Well got a base coat of paint on the motorcycles last night now the fine paint brush detail work starts. Figured out how to get sidecars on two of them using styrene tube, contour putty and a lot of dremel work. And I am creating a three wheeler also using styrene again. 100_0799-2 by John Moore posted Nov 24, 2020 at 11:36 AM What made this happen was finding the right size small wheels in the parts box. Lot of detail painting left and shaping of styrene.
Slowly I am working it out and the 3 wheeler is done and one of the sidecar equipped ones is done so I can do some painting next. 100_0800-4 by John Moore posted Nov 24, 2020 at 3:58 PM Letting some ACC dry before tackling the final paint and have one more sidecar to do.
Well Thanksgiving eve and the motorcycles are done and on the layout. Photos are not that great as the black seats and tires are blending in with the black asphalt. In the shot a three wheeler and a sidecar cycle plus two regular cycles are are joining the holiday travelers at the village station parking lot. 100_0811-1 by John Moore posted Nov 26, 2020 at 7:10 AM While in this shot two cycles are at the diner for Thanksgiving dinner. 100_0812-2 by John Moore posted Nov 26, 2020 at 7:10 AM And across town two more cycles are parked by Wicked Wanda's and Waterfront Willy's at the port joining the bunch there for Thanksgiving dinner. 100_0813-3 by John Moore posted Nov 26, 2020 at 7:10 AM Was a real challenge to come up with the sidecars and the three wheeler and even more of a challenge to put fenders on the sidecars and the tree wheeler. My new hull kit for a newer version of the Oregon Special Ops spy ship has shipped and should be here with the next four days two to three day ahead of schedule. To the members and staff of TrainBoard I extend my wishes for a peaceful and safe Thanksgiving.
Well the humidity got low enough that I made the first water pour in the log pong, the flow over dam in the stream and the water flume supplying the sawmill. You can see the vegetation showing through about a half inch pour at its deepest point. You can see the limits of the first pour by the damp edges along the pond and unloading area. The material I used for the pour is Park's Super Glaze from Home Depot which I like because it is almost odorless and does tend to wick up like some substances do. Plus it is cheaper than some available products and you get twice as much in a package. 100_0828-1 by John Moore posted Dec 4, 2020 at 4:05 PM And the flow over dam and the flume intake. After about two days of drying I will do a 2nd light pour and use gloss mod podge to give some ripples and waves. 100_0829-2 by John Moore posted Dec 4, 2020 at 4:05 PM A second pour will be done in the log pond also. And some twigs from a Dogwood and a Pin Oak to be cut into 20-30 foot logs that will be placed after the 2nd pour and while still not set. 100_0830-3 by John Moore posted Dec 4, 2020 at 4:05 PM I prefer Azalea branches but there were no dead branches to harvest this time. My caternary wire was supposed to arrive today but alas not. I should have received my ship to use for the new Oregon but that is also lost in the post after almost 10 days. It only had to travel 587 miles by priority post. USPS is some sort of messed up.
Well this morning my water pours were set up solid so I dug out some matte Mod Podge and am now making some touches to the stream at the flow over dam the water wheel discharge into the pond, and the pond discharge back into the stream. Hopefully everything will be dry enough to make the final two water pours late this afternoon. I am going to try and slightly tint the pond final pour. 100_0831-1 by John Moore posted Dec 5, 2020 at 11:17 AM Just about finished with the M of W center on the West side of the village station. 100_0832-2 by John Moore posted Dec 5, 2020 at 11:12 AM And in this view the 3rd rail is visible along with the safety marking out lining the safe crossing at the 3rd rail gap. 100_0833-3 by John Moore posted Dec 5, 2020 at 11:12 AM And in this shot three of my hi rail vehicles. 100_0834-4 by John Moore posted Dec 5, 2020 at 11:15 AM Just behind the truck is a backhoe I built out of one of my little cast metal Fordson tractors. I still have to extend the speeder shed tracks to the rail lines on both sides with short pieces of rail and populate the scene with people.
