Scratch build techniques

[Dax415]

So far as I've watched the boards there have been some incredible build ups and scratch builds. I was wondering if the local guru's here would share how they build from scratch, what supplies to have, what materials to use and how to get things symetrical. Thanks

[Gundamhead]

Not to try to divert from Macross World, but if you spend some time at Starship Modeler, there's a couple giga tons of info on building, converting and scratchbuilds.

Your question is pretty open ended, but my most valuable tools for scratchbuilding are my X-acto, razor saw, steel ruler, files, and crazy glue. There's a ton more, but those are the primary.

My favorite material is sheet styrene, but I use literally everything, and anything to 'make it work'.

Getting things symetrical is the old rule, measure twice cut once. Of course that sounds great, but the fact is putty and crazy glue are great to have just in case your measuring is wrong twice.

[HWR MKII]

evergreen styrene, evergreenstyrene. its a must for any scratch building project. comes in sheets of different thickness and rods of different diameters also in industrial shapes for alot of uses

[Stamen0083]

I suppose this is as good a time as any to post some of my VF-0S stuff.

Backstory: I misplaced a few of the landing gear doors (which I later found, but too little too late by then), and since I didn't want to think about the ejector pin marks on the damn doors (see here: http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs.../VF-Canopy.jpg), I decided to scratch build them all. Did it come out well? You be the judge.

Let's start with some templates. I traced the outlines of the doors I have left on some styrene sheets:

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...512/Doors00.jpg

Then I cut them out using the flat edge of the X-acto to ensure straight lines. If I were building curved lines, I would cut as closely as I can and get it into the curve with successfully smaller cuts as I can, and then sand to shape. Using some superglue, I can glue the cut shapes onto more sheet plastic, and use that as templates for duplicates. Cut out three more of each, to make a total of four. With two of those, trim the outside by about .75mm on each edge. They will be the details on the inside door edge. You should use thinner plastic for two of them, which will be the details on the inside of the doors.

Draw the lines on the detail piece. Using a sharp X-acto, cut out the rectangles inside. This requires some skill and experience, so don't be discouraged if it didn't work for you the first time. Work slowly.

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...512/Doors01.jpg

After you cut the rectangles, place them on the doors to see how they match up. Look good, right? Glue them down.

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...512/Doors02.jpg

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...512/Doors03.jpg

See how they match up to the gear wells. The ones on the right are the original kit pieces:

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...512/Doors04.jpg

Now, using a piece of half inch tubing, wrap the doors around it and run it under some hot water. Using successively smaller diameters, try to get the diameter of the new doors to match up with the old doors:

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...512/Doors05.jpg

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...512/Doors06.jpg

Since we want these new doors to function more or less like the old ones, let's try to duplicate the static hinge. Take note of the hinges on the kit doors. They're strips with rectangular notches that go into the rectangular holes in the gear well. Cut some plastic strips to the right length, and glue them to the doors at the right place. Cut some rectangle from the same strips, and glue them to the hinge bars at the right place. The front doors don't need the notches, so forget those.

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...512/Doors11.jpg

At this point, you should be done. Keep an eye on the curvature of the doors. The front ones would be tougher to match, but nothing is impossible:

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...512/Doors12.jpg

See how the new doors line up with the old ones nearly perfectly?

Now, modify the gunpod to match the lineart. Step one, get rid of the silly wide bars at the front of the nose, then cut six pieces of plastic to shape, and glue them in. Step two, using Hasegawa's scriber saw, clear out the plastic under the cross bar at the top of the gunpod:

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...12/GunPod01.jpg

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...12/GunPod02.jpg

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...12/GunPod03.jpg

Next lesson, shaping and carving complex curved shapes:

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...P01Fb+Leg01.jpg

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...P01Fb+Leg02.jpg

Edited October 17, 2004 by Stamen0083

[Neova]

Stamen0083,

Awesome writeup! Can't wait for the next segment!

[Stamen0083]

Thanks. :-D

Next lesson.

Step 0: MAKE A PLAN! The most important thing EVER when you scratch build something is to make a plan. MAKE A PLAN. In case you missed it, MAKE A PLAN.

Unfortunately, I misplaced the scan I made for this segment, so you'll have to make your own plans. Moving on, though. The project: A leg modification for a Bandai HGUC Gundam GP01.

After getting a satisfactory profile on paper, take a half of the leg to the plastic sheet. Use the side with the female connectors. For the gender challenged, that's the side with the holes, since the pegs would make it difficult to lay the part onto plastic sheet.

Lay it flat. Now, use a fine pencil and trace the outline of the part on plastic. Make sure you leave enough room for whatever modification you want to add on. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of this process, but it should be similar to the gear door process described earlier. Here's a refresher:

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...512/Doors00.jpg

Actually, I recommend glueing the part down using SUPERGLUE (Important, don't use cement, since that would be permanent. We want to be able to remove this sheet of plastic later.

Now, around the outline of the part, redraw the profile of the modification on this plastic sheet that you drew out on paper earlier. Try to get it as accurate as you can, since you'll be using this as a guide to build from now on. If you planned ahead, you would have drilled holes into the plastic sheet where the part's sockets were, so that you can snap the other half on.

