Using Templates in Scratchbuilding and Kit Bashing

Inspiration

I have been using templates for years for scratchbuilding and kit bashing.  Sometimes, I don't think about what those who look at my posts understand what I mean by the term "templates".  I use a variety of templates, mostly thin plastic sheets of two dimensional shapes, like circles, of various sizes.  They come in quite handy to determine the diameter of a circular object and I also use them to cut discs with a scribe.  I also use hole cutters to cut circular discs and remove parts of objects that I want to use for a project.

Then Templates

These are some of the types of templates I am talking about. The larger two are just circles of various diameters.  I purchased these, as well as most of the ones I have, from Hobby Lobby. They can be found in the drafting section along with many other interesting products.

Here are some more templates. The smaller two at the left side of the picture are similar to the larger ones above.  The blue circular object has some circles on it and then has holes in it to make larger circles.  The inner part of this device rotates so that you can draw or cut a circle using a scribe.  The red and silver object is a scribe which I use for cutting plastic. The ruler on the right is thin and flexible and I use it to scribe straight lines on objects that are not flat.

Side Sponson for the Trench on Treads

The Side Sponsons

Inspiration

While making the side sponsons for the Trench on Treads, I realized that they would require a separate post from the vehicle itself because they require a little clarification.

Materials

To make the side sponsons, I used the skirts from a Tamiya 1/35th scale Bradley AFV, a hexagonal plastic piece that I acquired somewhere, and some plastic sheet.  I first had to cut the hexagonal plastic piece in half in order to give me the two sponsons.  I then had to shorten each half by about a quarter of an inch to give me the height I wanted.  I have drawn blue lines on the skirts where I made the cuts to glue to the hexagonal piece.  I then cut other rounded parts of the shorter piece to give me a rounded effect on the entire sponson.  I had to make the roof of the sponson thicker, so I glued additional plastic to the backside of the skirt.  In the end, the hexagonal piece ended up being the lower part of the sponson and the outer skirt ended up being the top of the sponson.

The Sponsons

This is the front view of the sponson.  You can see that I have taken the sections that I have outlined in blue from the photo above and glued them to the sides of the plastic hexagonal piece.  I decided to leave the two foot rails in place to give it a more interesting look.  I also cut slots for machine guns which I have not made yet, but I do have them designed already.

This is an upper right side view of the sponson.  You can see on of the hinges still on the roof, which I will have to remove later. The thick black area at the bottom of the roof is the sheet plastic I used to thicken it.








This is an upper left side view of the sponson.

A Purchase at Harbor Freight

Drafting Tools at Harbor Freight

I went to Harbor Freight, an inexpensive tool outlet in the US, and bought the drafting tools shown in the photo.  I use these tools a great deal in my conversion and kitbashing projects.

As you may or may not be able to see, there is a ruler on the right, a multi-tool next to it (one of the properties of this tool allows you to find the center point of an object), a simple protractor, a bow compass with another type on the right, calipers, and another tool I have not used.  The set cost me about $9, which I thought was quite reasonable.

Making a Tool Organizer

A Tool Organizer

Inspiration

I normally keep my tools in two small bamboo boxes - the ones I use every day.  I wanted to make something so that I didn't have to dig through the boxes every time I was looking for a tool.

Materials

For this project, I used a marker organizer I purchased from Hobby Lobby.

Tools

For this project, I used drill bits of various size.

The Organizer

This is how I normally keep the tools I use on a daily basis. You can see the two bamboo boxes, the tools in the middle, and the marker organizer at bottom left and on the right

Here is the marker organizer. You can't see the lines, but I have made marks on the top part and on the insert.  When finished, I will glue the insert to the bottom part so that I can find my tools quickly.  Anyway, I drilled holes in each piece to accommodate the tools.  It is much nicer now to use my tools.

Making a Tractor from Spare Parts

Making a Tractor 

Inspiration

I had taken a He Man and the Masters of the Universe Road Ripper and cut parts off to make a pirate skiff, so I had pieces left over more tape hubs, so I decided to make a futuristic farm-type tractor.

Materials

I used one of the pieces I removed to make the original skiff, a tape hub, a tread from a 1/35th scale Tamiya kit, some spare plastic sheet, and some spare plastic rod.

The Tractor

First off, I want to credit the photo, since I had only one of these and I had already chopped it up.  This picture is courtesy of bluesnagman on ebay.  I was checking on prices for these and I believe that if you buy more than one, he has the best price.

From the Road Ripper, I removed the wheels, the eagle looking head at the front, and the piece above the back wheels.  It is this last piece that I will use for the tractor.

 These are the cuts I made to the Road Ripper to get the skiff, which is the largest part with the white plastic attached.  It is not finished yet, but I will continue to work on it.

The part I will use for the tractor is the piece on the right.  It was just sitting around, so I decided to use it to make a tractor.





This is the piece after I have cut out the pieces on either side of it to make room for the tape spool.

Rough Rider Commander Modification.

