Sunday 13 October 2013

The Nefarious Machinations of The Nefarious Doktor Nefarious, Part Two: A Bit of Bovva Wiv a Hovva

Hi, All!

The SHC Nefarious 1, bringing terror to the Lost Continent.

I really must try harder not to get distracted by side projects...

This one was supposed to be a quicky. Just a little thing to work on for a few days, then get back to the main project.

Five weeks later...

The hull takes shape quickly from thick card. I glued this with super-duper superglue for speed.

As I stated in my last post, I had an idea regarding building a Weapon of Mass Delusion from computer fans. As a matter of fact, I had intended this to be some sort of skyship, but part way into the design, I decided to do a hovercraft. I'm glad I did.

The front cabin is constructed from plastic board. Lots of fiddly angles!

Two deck guns I made ages ago from irrigation parts, plastic rod, guitar string and press-studs.

The chimney evolves from a bearing, a welding tool and the lid of a deodorant.

These bits and pieces had been lying around in the back of my mind for over a year, and they were bugging me. Computer fans, pieces of a welding tool, a couple of guns I made from irrigation joints and never used... All of a sudden, they all fell into place.

I created the 'Nefarious' logo (which will henceforth be used in other projects) from plastic board and greenstuff. Two of these are mounted on the hull.

The main propellor, in place and with rivets...

The main gun was constructed from a reflector, various bits and bobs, beads, cogs, and a strange curved piece of plastic from a printer cartridge tray.

For much of the time that I was building this, I honestly thought it wasn't going to work. Was I wasting my time? I didn't want to give up, but I didn't want to present something here which was below my usual standards. As it turns out, I am happy with the end result - proof yet again that you just never know until it's finished.

The details go on... lots of plastic strips and rivets, wooden (red) beads, washers and tubes. Sometimes you just have to keep piling stuff on until it looks right. The rear section of this vessel was such a time.

A conjoined pair of fans creates the rear drive section of the vessel. I added two huge rudders from plastic board for steerage. And rivets, of course.

There wasn't really a plan with this one - just a rough idea. I wanted to work fast and show you a finished item. Unfortunately, it took a lot longer than I thought and now I don't have the space for the eighty photographs I took!

The vessel is undercoated and highlighted. I painted everything the same and later added colour to certain parts.

The rear section, undercoated. At this stage, I started to feel confident that this was going to be a good one.

Such is the way with a slightly disorganised imagination...

With the propellor painted, I started to add uprights for the oh-so-necessary haindrail!

Handrail in place. You wouldn't want to fall into those blades, after all...

Deck gun, finished. I honestly couldn't be happier with these!

I undercoated the entire model in a dark grey, and liked the effect so much that I stuck with it. I think the very austere look is a nice departure from the brighter schemes of my other inventions, and makes the SHC Nefarious 1 look rather intimidating.

A bridge is constructed from plastic board (and wire mesh) in the same manner as the walkways in my big walker project.

With the bridge in place, handrails are made from single pieces of brass rod. Getting these right took ages!

The main gun, finished. (The copper wire areound the barrel is a spring from inside a pen, painted.)

A nice feature of the model is that the wight is all in the centre, due to the steel chimney. This meant that I could mount the vessel on a base directly under the chimney, making the whole vehicle look like it is really floating.

The rear section. I added rigging made from twisted metallic thread, stained with rust ink.

The finished vessel.

And of course, I counted the rivets...

This being a small project (sigh...) the Rivet Count is:

1,950 !

I'm going to stick to very small side projects from now on, or Lord Smudgington Smythely-Smythe's Hydraulically Motorvated Sextupedal Land-Traversing Vacational Domicile will never be finished!

A hydrothermicopter's-eye view.

The Nefarious Doktor Nefarious himself takes a proud look around the vessel...

Anyway, there you go. Plenty of pretty pictures, and now I'm ready to get back to work!

More soon.

The Nefarious Doktor Nefarious aboard the SHC Nefarious 1, escorted by a pair of deadly Giant Clockwork Tortoise Suicide Land Mines... Nefarious indeed!

All the Best!

40 comments:

  1. That is excellent! Fab build nice to see how it takes shape as well

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    1. Thanks Simon.

      I like to include plenty about the processes I use - this model should probably have been blogged over a few instalments, but I just wanted to get it finished.

      Glad you like it!

      Delete
  2. Wow. That's just amazing.

    I hate myself for suggesting this, as it's clearly so brilliant, but like any beauty, I think she would look even better with a short skirt.

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    1. An interesting suggestion, my friend.

      Perhaps a civilian version with fishnets...?

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  3. Niiiiice! Great to see the WIP pics as well with all the various bits and pieces you have used to the build. Thx/Hans

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    1. Why, thank you!

      It's the little bits and pieces that make a good model - as I have said before, you just have to keep adding stuff until it looks right.

      Unfortunately, it means that I have rather a large pile of crap I may never use. And not much storage space.

