"I Name This Walker... Gargantua!"

Hi, All!

The final finished item. At last!

She's finished! At last!

Today has been something of an epic detailing day and I am pleased to announce that fifteen minutes ago, I completed HMSW Gargantua - my most ambitious undertaking to date.

Top Right: leaded glass. Top Left: steps in place, along with handrails. Bottom Right: nameplate. Bottom Left: coal.

Since my last post, I have added leaded glass to the portholes, a retractable ladder to the Aft Gallery, handrails on the Rear Deck, steps from the Main Deck to the Rear Deck, coal in the bunker, a Union Jack and, of course, Her Nameplate.

The view from behind the head. I think the glass really establishes a Victorian look.

The glass turned out well, I think. It was made from acetate, scored with a pin and rubbed with black paint. The frosting effect around the edges is accidental - the fumes from the superglue I used reacted with the acetate. I rather like the effect.

A crewman handles the mouth gun, while the Captain is visible at the controls.

The retractable ladder and the steps had to be made and painted as separate pieces, then fixed in place. Fiddly work!

Left: retractable ladder and Aft Gallery. Right: Flywheel, Aft Gallery and crewman.

The view from beneath. To the left is the clear peg benath the raised foot. You can also make out the ladder at the rear of the vehicle.

I also managed to add a good strong clear peg under the raised foot. The model is now very sturdy indeed and will not need a base. This is important, as it is so big, it will need to pass over forests, houses and other terrain, which would not work with a big clumsy base.

Crew at the ready.

A huge Sheffield-built engine powers this gigantic machine.

A gyrocopter's eye view.

Complete with her crew, Gargantua's a colourful affair. I'm looking forward to getting her onto some approriate terrain.

Gargantua, unmanned. She measures 35cm long by 29cm high.

Today's efforts added a further 78 rivets, bringing the absolute final rivet count to:

3,630!

I think that's probably enough to satisfy even the most ardent rivet fans out there.

So there you go. Stay tuned for more on the Faraday Galvanic Field Gun and Big Mike the Dinosaur... and a NEW weapon of terror, also started today!

All the Best!