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MORE PICS 1/35 Dora project.

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  • Member since
    December 2010
Posted by p47faninchicago on Monday, January 10, 2011 9:23 PM

more pics soon

  • Member since
    October 2010
  • From: Arlington, VT
Posted by WallyM3 on Monday, January 10, 2011 9:39 PM

I don't think I could bring myself to do it either (LOL). They're neat engines (7 built, 5 put in service? from memory). Why make them look like a "pimpmobile"?

I understand the tactical imperative (I think), but I just wonder what it might have looked like from 1,000 feet up.

  • Member since
    January 2011
  • From: Springfield, MA
Posted by TigerEP1 on Monday, January 10, 2011 9:41 PM

Wow...simply wow. That is one impressive undertaking, that first shot of the blasting cap gives a sense of scale to not only the truck but to the Dora in the background. Always loved the Dora and you have definitely done her justice. I'm watching this with anticipation of more pics =D

I know Tom Moon did a great job on his Dora back in 07, perhaps he would have the dimensions you seek.

http://www.armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=102439&ord=&page=1

 

On the bench:

1/35th Tamiya Willi's MB

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
Posted by p47faninchicago on Tuesday, January 11, 2011 9:34 PM

pics soon

  • Member since
    December 2010
Posted by p47faninchicago on Tuesday, January 11, 2011 9:36 PM

more soon

  • Member since
    October 2010
  • From: Arlington, VT
Posted by WallyM3 on Tuesday, January 11, 2011 9:43 PM

Got it, p47. Understood.

That's terrific! Many thanks.

Wally.

 

(Well, the addy didn't get me there, but got a great printout of what you provided.)

  • Member since
    September 2007
  • From: Truro Nova Scotia, Canada
Posted by SuppressionFire on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 4:53 PM

Nice addition!

The crew looks perfect shoveling the ballast out of the back, must not be a 'county crew' as there is only one worker leaning on his shovel.

At what point will you consider the project finished? It seems there can be several mini dioramas in a scene of this scale, scope & size.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y211/razordws/GB%20Badges/WMIIIGBsmall.jpg

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
Posted by p47faninchicago on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 7:31 PM

I know it looks like a lot but I consider it about half way done. The little vignettes will be tied in together and there are a few very major additions still to be done and of course the never ending changes and repaintings. I don't like to think about how much more there is to do. I like to just break it into little projects otherwise it just seems hopeless. By the way, from my research the breaking of railroad ties was a big headache for Dora. The double track was sufficient to hold the weight of the gun but when the gun was fired the recoil would shove the train downward onto the track. With high trajectory shots almost all of the force of the recoil would be directed directly downward multiplying the weight of the Dora several times for a few seconds. You can see the extra supports for the the rail ties in photographs of the Dora (which I am working on and hopefully will be added in a month or so).  Still, it was a neverending process of replacing railroad ties whenever the Dora was in action and hundreds of damaged, discarded railroad ties followed her wherever she went.. From the beginning, I knew depicting this constant repair process and how I suspect the repairs would be performed would have to be part of the diorama.

  • Member since
    September 2007
  • From: Truro Nova Scotia, Canada
Posted by SuppressionFire on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 7:44 PM

Yes I recall the force of firing one shell would compress the ballast under the 80 rail axles 3-4" or 75-100mm. That is a lot shock loaded stress on the rail beds and areas of soft ground could only take one shot before the assembly had to be moved to a fresh length of track for extensive repairs where the gun previously sat. .

Regardless if you finish up this year or the next decade do continue to take the time to maintain the excellent work put in so far. I do hop the scene can be move to a contest or museum some time so the public can enjoy your diorama!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y211/razordws/GB%20Badges/WMIIIGBsmall.jpg

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
Posted by p47faninchicago on Thursday, January 20, 2011 5:05 PM

 

 

 

 

more soon

  • Member since
    October 2010
  • From: Arlington, VT
Posted by WallyM3 on Thursday, January 20, 2011 5:20 PM

I'm not usually at a loss for words....

What I can say is that (even setting aside the fabulous scratched engines which are a wonder unto them selves) is the best conceived and executed arty interpretation I've ever seen.

 

I've got one coming up sometime this decade. Maybe when the dust settles we could talk about the rail/recoil issues.

I'm so glad that you went to the trouble of posting this project. It's a show stopper.

