mslz22 Posted November 10, 2013 Posted November 10, 2013 So this is a build for a member here. wanted to document the build for anyone else who may be tackling a kit. I am adding lights to this one, the eye, the engine thrusters, the sensors at the front of the engine and the little sensor on top of the main gun. Just a little chronicle of the build and some tips along the way. For the wires, these parts are rotocast and there is plenty of room to run them. The only fit issue that i have run into is the area that the engines and body meet, there is a bit of a high spot on the body, on the right side only, which makes the engine "rock" back and forth a bit rather than sit nicely. There are a couple of ways to tackle it, you can fill the edges, but that gets messy, you can sand the high spot, but you risk sanding the edge where the 2 meet, or you can simply use a medium router bit with a dremmel to just reduce center area on the body. It does not even need to be as dramatic as in the pic here. Once that's done, it fit very nicely with no additional filler, the left side did not have any issue with the fit. The only area on the engines that needed any filler is the little spot in the pic below. I recommenced using apoxy sculpt, it's easy to work with a little sculpting tool, does not get all over everything like bondo and with the sculpting tool you can apply it only where you need it, keeping it out of the recessed detail/trench on the engine, it will only need a few minutes of sanding and will be ready for primer. I'm a little behind on this build so hopefully the remainder of this build will go quick for me. If anyone has any ?'s about the build feel free to ask so i can address them. thanks mike Quote
MechTech Posted November 11, 2013 Posted November 11, 2013 It's stating the obvious, but that thing's huge!!! It looks like you're using regular speaker wire versus the smaller gauge stuff that it appeared to be first until your hand showed up in the picture to scale it against. This will be great to see come together! - MT Quote
Benson13 Posted November 11, 2013 Posted November 11, 2013 Can't wait for the finished product. Quote
DarrinG Posted November 11, 2013 Posted November 11, 2013 MIKE - Please keep this area open for more impressive or interesting projects. A 1/48th custom fully lit resin Glaug is not going to cut it, please stop wasting our time... Quote
mslz22 Posted November 23, 2013 Author Posted November 23, 2013 Little more progress over the last week with a few more tips. The sensor dome thingys that go under the back of the body need a little fitting. Best way to approach it is to mark some locations so you don't get into a lot of back and forth. Then it's just a matter of marking any high spot and taking it down until it fits really snugly. Part of the issue with something this big is that the big part shrinks just a little more than the smaller mass parts, in this case the sensor thingy. From there i mark the center radiator fin, glue it in place, and move the outer fin as far over as possible to the installed sensor dome, even notching the dome just a bit for the fin to sit on. I then measured the distance between the 2 fins, replicated the spacing on the 3rd fin, then installed the 2nd dome. For the body painting I primed it up, being sure to mask the arm socket for good glue adhesion later. I painted it with a light blue, polar blue from Montana Gold. It will get kicked to a blueish grey after a filter. I am trying to mimic the Max Wantanabe Mak style painting. I have always done filters in my paint jobs, but the difference with this style that i am trying out is the relative darkness of the filter, that and letting it sit overnight and gently removing material until I wind up with the shading i want for each set of panels. I used to do an overall filter, then go back and shade the panel lines more. Either way has it's advantages but i am pretty happy with the Max technique right now. This is now ready for Future clear so i can start some decals in a couple of days. thanks mike Quote
mslz22 Posted November 23, 2013 Author Posted November 23, 2013 Love this kit, whats next Thanks, i am spread pretty thin these days, at least for the next month, really thinking about tackling something just a little less complicated next, really want a 1/48 launch arm and display base for the upcoming hasegawa super kit that are coming. I already got the plans printed out, may start this week if i have any extra time.... mike Quote
Smut Peddler Posted November 23, 2013 Posted November 23, 2013 (edited) Thanks, i am spread pretty thin these days, at least for the next month, really thinking about tackling something just a little less complicated next, really want a 1/48 launch arm and display base for the upcoming hasegawa super kit that are coming. I already got the plans printed out, may start this week if i have any extra time.... mike could this launch arm work with the 1/48 yamato's ? Edited November 23, 2013 by Smut Peddler Quote
GU-11 Posted November 24, 2013 Posted November 24, 2013 Wow, it's not even completed and ALREADY is looks this awesome! Can't wait to see the kit fully assembled and painted up! Quote
mslz22 Posted November 24, 2013 Author Posted November 24, 2013 could this launch arm work with the 1/48 yamato's ? Not likely, the yamatos are too heavy in my opinion, so is the club m resin, so i am really excited for the hasegawa kits, I have been dreaming of a 1/48 on a launch arm for like 12 years at this point. I wish we had news about a weapons set, I am guessing they will do one but don't know if it's a year away or 2 years. I would really like to hear some news about a 1/48 battroid kit, if i knew there was a battroid kit in the works i would likely sell almost all my yamato's mike Quote
