This is in addition to the post I made yesterday about how best to crash a bomber plane on a 1/72nd scale diorama/layout. I recieved several very usefull tips and I now know how to lay out the crash scene, mostly. But I am still wondering, what is the best way to physically seperate the wing of the plane from the rest of the model, without damaging the plane. Should I use a hot knife, saw, explosives or something else. Also, any other tips for a military layout would be very helpful. Thanks.
Wal-mart sells a Moto-tool like gadget with a ton of cutting and grinding bits for $10. Odds are the bearings will go out quickly, and the bits wear down a little faster than Dremel brand ones, but I’ve been running one since early November without killing it. That with a cut off blade would be my first choice. Second would be successive passes with a sharp utility or Exacto knife, and a lot of patience.
While I’m here, I have a military queston too. How does the US Army get tracked armored vehicles onto flat cars, normal and center depressed? Cranes? Ramps at the car ends? Ramps alongside the cars? Can a tracked vehicle spin into a center depressed flatcar under its own power? Onto a normal flatcar, without risking slipping off either edge, since the tracks on an M1 already overhand a standard flatcar? If loading from the ends, I suspect most armor could climb down into the center well, but can they climb out? Do armored vehicles drive under their own power from flatcar to flatcar? TIA for info on this.
Thanks for the tip. That is a very good question, and I have no idea, nor have I ever even thought about it before.
I remember from my young days at FT. Bliss TX. they ran on from the ends, loaded one at a time driven on, there were connector plates between cars for continuous loading.
If the loading is anything like the British Army approach, it’ll involve a set of prefabricated ramps that are laid on a small pile of old ties placed between the rails. There’s just not enough room to spin the vehicles on their tracks on the flatcar, so end-loading is the only way. Even then there are errors - I’ve seen a photo of a Warrior APC sitting in a field after rolling sideways off a train.
Elyk…Here is the way to do this…take your pretty little plane and scribe with a new blade where you want the seperation to happen. After you get the desired seperation… take a candle and heat the cut edge sslowly…keep the plane about 3 to 4 inches off the flame…at the same time use your blade to test the meltiness of the wing…sculpt the tear of the metal wing…cause a real wing would tear not break off like plastic…now do the same to the plane side of the seperation and try to replicate the reverse pattern that you created on the wing side… now paint and weather the exposed parts…oh yea…the edges will roll up a bit dont worry scrape the rolled part to thin with your knife. The sharper the better…hopes this helps.
J.W…pirate for rent
Thanks for the help. Oh, I also just noticed I spelled Military wrong.
Thanks for the info, GAPPLEG and Railroading_Brit. Naturally all my spurs butt up to a creek, but I can pile ties at either end of the train and just drive the armor on. In fact, I’ll let my son command the loading and unloading operations, he already understands the “You un-rail it, you re-rail it” rule.
Never seen a vehicle come off a flatcar, but shortly before ODS, there was an M1 throwing up roostertails in the beltway fast lane. Never did hear what that was all about, but they were passing mirrors under all cars coming onto the base for several weeks afterwards.
jeffers_mz
To answer you swarm of questions. I use to be a driver for the Army tracked vehicles (not a tank driver). What would happen is the train would back up to a loading dock. The tracked vehicles would line up and then a ground guide would go to the begining of the next flat car and guide the driver onto the flatcar, and this would go on until the tracked vehicle came to its proper loction. At that time we would put down chalk blocks (which have metal teeth) drive up on them to secure them to the wood then put it in nuetral and the track would be secure between the chalk blocks. Then we would get the metal tie downs and tie the front and back to the flat car. This would be at least a half day operation because of all the vehicles in the unit. Hope this helped you out on your questions…
I think you should finish all your airplanes first, then see which one might be the best one to crash, maybe one might not turn out as well as you wanted, then you could cra***hat one. Also ever thought of involving structures or objects it could crash into instead of just an open area?? Good Luck on what ever you decide!!!