBAcY1.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/9LBAcY1l.jpg

and allowed to dry.

I then cut off the excess and after allowing to dry overnight I sanded the bogus bolts flush.

http://i.imgur.com/X1KmMdT.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/X1KmMdTl.jpg

I then proceeded to attach bits of rod to the upper edge of the cutout panels to simulate hinges.

http://i.imgur.com/cHN8yjG.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/cHN8yjGl.jpg

Finally when all the hinges were installed I went back and glued on umpty-ump rivets; it just looked too naked with out the rivet detail.

http://i.imgur.com/sRFzOdN.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/sRFzOdNl.jpg

and a close up of the panel detail........

http://i.imgur.com/Ewn4rDq.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Ewn4rDql.jpg

[interrogator_chaplain]

Ahh, that's clever. Never thought of doing in that way.

I used to wonder how exactly people cut out all the holes on their display boards for the models to sit inside. Then I realized they cut the holes and then put another layer of foam underneath. Then I remembered that I don't pick up on things particularly quickly.

That might not be 100% on topic, but the whole, cutting holes in things, train of thought... something, something Dark Side...

Ok, I'm done.

[Blackadder]

Dark side or libidinous I had to choose my verbiage carefully this being a PG rated forum but on the whole the information is sound and informative and that is why I'm here; to share construction techniques.

:D

[Blackadder]

Finally The Wheels Assembled:

Five plus years in the making I finally have the wheels in the approximate position that they will ultimately be. They are just tacked on at the moment as I need to establish the tread run and adjust the individual wheel height to meet the inner contact of the tracks


http://i.imgur.com/eyz59mI.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/eyz59mIl.jpg


A slight adjustment of the front fenders was required as the nose wheel stuck out too far plus I need space for the eclipsing front outboard hinged cover........

http://i.imgur.com/vDulpiQ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/vDulpiQl.jpg


Once I get the right side satisfactory I'll duplicate the final adjustments on the left side.

http://i.imgur.com/tauaUrx.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/tauaUrxl.jpg

This final low angle shot shows just about the right amount of road wheel exposure as in the original Baneblade.


http://i.imgur.com/oRKMDW8.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/oRKMDW8l.jpg

The spacing of the front three wheels still need adjustment.

[Wolfshade]

that's nifty

[Blackadder]

Rhymes With Orange:

There is something incomparable about the FW Baneblade tread assembly. It make's one regret that as a military vehicle it is totally impractical.

I have attempted to duplicate on a somewhat larger scale the detail of this artistic work


http://i.imgur.com/g1IRIXB.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/g1IRIXBl.jpg

By larger scale it means I'm trying to correct my errors in perception back when I was a mere novice at scratchbuilding and failed to take advantage of scaling hints.

One would think it simple to arrange and glue on the wheels to the base block but there are a lot of subtle variables that needs be addressed for the tracks to run properly and in subsequent posts I will address those issues but for the time being I will just display the project as it stand.

http://i.imgur.com/FSzkQMc.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/FSzkQMcl.jpg

I've included a production FW Baneblade tread for scale and comparison.

[Blackadder]

My Way:

Before anyone informs me that these could have been cast I am aware of the concept.

I prefer to do it my way.

This morning I am putting the final touches on the 52 tread segments; yes all hand made and yes I am certifiable.

http://i.imgur.com/av43g6b.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/av43g6bl.jpg

To facilitate the inner angles of the tread plate I made a simple jig so all the final angles will be pretty much the same degree and the treads also will prove out the same dimensions within a fraction of a millimeter.

Below we see a close up of a finished tread and one to be beveled in the jig.

http://i.imgur.com/95WrffN.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/95WrffNl.jpg

and a top view of the same............

http://i.imgur.com/zKhLUI1.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/zKhLUI1l.jpg

[interrogator_chaplain]

I am uncertain if I could do work as repetitively tedious as that without chewing my own hand off, so, good job on that.

[Blackadder]

Somewhere sometime if you scratchbuild you are going to have to do repetitive work. By honing your skills you learn/develop shortcuts that save you time in the long run so you can tackle the tough jobs with more confidence.

[Blackadder]

Revelation:

It's only when you try to replicate one of these resin masterpieces that you get a full appreciation of the exacting work that goes into the prototype production of the piece.

The track segments have to be just the right size to circle the wheel or the treads will look clumsy.

I'm hoping I have left enough excess link overlap to make the run workable; I can probably take off about 2,0 MM more per link if needs be but I'd prefer not to, we'll see once the rest of the links are installed.

http://i.imgur.com/pLr6rwH.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/pLr6rwHl.jpg

I picked a skull tread at random and it's not one of the better ones; I may replace it or at least swap out the skulls.

http://i.imgur.com/kYL8MYu.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/kYL8MYul.jpg

The comparison shot with an original Baneblade is optically deceiving. both treads appear much the same size........ Ha!

Here we see the side view of the tread and the object of my concern regarding the width of the link in relation to the idler wheel.

]http://i.imgur.com/hRmcU6k.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/hRmcU6kl.jpg

i'll know later on this evening whether it's a go or not..............

[Blackadder]

OMG!

I can't believe it worked! It's one thing to plan out how something will look in your mind but to actually see it reach fruition kinda takes you by surprise.


http://i.imgur.com/FqTZL1t.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/FqTZL1tl.jpg

The rest is just repetition making the other three run segments

http://i.imgur.com/0DvyU4e.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/0DvyU4el.jpg


The problem now is that big gap between the front and rear tread assemblies

http://i.imgur.com/RtqCO4G.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/RtqCO4Gl.jpg

Do I dare compromise and fake the bottom run

http://i.imgur.com/ZuHal03.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ZuHal03l.jpg

Or bit the bullet and make a proper set of track segments

http://i.imgur.com/hOx0YVU.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/hOx0YVUl.jpg

[interrogator_chaplain]

I'd totally forgive you if you didn't do the detail on the bottom treads. For the sake of progress, and that at this point, you really don't have all that much to prove.

[Psychosplodge]

Fake it for speed. It can't be seen, and then you can move onto the rest of the tank.

[Blackadder]

Money In the Bank:

Okay so who bet that the Blackadder was too anal retentive to compromise the un seen thread links?

Too bad, it was like money in the bank...........

Seems like most of the work was on the visible portions of the links anyway not the track face so what was I saving by fudging the bottom run?

http://i.imgur.com/GbPCniM.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/GbPCniMl.jpg

I figured out a way that I can have the unseen detail and at not much more expenditure of time and labor while still having a relatively consistent quality the individual links have.

http://i.imgur.com/ijXGQ9T.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ijXGQ9Tl.jpg

So there will be two 13 link pieces running under the center five road wheels. Six skulls need to be cast but that's no biggy

And my personal integrity has been restored..... read OCD.

[Psychosplodge]

Ah yeah there is that...

[Blackadder]

A Lesson In Tenacity:

We are limited boys and girls only by a lack of persistence. 24 hours ago I was in a quandary as to whether I had the wherewithal to attempt fabricating the hidden detail.

http://i.imgur.com/z2RwOIc.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/z2RwOIcl.jpg

and now it's more than half accomplished.

http://i.imgur.com/yr3Qtpu.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/yr3Qtpul.jpg

How much better this would this not have turn out because of laxity on my part?

http://i.imgur.com/yhTugfh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/yhTugfhl.jpg

Now all needs to be done is the inner track plates..........

[Blackadder]

Much Better:

A bit of elbow grease and the result is much better in a relative way. I wouldn't have been satisfied with the compromise........

http://i.imgur.com/diWapDe.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/diWapDel.jpg

The interlude has also given me time to think about how to align the wheels better so I have remounted about 50% of the misaligned and only a few more to go before mounting the underrun of track.

http://i.imgur.com/TZm3iLv.jpg[
http://i.imgur.com/TZm3iLvl.jpg

In this last image you can see the second from last road wheel is misaligned.

http://i.imgur.com/wZy8QyD.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/wZy8QyDl.jpg

That is being corrected as I type.

