Monday 3 August 2015

Penguin's Duck Tank


With the first game for the Penguin crew pencilled in for this weekend, most of my time will need to be spent cobbling together some terrain pieces, but perhaps one more flight of fancy before the Caped Crusader darkens the mood?  


'Batman Returns', Tim Burton's second outing with the Batman franchise saw Danny DeVito splendidly take on the role of the Penguin and make it his own, but the film came with other memorable moments.  The 'Rocket Penguins' have already made an appearance, but there was one more iconic piece of imagery that I wanted to try my hand at recreating - the Duck Tank! This ridiculous charabanc is an amphibious vehicle, perhaps salvaged from a fairground ride, and used by the Penguin as he emerges from the sewers below Gotham City - ridiculous, yet undeniably iconic!


I had a plan to fashion something together from a small bath time rubber duck, but a particularly productive session of 'Google Fu' unearthed a Matchbox Hot Wheels toy and at a reasonable price. Advertised at 1/50 scale, this was too good to pass up and so within 24 hours, I was the proud owner of a Duck Tank! It was perfect, just the right scale and required very little work. In the end I repainted the wheels from pink to red and added a little dry brushing here and there. The interior was given a lick of paint ant the steering wheel and gear stick matched to the Duck's onscreen variant; all the remained was a liberal coating of matt varnish and it was good to go.


I wanted to put my own stamp on the project and after a good root around my box of bases I eventually unearthed a 100mm x 50mm rocky slate chariot resin display base that I had picked up, for goodness knows what, an eon ago from an eBay seller known as 'Tiny Worlds Wagaming'.  A plan was forming in my addled brain and so I set to work with my trusty Dremel, attacking the base so as to add all manner of bits and pieces including a ruptured oil drum, sewer pipe, metal beams and bricks.


Once the mica gel flakes and red oxide paste had dried, I undercoated in black before starting to bring the various elements to life, trying to convey a damaged road complete with white lines.*  Finally, some fun with Bostik all purpose glue to recreate something horrible and toxic escaping from the drum and the piece was complete.

*When I removed the masking tape the lines looked too perfect and so had to be distressed. 


All that remained to do was to pin the duck to the base and "et voilĂ !"  Totally ridiculous, I grant you, but great fun to do; I'm not sure about the use of vehicles in the game so at the moment I envisage this as a terrain piece, something for my little villain to hide behind when the Batarangs start flying!


I have a couple more thugs to finish off before the Batman comes calling, but hopefully I should then have everything I need for an enjoyable day.


81 comments:

  1. Stunning find!
    Think he looks a bit too clean though ;)

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    1. Now it was dirtier, but the matt varnish seemed to wash it away! - D'oh!

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  2. That's one great find! Wouldn't have thought that somebody actually makes that. Should prove to be quite a centerpoint for the crew :)

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    1. I couldn't believe my luck, when I stumbled across it.

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  3. That is possibly the most bizarre thing I seen sober. Great find

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  4. Mr Penguin, your conveyance awaits :)

    Wonderfully bonkers work Lord Michael (you are hereby elevated from mere knighthood)

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    1. Thank you, I'm not sure I'm worthy of the new title though.

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  5. One word - Brilliant. Have to say that I at first thought it looked a bit clean as well (especially next to the movie still), but with the figure in shot it looks right, and a piece like that deserves to visually "POP!".

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  6. That is just brilliant!

    No vehicles in the game yet, except the Bat-Pod. But there are hints and rumours of an upcoming supplement that will include rules for vehicles.

    Personally, I think it looks fantastic as a piece of terrain. That's what I use my Batmobile and Joker Van for.

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    1. Thank you Kieron, looking forward to seeing it on the table now.

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  7. At first glance I did think that you'd 'lost it', but with what you've done with it, it all becomes clear. Inspirational stuff as always.

