One of my earliest efforts to follow in Grandpa's footsteps has
survived nearly 60 years:
Much more recently, ca. 1992, I built a tracked vehicle with
cross-drive transmission, entirely out of
LEGO* parts, but Lego was not interested in seeing it; I finally
got around to photographing it:
(* - requires acceptance of cookies to enter)
The underside view has the bottom plates removed to show the motor and
gearbox arrangement and the spacers between them on the two rear axles.
Like a real dozer or tank, this gizmo runs forward or backward and can
turn, even spin in its own length. Those #5244 Bulldozer
Chainlinks, while wonderful, should have a matte outer surface or
rubber grousers for traction; they slip and slide instead of gripping
and working realistically. Similarly, the #5251 Shock Absorbers
are far too stiff; they should be lightly sprung like those in the
#6672 Safari Off Road Vehicle. I had intended to build the track
suspension with sprung bogie wheels and a tensioning idler on each
side but the shock absorbers wouldn't serve.
Then I tried using every single piece that came in a
Klutz LEGO Crazy Action Contraptions, a LEGO Inventions Book
by Dan Rathjen and the editors of Klutz, my daughter and
grandkids gave me for Christmas 1999:
(20 Sep 00 LEGO photos by and © 2000 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
The "gizzies" on each side run back and forth and flail up and down
wildly as it chooches across a surface, like the main rods on a steam
locomotive. The only things missing from the assemblage are some
rubber band drive belts which I tried to use as tires on the rear{?}
wheels but they keep popping off.
The "book" has no identification on it other than the number "4 1 5 8
5" and it is ISBN 1-57054-157-4.
Incidentally, there is a great site about (NOT by) LEGO
at BRICKSHELF. A
fantastic LEGO model of the world's largest railroad car is there and
now on my Railroad Schnabel Car
continuation page 1.
I modified a Meccano Dinky British 6-wheel Command Car by enlarging
the axle holes into vertical slots, slotting the base plate to allow
vertical axle travel, and putting a rubber band above the axles for
springing:
This gave it independent wheel travel (paper clip climbing ability,
for example, if you will):
Here's how it works:
Then, with a little guidance from my father, I modified a Meccano Dinky tipper (dump truck); it may be a Bedford or a Scammel (anyone know?), using scraps of wire, hand-wound springs, and brass and aluminum tubing:
Here it is as modified, with the bed up:
Note the grooving of the underside of the bed and chassis to
accomodate the lift cylinder:
and a detail of the latching mechanism, showing the vertical groove in
the chassis to hold the trip wire and the spring loading on the far
side to keep it latched.
Now, I'd completely forgotten a modification I made of a ca.-1953
Mercedes-Benz 300 sedan (saloon), probably done ca. 1955 or so.
To my absolute amazement, when I found it and turned it over to
examine the rotted rubber band suspension, it had been made by
Märklin, the famed model railroad manufacturer of
whom I write quite a bit under Z-scale model railroading! It
measures 4¾" (12.065cm) long, overall, making it O-scale
(Märklin made O-scale trains before WWII). I was curious if,
like on most such models, the bottom plate was riveted in place or
screwed together as it is now and as it is on so many Märklin items*.
Regardless, I did modify it by cutting the bottom plate to hold a
rubber band front to rear, adding a keeper plate (made from a
spring-steel corset stay) to prevent the axles from riding up too far
in the body, and putting a piece of paper between the keeper and the
rubber band. Here it is as found, showing the rotted remains of
the 1950s rubber band, opened up, and reassembled with a new band
(although sitting a wee bit too low in back - oh, well; back to the
drawing board):
I realize what I did wrong; the rubber band should cross over directly
behind the rear wheels and I'd put it through the two grooves I'd
originally cut at the back of the bottom plate. Easy to forget
after 45 years; easy fix.
[ * - the Märklin factory advises that it was held in place by
screws (probably the very screws shown).]
For other early, small, surviving items, see my
Naval and Maritime page.
Speaking of "early, small, surviving items" (immediately above), ca.
01 Feb 2008, I found my long-lost hobby junk box (a 3¼"
x 6¼" x 11/8" White
Rose Orange Pekoe Tea Balls tin) which, as any dedicated
hobbyist knows, is a treasure trove! In my case, it has always
rankled me that it vanished (perhaps in a 1980 move), more for
nostalgic reasons than actual loss. Well, now that I have it
back, I had a field day picking the gems from the dross.