[Blackadder]

Prognosis Positive:

Okay I can with good consciousness put this aside for a while and resume the Reaver.

All the treads are completed with seven left over no less that I can utilize for spares including two skull treads.

In this first series of photos we'll do a size comparison of the Land Kreuzer P500 and the standard Baneblade tracks

http://i.imgur.com/KEbgmU8.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KEbgmU8l.jpg

The track is overwhelmingly larger and I hope I haven't diminished the Baneblade too much anymore than the Maus diminished the King Tiger

http://i.imgur.com/stBOYuS.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/stBOYuSl.jpg

Even with the Kreuzer in the background it is still huge compared to the dainty Baneblade track.

http://i.imgur.com/w8pFrE7.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/w8pFrE7l.jpg

Later, the mistakes........

[Psychosplodge]

Very nice.

And the spares can go on the hull?

[Blackadder]

Kattywompus:

Before I put this aside in favor of the Reaver project I think it prudent to present the model as it is at the moment; for nothing less than a record of the mistakes and comparison when the rebuild is effected.

http://i.imgur.com/bXJba5y.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/bXJba5yl.jpg

I've run into a major structural anomaly that will have to be remedied before I proceed; so rather than subject my readers to the travails of rebuilding I'll work on this in the background until the retracing is completed.

http://i.imgur.com/wTpnsLH.jpg
[http://i.imgur.com/wTpnsLHl.jpg

It started when I first installed the tread assemblies; all looked good from the side elevated view.

http://i.imgur.com/xeI2wZg.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xeI2wZgl.jpg

and the side eye level view.

http://i.imgur.com/E4WF6Ix.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/E4WF6Ixl.jpg

The front eye level is within acceptable limits although the left tread needs to be brought perpendicular.

It's only with the rear view that the grievous anomalies manifest..........

http://i.imgur.com/6fRNfnB.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/6fRNfnBl.jpg

The engine compartment is badly askew and the right tread has a bad twist that did not reveal itself on the aligning table for some reason perhaps because there is no upper track run.

Also the left tread needs to be brought perpendicular as with the front which is of minor consideration.

All of which gives value to the use of photography to review your work because looking at the model itself the eye tends to compensate for the indiscretions.

[Kirsten]

looks like your suspension has collapsed...

[Psychosplodge]

bloody potholes...

[Blackadder]

Treads Redressed:

When last we saw the unfortunate Landkreuzer the treads were badly warped and canted askew.

http://i.imgur.com/qDVMc8V.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/qDVMc8Vl.jpg

I addressed the problem last night with satisfactory results.

http://i.imgur.com/J2A2i1Y.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/J2A2i1Yl.jpg

So satisfactory in point of fact that I shall have to go back to my FW Baneblades and see if I can apply the same fix to them as well.

Now all that needs be done is to true up the engine compartment

[Blackadder]

Truing the Engine Compartment:

I first removed the styrene sheathing for the ribbon cartridge frame. When I first built this frame years ago I was not as practiced as I am now and discrepancies weren't as bothersome/

These days I am more particular.

Using the naked utility knife blade as a draw plane I shave down the cartridge casing alternating between sanding and drawplaning to remove the millimeter or so extra material to true up the top deck.

http://i.imgur.com/NKsrFiY.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/NKsrFiYl.jpg

Once the frame top is true I'll apply a sheet of 0.020 styrene to the shaved frame and proceed to re-frame the beveled panels on the side.

http://i.imgur.com/xHAECIJ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xHAECIJl.jpg

[Blackadder]

The Mathematical Precision:

There is something extremely satisfying about the faceted structure of the Lucius Pattern vehicles to my mind's eye. Something that is lacking in the Mars versions....

The image below with it's crisp, no nonsense angles just bespeak pent up strength even in its undetailed state.

http://i.imgur.com/E92AphE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/E92AphEl.jpg

The engine compartment has shaped up rather well from it's previous distorted construction being now less than a fraction of a millimeter out of true.

http://i.imgur.com/MLRxP2C.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/MLRxP2Cl.jpg

It's irksome that the image below came out fuzzy.........

http://i.imgur.com/9eDDZ54.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/9eDDZ54l.jpg

Next, the turret..........

[Kirsten]

looking much better

[Psychosplodge]

Is that not known as a stanley knife blade over there?

[Blackadder]

Is that not known as a stanley knife blade over there?

Actually it's a DeWalt Blade. I buy them by the 75 blade dispenser.

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/400/13/13e82e44-24e1-4b44-9b0a-c39c37fedfc4_400.jpg

But Stanley works just as well.

They're all 'Utility' knife blades.

[Psychosplodge]

Yeah its just here all knives with that style blade are "stanley knives", like all vaccum cleaners are "hoovers" regardless of manufacturer. I'd just never really thought about it before.

The tank looks a lot squarer as well :D

[Blackadder]

Ha, I picked up 'Hoovering' from the 'Sherlock' series episode three "The Great Game" which I thought was amusing. Here, amongst mechanics, Stanley doesn't have a "high quality tool" 'Name' with the exception of the aforementioned "utility" knife. Stanley tools are usually purchased by casual home repair do-it-yourself-ers where affordability trumps longevity.

[Psychosplodge]

I think they're more a Not what they used to be kind of thing, a named brand but only slightly better than the unnamed generic, at least that's how they're priced.

[Blackadder]

Forced Summer Hiatus

After being incapacitated for most of the Summer I'm back with a bit of an update on the Landkreuzer

http://i.imgur.com/34RfS57.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/34RfS57l.jpg

The superimposed turret is only for scale to demonstrate the size of the Landkreuzer vis-à-vis the standard resin Baneblade turret. The model will not actually have an aux Baneblade armament (I don't think)...........

http://i.imgur.com/bCRNGhk.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/bCRNGhkl.jpg

Of course my camera is still acting up so after one decent image the rest are blurry for some reason but no matter as it is just to show the overall size more than the detail.

http://i.imgur.com/MGmTlKd.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/MGmTlKdl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/9Xl7oHk.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/9Xl7oHkl.jpg

So if I can manage to keep my heart rate above 30 BPM and my blood pressure above 70 over 40 I'm hoping to be updating all my threads. :)

More to follow...........

[Blackadder]

Time To Start Detailing:

With the last major component completed it's time to start applying the details and the first order of business is the twin main cannon which is the raison d'être of the Storm Hammer/ Landkreuzer P500.

http://i.imgur.com/dRd1pIk.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/dRd1pIkl.jpg

I started with the gun mount shield moulding the curve overnight by wrapping the 0.020 inch thick sheet plastic around a pen barrel and clamping. The result is a permanently curved panel of plastic ready to be re-enforced with laminated curved stiffeners 0.020 by 0.25 inch strips.

http://i.imgur.com/6t3Z5Gh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/6t3Z5Ghl.jpg

While applying the strips I continually re-bent the sheet plastic in excess of the actual curve I require so the shield will maintain it's malleability throughout the manufacture. This will give the smoothly graded curve reminiscent of the Lucius Baneblade gun shield.

http://i.imgur.com/i7TxSdO.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/i7TxSdOl.jpg

I opted for a twin cannon turret instead of two single gun turrets which always appeared too clumsy to me. also a single pair of sponsons albeit with more powerful weapons seems a better way to go.....

http://i.imgur.com/m04T8nw.jpg

In this I am departing from the conventional Storm Hammer.

[Blackadder]

Turret Hatch Ring:

One feature I covet is the FW design for the raised turret hatch. This is a relatively easy component to duplicate and looks so good compared to just plunking a hatch down on the barren hull armour.

