Space Marine Rhino Chassis part 2

Where were we?  Ah yes, here it is-

Today we're going to start with the front view ports, the wheel rim front and rear cover pieces, and how to build those side exhaust ports that go on either side of the side hatches.

Materials
Plasticard (For Sale signs)
2 part resin (optional though recommended)

Tools
Straight edge ruler
Hobby Knife
Instant Mold (recommended but optional)
Face mask (required if you use the resin)
Hobby mat
150 grit sand paper


At the back of the tank hull, glue into place a piece of plasticard which is slightly larger than the exposed area just above the wheel rim.  Using your hobby knife trim the piece carefully so it no longer overhangs.

Cut strips of plasticard which are the width of your wheel rims.  These are going to be used to 'decorate' the front and back sloped areas of the wheel rims.  Using one of the strips, glue the strip so that it lines up with the design on the side of the tank as seen in the image below.  Continue to do this on the other side and at the rear sloped area of the wheel rim.

Taking your sand paper, sand away any of the hard edges on the tank.  Next we want to do is revisit the template which can find here.  Carefully cut the view port pieces from the plasticard using your hobby knife.  Cut the holes out of the smaller view port and glue it to the center of the larger piece.

Finally, glue the view port onto the tank hull.

For this next bit, cut out pieces of plasticard as directed below:
2 pieces 1 5/8" x 5/8"
1 piece 7/16" x 1/2"
1 piece 3/8" x 3/8"
1 piece 5/8" x 1/4"
1 piece 3/16" x 1 1/8"
3 pieces 3/16" x 13/16"
Hang in there, this bit is long and a little complicated.

1. Glue the two pieces of 1 3/8" x 5/8" pieces together.

2. Glue the 3  3/16" x 13/16" pieces on top of each other.  Glue them to the 1 3/8" x 5/8" pieces as shown in the image below.

3. Glue the 7/16" x 1/2" piece so that it sits up against the 3 3/16" x 13/16" pieces and has an even amount of space on the left and right sides showing.  Now glue the 3/8" x 3/8" piece in the same fashion.

4. Do this again with the 5/8" x 1/4" piece as shown below.

5. Across the top of these glue the 3/16" x 1 1/8" piece so it starts at the top and runs down the center of the piece built so far.  Cut 3/16" strips of plasticard and cut a piece which will fit like the one shown below.  You want it to have as much space showing as the larger piece down at the bottom, which should be about 1/16".

6. Continue tapering the 3/16" for two more layers.  Continue this process so there are 3 evenly spaced openings on either side as it appears below.

7. Repeat this process on the other side.  Using the sand paper, sand the angled edges to remove the edges- they will no longer look like steps, but a strait edge as can be seen below.

This is our basic exhaust piece.  We will need 4 of these for our tank, so you can either repeat steps 1-7 above OR...

OPTIONAL-
To duplicate your exhaust piece, grab your Instant Mold and a cup of hot water.  When the molding plastic is malleable, lay your piece flat like it appears above and press your Instant Mold firmly over it.  Be sure to check your mold for any inconsistencies before moving on to the next step.

Remove your piece from the mold and mix 25 drops of brown bottle resin with 27 drops of clear bottle resin.  The 2 part resin will cure completely in about 10 minutes and won't heat enough to melt this mold.

When you remove the resin piece from the mold, inspect it for any errors and trim the sides with your hobby knife.

If you choose to sand the resin piece, WEAR A MASK.  I can not stress this enough.  Resin is highly toxic as dust particles and will make you sick if you are breathing it in.

Now that your exhaust pieces are completed, glue one 1" from the front most part of the tank and another 7/8" from the rear most as seen below.

This concludes our tutorial for today.  Next week we will finish the tank by adding the doors, top hatches, wheels, and treads.  Till then, happy building!