captain america Posted November 1, 2019 Posted November 1, 2019 Friday November 1st, 2019. Today begins the official pre-order phase for my 1/72 Queadluun-Rau (hereafter Quincy Rowe) resin kit offering. Please read and re-read the following very carefully! The kit is to have the following features: *Riveted surface details in keeping with previous Z-Army offerings *Opaque resin with some clear parts (sensor eye, etc.) *May be built with the cockpit open or closed *Detailed cockpit interior *Missile pods may be built open or closed. *Static legs and hips for maximum sturdiness and free-pose arms *waterslide decal markings Projected completion of masters: mid December Projected completion of molds: January 2020 PREORDER SPECIAL Those who place their orders before December 1st will receive a resin Milia bust that fits in the open cockpit along with their QR kit. No, this item will NOT be available after the preorder period! Kit price: $400 CAD dollars* (about 305 USD) Domestic shipping: $38 CAD for 1 kit; $50 CAD for 2 kits Ordering Procedure for US/CANADA: -Just send me a private message with the quantity of kits you want. I will provide you with the total and payment directions. That’s all there is to it! ***Prices do not include PayPal fees: please add 4% to your total. (total amount x 1.04)*** INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING As of now, all orders outside Canada or the US are to be placed directly with Return2kitform, who is now my official international distributor. You can contact them on Facebook @return2kitform or via email at returntokitform@gmail.com As a result, your shipping rates, which were previously atrocious, will now be slashed by about 40% on average, depending on your location. You’re welcome! Quote
Gabe Q Posted November 1, 2019 Posted November 1, 2019 This is great! I've been waiting for this for over a decade! Quote
Major Tom Posted November 3, 2019 Posted November 3, 2019 I was just thinking the other day that Moscato Q-Rau need to happen at some point. I'm in for one. Quote
Return To Kit Form Posted November 3, 2019 Posted November 3, 2019 It's great to finally see this getting done! Cheers, Brett Quote
captain america Posted November 5, 2019 Author Posted November 5, 2019 Just started drafting the blueprints today. You may be shocked to hear that... ... None of the orthographic views from the lineart match-up with each other! You're shocked, I know. No big deal, I've employed my trusty Japanizing descrambler technology to, uh... Make all new diagrams from scratch. A lot of work, but lots of fun! Quote
Gabe Q Posted November 5, 2019 Posted November 5, 2019 1 hour ago, captain america said: I've employed my trusty Japanizing descrambler technology Patent pending! Quote
tekering Posted November 6, 2019 Posted November 6, 2019 (edited) I have designed decals based on the old Imai model kit illustrations, if they'd be of any use... 600dpi files, available upon request. Edited December 7, 2019 by tekering Quote
Dax415 Posted November 6, 2019 Posted November 6, 2019 I'm gonna have to go through what's left of my hoarded collectibles and start sacrificing ASAP. Though, through the years.... at this point Cap could probably release a preorder for "Incredible Moscato Kit" and only show a plain box and not much narrative and I'd probably buy one, lol. (Yes, that much faith in both skill and his abilty to choose what would be a cool Moscato kit). ....Just sayin. Quote
captain america Posted November 6, 2019 Author Posted November 6, 2019 Hey Ted, thanks for posting that. I already have quite a sizeable cache of z-Army markings from the Regults, but if I need assistance I'll definitely let you know. I figured out why the old Imai kit was such a disappointment to me, but more on that tomorrow. Quote
captain america Posted November 7, 2019 Author Posted November 7, 2019 Captain’s log: Thursday, November 7th. I’ve hit the ground running on this baby! You guys aren’t the only ones who were itching for a decent 1/72 kit, and I could hardly contain my own enthusiasm for this one. I spent about 3 days working on the technical drawings and in good Anime lineart tradition, none of the views, even the orthographic ones, line-up with each other! This turned out to be something of a blessing, since I want to make a model that looks like that iconic 3/4 rendering that was used for the old Imai box art. As some of you might know, that plastic kit falls somewhat short compared to the artwork, so I taylored my diagrams on the view I like best. *quincy 3 view* What’s probably most notable is the shorter torso and longer legs on my draft, which I based primarily on the 3/4 view. The plastic model followed the lead of the orthographic views, which explains its long, droopy face. Have no fear, this will be a proper TV-version sculpt. *IMG_1620* Three solid pages of diagrams, and another 4 pages of lineart reference… It’s going to be big, and by big I mean over 26cm tall to the top of the antenna! *IMG_1619* Big parts mean big slabs of modeling board, and I don’t have any blocks ready to accomodate those huge parts, so… Off to the bandsaw we go to cut some mighty Renshape slabs. *IMG_1621* While the bandsaw’s guide