Author Topic: Anti-Radiation Ball Tank (шаротанк с противорадиационной защи&#  (Read 4626 times)

Offline GTX_Admin

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All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline apophenia

  • Perversely enjoys removing backgrounds.
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The display base does look great. But those radiation symbols/motion trackers also make the red/white scheme pop! Nice  :smiley:
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline Frank3k

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I think this one's finished. The base & battery holder are hot glued to foam blocks until I get a deep enough 5x7 picture frame.

The floodlight is one of the lights from the MPC Space: 1999 Nuclear Waste Area #2 kit that I bought just for parts (it was on clearance). The post is just a styrene rod and the base is a railway wheel from an old BA-20 kit. The pipe and wheel are from the Pegasus Chemical Plant (or Power Plant - I mixed and matched parts). I added the pipe clamp details.
With the cardboard backdrop that came with one of the figure kits:


The liquidator with the sprayer. I just noticed the dirty water drop on his raincoat. The cables/tubes are 30 AWG wirewrap wire:


The guy with the Geiger counter. I added a small panel meter and dials to the box, but they're not visible in this picture:


Top view with the room lights turned off. I didn't add the UV LED because daylight or LED room lights are enough to activate the florescent powder:


Top view with the floodlights on. The glow is still visible:


A couple of extra pictures:




The back story: Around 1997-2000, The Russians heard of American advances in the 'triggering' of a nuclear isomer of hafnium, 178m2Hf, via gamma ray emissions. The  energy released was much, much greater in magnitude than a chemical reaction, but still less than a nuclear fission reaction. The potential for small, devastating non-nuclear explosives and powerful jet and rocket engines was hard to ignore.

The Russians also discovered that the Americans were stymied by the high cost of extracting the hafnium isomer and to a lesser extent by the gamma ray triggering. Luckily for the Russians, they had already discovered a messy but inexpensive method of extracting the hafnium isomer using old, idle cyclotrons.

In 2002, production was well underway in a secret nuclear weapons laboratory deep in Siberia.

Few people - even skilled machinist - encounter hafnium metal and even fewer know (or forget) that fine particles of the element can spontaneously combust when exposed to air. A lack of training and lax security lead to a machining accident. The resultant fire - and possible small detonation - destroyed the labs containing the hafnium, the hafnium isomer as well as decades worth of nuclear waste stored in the same building. While the radiation was contained on-site, high levels of radiation made it impossible to enter the area.

A Russian engineer remembered seeing a late WWII German ball tank at the Kubinka Tank Museum and quickly drew up plans for a similar, electrically driven manned ball tank that could go in and attempt to recover as much of the hafnium isomer as possible. The small size of the tank as well as lead shielding provided protection for the driver. The tank had manipulator arms and a camera as well. After each mission into the building, the tank was washed down and checked for radiation before the driver exited the vehicle.

Unfortunately for the Russians, none of the hafnium isomer was recovered.

This was a fun project that went along quite well, with no major construction or painting issues (other that the water drop on the green guy).

Thanks for all the suggestions and encouraging comments!
« Last Edit: October 20, 2021, 07:40:26 AM by Frank3k »

Offline finsrin

  • The Dr Frankenstein of the modelling world...when not hiding from SBA
  • Finds part glues it on, finds part glues it on....
Knockout diorama   :icon_alabanza:     All elements work together well.   Like use of 1999 light with pole & stand. :smiley:

Story about Hafnium Isomer is informative.   Gotta be sooo careful handling it. :o
 

Offline Old Wombat

  • "We'll see when I've finished whether I'm showing off or simply embarrassing myself."
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That is brilliant, Frank! 8) :icon_alabanza:

Love the details & the water drop on the green guy is easily explained away as splash-back from the sprayer he's using to clean the ball tank. :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 GTX_Admin

  • Evil Administrator bent on taking over the Universe!
  • Administrator - Yep, I'm the one to blame for this place.
  • Whiffing Demi-God!
    • Beyond the Sprues
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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

Offline Story

  • Nicht mein Zirkus, nicht meine Affen...
Never stop Franking, Frank. You're inspiring all of us to up our game.

PS/This reminds me of an unbuilt resin 1/35th sewer / manhole / street section multilevel minidiorama base (can't remember the maker) I've got around somewhere.

I see that Vadims squeegeeing slush into the drain and visualize an under-level to a similar diorama, with irritated rats getting rained on.

https://www.jonsmith-modellbau.com/132-135-trench-rats/

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mantis-Miniatures-1-35-Animal-Set-10-Rats-Mice-Resin-Figure-Kit-35039/151053642

PPS - for those inspired to ride Frank's wake on this,
http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=844.msg94767#msg94767
« Last Edit: October 20, 2021, 10:20:28 PM by Story »

Offline Buzzbomb

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Frank, everything is awesome.

Great detail, terrific composition and use of materials.

Totally A++ :icon_alabanza:

Offline apophenia

  • Perversely enjoys removing backgrounds.
  • Patterns? What patterns?
Frank, everything is awesome.

Great detail, terrific composition and use of materials.

Totally A++ :icon_alabanza:

Yup. Seriously WOW  :smiley: :smiley:  Great stuff Frank!
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline Frank3k

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Thanks, guys. It's always fun when a  kit "speaks to me" from a shelf in the model closet. First the Kugelpanzer kit, then the two Chernobyl kits wanted to be part of the action. I watched about a season's worth of Mystery Science Theater 3000 while building this.

@Story - good find - those rats may come in handy!