Rich H's Build Something Entry - Antonov A-40

[Andym]

Will foam not be too brittle? BTW how do you do your rivets?

[Rich H]

Foam will be fine when it's covered in doped cloth  

Rivets... are a trade secret - but I'll let you in on it!



Swiss graining tool used for gem setting; a set of 16 costs about £10

To start slightly roughen the surface you are going to add the rivet to.
Mix up a blob of greenstuff, you need enough to grip easily in your fingers.  I use more yellow than blue to make it sticky.
Place the blob onto the area covering the rivet location and lightly press down.
Moisten the end of the tool (lick)
Use the beading tool to push through the blob and press onto the surface.
Rotate the tool and move it in an orbit (so the edge of the graining tool cuts through the greenstuff)
Remove the tool.
Pull away the blob.

Now you either have a nice raised rivet or a rivet stuck in the tool. My hit rate was about 60%...

With patience you can get some really tiny rivets like the hinges here:


You can also use them to make recessed rivets:  just push into the surface and orbit it to cut the surface so t leaves a circle or if you push harder it leaves a recessed dome:



Note free handing the rivet spacing is not a god idea!  It's really hard to get them aligned properly and really obvious when you bugger it up!  Not for those with OCD...

[gamer Mac]

Amazing work
You do know it is six weeks not six days for this competition?
 

[Rich H]

Tracks will take a while...  plus I'll get distracted by shiney thi.... oh new stuff in the post!

[Andym]

Thanks for that Rich!

Is that first pic your current BSC build?

[Rich H]

The big one above is the A-39 Tortoise form a while back!

This is my BSC current state:

[Rich H]

Turret and rivets...


Running out of excuses not to tackle the tracks...

[Rich H]

Dunno what's going on but the rivet hit rate tonight is about 20%...

[carlos marighela]

That looks bloody marvellous! You sir are a master craftsman.

[mikedemana]

That's amazing -- I was just contemplating what to do for rivets, too! I have been scouring the hobby stores, looking at beads which might fit the bill....

Mike Demana
www.firstcommandwargames.com
http://leadlegionaries.blogspot.com/

[beefcake]

Amazing patience there. Well done

[Rich H]

Thanks all!

Fiddly tracks next I suppose...

[Vanvlak]

Thanks all!

Fiddly tracks next I suppose...

This will be interesting 

[Rich H]

Measured up before work and it's no good, the undercarriage has to be remade - it's too wide! 
I'd made the wheels 3mm thick and they should be thinner - I realised when I measured up the tracks. 
The inner edge isn't a problem but the outer edge is. 
Fortunately being laser cut I can burn a new set of parts in a few minutes.

Tracks are going to be 'interesting' they are 5mm wide which is fine but they have prominent guide teeth that need to be added.. 2 per track link... bu hand.... 
I can't think of any other way of doing them without casting (and I'm not going that far!)

Hey ho...

[Rich H]

BAckup plan for the wings has arrived.  A chap at work has a CNC hot wire cutter and he's made me some foam cors for the wings if the built up fails.  They are jsut (Bright purple) foam cores so I'll still haev loads of work to do to them!  (Assuming this is OK under the <25% 'bought in parts'!) 

No pics yet as we aren't allowed cameras at work!