Green Army Men Equipment and buildings and stuff…

[OldMiner]

NOTE:
I just edited the title of this thread. I want to post pics of the toys I am playing with and don’t want to clutter the forum with a bunch of little threads about this and that.
THIS thread will be about this and that.


I told you guys I can’t keep on track. Detours are always more fun. There have been a couple of plastic crate things sitting on the back porch since last spring. They call to me every time I walk by them. Today they followed me into the house. One (today’s victim) was a holder for plants for the garden last year. The other is a vegetable crate and will become something later on I’m sure.

Here is the plant crate after I started chopping on it.



Behind the crate is packing from some candles my wife bought. It is expanded polyethylene foam. I have been saving some of that stuff, trying to figure out what to use it for. I did find out that it cuts nicely with the hot wire, so it will be sure to show up in some builds.

And the start of whatever it is to become:





The orange thing and radar are just sitting up there for fun for now. I’m not sure where this one is going, but it is going…

My smart Alec wife said “they aren’t shooting the bull”. I said no, the bull is going inside to clean the vermin out of the place.

At this point, plastic, cardboard and hot glue are involved. I’m sure that wood and who knows what else will be used before this one is over.

 

[Rhaven Blaack]

It looks like you are off to a very interesting start!

 

[mijob]

Thag a nice reuse of materials. The radar looks great.

 

[OldMiner]

That little radar unit came in a bag of green army men. (Or brown?) LOL

I’m studying the next step on this. Maybe a tower on top? Just having fun.

I’ve always liked the rotating beacons seen on airports. Maybe one of those.

 

[OldMiner]

Now on to the this and that…

A while back I posted this pic of a little Observation post I am working on. The story is that this is in Afghanistan, high on a mountain somewhere, overlooking a busy valley.



If you guys are interested, I will post progress on this and other items I’m making. The encouragement I have received here is much appreciated and helps a lot with staying busy on the builds. There is quite a bit of new stuff to show… like this one:

 

[mijob]

Sorry I dont have a glue what Im looking at?

 

[OldMiner]

Sorry I dont have a glue what Im looking at?

That is a 500 KW generator. It is powered by the same stuff that powered Marvin the Martian’s Space Modulator. It is the secret ingredient in Illidium PU-38. The 4 tanks on the back of the generator are enough to power the machine at full output for 100 years. The door only needs to be opened every 25 years to install a small part that wears out in that time. The 3 spares are installed inside the door.







Construction photos:



The switch box and outlets in the photo above are for connecting loads, like the radar unit.

 

[mijob]

Thanks for the explenation. Your model looks great.

 

[Rhaven Blaack]

That looks AMAZING!!!

 

[Revell-Fan]

I see - a blue box. A blue box reminds me of - blue light. Do not trigger me with the blue light!



Great work, BTW!

 

[OldMiner]

What happens with the Blue Light Special comes on? Or the Blue Lite Beer is served?

We have FUN!

The radar antenna came about from an experiment with plastic spoons, drywall tape and PVA. The drywall tape was pressed into a spoon, covered with PVA and a second spoon clamped on top. When dry, the PVA pops off the spoon, leaving the formed shape. I must do more experimenting with this. I have a second antenna formed and in progress.









I think this method has promise for forming complex shapes. As long as there is a smooth surface to form over, it should work. The resulting form is quite sturdy, although flexible.

 

[cylongirl]

Super Idee!!

 

[mijob]

Thats a great solution thnx for sharing this idea.

 

[zathros]

Very impressive. I like the build progression pics, and the "real" looking nature of the generator. Excellently done!

 

[OldMiner]

I’ve always been fond of the CH-47 chopper. When I was in the Army, I was lucky enough to be able to attend a fire power display at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, while I was in AIT. One of the highlights of the show was when a Chinook came in with a cannon and ammo hanging under it. I think the gun was a 105mm. It was slung under the chopper and a pallet of ammo was hung under that. The pilot sat the pallet of ammo down, moved over, and sat down the gun and then moved over again and the gun crew came out the back of the Chinook and unhooked the chopper from the load. Then the pilot turned and ‘saluted’ us in the grandstands, by dipping the the nose of the machine toward us. He nearly blew us all off the bleachers. LOL

So, my little green army men have acquired a gun and need a way to move it around. Their observation post is also a portable unit, as is the generator shown above.

Welcome to the world, the first AD-47a. Note the absence of rotors. It has 3 anti-gravity modules (AGMs for short) under it. My wife says it looks like an armadillo, hence the AD name.



It is an airplane, not a spaceship. The engine on top will provide thrust and the AGMs provide lift and some steering. Airfoil surfaces will provide more steering as will the steerable exhaust on the engine. The caster nose wheels allow for a tug to move the machine when it is not powered. (I hope to put small wheels on the back later).



The machine will have a pretty fair amount of offensive power too. It carries a GAU-8 cannon and will sport several rockets and maybe more guns. The gun is the 30mm cannon that the A-10 Wart Hog is built around. The gun itself weighs 4000 pounds, without ammo.





There will be a drop down rear door, as in the CH-47. Top speed is about 400 MPH which is twice as fast as the CH-47. It will carry 30,000 pounds of payload (versus 21,000 for the CH-47)and can handle up to 50 men and gear inside.

Yep, I’m full of it, and having fun!

 

[Revell-Fan]

Great idea! She resembles a mouse. Mimicking nature is the best approach.

 

[mijob]

You have a lot of project going on. And all of them are looking verry cool.

 

[micahrogers]

I love how you are repurposing everyday objects. This is the best way to build new, never before seen vehicles. GREAT WORK!

 

[OldMiner]

Some very useful looking supplies arrived today. I got paint, another hand held hot wire cutter (this one has two probes for cutting and making holes). I tested it and used the short probe to weld a broken bit of a plastic model too.
The most interesting bit is the ‘garden wire’ I got two sizes and they are PERFECT. The large wire fits exactly inside a plastic straw and will make pipe elbows and bends and by itself will make ducts, pipes, cables, etc. The smaller stuff fits inside the plastic coffee stir straws I have.



Ignore the guy sitting on the pot, he forgot the other wall wasn’t in the bathroom.




This stuff is a soft foam covering over a soft wire core. The wire can be pulled out also.

 

[OldMiner]

Too many projects, but they are all fun so it doesn’t matter what order they come in. The Army Men needed a ground vehicle, so they are getting a WWII German halftrack. A halftrack is sort of useless without a driver. The Tamiya kit doesn’t come with a driver. Several good figures and guns, but no driver. SO…

I studied up on Green (tan in this case) Army Man surgery and dived right in.



A driver usually sits to drive, so I had to make a sitting figure. Yesterday I found out how to do this ‘properly’. That is properly for me. No heat, knives and saws and drills, glue and baking soda, wire and time are required however. That pic shows the driver in progress. He started from a figure like the one to his right. This material is quite brittle, very easy to snap off a leg or arm while working on them so it is necessary to BE CAREFUL!

The top half of the donor wouldn’t work at all, so a grenade guy gave up his torso and the already mutilated crawler gave up his left arm.







No arm transplants until I get the kit so I can figure out where to put the arms.



But he is ready for now. I am hoping that the grenade in the right hand can be carved away and become the end of the gearshift lever, with the left hand wiggled around to grip the steering wheel.
I do need to attempt heat forming this plastic with some scraps. It is strange stuff. It does melt and weld, but I am not sure of thermoforming it. We will see…

post script… I’m dumb as a rock. This kit has no place for a visible driver. I guess this guy will have to have another vehicle.



Well, maybe some smarter than a rock. There IS a place for the driver.