Fnord Galactic Skyliner Hover Car - Finished pics page 4

[Captain Canada]

Nice work ! The car looks excellent and the figures are outstanding !

[zenrat]

Thanks Cap'n.

It's all in one (surprisingly heavy - I blame the electrical conduit) lump now.
Shouldn't be too long.

[zenrat]

Finished.  But I need to take pictures and write some words.

[kerick]

This has been slowly ticking along.
Here is Rear Admiral Lucy Lastic and her driver/bodyguard Captain Johansson.

More like Admiral Wanda Whataset!

[zenrat]

She's not bad, she's just moulded that way...

[zenrat]

Words have been plagiarised.  Just need to take some pictures.  I've been concentrating on the Loon but.

[zenrat]

Fnord Galactic Skyliner Hovercar.   United Earth Navy.  UES Lagrange (Lunar Central Command Oversight) 2159.

As the hovercar glid to a halt at Gagarin Overlook under the light of a crescent Earth Lucy gave a little sigh, snuggled up closer to Captain Johansson and came to a decision – this was the happiest she had ever been. 
Fnord Galactic Skyliner 500 1 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Feeling Admiral Lastic move closer to him Olaf Johansson glanced down her top and smiled to himself as he thought about what he had planned for later.  Once he'd dropped her back at the base he was heading out again and this time he could carve up the switchback curves into the foothills of the Aldrin range as fast as he liked without being told to slow down.
Fnord Galactic Skyliner 500 2 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Like most of the known worlds' greatest successes the Galactic Skyliner owed nothing to any official specification but was the result of dogged persistence by far-sighted engineers.
In this case the Fnord company (Ford/Nissan Orbital Research Dynamics – by the 22nd Century a wholly owned subsidiary of zenrat universal industries) even had to overcome two years of official disinterest, and flat disbelief in the whole idea of Nestoriwskyj Mobius loop gravity modulation.
Fnord Galactic Skyliner 500 9 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Fortunately the company prevailed, and once the first car was hovering it dominated every field it entered until by the end of its service life – which was long and varied – it was by far the most versatile United Earth transport.
The original idea in 2152 was a four seater version of the Albatross air cushion vehicle, but by October 2153 this had changed to a twin tokamak vehicle with such ruggedly stable lift characteristics it could dispense with air cushions altogether and fly on gravity modulation alone.
Like the Albatross however it was designed to look like an antique Terran personal transporter with its light but strong whiffium panels forming curves and fins stiffened by decorative looking but strong and light mouldings of foamed and polished unobtanuim.  The trouble was that nobody believed in gravity modulation, far less fitting it to what looked like a relic of a long gone age.
Fnord Galactic Skyliner 500 7 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
By sheer relentless effort (and a little creative persuasion) the board of zenrat industries managed to get specification T.1/55 written in January 2155, and after the Fnord Galactic Skyliner had twice been cancelled in the panics over genetic defects, the prototype flew at Mount Martha on 25th November 2155.  According to an anonymous source, "When they saw it fly, even the UEN understood what the Skyliner was all about."
By 2158 anywhere the United Earth Navy went, so did the Skyliners.  Every ship of the Terran surface fleet carried at least two Skyliner Utilities with additional Provost, Flatbed, Ambulance or even Armoured subtypes as required.
Fnord Galactic Skyliner 500 8 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
This Fnord Galactic Skyliner was one of the Admiral's Barges fitted with boosted Blackburn-Beriev VD-69 Matroska propulsion engines.  The increased maximum speed necessitated an enlarged vertical stabiliser in order to maintain longitudinal stability at velocities of over 500 km/hr.  Designated the Skyliner 500 these much sought after vehicles can be identified by the cast zenratium "500" badge mounted beneath the base of the taller fin.
It's the personal hovercar of Vice Admiral Lucy Lastic, political commandant of UES Lagrange, the United Earth Navy's Lunar Central Command and Oversight facility (commonly known as Tranquility base it is the former Trump Lunar Tower) and in The Moon's low gravity and thin atmosphere has been known to top out in excess of 590 km/hr.

Some text plagiarised from Aircraft of World War 2 by Bill Gunston (Octopus books 1980).

Fnord Galactic Skyliner 500 14 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
The Model.
Recent reissue (2006?) under Revells SSP program of the sixties 1/25 Monogram 1959 Ford Skyliner kit.
Gravity Modulation Torus built from electrical conduit, resin treadplate & bendy straws.
Engines from 1/48 Monogram Me262.
Scratchbuilt tail fin.
Figures provided with the car kit then modified.
A few other bits & pieces from a 1/24 Italeri Truck Accessories kit.
Home made decals.

[Old Wombat]

The car looks awesome!

Not sure about the morals & driving habits of your officer corps, though.

[Librarian]

I'm telling the PC Police on you . Great fun...what makes this hobby so interesting.

[Captain Canada]

Great stuff ! Love the story, and too right....how many men can't wait to drop off the missus so they can go out and play lol

Love the creativity of it. Both the story and the model.

[NARSES2]

Well done mate 

[su27rules]

  Very good, well done!!

[ericr]

  of course

[PR19_Kit]

Absolutely AMAZING Fred! 

I knew it was going to be a tad 'off the wall' but that beats all. 

[zenrat]

Thanks folks.  Glad you like it.
Just don't ask me how it works...