This site offering details on how the author scratch-built a 32 inch wide Millennium Falcon primarily out of styrene. There are instructions that detail the steps that the author took to create his Millennium Falcon. The model includes a detailed cockpit, lighting, and 500 amour plates that were painstakingly installed on the model. There are also images depicting the different stages of the Falcon’s development.
This article provides instructions and some images depicting the process of creating a scratch built Battletech Mech model. The instructions are not very detailed, but provide a basic overview of the process. The main material used for the model is styrene; however some metal tubing was also used to add structural strength to the model. The models design was used by FASA in the first addition of the tabletop combat game. Although not a true Star Wars Walker I labeled this post with this attribute anyway to help indentify this post.
The Albatross is said to be able to run at speeds up to 120 MPH; this not to say how fast the craft could travel with a good wind at her back. Other specifications of the Albatross are directly from Verne’s Rubur the Conqueror.
“Platform—This was a framework a hundred feet long and twelve wide, a ship's deck in fact, with a projecting prow. Beneath was a hull solidly built, enclosing the engines, stores, and provisions of all sorts, including the water tanks. Round the deck a few light uprights supported a wire trellis that did duty for bulwarks. On the deck were three houses, whose compartments were used as cabins for the crew, or as machine rooms. In the center house was the machine which drove the suspensory helices, in that forward was the machine that drove the bow screw, in that aft was the machine that drove the stern screw. In the bow were the cook's galley and the crew's quarters; in the stern were several cabins, including that of the engineer, the saloon, and above them all a glass house in which stood the helmsman, who steered the vessel by means of a powerful rudder. All these cabins were lighted by port-holes filled with toughened glass, which has ten times the resistance of ordinary glass. Beneath the hull was a system of flexible springs to ease off the concussion when it became advisable to land.
Engines of Suspension and Propulsion—Above the deck rose thirty-seven vertical axes, fifteen along each side, and seven, more elevated, in the center. The "Albatross" might be called a clipper with thirty-seven masts. But these masts instead of sails bore each two horizontal screws, not very large in spread or diameter, but driven at prodigious speed. Each of these axes had its own movement independent of the rest, and each alternate one spun round in a different direction from the others, so as to avoid any tendency to gyration. Hence the screws as they rose on the vertical column of air retained their equilibrium by their horizontal resistance. Consequently the apparatus was furnished with seventy-four suspensory screws, whose three branches were connected by a metallic circle which economized their motive force. In front and behind, mounted on horizontal axes, were two propelling screws, each with four arms. These screws were of much larger diameter than the suspensory ones, but could be worked at quite their speed. In fact, the vessel combined the systems of Cossus, La Landelle, and Ponton d'Amécourt, as perfected by Robur. But it was in the choice and application of his motive force that he could claim to be an inventor.
Machinery—Robur had not availed himself of the vapor of water or other liquids, nor compressed air and other mechanical motion. He employed electricity, that agent which one day will be the soul of the industrial world. But he required no electro-motor to produce it. All he trusted to was piles and accumulators. What were the elements of these piles, and what were the acids he used, Robur only knew. And the construction of the accumulators was kept equally secret. Of what were their positive and negative plates? None can say. The engineer took good care—and not unreasonably—to keep his secret unpatented. One thing was unmistakable, and that was that the piles were of extraordinary strength; and the accumulators left those of Faure-Sellon-Volckmar very far behind in yielding currents whose ampères ran into figures up to then unknown. Thus there was obtained a power to drive the screws and communicate a suspending and propelling force in excess of all his requirements under any circumstances.”
Rubur the Conquerer, Chapter 7 On Board The Albatross, Jules Verne
Image was found here and is in the public domain.
“Honorable balloonists”, Rubur said in a serious tone. “You are free to come and go as you like.”
“Free!” exclaimed Uncle Prudent.
“Yes-within the limits of the Albotross!” By this time they were about four-thousand feet above the earth.
