I’ve wanted to create a piece like this for as long as I’ve been using the LDD program, to add a scene to one of my models, instead of just a white, or coloured background. Unfortunately these seem to take a substantial amount of time, as I always over engineer them, and add great amounts of detail, but with my current free time being slim, I’m unable to put a background that I’m happy with to any of my models.
I’ve been thinking of a way to compromise, and although I’m happy with this project, I think it will be my only one like this. If I am to build any more, then I will simply have to put the time in wherever and whenever I can, and create something worthy of the effort.
My inspiration for this particular build came from when I saw Alex Sonny’s contest entry piece, which is a simplistic, yet stunning piece of work. Even before I started building, my intention was never to copy his work brick for brick, but simply the concept, and so I sent him a short message just letting him know my intentions, and asking permission to use his idea. Both me, and Alex agreed that he didn’t own the concept of a tank in a state of maintenance, but he was still very grateful that I asked first, and was kind enough to give me the go ahead.
You can find Alex’s beautiful scene here, please do take a look.
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The first thing you might notice about this area, is that it seems to be rather busy, and that is because the country is currently not officially at war with anyone, so workshops such as this are not as crowded as they are during wartime. Minor border skirmishes are still common, so troops, as well as tanks and other vehicles are still sent to border regions with countries that are considered a threat. Even during peacetime, tanks such as the Marauder are still deployed in considerable numbers to deter any envious neighbour nations from thinking we’ve become lax behind our walls.
This particular Marauder tank was one of the early models off of the production line, and has been in service for three years, but now during peacetime, the chance to recall such early models and upgrade them to newer specifications is ideal. Even though war machines are expected to be lost, and their life spans can often be short, regular maintenance is critical to keeping your armed forces running, and fighting. Even though it’s not always possible to pull front line vehicles out of a fight just to oil the gears and change air filters, every effort is made to make sure that vehicles are serviced to a certain degree. Being in a well equipped workshop like this, there is nothing that can’t be fixed, replaced, or improved. Every need of the tank is met here, be it from simply replacing worn track pins, to completely updating the entire operating system of the tank, and everything inbetween.
Tanks are driven into the workshop under their own power, and then lined up onto a long stretch of independent free moving rollers, until they’re hooked into a conveyor system, which is controlled by a terminal located at the side of the line. The tank will be pulled to pre-set stops on the line, where various tasks will be completed, such as removing the gun barrel, hoisting the turret off of the hull, and removal of the engine. As this is an early model, it is in need of many upgrades, including a new braking system, but those bolts can be stubborn, and may require a little heat to be persuaded. The engine will be moved to a specialist area of the workshop for a strip down and full rebuild, this can take the longest time of all the separate jobs. It takes two men to push the engine down the line, a wheeled carriage does make it easier, but still not easy. A faulty fuel sender in one of the auxiliary fuel tanks has been causing trouble for some time, and if you’re going to replace one, you might as well replace them both. Worn mounting brackets on the gun barrel can cause misalignment at longer ranges, but the Marauder has found to seldom suffer from this problem, however, while the tank is in the workshop, it makes sense to replace such a crucial part while you can. A barrel cleaning is something that can be done in the field, but it can be done with much greater care and detail in the workshop.
Getting that guy up that ladder was a bloody nightmare. Even the workshop needs repairs from time to time.
Posted by -Lee Barton- on 2016-01-28 22:44:05
Tagged: , LEGO , Tank , Maintenance , LDD , LDDTOPOVRAY , Workshop , Marauder , POVRAY
