captain america

Good grief!! I guess they threw human anatomy right out the window with this clown design. Had it been purely a robot I could understand, but those child-bearing hips and monster thigh gap make the ride look like some sort of sub-human gorilla. I'm sorry to be so harsh, but however well built the final figure may be, it looks like something a bored 10 year-old would draw in history class.

Now you know why I had to develop such extensive scratchbuilding skills: because the kits from my youth were horrible junk!! As for your paint call question, your best bet is to mix. This is what I came up with for my 1/6 MOSPEADA soldier.

The MOQ for this project was hit barely 24 hours after the launch--I'm floored! I think it's safe to say the project is going ahead, so I'll be sending payment requests early next week. If you're still putting funds aside, be at ease: the order window is and remains open until September 18. Thank you to all who are supporting this project!

The original issue came with a pilot.

Correct.

Hello, all. As Brett over at @return2kitform has been teasing over the last several weeks, I would like to announce that @moscatohobbymodels and Return 2 Kit Form are back, but in a slightly different way. As such, we would like to offer a re-issue of the massive 1/72 Tacticar Pod Graug kit, which I would be molding and casting myself. This is one of the largest kits I've mastered, and it hasn't been available since 2009. Because of the awkward design, this kit would feature certain load-bearing parts cast in high-strength polymer with inserts for optimal strength and rigidity. Other features include: -faithful cockpit detail -a seated pilot figure included -full color decals (not included in the original release.) In order for this project to go forward, we need a minimum of 10 orders. If you missed this kit when it was first released, the opportunity is before you now, 14 years later. Also, and this is VERY important: I will only producing enough kits to fill pre-orders. If you don't get in by the cutoff date of September 18, no other kits will be available. If you're interested, please send me a private message. Posting in the thread only will not be construed as interest. Base kit price w/o shipping is $510 cad. Countdown begins now!

Hey Ted, glad to see the kit arrived safely! I'm still waiting to see some completed Biopsycher pics.

I built that kit over 3 decades ago and even then, it was tedious! I ended up scratchbuilding almost half of it, so I know where you're going. Just by-the-by, the pilot's arms don't extend into the mecha arms, but are tightly huddled in the main chest cavity, hence the presence of knobs and controls in there.

The Battle Sniper mode is pretty decent, but the Clapper mode is an utter trainwreck. Understandable as it needs many minute adjustments to go from one to the other.

Part 3 of 3

Part 2 of 3

Destructions!

Quick Monday update: all kits are cast and being packaged. Decals should be here next week. I have two (2) final kits available; get them while you can! Now to finalize the instructions.

The aesthetics of the Alpha make me think of the old Robotech RPG illustrations by Long; they have a very American-comic-book style which doesn't suit the mecha. Most likely a 1/32 or 1/24 rendition pulled from the Sentinel 1/48 and then somehow mangled. And that fighter windscreen... What were they thinking?

Hey Ted! You'll be happy to know I was able to get the vast majority of the mold parting lines on flat/relatively undetailed areas to make clean-up easier.

The 1/48 Destroyed Thomas Hawk project is coming along nicely! Decal artwork is completed, and casting is nearing the half-way point. 119 opaque parts and 5 clear parts for a total of 124 pieces!

The advantage of larger scale and a dedication to detail, my friend! When I have my kit mocked-up in a couple of weeks, you'll see how every other Tomahawk, kit or figure, pales by comparison.

Quick Monday update on the 1/48 Thomas Hawk build: I've been busy making molds. In fact, I completely neglected last week's update so I could finish ALL the molds, test them and show-off the castings! This is one BIG kit, and that doesn't even include the clear parts, so it'll be >1kg.

1/48 Destroyed Thomas Hawk masters: done! Now on to mold-prep. If you thought the 1/72 Quincy Rowe was a big kit, wait 'til you get your hands on this thing!! Also a neat surprise: a pilot figure will be included because reasons.

Any progress on your build?

Captain's log: Friday, June 23, 2022. The 1/40 Thomas Hawk patterns are now almost done, and I'm at the stage where I need to mold certain parts to have complete masters. As such, I will push-back the latest update a few days and instead, I'll give you another important scratchbuilding technique: how to make scale weld marks. This technique should also work with plastic and resin kits, though be aware that if you're applying it to thin plastic parts, you may run the risk of warping said part via the application of heat. Pic 74-- What you'll need: -a package of Super Sculpey oven-bake clay -some very sharp files and/or a scriber (etal files are optimal) -a straight edge (in this case I used a piece of plexiglass) -a hairdryer -a tiny spatula: note that any clay modelling tool with a very narrow tip will work) Pic 75: once you've determined the location of the weld marks, trace a quick line with a pencil, then using your file and the straight edge, run your file over the line several times. Go gently at first, then once there's a bit of a groove to guide the file, you can apply a bit more pressure or use a scriber. The goal is to create a ditch which is just wide and deep enough (about 1mm in this case). When you're done, wash the part thoroughly with soapy water and a toothbrush to remove any residual dust. This is critical, otherwise the uper Sculpey will lift away! Pic 76: take a small blob of Super Sculpey and roll it into a noodle with your fingers. Do NOT make it too fine, but instead keep it fat, like 3-4mm in diameter. Pic 77: using your fingers, smear the Super Sculpey into the ditch you created a little at a time. Don't worry about the excess, just make sure the ditch is well filled. Pic 78: using an old hobby knife, press downward and run the blade across the ditch with the cutting edge facing backward. This will help smear the Super Sculpey into its groove and simultaneously help remove the excess. Pic 79: with the excess Super Sculpey carefully removed, use a very lightly moistened spatula and indent the Super Sculpey as shown above. This will be a very frustrating process, as the Sculpey will tend to want to lift up if the ditch isn't deep enough, or if your sptula is dry. The advantage with using Sculpey is that you're not working against the clock as you would be with catalyzed epoxy clay. You can even start over several times if needed. Once your weld marks are done, take your hair dryer on high heat, and heat the Sculpey weld lines for about 2-3 minutes each, then let sit for about 10 minutes for the clay to polymerize. Notice: because the Sculpey is brittle, avoid flexing the part in the case of application on styrene, or put a very light bead of CA glue on the weld to help hold it in place. On modelling board, this isn't necessary. Voilà: easy do-it-yourself weld marks! Next week you will see the 1/48 Thomas Hawk masters in all their glory, so stay tuned!

