1/56 GI Joe Killer Whale

For me the quintessential GI Joe toy was the hovercraft known as the Killer Whale. Able to move on land and water, it was a heavily armed platform that could also carry troops.

I needed a copy for my 28mm Counter Terrorism force! Lord Rolland of M.A.R.S. made me a 3D copy.

The original print, with the turrets drilled out and guns trimmed. At first I was just going to hollow out the 50 cals to put in gunners but...

I thought I would like the 50 cals to be magnetized and scratch built to be able to turn.

So I stopped drilling and instead leveled off the gun ports.

The turrets were scratch built using washers and plasticard tubing as a base.

Thin plasticard to skin over the gun ports that were drilled out.

Cut to fit.

Marked the holes

Magnets

Glued over the x's

And the second one. My feet in there for scale.

Glued back in place, magnet side down, and trimmed up the skin with a sharp blade.

More work on the gun buckets

Gun buckets on the magnets

A little break to add some stowage

More stowage

I place an order with Stan Johanson miniatures for a 50 cal pack and 2 Gunner packs.

I file and glue 2 50s together for each gun bucket. I cut the gunners in half. I scratch build the gun mounts onto the turrets with scrap plastic.

Base coated. I determined the magnets are too strong for the turrets to turn! I end up mounting a wooden disc under each and the problem is solved.

The new turrets and the nearly complete whale.

On duty fighting the latest Cobra threat!

A close up of the finished crew.

Attack!!

Another view 

Guns turned

Gung Ho fires a few rounds!

More to come,

Doc