Rough Rider Commander Modification

Inspiration

I have many of the original Citadel Imperial Guard Rough Riders which I bought in the 1980s.  I like them, but wanted to upgrade them with the newer arms that come with some of the command sets, so for this one, I took a pristine Rough Rider Commander and gave it an arm with a baton and an arm that is pointing.

Materials

I used a command Rough Rider and two arms from the IG command sprue.

The Miniature

This is a photo of the pieces I will be using.

This is a photo of the torso with the newer arms.  I had to grind the arms out a little to get them to fit correctly.










Here is the Commander completely assembled.

A Scifi Drilling Vehicle

Making a Toy a Better Scifi Vehicle

Inspiration

I have collected toys for years in order to turn them into things I can use.  I have taken a drilling vehicle from the movie Atlantis, and turned it into something I can use for one of my games.

Materials

For the conversion, I used the vehicle itself, some plastic sheeting, and some plastic rod.

The Vehicle

I really didn't have to do very much to the original vehicle to get it to the point where I felt that I could use it.  First, I took the vehicle apart, which is tricky because the two halves were connected with those triangular screws so many toys are made with today. If you take a torque bit that is the right size and grind down every other point, you will have a bit that will turn those screws.  I removed the insides and cut out parts at the bottom.

You can see one of the parts I cut out between the track and the wheel.  I also had to remove the part at the bottom rear of the wheel.  Remember to remove the same parts on each side.

Again, in this view you can see the part I removed between the track and the wheel, and get a better idea of what I removed from the rear.  Once I reassembled the vehicle, I used the plastic rod to fill in the screw holes.  I also added a cab for the vehicle.

The last thing I, before painting, was to use my rotary tool to make some damage on the front of the vehicle.  Afterward, I painted it.  I still have a few things to finish, but I will post more pictures when I am finished.  I will also try to get a better picture of the damage to the drill piece.

An Interesting Use of a Plastic Easter Egg

An Egg Flyer

Inspiration

I have a lot of bits, and I was looking through them and came across a GI Joe Cobra flight pod...or at least parts of it as I do not have a complete one.  I had realized some time ago that if I found the right piece that I could make an interesting flyer.  I was thinking of something like a Huey used in the US military in the 70s with an open door for the gunner. Anyway, this is the beginning of what I came up with.

Materials

I am only using the back, or main part of the flight pod, and the jet piece, a plastic Easter egg, and the motor housing from a Zoids Gustav.  I was

The Flyer

This is the front view of the flyer. As you can see, the white/gray parts are from the flight pod and the yellow part is an Easter egg. I did not have to do any cutting on the flight pod parts, only on the egg to get the parts to vit together.  The eggs come in various sizes, so you will have to try to find the right size. I buy Easter eggs every couple of years or so because they are a great source of plastic shapes for various projects.

This is the side view of the flyer so far.  The brownish areas of the flight pod seem to be glue. I had to remove some stickers from the flight pod that had been on it for a very long time. The best way to remove such stickers is by using WD-40. The blue you can see are the markings I had to make to cut the egg.

The top view of the flyer.

In this picture, I have the egg with the Flight Pod as above, a complete motor unit from a Zoids Gustav, the parts I removed from the motor unit housing, and the part of the housing I will be using is in the lower right.  The very small piece I removed at the bottom center will be the shield for the gun.

In this picture, the only differences from the one above is the addition of the jet pack piece on top of the egg and I have flipped the piece I will use over at bottom right.  The white parts on the piece I will use are some sheet plastic I have cut to close off one end and seperate where the gunner will sit from the rest of the vehicle.  I made the cuts in the motor housing using a hole cutter.

In this picture, I have moved the piece from the bottom right of the pictures above and placed it where it will be when I am finished.

This is the right side view of the vehicle.  You can see where I have closed off this end of the motor housing piece.

This is the left side view of the vehicle.  It is not as easy to see the piece of plastic I have inserted to close off the gunners area.  At this point, I need to close up some holes, add a hatch or door on the other side, and create the gunner and the gun.








The Primed Vehicle

This is the front view of the vehicle.  The gunner is still not finished yet, but I didn't want to wait for the gunner to be finished before I painted it.

This is the left side view of the vehicle.  You can still see the yellow of the egg inside of the opening.  The white area is an opening I left and the white is because it is the color of the flight pod.

This is the right side view of the vehicle.  I dropped it and so there is a little chip on the lower right area of the cabin.

The Finished Vehicle

Here are various pictures of the finished egg vehicle.  I have not added the gunner yet, but that is another subject.  I am very pleased with this conversion as it mainly consists of four pieces: the egg, the motor housing unit from a Zoids Gustav, the main part of a GI Joe Flight Pod, and the jet piece, also from the GI Joe Flight Pod.  I added a door from an old GW Rhino, some sheet plastic, the plastic rod that holds it up, and two other bits from my bits box.  The last two are on top of the cabin.  The Easter egg should not be too difficult to get your hands on and the flight pod is available on Ebay.  The only piece which may be difficult to acquire is the motor unit housing from the Zoids Gustav.