Quote from Rubur the Conquerer
In a previous post I mentioned the existence of other sources of plastic spruce. These single plastic spruce usually contain only a few torsos, but also contain multiple alternative parts like heads, arms, legs, guns, and other equipment. These spruces allow you enough parts to assemble the figures in a couple different configurations. Often these spruce come from the supplier’s regular miniatures boxed kits or sets. Here is a short list of suppliers of plastic spruces:
Perry Miniatures supply 28mm plastic miniatures and offer the largest selection of miniature sprue. Perry offers a Desert Rat command, Afrikakorps command, Continental command,15th century European Mercenary command, Russian Napoleonic Infantry command, Austrian Napoleonic Infantry Command, Confederate Command, and British AWI command miniatures to name just a few of Perry’s offerings
Warlord Games offers 28mm plastic miniature spruce from many of their line of products: Hail Caesar, Pike and Shott, and Bolt Action lines. Warlord offers plastic spruce from the following eras: WWII, Anglo-Zulu, Napoleonic, and ancients from Celtic warriors, Casers Legions, and Greek Spartans. By the way, Warlord is currently offering 50% off their stock of plastic spruce.
Valiant Miniatures offers a few plastic spruce in 1/72 scale depicting WWII themes. Two of their spruce includes wheeled equipment like a British 6 pounder and a German horse drawn cart.
I was preforming one of my reverse web searches the other day. This is where I search through the images on a particular topic and visit the associated website for those I have an interest. I was searching for plastic spruces and came upon a plastic wolf and High Elf horse, but for some reason I did not initially save the link to my Bookmarks. I have been searching for those spruce ever since. Well today, by chance, I finely relocated those plastic spruces. They were found at Great Escape Games. Here is what I have settled on:
According to online literature these miniatures are either 25 or 28mm. Although the Bretonnian Horse seems like a generic looking horse, the other two horses look like they will fit well into a fantasy theme game, as well as the wolf, which looks very aggressive and menacing.
When asked whether sailing to Aslan’s country was even possible, Reepicheep answered “I don’t know Madam, but there is this. When I was still in my cradle a wood woman, a Dryad spoke this verse over me:
‘Where sky and water meet,The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Chronicles of Narnia
Reepicheep had won recognition and “undying glory” in the Battle of Beruna. Reepicheep was the chief mouse and the most valiant of all the talking creatures of Narnia. The mice of Narnia hadn’t always talked. The mice had been given speech by Alsen when they help him break his bounds that had been imposed on him by the white witch Jadis. Mice also, before receiving speech, did not they have the same stature as Reepicheep. Reepicheep stood on his hind legs and was about two feet tall. His fur was very dark and almost black. Around his waist, he wore a sword that just about touched the ground.
A few weeks ago I relabeled a post I had made about a couple of horse drawn wagons I wanted to build in 2104. At that time I had used one label called ancient Rome. Since then I have decided to use a label Ancients as it will better suit my needs.
I had no intention, at first, to model ancients, but with the Roman Nobelman's Chariot and am planning on purchasing a Macedonian War Elephant. I felt these models would be fun to build. Why else would purchase a particular model?
In addition, I just received a set of Persians from the Wargame Factory. Wargame Factory is offering a set of six sprue with a total of twelve 28mm Persians with assorted equipment, ETC; more about these plastic figures in an upcoming post. Who knows what other interests might perk my curiosity and add to my miniature collection?
Although this Horizontal Engine model, manufactured by Keystone Locomotive Works, is in ¼ scale it can and will be used on my HO gauge model train layout. Steam engines like this may have been found in the in the deep woods supplying power for a sawmill, or in industrial areas powering machinery in a knitting mill or supplying power for a pump at pumping station.
As you can see in the directions the kit is not too complex; two hours to construct and a perhaps a half hour to paint and detail. Not too sure where this detail piece will end-up on my layout yet, but I am sure an opportunity will present itself eventually.
As the title implies this is a very interesting article on how the author created a wooden hut primarily out of plastic sprue. There are plenty of images and detailed instructions on the huts construction. Although plastic spruces were used in this structure, the techniques described here can be used with plastic sheet and strips. Reading on a project like this gives impulse to create one for myself.
As far as my readings of Jules Verne have taken me these are the only sets of sequels that I know of. I would be happy to find out otherwise…
Twenty Thousand Leagues under the SeaThese tales include the mention of Captain Nemo and his Nautilus submarine.
Robur the ConquerorThese tales are about embittered engineers and their airships. I found The Master of the World better reading than Robur the Conqueror. Robur the Conqueror really didn’t have too much of a plot.
