Here you can see the baseboard with scribed-on grid, and some rather heavy duty dowelling - my design is fairly narrow, so these are for maximum stability, as well as rapid model removal, sans screwdriver
Two layers of mdf stack on the dowels - the larger top one is, for all intents and purposes, the model 'floor' and will be clayed into it (the lower lines of the model may change, so the clay will actually wrap around and under it), wheras the lower piece is simply a spacer to lift the floor to an appropriate level. This spacer can be replaced for a higher one to get better access to the bottom of the model
- A peice of approximately shaped styrofoam (sealed with shellac) is glued on the floor board and completes the body of the armature. Also note the profile board I have made, based on the package drawing outline. The gap (approx. 10-20mm) is indicative of how much clay will fill out the surface, and consequently dictates how far the design surfaces may be altered
- A profile board was also constructed from the front view package drawing
To serve as placeholders for the wheels, and to achieve a really crisp interior finish on the wheel shroud, I layered these MDF blocks to the precise width, and attached them firmly from underneath with countersunk screws. I also carefully covered them in a neat layer of glossy sellotape, so that the clay doesn't stick come removal time
