Tucker Sno-Cat Commonwealth Trans - Antarctic Expedition 1957

[Paper Kosmonaut]

Well, I think it's time to get my thing going again on the forum here. Perhaps most of you know I usually build in the space category, as my nick already does suggest. I, however, have a broader interest and this is an example. Since I was a child I was fascinated by a picture in my kiddies encyclopedia on which an orange truck on tracks seemed to have been trapped in a menacing looking icy crevasse, its four pontoons helplessly grasping the edges of the crack. I always wondered if they managed to get the vehicle out of it.
When I came across a nice model of the Tucker Sno-Cat, which of course was the vehicle from the picture, I started some background research. The story of the 1957 Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition is very fascinating indeed. Read it, if you don't know it. There even is a very interesting and historical one-two-three-four-five-part documentary on YouTube.

Anyway, you came here for a paper model, so here it comes. It's Kerstjan Blaauw's model, which I think is the only model available on the interwebs. It's free and a bit hard to find because the original website it came from has been gone for some time now but when you search for it, it still is there.

First thing is the coachwork. the scale was 1/35, a quite regular scale for vehicles, but since I am infected with the reduction virus I need to build things at least 50% smaller as intended.
(which scale it now is - you do the maths, I wouldn't know. 1/70?)

I work with 200 gram paper, which might be a bit too thick for most people but works fine with me. I also had some orange card for glue strips and occasional extra detailing. First ten pics:

[Paper Kosmonaut]

Part two:
Some detailing. I accentuated all the hinges on the doors, made a 3D hatch on top of the cabin and gave the chassis some extra depth by glueing orange card strips over the flat coloured parts. Then it was time for the pontoons. I intend to make this into a diorama like the original scene so I wanted the pontoons to be able to swivel and turn.

[Paper Kosmonaut]

I want to get you all updated up 'til where I am right now, so here's pert three:
Pontoons. I liked the way the tracks looked on the real thing. Just iron chains around a hollow light pontoon. I wanted to try and see if I could get some more depth into the model. I used orange card strips for the pontoon driving surface and used strips of 250 gram dark grey card for the track chain parts. Quite small pieces, but sturdy stuff. It takes a long time to get them all neatly arranged in a row onto the orange strip. I used thin prints of the track sides as a guide. The inner parts are glued next. A finished one has taken up to one and a half hour of work. Three to go.
I also wanted to detail the drive train a bit more so I started with the only non-paper parts used in this build, a few brass rods. I am also going to put the drive shafts between the two axles. Here's where I am now.
Time to clean up my messy desk before I lose sight of my tiny parts!

[Zathros]

Up until last year I could have taken some really nice pictures of one of these that was parked on the side of the road, about 10 miles from where I live. The owner had no problem with people clibing all over it, getting inside and sitting in it. Last year, all his vehicles, and the business just disappeared. Interesting vehicles. If you ever stood near one, you would instantly see the tracks were far too narrow. Neat concept though, big too.

[HMCS]

I lived at a base of a ski resort for a while back in the early 80's and they had one of these! very very cool

[whulsey]

Here's a link to some I shot last spring at the Vista, CA museum. 2011-06-25 Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum Vista CA - whulsey's Photos

[Paper Kosmonaut]

Thanks for taking a look, guys. Yeah, they were pretty primitive and crude machines. But also quite sturdy ones. Two of the three expedition's Sno-Cats survived. One, (A), called Able (driven by expedition leader Fuchs) is in a museum in New Zealand and the other one, (B), called Rock'n'Roll, is at Tucker's factory, awaiting display. After the expedition they all served for years at several polar bases. (C), the third one, fell into another crevasse later on in the late 50's killing its driver. It wasn't salvaged. Its name was The City Of Kent. It also didn't make the traverse across Antarctica.
The one on Whulsey's pictures is a Sno-Cat painted just to look like one of the expeditionary ones. (the headlights are at another position, it has an extra window and it lacks some of the additions the Antarctic ones had.) It's a very nice example, though. And great pictures! I think I can use the suspension details on my build. Thanks!

[rixtoys]

WOW reduced scale NICE WORK. I built it in the normal scale last year. Great little model, and doing the research on its use was just as much fun. I did watch all five parts of the exploration story on Youtube.

[whulsey]

Hey glad I could help with some of the details. And thanks for pointing out the differences. The signage there implied that this was one of the actual expedition vehicles, but I had serious doubts about that. Also thanks for the scale info since my goal will be just the opposite being mainly a model car builder, if I ever get to it will go 1/25th scale.

[outersketcher]

Hey, nice work. And wow....so tiny. That's impressive.

I documented my own build of this model a couple of years ago on the "other forum". Take a look if you are interested. (Administrators...If I've done wrong in linking to that thread, feel free to delete it. With my apologies.)

Love this model. Am interested to see how you construct the diorama. Do you plan to show all three of the original cats from the expedition in one scene? That would be fun to see.