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Post by 30sqnatc on Aug 10, 2018 19:49:37 GMT 12
Nice Marsten Mat in 1/48th scale arrived from Shapeways.  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 10, 2018 21:10:33 GMT 12
That looks good.
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Post by 30sqnatc on Aug 11, 2018 12:33:11 GMT 12
As I've started teraforming thought I'd stage a scene so you can see what I'm thinking of. While doing this did learn that the expanded foam is not dense enough to hold the coconut trees upright with just 1 cm spigots. I will change the design for the next 65 coconut trees  IMG_1687 by tankienz, on Flickr  IMG_1686 by tankienz, on Flickr |
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Post by davidd on Aug 11, 2018 13:00:19 GMT 12
That should be Marston mat, named after small town in North Carolina very near where this innovation was first employed in "wargames" a few months (or weeks?) prior to Pearl harbour.
David D
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Post by 30sqnatc on Aug 11, 2018 13:01:04 GMT 12
I have had pleasing outcome to some research I've been doing this week. I often wondered if NZ deployed any crash fire aliiances to the Pacific. As there was at least one RNZAF ambulance I assumed we did but until this week have never found a picture of one. In Classic Warbirds Pacific Twins by Ventura Publication there is a picture of 10 SU in Piva (pg 49) which has a fire truck in the foreground. After spending many hours unsuccessfully trying to match the truck to US military fire appliances I realised the body is very very similar ColMolCo bodies manufactured Lower Hutt for RNZAF. Mystery busted. Of cause it i'd just read this thread the info was here all the time rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/17256/vehicle-reclamation-ww2 and herehttp://rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/11891/rnzaf-ground-vehicles   |
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Post by madmax on Aug 12, 2018 1:16:22 GMT 12
Marston matting, also frequently referred to as marsden matting, is still in wide-spread use here in the Philippines. One frequently sees it used for fences and, stood on end and the sheets welded together it makes ideal gates. The college just 200 metres from where I live had a 100 metre long marsden matting fence until it was replaces 18 months ago. I read about a decade back there was still around 100,000 tons of unused matting stored in this country
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Post by 30sqnatc on Aug 16, 2018 20:27:47 GMT 12
Time to add some coconuts to the trees. i'm trying peppercorns painted brown. Hopefully these will dry as clumps I can lift off the plastic surface.  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 16, 2018 21:58:03 GMT 12
Geez, what have you been feeding your rabbit?  |
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Post by Mustang51 on Aug 17, 2018 11:45:47 GMT 12
The end result is going to be fantastic.
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Post by 30sqnatc on Aug 18, 2018 1:58:44 GMT 12
I'm very happy with the way the coconuts turned out. Way easier and quicker than forming each one individually from clay or putty.  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 18, 2018 12:15:12 GMT 12
They look good, but - and I don't mean to criticise - but don't coconuts grow in a smooth green husk that has to be broken open to expose the rough brown shell? or are there different varieties?   |
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Post by 30sqnatc on Aug 18, 2018 16:43:57 GMT 12
You need to get some tropical time up  The husk is smooth and green when in the infant stage. As they age the colour changes towards brown when ripe. I pondered which stage to display and went with brown as I rationalised there would have been no harvesting for the copra during the war so the trees were probably loaded with ripe coconuts. Eventually fully ripe coconuts which are by then totally brown fall to the ground. It was an early lesson learnt when patrolling on foot in Bougainville - before selecting campsite for the night in coconut plantation, look up and check what colour the coconuts were and how many were lying around on the ground. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 18, 2018 17:07:53 GMT 12
Oh right, that makes sense. Cheers,I have learned something. I have seen them being eaten from cracking open that green husk on TV, so they were not actually ripe when that is done?
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Post by 30sqnatc on Aug 18, 2018 18:04:58 GMT 12
I think you can first drink the milk when they are still green but the flesh inside which is used commercially for copra takes longer to form. The ground work to disguise the track returning at the end of the baseboard and running down the back is fairly well in place. Also mounting of the trees has been sorted out by inserting tubes for the pins to slip into.  I just picked up an Avenger model so along with the Hudson I got last weekend I now have the full set of RNZAF ground based Pacific aircraft to build. |
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Post by madmax on Aug 18, 2018 18:17:26 GMT 12
Here in the Phillipines we harvest coconuts when the outer smooth green shell begins to turn yellow. At this stage the flesh inside is like a jelly and can be scooped out with a spoon once they are cracked in half. Delicious and nothing like those things you get in NZ which have to be attacked with a very sharp knife or axe.
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Post by 30sqnatc on Aug 20, 2018 23:58:39 GMT 12
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Post by 30sqnatc on Aug 24, 2018 21:24:34 GMT 12
OK it's difficult to see but the 'D' is a depression I created by cutting a section of the baseboard out and reattaching it several centimetres lower. This will form the aircraft dump at the end of the aircraft dispersal. The outside of the 'D' is an embankment carrying the rail line turning at the end of the baseboard. I envisage the depression will be filled with pieces of wrecked Japanese, US and RNZAF aircraft which is starting to get overgrown and the lower edge may even have a few pools of water.  |
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Post by 30sqnatc on Aug 25, 2018 18:49:16 GMT 12
And the second feature will be a section of ground topped with Marston matting. As the Eduard sections were over 3mm thick I had to recess the surface by that amount to allow the top to be flush with the remainder of the dispersal area so ground cork is everywhere.  |
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Post by 30sqnatc on Aug 27, 2018 22:18:55 GMT 12
Sunset on the dispersal. Finally starting to get enough trees for a decent background. Start made of painting and decalling the Jeep.  |
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Post by 30sqnatc on Aug 30, 2018 21:07:55 GMT 12
I have had pleasing outcome to some research I've been doing this week. I often wondered if NZ deployed any crash fire aliiances to the Pacific. As there was at least one RNZAF ambulance I assumed we did but until this week have never found a picture of one. In Classic Warbirds Pacific Twins by Ventura Publication there is a picture of 10 SU in Piva (pg 49) which has a fire truck in the foreground. After spending many hours unsuccessfully trying to match the truck to US military fire appliances I realised the body is very very similar ColMolCo bodies manufactured Lower Hutt for RNZAF. Mystery busted. Of cause it i'd just read this thread the info was here all the time rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/17256/vehicle-reclamation-ww2 and herehttp://rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/11891/rnzaf-ground-vehicles Scan 9 by tankienz, on Flickr On the right hand side of this picture is one of the fire tenders. The twin hose reels are clearly visible.  |
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The husk is smooth and green when in the infant stage. As they age the colour changes towards brown when ripe. I pondered which stage to display and went with brown as I rationalised there would have been no harvesting for the copra during the war so the trees were probably loaded with ripe coconuts. Eventually fully ripe coconuts which are by then totally brown fall to the ground. 