Wolfman's grav tank model

Tank Casting:

Randy, I CC'd David on this one just to see what his thoughts are. 

http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~rwwolfme

That is just brilliant work, as far as modelling goes. And it really
must get cast somewhere somehow. I've already said I'd buy some. :) 

General thoughts: 

I'd say cast it before adding features that would be hard to caste (ie
wire mesh bins/etc) but after surface detail is applied. You should drop
David at DLD a line... (note I've CC'd him just to get his input) as he
might be able to 1) put you on the right track (if he's caught up after
the big con) or 2) he might want to cast it for you and make a kit of
it. 

A solid resin model will be easier to cast (in some ways, though mould
heating and bulging may be more problematic) for the hull. A kit with
the hull piecewise would be far cheaper to ship and lighter if you do
need to be a bit of a whiz to mould like that. (DLD's moulding is
superior in quality I think to GZGs, but it also comes at a price
premium). That's your trade off - a big heavy thing that's expensive to
buy and ship, or a smaller lighter thing that's expensive because it
comes with a lot of pieces. 

Try to leave bits like cupolas, guns, and hatches for separate casting
(until you decide how you'd go about this). You'll find that you'll use
a lot of resin to cast these if you cast them solid, and that gets
pricey. Plus making good RTV moulds is a non-trivial task (I really
would like to see it done, you've got a great looking kit). 

Painted? Last time I sent a painted model to be cast, the caster ended
up having to strip the paint, so I'd say not. I dunno if a sealer coat
is a good idea or if there are some restrictions on what you can use or
not, David (DLD), Jon T. (GZG), or Tony (Brigade) could address this
point. 

Not trying to scare you off or deter you from trying this yourself, but
the guys who do this for a living have a hard time getting this 100%,
and that should give you a clue that casting isn't a trivial process.
Mould making is a bit of a black art. And people like David have
experience in knowing the best way to cast a part and how to modify
designs in useful ways (when I placed a Kamodo order, David came up with
a way to re-design the Kamodo to make it simpler without robbing it of
detail when one of his moulds gave out). So, Good Luck! This will be a
great resin if you can get it done. :)

Design-wise, stowage for a GRAV TANK should be aerodynamic. Ryan may
advocate stowing packs off the side... something tells me if this beast
gets up to 180 kph then those packs would be ancient history. And
stowage on the rear hull where the vectored thrust outlets are would be
problematic. But the back half of the turret would be a good spot for
some solid (aerodynamic) storage casings.

Tomb

Quick other points: 

Bugs:
Beth, KV ain't human. Any hillbilly from Arkansas can see that. They do
not look lahk a deer. They do not look lahk a dawg. They're clearly
Bugz. Big, Ugly, Wrasslin' Bugz. Geez girl, whud do they teach at them
thar ewe-nee-var-cities? High edjukashun.... 

Laserlight: