Hi Everybody!
A bit of late start, but in fact I've been preparing this entry since Friday/Saturday night, when the build officially started.
For those who remember my entry for the One Week GB in 2017 M.A.R.C. Z-360 (https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=43807.0), this will be the sequel. For those who doesn't, this will be another scratch-bash from the Twilight Zone. ;)
THE NAME
L.A.R.C. ZZ, Ausf.D
You might remember that the first hovercraft was called M.A.R.C., deciphered as Medium Army Reconnaissance Complex. The new one is a L.A.R.C., where the L is for Large. The ZZ is an homage to...eh, you know who,
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/ZZ_Top_on_the_Pyramid_Stage_at_Glastonbury_2016_IMG_8527_%2827374417884%29.jpg/300px-ZZ_Top_on_the_Pyramid_Stage_at_Glastonbury_2016_IMG_8527_%2827374417884%29.jpg)
but also means Zero Gravity - Zwilling.
Ausf.D is for the modification of course (A, B and C were mostly test crafts).
As usually everything starts with
THE PLAN
My build from 2017 was based on the scheme "Bulky fuselage + 2 aerodynamic booms" with 1 thrust engine.
(https://i.imgur.com/UCEN0Qf.jpg)
This time I decided to "reverse" the old idea and create something with a very slim and elongated fuselage, but with 2 bulky booms/pods for the antigravitons (the antigravity engines) and 2 thrust engines this time.
This is my first (and last) sketch (only one boom is shown, the other is the same):
(https://i.imgur.com/RsW8wGz.jpg)
The craft will have a very long and thin "stinger" tail like a sting-ray and a robust (probably this is the best description for it) "head" between the booms.
Below is my usual mélange of parts from toys, models, gundams, transformers an "1 Dollar store" - items:
(https://i.imgur.com/O4kRQEk.jpg)
The 2 blue parts are the "booms" - as in the case with the first hovercraft these are boxes for Halo-Lego figures I found for under 1$ at Toys-R-Us. The squarish thing between them is from a gundam and for the "head" of the fuselage. The 2 round parts are wheels from some toy-car from my son's baby years to become engines/jet exhausts. At the bottom are parts from a broken transformer (don't know which one exactly, the one looking like a truck maybe?) to add some more weight to the booms. In the boxes to the left are some of the greebles resp. paraphernalia to be used during the build. I can't show you my whole collection of bits and bobs, but you'll see everything I'll be using so or so.
For the body I'll probably start with a fuselage from a 1/72 airplane (fighter) - I'll see what I have in the "storage".
That's all for now. Stay tuned.
Cheers!
Started with the booms first:
(https://i.imgur.com/nhKBL73.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/l1WUCFi.jpg)
White intake is top (as on the second photo), golden intake is front, toy-wheel is exhaust, blue ribbed element is a radiator of some sort. I like the skin appearance of the plastic container (as mentioned before from a Lego-Halo figure) - it's like organic.
Of course the above work was done x2.
Tops:
(https://i.imgur.com/8sLalwf.jpg)
Bottoms:
(https://i.imgur.com/VCEMDt6.jpg)
I like using all sort of cheap parts with nice, rounded forms like ear buds. The top ones are obviously from my last flight with LOT (Polish Airlines). I found them today in a box with similar greebles:
(https://i.imgur.com/bIDhQHl.jpg)
They look like this:
(https://i.imgur.com/zK5kiHu.jpg)
And give you 2X2 beautiful parts after some surgery:
(https://i.imgur.com/OMuWEiZ.jpg)(https://i.imgur.com/WVLBE8i.jpg)
Both will be used for different applications.
That was all for Sunday.
Cheers!
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT5Eee4gIXv_IAnKrmFzzy_IXv7VHtRsU60aprY2A8VFWHPRPzXSw)
I love stuff like this! :thumbsup:
Just a small update: yesterday/today, before going to bed I found in the parts-box a fuselage of a F4F, the old Airfix kit
(https://www.scalemates.com/products/img/0/6/2/207062-12155-60-pristine.jpg).
Not all parts are existent, but I'll see what can be used and/or modified.
It has a really pointed end (what actually caught my eye):
(https://i.imgur.com/B7iR65W.jpg)
which can be easily adapted for the "stinger" as mentioned in the beginning.
Cheers!
Looking at the already painted models for this GB (guys, it's Tuesday!!! :o), I'm getting really frustrated...
