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.