EALDERCOTE 2.0

WINDSHIELD WIPER CLIPS TO LOADS

Replacing windshield wipers on our cars came with an unexpected bonus. Leftover mounting clips turned out to have just interesting enough shapes to capture my imagination. We've seen bulky industrial loads covered in tarps, and sometimes wondered what is under the cover....

I made several different types of loads based on the different clip shapes I had at hand. Other cast off automobile parts can become the foundation of interesting loads if you can see potential in the shapes.

Plain Tarped Loads

Alas, I did not think to document my process with photos, but I started with a leftover windshield wiper clip. A pair of large decorative gears got glued to either side. Matchsticks form the sleepers. The "tarps" are all rectangles of wide masking tape that I cut into 10 scale feet strips. Once I draped and folded them over the load, I painted and weathered them, following up with black thread for the tie downs.

Each windshield wiper came with several different clips, so I a few pairs of shapes to work and experiment with. The simple hump shape of the second clip begged to be some sort of axle for a large wheel or gear.

I have gears, so that is what got attached to the clips. I sliced the clip in half to create more loads

I made one clip more interesting by painting, pinstriping and adding more gears, the other got a masking tape tarp.

The tarped load in this case doesn't seem as effective as my previous efforts. The recommendation that I make the tarp brown made for a disappointing result. The colorful gear box next to it will look fine inside a manufacturing facility.

This is a second version of my first tarped load. I painted the masking tape individually in different shades of blue to give it more visual interest.

Matchstick sleepers and black thread for tiedowns.

Different loads staged in front of my freight warehouse.

Tiny Tarped Load

This clip was kind of bland, so I glued several shapes to it including a broken railroad wheel, matchsticks, a piece of sprue, and a bit of plastic drinking straw.

Trying to "tarp" this load was like wrapping an assembled tricycle for Christmas.... I deliberately left one corner loose as if someone wasn't too diligent about securing the tarps.

Industrial Widget Load

The aerodynamic look of this clip caught my eye, and it looks more interesting with the protective snaps cut off.

Since I had 2 clips, making a duplicate machine seemed reasonable, A little institutional green paint helps disguise their origins and gives better shadow lines.

I added some printed signs and control panels, a plastic piece of L-shaped sprue, and a decorative , and suddenly, they look more purposeful.
I diverged on my goals at this point and added masking tape rectangles to one to represent tarps for a visible flatcar load. The other can be staged on a loading dock or inside a factory scene. Matchsticks were cut down to make sleepers

A bit of additional weathering and highlights for the tarps plus black thread for the tiedowns, and these two machines are ready for the layout.

Plain Tarped Loads
Alas, I did not think to document my process with photos, but I started with a leftover windshield wiper clip. A pair of large decorative gears got glued to either side. Matchsticks form the sleepers. The "tarps" are all rectangles of wide masking tape that I cut into 10 scale feet strips. Once I draped and folded them over the load, I painted and weathered them, following up with black thread for the tie downs.	Each windshield wiper came with several different clips, so I a few pairs of shapes to work and experiment with. The simple hump shape of the second clip begged to be some sort of axle for a large wheel or gear.	I have gears, so that is what got attached to the clips. I sliced the clip in half to create more loads	I made one clip more interesting by painting, pinstriping and adding more gears, the other got a masking tape tarp.
The tarped load in this case doesn't seem as effective as my previous efforts. The recommendation that I make the tarp brown made for a disappointing result. The colorful gear box next to it will look fine inside a manufacturing facility.	This is a second version of my first tarped load. I painted the masking tape individually in different shades of blue to give it more visual interest.	Matchstick sleepers and black thread for tiedowns.	Different loads staged in front of my freight warehouse.
Tiny Tarped Load
	This clip was kind of bland, so I glued several shapes to it including a broken railroad wheel, matchsticks, a piece of sprue, and a bit of plastic drinking straw.	Trying to "tarp" this load was like wrapping an assembled tricycle for Christmas.... I deliberately left one corner loose as if someone wasn't too diligent about securing the tarps.
Industrial Widget Load
The aerodynamic look of this clip caught my eye, and it looks more interesting with the protective snaps cut off.	Since I had 2 clips, making a duplicate machine seemed reasonable, A little institutional green paint helps disguise their origins and gives better shadow lines.	I added some printed signs and control panels, a plastic piece of L-shaped sprue, and a decorative , and suddenly, they look more purposeful. I diverged on my goals at this point and added masking tape rectangles to one to represent tarps for a visible flatcar load. The other can be staged on a loading dock or inside a factory scene. Matchsticks were cut down to make sleepers	A bit of additional weathering and highlights for the tarps plus black thread for the tiedowns, and these two machines are ready for the layout.