Trying to put some work every day, I must say that during the week this task is not entirely under (my) control.
O.K. back to the Zee-Zee.
Here is its body with the stinger (not completely finished yet).
Top view:
(https://i.imgur.com/mM4jND7.jpg)
Bottom view:
(https://i.imgur.com/3kdgaz0.jpg)
Yes, the bottom of the "Martlet" is the top of the zee-zee and vice versa ;) I used the fuselage, cowling and cockpit glazing of a F4F in 1:72, external tank from a F-4 Phantom (I guess?) in 1:100, a piece of a toy in unknown scale and a "Stinger" in 1:1. Just a few words about the latter:
(https://i.imgur.com/KEAGVJo.jpg?2)
Some time ago I found in a store called "Silver Dollar" (or something similar, essentially a 1-Dollar store) a telescopic antenna with a magnetic tip.
(https://i.imgur.com/Yo8GTPd.jpg)
Each antenna gives me 5-6 tubes and a final solid rod with a tip. They all are very useful! The "stinger" is the solid rod.
Here some of the tubes I'm using for this build:
(https://i.imgur.com/ZYZISlV.jpg)
Not much, but that's all for now.
Cheers!
Awesome job you doing here Canso! :thumbsup:
I'm also watching you...always watching you......... ;)
David aka 63cpe
Quote from: 63cpe on June 11, 2019, 01:19:16 PM
Awesome job you doing here Canso! :thumbsup:
I'm also watching you...always watching you......... ;)
David aka 63cpe
Thank you for watching...Big Brother! I hope it's worth it.
It's still this phase of scratch-bashing where nothing big happens. Plastic pieces have been put together but not like when building an original kit, where you have instructions and the expected end product, at least on a picture. And if you build a tank from a box showing a tractor, it's your fault only.
In my case I'm the designer of the craft, manufacturer (or manipulator) of the parts, there is no box with a picture and I lost the instructions. Go figure what will come out at the end. :rolleyes:
In the meantime I put a "head" to the "body" - view from below (bottom):
(https://i.imgur.com/HBkdpQh.jpg)
The metal tubes ("arms") are the supports for the booms and from the same source as the "stinger" (see previous posts).
The "head" is the middle portion of a Gundam's body (so I think, could be some other "monster" too).
I had some time to sand the body a bit better than on the photo above - more to come.
Cheers!
I figure, if you build a tank from a box showing a tractor on the cover, you're doing all right as a whiffer! :thumbsup: ;)
Quote from: Old Wombat on June 11, 2019, 11:20:52 PM
I figure, if you build a tank from a box showing a tractor on the cover, you're doing all right as a whiffer! :thumbsup: ;)
Yes, but some modelers are not whifers and they are usually disappointed, aren't they? And immediately write a letter to the manufacturer, asking for a new (the correct one) model. Most people here will wait until the very end, see what they have created and be glad with it. :thumbsup:
O.K. here is a preliminary, "show & tell" with the unfinished, unglued, unpainted ZeeZee:
TOP VIEW & BOTTOM VIEW(https://i.imgur.com/XmEySnf.jpg)(https://i.imgur.com/Uzi1vrv.jpg)
All weapon systems are missing. The 2 shiny spheres on the top are a preliminary idea for some all directional scanners, similar to bug eyes. A lot of greebles still not used: hatches, small bubbles here an there (I call them "pimples"), a pair of air-brakes (moveable), a pair of fins (vertical stability), 3+ laser canons/guns, maybe a pair of lights somewhere, the real jet exhausts (nozzles) etc. etc.
Stay tuned for more.
Cheers!
P.S. I received 2 comments from my family:
#1 - looks like a deep sea fish with 2 big air bubbles to surface faster.
This one maybe: :o
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fb/3d/87/fb3d87abf51746588c7789fafdd8fa0d.jpg)
#2 - looks like a high speed submarine with 2 huge underwater jets.
Maybe I made a mistake with the antigravity idea in the beginning? :rolleyes:
I dunno, anti-grav works for me, the build has a certain Star-Warsy vibe about it right now! :thumbsup:
Quote from: Old Wombat on June 13, 2019, 03:10:30 AM
I dunno, anti-grav works for me, the build has a certain Star-Warsy vibe about it right now! :thumbsup:
I'll stay with the initial idea until the end. Underwater vehicles are not my "specialty" even in the fantasy world. ;)
And to better visualize the idea of the AG-hovering I always put this type of models on a pylon, utilizing my favorite (and yet not patented;D) detail with the bicycle spoke.
