05JAN21 - Paper Sentinel Build Video

In tune with my papercraft armor as of late, the above is my video slide show of my build process with photos I took to document my build on the Zealot forum.  No music yet, and not narrative either as I'm slowly learning Shotcut and creating these kinds of videos to grow my channel as my hobby video channel!

Finished product here for all to see!

04JAN2021 - Stryker Interior Detailing! A decade of WIP...

 So, my most recent posting about my 1:35 AFV Club TACP Stryker build was all the way back in June of 2009...  That is 10.5 years ago, but lets round up...  errr...  Okay, maybe not...  OUCH!

Well, during that time, I am glad it sat on shelves and in boxes, not touched.  I discovered some much needed details I wanted to add from the start 12 years ago when I bought the kit in the first place.  Namely, interior details by Black Dog models out of the Czech Republic on Amazon.  I am going to modify the M1126 interior detail kit to suit my memory and reference photos of the M1130 I lived in for a time.  Sure, not all of the details are going to be present, but that is fine with me (and Operations Security [OPSEC]).  90% of what I remember is there, albeit in a slightly different location.  Not a problem what so ever really.  I'm not going for 100% gnats arse accuracy, just general shapes on the inside.  Most of my issues are going to be covered up by aramid (Kevlar as a brand name of the ballistic cloth) blankets on the floor of the Stryker anyway.

After some grinding, and forgive me for not getting dimensions from starting to finish... I forget how long ago I found the Black Dog interior kit (years, like five or so...) and I started the process with my rotary tool way back then...  I finished with a rasp and some rough sand paper last night.

As you can see, not everything fits perfectly.  This is my fault alone as I am taking an M1126 detail kit to a completely different kit and modifying it.  Such a gap, as shown with my calipers, is going to be largely out of view.  Sure, I intend to make the top and bottom mate with magnets to show details; but like I said, we used A LOT of Kevlar blankets on the floor of the Strykers when we rolled out.  Such gaps are easily hidden with legitimate stacks of rations, ammo cans, and Kevlar blankets, even near the escape hatch.  There is a reason Stryker Brigades kept soldiers alive more than other units until other mine resistant vehicles came online.  

01JAN2021 Paper BMP continued (Part III)

 As promised, albeit too many months later (and at 2AM on the first day of a new year), I have returned to bring some more paper craft goodness to the blog.

Today, I'm going to show some photos of my laminating process and some of the details that worked, and some that didn't go as planned...

Figured I'd show a couple things that didn't initially go well, namely the vents.  For these I attempted to use regular typing paper of my templates and slice slots where I would insert a flat object while the paper was wet and drying on the hull.  It sorta looks like vents, that got stomped on by a careless soldier during a hail storm...  Yeah, I'll find a way to make good looking paper vents...  Someday...  Until then, don't do this.

Next up, this is what worked.  I guessed, and made a good assumption, about the thickness of card the next few details needed to be when they got glued onto the hull, and on top of each other.  Wicked simple, realistic, and just damn good looking.  Sometimes you just have to wing it and guess how thick you want each layer in a detail to be, or replace the paper with a found object like a cotton swab stick, toothpick section, or candy stick (for cylinders).  Next up I used a toothpick to carefully dab a drop of glue onto each rivet head detail of each layer of detail.  Again, you have to think ahead a few parts and try to add such rivets to the lower level of lamination before adding parts on top, otherwise you might not be able come back and get those rivets in place because your tool wont fit in some spots!

Tracks were pretty easy and strait forward, just tedious.  I cut out the strip on a single sheet of index card stock for the base of the track.  For each tread, I cut a strip from my cereal box stock the with of the tread pad, and then cut hundreds of strips to glue into place on the track before wrapping them around the road wheel/drive/idler assembly (thankfully those weren't individual details as well...).

Finally, we get to start making magic happen.  Here I used a dark burnt umber while assembling to get the lower recesses that gave me a hard time the first time I built this model (seen in the background in a few places).  By the time I got to the third one, I just left the tracks assemblies off completely until everything was painted!  Learning to think ahead by pre-assembling saves time later as you find these recessed areas and pre-paint before assembly (especially the insides of gun barrels and exhaust tubes...).