allows for some relatively straight cuts, it’s no substitute for the precision of a mill, so off we go to he milling station to create some nice, flat surfaces and true 90* angles. The block you see is one of the smaller ones; the piece intended for the backpack just barely cleared my cross-slide table! *IMG_1622* Diagrams are now carefully cut to shape and bonded to the modeling board with spray adhesive. *IMG_1623* After a bit of excess mterial removal on the bandsaw, I head back to the mill for some machining. To avoid the finished model toppling over from excess weight, the backpack will be strategically lightened and hollowed-out to create a better front-back weight balance. *IMG_1624* A lot of people wonder how I create all those compound curves that they see on my models. Well aside from the bandsaw, the mill, the lathe and the rotary tool, I also do quite a bit of shaping with rough sandpaper. These are just a fraction of the specialized shapes I made from modeling board. Oftentimes I will craft a sanding block just for one specific operation in order to get a specified shape or curve. Modeling board is notoriously hard on cutting and grinding tools, so the sandpaper (100-300 grit) is held in place with spray adhesive and needs to be changed frequently. That’s all I’ve got for this week, but remember: you only have until December 1st to place your orders if you want the pilot bust included with your kit. Please use your time and funds wisely. Quote
Flarpen Posted November 7, 2019 Posted November 7, 2019 Well, this will be epic. Have signed up for one with R2KF. Will the Milla bust look anything like that line drawing? Quote
captain america Posted November 7, 2019 Author Posted November 7, 2019 33 minutes ago, Flarpen said: Well, this will be epic. Have signed up for one with R2KF. Will the Milla bust look anything like that line drawing? Milia-chan will be wearing her flight suit, but it will be a very snug, form-fitting suit. Quote
Petrov27 Posted November 8, 2019 Posted November 8, 2019 7 hours ago, captain america said: Milia-chan will be wearing her flight suit, but it will be a very snug, form-fitting suit. It all is looking very good - so exciting! I would not be adverse to paying for a standing Milia figure to pose next to the Q as an add on - just throwin' that out there Quote
Flarpen Posted November 8, 2019 Posted November 8, 2019 4 hours ago, Petrov27 said: I would not be adverse to paying for a standing Milia figure to pose next to the Q as an add on - just throwin' that out there Ditto Quote
Podtastic Posted November 8, 2019 Posted November 8, 2019 5 hours ago, Petrov27 said: It all is looking very good - so exciting! I would not be adverse to paying for a standing Milia figure to pose next to the Q as an add on - just throwin' that out there Mb there could be a poll to gauge demand for this. I would be in. Quote
captain america Posted November 8, 2019 Author Posted November 8, 2019 I'll concentrate on the actual mecha for the time being; that's already a big, complex project that will require my full attention. I wouldn't rule-out a standing Milia figure down the line, though. Quote
Darth Mingus Posted November 8, 2019 Posted November 8, 2019 How about a set of arms and legs for the Milia figure that we can swap out via magnets (or fully articulate if we are nuts)? Quote
ChristopherB Posted November 13, 2019 Posted November 13, 2019 Everything is looking really good John, it's cool to follow along and see how you design your projects. Thank you also for making it possible for overseas customers to order directly from RTKF. Yes, a standing Milia with a form-fitting flight suit would be awesome if time permits at a later date. Quote
captain america Posted November 15, 2019 Author Posted November 15, 2019 (edited) Captain’s log: Friday, November 15th. Holy cow, that’s a lot of dust!! Seriously, my workshop hasn’t been this filthy since the Norbert Gerard project, and I’m only just getting started. Thankfully, I’ve been able to do more of my shaping on the mill as opposed to using the rotary tool for those operations. It’s a slower, but more precise process. The flight pack is simply huge, so I decided to break the main structure into two components, if only to get it to fit in my milling vise. IMG_1625: while this cross-section milling is quite tedious, it gets the job done with great precision. I started the process off by carefully grinding a small section of the cross-section on the drill press, then the mill (the rougher cuts) are done on the lathe. IMG_1626: Same part, different orientation. You’ll notice that the milled section from the previous pic was sanded down almost completely IMG_1627: Aaaand down the other side of the slope. It’s important not to remove too much material at this stage; i can take my time and hand sand right down to the edge of the template afterwards. IMG_1628: I used a little ghetto hack to open up the missile housings by using the grinding stone normally fitted to the drill press, which you can see here. I started the process off with the Dremel to open up the cavities, otherwise trying to remove that much material with the mill-mounted grinder would have induced terrible vibrations