I started by cutting the three circles in various thicknesses of styrene The base ring being 0.030" the upper ring 0.040" and the top ring with the rivets 0.020".

http://i.imgur.com/RgItgLO.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/RgItgLOl.jpg

I used the arc compass technique to square the lines on the top plate for the placement of the rivets and subsequently to find for the ribs on the bottom plate.

http://i.imgur.com/QWaVSWD.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/QWaVSWDl.jpg

I installed a crude raised inner ring for a butt plate for the ribs.

http://i.imgur.com/GZsM0Dx.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/GZsM0Dxl.jpg

The Mantlet for the main cannon is ostensibly done except for the gun mount lugs and the fine detail.

[Blackadder]

Meh!

Now that I see it I'm not so sure I like it..........

http://i.imgur.com/VYopLxU.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/VYopLxUl.jpg

I do like the Large radial ribbed mount plate but the hatch seems; "Ehhh!"

http://i.imgur.com/BfnXZjs.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/BfnXZjsl.jpg

Wadda ya'll think?

[Kirsten]

it works for me, but then I would have just used a plastic one

[Blackadder]

it works for me, but then I would have just used a plastic one

There's a plastic one??????????

[Kirsten]

cupola I mean

[Blackadder]

cupola I mean

So it's called a "cupola"; live and learn and thanks for the info.

[Kirsten]

there aren't any like the cool one you have made readily available, though I think I have one somewhere from a forge world turret possibly. my guard tank conversions always just use the guard cupola from the leman russ because a) it is easier, and b) it is a nice identifiable part, a simple way of reinforcing the imperial guard aesthetic. your scratch built one does the same of course.

[Alaric]

Dude, if you wanted to be a machinist you would be rich as hell. Just wow, scratchbuilt awesomeness. Hatch looked fine IMO. Look forward to seeing more.

[Houghten]

there aren't any like the cool one you have made readily available, though I think I have one somewhere from a forge world turret possibly.

I won't claim to be famliar with the cupolas of every tank FW make, but in the Macharius Vanquisher and Vulcan it's moulded straight into the turret.

In the plastic Baneblade it comes as separate bits, so if you know someone who bought their Shadowswords/Stormlords after they got rolled into one eight-sprue kit...

[Blackadder]

.......................In the plastic Baneblade it comes as separate bits, so if you know someone who bought their Shadowswords/Stormlords after they got rolled into one eight-sprue kit...

So it is and thanks for the info.

http://giftsforgeeks.org.uk/uploads/files/3d%2040k/Imperial%20Guard/imperial%20guard%20sprues/imperial%20guard%20baneblade%20sprue%202.JPG

Yet another reason to eventually purchase a plastic Baneblade; sigh.

[StraightSilver]

You should be able to get spare cupolas on ebay, I always have millions of them left over, the one you have built though is the old style one which used to come in the original plastic chimera kit (think they are all same size) which is the one FW still emulate. The new cupolas are a fair bit different but would still look ok.

[Kirsten]

I won't claim to be famliar with the cupolas of every tank FW make, but in the Macharius Vanquisher and Vulcan it's moulded straight into the turret.

I have a resin forge world cupola, can't remember what it came from. Armageddon Medusa maybe?

[Sinaura]

This is amazing.. I've never been able to master plasticard, personally. Always amazed at those who have, nicely done. Also, the larger turret looks way better

[Blackadder]

Thanks for the reply,

Embarrassing:

I should be ashamed to post this as an update but I was busy with other pursuits this week.

On the plus side I did manage to make the cryptic mechanical devices to go on the turret top and accomplish some of the wiring.

http://i.imgur.com/rQ31fTf.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/rQ31fTfl.jpg

Things should go a lot faster now that those are made.

http://i.imgur.com/sIgKWIk.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/sIgKWIkl.jpg

[Blackadder]

Lawn Care Flags:

Suddenly they are everywhere and a bloody(by our lady) nuisance but here's a tip to recycle some of the d*mned things:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71RgxzzCwsL._SX425_.jpg

The plastic staffed ones have an eighth inch staff/ 3,0 mm (approximately)and are extremely flexible and adequate for bundles of conduit whathaveyou. Certainly cheaper than four bucks a pop at your local hobby shop for similar Evergreen/Plastruct rods. Plus they are plastic glue compatible.

[Blackadder]

Turrets Syndrome

Damn me! I like how this has turned out.

http://i.imgur.com/cfJZWwn.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/cfJZWwnl.jpg

It's a pity I put off building this tank for so long but I feared the work was beyond my capabilities. I'm happy to say that it appears satisfactory so far.

Detailing the turret as just a larger Baneblade seems to be adequate; it just requires plugging away at the detail bits until done. (Well Duh! Blackadder)

http://i.imgur.com/zGrpT4V.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/zGrpT4Vl.jpg

The rear view shows that I still need to find an Aquila.

http://i.imgur.com/2Mkwpb1.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/2Mkwpb1l.jpg

The right side is rather plain compared to the busy left side.

http://i.imgur.com/5R68kaP.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/5R68kaPl.jpg

The front elevation reveals the lack of the business raison d'etre of this behemoth. That is to follow hopefully this weekend.

[Blackadder]

Down To Business:

I opted for the same caliber weapon as on the resin Baneblade only the turret will house two of them. I chose this instead of increasing the bore of the cannon as to allow for working the two guns inside the turret would be cramped enough without increasing the diameter of the shells which I calculate would be on the order of 16 inches (40,64 cm) on a Baneblade. Guns of a larger caliber begin to take on a comical appearance and stretch credulity.

http://i.imgur.com/jH2xUbU.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/jH2xUbUl.jpg

I started by cutting rings of 1/2 inch plastic and filing and sanding them to a millimeter wide ring and slipping them on the 7/16 inch barrel I then cut and sanded two muzzle flash suppressors 5/8 inch long by 1/2 inch diameter (13,0 mm).

I wrapped two thin sheets 0.020 inch plastic round the barrel base to thicken the breech end and finally I split a tube of 1/2 inch tubing for the base of the barrel.

http://i.imgur.com/PBvXI02.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/PBvXI02l.jpg

All that is now required is the final step of the breech which again will be of 0.020 inch sheet styrene to bring the barrel to it's final thickness.

[Chris*ta]

I opted for the same caliber weapon as on the resin Baneblade only the turret will house two of them. I chose this instead of increasing the bore of the cannon as to allow for working the two guns inside the turret would be cramped enough without increasing the diameter of the shells which I calculate would be on the order of 16 inches (40,64 cm) on a Baneblade. Guns of a larger caliber begin to take on a comical appearance and stretch credulity.

Pfft. Clearly you don't understand the way the Astra Militarum works Bigger is always better. The only thing better than bigger is to have bigger and more guns simultaneously.

Also, it's not like 40 cm is that big. I mean, that's only slightly bigger than the gun on the Sturmtiger :p

http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/imgs/sturmtiger_10.jpg

See! Tiny.

[Blackadder]

I love it, it's like the Germans in WWII were fighting a war with equipment designed for a 21 century wargame set in the 40th millennia. Ha! that aside even they didn't have two such cannon mounted side by side.

