Might just be me but the newer pics aren’t loading

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AKA: Simon

Hi 88Reaper88 - thanks for the heads up. it looks like quite a few aren't showing.. I think the source images may be too large for this forum. I'll check it out.

Yea that whole last page isn't loading

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still alive

Hmmm, weird. It's loading OK for me now, on Chrome and MS Edge on Windows. I'm getting some errors on my iPad though. I'll see if I can sort it.

Ah, I think I've got an idea - I host my own images if I can and I think this forum is blocking them (maybe they're too big?). I'll work to re-attach those that are missing but for now I'll concentrate on those from my last progress post.

The only images I (and most likely everyone else) can see are ones that you've uploaded as attachements here to the board. All the images you're linking to gmanx.com aren't working for some reason. If I take a sample image URL that you've posted I get this:

"Secure Connection Failed. An error occurred during a connection to gmanx.com. Peer’s Certificate has been revoked. Error code: SEC_ERROR_REVOKED_CERTIFICATE The page you are trying to view cannot be shown because the authenticity of the received data could not be verified. Please contact the web site owners to inform them of this problem."

You may be able to see them yourself as you're presumably logged in to an account at gmanx.com - that's just my guess anyway!

Harry

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http://www.facebook.com/TheHHACA - @TheHHACA

That sounds like a certificate issue with the webhost. And the reason we ask to have the images uploaded here directly is that it fixes issues later down the road when the file host goes titanic...

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The impossible takes a while longer and goes over budget too...

Thank you all for your observations. I'm definitely having issues with this current webhost.

I'll edit / reupload my latest with attachments instead.

I’ve wanted to add some paint detail to the cabin for a long time so today was the day. Here’s a before:



I’ve noticed that military vehicles have a host of labelling in the interior - so I broke out the sticky label and bic pen.





..and here’s the after - still a little wet just after a dark spirit wash.



Door handle at left isn't painted yet tho.

Had a couple of hours today to start wiring this thing properly. There's heat-shrink on exposed joins and Gorman's console is unpluggable if I want to work on it separately.

That is some crazy detail.
Stunning work.

Thank you very much for the kind words, TS826. It always surprises me how well the interior pics turn out with me just jamming my phone in there and hoping for the best.

Be sure to include a sharp stick for Hudson! Awesome work!

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still alive

Haha - thanks metalalien, great idea! I must remember to add a sharp stick somewhere as a little easter egg, maybe tucked under Hudson's seat.

The 4 helmets I've finished got a final detailing pass. I got my stand-in Apone to model one while he builds a gear load-out.

I hope I can get the rest of the armour made and painted to a similar state. I also completed the ammo crates - all ready for Gorman's cranium.

I've picked up this build again after a long hiatus and this is where I'm at currently.









I'd like to finish painting the exterior but will need to add the graphics on the front:

Left - 542 / GMTS
Right - 2D SULACO

Does anyone know what font I could use to design the scale / placement for these? I'll probably be brush painting the left side and using an airbrush mask for the large 2D.

I love it so much!

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still alive

Thank you so much MetalAlien! I know there's not much traffic on this site but I'll continue to update until I'm done!

Just a quick update today while I continue to scratch my head over the electrics for the APC.

I was worried about the battery boxes for 2 reasons:

1/ The switches included in them are very sketchy and inreliable.
2/ I'm concerned about the frailty of the solder connections.

My genius idea was to pul the switches out since I can just unplug them when not in use. Then I could secure the plug sockets into the battery box with hot glue which wiuld also stop the wiring getting tugged around.

My first attempt is on the left with the right one being a lot better once I got into my flow.



As I was leaving to eat I thought I'd take a snap of the area I'm working in. There's an interesting take on the 'Live, Laugh, Love' posters at top-right.

Another small - but important - update. I needed to create a wiring bridge between the battery boxes since one powers the exterior lights, and the other covers the interior and I needed somewhere to hide wiring that could be removed if needed.





It turned out to be a nice little detailing exercise and I filled the underside of the 'bridge' with choice greeblies.







They'll almost never be seen since I can't get my camera (my phone) in a good position once everything is closed down.





Anyway, I'll add some more detailed painting - picking out some items - then I can place all the wiring in there - out of sight of the passengers.

Gosh, I really don't enjoy routing lighting electrics. Anyway, it has to be done - and we're nearly at the finish line for all of this spaghetti!



That's a bit better - I just have to remember which plug goes into which socket.



I've had to strip carefully applied heat-shrink off a couple of finished soldering jobs, disassemble them, and re-do them because I forgot to add other connections to the same plug or socket. Deep joy.

Very very cool!

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still alive

Thanks Metalalien!

I was so relieved to finally finish the wiring, soldering etc that I just grabbed my iPad and shot this short (silent) video of the lighting in action. Of course there'll be much better footage later but I wanted to share the excitement I feel that this part is done!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDkQKCjRFIc

A longer video this time - showing how the interior is fitted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G78C1nNdoXc

Aside from video, while I think about what needs finishing on this model I'll also be assessing the crew that I have, and I've definitely got work to do.

It’s time to secure some of the more ‘floaty’ aspects of the interior. I used metal plates and magnets to fix the driver’s and gunner’s seats in place and I knew I had a plentiful supply of super tiny magnets (tiny is 2mm in diameter and 1mm tall) so they might come in handy here.

I wanted to keep the floor plates anchored to the floor. As luck would have it, the design I used to 3d print out the floor grills has ‘bolt heads’ at the corners of individual grills. These bolt heads are about the same size as my tiny magnets so I drilled out a couple in each floor plate, drilled corresponding holes in the actual floor of the APC, added tiny magnets to both and super-glued them in. That worked a treat! Plastic tweezers were essential but didn’t stop a couple of the tiny magnets pinging across the room. I suppose I’ll find them if I wear my steel toe-capped boots.


Two ‘sticks’ of tiny magnets, floor plate, pin vice and plastic tweezers!


You can just about see the two tiny round magnets in this image, above the large metal plates that secure the driver’s and gunner’s seats.

Next, I could do with anchoring the seating module that Ripley and Burke use which also contains the 2 auto sentry gun systems in their stowage crates. This piece of the model is a little large and heavy for my tiny magnets so I thought a more mechanical solution would be better. A double pin-and-slot sliding arrangement was the answer. It would place the seating unit snugly against the wall and allow it to be pulled up and out when needed. I built a bracket from styrene sheet which allows a brass rod to slide down it. This brass rod would be attached to the back of the seating unit.


Bracket and rod.


Bracket in place on the wall.


Here’s the brass rod - put through the back of the seating unit and glued in place.The wall-mounted bracket it slides down into can be seen behind (partially painted green).


Here it is in place - holding the seating in place quite securely.

I’ve since added small zip ties to the wiring loom in strategic places, leaving me access to the batteries and any other items I need to be able to remove, then added blobs of hot glue where I didn’t need / want wires to move around. Pics of that and more next time!

So we are gonna need you to build a to scale Dropship to house this beauty for ...... reasons!

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still alive