Wednesday 22 February 2012

Behold My Rear Entrance!

Hi, All!

Seems a little naked back there, doesn't it?

Ooh! I've been waiting months to use that line!

Extreme close-up! The last bit of plain, unadorned plastic will soon be gone...

As you can see, this evening's efforts have been directed towards HMSW Gargantua's aft hatch. As far as the structure of the model is concerned, this is the last bit - and I've been puting it off, mainly because I wasn't really sure what I wanted it to look like.

Details and rivets start to go on... The underside of the chimney forms the canopy.

Anyway, it's finally come together tonight. I decided some time ago that I wanted a very nautical feel, so I built a locking mechanism to suit using half of a plastic press-stud and a bit of wire. This kind of mechanism is, of course, correctly known as a trundley-trundley-clunk lock...

A quick coat of paint...

As I was suffering rivet withdrawal symptoms due to the shock of running out of plastic rod yesterday, I made sure to get a good dose tonight. Sixty-eight more, to be precise. It still surprises me sometimes to see the difference in depth and character a few such simple details can make. It's very satisfying to watch such a transformation take place as you work.

The view from beneath...

The girders protruding from the back will support iron tread-boards very similar to those of the chain bridge in the neck. (See: So Many Projects, So Little Time - 29th August, 2011). There will also be a handrail and a ladder. But first, all of what you see here had to be finished. I won't be able to get a brush in there once the final details are in place. Sadly, the red detailing is not as straight as I would like - I can't pick up and hold the model to paint details anymore, so I had to stand it on a table and work at almost full brush length. Awkward.

Flywheel, chimney, aft-hatch and rear upper legs, from behind.

So there you have it: one step closer to completion!

Rivet Count: 3,464!

More soon...



All The Best!

6 comments:

  1. That's not a double entendre, Colonel. It's barely a Single entendre! =) But I digress. You have an amazing creation there, positively breathtaking in the amount of labour that went into it. Kudos to you for completing it, and here's to Gargantua's success against Her Majesty's enemies!

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    1. Thanks A J! Not complete yet - still a lot of details to add, but the structure's just about done.

      And then I'll kick some Prussian botty!

      Huzzah!

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  2. This machine is absolutely awesome and very much an insperation to me. While I won't try something this large you've given me plenty of ideas.

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    1. Only too pleased to be of help, my friend! I hope to see your creations in the future!

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  3. Fnarr,... reminds me of a humorous comment; an elderly gent is instructed he'll need to use a certain medication in his 'back passage'. His concerned reply to the perplexed pharmacist..."but I keep my bike in the back passage..."

    More great work, keep it up!

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