Rusty Rails Part Five - The Hiatus is Over!

Hard to believe it's been 28 months since the last post of the railway (October 20, 2022)!  "Space: 2022",  other subjects and unforseen life issues took over as well for some time. And then with the 3D printer and "Cargo: 2022" in development, it had become an unstoppable juggernaut and I had to pack it away for awhile.  So leaving behind that "space shit" (thnx Corey!),  I dusted off the layout and continued from where I had left off months ago.  (Unfortunately, when you resume a project after some time, you look at it differently and previous concepts and ideas are no longer relevant.  But first, some work done before the layout went into storage).

I continued to work on the layout a few months after that October post.  Mostly in "landscaping".  The junkyard area needed walls, so the first thing I did was get my cork together.  Yes cork...

I had been admiring this natural material for some time.  Not just as the stopper for my favourite drink, but as a scenery element.  I had been aware of it since the mid '80s when the wife started to grow orchids.  Used as a plaque to mount various epiphytic species, I saw immediately how much it resembled rock outcroppings.  It is a lightweight material and sustainable, so I just waited for the right diorama to come along, but wasn't expecting it to be a fourty year wait!  So here is the area to be turned into a rockery.

That suspended track will eventually be a trestle for wagons, but that's for later.  First was a few nights of cutting and shaping the wood, gluing it with liquid nails, and finally using wood filler for the gaps.

That small crescent shaped area on the right will be a small pond, with a few surprises lurking in the reeds!  The abutment is in place and the other blank walls are going to be retaining walls.  Unfortunately, I neglected to take any progress photos after this point.  But a few weeks later, operations on the railway ceased and the layout was put into storage.  It came out of retirement two weeks ago...

As you can see, a lot has changed already.  (By the way, those rusty retaining walls are recycled SLA parts from a bridge deck).  The first thing I did was remove the trestle from the open space.  I had actually built a 12" bridge but it took up so much space.  I then set about revamping the track plan; most of it was reconfigured.  The switch for the trestle was removed and I expanded the sizes of the sidings.  Since I was working on the track, I decided this was a good time to wire it up.  Luckily I used Peco Insulfrog points, so I only needed two feeder wires.  To enhance switching, I created a small isolated area I could keep an engine on standby.  This I control with an external vintage Leviton knife switch, just visible there on the lower left of the layout.  At least now I can operate trains.  The terrain was also altered somewhat, and I cut 1" foam for the backdrop, 18" high, which will be used for low relief structure and scenery.  

But something kept nagging at me in the back of my mind.  As much as I wanted that sci fi junkyard, I realized it was too limiting in what types of cargo would be on the layout.  With limited space available, I scrapped the junkyard (no pun intended...) and decided to turn that area into a dock.  This way I can bring in almost any kind of cargo and/or wagons I see fit.  Only problem was it was land locked, so I had to create a logical port entrance.  Best solution, a draw bridge.

You can also see the nice rock outcrop I made to replace the tunnel.  I 3D printed a curved bridge I found on Thingiverse, and carved away the foam underneath.  Some retaining walls, machinery and greeblies later:

Of course it is non functioning; I don't need that kind of realism!  I'll add some gates and other details later.  Now I can add boats in the dock area, one of which has already been started...

Currently in a raw state, this barge was of course 3D printed from bashing some more Thingiverse files.  I'll add details and greeblies later in the traditional method.  The barge will carry a variety of cargo, to be loaded/off loaded from the yet-to-be-built dock crane on the first siding.  The other sidings will be for more wagons, cranes, and structures.  Incidentally, the barge is 12" long.  It will get it's own post at a later date.  

So this is the state of the layout at present.  There is still so much to do, even for a project this small in only a 15" x 62" area.  But that is the beauty of model railroading; you just do what you want when you want.  

We'll see how long the train inspiration lasts this time!  Thanks for the visit and have a better one!

Space: 2022 - Episode Four

 

This post is first in a new feature whereas a specific episode will be showcased for a distinct reason, either for a guest miniature, story arc turning point, or in this case, the addition of a new cast member (and new miniature!), which will change the dynamic of the stories from this point on.  So stand by for a plethora of plot contrivances, Deus Ex Machina, and merciless rewrites of Year Two episodes!

As you may remember, we left the PHOENIX and battered crew in deep space after the unfortunate encounter with a proton storm (it's not safe out here...).  Badly damaged and limping through space, VICTOR detects an alien planet nearby.  The ship heads for the new planet with hopes of finding materials and minerals (especially titanium) to make repairs to the ship.

