Well I actually got some work done in between yard work, small vacation with the family and catching the flu!
The guillotine model is designed to be operational. I've broke the machine down into sub assemblies and did a test fit tonight.
First, the blade assembly is hollow and has a molded port in the top to accept something to weigh it down. I chose sifted beach sand.
Now naturally a guillotine without a victim is useless, so I got the victim finally assembled, and some squadron putty will fill the notoriously large gaps in the model. Not too bad though considering it's an old kit. This particular model had the victim's head held in place by way of a large post attached to the head that went into a hole in the neck of the body. I cut off the post and used magnets to attach the head to the body, albeit temporarily.
I carefully test fit the entire contraption together, just missing the pulley wheel on the top crosspiece.
To operate it, the condemned is placed on the sliding platform (usually with the able assistance of some members of the brute squad!).
The platform is then slid up and forward bringing the victim's head between the uprights.
The upper stock is lowered and locked in place, holding the neck in the perfect position.
The blade is raised to the top and held in place with the blade release lever.
A drum roll sounds, whipping the mob into a blood thirsty frenzy! The blade is released.....
And voila! the deed is done!
Now on to painting and final assembly. I'm thinking of a reddish brown for the wood parts. In texts that I've read, the machines were carefully made and maintained. They had to be or the working parts would jam. Most embarrassing! So the wood used would be straight, tight grained wood, lacquered to prevent warping with the weather.
Not shown is the wicker basket that would catch the victim's head. That goes in front of the blade.
Most of the built versions of this model that I've seen have tons of red paint glopped all over the place. While it would make a slasher film director's happy, it's not really historically accurate. For one, the blade cut cleanly, the heart stopped almost immediately, and while a fair amount of blood would seep out of the body, it wouldn't "gush" all over the place. And second, the executioners would most likely clean the machine daily to keep it in good running order. There would be some blood around, and there will be on this model, but I'm hoping to achieve a realistic amount of gore.
So hopefully more pics when I get the painting started. Good luck to all, any more wips out there?