captain america

Oh, and just to make it official... The Graug WILL be free-standing. What's even more shocking is that I was able to get it to hold WITHOUT GLUING!! Mind you, I did add a bit of CA to the tabs to increase the friction with the corresponding grooves, but this is essentially a dry-fit. Gravity prevented me from positioning the arms/cannons out straight, but I would totally be able to do so with glue. The model is pretty darn solid too; more so than I was expecting it to be. If anything, I can tell you this: the Graug is a big-time attention getter, whether it's just meant for your own private showcase or a modelling competition, its size WILL turn heads! Also, the fact that I made it as big as I did and that it looms over the Regults... It just screams "I'm the leader!"

Actually, the new price is still very reasonable. When I had made the run initially, I had slightly underestimated the sheer number of parts and labor involved.

I'll advise on Monday. I've already poured the repair mold, and everything should be fine. Still, I like to play it safe.

The first 15 models are being prepped for shipping as we speak. I will likely be able to get a few out tomorrow, and perhaps a few more on Saturday. Will commence work on destructions next week.

Neko, you may be in luck: the new owner of the Pharanx masters seems to be working on a run as we speak--hopefully an official announcement wil be made. Oh, and back to the Graug... Ok, it's official: one of my molds gave up the ghost this morning, but I'm retooling it so that I can extend the run to 30. So far, I have the following members waiting for extras (in no particular order:) -ULTIMATEONE -VERMILLION ONE -EVIL BONES -KREMMEN -DARRIN G -JARDANN That's 6 so far, and I think I can accomodate 2 more, so if 1 or 2 more people want in, now's the time to speak up. Also, if your username appears on my list by mistake, just say the word and I'll correct it. Edit: for what it's worth, I've had a few people PM me asking about the Graug, but have zero forum posts and are otherwise unknown to me, so in the interest of fairness and security (namely mine), I will give priority to known forum members.

I'll be doing a dry-run in order to test-fit everything and produce the instructions, so yes, there will be a few more "eye candy" pics, but after all the casting is finished, the only thing I have planned is some much-needed rest and maybe a short stay in the insane assylum

It's finally time for the obese Meltran to take the stage As things stand, I will have the full 20 Graugs done by mid next week. In the meantime, for those who would like to go ahead and send the balance of their payments, here is the info you need. THe kits are $390, minus the $100 deposit, so $290. Shipping: -$35.00 for up to 2 kits within North America. -$58.00 per kit for shipping anywhere else in the world. You can send payment via Paypal or an International Postal money-order in US funds. If you choose to pay via Paypal, you will need to add 4% to cover their fee. For example, for one kit needing to be shipped within North America, it breaks down like so: $290 +35.00 +4% = $338.00 As usual, if there's anything else, just PM me. P.S: several people have PMed me asking if I will make more than the 20 currently pre-sold. I will know this myself in a few days, and will post the news accordingly.

I've got this going on at the moment...

This probably isn't the best place to ask, but what happened to the 1/48 VF-25 thread? I can't seem to find it, and there doesn't seem to be any news on it.

It would be hard on the wallet, that much I can say. The booster hull would either have to be vac-formed, or laid-up in fiberglass--most likely the latter to get good detail, and probably $1200 apiece. Like I said, not a snowball's chance in Hell

Not a snowball's chance in hell

Oh, just for fun, here is a comparative example using two different "official" pieces of line-art. I scaled a side-view of the Graug to match the size chart: if you look at the Quamzin/pilot representation and side-view at right, you will see that for the sake of continuity, it is not physically possible to maintain size continuity, given the numerical values of the mech and pilot AND fitting a pilot inside the Graug.Also, you have to take battle armor into consideration, which makes the pilot bulkier, as well as slightly taller. Quite simply, they fudged it, and that's alright cos I like to fix things. Gotta remember that back in the day, the staff probably never expected the artwork to be scrutinized so closely, and have massive mass appeal 20 years+ onward, and also, marketing influences may or may not have played a role in the size of the mechs, and how they can be applied to product that has to meet a given price-point. When I did the Heavy Gear/Jovian Chronicles designs, I had to wing it proportionally too, because I simply didn't have time to be as elaborate as I would've liked to be. Anyway, here I am, 22 molds later, pouring 1.5kg of resin to get one Graug, made with far, far fewer concessions than the artwork it was derived from

Yes! Yes I do. Roughly 35.5cm tall, or about 14 inches, if you prefer Imperial.