Bill Fraser and Co-pilot Ray Torens head down in Dove 01 and encounter an inhospitable planet with volcanoes and quakes, but no life.  As luck would have it, large quantities of titanium are detected, and Dove 01 heads back to the ship for more equipment and some navvies to do the heavy lifting.  Suddenly, a large ball of green light appears and engulfs the ship, reverses and returns to the planet.  Guess it wasn't uninhabited after all!

Alan initiates Red Alert and all weapons are charged.  How can anything live down there?  Suddenly, a loud booming voice breaks the silence.  "Commander Carter!".  The volume is lowered on the speakers and a large bearded man appears on the main screen.  It is Mentor Blessed, the sole inhabitant of the planet "Psychon".  After some discussion,  an exchange will take place in orbit.  First returning the first two pilots,  and then negotiating for the minerals required.  Alan commands Dove 02, with Koenig along for support, Helena for any medical needs, and Science Officer Picard (no relation..) for mineral advice.  But no one has seen the lioness behind him.  The big cat transforms into a young woman; she is a shape shifter and Mentor's daughter!  Back on the PHOENIX, the five board the Dove and set off for the planet.  In near orbit, a ship appears...

VICTOR scans the ship, but there are no life signs aboard.  It's a trap!  Mentor's ship, using magnetic energy, begins to drag the Dove down to the surface.  Alan hits the boosters but no effect.  As G forces increase, Alan tries a short burst of the Queller drive and they escape.  Safety is short lived as Mentor's ship has turned into a glowing green energy ball and engulfs the Dove as before.  The green ball descends and lands amongst some volcanoes.  But as the light dissipates, the captives realise they are in a kind of spaceship graveyard, made up of assorted Year One ships turned upside down.  They also see Dove 01 on the other side of the crater.  

Mentor tries his word tricks again, and they cannot contact the ship.  A cave is nearby so they disembark and head for entrance.  Meanwhile, Toren's is having his psychic energy extracted into Mentor's computer "Psyche".  He hopes to exploit this energy to rejuvenate the planet.  Meanwhile, Alan and the gang are exploring the caves.  They hear tools and find an area full of various humanoid aliens doing unpaid mining.  Torens appears and starts digging as well.  "Some sort of brain damage", says Helena.  Mentor appears as a hologram, and Picard shoots him, but the energy is reflected back and he is vapourized.  Helena screams.  The green ball of light appears again and the remaining four in the landing party are transported to a cell.

Maya, Mentor's daughter, has a chat with Alan; she is naive as to what her Father is up to, using beings as fodder for his evil machine and exploiting the left overs as labour.  Maya takes Alan to Mentor; he has John, Helena, and Fraser hooked up for psychic energy extraction.  Mentor will spare them all if he agrees to bring down the rest of the crew.  He complies, contacts the ship, and orders the crew to leave the ship;  "Directive 4".  No one on the ship knows what that means.  VICTOR does.  It means destroy the origin of the transmission.  With some protests, Tony agrees and Petrov dispatches a Planetomic bomb (they are not supposed to be carrying these...).

Mentor sees the deception, and destroys the missile.  And in kind, sends a few missiles back at them, but luckily Petrov's marksmanship prevails.  Meanwhile, Maya has been talking with the hostages.  They convince her to go to the mines and see what her Father is really up to.  She reluctantly agrees and sees for herself the results of Mentor's work.   Maya then takes Alan and John to Mentor for a final negotiation.  He will not listen so they begin smashing "Psyche".  Unfortunately, this machine is holding the planet together; Pychon starts breaking apart in spectacular miniature pyrotechnics.  Alan, John, Helena, and Bill make a run for the Doves, but Maya will not leave her Father.  Bill takes 01 and the others escape in 02.  The planet explodes and they return to the ship.  Just before they are about to leave, they hear a cry for help.

It is Maya in a strange alien spaceship, the "Psyche".  "Please, I have nowhere to go..."  Alan gives her permission to come aboard and the ship docks at the main airlock, the docking clamps giving her ship a warm, welcoming embrace.  (They never did get any titanium...).

Current Mission Report:

Ship's Complement (109)

Unwilling VIP Passengers (ep03)(added to roster)(+2)

Crew Deaths (ep04) (-2)

Alien Refugee (ep04)(+1)

Revised Complement (110)

"Space:1999" - Year Two, in this twisted 2022 timeline, is ship based rather than set on a rogue moon, so I had to devised an alternate way to get Maya on board that ship.  I borrowed (OK, stole...) the addition of Hawk (and his Hawk Fighter) to the cast/scenario of "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" - Season Two.  Now that Maya has joined the crew as Science Officer, she will also utilize her ship, the "Psyche" when convenient for the plot.  As to the back story of this ship/miniature, please continue.

