It seems winter has arrived. Snowin like crazy. What's a boy to do? As if we need to ask...
Heres the latest progress on the crane. I'm continuing on the styrene cosmetic details. Or whatever material suits.
If styrene could scream...
Rare earth magnetoscopy
This picture shows a lot. The figure has a magnet in his rear, There's another in the pink seat, (I'm gonna paint it) milled just below the top surface. He stays planted it it, yet, is removable. Those black dots in the seat mount are also magnets. The bottom of the seat mount is steel. It can be slid to and fro. This allows me to slide the seat and figure back from the control handles and pedals, and yank im out of the cab. He also has a head in this picture, the top part of a different "guy" grafted on.
In the above picture, there is a piece of thin slippery clear plastic on top of the magnets, so that the seat slides easily. The hand control pedestal and the figure were built simultaneously so that his hands and feet are really planted on the controls when he's in position, as seen below. Since this picture was taken, the front panels of the cab have been added. The windshield one is still removable so i can pull the whole interior platform out still for painting.
The door slides open and shut. Channels were made by milling one side off of K&S brass square tube.
On to the hood, now. I wanted a butterfly hood, cuz I just like 'em. Pivots were made from sewing pins. A micro drill is used to drill into the end of the styrene, as seen here. You can see the corresponding pin in the other piece. Cheap, effective, strong.
For the other hinges, I used doll house piano hinges, held on by 3M adhesive membrane that a buddy scored for me. This is the underside if the hood to show the basic components.
Here it is as it looks as I write.
I'm working now on the exhaust pipes and intake tubes, which will go through access ways in the hood sides. Then I can put the opening latch handles and such on it. Note the rear grill, same as the front ones.