  • Member since
    December 2010
Posted by p47faninchicago on Thursday, January 20, 2011 5:38 PM

Wow, thanks a lot! When you stare at something long enough you just start to see the defects. Nice to know it may not be as far off as I feared. Working on the Wespe Stalinets tractor currently. MUCH bigger than I imagined! It is the size of a tank. After that is the gantry crane if the 2 other kits I ordered don't show up soon. The little tractor and truck posted are by Criel.     

  • Member since
    October 2010
  • From: Arlington, VT
Posted by WallyM3 on Thursday, January 20, 2011 6:06 PM

That's true with everything. You'll probably be fussing with this for years. (LOL)

There is evidently a book (in German only, and rare and made of unobtainium) which includes plans of one of the guns. There are also a couple of highly informative, if prematurely aborted, SBSs which provide some interesting insights into the kit. Otherwise, there's the internet (and its pitfalls) and a Squadron (I think) book on rail guns for material. There is a picture of Hitler viewing the gun, not likely at Stalingrad, if the photo is even real. To that end, I scooped a 1/35 Mercedes G4 (6-wheeled) limo (complete with figure) for a concept I'm mulling over.

I like an element of the unusual if I can work it in.

I understand that the kit's plastic doesn't lend itself to conventional styrene glue and cements. Was that your experience?

  • Member since
    December 2010
Posted by p47faninchicago on Thursday, January 20, 2011 6:30 PM

The Dora kit I thought was amazingly well executed. Soar Art did an incredible job. I had very few difficulties at all and the reported discrepencies in the instructions were very rare and obvious-they were not an issue at all. The only problem was the incredible monotony. I did not have any problems with the glue as others reported.

  • Member since
    October 2010
  • From: Arlington, VT
Posted by WallyM3 on Thursday, January 20, 2011 6:39 PM

Monotony? 80 wheel sets? Sounds like the very definition of.

And I don't recall many sets of instructions that didn't have the odd gaff or two. Some more than others, but with a mega-project like Dora, that's pretty good, I'd say.

I'm relieved to hear that about the glue. (I just bought a quart of methylene chloride.)

  • Member since
    January 2011
  • From: Anderson, IN
Posted by Wagoneer81 on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 7:07 PM

You never posted before because you didn't feel you were 'good enough'???  Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?!?!?  Let me let you down easy... You have nothing to worry about in that respect.  You, sir, are a master builder!!!Bow Down  There is so much talent on this forum and I am pleasantly stunned everytime I see something of this caliber   No pun intended but I am blown away by this scene and look forward to seeing more pictures of it.  BRAVO ZULU!!!

  • Member since
    October 2010
  • From: Arlington, VT
Posted by WallyM3 on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 7:10 PM

Wagoneer nailed it, IMO.

  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posted by zokissima on Saturday, January 29, 2011 9:29 PM

This is trully a wonderful project, and the scale leaves me in awe. I hope to complete something of this caliber one day myself. Just incredible to behold. More pics please, and keep them coming as you keep going with this project.

  • Member since
    December 2010
Posted by p47faninchicago on Sunday, January 30, 2011 10:55 AM

thanks alot! The second part of the replacement for where the flatbed crane use to be is painted and just has to be weathered and detailed (never liked that flatbed). The first part of the replacement is the Steyr railcar.  Not a lot of weathering to be done on these railcars as they are perched on tracks rathering than splashing through mud all the time. Should be good to go in a few days. Next is a replacement for the armored car under the cover in the shed which is already assembled and primed (never really liked that scene either).

  • Member since
    December 2010
Posted by p47faninchicago on Saturday, February 5, 2011 2:48 PM

mpore pics soon

  • Member since
    December 2010
Posted by p47faninchicago on Saturday, February 5, 2011 2:51 PM

more pics soon

  • Member since
    October 2010
  • From: Arlington, VT
Posted by WallyM3 on Saturday, February 5, 2011 2:57 PM

Just plain brilliant!   Toast

I don't know what else to say.