Building "Psyche"

I wanted Maya's ship to be radically different from the other primary ships, nothing 1999ish or recognizable.  I rummaged through my kit warehouse and found a suitable model from a totally different source.  The 1/550 HG Bandai kit of the MA-06 Val-Walo, a mobile armour from "Gundam 0083". 

Perfect size and very organic!  Of course I could not build it stock out of the box; I had some modifications in mind already.  Since Maya is a metamorph, I thought it would be a good plot device to have her ship able to change appearance as well.  Not by changing mechanically or by molecular re-arrangement, but by using holographic emitters.  To make the emitters, I remembered a Peter Elson painting I had seen (Perry Rhodan - 30 to Arkon book cover) of a craft encrusted with small domes.  Perfect for those emitters...

Built the kit over a few evenings, re-arranging some of the bits, and adding others.  Not going to over the top, as afterall, it has to be filmed...  Final step was adding on various sizes of domes (those plastic pearl things from the good old dollar store craft section) to complete the job.

It would have been easy to overdo the domes.  Luckily restraint prevailed!  After prime time, a final colour had to be chosen.  It's an alien craft, so (by law, somewhere...), it was painted green.

A basic off-the-shelf olive drab really with some highlights and minimal weathering.  Some metallic accents and a few alien-looking decals (ripped from a Macross kit..) completed the job.

That gap is where the cowling can be removed for docking.  I put some magnets inside the ship as well as in that main docking tube with the claws.  So the ship can be held there when not in use; it is permanently berthed there now.  It can hold two people if need be, but somewhat cramped.  And only Maya can operate the ship as it is controlled by her Psychon mind.  Maya can board the "Psyche" in seconds from the Command Module; just a few quick zero-G yoga moves!

Welcome aboard the PHOENIX, Maya!  We'll see what this little ship can do in later episodes to help combat the scores of alien baddies which, as you all know, are omnipresent in deep space!  You never know, it may turn into a hawk!

Have a better one!

Anycubic X6Ks: Or How I Learned to Stop Whining and Love 3D printing! (Apologies to Stanley Kubrick!)

Part One: Obligatory Back Story

Two months ago, I retired.  Which is both exciting and terrifying at the same time.  Gone now is the steady pay cheque, employee benefits, job perks, and the social interaction with my former colleagues.  (At least the pension cheques are coming...).  But after fifty years in the work force, (26 years here; all other employers went out of business...), finally all the free time to do the myriad of things I have been trying to catch up on for many years!  Modelling of course, being the main one among others.  And by some strange coincidence, my coworkers must have known this.  So on my final day, unbeknownst to me, they had arranged a special surprise.  And all I asked for was a triple chocolate scone...

Escorted to the ceremony, with my sister MJ on my arm, I was serenated with XTC's "Making Plans for Nigel", and was surprised to find a large crowd had gathered around a central table bearing gifts.  And many had dressed specially for the occasion in custom purple T-shirts with a special crest, of which I will explain.

(The above doodle was done some twenty years previous, and for whatever bizarre reason was fished out of the bin and has haunted me ever since.  And it was only a preliminary sketch...) On the central table was a good luck card signed by many, a farewell poster (which unfortunately I can't show for confidentiality reasons), the afore mentioned scones, and a Tardis (?).  (The chaps in the back, my purple army, have had their identities preserved to protect them from things like creditors, ex-girlfriends, etc).  It is true about the Tardis, it is larger on the inside, as it was actually elaborate gift wrapping.  I didn't want to open the box without some surgical tools in order to preserve the work that had gone into it, but I was given a photo of the contents inside.  And as the title of the blog hints, it was an AnyCubic X6Ks!  I was gobsmacked!  I certainly was not expecting this; that's what I call a whip round!

It was then followed by a few hours of surreal good byes and hand shakes.  I would like to thank everyone involved for this special send off;  I hope I haven't forgotten anyone...  (If I do, please accept my apologies and/or email me and I'll edit this post and get your name up!)   Best wishes to a grand bunch of talented people doing a unique and stressful job! (we build engineering models by the way, but can't tell you where...). So big good byes to Chris (whom I'm sure it was his idea for the printer!), Jerry, Joe, Dean, Cory, MJ, Sean V, Sean M, Paul, Marina, Josh, Drake, Anthony, Isaac, Harrison, Bryden,  Jake, Erin H, Gary, Quinton, Charlene, another Erin, Ian, Mike, Bryce, Patrick, Curtis, Jordan,  Tom, and last but definitely not least, Ryan!  

Part Two: Unboxing, Lots of You Tube, & Amazon!

