Andy's Modelmaking Misadventures

[Andy in Germany]

Life is a bit busy at the moment, so this week I worked on a “rainy day” project, namely finishing the interior of the power station belonging to the “Ascension Island Tramway, Electric Power and Vacuum Evacuating Toilet Company Limited”.

The model has been unpainted for some time, except for a rather half-hearted dark grey base coat. The idea behind this was that it would at least unify the colours, and I suppose you could argue that it was successful because once finished I couldn’t see anything at all.

This is now finally sorted and looks passably convincing to my eye, although I’m sure it would make an engineer wince.

The already myriad dangers of life on Ascension Island have been increased with a boiler on the cusp of exploding, a control panel naturally showing lots of dials in the danger zone, and of course the ultimate in undefined potential destruction: the Big Red Lever.

 

[Reynard]

I dunno. It's made *this* engineer smile

 

[Punkawallah]

Is it too late to add a ‘third switch’?

 

[Andy in Germany]

Thanks for the comments. @Punkawallah: What's the "third switch" reference? I've been out of the UK for a long time.

This week I forced myself to make the interior of the Casino.

"Forced" I appreciate is a relative term, but I hadn't been enthusiastic because I’ve never been inside such an establishment and don't really want to. As such I had to resort to a lot of online research, which is how I learned that there are more casinos in Las Vegas that the whole of Germany; how the odds in casinos are so carefully set to make sure that ultimately the house always wins, and the longer customers play, the higher their chance of losing, how casinos have no windows or clocks, so players lose track of time, and how casinos will ply successful players with ‘free’ alcohol to reduce their decision-making capabilities. Nothing is left to chance.

I have to admit, all this made me wonder why anyone would enter one of these places. In fact, it made me even less enthusiastic, which is why the interior looks a little ‘basic’. I may come back and add details at some point if this annoys me, but for now I want to do something else.

Of course behind the glitz, the Georgetown Casino is all this dialled up to ’11’ and a wealthy inebriated gambler will be lucky to wake up the next day still in possession of their cash, and indeed their wallet; ticket home; clothes; and possibly the deeds to their property.

Despite this, as usual, the management probably won’t have it all their own way; many people have strategies to beat the house, and of course, there are always some people who will take a more ‘direct’ approach to wealth accumulation…

 

[Punkawallah]

‘Young Frankenstein’ reference :-) Igor responding to Frankenstein’s demand to ‘throw the third switch’ - “the Third Switch? This guy really means business!”
And I wouldn’t like to traverse the alley behind that casino, given its lack of ‘facilities’ :-)

 

[Andy in Germany]

‘Young Frankenstein’ reference :-) Igor responding to Frankenstein’s demand to ‘throw the third switch’ - “the Third Switch? This guy really means business!”
And I wouldn’t like to traverse the alley behind that casino, given its lack of ‘facilities’ :-)

Bearing in mind the lack of paving and general absence of plumbing on the Island, I'd be inclined to avoid it as well.

 

[Reynard]

@Andy in Germany - have you read the ST:OS novel Ishmael? It's got some good scenes set inside 1880s San Francisco casinos in there. Of course, Spock ends up saving everyone's bacon by winning at chess

 

[Andy in Germany]

But on a technical note, wind sock on top of/adjacent to the control building?

Well, if you insist @Punkawallah:

By the way, I'm currently running a vote on what the next project should be, because I couldn't decide. If you want to see the possibilities and join in, follow this link:

https://korschtal.wordpress.com/2024/06/29/to-do-list/

 

[Reynard]

I'll put my thinking cat on and go and have a look!

 

[Punkawallah]

Yay! Go windsock! Visited (one of) your alter ego sites, and voted for the industrial scrap. No point in making life easy for you :x)

 

[Reynard]

Treacle mining...

For the airship tower, I'd have a furkle for an old radio with an extendable aerial and use that. Then you only need to do the outside bottom bit and then extend the inside when needed. Fewer chances of unintended breakages, too.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I told you things would get sillier, and behold, they have…

The Great Depression may be in full swing, but for the extremely wealthy it is no more than background noise, a topic of conversation alongside Jacosta’s new outfit or Ronald’s sleepover with the Prince of Wales. But this class has found a new problem; boredom. Attending parties and buying thousand dollar dresses is all very well, but it eventually becomes stale, and thus began a new craze for the thrill seeking elites.

The First of “the races” was probably held in 1934 on a patch of waste ground outside London. Despite being illegal, it spread rapidly, especially as the participants had the finances to travel across Europe and to the USA, with their souped up machines.

The first incident of drivers shooting at each other was, of course, in the USA, but soon the already highly dangerous vehicles were being fitted out with everything from machine guns to the newfangled rocket launchers; others added hoppers for oil and caltrops to give anyone following a very nasty surprise indeed.

As Ascension is now a major crossroads for the rich and famous, it was only a matter of time before the circus came to town. “The Races” are of course illegal, but the local police force have been instructed, from very high up, not to interfere.

Mind you, Captain Bryant has probably decided that with general crime, smuggling, trafficking, vice, counterfeiting, and a civil war brewing back in the UK, his small team have quite enough to deal with. If some rich idiots want to try and shoot each other, that’s their problem.

With luck, they may even succeed.

 

[Punkawallah]

Shades of Gorkamorka :-)

 

[Reynard]

I'm half expecting Dick Dastardly and Muttley to be chuckling somewhere behind a corner of a building

Love it!

 

[Andy in Germany]

Preliminary sketches for the next project, which will be an art Deco van with some seriously excessive weaponry. Van #2 will be the next project.