I think I'll take up stamp collecting.Crying

  • Member since
    December 2010
Posted by p47faninchicago on Sunday, February 6, 2011 8:41 AM

One thing I wasn't sure about is whether the L4500 railtruck with the crane should have leg supports. I got the idea for the crane from an original picture of a road L4500 which had this same crane and modelled it according to the picture. However, the the truck in the picture had leg supports to keep the truck from toppeling over.  I was thinking that the lower center of gravity of the railtruck version (it sits on railcar wheels rather than the much taller road wheels) and the lighter loads the crane would be lifting (railroad ties which are more unwieldy than terribly heavy) would make the leg supports unneccessary but if there are any engineers in the forum who can add any insight that would be great.

  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posted by zokissima on Sunday, February 20, 2011 1:56 AM

Spectacular, just incredible how much work is going into each little part of this enormous project.

If I may be so bold to ask, would you give some detail on your painting and finishing techniques, and hopefully a bit of detail on that work shed in the series of pics above, and the techniques you used to paint it. It would be greatly appreciated.

  • Member since
    September 2007
  • From: Truro Nova Scotia, Canada
Posted by SuppressionFire on Sunday, February 20, 2011 6:29 AM

I really like the small tracked tractor, which AM kit & manufacture can this lill' beast be found?

This 'work in progress' may keep you busy for years to come, at some point you should get a portfolio of photographs and write a article to submit to FSM for publication. Or attend a local contest where they submit to 'Great Scale Modeling' The effort, scope & quality of your work deserves a 'showcase' spot in the magazine.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y211/razordws/GB%20Badges/WMIIIGBsmall.jpg

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
Posted by p47faninchicago on Sunday, February 20, 2011 6:52 AM

Thanks a lot. Still a lot of work to do. Right now I am finishing the Accurate Armour Ruston-Bucyrus 17/19 excavator. What a beast! Very challenging but happy with how it's turning out. Of course I still have to do the cables which appears will be quite a complex undertaking. If anyone is interested in seeing any work in progress pics of the Ruston-Bucyrus I can post them. It was an excavator used for preparation of railbeds, etc. and was sold all over Europe in the 1930's and beyond. They were used a lot especially during the post WW1 reconstruction. The small grey tractor in the picture is made by Plusmodel. The small green tractor in the back of the truck is an Italian tractor made by Criel which I purchased from Rand J Enterprises.  

  • Member since
    December 2010
Posted by p47faninchicago on Sunday, February 20, 2011 10:07 AM

There was a question about the shed. It was scratch built from balsa wood. I used a figure as a scale reference and built the shed around the figure essentially. it was stained with silver stain, a model railroad product. The metal corrugated roof is real metal corrugated sheets, also from model railroad supplier.The rust on the metal sheets is real rust-not painted. The metal sheets were individually emersed in Ferric chloride acid which etches and burns the metal and prematurely rusts them. You need to be careful with it as it is pretty nasty stuff and will happily dissolve you as quickly as the metal. Also, if you leave the sheets in for too long the metal dissolves in a minute or 2. There is a corrugated metal sheet on the side of the building which was left in for a few seconds too long and was almost totally destroyed but I thought it looked kinda neat so I put it on covering a hole in the building. Ferric acid is getting more and more difficult to get as the post doesn't like to ship corrosive acids. The real rust it creates just can't be beat. I've tried lots of other painting techniques but nothing beats real rust. Hope that helps.

  • Member since
    December 2010
Posted by p47faninchicago on Monday, February 21, 2011 9:01 PM

A work in progress on the Accurate Armour Ruston Bucyrus 17/19 excavator soon to be added to the diorama. The Ruston Bucyrus was primarily used by the allies but also sold throughout Europe in the 1930's.  Quite challenging kit

 

 

 

 

 

 

more soon

  • Member since
    October 2010
  • From: Arlington, VT
Posted by WallyM3 on Monday, February 21, 2011 9:21 PM

Just magnificent!

 

Thank you.

  • Member since
    September 2007
  • From: Truro Nova Scotia, Canada
Posted by SuppressionFire on Tuesday, February 22, 2011 5:04 AM

That is one cool excavator!

'Back in '97 I visited the Yukon (Northern Canada adjoining Alaska) Part of the fun was driving up Burrwash creek to do some gold panning. Along the way were abandoned equipment used to gold mine at the turn of the century, some pieces were excavators like the one you are building! Too bad I never took more pictures of said machines, they would make excellent vignettes in their peaceful state.

 

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y211/razordws/GB%20Badges/WMIIIGBsmall.jpg

 

 

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