Topic: JDeck Drive Yards.

[JDeck]

This is a shot of the right cannon unpainted. It gives you an idea of how small parts come together to make one piece.

[Thorsdad]

I love your idea of using the 88.  I was going to do the same thing on some of my projects.

[JDeck]

Thanks Thorsdad, I find it cool that Lucas used real guns for props like the DLT-21 repeater is an mg34. The "sandtrooper bfg" is a British Lewis LMG. the E-11 blaster is a modified sterling mg. I just like to take those kinds of ideas and run with them.

[Starchaser]

You have a great eye for detail. The gun looks really fantastic. I'm curious to see the tank when it's complete.

[JDeck]

Thanks starchaser. It looks a lot better than my first prototype (Pictured) . I needed time away from it to really come up with some ideas.
     But now I'm trying to find parts for my turret cupola. I'm thinking about a modified flashlight head I just need to find the right size.

[JDeck]

This is the coolest thing I've made all day. Its an articulating machine gun mount for my cupola. Its made from the black series stormtrooper E-11 folding stock and a small piece of tube connecting it to the DLT-21 repeater. This isn't the final position, I need to build the rest of the cupola. I'll work out the kinks as I go.

[Tamer]

Nice. Off to share.

[JDeck]

Always appreciate the FP features, Tamer. Not much to report today, just experimentations leading to frustration. It took Thomas Edison a thousand tries or so to make a filament that worked, so yeah Its kinda like that.

    This is what it looks like so far. I'll probably paint it a light panzer grey. Add some eyelids and a few surface details. Might do that while I wait for a stroke of genius on this cupola dilemma.

[Tamer]

Keep after it, you experiments are working on this so far.

[JDeck]

Keep after it, you experiments are working on this so far.

Ohh yeah, I'll get it eventually. I usually build 3 prototypes before attempting a final product. It'll probably be a matter of going to home depot this weekend. In the mean time I'll do my surface details and you all know how I like little details. Also I'll still have my Friday Night Figure to build, so I have a few things to do while I ponder. Sometimes its good to take a step back and look at it with fresh eyes.

[JDeck]

I decided to use this flashlight head I picked up at dollar tree for the base of my cupola. I'll greeble it up and make it more dimensional. I think I'll make it shorter as well, its a bit high. Also I added some greebles to the hull and put on the first thin coat of paint.

[JDeck]

Started greebling  my cupola. I don't think it looks too bad so far. Ill give it a rest for tonight, I curcumsized my thumb. Don't worry I didn't get too much blood on my work. Haha. Superglue works great to stop bleeding.

[JDeck]

I'm down the home stretch the hard part is over. I finished the work I wanted to last night. I finished the outside of the cupola and added another thin coat of paint. I like to paint in thin alternating coats it gives it a nice worn look completed. Now I just need to add details to the inside of the hatch door and finish painting.

 I did a black wash its still wet. I thought about a two tone paint scheme but in all the OT imperial vehicles are monotone grey. Gives you the idea that the empire is dull and sort of a lifeless industrial machine.

[Tamer]

Looks great. I really like how that top hatch turned out with the flashlight. Very ingenious work there. Off to share.

[JDeck]

Thanks Tamer. I think I'm ready to make a completely scratch built vehicle.working around an existing platform trying to retrofit parts that will fit can be frustrating. Sometimes it seems easier to scratch build a vehicle than totally rebuild an existing one. I've been wanting to scratch build a ship or tank for a while.