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Sandcrawler
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Sandcrawler
Last Wonderfest, I purchased this nice model of a Desert Creeper from Multi-Verse Models. It’s pretty nicely detailed, and you certainly get your moneys’ worth of resin
The other day, I got a wild hair and decided to finish it up. I had done some work last year and had started to illuminate the cockpit area. I carved out the inside of the nosepiece, but the big problem was how to preserve the rather delicate window frames. I eventually made photoetched window frames using the MicroMark home photoetch kit: Here are the frames:
…and here they are, installed:
I decided to light the cockpit from behind, and so I built a rough interior, including three N-scale model railroad figures and assorted shadow-casting greeblies. The aft wall has a large opening with a translucent screen, and behind that are three yellow nano LEDs from Evan Designs:
I decided to use Evan Designs LEDs on this project. The big advantage is that they come prewired with resistors, for a very reasonable price; the disadvantage is that the mounting holes have to be pretty big, so you can thread the resistor through.
I also dremelled out wire trenches in the back of the nosepiece and added LEDs for the headlights. (The black paint specks are the remnants of a light splatter guide coat I put on to help with sanding the back of the nosepiece perfectly flat.) The large holes I had to drill pretty much obliterated the headlight rings, but I made new ones out of light wire:
Evan Designs also had an intriguing remote control setup; the remote can turn your LEDs off and on, and dim them (in four steps), and is very reasonably priced. I decided to try it out on this model.
It works by infrared, I believe, and so the sensor has to be able to “see” the remote. I put it at the lower end of the central divider on the tailpiece (it’s the small black rectangle in the center) (There’s also a taillight, high up on the central divider of the tailpiece. I realize it’s not canon, but I thought it needed one ):
…and here’s the brains of the unit, installed inside the tailpiece. I’m installing the tailpiece using magnets so I can put the battery inside; the magnets are pretty strong and the tailpiece clicks into place with a satisfying “whunk”.
And here’s the main body with wires hanging out. The central body is hollow-cast, so all I had to do was cut portals into the interior for access. The nose- and tailpieces are solid, so there was considerable work with the Dremel needed to get the cavities I needed.
The other day, I got a wild hair and decided to finish it up. I had done some work last year and had started to illuminate the cockpit area. I carved out the inside of the nosepiece, but the big problem was how to preserve the rather delicate window frames. I eventually made photoetched window frames using the MicroMark home photoetch kit: Here are the frames:
…and here they are, installed:
I decided to light the cockpit from behind, and so I built a rough interior, including three N-scale model railroad figures and assorted shadow-casting greeblies. The aft wall has a large opening with a translucent screen, and behind that are three yellow nano LEDs from Evan Designs:
I decided to use Evan Designs LEDs on this project. The big advantage is that they come prewired with resistors, for a very reasonable price; the disadvantage is that the mounting holes have to be pretty big, so you can thread the resistor through.
I also dremelled out wire trenches in the back of the nosepiece and added LEDs for the headlights. (The black paint specks are the remnants of a light splatter guide coat I put on to help with sanding the back of the nosepiece perfectly flat.) The large holes I had to drill pretty much obliterated the headlight rings, but I made new ones out of light wire:
Evan Designs also had an intriguing remote control setup; the remote can turn your LEDs off and on, and dim them (in four steps), and is very reasonably priced. I decided to try it out on this model.
It works by infrared, I believe, and so the sensor has to be able to “see” the remote. I put it at the lower end of the central divider on the tailpiece (it’s the small black rectangle in the center) (There’s also a taillight, high up on the central divider of the tailpiece. I realize it’s not canon, but I thought it needed one ):
…and here’s the brains of the unit, installed inside the tailpiece. I’m installing the tailpiece using magnets so I can put the battery inside; the magnets are pretty strong and the tailpiece clicks into place with a satisfying “whunk”.
And here’s the main body with wires hanging out. The central body is hollow-cast, so all I had to do was cut portals into the interior for access. The nose- and tailpieces are solid, so there was considerable work with the Dremel needed to get the cavities I needed.
- kevtk135
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- Wizard of Washes
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Re: Sandcrawler
WOW. Terrific start. Looking fwd to seeing the next set of WIP pics!
Re: Sandcrawler
Time for an update: Just before I left for Wonderfest, I managed to get the initial (enamel) primer-red colors and a dark (oil) wash applied. Now I'm working on some odd orange and white markings high up on the hull side, also done in oils.
I had thought about working in a reference to Jack Vance's novel "The Face" by applying fading and worn "Kotzash Mining Co" markings, but don't feel like cutting a stencil (so I'm lazy ). I'll see what's available in rub-on letters, perhaps.
Anyway, pics:
I had thought about working in a reference to Jack Vance's novel "The Face" by applying fading and worn "Kotzash Mining Co" markings, but don't feel like cutting a stencil (so I'm lazy ). I'll see what's available in rub-on letters, perhaps.
Anyway, pics:
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Re: Sandcrawler
Looks very impressive! The only thing I think is a bit letdown are the tracks. It would look a bit more realistic to have them done in pieces instead of a one cast piece. But the hull is great and the paint job till now absolut fab.
Frank
Frank
Re: Sandcrawler
On another forum, I stumbled across a thread about about building a big Sandcrawler, and that reminded me that I'd never posted a final wrap-up on this project. So this morning I went down to the workshop and took a few:
I did finally add the Kotzash markings; I used dry-transfer model railroad letters, then picked at them with a bit of tape to "chip" away some of the lettering.
The remote-controlled lighting is fun; you can mystify your friends (I had my friend John D convinced that you turned them on by waving your hand in front of the model ) but since even when the model is quiescent, the electronics are always active, "listening" for a command, batteries don't last long at all.
Once the model was completed, I moved on to other stuff, and so it doesn't have any sort of base--although I had contemplated making a generic sandy waste sort of thing, maybe with a couple tiny droids standing by it to give it a sense of scale.
I did finally add the Kotzash markings; I used dry-transfer model railroad letters, then picked at them with a bit of tape to "chip" away some of the lettering.
The remote-controlled lighting is fun; you can mystify your friends (I had my friend John D convinced that you turned them on by waving your hand in front of the model ) but since even when the model is quiescent, the electronics are always active, "listening" for a command, batteries don't last long at all.
Once the model was completed, I moved on to other stuff, and so it doesn't have any sort of base--although I had contemplated making a generic sandy waste sort of thing, maybe with a couple tiny droids standing by it to give it a sense of scale.
Last edited by Rocketeer on October 20th, 2017, 6:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- kevtk135
- Registered Seller
- Wizard of Washes
- Posts: 6002
- Joined: December 20th, 2003, 2:15 am
- Location: SI, NY
- Contact:
Re: Sandcrawler
WOW, looks terrific!
- cire-neivk
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- LOBOREX
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Re: Sandcrawler
Fantastic work.
Helena is here at hand;
And the youth, mistook by me,
Pleading for a lover's fee.
Shall we their fond pageant see?
Lord, what fools these mortals be! -Puck
And the youth, mistook by me,
Pleading for a lover's fee.
Shall we their fond pageant see?
Lord, what fools these mortals be! -Puck
Re: Sandcrawler
Thanks, guys!