Main Gun Barrels Phase 2

The main guns require a lot of stepping down from reinforced breach to barrel thickness otherwise the base looks too spindly. This is the best method I have come up with and it's rather simple and effective. Since all the reinforcements are not of the same thickness I vary between 0.040 tubing thickness and 0.020 sheet styrene for the different step downs which seems to add a bit of panache.;)

http://i.imgur.com/NjcUI2s.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/NjcUI2sl.jpg

Once the sheet styrene is fully glued around the barrel the tailing can be trimmed off. It is advisable to leave a long tailing on the wrap until the final gluing so you don't end up with a flat ridge at the seam.

http://i.imgur.com/Hndp61q.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Hndp61ql.jpg

[Blackadder]

Storm Hammer Raison D'être:

The French have a phrase for it; "a reason for being" and the main dual cannons of my version of the Stormhammer finally make this vehicle a force to be reckoned with (''A force with which to be reckoned'' for all the grammarians..)

http://i.imgur.com/7r9vEaV.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7r9vEaVl.jpg

Being of the same bore diameter as the Baneblade albeit slightly longer (6,3 mm) the main guns are, will be when completely detailed, copies of the original FW resin Baneblade.

http://i.imgur.com/buJGCsz.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/buJGCszl.jpg

There was a bit of difficulty in making two reasonably similar cannon and mounting them in the mantlet (We have SDKFZ to thank for that amendment to the Blackadder's education.)

http://i.imgur.com/gNMe2tP.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/gNMe2tPl.jpg

So the aerial views dispensed with a ground level image rounds out today productivity...........

http://i.imgur.com/axynYrs.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/axynYrsl.jpg

Next, the Howitzer

[Blackadder]

Pushing The Limit:

Wrapping the tubes is a good way to increase the diameter and/or wall thickness of Evergreen tubing and in this case 1/2 inch tubing is the largest available and I need almost 5/8ths. First I split and filled two lengths of 1/2 inch tubing but for the final breech reinforcement I needed a 0.040 inch step so I cold rolled a sheet of 1,0 MM styrene. One millimeter styrene is about the limit that I can cold roll, i.e. without resorting to a heat gun; I fastened the initial edge in the image below and allowed to dry overnight.

http://i.imgur.com/1GVDQs3.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/1GVDQs3l.jpg

This morning with the glue completely dry I prepared to file the glued edge on a bevel so the thickness is maintained when I glue the rest of the layer to the cylinder.

http://i.imgur.com/pagDVxi.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/pagDVxil.jpg

Employing a "Farmer's file to make the bevel, I'm now ready to glue the tailing to the breech:

http://i.imgur.com/HYayINB.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/HYayINBl.jpg

More to follow.......

[Blackadder]

Not All Beer and Skittles:

What I had intended was a demo of how to wrap and glue the tailing around the barrel but instead I am forced to show what to do when things go awry. Cold wrapping styrene is limited to 1,0 mm at best but this industrial quality styrene is not as forgiving as the more expensive 'Evergreen' brand material. I also made the mistake of using full strength cement instead of the old stuff that is less potent. As soon as I began wrapping the cement ate through the 0.040" sheeting and it developed a running crack and I had to make an impromptu clamp to repair the gaff.

http://i.imgur.com/afja7yp.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/afja7ypl.jpg

All's well that ends well and I managed to save the work and finish the wrap without further incident albeit not quite the demo I had in mind.

http://i.imgur.com/D7LnlrF.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/D7LnlrFl.jpg

Hence the title of this post.....

[Blackadder]

Split and Fill:

I received a few questions about what I meant by split and fill:

Take a length of half inch tubing and split it lengthwise at one place on the circumference. The right side of the image above the scale shows what I mean..........

http://i.imgur.com/OeqARUL.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/OeqARULl.jpg

Slide the split half inch tube over an intact half inch base tube to add a 0.030" layer to the base tube. Naturally there will be a gap to fill as the cut will be spread about 0.188" which is then filled with either a strip of 0.030 styrene 0.188 inches wide or a segment of yet another piece of half inch tubing.

http://i.imgur.com/Dn24SWq.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Dn24SWql.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/gnLylbb.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/gnLylbbl.jpg

Meanwhile the Howitzer proceeds at a snail's pace............

[Blackadder]

Callow Youth:

Back in the days when I was a callow youth I did so covet a FW Baneblade and to that end I started this outsized scratchbuilt version. I also attempted to convert an Armorcast Baneblade (Note that it still sports the original Armorcast tank treads) model into the more aesthetically pleasing and highly detailed version of the Forgeworld model with the result seen below:

http://i.imgur.com/qZtg7eo.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/qZtg7eol.jpg

The large caliber mortar on that model was my first attempt and building from scratch and I was extremely proud of that singular accomplishment.

http://i.imgur.com/vAEkTlM.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/vAEkTlMl.jpg

In those days I used straight pins for rivets and I wasn't all that comfortable at making thin cuts in styrene.

http://i.imgur.com/TkQhyT5.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/TkQhyT5l.jpg

Today I take such work routinely in stride without a second thought which goes to show that by continually pushing the envelope you will be amazed what you can accomplish.

Go ahead and surprise yourself............

[Blackadder]

Poetic License:

Might I be excused for a bit of poetic license for whilst the flavor of the Demolisher cannon is still intact, the oversized dimensions required a bit more detail.

http://i.imgur.com/RDXTwow.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/RDXTwowl.jpg

The photos reveals that my work isn't very symmetrical but it will do.

http://i.imgur.com/7les40Y.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7les40Yl.jpg

Onward to the trunnion mount...........

[interrogator_chaplain]

Symmetricality is overrated.

[Blackadder]

Truncated Trunnion Mounts:

Or as I call it, "An exercise in perseverance."

http://i.imgur.com/2xbwdq8.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/2xbwdq8l.jpg

I started with five 1,0 MM discs (Same as the one pictured here) and glued them together with the plastic cement (red labeled tube above the disc.

When dried I rough sanded the edge of the stack round.

I then penciled a smaller circle so I had a line I could sand down to taking care not to cut into the larger diameter outer disc edge.

Progressing from rough sandpaper, to file, to diamond emery file, until the bevel is smooth; perhaps 10 to 15 minutes of filing.

I then gave the edge a coat of Tamiya Extra Thin Cement and set aside to dry.

[Blackadder]

I :Heart: My Demolisher Cannon

The basic Demolisher Cannon is done and all that's left to do is the peripheral detail

http://i.imgur.com/ci0DW3x.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ci0DW3xl.jpg

I like the fact that it can be elevated............

http://i.imgur.com/2KEo1zB.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/2KEo1zBl.jpg

Next the sponsons.

[Psychosplodge]

That demolisher cannon is rather good.

[Blackadder]

"Rather good" indeed......;)

Sponsons:

First order of business is the sponsons and turrets are too small. When I first set up this model I had nothing but my unpracticed eye to rely on and my best guess was correct as far as an original Baneblade sponson housing and turret but woefully inadequate for the oversized beast this has become.

http://i.imgur.com/pKTlc4e.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/pKTlc4el.jpg

My newest sized turret figures to 22 MM in height and 25 MM in diameter.

Never the less, the rotation mechanism remains the same starting with a fixed dowel secured with an axle screw, a piece of PVC tubing for the rotation sleeve and a styrene veneer for a base material to adhere the detail.

http://i.imgur.com/VWhmWZZ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/VWhmWZZl.jpg

[Blackadder]

Cooling Exhaust Vents:

The muzzle brakes or cooling exhaust ports at the mouth of the cannon; 16 precise drilled holes about the periphery.

Somehow I managed this all those years ago but for the life of me I cannot remember how I did it?

http://i.imgur.com/PqhyXfS.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/PqhyXfSl.jpg

So I'm inventing a new procedure cutting a drilling the holes into 0.020 styrene sheeting.

http://i.imgur.com/yfnZL2B.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/yfnZL2Bl.jpg

We'll see how this works out...........

[interrogator_chaplain]

That seems like it should suffice. I mean, if the shoe fits, right?

[Blackadder]

Thx,

Two Methods:

Drilling the holes in the muzzle ring is exacting work and if you use a pin drill bit there is a tendency that either the bit will break or it will walk to the edge and ruin the work.

http://i.imgur.com/ITkzkj5.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ITkzkj5l.jpg

In my previous post I showed my first inclination on making these holes; i.e. marking the positions and drilling the holes with the tip of a # 11 Xacto knife blade used as an auger. This fulfills two purposes in that it give a very fine point pilot hole plus the stability of a much wider bit so there is less tendency for the tip to snap off. After augering the hole on the marked side I flipped the work and reamed the obverse side as well to give a more straight sided appearing hole.

