Help with BSA B40 please

[Bernard Elgar]

I am thinking of making a WWII BSA M20 but to get me into the right frame of mind have decided to upgrade the old Action Man B40. (See photos of my first mockup using Plasticine and garden wire covered in heat shrink tube)

I have started to mockup various items like the tyre pump, footrests, gear, brake and kickstart levers and the two "pannier bags". I also have to make a set of handlebars and an exhaust but I will use the originals as the basis for these just adding extras like the choke lever and clamp where the downpipe goes into the silencer, .

But I am finding it difficult to heat and bend Plastruct rods and tubes without them either snapping or melting.

Can anyone suggest an alternative material or product range which is maluable but will also hold it's shape once bent?

Any help or suggestions will be very much appreciated,

Bern

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[Gern]

Don't know about the solid rods other than warming them somehow. With the tubes, how about threading a piece of stiff wire through them? That would hold the shape and stop the tube flattening out when bent. You'll need to warm the plastic before bending though.

Gern

 

[Bernard Elgar]

Gern,

I hadn't thought of putting wire inside the tubes.

I'll give that a go.

Thank you,

Bern

 

[CDW]

Boiling water works wonders in bending plastic rod, try and bend it gently round some sort of forma though to save it snapping.

 

[Bernard Elgar]

Colin,

I will give that a go at that. I am also going to try different thicknesses of plastic coated electrical wire especially as some of the levers need to have an almost flat profile.

So off to B&Q tomorrow then I'll put the kettle on.

Many thanks for the tip,

Bern

 

[CDW]

Solder wire can be flattened to give the effect I presume you want for the levers, you can heat the end till it "blobs" or "balls" up and this would give you the knobble on the lever.

 

[Bernard Elgar]

Colin,

Thank you very much for this tip. What a top idea!

Funny how I can use solder wire for soldering.

e.g connecting an 8ohms 1 watt speaker to a small MP3 player to "repair" a broken talking Action Man.

Then completely miss the option to make items with it.

Cheers,

Bern

 

[Bernard Elgar]

Current progress.

Next step is to replace the spokes with insect pins which should keep me occupied for a while.

Bern

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[eddiesolo]

What a interesting project, superb...only now I miss my Action men

Si

 

[Bernard Elgar]

Si,

Thank you for your reply.

I had a few old Action Men that I had kept but wanted a trio of figures for an radio controlled Jeep I created. So I used 12" artists mannequins. I sculpted the heads, bought the uniforms and made the rest as required.

Bern

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[eddiesolo]

Si,Thank you for your reply.

I had a few old Action Men that I had kept but wanted a trio of figures for an radio controlled Jeep I created. So I used 12" artists mannequins. I sculpted the heads, bought the uniforms and made the rest as required.

Bern

Superb, looks like Dad's army, love it Bernard.

Si

 

[Bernard Elgar]

I have decided to have a go at making some wire spokes.

Here is the first mockup of the left hand side (longer spokes).

I can't work out how to do this as a one piece mould so when the masters are done I will do each side with four spokes and then glue the rest into position.

Bern

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[mobear]

if you do this i might faint,brave man you are,and 2 halves might be the way to go,but jeeeez mate,good luck to you

mobear

 

[Bernard Elgar]

1st Mock up now complete for both hubs.

Next step:

Reduce the size of the left hand hub.

Make a suitable hub and rim template/clamp so I can drop both in and hold them in place while attaching spokes

Arrange the spokes on the outside of both hubs.

Improve the ends that attach to the outer rim especially on the right hand side.

Now I have got my first shot at this type of assembly underway I feel a lot more confidant that a decent set of wire wheels can be achieved which includes old cars as well as bikes. At the back of my mind I have got a 1:6 Jones's Butchers van which although it ran on wooden spokes will need the same techniques.

Bern

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[Bunkerbarge]

I think the one thing that spoils so many motorcycle models is the out of scale spokes. This old Action Man model is particularly poor as it is 1/6th scale but in all fairness it is a toy!

I think you are doing a superb job of improving this area but for all your time and effort having the spokes glued to the outside edge of the rim takes away from the overall realism. If you can somehow drill the rims to enable the spokes to be inserted centrally it would make a huge difference. Or better still if you can clean up the original rim and then cut it in half you will be able to lay the spokes in it in a jig sat in perhaps notches cut with a needle file. You can actually still get hold of fine, stiff stainless steel wire, which would do the job well. Have a look at RC suppliers who do control cables that incorporate a fine wire in a plastic sleeve, that is the type of stuff you might find suitable.

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[Bernard Elgar]

Thank you for your advice on this Richard.

Yes I agree it's a shame that more effort wasn't put into the finish of the VAM toys.

You are right that getting the spokes in the right place on the rim would help a lot with this. I can't yet work out how to keep my Dremel steady enough to drill in the right spots on the rim but that's just lack of experience.

I'll go and have a look at that wire you suggest. (Thank you for the photos).

Bern

PS Just Goggled but didn't come up with anything. Can anyone suggest where I try for the plastic sleeved control wire here in the UK please?

 

[Bunkerbarge]

Sorry Bernard, I rescued mine from an old plane model I was scrapping so didn't buy them. However this might put you on the right track, although a bit thicker than ideal:

http://www.greatplanes.com/accys/gpmq3710.html

A heavy bike spoke diameter is 4mm so for a 1/6th scale model we should be aiming for something in the region of 0.7mm. I don't think 1mm would look too far out of place but smaller would be better.

I have also used jewellers supplies before for rigging accessories so some of this might be worth experimenting with:

http://www.firemountaingems.com/itemdetails/H206126FN

This looks like it should be spot on as regards size and properties but unfortunately a bit expensive:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Beadalon-Remembrance-Memory-Wire-Bracelet-62mm-0-1-4-Ounce-Pkg-Gold-Approx-18-/190995442843?pt=UK_Crafts_Other_Crafts_EH&hash=item2c78372c9b

 

[Bernard Elgar]

Richard,

Thank you for all of this help.

I agree 0.7mm is about right for the scale diameter.

I tried jewellery findings but the ones I got were not rigid enough but it's worth another go.

I am waiting for replies to enquiries along the lines of "rigid pushrods with plastic sleeves" that I have left with various UK model aircraft shops. I prefer to buy things in the UK if possible just out of personal preference.

I will keep you posted,

Bern

 

[Willi262]

Superb, looks like Dad's army, love it Bernard.Si

The driver side passenger reminded me of 'Baldric' from "Black Adder"...