1:6'ish pill boxes (pictures now posted)

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OdysseySlipways
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1:6'ish pill boxes (pictures now posted)

Post by OdysseySlipways »

(i'll post pictures as soon as i can get them uploaded to my photobucket account)

I started making some round pill boxes for the battle field and had one tested a few weeks ago (under close range fire). after it was shot a few times, i picked it up and looked inside, i saw a few slight stress fractures in the resin where it was hit, other than that, it was fine! no damage to the outside other than having to wipe away the paint.

i plan on adding another layer of the same tube to the inside feeling this should make it more than strong enough.

the Pill Boxes consist of cardboard tube (i forget what they call it, but they use it for making concrete footers - you can find it at HomeDepot and Lowe's) cut to length, then had plywood stiffner rings added to the inside of the tube at the top and bottom.

i have coated the tubes with a good coat of resin, letting it soak in and seal the cardboard well. then i sanded it down on the outside and added a layer of glass cloth (not sure of the wieght, but it's wat you find at the local auto stores). after that dried, i sanded it down once more and gave it a final coat of resin.

i have yet to cut out some more rings that will be cut down into thirds that will be used for the view ports. these view ports will be backed with some storm door plexi (lexan). beind this i plan on making mounts for video cameras. the idea is so video can be taken at ground level and keep the camera out of our hands so we can concentrate on not getting shot and shoot other's tanks.

the lids have not been made yet, but am planning on having them secured to the top plywood ring, but have the lid cut so it can hinge open so access to anything inside should be fairly easy.

the Tube's are 10" dia. i was asked by someone that i was showing progress to before anyone else saw them and they wnted to know if i could fit a marker in it and it was a bit too small (at least for me). i think i might see about some 12" tubes later and try to fit in a marker.

now while making these i was looking online at different once and i found one that had a large range finder on top ........ and then the pc froze. i never found that same one again as i want to add a range finder to the top of these as i plan on using them as a vioce tube to allow sounds to enter the pill box for the cameras to pick up sounds - if anyoe has ever seen one of these, please let me know.

again, as soon as i uploaded, i'll post them here.
Last edited by OdysseySlipways on Thu Aug 16, 2012 8:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
panzerschreck
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Re: 1:6'ish pill boxes

Post by panzerschreck »

Hi there :wave:

I also have started to build my own 1/6 scale scenery since moving into the big stuff, so this sounds like an interesting thread :thumbup:

So far I have built x1 ladder, x1 guardhouse, x2 German signs, x3 tank traps, x4 traffic barriers & x6 ammo boxes of various types.

The nice thing I find with 1/6 scenery is that less really is more in terms of creating a good, eye catching display 8O
OdysseySlipways
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Re: 1:6'ish pill boxes

Post by OdysseySlipways »

okay, the pictures have been uploaded by the days i worked on the pill boxes and when i took pictures of them. i will post to this thread once for each day, so this posting will be for the pictures and work done on 3-20-12

*i have to note that i made a goof in the first posting - there are 2 layers of fiberglass cloth, not 1

this is a 10" form tube that i took out back to someone's wood shop where they cut the tube down into 8" lengths



in this first picture you'll note the 2" high, black markings of what i expect to have cut out for the view port. i expect to have it go about 1/3 of the way around the pill box. i expect i could mount 2 palm sized video recorders in there if i wanted to, but at the moment i am only counting on 1 per

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in this picture you can see 3 of the tubes starting to be coated with fiberglass resin inside and out

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(good thing i'm only posting this one day as i hear my name being called to do other things......)
OdysseySlipways
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Re: 1:6'ish pill boxes

Post by OdysseySlipways »

(note to self "try to find 10"-12" PVC pipe)

okay, seems i might have a few minutes to post the next set of pictures.......


in this picture you can see i started cutting out playwood for the top and bottom reinforcement rings. Iwas offered to have had them done out back at the wood shop and would have single piece rings, but i'm not one for wasting materials if it can be helped, so i cut out some pieces that were 1/2 and 1/4 pieces.

you will also note 3 rings have been glued together. i took a few of the smaller ring pieces and cut them up so i could make pa joints. i would take the ring pieces that were going to be used and removed about 50% of it's thickness, laid the rings out, trimmed the smaller pieces so they would fit perfectly then glued it all together.

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same shot but from another angle. if you look at the 3 started rings in the back, you'll see how the small pieces fit in place nearly perfectly. just in front of the rings, you'll see some pieces of the ring that are less than 25% of the ring, those are the pieces i started to chop up first - they were cut from areas on the plywood where i had some space, but not enough for a useful part ...... so why waste it?

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here you can see 3 more rings just assembled

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just another view of the 3 rings. behind the ring you will note the smaller ring sections where i removed some of the plywood

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OdysseySlipways
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Re: 1:6'ish pill boxes (pictures now posted)

Post by OdysseySlipways »

looks like i have enough time for at least one more posting and a few pictures (i'll post more tonight)

5-13-12


here is a test fit of one of the rings, and you'll also see (or not) that the small pieces of plywood i glued to help join the rings together have been cut down flush. you'll also see that the rings are a bit cleaner looking around the edges as i sanded them on the drill press with a large sanding drum

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just another picture of the ring

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i'm going to guess that this picture shows when i started to coat the plywood rings with resin

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OdysseySlipways
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Re: 1:6'ish pill boxes (pictures now posted)

Post by OdysseySlipways »

oh just twist my arm some more........ okay, okay, i give, i'll post the rest...........

5-18-12


now with the rings resin'd in place, i begin to sand down the first coat of resin to help rid it of the raised spiral and for a better bonding surface for the next coat of resin and glass cloth.

i'm not 100% sure of the sand paper grit, but it could be about 80 grit, maybe 60 grit

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here is the same PB sanded down.

if you look closely to the right side of the plywood ring, you'll just make out where some resin was drizzled along the seem (so it could run down between it and the tube for a good bond and fill in any slight gaps) and was sanded down

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here is my first attempt at clothing. it went rather well except for the ending. i planned (hoped) that i could cut slits into the cloth and then fold it over the plywood ring. that didn't work, so after the resin dried, i just cut it off flush and did the rest of the PB's with glass cloth 8" wide

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here is the same PB after i trimmed off the glass cloth

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just a close up of the edge

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here you can see i just finished the 3rd PB and started sanding one of the others so it can get it's second layer of glass

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OdysseySlipways
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Re: 1:6'ish pill boxes (pictures now posted)

Post by OdysseySlipways »

okay, last 2 pictures i can find

5-27-12

here is one of the PB's sitting next to my 1:7 Tiger just to give an idea as to it's size/scale

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just another view of the same shot

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even with them not being finished (yet), what do you think so far?

and can someone explain to my why my pictures have been chopped off on the right side and if there is some way to correct it?
OdysseySlipways
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Re: 1:6'ish pill boxes (pictures now posted)

Post by OdysseySlipways »

well after a long down time, i'm expecting ot be getting back to these in the next few weeks (nicer garage weather is coming) and will try to get them finished.

i originally built these to house video cameras and i now have a (no contract as it's being used for the camera) windows phone and just bought 2 selfie sticks that i'll be cutting off just below the mount/swivel mount. i'll be mounting them within the PB and adjust them to get a full, un-obstructed view through the view port.

my current search is for a external mic that i can plug into the phone and mount to some sort of mat ust above the PB so i can get good, clear, un-muffled sound while video recording.

as soon as i start getting some progress made i'll post new pictures
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