Many. But if you have to ask at all, I take that as a good sign Truthfully, many of the "concessions" are in the cockpit area, as what you see in the line art and the dimensional shape of the cockpit conflict greatly; a little bit like if you were shown a small camping trailer from the outside, and then a photo of the inside, showing lots of space with a full kitchen and a waterfall; you know the two just don't add up.

There's a possibility that I'll be able to extend the run to 30 in stead of 20. Some of the larger molds are currently at their mid-life point and are holding up nicely, though I will err on the side of caution and wait before accepting any new orders. Total with shipping has yet to be determined, as I don't yet have full kits that I can weigh for postage. Edit: as for how well this will display with 1/60 Valks, that's entirely subjective. The "purists" will say that my Graug is way too big for 1/72, but that's just two-dimensional thinking. I actually think it'll look fine next to either 1/72 or even 1/60 scale, though a closed cockpit would be better for the latter.

+1 what Cobywan said. The closest thing I use to a clear resin is Smooth Cast 327, which is actually a hazy amber color, and still very tempermental to use, but it does seem to work well with my tin-based Bluestar silicone.I've tried virtually ever clear resin by every company that my distributors carried, and I hate them all; always very tempermental mix ratios, soft castings, even after post-curing, highly viscous, unmanageable gunk and unGodly long demold times.

I have a preference for silicone molds and polyurethane resin casting material; the resins I happen to be using for this project are all Smooth-On products, as pictured below.

Possibly by the end of next week; I will have about a dozen kits done by then. Be warned though, the shipping charge might be on the staggering side: so far, one kit (partially molded) weighs in at about 1.1kg--just resin, no box or packing material; with full parts, we might be looking at over 1.5kg of solid resin, plus packaging.

Oh, and an early sample of the box art

THe last 2 pix

Today's update: Prelude To A Finale!! As usual, I've been up to my armpits with molding and casting, and today, I will touch on some of the more noteable points of the mold-making process. Disclaimer: the techniques I use are those that I've developed to work with my own style & habits for my own particular needs; these techniques may or may not be optimal for everyone. Anyhoo, on to the good stuff... Pic 1: the first thing that needs to be done is the attachment of vents and gates to all parts. This is a very time-consuming step, as it requires lots of careful studying of the part, and gate placement is critical, lest ye be happy with half-cast or improperly cast parts. I like to use hot glue to attach the gates, since they can be easily removed while doing little damage to the master. Pic 2: depending on the shape and geometry of a given part, it's sometimes necessary to fill-in or cover certain openings to ensure a succesful molding and casting. I like to use a bit of diluted white glue to seal-up little cracks and gaps, the kind you get when you glue two parts together. Otherwise, the mold rubber will leak into the gap and rip your master apart upon demold. Not fun. Pic 3: Once all the sprues & vents are attached, the master is placed upside down on a hard, flat surface and glued with hot glue. Depending on the complexity of the shape, you may want to make some markings to guide you when you slice the mold open later. Pic 4: Once the part is securely fastened to a base, I construct a mold box to go around it: my material of choice is plexiglass, which I glue with CA at the corners. Once the box is done and secured to the base with hot glue, it's just a matter of pouring the rubber. Pic 5: these are my two pressure chambers, that are used not only for casting, but the small unit also does double-duty as a vacuum chamber. Pic 6: once molds have been opened, masters removed and allowed to dry out, actual casting can begin... This is what I've done in about a week, and this is just the beginning!

Yes it will. You essentially can build it 3 ways: cockpit closed, cockpit open (no pilot) and cockpit open (with pilot.)

Helmut Hedd it is, then!

Oh, one other thing: would you guys prefer Quamzin to have the helmeted or unhelmeted head? IdeallyI would've done both, but frankly, I'm pushing 20 molds and about 100 parts as it is.

I don't know about the masterpiece part, but the sculptor is definitely insane