I use epoxy putty. Specifically, Milliput epoxy. I don't touch the miniature Green Stuff, since it dries rubbery. I don't use MagicSculp, since I don't have any. I don't use any Japanese stuff, since Milliput is readily available for less, and it's been proven to me to work, and work well.

Lay some Milliput around your part. Use the plastic sheet part as a guide to how thick a layer of putty to lay down. Lay it to the side to dry. Once it has fully cured, use your X-acto to carve it to a rough shape. This will require a steady hand and some skills. Sorry, if you have clumsy hands, you're in for a rough time. I wish this process could be alleviated somehow, but it can't be. Check it out:

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...P01%20leg01.jpg

Here are the putty modded parts. Somehow, these came loose when I pried them up:

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...P01%20leg02.jpg

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...P01%20leg03.jpg

Check the kit's left leg:

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...7/GP01Fb+01.jpg

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...7/GP01Fb+02.jpg

Here's another mod I was doing at the same time:

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...PGM%20leg01.jpg

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...PGM%20leg02.jpg

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...PGM%20leg03.jpg

After you got it to a rough shape that's as close to what you want as possible, use some sandpaper to smooth it through. I recommend 600 to 800 grit paper, as anything rougher will remove too much material and leave nasty scratches that'll be a total bitch to remove properly. Do what you have to with the sandpaper to get it into the final shape:

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...P01Fb+Leg01.jpg

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs...P01Fb+Leg02.jpg

The gray vernier, as well as the hexagon detail part and the wide stripe were carved out very carefully with a tiny flathead screwdriver. I didn't have a chisel then. Still don't have a chisel now, actually. Hell, I didn't have a digital camera at the time, so my pictures really sucked, and I couldn't take much working shots.

There's a little more done on this thing since this picture, but I haven't worked on this kit in ages... I guess I'm just too lazy to finish it off. In anycase, fart G-sys and their 500-dollar Fb+. I'll settle for my 1/144, thank you very much.

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~stamen0083/progs/030812/Fb+01.jpg

PS: Skills can be learned. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again. You get a lot of Milliput, relatively speaking, in the pack you buy.

Edited October 18, 2004 by Stamen0083

[dyowelb]

Stamen0083,

Nice tutorial.. Really helped esp the bending/curve part using hot water.

ANyways, do you have the plan/how-to for your 1/100 Gundam Trailer??

Thanks,

d

[Stamen0083]

Stamen0083,

Nice tutorial.. Really helped esp the bending/curve part using hot water.

ANyways, do you have the plan/how-to for your 1/100 Gundam Trailer??

Thanks. Always nice to see feedback.

The trailer... That was my first scratch build project, ever. I was still really unskilled at the time as far as plastic and putty goes, and it shows. The wheels don't even line up properly, and those pictures were taken with a webcam, for crying out loud. I should take proper pictures with my camera now to show off all the defects.

I might end up building another, more refined version, and I'll be sure to document it with plenty of pictures. I could also consider some Macross related item too.

[dyowelb]

I might end up building another, more refined version, and I'll be sure to document it with plenty of pictures. I could also consider some Macross related item too.

Thatll be great. Let's us know when you are going to start.

If I have enought skill I might try to make a Labor Truck (from Patlabor).

[HWR MKII]

before you start on the patlabor truck try to find the truck most closely resembeling the one in the show if your doing the transporter in 1/35 scale a MAN cargo truck by revell should do the trick or the tow tractor from a trumpeter FAUN tank transporter would be better. thats a 90 dollar kit but it has a nice long trailer with it to hack apart for the base that the labor gets carried on. the number one thing with scratch building is patience. just like in carpentry measure twice and cut once maybe even make a foam core mockup to get your dimensions right before you cut the plastic parts. sometimes you dont need to scratch the entire kit just add onto an already existing vehicle until the desired look is achieved.

[olivers]

Which Patlabor carrier, the basic one from the OAV's which is like a flatbed or the 2nd one which has the crane and a very complex gantry sytem?

In one of the Hobby Japans someone scratchbuilt the 2nd version and I have an artbook from Patlabor 2 that has production sketches of it.

[Stamen0083]

Which Patlabor carrier, the basic one from the OAV's which is like a flatbed or the 2nd one which has the crane and a very complex gantry sytem?

In one of the Hobby Japans someone scratchbuilt the 2nd version and I have an artbook from Patlabor 2 that has production sketches of it.

Will you post scans?

[HWR MKII]

i was talking about the second one from the movies. its visually more interesting and has possibilities for doing a field maintenance scene.

[Pat S]

Stamen0083, serious thanks for the writeups! Very useful info for me, I'm just getting into this sort of thing. Hopefully I can put some of this to use on my Yamato YF-19 project.

Edited October 23, 2004 by Pat S

[olivers]

I guess you want pics of the 2nd one with the detail. I'll scan the pics in sometime.

[olivers]

I've scanned them in and they are 1.5Mb, can't get to my web space for some reason. If you email/PM me I can email them to you.