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  4. Replies
    1. Actually, it's set to kill... but I appreciate the sentiment!

      Thanks!

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  5. Madness; glorious, wonderful, inspirational madness!

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    1. Michael, me old mate!

      Madness, you say? Genius, I reply!

      Was Einstein mad when he proposed faster-than-light marmalade?
      Was Caesar mad when he garrisoned Gaul with bronze-plated turkeys and a puppy called Frank?

      I rest my case.

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  6. Replies
    1. You're too kind as ever, Jay.

      It's the way I tilt my chin as the light catches my hair, isn't it?

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  7. Great stuff Joe. I thought you had been 'quiet' for a while!...
    At first I thought, you have forgotten the rubber skirts, but am guessing these are probably hidden behind the lower armoured plates? ;-)
    It would have be cool if you could have concealed a battery pack somewhere on board so the fans could spin !
    But all in all an excellent job!
    For my own part, I have finally began playing about with 'kit bashing/toy converting and riveting', though its in aid of my sons ork 40k requirements... see recent blog post for more... but its a start and practice too with the required techniques at least...

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    1. Hi Scott.

      I asked Doktor Nefarious about the absence of a rubber skirt, and he assures me that it all works perfectly well without one...

      As for batteries and spinny fans, I thought about that but decided I'd rather not blow all the static grass off my table and knock down all the trees every time I used this machine. Not that any of my would-be opponents are ready for a game or anything... ;)

      Orks? 40K? As a gentleman, I shall say nothing...

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  8. Ruddy marvellous effort. Those deck guns do look the real deal.

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    1. Thanks, Matt.

      I'm really happy with those deck guns. I made them ages ago but they just didn't work with anything I was building at the time (Gargantua, I think). As a Nefarious Creation, they are great.

      Glad you like them too!

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  9. All I can say is WOW! Good thing I am on this side of the pond & will never have to face that in battle!

    Excellent work & amazing that you thought all this thru to completion. Many the times an idea fizzles before it can be realized.

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    1. Hi again Terry!

      Don't be so confident, my friend - The ambition of The Nefarious Doktor Nefarious knows know bounds and respects no borders...

      I'm pleased you're impressed. Part of the reason I announce my ideas and projects on a blog is that in so doing, I am compelled to keep going (or look like a prat). Mostly, it works.

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  10. Astonishing! Nefarious in a highly nefarious fashion. I'd like to see that cutting a swath across the wargames table.

    Incidentally, as you intend using that neat Doktor Nefarious' logo again, you could take a silicon mold from a master and cast it in resin to save time and effort on later models.

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    1. AJ! Greetings and salutations, me old teapot!

      It seems all of my creations are simply languishing at the moment, but one day I'm sure this one will see action...

      I take your point about casting the logo, but I probably won't, as each machine will need logos of differing sizes. However, I have been considering getting into casting for various machine parts, in case I decide to start duplicating my creations for sale. The jury is out at this stage.

      Delete
  11. Par for the course, this is top notch. Still negotiating with those ninjas to abduct you, so for now, you're safe. Of course, I would say that even if the ninjas were about to strike, wouldn't I, just to lull you into a dangerously low level of alertness.

    Yes, I can be nefarious as well! Muah ha ha ha ha ha! Mine is an evil laugh!

    I think my mind has gone a bit off with all of the readings I have been doing. Grad school is a mind melter. Back to it, then!

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    1. You are truly nefarious indeed, my soon-to-be-learned friend! But my kung-fu is mighty!

      And as for your mind going off, are you certain it was ever on?

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  12. Great modeling sir! A fantastic and inspired work, I do like the gun and the metallic and copper details...
    Phil.

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    1. Thank you, Phil!

      It's all the details that make a 'quick' project take such a long time - but they are worth it. I could have finished the whole thing in a day but it wouldn't have looked half so good!

      I love that copper paint - I use it all the time because it is just so vibrant.

      Glad you like it!

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  13. Doktor! Yet another fine example of a cleverly constructed Dynamic Translateral Technimacroplex! Bravo and Huzzah! -Ben Slacknlayzee, Twoeight Sillimeter Cranium Institute

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    1. Why thank you, Kind Sir!

      What a fine array of expletives to bestow upon a cardboard box with some bits of plastic! I am honoured!

      More mechanical monstrosities to follow...

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  14. The twisted genius of your nefarious mind knows no bounds! Huzzah and Hooray I say! Open the Gin and Champagne for a proper Commissioning ceremony!

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    1. I reply to your comment, Sir, on the aftermath of having followed your advice...

      Do you have any parecetamol?

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  15. Simply awesome, Colonel! Makes me wish I had kept the fans from recently junked computers.

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    1. Thank you, Ed!

      The great danger of this hobby is in hoarding all manner of junk that "might be useful someday"...

      Weep not for your discarded fans. They have gone to a better place.

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  16. absolutely brilliant - wont say any more

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