Message in a bottle :)

Hello everyone,
sorry for the lack of updates.
First my trip to the US, then the re-design considerations for the ATHENA, and finally some serious kidney issues last week, kept me very real-live-busy, and left me little time for my projects.

So lets talk about the ATHENA.
As discussed in the last post I'm not quite sure how to proceed with the ATHENA and what her role will be. I am considering to build a cmpletely new superstructure with a small VTOL deck and a new weapons layout.
See the comments section:

But as Da Masta Cheef suggested, the layout of the Arleigh is rather nice: http://media.defenseindustrydaily.com/images/SHIP_DDG-100_Kidd_lg.jpg
or the Russian Udaloy class: http://unsd.macrossroleplay.org/udaloy_1.jpg So I could build a new centered bridge, with a VTOL pad in the rear, re-position the Hydras, and .... :)

Since this will have quite some impact I will take my time to consider things and evaluate the involved work.
It will be fun and I really look forward to it, but I don't want to rush into the wrong direction. So please bear with me and be patient.

But you all know me, and know I can't be without a project for longer than 10 minutes :-P
So I did start something new...(please be aware that the following pieces were build over the course of a week, not in one day)

I gues now you know why I chose the headline, right?

Oups! wait, and Ork?

A Zeppelin? An Ork rival to the ATHENA?!?

Now THAT would be cool, wouldn't it?

Aehm...tracks?
On a Zep?

As you can see in this sketch, there's more to it :)

Ork SEALZ, integrate with "Defense of Xantium" diorama...?
Yep, that's the idea.
An Ork version of a Mole :)

The plan is to have a diorama with the Xantium defense on top, while beneath it, one can see the lower, underground level of the city, with the mole breaking through and an Ork raid commando - the SEALZ - attacking some defenders there.
One half of the mole will be open, so one can see the interior, while the other will be close, so one can see the outside.

For your recollection, this is the Defense of Xantium diorama.

OK, so the mole - current code name is "Roly Poly" - will cut its way through the rocks and ground via some plasma blasters, which simply melt the ground in front of the mole.

The tracks will then move the device forward. For this it will have tracks at the bottom, the two sides, as well as the top.

As you can see the tracks are completely scratch built.

The Roly Poly will consist of 3 sections. The forward "attack bay" that will contain the SEALZ, the central "bridge" with the Capt'n, the Navigator, and the Sonar man, as well as the rear "Engines" room with the Mek and an assisitant. I decided to use a full Ork crew, not Groots.

So here's the Capt'n (no names yet)

The Sonar oparator.

And the Navigator (which will hold a steering wheel)

The brdige crew in position.

Next was the engine section.

For this I built a kind of steampunk, orkified engine, plus the Mek and his assistant.

These two photos I took, as I MAY TRY to paint using OSL...

For the detailing I built some hand-wheels...

...as well as some levers.

For this engine room I have an image in my head. Some old, dark WWII submarine, as seen in the movie "The Boat"...

After that I built the side track.

And started to cover up the right side of the Roly Poly.

And this is how far I got last night :)

I hope you like this project and I look forward to your feedback and suggestions.

As said, the project actually belongs to my "Stachelnschweinz", so no Greek names, but never the less, I'm still looking for names:

The vehicel itself

Captn

Navigator

Sornar ops

Mek

Engine assistant

and maybe the boss of the SEALZ...

Thanks

Klaus