Captain's log: Thursday, June 15th, 2023. I've been quite busy adding surface detailing on Thomas, and there's a LOT of it! By virtue of all the parts being large, the sharpness and intricacy required means I can't take the shortcuts I would on a 1/72 subject. I also added a lot of details I didn't have on the 1/72 kit, and so far I'm very pleased with the results. Pic 61 shows the cockpit, or at least, as much of it as can be seen with the viewing screens installed. I made it to resemble a Valk Battroid cocpit with the large monitors but because it sits so low in the chest, much of this will be hard to see unless you remove the head and glacis plate/visor unit. Pics 62-63 show the tremendous detailing work done to the legs and feet. Those little black dots are actually railroad bolts; each one had to be hand-drilled and inserted, and I'm not done yet! I don't know how well these will cast, but they look fantastic! Pics 64-65 show the main torso, the camera unit which will be behind the clear lens, and I also fabricated a somewhat realistic sliding mechanism for the cockpit hatch. Seriously, the artists who drew this had no clue how to engineer anything properly, so I had to go in and do their homework for them. Pics 66-67 show the shoulder pods: missile launcher on the left and searchlight on the right. The former has individual missile doors, and I even did the missiles. The small green one is of the 24 chest missiles, while the large one goes in the shoulder launcher. To install them in their respective launch tubes, merely clip the large fins. So this way you have the option of showing the missile launchers empty, full, or with missiles in flight/display. Pics 68-72 are what I've got so far. It doesn't look like much got done, but my days have been full with tedious detail work and at least one more week to go, but I'm thinking 10 more days and I'll be done. The very last pic (73) shows the Tomahawk in scale with an M1A2 Abrams, just to show you how massive these mecha robots are. More to come next week! 61.HEIC 62.HEIC 63.HEIC 64.HEIC 65.HEIC 66.HEIC 67.HEIC 68.HEIC 69.HEIC 70.HEIC 71.HEIC 72.HEIC 73.heic

Nope

Captain's Log: Friday, June 2, 2023. Today, in addition to showing you the progress of the master-patterns, I'm going to show you a technique for making recessed details, like vents, scoops and other thingamabobs which are impractical to sculpt manually. This is especially true for recessed details which need to be mirrored or duplicated exactly. In this case, it'll be the recessed triangle shapes on the bottom of the Tommy's shin armor. If you look at pic 45, I begin by creating a buck of the desired shape using some modelling board. I make the part long enough so I can then split it in two so as to have identical, mirrored pieces. Using calipers and a sharp pencil, I calculate the positioning of the shapes and then holding the buck against the part, I simply trace its position on both sides. Pic 46: taking a knife and a sharpened flat-blade screwdriver converted into a chisel, I begin carving the recess very carefully. You want the opening to allow the buck to fit inside, with barely 1/3 of a mm all around. Don't worry about the opening being perfect. Pic 47: spray your bucks with a generous coat of mold release (in this case, Price-Driscoll Ultra 4). Now put these aside and mix your polyester putty and using a tool, generously dab some putty into the recesses and then press the bucks into place and wait. Pic 48: as the putty begins to harden, it starts by becoming just a bit rubbery. This is when you very carefully and gently pull the bucks out, leaving a perfect imprint! Take note: this is a bit of a black art, as removing the buck too quickly will cause the putty to crumble and ruin the detail, whereas if you wait too long to extract, it may not come out at all, mold-release be damned! Pic 49: let the putty harden a couple of hours, then sand away the excess. Voila! Pics 50-52 show the range of motion in the legs. The knee was a bit of a bear to create because it was poorly designed, but I made it work. The one concession is the hinge pin which will need to be inserted during the build and puttied over. Pic 53 shows the main body module without its weapons pack. You'll have the option of displaying it this way if you wish Pic 54: the open cockpit hatch, awaiting yet more details. I opted to have the cockpit hatch merely slide open, as opposed to slide-&-tilt, which just adds unneeded complexity and the sensors get in the way. Pics 55-60: beauty shots! Mke no mistake, there's still lot of detailing needed, but even at this stage the model looks fantastic! I may forego next week's update in order to mold a few parts I need to complete some parts, but know that I'll be chugging right along behind the scenes.