Author Topic: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35  (Read 7036 times)

Offline Antonio Sobral

  • Building and painting tiny little things!
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Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« on: December 28, 2018, 12:15:04 AM »
Hi guys

I hope everybody had a great Christmas with the family and friends!

I am a little bit fed up with the Lunar Module, so I am taking a sabbatical vacation to clear my head!

So I am starting a P-38 Trilogy.

Why P-38 and why Trilogy, you may ask :)

Well, P-38 because it is the original donor kit (Italeri 1/48), and trilogy because it will yield 3 different projects embracing 3 different scenarios: land, sea and air.


So, let's start with the Land!

In this case the Needlecast '46 model from the iconic and well known brand Harley-Davidson.

It was the brand's response to a challenge from the US military in the mid 1940s to develop a model of high speed and low noise bike
which could be used as a quick means of connection on the various combat fronts.

Unfortunately the practical results of the first and only prototype were not satisfactory and the project was canceled.


And after this very brief summary, let us proceed to the model itself.

It all started with this...




With a few more pieces from the spare box and a Dragon 1/35 figure....

























And that´s all for now. Thanks for watching!

Offline jcf

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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #1 on: December 28, 2018, 01:16:42 AM »
 :smiley: :smiley:
He looks like he's thinking "why the hell did I agree to test this thing".  ;D
“Conspiracy theory’s got to be simple.
Sense doesn’t come into it. People are
more scared of how complicated shit
actually is than they ever are about
whatever’s supposed to be behind the
conspiracy.”
-The Peripheral, William Gibson 2014

Offline Kerick

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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #2 on: December 28, 2018, 01:55:45 AM »
P-38 nacelles and booms seem to have a thousand uses! This looks great! I can’t wait to see the paint scheme. Will the base get decorated too?

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #3 on: December 28, 2018, 03:36:12 AM »
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline LemonJello

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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #4 on: December 28, 2018, 04:02:42 AM »
Predecessor to a hover bike?

Neat start and I'll look forward to updates and the other two "legs" of the trilogy.

Offline Frank3k

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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #5 on: December 28, 2018, 05:06:26 AM »
Good looking project and a great reuse/re-purposing of the parts! The pilot/driver looks grimly determined.

Offline Brian da Basher

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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #6 on: December 28, 2018, 05:22:25 AM »
Good looking project and a great reuse/re-purposing of the parts! The pilot/driver looks grimly determined.

Being a huge fan of grim determination, I found this aspect especially appealing as well.

Another stunner!

Brian da Basher

Offline Old Wombat

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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #7 on: December 28, 2018, 05:49:09 PM »
Whether the rider looks "grimly determined " or "scared sh!pless" depends, I guess, on your point of view.

I'm going for the fixed grimace of the latter. ;)
"This is the Captain. We have a little problem with our engine sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and, ah, explode."

Offline Antonio Sobral

  • Building and painting tiny little things!
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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #8 on: December 29, 2018, 06:19:30 AM »
Hi guys

Thanks for the comments.

Let us agree that the test driver is grimly determined yet scared to the bone ;)

As for the base, well....I changed my original plan, and decided on a a stone pavement for a more urban terrain environment.

And for scale stone pavement nothing beats the good old Roofmate (or whatever it is called in the different countries)
and an old emptied brush.

First tests:




And the final product:




By the way, the name Needlecast was taken from the science fiction novel "Altered Carbon", by Richard K. Morgan.

It is also the name of a fungal disease that attacks a variety of evergreen trees, but that is definitely much less sexy :) :)


But I am rambling....Sorry!

Back to the model, for the paint job,I am thinking about a simple bare metal finish, to justify the "needle" in the name.

Thanks for watching!

Offline Antonio Sobral

  • Building and painting tiny little things!
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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #9 on: December 31, 2018, 03:32:45 AM »
And here comes the basic painting....














Alcald II Steel,  to be more precise.


To be continued.

Probably not this year :)


Thanks for watching!

Offline Brian da Basher

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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #10 on: December 31, 2018, 05:01:41 AM »
That's coming along splendidly, Antonio!

Happy New Year to you & yours and we look forward to your next update in 2019!
 :icon_beer: :icon_beer: :icon_beer:
Brian da Basher

Offline Kerick

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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #11 on: December 31, 2018, 05:22:14 AM »
That looks fantastic! I love it!

Offline Old Wombat

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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #12 on: January 01, 2019, 04:53:49 PM »
"Shiny" is such an over-used adjective, now, but sometimes it's still the best term to use;


"SHINY!" :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 Story

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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #13 on: January 09, 2019, 07:13:50 AM »
That's sharp.

Offline arctic warrior

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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #14 on: January 09, 2019, 04:48:21 PM »
Exceptionally great idea - though I do hope that suspension is top notch! Going over cobblestones is just yuck  :-\  8)

Offline andonio64

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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #15 on: January 10, 2019, 05:45:23 PM »
Even though a bit late I join the line of Antonio's fans!
I love this project and the first outcome already looks great...

Offline Antonio Sobral

  • Building and painting tiny little things!
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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #16 on: January 13, 2019, 02:46:53 AM »
Hi guys

Thanks for the feedback!

The Needlecast is done.

Some post-shading with Alclad to enhance the volumes, and then some chipping and rusting with acrylics.

And here is the final results:












































And this concludes the 1st part of my "P-38 Trilogy".


Thanks for stopping by!

Offline Frank3k

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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #17 on: January 13, 2019, 04:18:11 AM »
Great job on everything, from the cobblestones, to the figure and the vehicle's amazing metal finish!

Offline LemonJello

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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #18 on: January 13, 2019, 04:46:32 AM »
That is nice. Looking forward to the next part of the trilogy.

Offline The Big Gimper

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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #19 on: January 13, 2019, 04:54:30 AM »
The Hydra armies should be running away when they see coming towards them.  ;)
« Last Edit: January 13, 2019, 05:14:38 AM by The Big Gimper »
Work in progress ::

I am giving up listing them. They all end up on the shelf of procrastination anyways.

User and abuser of Bothans...

Offline Kerick

  • Reportedly finished with a stripper...
Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #20 on: January 13, 2019, 07:12:55 AM »
Amazing! I just love it!

Offline arctic warrior

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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #21 on: January 13, 2019, 08:01:55 AM »
Impressive; those cobblestones just look RIGHT!  8)

Online finsrin

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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #22 on: January 13, 2019, 12:04:34 PM »
What to say ? ? ?   Ditto all the above  8)

Offline Brian da Basher

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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #23 on: January 14, 2019, 09:01:15 AM »
That's a real show piece Antonio and those cobblestones add just the right touch!

Brian da Basher

Offline elmayerle

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Re: Harley-Davidson Needlecast '46 - 1/35
« Reply #24 on: January 14, 2019, 11:30:31 AM »
That's a real show piece Antonio and those cobblestones add just the right touch!
I quite agree, there.  Beautiful work and presentation.