Author Topic: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart  (Read 5650 times)

Offline Frank3k

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1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« on: March 25, 2022, 10:52:41 AM »
I had an idea of building a cart with truck wheels and a leaf suspension; I'm sure they're common in rural areas worldwide. The donor cart came with the Miniart country road diorama.
I also wanted to try some new techniques.

Here's the cart with an Arab on a donkey and the "engine", the horse from my build of the Master Box Gentleman Jim Jameson - Hired Gun. Jim is now riding an 1880s Albert Robida inspired flyer, so he didn't need the horse.

The start of the leaf suspension is in the lower right:



The suspension was a quick build. I added some Meng bolts. The wheels are M113 wheels, the tires are from some anonymous 1/24 or 1/25 car model and the axle is a plastic rod to fit the wheels:



I made a rider from body parts I had in my body bits box. The legs may be from the Academy 1/35 Hetzer; I repositioned one of the legs and extended the pant legs with some ProCreate epoxy, which is great stuff - it stays somewhat pliable after curing. I don't know where the torso came from, but I added a hood, also made with ProCreate. The head and arms are optional parts from the excellent Zvezda M-72 motorcycle

The guy was probably not going to be clean shaven, so I experimented with a way of giving him more than a 5 o'clock shadow. I remembered the great rusting technique from Araki so I tried something similar on the head. I used the tip of a fine scalpel to score the beard into the plastic . He looks  little like Paul Teutul here:



I had a hard time figuring out how the horse is supposed to be harnessed, but I found some pictures online and took some artistic license.

Here's the cart finished. The yoke on the horse is made with ProCreate. The strap on the back is just some depron foam cut and painted. All the harnesses are painted Tamiya tape, except for the reins, which are wire-wrap wire:



I added a spare tire at the rear; not sure if it works. The shovel and pickaxe are from one of the first 1/35 kits I built after getting back into the hobby; the Tamiya Sd.Kfz.222:



The cargo is from several sources; the tarp and wooden box are from Valuegear. The beer bottles and wooden crate are from Miniart, the plastic water jerrycan is from Meng, the solar panel is a leftover from a previous build. It's connected to a box (battery?) from the Tamiya Gama Goat. The large bag resting on top of the wooden box was made from leftover ProCreate:



Even though the figure source was of a Russian soldier, he looks African-American or middle Eastern here. He's sitting on a Procreate cushion that I made by squishing his butt into the putty before it set. The fuzzy look on his hoodie is some Tamiya weathering powder brushed over a clear matte coating.

Something to his left drew his attention (and that of the horse). A guy can't enjoy his beer in peace...:



Overall, I'm not that pleased with how this came out. The harness system was a PITA and the shading on the guy's pats looks messy (doesn't look this bad in normal light)
« Last Edit: March 25, 2022, 11:03:07 AM by Frank3k »

Offline Old Wombat

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #1 on: March 25, 2022, 02:47:02 PM »
You may not be impressed with it but I am! :smiley: 8)
"This is the Captain. We have a little problem with our engine sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and, ah, explode."

Offline Buzzbomb

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #2 on: March 25, 2022, 04:07:20 PM »
Frank, works for me

Offline LemonJello

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #3 on: March 25, 2022, 08:42:41 PM »
You may not be impressed with it but I am! :smiley: 8)

I second this.

Offline Jeffry Fontaine

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #4 on: March 25, 2022, 11:56:37 PM »
@Frank.  We are our own worst critic.  You did an excellent job on modifying the cart and adapting the figure and horse to fit. 
"Every day we hear about new studies 'revealing' what should have been obvious to sentient beings for generations; 'Research shows wolverines don't like to be teased" -- Jonah Goldberg

Offline Story

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #5 on: March 26, 2022, 01:24:44 AM »
Once again, Frank's art mirrors reality.

Offline Frank3k

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #6 on: March 26, 2022, 02:48:57 AM »
Thanks guys - I think the best trick was the beard. It looks better in normal lighting and some drybrushing should bring it out some more.