(https://i.imgur.com/9QW3BQK.jpg?1)
Top view with the metal head embedded in plastic and glue:
(https://i.imgur.com/7ZxyaiR.jpg)
Bottom view with the threaded end.
(https://i.imgur.com/bwTmsFY.jpg)
Both sides will be covered with appropriate elements (greebles) as parts of the composite fuselage.
If I have enough time (I'm laughing loud now (https://media.tenor.com/images/d9849222c168c2fb6662af35ac299386/tenor.gif)) I'll make a "themed" base as well. We'll see.
Cheers!
My productivity on week days is pretty low and the mojo is almost non-existent, but here is a detail for the laser cannons. These are the basic materials: a filter (or whatever the proper designation is) from a fine liner and a tip from a ball pen. The fine liner part is amazing and very similar in appearance to a passive radiator/heat sink which is essential for a laser blaster Isn't it?
(https://i.imgur.com/CSf1l53.jpg)
The ball pen tip is attached reversed so the ball is inside the plastic part. Thickness of tube is appropriate for a gun in this scale as per my criteria.
(https://i.imgur.com/BDag9uy.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/gTDK4sc.jpg)
Once painted and dry-brushed the "cannon" will show its full power. There are 2 of them (one on each exter. face of the booms).
A small step (again), but something that needed to be done. There is another, bigger cannon to be mounted under the chin of the fuselage, but it's just a part form a toy and gets the "muzzle"(ball pen tip) in the very same way as described.
Stay tuned!
Woooow, it that a fineliner???! looks amazing! just like a radiator for a laserblaster!
Terrific find!
Quote from: 63cpe on June 14, 2019, 12:06:02 PM
Woooow, it that a fineliner???! looks amazing! just like a radiator for a laserblaster!
Terrific find!
Yep, using those since years: available in many colours, but often covered by paint, when used in a model.
(https://i.imgur.com/e4BR0az.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/roukZfI.jpg)
Thank you for asking! :thumbsup:
P.S. The above pen is just one of the many. These "radiator" pieces may vary in length and type. The ones I'm using for the hovercraft are not exactly the same - I don't remember what fineliner are they from.
Thanks for sharing!
Must have been fun cleaning up all that ink! Looks great!
Quote from: kerick on June 14, 2019, 06:19:38 PM
Must have been fun cleaning up all that ink! Looks great!
No, not all. When the pen is empty there is no ink left on it. If the pen has dried over the time, I put the part in Isopropyl for a night and on the next day the ink is gone. Haven't had many cases like this.
BTY here are the 2 laser cannons/blasters completed with their attachment joints and painted:
(https://i.imgur.com/GSCFMdM.jpg)
A few posts ago I mentioned that I will try to make a base for the model too. Of course the devil doesn't sleep and something pushed me yesterday to visit our local Charity store for a small treasure hunt. And of course I found a remote control for some game, which matches my futuristic build pretty well. Back home I painted it, attached the spoke (pylon) and even shaded a bit the structure. So at the moment my model is still unfinished and in pieces, but I do have a finished base! How amazing! ;D
(https://i.imgur.com/8g2StMf.jpg)
And looking at all the finished models I can only hope that I'll finish before the end of the day tomorrow. :o
Cheers!
Photos of the finished hovercraft (sans cannons and nozzles) before priming:
TOP VIEW
(https://i.imgur.com/AzDijWk.jpg)
BOTTOM VIEW
(https://i.imgur.com/dB6zYvn.jpg)
That's it: no more greebles! :o
And after the primer:
TOP VIEW
(https://i.imgur.com/4h7vxAT.jpg)
BOTTOM VIEW
(https://i.imgur.com/tWUeZ0r.jpg)
RIGHT SIDE
(https://i.imgur.com/ACdKypK.jpg)
Next time - with paint.
