Here's a monocycle model I cobbled together from reclaimed materials. It started off as an experiment with making a wheel with a pair of plastic soda bottle caps and grew from there. When I last posted about this project, all I had left to do was put it on a base and paint it up. Finding my way forward took awhile.
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| Rosie inspecting some Atmospheric Water Condensers during her frontier days. |
Basing
I started by attaching the model to a round plastic base with Gorilla Super Glue. This bond was only intended to hold everything together long enough to apply texturing mix to the base. The mix of sand, PVA glue, paint, and water that I favor sets like concrete once dry. The combination of Gorilla Super Glue and texturing mix produces a strong and durable bond.
Spray Re priming/Base Coats
Krylon Fusion All-In-One Matte Coffee Bean Paint + Primer
Krylon Camouflage Ultra-Flat Khaki
At least one more coat of spray primer proved necessary when I ran into problems painting the wheel black. The Tamiya Surface Primer didn't seem to bond properly to the plastic soda bottle cap. The Krylon Coffee Bean covered well and provided a flat, dark brown base coat. I followed up with Khaki sprayed in a zenithal pattern.
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| A little dirty and dusty, but still purrs like a kitten. |
Painting
Wheel
FolkArt 479 Pure Black
A couple of coats over the entire wheel surface to represent rubber or some sci-fi substitute.
Body
FolkArt 437 Lipstick Red
FolkArt 932 Calico Red
I considered yellow or orange for the body, but went with red for the speed boost. Lipstick Red works as a dark base color and Calico Red as a highlight color.
Clean Up
FolkArt 231 Real Brown
I changed my mind about where some of the red went and gave those areas a coat of Real Brown. The dark brown produced a good undercoat for the metallic and cloth areas.
Metallic Areas
Citadel Colour Boltgun Metal
Citadel Colour Mithril Silver
I don't know how, but these old bottles are still going strong. The Boltgun Metal coated the areas representing bare metal parts with Mithril Silver lightly brushed over as a highlight.
Cloth
FolkArt 420 Linen
Linen seemed like a good choice for the sandbag seat cushions and the bags in the stowage area.
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| The only thing kept clean on this ride is the holographic projector for the HUD. |
Weathering
FolkArt 479 Pure Black (diluted with water)
FolkArt 231 Real Brown (diluted with water)
FolkArt 420 Linen
The monocycle is supposed to be made of salvaged parts – much like the actual model - and used in the wastelands of some frontier world. A showroom new appearance didn't seem like the right move. The diluted Pure Black and Real Brown were each applied as wash coats. A heavy brushing of Linen produced a dusty appearance. If I do another project like this, I might use a Silver Sharpie to add some chipped paint and other details before applying the washes and drybrushing.
Base Clean Up
FolkArt 231 Real Brown
FolkArt 420 Linen
I needed to cover up some of the red paint that ended up on the base. This step also ties the ground colors to the weathering colors.
Wire
Adding a wire to connect a couple of the parts together was always part of the plan. Unfortunately, I forgot about it until everything was painted, but before I started weathering the model. Fortunately, the wire color works with the rest of the model and the wash coats help to tie it in.
Heads Up Display
The final step was to attach one of the Warsenal Fluorescent Scifi Screens I purchased way back in 2020 to the part representing a holographic projector.
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| Rosie: "Now where did I pack that screwdriver?" |
Fictional Background
Let's wrap up with another Kessler's Catalog entry. I often think of how elements of a model would fit into a fictional setting while working on it. Writing these thoughts up into a backstory gets them out of my head.
This monowheel vehicle is representative of those used in remote regions of thinly settled worlds throughout the frontier sectors. Such vehicles serve a variety of operators such as couriers, surveyors, salvagers, and scouts. Packs of similar vehicles see use in conflict zones as raiders.
The chassis is built on the remains of a planetary survey probe. The wheel was salvaged from the landing gear of a heavy interplanetary transport. The other components originated from sources to varied to be listed here. Reliability is surprisingly high, but some maintenance tasks are described as "a bit tricky" by our technical staff. Performance is good, but handling "takes some getting used to" according to our test drivers.
The wheel is a plastic drum with a synthetic rubber coating and a metallic core. It is electromagnetically suspended and rotated when the vehicle is in operation. Stability and control are provided by a variety of counter gravity and mass manipulation systems. While these systems reduce the effective mass of the vehicle while operating, true flight is not possible due to their limited output.
Energy storage is provided by a series of repurposed power packs distributed throughout the vehicle. These packs are tied into a single system and can be replenished at any standard recharging station. The large solar energy collection arrays standard for planetary survey missions are missing - likely removed and repurposed long ago.
Auxiliary power is supplied by an internal combustion engine designed for planetary exploration and colonial applications. The engine can burn a variety of hydrocarbon fuels, but is most efficient when using high octane synthetic gasoline or alcohol. There is evidence of another auxiliary power system based on a nuclear generator, but most of the components are absent.
- Kessler's Upcycling Sales Catalog
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