Last night I did the final pour in the log pond and set the logs in including one on the log feed cradle to the saw. I do not like where I tried to simulate water flowing from the water wheel channel to the pond so I have since gone over it with some brown and green. But I got the look to the pond right with the weeds showing on the bottom and the light green tint added to the final pour. Covering the pond bottom with vegetation before the water pours plus painting has got the look I want. 100_0840-1 by John Moore posted Dec 6, 2020 at 4:00 PM 100_0841-2 by John Moore posted Dec 6, 2020 at 3:59 PM Also have been redoing the water falls and still working on the overflow dam discharge. Some lite acrylic white was brushed on the falls this morning and now it is covered with Gloss Mod Podge. 100_0842-3 by John Moore posted Dec 6, 2020 at 3:59 PM My ship model kit has finally arrived after 10 days and is in the local post office. Took it 10 days to travel 587 miles by priority mail. So maybe it will arrive tomorrow and I can busy myself with building a newer version of the Oregon. Don't. know when my catenary wire will get here from up in Canada on the West coast above Washington. It was supposed to have arrived last Friday, also priority mail. And a late close up of the log pond showing the weeds and mud through the water. And I have already touched up the water current out of the Mill channel discharge. In a few hours I will gloss it. 100_0843-4 by John Moore posted Dec 6, 2020 at 4:35 PM
Today I finally finished the log pond, waterfall and flow over dam. Managed to get just a hint of flowing water from the waterwheel channel into the pond with just a hint of stirred up water. Got my waterfall looking right and the flowing water over the dam. 100_0850-5 by John Moore posted Dec 7, 2020 at 5:24 PM And today after an 11 day wait with priority mail the ship kit arrived so this evening the work of creating a new Oregon begins. 100_0849-3 by John Moore posted Dec 7, 2020 at 4:38 PM
Got the roof installed over the port train station waiting area last night. The roof is part of a Kato passenger platform. Slung under the roof are spotlights and sign boards all part of the Kato platforms. A passenger hub with the ferries in the background along with a seaplane all connecting with the rail or bus service. 100_0852-2 by John Moore posted Dec 8, 2020 at 12:07 PM I still have some roof sections left that I may use for a roof over the ferry loading area. Day two of the Oregon build as a break bulk freighter rather than a lumber carrier. The four piece hull has been assembled as a waterline model. I may use the remaining bottom hull in another project. I have been all day in assembling the multi part deck winches of which there are 13 and mounting the deck vent funnels and now starting work on the hatches. The real fun will start with the deck superstructures that have to be increased in size along with the portholes. I have already cut some hatchways that are in the left over hull. This version of the Oregon will have some weapons showing. I am either going to build the helicopter or order it. I would like to find an N scale Osprey. Two etched metal assortments of parts are on order. 100_0853-4 by John Moore posted Dec 8, 2020 at 6:24 PM And I just got lucky and found an Osprey in N scale from GHQ. The 3rd version of the Oregon has an Osprey.
Well my catenary wire is on the East coast and may get delivered today or tomorrow. And the Oregon build prgresses with the creation of a rail gun that raises from below deck in the forward hatch and the creation of a landing pad on the top of the rear hatch. Now working on the missile tubes that go in the hold just ahead of the superstructure. 100_0854-1 by John Moore posted Dec 9, 2020 at 11:05 AM 100_0855-2 by John Moore posted Dec 9, 2020 at 11:05 AM Got a hatch cover that needs realignment.
Well the Oregon build continues with the most difficult part now increasing size of the superstructure and portholes and hatches. Meanwhile my order of catenary wire has arrived. 100_0860-2 by John Moore posted Dec 10, 2020 at 6:22 PM I have got lengths that range from 40 mm to 300 mm and the wire is much stronger than it looks. 100_0861-3 by John Moore posted Dec 10, 2020 at 6:22 PM
Well some progress on the Oregon build. Besides the rail gun and missile tubes there are now metal drums with 30 cal. machine guns with two of the guns shown in the raised position. The fore and aft masts now have hidden 20 mm Gatling guns at the tops and soon to be installed are four boxes containing 1000 round per minute metal storms. In the next day or so I will mounting the main superstructure. 100_0863-1 by John Moore posted Dec 13, 2020 at 7:15 PM 100_0865-2 by John Moore posted Dec 13, 2020 at 7:15 PM My V22 Osprey should be arriving tomorrow in the post and I am once again waiting for a super detailed metal etching of parts for this vessel to work it way here from Alabama with an extremely very slow USPS again. Hull decal markings are also coming.
More progress since the last post on the Oregon. Superstructure now installed along with all three masts and some more detail parts. This is a smaller size model that was chosen for the hull length and has been upgraded to 1/160. It is designed to fit in my harbor. Once again I will be waiting on parts due to the postal service inability to deliver by the due date according to their tracking. As of now completion date is about the 1st of February with the last item to be some decals with the draft marking. 100_0868-4 by John Moore posted Dec 14, 2020 at 6:36 PM
Thanks but far from being done yet. Certain components had .030 styrene ranging in different widths laminated on and new hatchway doors were made. And a shot of it with a 1/150 scale ocean going tug which is 60 feet so you can see how close I have brought this to 1/160 scale. Also all portholes were reamed out to enlarge them. 100_0869-5 by John Moore posted Dec 14, 2020 at 7:12 PM
Have installed some ladders and stairs and four life rafts, plus two metal storm mounts on either side of the fore mast and a 3rd one on the stern. And have started installing the booms for the cranes. 100_0870-1 by John Moore posted Dec 15, 2020 at 11:58 AM 100_0871-2 by John Moore posted Dec 15, 2020 at 11:58 AM This evening I hope to start rigging the cranes once the glue is totally set.
It's going to be strange seeing a WWII Liberty ship with a modern V22 landing on the Helipad. If a V22 pilot could do that safely I would say give that man a promotion NOW!
With subtle changes the WW2 liberty ship has become a 1960's era break bulk freighter. Now looking for an N scale Unimog to place on the 2nd hatch forward. The armored and heavily armed Unimog plays a starring roll in at least three of the Oregon Files series.
Liberty Ships were pretty much nothing more than just bulk freighters. They were built like the Jeep woo woo woo. All the same with simple basic plan that made components interchangeable and the sailors would already know their way around one ship or the other. Hell I think they produced them about as fast as the Jeeps were too! Many did serve well into the 60's but many didn't last very long due to poor construction quality. Sometimes building a ship too fast is not a good thing. If my memory serves we lost almost as many Liberty Ships to "accidents" as we did to enemy action. And by accidents I mean poor construction.
John- Do you know if any Liberty ships remain as any part of the Reserve Fleet? I know a couple exist preserved, operational. Probably no others still sailing the seas, in private revenue use.