Definitely has a Star Wars Naboo fighter vibe going on, only tougher. :thumbsup:
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ycaXPdbTwng/maxresdefault.jpg)
Quote from: Old Wombat on June 16, 2019, 12:27:02 AM
Definitely has a Star Wars Naboo fighter vibe going on, only tougher. :thumbsup:
to be honest I was more influenced by one of the pod racers with enormous (hypertrophied) engines:
(https://i.imgur.com/RiocUjU.jpg)
My son started a "Stingray fighter", based on the Naboo-fighter years ago, but never finished it. I gave him the idea for a "stinger" (same as mine) at that time:
(https://www.whatifmodellers.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1187.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fz400%2FMartinMariner%2FNABOO%2520FIGHTER%2F7-1.jpg%7Eoriginal&hash=4b46ad50b93925f1fce79c4a50490fcfd26e2e6a)
So yes, they are from the same breed. ;)
Kind of a cross between the two styles, then. ;) :thumbsup:
O.K. guys, here it is:
The antigravity hovercraft L.A.R.C. ZZ, Ausf.D a.k.a. ZeeZee shown fully armed. Since this is a reconnaissance craft, the side and the chin cannons can be removed for better performance. The triple proton blaster (torpedoes) and the 2 smaller fuselage guns are fixed. Pilot is inside (where the 2 spherical radar-antennae are) and operates the craft based on sensors' information. A weapon-computer operates all guns, unless the pilot takes over. The "Jericho trumpet" in the middle is in fact the ultra-sensitive sight connected with the weaponry computer. There are hundreds of small details and facts, but I'll make a list one day and post it here.
The L.A.R.C was widely used during the 4-th and the 5-th Carsonian wars. This was the time when niobium (known also as "unobtanium" from the popular literature) became the main energy source and the 3S-engine was invented (3S= Sakurin-Sådersson-Sorayama, the inventors-trio at the Abidjan UT). The latter eventually have been used in all antigravs to provide lift. Propulsion engines similar to ancient rocket engines, but on niobium were used to move the crafts in all directions. Unfortunately Schauberger's Repulsine implosion effect could never be used for controlled lift and thrust simultaneously and the idea to use one single AG-engine for everything remains the biggest dream of all inventors... :banghead:
The model is in scale 1:72: Length (with stinger):10"; Width (with laser canons):7.5"; Height (with fins):3.5"
At least 168 single parts have been used. Some of the elements (like the triple blaster) are very complex and made of more than 10-12 parts. For those I estimated the number of parts. All bigger guns are removable (as in the "reality" described above). The 2 "speed brakes" (with the yellow serials) are movable as well.
Model was painted with a variety of acrylic (water based) paints, mostly Gunze and Tamiya.
It's 11:15 p.m. (23:15) local time on 16-th of June 2019.
It' was a great Father's day for me and my family (not only because of the model! ;D).
Some of the photos are shown in the thread for finished photos too.
TOP VIEW
(https://i.imgur.com/8aa6TWR.jpg)
BOTOM VIEW
(https://i.imgur.com/i0VPN2k.jpg)
FRONT VIEW
(https://i.imgur.com/00zKykb.jpg)
REAR VIEW
(https://i.imgur.com/aWOde1I.jpg)
LEFT SIDE VIEW
(https://i.imgur.com/EXUBcoO.jpg)
RIGHT SIDE VIEW
(https://i.imgur.com/bD4gNYp.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/iln3G3U.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/tjuLail.jpg)
Good night!
Yves
Brilliant finish, mate! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
In a week!!!! Wow!!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
I don't understand it, but the modelling is MAGNIFICENT! :thumbsup:
Fantastic. Good job dude.
:thumbsup:
Absolutely amazing :bow:
Reminds me of the A-10 JAWS scheme. And looks as bad a$$!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48079845047_bebec5e64f_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gfDLRD)
Michael Benolkin Photo
Thank you, guys! I'm glad you like it. It turned out well. After the Father's day lunch (with drinks) my hand became steadier and faster with the airbrush than usual. ;)
The camo is pure fiction, but in fact there are "field grey" areas mixed with the green ones so it's not entirely frog-ish. I wanted to add a small orange dot in every light green spot (the colour of the spots is actually called "avocado"), but didn't have enough time any more. Maybe I'll add it later.
And Mossie, yes, if I don't do it in a week for a GB, I'll never finish it. My stash with started and unfinished builds grows up since 2008 (at least one of the models is since the 90's!). I even started "recycling" parts from those for the newer builds. The chin gun for example was a part prepared for a "Dune buggy" (made of PC-mouse). The latter never "matured" though. ;D
Cheers!
Definitely different ! Love the paint and use of parts :thumbsup: