Speeder Finished (1/35)

The speeder is finished. There may still be a small detail to add, but I now move on to other projects. The speeder is painted in acrylics from Vallejo and weathered with oil paint and home made chalk powder. I still haven't bought any of the newer colour pigments, even though several of them have received positive comments in reviews. Call me old fashioned... The numbering is made to look like two enamel signs normally used for numbering houses. Very appropriate I think, as the vehicle looks like a shed.

The speeder parked at a tree line. The paint repairs around the rebuilt radiator can just be made out. The speeder was originally fitted with a motor cycle engine. After the engine refit a larger radiator was needed. It also meant that part of the door was cut away.

Spare rails. Perhaps the crew is looking for a length of rail for urgent repairs of the line?

When I have looked at prototype wagons and skips with wooden frames there seems to be no end to the number of iron fittings. I have tried to recreate that look on my 1:35 speeder. Most fittings are made from plastic card and glued with two-component glue. Rivets and bolts are made from my little rivet punch and glued in place with AC glue.

The roof is dressed in my favourite tarpaper material, micro pore tape. It's a tape from the health industry made to position and fix bandages and still allow the skin to breathe. When painted it retains a slightly rough surface which resembles tarpaper. The tape is self adhesive, so it's easy to attach. The tape doesn't seem to loose its grip over time. I have had tape on a roof now for more than five years without any 'slipping'.

The previous post on the speeder covered the electrical parts. Earlier posts can be found here:
Drawing and the first plastic cut
Parts cut out and ready for assembly

For those who care, even more images of the speeder's construction can be found in the Flickr work bench-folder.