The second method I came up with (The barrel on the left side of the picture) I marked and cut out the overlay disc and tack glued to a section of half inch 'Evergreen' tubing, drilled pilot holes with the Xacto blade as before, inserted a length of 7/16 inch tubing and trimmed the outer edge of the disc with a curved emery file. I then cut out the bore diameter from the disc and flied smooth with a curved needle file.

When completely shaped I sliced off the disc from the half inch tube and sanded the residual glue from the obverse side and reamed as before.

I then glued the finished work to the barrel muzzle.

Either way is equally simple and the result seems acceptable.

[Blackadder]

Keeping It Simple:

I have a miniature drill index and it's around here somewhere but I rarely these days have a use for it.

I find the #11 Xacto blade provides for almost all my fine drill hole needs. especially when as in this case you are working on a disc barely a half inch in diameter.

http://i.imgur.com/xeDufhM.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xeDufhMl.jpg

As stated above the fine point acts as an adequate pilot hole drill and the tapered tip enlarges the requisite hole to any reasonable diameter.

http://i.imgur.com/usQGkXU.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/usQGkXUl.jpg

After that you can utilize the same blade to carve out larger holes as I shall be doing when I finish the bore on this, the Demolisher cannon.

The added beauty of using this blade is with a fine file it can be resharpened.

[Blackadder]

Preliminaries Dispensed with:

Okay so with the preliminaries dispensed with we can get to the actual plotting and boring of these holes finding the center, erecting the perpendicular axis by employing the arc and straightedge and compass technique and subdividing by eye the quarters into 16 more or less equal divisions which is the number of cooling ports in the typical Baneblade muzzle.

http://i.imgur.com/n8VbksL.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/n8VbksLl.jpg

Below we see the 0.020 inch thick disc glued to the end of the muzzle slightly oversized to allow for the frail nature of the constructed holed disc.

http://i.imgur.com/vnbzSVJ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/vnbzSVJl.jpg

Below the finished rim sanded and accented with graphite to show the relief of the 16 muzzle ports.

http://i.imgur.com/eiObdYw.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/eiObdYwl.jpg

And finally the main armament in place on the hull displaying a nice added touch to the overall basic detail of the model.

http://i.imgur.com/VWON0zj.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/VWON0zjl.jpg

[Blackadder]

Twice As Voluminous:

I held off as long as I could but ultimately I decided the side sponsons were just too small for a tank of this magnitude. What armament I choose is still in the idea stage but the sponsons will be twice as voluminous as those on the standard Baneblade.

http://i.imgur.com/lCy1fF3.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/lCy1fF3l.jpg

[Blackadder]

Dangling preposition:

Or what's a Heaven for?

Framing the sponson appendages to bulk out the size is a daunting task when under the influence of a triple Martini That's eight and a half ounces of the finest kind (Really the cheap stuff at a £ a liter) but none the less having a go at model building at 3 sheets is a bit of a no, no so anyway as long as I can work the keys I'll persevere.

As stated before the bulk of the sponsons is deemed inadequate and the necessary adjustments are in place and soon the work shall continue apace.

http://i.imgur.com/cY72wvU.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/cY72wvUl.jpg

One of the beauties of scratchbuilding is if you don't like what you see , change it.......

[Blackadder]

Most Gratifying:

Domestic tranquility; this week the washer leaked and soaked the bedroom carpet. The stand pipe was compromised and the drain tube too short all of which promulgated "arse holes and elbows" corrective measures to resolve the incident; fortunately the Blackadder prevailed and the situation was set to rights and he celebrated with a "Kraken Blast" and managed to also increase his effort on the Landkreuzer (subsequently dubbed "The Kraken")

http://i.imgur.com/aMWCO8e.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/aMWCO8el.jpg

"Any who" the Sponsons continued apace and seem rather adequate considering the travails your's truly suffered at the hand of fickle fate; bringing you the latest update of this monumental project.

http://i.imgur.com/LRTbEZ5.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/LRTbEZ5l.jpg

I like these Sponsons much better than my original iteration.

http://i.imgur.com/qwIG0pk.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/qwIG0pkl.jpg

"Never be satisfied with "Good Enough" Has ever been My Mantra!

[Blackadder]

Last Major Components:

With the basic sponsons completed the task of detailing can begin.

http://i.imgur.com/TjyxZ9O.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/TjyxZ9Ol.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/StO7ilW.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/StO7ilWl.jpg

This is where the fun of scratchbuilding really begins.

[Blackadder]

Three Times the Charm;

This is the third time I have attempted to replicate the engine cowling of the Baneblade The first was my Armorcast upgrade, the second was my Titan Hunter (Shown here) and now The Land Kruezer where the parts are about 1/8th bigger.

http://i.imgur.com/6XU916i.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/6XU916il.jpg

Beginning with the 'Chiclet' shaped air intakes and the rear grill work here shown half completed........

http://i.imgur.com/k3tMbG9.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/k3tMbG9l.jpg

The tools required are shown.

[Blackadder]

I took sequential pictures on how to make these but they were so boring I decided not to post them.

http://i.imgur.com/HH560q4.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/HH560q4l.jpg

So instead I'll go with, "Then a miracle happened." :D

[Blackadder]

Twin Diesels:

The exhaust stacks temporarily tacked in place.

http://i.imgur.com/7VCHImi.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7VCHImil.jpg

They seem massive enough

http://i.imgur.com/1iOgdE5.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/1iOgdE5l.jpg

We're go for insertion. I really love these quad stacks. cooling detail yet to come.


http://i.imgur.com/gnOAdef.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/gnOAdefl.jpg

Martini time!

[Blackadder]

Exhaust Shielding:

Trying to make the exhaust shield panels and not too enthused at the results. Once made I'll try them out on the hull but I think I can do better.

Anyway the basic design/ fabrication steps are doable it's just the results that are flawed.

http://i.imgur.com/i2Ev3gV.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/i2Ev3gVl.jpg

[Kirsten]

perhaps some small mesh if you aren't happy with those results?

[Blackadder]

Exhaust cooling plates V2.0:

The second try at making a convincing hole pattern on these cooling plate for the mufflers. Once the hole pattern glue is dry I shall drill out the centers of each ring and sand the plats paper thin and bend around the exhaust stack and glue in place

http://i.imgur.com/aMf1jd7.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/aMf1jd7l.jpg

Provided all goes well.........

[Blackadder]

They All Laughed:

At Christopher Columbus yada yada yada.......

It worked; symmetry and toughness now all needs to be done is score the backside to make the curve and I'll have duplicated this rather intense hole array.

http://i.imgur.com/PLjHHfg.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/PLjHHfgl.jpg

The problem was not so much the pattern of the holes but making the material strong enough to take the curves without cracks and splits radiating from around the cutouts when the material is bent and glued.

http://i.imgur.com/IPw7zAA.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/IPw7zAAl.jpg

We'll see if my idea will solve that problem........

[Blackadder]

Martini Time:

Cause for celebration, the project worked!

http://i.imgur.com/xPG33wS.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xPG33wSl.jpg

So well in point of fact that I have already carved off the previous effort in preparation for installing the new style heat dissipating shield.

http://i.imgur.com/BjFZq5E.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/BjFZq5El.jpg

I hope to have the completed mufflers ready this evening.

Martini time!

Oh just to show I do 'F' up now and then; I made the hole row plates much longer than was necessary. :blush:

[Psychosplodge]

oops. I just assumed you'd done both on one strip.

[Blackadder]

oops. I just assumed you'd done both on one strip.

Working the rows from the middle out any errors in alignment compound with the distance from the center. To negate that error it is necessary to make two short arrays instead of one long one.

[Psychosplodge]

I see.

