Clarktor 6 Tow Tractor Scratchbuilt 1/33rd Scale

[Loic]

Wow ! impressive !

This said, your tutorial definatly convinced me not to try it as it looks a pain to me (I know, I am a lazy bast... !).

Would not that be easier to make one and cast it?

I admire your style and will to achive this build!

Cheers,

Loic

Edited December 30, 2010 by Loic

[Bomarc]

Thanks for the kind words Kev, very much appreciated!

 

..... there's plenty here to take away, no matter what medium you model in.

Well, that's the hope. I bounce back and forth between paper and plastic, and I'm already inching to try some of my paper techniques on a plastic kit. Maybe something here will be of use to others here....

 

This said, your tutorial definitely convinced me not to try it as it looks a pain to me (I know, I am a lazy bast...

LOL! I understand completely Loic. I think the attraction for me is that in paper modeling, the age old modeler's challenge of "how do I get there from here" is a path that takes one far away removed from the norm. And it is the journey too, not just the destination (ooh, that was "Zen" like wasn't it? Too early in the morning).

 

Would not that be easier to make one and cast it?

It would, absolutely. That's the beauty of plastic/resin modeling. Had I been doing this project in plastic, I would have stopped at my first successful tire and made my mold. But, alas, the path I choose dictated otherwise......

 

I admire your style and will to achive this build!

Thank you, sir. Come back often, more craziness to follow!

 

All the best,

Edited December 30, 2010 by Bomarc

[Daywalker]

Egads... You have more patience than I to persevere through that! My hat is off to you Sir.

[ChrisS]

You nailed it, just perfect!

 

Great work.

[Bomarc]

Thanks all, I truly appreciate the kind words, and putting up with me while I take up some space ….

 

With a holiday upon us, I can get in some updates. So next was to get the centers of the wheels opened up to accept the rims. This was accomplished with a dremel, and a dowel the appropriate size wrapped with sandpaper. CA glue applied to the rough opening hardens the paper, resulting in a sharp edge:

 

 

By now I should think you’ve all gotten the hint that CA glue plays a big role in the kind of paper modeling I do. When I “discovered” paper models about 15 years ago, I thought it great since I didn’t use a lot of glues and paint VOC’s (white glue is pretty harmless, right?). But over the years, as I got more and more into this kind of modeling, I started using more and more CA glue. I think I use it more now than I ever did on a plastic model. Oh the irony!

 

Anyway, with the centers opened up, a final detail is to add a fine copper wire CA glued in place to represent the bead that runs on along the wall of the tire:

 

 

IIRC I used a socket head of the correct size from my tool box at get the copper wire into the circular shape. Now I’m sure at this point someone would say STOP! Make a mold and start casting. And I would had this been a plastic endeavor. But instead I had to make three more….

 

A couple painted up:

 

 

Incidentally, I was using Model Master Acrylics for the majority of the paint done on this model. Mostly with a brush, I had to use my airbrush at the very end, which I will relate….at the very end.

 

On to the rims….

[Bomarc]

So to make the rims, I started with the same dowel I used to shape the inside of the tire, only now I wrapped it with some card:

 

 

To this I wrapped more copper wire, CA glued in place, and cut the whole flush to the wire:

 

 

Here it is installed along with the first one I made (already painted):

 

 

The center hub portion was made similar to how the wheel cores were made: Stacks of card glued together. Only in this instance, I used a wood dowel for the shaft vice the nuts and bolts, and the whole assembly id rigidly glued together. In this way, after turning it all down the shaft then becomes my wheel axle:

 

 

Then it’s detailing the hub with rolled tubes and other bits:

 

[Bomarc]

That whole assembly was turned down again so it will fit into the rim previously made:

 

 

Meanwhile, I added another layer of card inside the rim to respresent the step you see in the real deal:

 

 

Hub fits pretty snug, which is what’s desired:

 

 

Do it all over again for a second hub. The complete set of parts:

 

 

Final detailing, painting an assembly hopefully later today. I’ll let you all digest what’s been presented thus far.....(you don't have to say it, I already know I'm crazy )

[dodgem37]

This is great stuff, Mike. Truly amazing. Please don't stop posting. I'm learning so much.

 

Sincerely,

Mark

[Derek B]

...Maybe something here will be of use to others here....

 

You're not kidding Mike! Fantastic tutorial andsuperb problem solving - Thank you. Wheels and tyres are probably the most difficult single items to scratch build, so I really appreciate the sharing of your 'know how' here.

 

Best regards

 

Derek

Edited January 2, 2011 by Derek B

[Bomarc]

Please don't stop posting.