A Trench on Treads

The Rolling Trench

Inspiration

I wanted to make a vehicle to go with some of my miniatures that would be like a mobile trench system, with machine gun nests, troop carrier capacity, and an observation post. This is what my warped mind came up with.

Materials

Again, I am using my widest plastic tape spool (2" wide), some plastic sheet (from which I have already cut the discs for either side of the spool, an interesting plastic hexagonal piece (which I have cut in half), some parts from a Tamiya 2/35th Bradly AFV, some treads from a Tamiya 1/35th scale SGT York, parts of the wings from an Osprey model kit (for the blade, and not the same pieces), and some bits from my bits box.  The white thing inn the back will probably not be used in the project, but I am not sure yet.  Anyway, it is a part of some toy and says US Mail on it.

This is the layout from above front.  As you can see, I have made the blade.  It may not be obvious from the photo, but the parts I used for this blade are from different parts than the one I made for the tank. You can see the holes that my hole cutter makes when I cut a disc. Since they will be covered, the holes are not going to be a problem.






This is the overhead view of the vehicle thus far.  As noted above, the white piece will not be in the final product.

I got really lucky and found this piece to use as the body of the rolling trench.  This is the front view.

This is the side view of the same piece.  It cam out of an old printer, and the tape spool fits really well inside of the piece.

Here is the same piece, from the side, with the tape spool inserted.

Here is the same piece, from the front, with the tape spool inserted.

 Here is a view of the same piece, with the spool inserted, and the sides laid out to illustrate what I will be doing. This view is above and to the front of the vehicle.

This is the same layout taken from the top.

This is a front view of the Trench on Treads.  It will still take a lot of work before it is finished, but I got really lucky with the printer piece as I won't have to do much work on the front - just primarily fill it in.

This is the side view of the vehicle.  I will have to remove parts of these sides so that I can glue my discs on either side.

28mm Walker Size Comparison

A Size Comparison of Some 28 mm Walkers

Inspiration

I am again blaming this size comparison on Dentatus...he started it all.  I have limited this to walkers with two or more legs, but not like a Mech with two arms.  I have stretched the scale a bit, but these are walkers I have in my collection.  I have only shown one example of any particular line of miniatures, for instance, the Kryomek line from Scotia Grendel has 5 walkers that are similar, but I have shown only one.

The Walkers

The Walkers in this photo are, from upper right, one of the US walkers from Dust Tactics, to the right of it is one of the German walkers from Dust Tactics, to the  right of that is the Talosian Tank Droid from the Star Wars line, and at upper right is a Sierp from AT-43  A note about the Talosian Tank Droid:  it is very large and can be purchased for a very reasonable amount.
In the middle at left is a toy, the make of which I do not know, but it was bought at a dollar store.  I have reworked the toy.  In about the middle of the photo is a Behemoth from the Void line by Scotia Grendel with its howdah at center right.  Between the two is a smaller dinosaur from the same line with its head being the black thing just in front of it.
At bottom left is an Uga Uga from the Star Wars line, my three miniatures I usually use for these comparisons, and at bottom left is a powered armor from the AT-43 line.

In this photo at left is the Korvus Walker, in the middle is the Tiger APC, both from the Void line from Scotia Grendel, and at right is the Orca Walker from Warzone, which I believe can still be purchased online.  Sorry about the shape of the Tiger, I dropped it on the way to take these pics.





















The walker at the right is the Fenris Storn Strider from the Kryomek line by Scotia Grendel.  All five of the walkers from this line have the same legs, and "hip" piece, the only difference being the cab and the weapons.  The walker in the middle of the photo is the TACO-34 and the walker on the left is by the same store on ebay, caomao1122.  The one on the left is not currently available, but I have asked them if they plan to recast these, as well as others that are not currently available, but have not yet received a reply.  Also, both of these pieces are listed as 1/35th scale.

The two legs to to both the metallic body to the right and the red body at top center.  I do not recall the name of the metallic one, but the red one is the Grizzly Bear.  Both are made by Armorcast, but neither is currently available.  The monstrosity at the right of the photo is the Raven Scavenger walker from the Kryomek line by Scotia Grendel.  Of all of the pieces I have in my collection, purchasing this is the one regret I have.

On the left side of the photo is the Mammoth Strider by Dreampod 9.  I have taken liberties because this is a smaller scale miniature, but it is very large, so I still use it as a 28 mm walker.  On the left is the AT-ST model kit that you can buy at some stores.

A note about the AT-ST:  it does have limited parts, but there were some pieces that I have not shown because I didn't want to risk losing them.

At upper left is a Therian Walker from AT-43, in the middle is a Vulkan Battlesuit from the Warzone line from Prince August, and on the right is a Grenadier Walker - I am not sure of what its original name was and I am unsure what line it actually came from.

The miniatures in the front are a Tracked Warbot from Alpha Forge Games, but I am unsure of who has the rights to the molds now, Decker, Steampunk Hero from the Chronoscope line of Reaper, and a Robot from Reviresco.