[Blackadder]

Ahh, Much Better:

Good enough has never been my mantra; with a bit of elbow grease and an unhealthy dose of OCD I have a much better set of exhausts than my first effort.

http://i.imgur.com/wxPn2sL.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/wxPn2sLl.jpg

All totaled perhaps about two to three hours of labor for these highly complex minor components but a lot of the sanding and shaping was done whist watching DVD movies so not much actual time was wasted.

http://i.imgur.com/OLw6s9W.
http://i.imgur.com/OLw6s9Wl.jpg

Seen here temporarily tacked in place just for show at this time as all the rivets need to be filed down to a uniform height.

[Deacon Ix]

Crikey - I know from experience that drilling holes in a regular pattern can be a nightmare, I salute your OCD and patience. o7

[Blackadder]

Thanks,

Quite a Chunk of Resin:

Anyone owning a FW Baneblade knows it's quite a chunk of highly detailed resin weighing in at close to a kilo (two pounds).

My Baneblade which I've had for eight or so years was rescued and repaired with TLC and is still my favorite FW vehicle (treaded that is)

This new model is coming along slowly as the detailing is quite exhausting and I do have other commitments but I managed the front 'bolt on' bumper today

http://i.imgur.com/vkADc6K.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/vkADc6Kl.jpg

and yesterday evening some of the rear detail....

http://i.imgur.com/AIzkjqU.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/AIzkjqUl.jpg

Slowly but surely it's getting done.

[Kirsten]

very impressive

[Blackadder]

Belated thanks for the reply..........

Whatever Insignia This Is:

Well after d*mned near a two month hiatus wherein I repaired flood damage and added new baseboard to just about the entire first floor of my humble abode now recarpeted in deoxygenated blood red burgundy plush carpet, I'm back to building models; Yay!

So last night I resumed the outsized Baneblade style Super Duper heavy Stormhammer.

http://i.imgur.com/yy9bDbN.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/yy9bDbNl.jpg

First order of business was to install the re-enforced armour panels for which the Lucius B'blade is noted. I really like this anachronistic appearance which somehow exemplifies a world lapsing into decay but still has the ability to squander resources on the futility of war. I used 0.030 inch 0,75 MM thickness styrene for the panels as 0.040"/1,0 MM looked too thick. As of right now all the panels are installed and the bitz and gewgaw need to be installed and fabricated and also the umpity ump rivets.

So now the winged skull insignia:

http://i.imgur.com/2yAzfkl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/2yAzfkll.jpg

Seen here in the first stages with a few skulls scrounged from spare CoD floor panels and mounted on 7,0MM disks...........

[Psychosplodge]

Did you save some carpet for a cosy Baneblade interior?

[Blackadder]

No but I do have enough left over to reupholster the cat tree.

D'oh!

Of course it would help if I actually showed the "Winged Skull insignia" I am attempting to replicate;

http://i.imgur.com/Cd9Qy2Q.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/amrthaz.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/amrthazl.jpg

I'm a bit out of practice posting.

[Blackadder]

Aplomb:

One question I am frequently asked is how I seem to be able to handle such small objects so easily and work so quickly so what better time to answer than right here and now.

If you have big fat fingers like mine with short nails it's trying to attempt to maneuver tiny parts so what I do is lightly touch the part with the tip of my #11 Xacto blade.

http://i.imgur.com/Zi4EUjW.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Zi4EUjWl.jpg

Then a spot of 'thinset' glue and touch the piece to the glue to release it from the blade and use the same blade to push the part into the correct position; you usually have minutes before the glue sets completely.

http://i.imgur.com/0NjiHC4.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/0NjiHC4l.jpg

I use the same procedure for placing rivets.

I'll try to take better images later............

[Alaric]

awesome work, thanks for the tips ;)

just an FYI in regards to the shrouds, first, wow you have patience lol if you ever need to make a perforated shroud like that again, there is metal (light gauge) that comes pre perforated.

lookin forward to the finished product

[Blackadder]

shrouds?

[Alaric]

shrouds?

the pieces on the engines with all the holes are called shrouds on machinery, not sure what they r called on tanks, my bad there

[Mud Duck]

YAH! BA's back! I was starting to worry about when I would be able to get my next fix of awesome.

[Blackadder]

the pieces on the engines with all the holes are called shrouds on machinery, not sure what they r called on tanks, my bad there

Thanks, I did not know what to call them; I was sure that someone somewhere produced ready made perforated sheets but if you buy everything you need besides costing a small fortune and the limitation of standard sizes you lose the satisfaction of making it yourself.

[Blackadder]

A Bit Crude:

But with a bit of practice these might just work out; 'tis a pity I need just three..........

http://i.imgur.com/r0yOeKa.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/r0yOeKal.jpg

So these will have to suffice.

[Blackadder]

Stormhammer Update:

Slow going with the thousands of rivets required to make this model come alive; I'm about halfway there.


http://i.imgur.com/7S4QdUL.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7S4QdULl.jpg

I'm rather pleased how the winged skulls turned out
In the view below under the Demolisher cannon...

http://i.imgur.com/eb0S3ud.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/eb0S3udl.jpg

and these on the tread well skirting....

http://i.imgur.com/fO2Jd5J.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/fO2Jd5Jl.jpg

and a close up....

http://i.imgur.com/c1qSq99.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/c1qSq99l.jpg

[Blackadder]

View Ports:

One thing I've been dreading making is the view ports. These delicate items are frequently damaged on Baneblade resin models and I have heretofore been less than successful in duplicating them in styrene but I have stumbled onto a seemingly viable method which if successful I'll give a breakdown in the procedure.

http://i.imgur.com/KuESSrr.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KuESSrrl.jpg

The port on the center right is just about finished and only needs be filed to the proper angle for mounting on the casement.

The two mounted on the strip are extras in case of failure............


http://i.imgur.com/I9Cd5gh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/I9Cd5ghl.jpg

[Blackadder]

99%:

About 99% of the rivet detail is completed as seen in these three photos:

http://i.imgur.com/Hfjz53Z.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Hfjz53Zl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/eSmgUg1.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/eSmgUg1l.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/1DVnwku.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/1DVnwkul.jpg

and I've started on the headlights which I am modeling on the Stormblade assemblies only slightly larger

http://i.imgur.com/sVAureR.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/sVAureRl.jpg

[Blackadder]

This Way Lies Insanity:

I was going great guns and about to close up the roof panels when the thought struck me, "Why not make them illuminate!!!" Well there may be just barely enough room for two small LEDs so I decided to give it a go.

http://i.imgur.com/3IaRBWo.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/3IaRBWol.jpg

I removed the opaque front panel and installed clear styrene. The lens bezels are 9/16 inch/ 7,1 MM tubing. after painting I'll install the lenses replete with reinforcing rods (No point in doing that now as it would be the devil to paint around and not smear onto the lens.

http://i.imgur.com/ZBBdOtE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ZBBdOtEl.jpg

You can see by the image below this is a complex little structure......

http://i.imgur.com/2KP7POH.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/2KP7POHl.jpg

[Blackadder]

Reinforced Lenses:

Okay the headlight housings are pretty bland at this stage so today we are going to try to install the reinforcing rods in the lenses.

http://i.imgur.com/DbumMuL.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/DbumMuLl.jpg

I started with 0.010 inch clear styrene and glued it to 0.25 inch tubing the outside diameter of which fits snugly into the 9/16th inch tubing used as the bezel.

http://i.imgur.com/uvg9JR5.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/uvg9JR5l.jpg

The 1/4 inch lens is only temporarily glued to the 1/4 inch tube end.

The reason for this is twofold in that it is easier to work with the reinforcing rod when it is out in the open as opposed to the cramped space inside the bezel and secondly it will be easier to install after the painting of the headlight housing is finished rather than try to mask the lens already installed.

Next post please........

[Psychosplodge]

Have you considered adding LEDs?

[Blackadder]

Have you considered adding LEDs?

