# Rocketeer's last six months of model-building **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 5, 2015, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeers-last-six-months-of-model-building/730036 "2015-09-05T16:17:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeers-last-six-months-of-model-building/730036/1 "2015-09-05T16:17:14Z")
I was looking over some old posts, and realized that it had been a while since I had posted pictures of my models, which I used to enjoy doing, and which you guys seemed to enjoy seeing. So without any further ado, here are some models, mostly sci-fi and fantasy, that I’ve finished in the past six months or so. Monarch’s styrene Nosferatu kit [has a bit of a goofy pose](http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z256/hilbyf/Nosferatu/940672731_qbxDz-X2_zpsnwwxqvyr.jpg) (this pic is not mine), so I chopped him up on my bandsaw and made him taller, skinnier, and a bit more dynamic. One of my friends had painted a Thing From Another World figure in greyscale, and that looked pretty good, so I tried it with mine. [Here’s the result.](http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z256/hilbyf/Nosferatu/file_zpsfkunsuuy.jpg) I like to think he looks a lot more menacing than the original kit. …and at about that same time, a group of us in the Galaxy Hobby sci-Fi club decided to have a little challenge: Build a Mad Max-style post-apocalyptic vehicle. I was a bit at a loss for what to do, until I took a look at a kit of one of [George Barris’ least tasteful show cars](http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z256/hilbyf/Post-apocalypto/eee2d1796b90b7ba52451977db0d00ed_zpsevvm9ams.jpg) and thought I could perhaps do something with it. I built a cab and a nose ([here’s an in-progress pic](http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z256/hilbyf/Post-apocalypto/file_zps3d3ee045.jpg)), added a bunch of well, stuff, and [here’s](http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z256/hilbyf/Post-apocalypto/file_zps0d59c1f4.jpg) the [result](http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z256/hilbyf/Post-apocalypto/file_zpsa1a2b87c.jpg). The figure actually represents a real fictional character, and if you can identify her, I’ll give you a genuine Marvel No-Prize 😉 (Clue: She’s from one of the best sci-fi shows ever put on TV.) A friend of mine became discouraged with the poor fit of a model of Bettie Page in a devil-girl outfit, so he sold it to me for a pittance. With little at stake, I felt free to make whatever mods I liked (of course, I always feel that way 😉 ). Since I wanted to be able to display her at shows, I needed to add a bit more clothing, so I sculpted a long-line bra out of epoxy putty. I also used the putty to add cuffs to her gloves and boots to hide a poor fit, and to make some more imposing horns. While I was at it, I turned her face upwards to make her more appealing. [Here’s what I started with (NSFW)](http://jimmyflintstonestudios.com/?product=lf21-devil-girl), and [here’s](http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z256/hilbyf/Devil%20Bettie/file_zpsjh4yl4em.jpg) how [she turned out.](http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z256/hilbyf/Devil%20Bettie/file_zpszm6b7pp3.jpg) And my latest completion: This started as a “survival lantern” I got from my employers instead of a raise 😉 ; at first it was going to be a Martian War Machine, but then things evolved, and now, after blending in bits from here and there, it’s the one-and-only [Squid](http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z256/hilbyf/Squid%20Tank/file_zpsmnzn9p2b.jpg) [Tank](http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z256/hilbyf/Squid%20Tank/file_zpsml73xx0q.jpg). And my current project, Thomas Edison Jr’s Giant Steam Bison of the Plains, a tribute to the dime-novel “edisonade” proto-sci-fi of the late 1800s. I started with an Atlantis “American Buffalo” kit, and, well… [The original concept](http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z256/hilbyf/Steam%20Bison/file_zpsn0dltchz.jpg) [Howdah and interior in work](http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z256/hilbyf/Steam%20Bison/file_zpsbamaswbq.jpg) [Some windows](http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z256/hilbyf/Steam%20Bison/file_zpswmtpqfuw.jpg) […and a powerplant](http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z256/hilbyf/Steam%20Bison/file_zpsl2aot3kt.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeers-last-six-months-of-model-building/730036/2 "2015-09-05T17:48:17Z")
You are an Artist and a Gentleman! Very nice work. Thanks for posting these photos, even if they make my models look like a six-year old with ADHD put them together with double-sided tape. I especially like Devil Girl. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeers-last-six-months-of-model-building/730036/3 "2015-09-05T18:20:59Z")
Can’t believe you did all this in just 6 months! Bravo! Beautiful, once again 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeers-last-six-months-of-model-building/730036/4 "2015-09-05T18:42:09Z")
Yeah, I agree, art. You’re more a sculptor than just a model-builder. The Squid Tank is my favorite so far. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeers-last-six-months-of-model-building/730036/5 "2015-09-05T20:04:21Z")
Cool stuff. You really do take it to another level. Can I make a crazy suggestion? The squid tank is awesome but would it be possible to fill it with a liquid or maybe a clear gel to simulate liquid? Just feels like that is missing. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeers-last-six-months-of-model-building/730036/6 "2015-09-05T20:24:18Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Yeah, I agree, art. You’re more a sculptor than just a model-builder. The Squid Tank is my favorite so far. I feel like it needs a grocery bag with [some celery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Frahm) sticking out to be complete, though. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeers-last-six-months-of-model-building/730036/7 "2015-09-05T21:58:11Z")
Thanks for all your kind comments, guys! > [@CarnalK](#): > > Cool stuff. You really do take it to another level. > > Can I make a crazy suggestion? The squid tank is awesome but would it be possible to fill it with a liquid or maybe a clear gel to simulate liquid? Just feels like that is missing. 🙂 I had thought about that, but there was so much that could go wrong with a big chunk of clear resin or gel (bubbles, seepage into undesired places, yellowing, cracking) that I decided to go with discretion instead of valor. 🙂 (As it was, the ocean, which is clear resin, took a couple tries; the first pour developed a heartbreaking array of small bubbles on the surface. Fortunately, a second layer filled them and dried perfectly smooth; but it disinclined me toward further adventures with clear resin.) I also played with painting clear gel medium (which is what I used for the waves) onto the inner surface of the “dome” to simulate the optical distortions you’d get if it were full of liquid, but the results were not good–it looked more like a screw-up than a deliberate effect. (I had an extra lantern to test things on.) ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeers-last-six-months-of-model-building/730036/8 "2015-09-05T23:09:59Z")
Well you know best I am sure though I think a few bubbles would actually add effect rather than be bad in a tank (rather than ocean). Looks great as is anyways. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2015, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeers-last-six-months-of-model-building/730036/9 "2015-09-06T01:11:38Z")
Squid Tank is a triumph! I love it! ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2015, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeers-last-six-months-of-model-building/730036/10 "2015-09-06T08:01:53Z")
Squid Tank rocks! It needs its own movie. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2018, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeers-last-six-months-of-model-building/730036/11 "2018-10-27T17:54:26Z")
Accursed Photobucket! Here are links to Flickr albums of [Nosferatu,](https://www.flickr.com/photos/150559382@N07/albums/72157689716456836) [the Post-Apocalypto,](https://www.flickr.com/photos/150559382@N07/albums/72157686462531062) [Devil Bettie,](https://www.flickr.com/photos/150559382@N07/albums/72157685862449415) [and the Squid Tank](https://www.flickr.com/photos/150559382@N07/albums/72157698580573754). ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2018, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocketeers-last-six-months-of-model-building/730036/12 "2018-10-27T18:01:56Z")
The Squid Tank totally fucking rocks!