and risk damaging the part itself, if not the milling table. IMG_1629: Now that I have the missile pod openings, I’m going to need to make those bulbous covers. Normally I’d turn the part out of cast resin barstock, but it’s so big that modeling board is the only way to go. IMG_1630: This is the bottom part of the flight pack, which has undergone much the same process that was shown previously, and has been hand-sanded into shape. IMG_1632: The angled part at bottom-left is actually the chassis of the mecha. It doesn’t look like much, but everything will be bolted to it. The knee components were also made, and the lower legs started. IMG_1633: the flight unit, now bonded together and tediously sanded into shape. The hollowed center section will provide a substantial weight savings, and will undergo still more strategic bulk removal in the time ahead. IMG_1636: The chassis and crude cockpit parts are already beginning to take shape. Even at this early stage, the parts are looking better than I’d anticipated. You can’t tell, but I’m actually giddy behind the camera. That’s all I’ve got for this week, I’m afraid. That flight pack was practically its own mecha project, and I’m glad that the rough shaping for it is done. Next week I’ll have more done with the body and legs, so it might actually start to look like a power suit… Stay tuned! 15 days remain for preordering... Tick-tock. Edited November 15, 2019 by captain america Quote
electric indigo Posted November 15, 2019 Posted November 15, 2019 Yeah, that's nice and all, but how's that Milia figure with a form-fitting flight suit going?... Seriously, thank you for this workshop documentations to remind us how much effort there is behind our precious toys. Quote
derex3592 Posted November 15, 2019 Posted November 15, 2019 Do you pay a little minion of some sort to vacuum your work shop???... Quote
arbit Posted November 20, 2019 Posted November 20, 2019 It's great to see this step by step and get some idea how the magic is done. Quote
captain america Posted November 22, 2019 Author Posted November 22, 2019 On 11/15/2019 at 2:41 PM, derex3592 said: Do you pay a little minion of some sort to vacuum your work shop???... I'm the little minion that vacuums the shop! It only takes about 10 minutes to properly clean both machines. However filthy they may look in the building process, this is what they look like after every 2-3 days or so. The dust that comes from fine grinding (Dremel, drill press) is the nasty one, because it's very fine and gets everywhere. Most of the time when I'm doing either of those operations, I have a shop vac running and have to change the filter out every 4-5 days. Lots of critical maintenance goes on behind the scenes, without which the entire operation would grind to a halt... Much pun intended. Quote
captain america Posted November 22, 2019 Author Posted November 22, 2019 Captain’s log: Friday, November 22 Dusty. If I could resume my week in one word, that would be it. The previous week was spent predominantly on the mill and lathe, while this week was more about the Dremel… And all the wonderful dust it makes! Pic 1: the lower legs start out blocky, but once I’ve traced the profile onto the Renshape blocks, I cn start digging into it with the rough grinding tool. I always leave a half milimeter or so of extra material, simply to avoid removing too much. Pic 2: the same part, now shaped with 80 grit sandpaper. I use specially shaped sanding blocks and tools to keep the surface even. Pic 3: Back to the Dremel once again. I can now start to carve the roundness into the part. If you look carefully, you’ll see that I leave a small center strip (the highest point in the cure) untouched by the rotary tool. I can then proceed to blend the shapes into a proper, smooth curve with sandpaper while preserving all my dimensions. Pic 4: It’s not what you think it is, honest! Sure, it looks like I’ve made an unGodly mess, but I really haven’t. Pic 5: this is also not a mess, despite appearances. In order to get parts that fit together like a glove, I will finish one surface of a part, then apply mold release to it and mate an adjoining part to it with putty. When that putty begins to harden, I can carefully separate both parts and have a perfect fit. Pic 06: while it’s not nearly done, the cockpit shaping for this kit is extremely tedious and long because of its many bizarre compound curves and odd parts arrangement which must securely interlock. The N-Ger cockpit was quite the cake-walk by comparison! Pics 7-10: It’s finally starting to look like a power suit! This is still just a rough fit test, and the thighs need to be more tucked-up against the body, but it’s looking great so far! ********************* Quote
505thAirborne Posted November 22, 2019 Posted November 22, 2019 Looks amazing Capt!! That's some serious talent & skill. Quote
Petrov27 Posted November 22, 2019 Posted November 22, 2019 Good lord that is impressive progress and looking great - rock on cap! Quote
captain america Posted November 29, 2019 Author Posted November 29, 2019 No update today; dealing with some technical issues. Will be back next week. Quote
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