Yes, scroll up to post 182...... :D

[Psychosplodge]

lols I was too busy looking at the pictures :D

[Blackadder]

No problem I never expect my posts to be read anyway......... XD

Reinforced Lenses II:

It's a bit difficult to perceive but the rods are installed on both lenses and the right one has been filed to the proper diameter.......

http://i.imgur.com/SNMFzsM.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/SNMFzsMl.jpg

Hey, I'm making this up as I proceed; whether it works or not will be as much a surprise to me as to you............

- - - Updated - - -

Reinforced Lenses II:

It's a bit difficult to perceive but the rods are installed on both lenses and the right one has been filed to the proper diameter.......

http://i.imgur.com/SNMFzsM.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/SNMFzsMl.jpg

Hey, I'm making this up as I proceed; whether it works or not will be as much a surprise to me as to you............

[Blackadder]

Reinforced Lenses III

Not too bad for a first attempt. Of course the one installed will have to be straightened but the concept is viable.

http://i.imgur.com/27xXbV7.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/27xXbV7l.jpg

With both lenses installed temporarily I can proceed with the LED lighting......

http://i.imgur.com/q5WXPa8.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/q5WXPa8l.jpg

Questions are always welcome.

[Psychosplodge]

No problem I never expect my posts to be read anyway......... XD


:(

[Blackadder]

Barrel Time:

First a relative size photo of the work thus far accomplished.

http://i.imgur.com/mRzNixC.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/mRzNixCl.jpg

Then an explanation as to why I think it necessary to include the drop tanks on my Lankreuzer. The Maus tank had a fuel efficiency of 185 meters per gallon. This hypothetical tank weighing in at 4 times the mass would need a lot of extra fuel just to make it operational and I suppose would dump the aux barrels when combat was expected.

http://i.imgur.com/XAW588N.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/XAW588Nl.jpg

B'sides I think the barrels look cool.

[Psychosplodge]

You'd have hoped they'd have improved fuel efficiency in forty millennia, but then again if the imperial war machine is controlled by the galactic promethium companies and the armaments industries maybe not.
Plus you're right. They do add something.

[Blackadder]

You'd have hoped they'd have improved fuel efficiency in forty millennia, but then again if the imperial war machine is controlled by the galactic promethium companies and the armaments industries maybe not.
Plus you're right. They do add something.

Ha! one would hope but I see a lot of 20th century technology in these vehicles (Actually WWI) and unless the laws of physics has been repealed the theoretical best an engine can be is about 25% efficient:

16403

And that's not counting the multitude of friction generating parts in the drive train and the tracks. :D

[Blackadder]

Germ Warfare:

Well I got the shot and I got the flu which has laid me up for the better part of a se'nnight. Today I managed to put a few touches on the aux barrels including mounting one temporarily on the rear fender.


http://i.imgur.com/26WvZG8.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/26WvZG8l.jpg

The Aquila is FW brass but I cut off the backing plate so the eagle stands out better and I also glued on a 0.020 panel of styrene and added a bevel so the icon will stand out better.

http://i.imgur.com/WcRtNdF.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/WcRtNdFl.jpg

Figuring the angle of the mount plate and mounting the eagle perpendicular was a major chore in my debilitated condition so you might say I had no fun making these items this week.

http://i.imgur.com/PlnhMMa.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/PlnhMMal.jpg

Next the sponson guns.............

[Blackadder]

Sponson Turrets Revisited

I've put this off long enough the sponson turrets begin very labor intensive what with the minutia and the near microscopic rivets to these tired old eyes. Someday I'm going to have to invest in a magnifying lens and light source.

http://i.imgur.com/XFiKvK9.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/XFiKvK9l.jpg

One thing I am disappointed in is the spiral copper conduit not being quite small enough in scale diameter.

http://i.imgur.com/1kxkdV9.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/1kxkdV9l.jpg

The rest of the sponson minutia seemed to fall into place and I look forward to the manufacture of the guns as they will be relatively easier.

http://i.imgur.com/2ZLzvTG.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/2ZLzvTGl.jpg

To recap in the last two images these will be just upscale replicas of the Baneblade guns. Dual lascannons and quad bolters seem to me superfluous.


http://i.imgur.com/aAQmZP0.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/aAQmZP0l.jpg

Likewise for the centrally mounted turret bolters.

Of course I shall entertain any suggestions regarding this............ Thx

[Psychosplodge]

While I agree with quad bolters being a bit excessive, I think twin linked lascannons would look better than a single upscale one.

[Mud Duck]

I would agree with Psychoslodge, stick with the standard size weapons. Up sizing seems like it would visually shrink the size of the tank down. Maybe a targeter above the Heavy Bolters if you need to fill in some blank space.

[Blackadder]

Homemade Bolters:

Thanks to all for the suggestions but since these parts will be interchangeable with other weapons I might as well just duplicate the original Baneblade armament and leave the exoctic weaponry for another day (Like that'll happen).

So below we see the preliminary rectangular bolter housing roughly dressed but of a size within a fraction (1/10 of a MM) of each other these pieces so far number 12 components in a structure 5/8 inch long.

http://i.imgur.com/OdZPPkA.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/OdZPPkAl.jpg

Pity about the overexposure....

http://i.imgur.com/AtmgdoS.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/AtmgdoSl.jpg

these are quite intricate as are all FW creations; by breaking the subject piece down to the basic components the details are easily duplicated or at least I hope they will be easily duplicated.

[Psychosplodge]

Well considering you're the one building it...

[Blackadder]

I intend to show the steps taken to produce these now that I see the process works. so the next few posts will display those steps up to the present...........

I'll have to build another pair to show the steps so that one will serve as the center bolter array.

[Blackadder]

Bleary Eyed:

These tiny guns have got me bleary eyed God knows how I be able to paint 40K figures if just manufacturer 'em taxes my vision but at any rate their done except for the ammo belts which should be a cakewalk.

http://i.imgur.com/s59uiuW.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/s59uiuWl.jpg

When it came to it each gun has about 30 parts not counting the still to be fabricated ammo belts.

http://i.imgur.com/l4Dvtwi.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/l4Dvtwil.jpg

I'll post a tutorial when I make the center bolters.....

[YorkNecromancer]

Sweet christmas!

I have such plasticard envy.

[Blackadder]

That's a phallacy ;) thanks for the reply,

The Never Ending Bolter;

It seems like I've been working on these bolters forever but truth be known I've been doing a lot of other projects as well. Today I finally put the finishing touches on all three bolter arrays and as I photographed them I mounted the first into it's sponson..........

http://i.imgur.com/6uLE0FP.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/6uLE0FPl.jpg

so you are seeing it before the glue has even set..........

http://i.imgur.com/XxNKCVx.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/XxNKCVxl.jpg

I just need to add the final mount rails and rivets to the drum.

[Kirsten]

very impressive

[Blackadder]

Thanks,

Sponsons and Wing Turrets Operational*

*To the extent that they can rotate on their respective mounts that is.....

The drum mounted bolters can swivel 90° in their housings and the ( Soon to be fabricated lascannons) Lascannon turrets 180° on their axes

http://i.imgur.com/H3ZdWo0.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/H3ZdWo0l.jpg

The center bolter turret is a bit of a disappointment rotating only about 15° on it's axis but that is still better than some real world counterparts.

In all I am very pleased with the operation of these movable turrets considering until midnight last I had no inkling of how I would broach the issue of making these function through their intended arcs...

http://i.imgur.com/n4EQLEr.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/n4EQLErl.jpg

I am particularly proud of the sponson mounted drums and may retrofit my resin Superheavies with the same mechanism.... someday. ;)

[Blackadder]

A Mere Tyro;

Back in the days when I was a mere tyro at scratch building I ventured into refurbishing an Armorcast Baneblade to make it conform to the elegant FW version. This culminated in producing lascannons for said Armorcast vehicle and having not the skills to replicate the lasers in styrene I opted for producing them in brass tubing which provided the thin wall tubes I needed to replicate the delicate gun barrels.