Berttt Posted November 24, 2013 Posted November 24, 2013 Love the filter technique. Is that Tamiya NATO Black your using there? What did you use to thin it? Bertt Quote
Valkyrie addict Posted November 25, 2013 Posted November 25, 2013 drooool....this is sexy, can't wait to see it all lighted up. Quote
mslz22 Posted November 25, 2013 Author Posted November 25, 2013 Thanks, it's MiG pigments starship filth oil, thinned with oderless mineral spirits. You can use ordinary oils of course, but the Mig starship filth is a good mix of brownish black all on it's own, i like it better than a straight lamp black or such. mike Love the filter technique. Is that Tamiya NATO Black your using there? What did you use to thin it?Bertt Quote
mslz22 Posted November 27, 2013 Author Posted November 27, 2013 After a couple of thin layers of future, i put on the decals, lots of solve a set to get it to conform to the curvature of the engines/body, cut the decal in the panel lines and add a little chipping to really give it that painted on look. I also drybrush a little of the filter over the decals so it blends in with the rest of the pod, don't want them to pop out and scream DECAL!!!! mike Quote
Reïvaj Posted November 28, 2013 Posted November 28, 2013 It's getting better and better! I love how it looks so far. Quote
mslz22 Posted December 8, 2013 Author Posted December 8, 2013 Giant feet done, put a Tamiya spray can in there for size. Each foot is bigger than some 1/72nd kits alone. Same subtractive weathering technique used. mike Quote
MechTech Posted December 8, 2013 Posted December 8, 2013 I don't normally look there or say this, "but hey, nice looking feet! Those are gorgeous!" The decal work is awesome too! - MT Quote
DarrinG Posted December 9, 2013 Posted December 9, 2013 That bad boy need working foot claws that can grapple in unsuspecting items! ( like a house cat! ) STUNNING WORK - on a truly stunning item . . . Quote
mslz22 Posted December 15, 2013 Author Posted December 15, 2013 Lot's of work to get from the above base color to the bottom cannon. First the fore mentioned filter, then clean, then clearcoat with future for the decals, then decals, seal the decals. Then it gets a bit more interesting, the issue with the darker colors, just like the boosters on the vf-1's is then can look boring and blobby without the drybrushing. It's even more complicated in this scale, I realized during this build that the cannon alone is as big as a 1/48 scale tank. I mixed the base color with some white to brighten it up. Then drybrushed, sometimes doing to much, in which case i knocked it back with some extrafine steel-wool, back and forthed it a bit until i was happy, then tuned up the shading on the panel lines now that i had a background that it would show up on better. Finally dusted it with future+ flatbase. thanks mike Quote
DarrinG Posted December 16, 2013 Posted December 16, 2013 You are taking huge empty expanses of metal and making every inch of it look realistic and weathered. Extremely nice work . . . Quote
MechTech Posted December 16, 2013 Posted December 16, 2013 It just keeps looking more awesome! - MT Quote
PetarB Posted December 16, 2013 Posted December 16, 2013 The finish on those gun/hands looks spot-on! Quote
mslz22 Posted January 31, 2014 Author Posted January 31, 2014 More progress, behind on this for the member here but hope to get it mostly finished up this weekend. More than this is done but just a catch up. Running wires for the light on top of the cannon. arms have been built, they have locator pins where the meet the "ball" of the shoulder socket, that way then can be set up for photos but still broken down for shipping. A lot of what held up the build was figuring out how to build stuff to be broken down for safe shipping. I also wanted to make the arm connections as rock solid as possible, i forgot to take pics, but the method that i settled on was pretty straightforward. I attached the ball section of the mid arm to the sockets of the upper and lower arms with 5 minute epoxy, picked the position i wanted as the glue was setting, tacked it in place with a bit of CA to hold the position. After that was all set i countersunk 3/32 brass rods thru the arm connections. There is a 5/32bd brass rod cast into the mid arm, so the intersecting 3/32 rod along with the epoxy should be pretty solid. The ball at the top of the arm connections will get some gunmetal paint soon. thanks mike Quote
505thAirborne Posted January 31, 2014 Posted January 31, 2014 Simply amazing Mike, just the way it looks now is super awesome. Can't wait to see the grand finale! Quote
Valkyrie addict Posted January 31, 2014 Posted January 31, 2014 above and beyond man!! Can't wait to see it finished! Quote
Squigglysquid Posted February 5, 2014 Posted February 5, 2014 Very very nice...and big. O_o I tried lighting a kit once and never finished. Perhaps some day... But that's some awesome work. Quote
mslz22 Posted February 27, 2014 Author Posted February 27, 2014 Back on track after too many snow days. Sticking with the making this as sturdy as possible, 2 countersunk screws for the hip to body connection. I will cover this with details. Upper legs with some 3/8 brass to connect to the lower legs. Temp rigging to get the legs posed and fixed in with a combo of 5 minute epoxy and brass, brass will get hidden under the sensor thingys. thanks mike Quote
Valkyrie addict Posted February 27, 2014 Posted February 27, 2014 Damn 3/8 brass rods!! Definately a heavy kit. Coming out great as always. So many cool things on the background of your workshop. Would be nice to see a comparison shot of your 1/48 Boos pod with the 1/72 Quote
coronadlux Posted February 27, 2014 Posted February 27, 2014 Great workshop. Cleaner than my garage. Great progress, it is awesome. Quote
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