1/87 (tiny!!) Bucyus-Erie dragline crane.
Hi guys--hello again to all my old buddies here who I miss interacting with. Life has been busy lately, and I've had little time for sitting down to a full project, but I managed to get this little project done. It's an old Bucyrus-Erie dragline, in a setting that is reminiscent of the Coal Region of Eastern Pennsylvania where I grew up and where I used to play in and around old coal mines. We used to run across these abandoned old hulks all the time--and now, I've been recently exploring the coal lands again, and photographing some of these ancient hulks.
I made this as a gift for a friend and fellow explorer who used to operate one. It's tiny, but was a fun project. I think I"m going to make another, for myself!
I added some scratchbuilt parts where they were too bulky. I also added a smokestack.I soldered the crane together, and to the body. The metal body took a lot of cleaning up with a file.
I "primed" it with rust color. I scratchbuilt a bucket--this kit originally comes with a wrecking ball.
I gave the body the "hair spray" treatment...Tamiya Yellow + a dab of Orange for the color..
The base is a baseball display case. I made the birch trees--which grow well in old culm banks--by painting some sticks. The base is celluclay, and the coal you see there by the bucket is actual ground coal, brought up from hundreds of feet underground from an actual abandoned coal mine which I explored with my friend. The rigging of the crane was acomplished with thread, and the thread stiffened with CA glue after in place. The bucket was attached with small "chain" simulated from wound and flattened fine wire.
As I said; she's a tiny one!
Thanks for looking in, guys! All comments or questions always welcomed!
doog.