The images below demonstrate the result of that early effort.

http://i.imgur.com/h3TwTc3.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/h3TwTc3l.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/7pexlwP.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7pexlwPl.jpg

and even today I have to say I am still proud of the resultant early effort assemblies.

Fast forwarding to the present I find myself in much the same predicament and although the guns should be easier since they are to be replicated in styrene due to their larger dimensions I stll have to fabricate many of the same pieces in much the same way.

http://i.imgur.com/DoFGzgF.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/DoFGzgFl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Eh6TlzZ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Eh6TlzZl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/4OKjl3T.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/4OKjl3Tl.jpg

If anything my early work surpasses my current work. IMHO :D

[Blackadder]

Close Inspection:

My effort this day does does not bear up to close inspection. Whilst okay from a cursory glance the fine detail of these pieces appear crude under scrutiny.

http://i.imgur.com/DxZAAcF.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/DxZAAcFl.jpg

I'll proceed with the work but may have to refine it later if it appears too second rate.

http://i.imgur.com/k2fPFBy.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/k2fPFByl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/UOqLTur.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/UOqLTurl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/gsraq6g.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/gsraq6gl.jpg

Hopefully more to follow today........

[Blackadder]

A Penny:

For scale, 'F' it; I lost my draft (very irritating) I had this post set up with an explaining regarding excessive fine detail but lost it so here's the update sans explanation:


http://i.imgur.com/KjobWpc.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KjobWpcl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/iRBiRfk.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/iRBiRfkl.jpg

Mounted cannons coming up........

[Blackadder]

Ha!

Okay here's the Lascannons installed as promised and not too shoddy I must say; better than I expected anyway. :D

http://i.imgur.com/3xym5uy.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/3xym5uyl.jpg

This series of images show the movement capabilities of the turrets which for some reason I deem necessary. Everyone else is satisfied with static models.

http://i.imgur.com/f2ctRKd.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/f2ctRKdl.jpg

And an overview...........

http://i.imgur.com/qZ47L5l.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/qZ47L5ll.jpg

[Blackadder]

Done:

Woohoo! colour me done. I just this evening mounted the spare bogies and track links, main hatch, Commander machine gun, antenna, flare arrays, and assorted icons and this baby is ready for paint.

http://i.imgur.com/XWKBhcD.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/XWKBhcDl.jpg

Rear and engine compartment; Done!

http://i.imgur.com/sGojEAi.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/sGojEAil.jpg

Question about the icons; Aquilae, winged skulls, wreathed skulls, skulls in general; what's up with that? Is there any rhyme or reason to these decorations? Any mixture of them that could be in error?

http://i.imgur.com/HKDBujQ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/HKDBujQl.jpg

Low angle front quarter view, she's all business now....

http://i.imgur.com/xRZs29R.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xRZs29Rl.jpg

Whoops; lens flare...

http://i.imgur.com/hUjqeSD.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/hUjqeSDl.jpg

and two high angle shots

http://i.imgur.com/d8vNdXt.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/d8vNdXtl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/WeCrYks.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/WeCrYksl.jpg

Shudda took a high angle rear shot... Damn!

[Blackadder]

Rear View:

Looks like I missed a few rivets ;p

http://i.imgur.com/3cEtqcx.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/3cEtqcxl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/W9qkf3R.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/W9qkf3Rl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/CwIhlAw.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/CwIhlAwl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/3N2gTpW.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/3N2gTpWl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/AFeKdEC.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/AFeKdECl.jpg

Martini Time! :D

[Blackadder]

In Her Prime II:

Well not so long after all, this project was about six months to this point. Now that the primer is applied I can see a few areas that need punching up but the overall effect is satisfactory.

So what you are saying Blackadder is that you are happy with what can ostensibly called "Just a bigger Baneblade?" Ha!

http://i.imgur.com/sIZgcaN.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/sIZgcaNl.jpg

Yeah.

http://i.imgur.com/EQZtbwO.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/EQZtbwOl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/eBEcFPh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/eBEcFPhl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/UR7G5YQ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/UR7G5YQl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/uIZtfPD.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/uIZtfPDl.jpg

Well at least I don't have that half started scratch model sitting around in my crowded "To Do" Shelf anymore.

Now it's on my "To Paint" Shelf. :D

[Kirsten]

that is very impressive, quite a monster

[Haighus]

Very impressive indeed. I can just see the Techpriest on the Baneblade production line saying 'So why don't we try multiplying everything by 1.5...?'

(later executed for heresy)

[Psychosplodge]

Very impressive indeed. I can just see the Techpriest on the Baneblade production line saying 'So why don't we try multiplying everything by 1.5...?'


http://i.imgur.com/MWr84hp.jpg

[Lord Tothe]

Very, very nice! As a reader of Turn Signals on a Land Raider, my only suggestion is turn signals on the Super Baneblade. But then again, when you're driving something that big, you just turn whenever and wherever you want. People who get in your way were probably heretics anyway.

[Psychosplodge]

I miss TSOALR.

[Blackadder]

Painting the Super Baneblade:

Today I bit the bullet and began painting my Super Baneblade. For those of you unfamiliar with this project, a bit of history. My son and I many years ago were novices in the FW genera of Wargaming hardware so as usually the case my son began collecting Leman Russes and other IG equipment which he and I painted in the popular OD Green and Beige of the Imperial Guard. The Leman Russes looked to me like archaic WWI British tanks with a few turrets so to not take over his projects I started shopping around for a more challenging model to build. It was then that I clapped eyes on the recently introduced Baneblade; it was love at first sight...... until I saw the price!

Not being a millionaire or likely to win a jackpot lottery as I don't buy tickets I thought that it might be fun to try scratch building a Baneblade. I'd never really done any serious scratchbuilding in styrene before but I have built a few "Plank on Frame" sailing ship model hulls with reasonable success. What really started me was finding IBM Ribbon printer cartridges were wonderfully adaptable to making a solid hull framework. At that time I also began a Lucius Warhound because..... well because I'm certifiably crazy but we needn't go there. Well to not make a long story too long I began building the hull, turret and tread housing and had just got to a point where it was beginning to look like a Baneblade when I won a bid on ebay for a derelict Baneblade for a hundred bucks. When it arrived I found my scratch effort was in pretty good proportion but almost half again bigger than the standard FW model.

[Blackadder]

My Baker's Dozen Of Super Heavies:

While I'm at it and feeling ambitious this might be an opportune time to finish off the derilicts I've acquired over the years.

All the tanks you see here were purchased on ebay over the past six years in various states of disrepair. I broke them down into their component parts cleaned and refurbished the parts and primed so they are ready for reassembly

http://i.imgur.com/idojgO4.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/idojgO4l.jpg

Some of them need scratch built parts to complete them and one needs a turret; I'll make that into a recovery vehicle.

http://i.imgur.com/PU4Pajn.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/PU4Pajnl.jpg

Now for a bit of a guessing game. Aside from the obvious Land Kreuzer one of these is entirely scratchbuilt except for a few bitz and one is a rebuilt Armorcast Baneblade built to look like a FW model; can you find them?

[Psychosplodge]

OMFG Blackadder, I don't think I've ever seen so many super heavies in one place outside WHW, and even there they were scattered among several displays not all together like that. That's a bloody impressive collection.

[Sauragnmon]

I've seen a few collections like that.. one of the guys on Warseer, SDKFZ, he's got a gigantic armored force for his Guard, including a SHARV, and other impressive conversions he's racked up over the years.

[Psychosplodge]

Cool. Is warseer still down?

[Sauragnmon]

Alas, it is. I've been trying to see where some of the other treadheads wandered off to.. but so far no luck.

[Psychosplodge]

Go look through blackadders other build threads his titan and thunderhawk especially.

There's also a really good Blood angles thread somewhere with amazing tanks.