Now don't get me wrong.  I have dealt with 3D printed models for many years at work, first with resin SLA and in the last few years, filament printers.  But as a traditional modeler who originally worked from rolled up blueprints (Google it...), and built these models using raw materials by hand, it was akin to the individuals who made miniatures and practical effects for film, to be replaced by CGI.  I felt it was cheating and making soul less models, but at the end of the day, but it was business.  (So stop your whining; adapt or die).  I had also been using AutoCAD, Solidworks, SketchUp and Rhino to "construct" these models for close to twenty years; but it was business.  (So stop your whining...).  Besides, when I got home, my styrene kits were waiting for me.

Even though I had been drawing up and using these printed models at work, I had never actually set up a machine.  (That was for the elite to ensure consistent operations).  So for the next two weeks I researched on good ole You Tube among others,  and learned all the nuances of 3D resin printing.  I cleared a spot in my already crowded workshop, constructed a firm platform, and surgically removed the printer from that special gift wrapped Tardis box.

(Hey look, the walls are purple!).  Printer is all calibrated and ready to go, but there is something missing.  Can't print anything without the goo, so ordered some resin from Amazon.  Also had to consider washing and curing the parts, but as luck would have it, the Anycubic "Wash & Cure 3" was on deal that week.  Another box on the front porch and more shelf space needed on the bench.  

Cleaned out the local Walmart of 91% IPA, and resin was poured into the printer hopper.  But what to print for the first run?  If the previous posts of this Blog is any indication, it's a no brainer.  Off to Thingiverse for the Space: 1999 Eagle models! (Among many other files...)

Part Three: The First Born

I decided to stick with the same scale as the "Space: 2022" models I have been building, and proceeded to make a fully printed Eagle (using the files from the Zarkus_Model_Kits Eagle) at 1/96.  What follows is the succession of parts and procedures, from slicing to final cured parts.

Am really impressed by the detail this printer is capable of; we never needed that for work.  But after the print and "shopping" around Thingiverse, I of course, began to have other ideas.  So it won't be a "vanilla" print of an Eagle after all.  I am going bodge and kit bash an Eagle variant, but unfortunately with no access to the 3D programs I was using before.

Part Four: Down the Rabbit Hole

I began to explore the supplied Photon Workshop and found I was able to do quite a bit with the limited tools.  I could not create any solids from scratch, but utilizing the other features in the program: (move/scale/cut/mirror/rotate/exporting/etc.) I was able to bodge unrelated models together without all that pesky sanding, puttying and gluing.  So a few more weeks later, of trial & error and a few failed prints, we have come to this:

Even more has changed since this photo as it's a WIP and R&D at the same time.  But I had the "Cheap as Chips" spray booth running today, so now we are down to the "messy" tasks of the model.  It's too late to turn back; I have fully embraced 3D printing!  (My wife is now an AnyCubic Widow!)

I am now working on another side series to "Space: 2022".  A show about space lorries/truckers called "Cargo: 2022", but as a story arc rather than episodic.  The space truck is an Eagle variant called a Swallow.  It's a heavy lifter with (so far) five different cargo pods.  More will be explained in later posts.  Have a better one and we'll see you in the bank on pension day!

Space: 2022 - Building the PHOENIX - Part Seven

 At last, the final part of the ship!  But without it, we won't be going anywhere...  Module G is the Mark VII Queller Drive, used for the intermittent light speed/warps, (42 minute duration) and the standard four fusion drives for cruising.  Another piece with very few standard model parts, the main drive "tank" is made up from the Airfix Saturn V "interstage" piece.  You know the one; that flaming cylinder we have seen to death for 50 plus years, even on "Star Trek"...

I capped the ends with two heat shield pieces and the rest is made up of assorted recycled parts; repurposed Gardenia hose attachments, lids from various sources and dollar store bits.

The classic Kinder Eggs finally make an appearance; I think it is my last four before that redesign, which I do not like.  The main booster is from a large detergent bottle (it also has a smaller one inside), and the four little boosters are from the Airfix kit.  The three fuel tanks are just wooden craft balls.

Acrylic pearls for the smaller tanks near the big booster, somewhat duplicating the Voyager One model from "Voyager's Return".  

Very light with the greeblies on this one.  Just added some left over laser cutting and some of those baby bottle bits.  Included some plant bands by the four tanks as well, used for tomatoes mostly.

It was now prime time, and then the same routine as all the previous other parts.  White base coat, grey accents, IPA weathering, some pigments, and finally graphics.  

Those other little grey tanks were made from tubular styrene and capped with those acrylic pearls (half sphere domes).  And that's the end of the ship!  As I post more episodes, you'll see the amount of abuse this engine is going to take.  Hope the warranty holds out...

And finally, a self promoting narcissistic image of myself holding the completed PHOENIX model, Sir Martin Bower style!  Next time, I'll take a break from the series and tell you of my recent foray into the dark side of modelling, probably never to return...  

Have a better one!