Friday 26 July 2013

372 Auster AOP - Scratchbuilt!

Hullo, All!

Just as it says above, I've been and gone and scratchbuilt me an Auster AOP for my 25pdrs [see forthcoming post]:
To be honest, I'm both fairly proud(!) and rather surprised by this, because I actually had no real intention to make it. It's made of card from a cornflakes packet, sellotape and glue, and was only ever supposed to be a mock-up to see if it was possible to make one out of plasticard.

Brief Version

Here is the development in 3 photos; all the details and many more pics -for those who are interested - are below:
Stage 1: cornflakes card covered in PVA to stiffen it and varnished to seal it and even-out the texture.
Stage 2: basecoated with old GW flying base too.
Stage 3: painted - all painted bar the insignia and maybe a little wash on the canopy. Sadly, I don't have any decals, and there's no way I'll chance doing it freehand.

Long Version -
Genesis

I embarked upon this project on Tuesday night whilst Mrs Drax had the computer. This meant that I had no pictures to use for reference other than the first useful one from a quick google search. I should point out that the image blow is a PHOTO of that image, because I'd be unable to view it on the screen. I therefore was using the digital camera screen from my point of reference, and it was from this that I took all my measurements, too!

Here are my sketches, to map out the various component parts. Remember - this was only supposed to be a vague mock-up:

A bunch more shots of the construction itself, varnished.  You can see the dimensions scribbled on bits of it too. Please note that the wing is actually shaped into a basic aerofoil (scored and raised up between the layers, as annotated in the sketch):







Basecoated again:

...and finished (or as near as damnit):




The only non-cardboard component is the prop spinner, which is made from the very tip of an old-style GW Hunter-Killer missile held in place with a 1mm plastic pin.

Flaws and Issues
  1. The struts are way too chunky. In fairness, I didn't decide to commit to the build until after they were in place; and besides, they'd've been too weak had the card been any thinner...
  2. The scale. I have NO IDEA how big the actual models are, so this was based on a vague combination of my memory of other Flames of War planes 18months ago and a rough scaling from the image on the camera...
  3. The wings and tailplane are not flush - were I building this again, I'd build in a recess to allow for this
  4. The tailplane itself is a little shoddy and rushed. Again - not done with any sense of permanence.
  5. The texture is WAY too bumpy. Inevitable with the rough side of card - less of a problem with plasticard. The remnants of sellotape would go, too. It looks fine at a distance(!).
Storage and Carriage

Hmm...we'll see, eh?

Thanks for making it this far, friends! A bit more Flames-y stuff over the next few days, and then we'll be back once more to 40K.

- Chris.

9 comments:

  1. That's up there with the landing craft, Admiral ! Amazing. Just think what you could do with a slide rule and safety scissors !

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  2. That looks really good! Props! (pun intended) :)

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  3. And saves you $18 or whatever it is to buy the official BF sculpt. Very nice sir, very frikken nice. Just need some 5.5 Medium Arti and you'll be flattening the battlefield!

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  4. Very, very impressive - just for the amount of times I've embarked on a similar project and given up halfway, this one seems to have been carried through with poise and elan. And as for the scale, I find real-scale planes (ie 28mm or 1:56, the same scale as your troops) look very odd since they imply that the plane is really flying a few feet above ground. A smaller scale helps the illusion that they're in the sky - makes them markers rather than models.

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  5. Congratulations. This is a great little scratch-build. very well done.

    Tony

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  6. Thanks, All!

    >Zzzzzz: Crumbs - I'd forgotten about that landing craft!

    >Sandwyrm: You know I love all puns. Love 'em.

    >Dai: Those 5.5" guns do look properly mean...a real temptation for a future expansion (although I do worry that I love artillery too much!). By the way, as you asked, until I get the new book, I'm still running off the Taurus Pursuant (11AD) pdf briefing.

    >Scipio: That's a very perceptive point about the relative altitude of aeroplane models...never thought of that! I think Flames of War infantry are roughly 1/100 scale though...

    >Tony: Thanks!

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  7. Taurus Pursuant... Not a bad list, though it has all the old AT values for 17pdrs - 13 is nice, 14 or 15 is nicer! Punching King Tigers is made easier that way.

    Well, if you can swing it, try to pay to unlock the Market Garden lists on Easy Army and now the new Overlord lists are up there too, you don't even have to buy any new books! ;)

    5.5" guns are on my list. Though first I have to try out my Canuck Land Mattresses! 12"x12" arti template!

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  8. My wife was confused by my surprise vocalisation of the fun phrase 'Canuck Land Mattresses'!

    I did treat myself to the Easy Army expenditure (£2 maybe?) and having played around with it, it appears the points difference isn't quite as huge as I'd thought at first. And yes: what a difference AT15 would make! That said, I hope to actually buy Overlord somehow, and once I do, I shall start playing with the list. Til then, pdf it is.

    Played another game, by the way: hopefully some pics will be coming soon. The AOP was joyously useful!

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  9. Update: for a while now I've had Market Garden and it's smashing. I also now have a Typhoon painted up.

    The Typhoon - being not 1/100 but 1/144 - absolutely DWARVES the AOP, so I'm thinking of trying to make me a newer, smaller AOP.

    Watch this space, eh?!

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Thanks for taking the time to comment!