Story - I may have to build that, since I have the donkey and rider. Sourcing the wheels shouldn't be difficult and the cart seems to be just netting dangling from a wooden frame. It even looks suitably post apocalyptic.

Offline apophenia

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #7 on: March 26, 2022, 04:38:00 AM »
@Frank.  We are our own worst critic.  You did an excellent job on modifying the cart and adapting the figure and horse to fit.

Yep. Frank, this is awesome! I was wondering where you got those great wheels ... only to read that they were M113 rims and generic car model tires. The effect is perfect  :smiley:

Also love the poses. With both horse and driver (interrupted mid-guzzle) checking left, we naturally want to follow their gaze to uncover the story. Good drama ... but subtle.

BTW, in my imaginings, that Gama Goat box holds a Jackery 500. Why in a box? Apparently no-one has 3D-printed a 1/35 Portable Power Station yet  ???
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #8 on: March 26, 2022, 06:51:49 AM »
I like it
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline Story

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #9 on: March 27, 2022, 01:45:20 AM »

Story - I may have to build that, since I have the donkey and rider. Sourcing the wheels shouldn't be difficult and the cart seems to be just netting dangling from a wooden frame. It even looks suitably post apocalyptic.

It's interesting that we've already been *there* at the peripheries of civilization for the last couple of decades.


Closer to home, the Mexican carreta bulk haulers (salt, hay, etc) would be easy to duplicate (in reality or scale) using only salvaged lumber.


https://medium.com/new-farmer/re-inventing-the-wheel-1b43c0164d2b

Offline Frank3k

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #10 on: March 27, 2022, 04:21:23 AM »
I thought that was a GAZ-66 cab at first glance.

Yeah if lumber is available, carts would be fairly easy to cobble together. draft animals would be fairly easy to acquire. If metal is available, leaf springs would make life in a cart a bit less apocalyptic.

Offline apophenia

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #11 on: March 27, 2022, 05:31:10 AM »
... If metal is available, leaf springs would make life in a cart a bit less apocalyptic.

Leaf springs are usually made from high-carbon spring-steel. And 5160 spring-steel and the like is excellent for recycling into cutting tools.

So, never park your cart overnight close to any post-apocalyptic smithies' forges  ;)
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline Story

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #12 on: March 27, 2022, 11:29:12 AM »
I think that considering the context, leaf spring assemblies would be plentiful.
It'd just be a question of farming them -
probably by salvage carts supplied with jacks, blocks, lubricants (also a salvage item from auto oil tanks), tanker bars & cheater pipes (for leverage) and maybe some flame cutters.



  draft animals would be fairly easy to acquire. 

From what I remember, donkeys are the easiest because they're hardy animals that breed like bunnies. Mules are equally hardy, considering their mixed parentage but have stereotypical stubbornness issues.

Horses require someone knowing how to care for them (overeat/undereat, do stupid things & equine diseases can be vicious without meds to treat them), which is why civilian Teamsters were paid in silver coin during the American Revolution.

That's why Stephen King wrote out equines out of survivorship to the same rate as humans in THE STAND.

Probably also why horse thievery use to be a hanging offense (diorama potential there).

Boring animal science to put in your cart
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7760297/
« Last Edit: March 27, 2022, 09:23:24 PM by Story »

Offline Old Wombat

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #13 on: March 27, 2022, 04:49:14 PM »
Cattle are the best load movers, not fast but can shift lots.

Goats are good for small loads & dogs can move decent loads, too, if you have enough of them.


PS: Note: All animals come with the same problem as automobiles, although, maybe, easier to solve - fuel, or, in the case of animals, food & water, & in some instances, carrying enough of it to keep your animals alive, let alone healthy.
« Last Edit: March 27, 2022, 05:12:12 PM by Old Wombat »
"This is the Captain. We have a little problem with our engine sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and, ah, explode."

Offline Frank3k

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #14 on: March 28, 2022, 03:28:14 AM »
You guys are giving me good ideas...