Nostalgia, indeed; from 1940 on! Also, a major exercise in
recall! Here is an edited microphoto (note the inch scale) of
highlights selected from some 500-1,000 tiny bits of "stuff" in the
little tin:
(03 Feb 08)
(03 Feb 08 photo by and © 2008 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
[Click on thumbnailed picture for larger image]
In the upper right are a propellor from the Ideal {?} sub chaser kit
and a line tensioner (or whatever it's called) from a Marine Models
(of Halesite, LI) Cutty Sark {?} kit. In the lower left are the
original propellor from the SE-5a
kit (also noted above) and the main landing gear struts from the
StromBecker Beech Bonanza and
two failed attempts at creating a nose gear strut. In the upper
center are a pre-WWII HO bottom step and grab iron and an actuating
pin for a Mantua HO loop-and-hook coupler (which I need - who has a
second one for me, please?); note that the actuating pin has a very
fine thread at the lower end (it's placed upside-down). Next, in
the upper right are a tiny hinge and a working tub faucet home-made by
my father for my sister's doomed doll house (noted elsewhere),
although it appears the faucet was abandoned when the spout was
soldered in upside-down. Finally, in the lower right are two
abortive attempts to make the oleo strut for the working version of
the Meccanno Dinky tipper (also shown
above). Ah, yes; treasures, indeed!
I used to struggle with the rock-hard wood of WWII-era StromBecKer
kits from Strombeck-Becker, see my
StromBecKer page about these kits.
Who can identify the maker and help us find headlight bulbs (roughly
3/8" dia.) for this tin 1934 Chrysler-cum-DeSoto Airflow?
(Left image cropped and enhanced by SB,III on 03 Aug 2005 from owner's
photo and right 03 Aug 05 sketch by SB,III - all rights reserved)
More on this car at Chrysler Models.
You might like to look at José Lopez, Jr.'s
The Scale Card, for a most extensive discussion of scales. I have a
write-up and photo of his Z-scale Scale Card and Scale Rule on my
Z-Scale page 2.
Hobbyists might also enjoy Kurumi's
SignMaker, which allows one with a good computer, an image processor, and a
color printer (or access to one at Kinko's or the like) to create and print "Big Green"
Interstate, federal, or state highway signs!
AUTHENTICAST / Comet Metal Products
I also have quite a collection of "Authenticast" tanks and military vehicles from the old Comet Metal Products; they are described in a section removed from this page and moved to Comet/Authenticast Page.
Ohmygosh! Henk
Timmerman's site (noted on
Ordnance page 3), is enormous! Absolutely endless
pages of AFV models of every country and description and with great
links to even more!
George Luhrs
-
microscopic engines - 2- and 4-cycle, make-and-break and throttle-governed,
in-line and radial; if you enjoy miniature mechanisms, THESE YA GOTTA
SEE!. George used to be a vendor of precision maching services to
me and I got to know him better over the 8'-diameter display table he brings
to shows He fires up his little steam traction engine, drawing a trailer
with alcohol (fuel) and water tanks, which he leaves running all through the
show. Each time I see him, he brings smaller and smaller I.C. engines!
George was kind enough to allow me to show you a few of his gems; here are
George, himself, and the famous table, with the tractor up front, and the
tractor and trailer on their own:
(photos courtesy of G. Luhrs, by permission - all rights reserved)
Next, we have George's microscopic, throttled, single-cylinder 2-stroke and
4-stroke engines
(note the penny for comparson):
This is one of his most complex projects (to date); a 4-cylinder in-line,
4-stroke, throttle-governed,
gasoline engine with all its parts (and penny) laid out and the right rear:
Right side with nearly-invisible push rods and left side with display stand:
By far, the most complex, yet; the 5-cylinder radial engine
with all its many parts (and that penny), and the right side:
A detail shot, looking down on the right front, and George's hand,
holding the stand for size comparison:
(photos courtesy of G. Luhrs, by permission - all rights reserved)
On my way to cross into the Eastern Sector at Checkpoint Charlie in divided
Berlin on 27 Sep 1987, I spotted this elegant model auto chassis in the window
of a closed hobby shop on the Friedrichstraße:
(27 Sep 87 photo by and © 1987 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
Note that it has a dummy body front with headlights and full complement of taillights.
Faller used to make (ca. 1960?) static model airplane kits of
about 4"-6" wingspan that had plastic micromotors to turn the props.
The motors, which were about 6-8mm dia. x 25-30mm long, burned out
fairly early on. I still have a Bf-109 and an He-111k, somewhere,
and should dig them out for photos. Does anyone make replacement
motors for these old Fallers?
(22 Mar 08)
MAJOR REFERENCE LINK!
Jeff Scherb's great "The Model Train Magazine Index (new URL) - An index to Model Railroad magazines from 1933 to the present", formerly sponsored/hosted by Accurail and now by Kalmbach.
Accurail produces among the finest HO and N freight car models, Kalmbach is one of the two top RR publishers, and Jeff gives us an unparalled access to old articles on models and prototypes; I strongly recommend Jeff's great work to you.
Also, Glenn Whitener has a great models index.
See also HOBBY Page 2.
THUMBS UP!
THUMBS UP! - Support your local police, fire, and emergency personnel!
S. Berliner, III
To contact S. Berliner, III, please click here.
© Copyright S. Berliner, III -
1987, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007,
2008
- All rights reserved.
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