WW1 Mr and Mrs Tanks

[takeslousyphotos]

What a rip off eBay are and the sellers!!!!!
Ordered 2 pieces of polystyrene at .99p each and they'were no bigger than A4 sheets but they wanted £6 for postage.,,,............... I don't think so


Got myself the same order elsewhere free postage


I like to get a bargain but £2 to pay and £6 post don't sound right!!!!


Robert

I think the postage / carriage cost was possibly calculated on "Volumetric Weight". Polystyrene weighs nowt. But takes up a lot of volume. As a for instance if you sent one piece of polystyrene 8ft x 4ft x 4ft it would fill a van but only weigh a couple of kilos if that........ and as parcel carriers work on consignment weight they wouldn't make any money on it. So they then work on the volumetric weight. ...........


That is calculated as Width x Length x Height in centimetres / 6000 = Volumetric Weight in kilograms.


So the chunk of polystyrene (4ft x 4ft x 8ft) in "cm" would be: 120 x 120 x 240 / 6000 ........... Would actually weigh 576 Kilos as far as the carrier is concerned......... and that'd cost a fortune.

 

[Robert1968]

I think the postage / carriage cost was possibly calculated on "Volumetric Weight". Polystyrene weighs nowt. But takes up a lot of volume. As a for instance if you sent one piece of polystyrene 8ft x 4ft x 4ft it would fill a van but only weigh a couple of kilos if that........ and as parcel carriers work on consignment weight they wouldn't make any money on it. So they then work on the volumetric weight. ...........
That is calculated as Width x Length x Height in centimetres / 6000 = Volumetric Weight in kilograms.


So the chunk of polystyrene (4ft x 4ft x 8ft) in "cm" would be: 120 x 120 x 240 / 6000 ........... Would actually weigh 576 Kilos as far as the carrier is concerned......... and that'd cost a fortune.

Understood and I never took that into account but the other company I found said they can send 10 blocks of 500mm x500mm ( 5cm cubes ) for less £5 all in and free postage and designed for packing and also model builders ( can be cut and shaped easily etc


I think and feel the same as my wife does that e bay take their cuts and also PayPal take cut as well now which is a bad unfair thing but we can't get everything cheap as chips all the time, everybody wants to make it worth their time and I understand that entirely


Robert

 

[takeslousyphotos]

Understood and I never took that into account but the other company I found said they can send 10 blocks of 500mm x500mm ( 5cm cubes ) for less £5 all in and free postage and designed for packing and also model builders ( can be cut and shaped easily etc
I think and feel the same as my wife does that e bay take their cuts and also PayPal take cut as well now which is a bad unfair thing but we can't get everything cheap as chips all the time, everybody wants to make it worth their time and I understand that entirely


Robert

Ebay & Paypal should be wearing masks and yelling "Stand and Deliver" ............... I sold an old table a wile back for £ 1100 and between them they took me for just shy on £ 190 ............. I don't use them anymore.

 

[Robert1968]

Update


Did a bit of searching and well found a couple of polystyrene picture frames outside a local shop ( bin ) and asked if I could have them. ( result) I still have blocks on order of polystyrene but heh!


Cut pieces and sculptured few holes to represent she'll holes etc glued with ova and heh presto WW1 vignette battlefield.


Used modelling clay like a big pancake and sculptured onto the base. Used a wet sponge to moisten and used kitty litter ( catsan) to represent rocks/ boulders and stuck in place ( texture etc


I'll give it 24/ 48hrs before attempting to spray colours.


Tanks have been clear varnished twice and are fully cured so they will get started on with decals then weathering. I may give another varnish after decalling to seal before the rusting effects etc start


Placed the tanks in the position they will finally be on wet clay so I get the tracks effect ( took a few pics for final positioning once painted up. There will be figures and a trench still to come


Pics below and comments welcome

 

[dubster72]

Looking good Rob

 

[takeslousyphotos]

That'll look good when it's done Robert. Great idea.

 

[Robert1968]

Update:


The Emhar decals went down really well and gave a small brush of decal fix and they have really hugged the metalwork panels showing the rivets through which I'm quite proud of.


Gave another coat of Humbtol clear to seal and will start weathering tomorrow.

 

[Robert1968]

Hi chaps


Still working on the tanks paintwork ( oh it's taking a lot of patience and eyes sore ( magnify glass out )


Thought I might try getting the trench done and I'm still waiting on my 1/72 fig appearing through post so had to use a couple of 1/72 pilots so I could try getting my scales right/ height width etc.