 

Fear not Mark, I'm taking this thread to the bitter end, even if the sound of crickets is deafening by then...

 

I see you're in Silver Spring MD, do you make the IPMS-DC meetings? I used to make those years ago when I worked in College Park, but being in Northern Virginia, it's a bit of a haul for me, particularly on a "school night" (kids, if you know what I mean). I don't even make the NOVA meetings any more (same reason... )

 

..... I really appreciate the sharing of your 'know how' here.

 

Entirely my pleasure Derek. After the dust settles on this thread, I could easily run a tutorial on how I solve the landing gear issues on my PBJ. Interested?

 

In the meantime, let’s finish up these rear tractor wheels and move on.

 

I’m sure you all recognize a Waldron punch set. This is the “Sub-Minature” set, and I’m using it to punch tiny rings out of paper card to simulate lug nuts on the rims:

 

 

Bruce Clemens is a fellow modeler who provides some laser cut aftermarket paper “goodies” for the discriminating paper modeler. His website is here. From him I bought some bolt heads in various sizes, and a sheet of “diamond plate” in 1/32nd scale:

 

 

These would be the equivalent of aftermarket photo-etched parts in the plastic model industry. Bruce also has a free downloadable paper model of a Clartor 6 at the link provided. It was this model that became the inspiration for what I eventually built. Initially I thought I would just build Bruce’s model and detail the heck out of it, but I started down a scratch built path never to return, so here we are.

 

Here I’m using some of the above detail parts for the axel hub nut:

 

 

Using the little rings I punched earlier as a guide, I drilled down into the hub and inserted short lengths of music wire to simulate the studs. A grinding attachment on the dremel tool evened things out:

 

 

Added some copper wire valve stems to the rims. I left a tail from these as a way to hold one to the rims for the final painting, which was done before final assembly (second photo below):

 

[Bomarc]

Final assembly

 

 

And like the 1:1 prototype, you can see through the rims to the other side, which I think is a nice touch in scale model building when you can achieve it:

 

 

How’d I do? You guy’s still with me?

 

If you think this was painful, wait to you see the front wheels.....

[Derek B]

Superb work Mark (I can't wait for the front wheels!). I too need to make a 'tractor', so your tutorials will certainly help me out a great deal.

 

Cheers

 

Derek

[Loic]

Most interesting and brilliant work here. I can not wait to see what's next.

I bought a few paper model years ago when I used to live in the UK with the aim to use them as a basis to build plastic models but I never tryed it... now, I see this "other" way of modelling LSP is an incredible source for new "technics" and "how-to" and you clearly show you master those 100 % I have to say!

Most impressive and absolutly facinating!

Cheers,

Loic

[LSP_Kevin]

This just boggles my mind, no matter what the medium. Suffice to say, I'm learning heaps!

 

Kev

[Bomarc]

I'm glad you guys are finding something of use here. I learned log ago in modeleing that you never know where you're going to pick up a new "trick, or a new tool, as we'll see shortly.

 

The front wheels took a little bit of a different path for the tread fabrication than the rear wheels. Even though theyre smaller (about 5/8 in diameter vs. almost an 1 for the rears) making for tighter tolerances, theres only two, so my work load was cut in half. Plus, the tread pattern of the prototype is not nearly as aggressive and distinct as the rears:

 

 

After a couple of dead end tries, I finally realize that a dumb simple method using good old fashion elbow grease was the way to go. This kind of grunt work is reserved for the paper armor modeler who likes to cut out each individual track link, or the ship modeler who makes his own railings. I was given a taste of this before when building the engines for that PBJ Mitchell. 28 individual cylinders, each cylinder having nine parts.

 

So the Waldron punch set comes in handy again. Two strips of card were harden with CA glue, then stacked together, where I then proceeded to punch a bazillion little discs:

 

 

Stacking the pieces gives me two discs for one blow of the hammer. Then began the task (tedious? No, not at all...) of gluing all these down onto the pattern I drew up and printed on ordinary printer paper, outer rows first then filling in the center:

 

 

This mat-o-treads was cut out and wrapped around a wheel core, only in this instance, the treads are facing outward, not inward like the rear wheels:

 

 

Then chucked up in the dremel, a little sanding along the tops to even things out, and a lot of sanding on either edge to get to the desired width:

 

 

Next I drew up these little trapezoidal pieces, printed them on card, cut them out and applied them to the sidewalls of the tire, being midful to line them up to a coresponding outer tread "dot":

 

Edited January 1, 2011 by Bomarc