VSF Vehicles WIP (Update on 31st Aug 2012)

[Supercollider]

I'd been attempting to get the bits together to make a town clock for the 'Build Something' contest, and I got rather side-tracked (and my plans for that competition have totally changed, but are still connected with 'time').

Anyway, this is the result of my labours, so far: a steam powered howdah.  Six figures can occupy the deck (fig is from Pulp Figures, to show scale).











A few more rivets and it should be ready for undercoating.  A couple of questions: any ideas about colours?  Would be nice to have it quite generic, so I can use it for any force, maybe battleship grey, with some tasty weathering/rust (assuming my skills are up to it!)... Second: do the wheels look OK/VSF enough?  Slightly concerned they may be a tad futuristic now I am almost done.

My Bro' also visited a couple of weeks ago.  Even though he's not a gamer, he used to build models a long tiome ago.  After delving into a few of my bits boxes he came up with this: 'The Devil's Boatman'.  An amphibious craft for use in the swamps of Venus - it can float on water, walk on land, and in optimum conditions its legs contact the bottom of the swamp and it hydroplanes across the surface on its flat bottom





He's been gone around a week now, I may throw a few more rivets at it before I paint it

Again, any ideas about colour/weathering would be hugely appreciated - not used to painting big stuff!

Hope you like!

[Chairface]

Love them both, but the howdah is especially amazing!

[Ray Rivers]

 

Very nice, very nice!

The howdah is a awesome.

[Thunderchicken]

A couple of excellent VSF contraptions there. Looking forward to seeing them painted.

[anevilgiraffe]

the howdah is great... it actually looks plausible...

what did you use for the controls on the deck and for the decorative supports?

[SirAlban]

I love the first one!

[Tom Reed]

The howdah is great. And don't worry about the wheels, they make me think the thing coule be amphibious too. I say go with a light grey paintjob, with some accent colors and a bit of rust.

[Supercollider]

Thanks for the compliments, very motivating. 

I completed the rest of the riveting last night (and it is far from riveting tbh ). I'm hoping I get back in time to undercoat them later on this afternoon, as it is a lovely sunny day here, ideal conditions!

the howdah is great... it actually looks plausible...

what did you use for the controls on the deck and for the decorative supports?

The gold coloured plastic is from a much too big Christmas style train, embellished with pins and beads (to make levers) and half a snap fastener for the valve wheel.

The decorative supports are from an ornate plastic Chinese lantern, clipped up to disguise its origins as much as possible.  The finials are made from beads of various sizes on round-headed pins.

[Christian]

I think I get the aesthetics of VSF vehicles now. Well done! Can't wait to see them painted

[gamer Mac]

Love the Howdah
Got to agree with
the howdah is great... it actually looks plausible...
It looks like it would realy work
The wheels look great as is. Maybe just a little extra detail on the hub. Hide the hex bit?
Grey is ok but I must admit I like brass and wood colours for my VSF stuff. I think it also makes it quite generic.

[Christian]

You could try some cogs in the wheels I suppose!

[Supercollider]

Give serious thought to painting that beauty. It could make it. It could kill it.

Hehe, don't I know it!  The only other vehicles I've painted have been a bit meh, so I'm keen not to bugger this one up! 

Managed to find time to undercoat the howdah today.  I'm liking it in black, and may consider the black/brass look, as it does fit in with the couple of other bits and bobs I've already made, while keeping it pretty generic.

I want it to look weathered though - I suppose it's just as easy to it with that colour scheme as any other?

Some pics:









I've gone with the hexes (big nuts!) in the middle of the wheels for now - I can always cover them with a tiddlywink with some detail on it (or something), if I feel the need.  I think they look OK.

Thanks for the interest

[jamesmanto]

a lot of train engines of the time were black. You could do mostly black with some brass work picked out and then some rust/wear/dirt in appropriate places.

It's looking massively cool. I guess the main thing to ask yourself is this a military steam howdah or is it civilian?

[Supercollider]

Your suggestion is exactly along the lines I'm considering.  I think it would suit it well.

It'll mostly be used in Deadlands/General VSF/1889 situations, so I'm leaning away from the military look.  If they have to use it, they can just commandeer it, or something.

Cheers.

[Thunderchicken]

Great stuff! It might be worth having a look at some of Pappa Midnight's creations for ideas on weathering as he paints his goodies black.