So I have made lots of planks from coffee stirrers and went through 2 blades, cocktail sricks were used to represent wooden boards for the base of trench. Lots of Pva thinned down to brush on. Feeling pretty chuffed with this first ever WW1 trench. ( researched lots of pics)


Comments welcome

 

[dubster72]

It's beginning to come together very nicely Robert 1/72 is a tough scale on the eyes!


And it could be just my tired mincers, but I'm thinking those planks lining the trench seem a tad thick - almost like railway sleepers! I dunno what anyone else might think?

 

[Robert1968]

Thanks for the comment Patrick it helps to try and judge scale but I took the only 1/72 I have at mo to try and scale it with


I posssibly might use a thin layer of clay over this to gauge it smaller ruthenium with careful painting I could say half the bottom planking ( have put officer giggles for scale he's 1/72.

 

[Robert1968]

Sculpted a piece of modelling clay over the trench base as think it was too much like "sleepers"


positive critism from Dubster.


Used a modelling knife to create more to scale planks( think look better )before priming and looks more authentic ( so thanks for the help)


Once carefully painted up and given a coat staining etc then a mud stain you won't see the difference I hope

 

[Dave Jay]

I got my polystyrene from argos, cost me £289 but came with a free 48 inch smart tv..........bloody bargain!


P'S. Your dio is coming along a treat. Great work so far.

 

[monica]

this is all coming along so nicely,the tanks look good and very nice work


on the base do like the look of that trench base,looks great,


with the dark mud base well done so far,

 

[Robert1968]

this is all coming along so nicely,the tanks look good and very nice work
on the base do like the look of that trench base,looks great,


with the dark mud base well done so far,

Thanks Monica,


Still waiting on the figures to turn up ( Emhar1/72 Germans and British) but the base needed a bit of work too so I've been juggling the two tanks and the base.


I only primed the base of the trench and will paint the planks in tonight. I've left enough gaps to leave the mud ( blackened earth between so once it's painted and weathered wil look as authentic as a trench in WW1 ( fingers crossed ) I'm stuck trying to find colour photos ( very rare) and all I have for ref are black and white pics and the odd museum pic on my laptop.


A lot of imagination is going into this build and I have a nice surprise at the end when it's all done.


Robert

 

[takeslousyphotos]

This is looking good to me Robert.


I've been doing some research before starting mine. Lots of useful info on here mate.


http://landships.activeboard.com/

 

[Robert1968]

This is looking good to me Robert.
I've been doing some research before starting mine. Lots of useful info on here mate.


http://landships.activeboard.com/

Great had a quick look at this site and opens into big stuff so should be very interesting


Big smiles


Robert

 

[Robert1968]

I got my polystyrene from argos, cost me £289 but came with a free 48 inch smart tv..........bloody bargain!
P'S. Your dio is coming along a treat. Great work so far.

Wish you had told me sooner as I could have pinched some from you!! But my wife wouldn't want to swap one 48inch for another!!!


Polystyrene is so easy to find everywhere but when you want it can you find it???

 

[monica]

how true is that,happens all the time,need to be a packrat and just pick it up and keep,it


untill your not home and someone bins it all,well that's happens to me a lot lol, :rolleyes:


what I do off B/W pics is use the idea where a lighter shad of gray is should mean light color and so on,


if thats of any help ,or find a good war movie to get an idea of the colors,:rolleyes:

 

[Dave Jay]

Wish you had told me sooner as I could have pinched some from you!! But my wife wouldn't want to swap one 48inch for another!!!
Polystyrene is so easy to find everywhere but when you want it can you find it???

Hehehe, my wife would be grateful for a 48 inch!:eek::oops:


I've got some good old chunks of polystyrene now, my wife doesn't care for that either, new telly and polystyrene, what more could she ask for?!o_O


If you need any polystyrene I can supply some to you. ........99p and £6 postage.........volumetric weight etc etc!

 

[Robert1968]

Hehehe, my wife would be grateful for a 48 inch!:eek::oops:
I've got some good old chunks of polystyrene now, my wife doesn't care for that either, new telly and polystyrene, what more could she ask for?!o_O


If you need any polystyrene I can supply some to you. ........99p and £6 postage.........volumetric weight etc etc!

Ouch!!!


Hahahahahaah