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    1. Thank you Joe, but there are days when even I think I've 'lost it'. ;)

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  8. Madness! Great find Mr Awdry

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  9. I'd love to have been a fly on the wall when you explained a Hot Wheels purchase to Mrs A, lol.

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    1. There was a raised eyebrow, but I had managed to unpack it before she got home! :D

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  10. Fantastic find and it looks awesome touched up and on its new base.

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    1. Thank you Simon, it all helps to keep me out of trouble!

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  11. Wonderful adding!
    i really like the base!

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  12. Crazy!!
    What about stain it a little with mud, snow or oxide? Notice that, in the film cap, it looks a little distressed.

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    1. Those are all great ideas, I did try to add some weathering with the dry brushing, but the varnish seemed to wipe it off. I think if I'm honest I bottled it a little, but might have to go back and have another go at it.

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    2. Show us if you do it, please!!

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  13. That's the craziest gaming vehicle I've seen in a while! Re-purposing toys for gaming is one of the fun parts of this hobby, and you've done a brilliant job with this one.

    Well played, Sir!

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    1. Thank you so much Evan, delighted to have brought a smile to your face.

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  14. Absolute quackers! I do apologise!

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  15. Without doubt the weirdest thing I've seen all week.

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  16. Now this is the kind of thing that has kept me coming back to your blog for so many years.

    Have a great game!

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    1. Thank you Anne, glad to keep you on the hook.

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  17. That's so much fun and the added work really makes it part of the whole

    Ian

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    1. Thank you Ian, all done in the name of fun.

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  18. Fantastic piece there - great find on the search for the mini and excellent work in the creation of a very fitting terrain item. :)

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    1. Thank you so much, back to MDF structures this morning in time for the game.

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  19. While not a comic book fan you are slowly winning me over to a new genre! But I will and must resist! It does look good though.

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    1. Thank you Clint and you clearly have more will power than me! ;)

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  20. Genius! Cracking good job on the terrain base, and how you've addressed the toy make it look like it was anything but a toy car.

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    1. Thank you Roy, but am I brave enough to go back and add some distressing to the duck?

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  21. Cool, crazy and wonderfully weird! I can see lots of fun going on here Michael!

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    1. Thank you Rodger, it is very much about fun at the moment!

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  22. Wonderful basing of a very original idea! :D Cheers!

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    1. Thank you, I was certainly lucking with the find, but great fun to do.

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  23. Amazing! Love the base with the barrel and the green slime.

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    1. Thank you, I just wanted to ring a little of Gotham's sewers to the piece.

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  24. Don't even know where to begin. Well done!

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    1. Thank you Mike, always good to have fun with a project.

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  25. Now that's something you don't see often! Or, in fact, ever before!! Blonkers-ly brilliant, Michael!

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    1. Thank you my good man, always goos to keep people guessing what is coming next. ;)

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  26. You really have out done your self this time Sir Michael! That is superb, a great find and even better now it's been given the "Awdry" treatment.

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    1. Thank you Bob, that is very kind of you Sir.

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  27. This is spectacularly crazy. Very good work!

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  28. I'm blown away Mr Awdry! I think that's one of the craziest things I've seen in a while and you even managed to make it look awesome. It's almost like you've taken it straight from the set ;-p

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    1. Thank you so much Nick, it just goes to show how much the imagery of Tim Burton caught my imagination as a young man.

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  29. That's a real genius right there! Mad genius. Well done!

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  30. Replies
    1. That certainly made me smile this morning, thank you.

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  31. Blimey what a cracking piece!
    I nearly missed this one during my holiday but luckily I checked your previous posts this morning. Wonderful work, Sir.

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  32. This kind of crazy stuff is great fun to see,and read about. Perhaps even more fun to pinch the Kiddies Ducks from their soapy foamy bath tub,and convert them into big boys toy`s. Don`t worry about it looking to clean. Great Post.. Beano Boy

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  33. What a brilliant idea! Well done sir!!!

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