Hull, deck, side guns, some aerials: Target knock-off (KoolToyz) 'aircraft carrier'
Cabin walls, ceiling: foam core
Front gun: APC mounted on FlyWheels demonstration packaging
Crane: Corps 6-wheeled crane
Tall mast: N-Scale searchlight tower
Helm: Crayola box & Lego ship's wheel
Radar, flag antenna: Manta Ray
Compass: marker cap & RC fuel pump
Red aerials: Wild Quest arrows
Molding: semicircle strip styrene
Doors: USS Flagg
Ladders: Corps fire truck
Devilfish -- itself
This began as a Target 'generic aisle' aircraft carrier by KoolToys. It was so small compared to the Flagg that it was a joke, but I thought it had potential as a smaller vessel. Some poring over the Navy fact files later, and I'd decided on making it into a (Guided Missile) Frigate. The carrier already had the elevator action; I chose to make that the helipad for the frigate. The bay fits a Devilfish perfectly.
I'd stripped off usable items from the original 'superstructure' (that was one figure wide and barely as tall at its peak) and then unscrewed the deck to remove the superstructure and the push-button sound feature.
Next came my big experiment, my first time working with foam core. I measured off two rooms and a walkway and cut out the pieces, using a miter-blade X-acto that does 90 and 45 degree cuts. Putting them together -- that's when I found out the deck was bowed down in the middle, not flat. I used copious amounts of plumber's goop to give the foam core a place to sit, and electrical tape to assist the glue in holding the pieces to each other. After the goop dried, I used contour putty to fill in the remaining gaps. Luckily I had paints that matched the deck and the foam core's grays.
From there, it was a matter of accessorizing: The helm is a Lego ship's wheel poked into half of a 4-pack Crayola crayon box, and the radio mike above it is cut from a Chap Mei fig. The radar station is cut from the Manta Ray, while the ship's compass is a RC fuel valve set into a colored marker cap. The two bulkhead doors are off the Flagg. A Tomahawk exhaust sits on the right side, and the ladders are from a Corps fire truck. The crane also is Corps, with other accoutrements along the sides with just random fodder and semi-circular strip styrene. Oh, the hooks for the net I lopped off of the boots of a Chap Mei Ninja Fighter figure.
The red aerials are trimmed Wild Safari arrows, the loudspeakers, circular radar tower, and rotating cannons are from the original carrier. The flag-bearing antenna is from the Manta Ray also. The tall mast is an N-scale searchlight tower! The front cannon is an APC's gun set onto a store-display connector (remove before play) from a Fly Wheel toy I think.
Finally, this is also my first try at making labels. I chose to keep the 15 on the crane, so I had to make hull numbers to match. The G.I. Joe logos are from the file depository wiki. I also drew up a crude ship's crest that's on the bow of the helm. The anchor and star I found online. The rest of the coat of arms I drew with the mouse and polygon tools.
