Working jackstands
How many of us have asked ourselves, “just how am I going to put that gear retraction test in my diorama? What am I going to do for jackstands?” That was the very question I faced while planning my 1/48 scale Caribbean air cargo diorama featuring a hanger maintenance scene.
I well remember lugging and positioning those weighty, yellow tripods we used for such tests. These were nothing but huge four to five foot tall, tripod mounted jackscrews one had to screw in and out by hand. Jack up the aircraft, position the tripods under the designated jackpoints, screw them out until snug, then release and remove the hydraulic jacks. Although the aircraft would shake and buck as the gear retracted, I never saw a properly positioned jackstand fail to support the load.
It just so happened I had inherited some very fine 3mm screws and this is what brought to mind working aircraft jackstands. I figured these would make perfect 1/48 A/C jackstands. I took a piece of sheet brass and laid out the 60 degree triangles, then drilled a 3mm hole in the center of each triangle before cutting them out with large dykes and a Dremel tool.
I then cut a piece of 3 mm brass tubing for the top collar and made three legs of thin brass rod. The trick was the jig for soldering the unit together, as the heat from each joint would result in the melting of the other nearby joints, so the unit had to be soldered in the assembled position. The jig was a simple piece of corrugated cardboard with corresponding punched holes. I put the screw through the brass tubing and triangular piece to hold the two pieces in alignment, notching the corners of the triangular brass piece to accommodate the rod. I put the screw into the cardboard hole and aligned the three brass rod legs and then soldered the rods in place.
To make the screw work, I took a pair of small pliers and squeezed the tubing collar snug around the screw, Presto! Adjustable jackscrews!
I have included a few shots of my fully lit, "O" scale, Plasticville tower/admin building that has moved from a train layout addition to my more scale Caribbean airfield. More on this later.
11 additional images. Click to enlarge.
George Henderson said on December 26, 2017
That...is very awesome
Louis Gardner said on December 26, 2017
Now this is a very cool idea ! I'm going to have to make a set ... Thanks for the inspiration.
Craig Abrahamson said on December 26, 2017
Quite the innovative design process you have there. Thanks for sharing.
Michel Verschuere said on December 27, 2017
Very nice! I like the dio upcoming! Congrats, Michel.
Greg Kittinger said on December 27, 2017
I have to say, I think mechanics and modelers are among the most creative lot I know! Excellent display of ingenuity!
Rob Anderson said on December 27, 2017
That is awesome! We called them drop checks in the Navy, very convincing!
Rob Pollock said on December 27, 2017
Very creative scratchbuilding.
Robert Royes said on December 27, 2017
Extremely creative!
Jaime Carreon said on December 27, 2017
Cool! Been there, done that. Did you ever have the pleasure of jacking a retractable single engine Cessna? Talk about shaking and bucking...!
G. Ley said on December 28, 2017
Worse, damaged my my back lifting a C-177 retract with my shoulders while it had the wheel changed.
Tom Bebout said on December 27, 2017
That is simply outstanding. Great work G.
Tom Bebout said on December 27, 2017
BTY, what kit is that?
G. Ley said on December 28, 2017
The aircraft is a modified Revell Beech 18 with cargo and crew door, like the one I used to tear my uniform on.
The terminal building is by "Plasticville" - https://www.ebay.com/itm/GBPV-NRMT-COMPLETE-UNBROKEN-ALL-ORIG-AD4PLASTICVILLE-AIRPORT-ADMIN-BLDG/332497772926?hash=item4d6a69617e:g:E3YAAOSw~0paP-4c
Those looking for a jackstand kit, here is the German version - https://www.scalemates.com/kits/1097229-das-werk-dw4802-german-luftwaffe-jack-stand-set.
Jeff Bailey said on December 27, 2017
Great idea, Mr. Ley! You could sell those. Thanks for sharing!
paul teixeira said on April 15, 2018
This is looking great. Always wanted to build the Beech. Would love to see more! Have you finished this diorama as of today 4/15/18?
G. Ley said on April 15, 2018
Hardly. This is a major project. I just finished three days work on the electrics.
The control box for the control tower's signal lamps can be seen mounted on top of the terminal/tower building.
Next are details. Photos show a portion of the details.
By the way, the hearse
The details of this project seem overwhelming, but I have learned to take it one small step at a time, while ignoring the immensity of the overall project. In other words I concentrate on the individual tree while ignoring the forest - more to come.
*Actually the bodies were delivered in cardboard boxes without fanfare. But were I to put it in that format, no one would recognize what is being portrayed. When I saw the curtained LaSalle hearse, I knew it had to be in the diorama.
3 additional images. Click to enlarge.