Making the USS Aerial Carrier Small Business

Making the USS Aerial Carrier Small Business

The idea was for an airborne carrier for the pulpfigures Rocketeers.  I used this for pulp flying game of Rocketeers and Flying Monkeys vs Eureka Stukasuri.  Pictures from the game come from http://thescattergungamer.blogspot.com/

My only picture of the two games

I had the idea for a relatively large model, but easily transportable and one that does not dominate the gametable.  I started by sketching a design on one side of a manila folder.  I then cut that shape onto both sides to get a symmetrical shape.  Traced that onto a piece of blue foamboard and cut it out with a band saw.  This gave me a airplane shaped slab.  I shaped the sides with a hot knife, then smoothed the cuts with a hand sander.

I planned to power fans in the wings to give it more of a pulp look.  In order to do this, I had to leave space for the batteries and fans.

 

The areas for the circuit and the tail cut out of a piece of hardboard.

I needed a flight deck and covers for the top of the fans and cut them out of more hardboard.

Next comes assembling the wiring and soldering the connections

The blue foam did not give a surface that I liked for this.  I took the long way and wetted down manila folder pieces and pinned them in place with silk pins. 

This gave the foam some strength and a look of piece of sheet metal riveted to the structure.  The coating is done and a look at the top.

The bottom with a view of the plane shape template in the top right corner.

I was thinking about going with a blue color scheme like a PBY, but my wife said that it screamed for a silver look.  It always pays to listen to my wife and I ran with it.

The bottom with the silver scheme, which I dirtied up a little since it looked too much like ductape.  I looks browned than it is since it sits in an oak entertainment center.  The engines are built out of a tube from cash register tape and the top of an air freshener bottle.

The top view, we mainly see the electric circuit installed.  Right towards the front is a hollow for the guts of a disposable electric toothbrush.  The toothbrush works by having a weight that is offcenter on the axle.  When this spins it causes it to vibrate.  I placed this in the model it causes the model to buzz or hum when turned on.

The three dents are for rare earth magnets that attach the flight deck.

In order to get the wood plank look on the flight deck, I glued dollhouse hardwood floor to the hardboard, then stained and varnished it.  The lines and numbers on the deck are art tape.  I tried cutting small piece and placing them, but that turned out slower than laying the tape on the deck and cutting out for the gaps.  The conning tower is built from fairly thick plasticard with strips to give trim.  I drilled out the portholes on the sides.