Offline Gingie

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #15 on: March 28, 2022, 10:07:08 PM »
I can see Vitto Morgenson doing his best to avoid cannibals while on The Road.

Offline Old Wombat

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #16 on: March 29, 2022, 12:28:57 AM »
I can see Vitto Morgenson doing his best to avoid cannibals while on The Road.

Viggo Mortensen ;)
"This is the Captain. We have a little problem with our engine sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and, ah, explode."

Offline Story

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #17 on: March 29, 2022, 08:34:58 AM »
I can see Vitto Morgenson doing his best to avoid cannibals while on The Road.

Viggo Mortensen ;)

Not this guy?

Offline Gingie

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #18 on: March 31, 2022, 04:28:37 AM »
Swedish names all sound the same!

Offline apophenia

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #19 on: March 31, 2022, 06:42:53 AM »
Swedish names all sound the same!

Yep. It's those pesky Old Norse origins. The ON name Vígge came from víg meaning battle, fight, murder, etc. (BYW, the accented 'í' is important - ON vig (no accent) was pronounced 'vik' and meant village.)

Viggo Mortensen got his name from his Danish father. But Viggo is a common name throughout Scandinavia - even used in non-Nordic Finish and Greenlandic.
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline Gingie

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #20 on: April 01, 2022, 01:23:34 AM »
Sorry, I was trying to make a Kurt Russel / The Thing joke. But that is interesting about Viggo and my comments stand about the cart looking well at home on https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0898367/

Offline Old Wombat

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #21 on: April 01, 2022, 09:55:54 AM »
Sorry, I was trying to make a Kurt Russel / The Thing joke. But that is interesting about Viggo and my comments stand about the cart looking well at home on https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0898367/

Except for the horse, I agree entirely. :smiley:
"This is the Captain. We have a little problem with our engine sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and, ah, explode."

Offline Story

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #22 on: April 01, 2022, 11:00:34 AM »
i could see a return of the late 19th century Freightliner of it's day appearing in the 21st (?) century.
 

Note the size


https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/historyculture/twenty-mule-teams.htm

I've got a couple of these kits as they're 'close enough' for 28mm gaming scale

https://www.20muleteamlaundry.com/history/



which means the LINDBERG Civil War artillery set (available at deep discount as some OLLIES') could be cannibalized for a 1/35th scale build
https://www.hobbylinc.com/lindberg-horse-drawn-field-artillery-union-plastic-model-military-vehicle-1:16-scale-70350

The beauty of this would be that any draft animal would be acceptable in the effort to reach 20 of them, and if some are slightly over-scale OH WELL  - THEY'RE MUTANTS.
https://www.google.com/search?q=plastic+toy+oxen&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjxocj-7_H2AhWrM1kFHUyKBcQQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=plastic+toy+oxen&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIECAAQGDoFCAAQgAQ6BggAEAgQHjoGCAAQChAYUNwLWPQWYNMZaABwAHgAgAEyiAHsAZIBATWYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=G2tGYrGoFavn5NoPzJSWoAw&bih=481&biw=1234
« Last Edit: April 01, 2022, 11:04:39 AM by Story »

Offline apophenia

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #23 on: April 01, 2022, 11:17:21 AM »
Sorry, I was trying to make a Kurt Russel / The Thing joke. But that is interesting about Viggo and my comments stand about the cart looking well at home on https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0898367/

Scusa Graeme! I missed that ref entirely - too busy nerding out on Old Norse  :-[

My only excuse is having seen the film almost 40 years ago ... my favourite line (and delivery) coming from David Clennon  ;)
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline Gingie

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Re: 1/35 post apocalyptic cart
« Reply #24 on: April 02, 2022, 01:12:43 AM »

[/quote]
my favourite line (and delivery) coming from David Clennon  ;)
[/quote]

I was too busy trying to hide my eyes! YGBFSM! ahha!

Sorry for the hi-jack, back to the cart!