Wargames Soldiers and Strategy issue 95 - April/May 2018 features another 'how-to' article written by me showing how I modelled and re-purposed a veteran Airfix Beam Engine into this piece of 28mm or 1/56th scale Steam Punk terrain. Far from being a straight-forward build the 51 year old kit fought with me all the way. However I am very pleased with the finished model and it gave me a great deal of satisfaction to see how I made a plastic kit look like aged and oily metal.
For more details of the contents of the magazine see this link.
I have included two additional images showing the finished Beam Engine on a scratch-built plastic card base.
The model was constructed with both normal plastic cement and superglue. The painting was done with brushes and sections of broken sponge and the weathering was carried out with washes and watercolour pencils.
The Airfix Beam Engine was originally sold as a working model and included a small electric motor and battery compartment which was used to turn the main fly wheel. This later kit does away with the engine but I can confirm that it is still a working model - the rocker arm, main fly wheel and piston all work as intended.
Tony
Oh my word.. I remember building that kit... years and years and years ago!
ReplyDeleteOh, splendid, Tony!
ReplyDeleteThere I was, flicking through your recent posts, and I noticed this beautiful beam engine.
'Hang on,' thinks I, 'That looks just like the one in WS&S 95'!'
And lo! It is the very same one! Excellent work, matey!
It also happens to be the very same edition as the one that my article was published in. What're the odds, eh?
It was a very old model that was just taking up space in the attic, constructing it and painting it was a great project and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteTony