captain america Posted January 14, 2021 Posted January 14, 2021 Hey everyone! I just wanted to share this project with you, because there seems to have been at least some interest in Southern Cross mecha. A fellow MWer has commissionned me to make the master patterns for a 1/48 SPACE BIO LLOYD (Bioroid) complete with its FLYING CONVEYANCE (hover-sled) and I wanted to know how many people would be interested in a kit? Consider this to be that rare opportunity to get a properly sculpted model of this subject from this otherwise obscure series. The kit will have the following features: -built in accordance to original, primary visual source material -integrated (free-pose) ball-joint system -parts to build one of the three primary variants -includes FLYING CONVEYANCE Kit price until March 1st: $300 CAD + shipping Kit price after March 1st: $330 CAD + shipping Shipping charges will be determined at a later time. Take some time to think it through, see if finances permit. If you think you can manage it, then by all means, let your typing fingers do their thing. Quote
tekering Posted January 14, 2021 Posted January 14, 2021 If parts are included for three Bioroid variants, I'll happily order three kits immediately. Quote
jenius Posted January 14, 2021 Posted January 14, 2021 2 hours ago, tekering said: If parts are included for three Bioroid variants, I'll happily order three kits immediately. Looking forward to seeing this develop and the builds it results in. Quote
Convectuoso Posted January 14, 2021 Posted January 14, 2021 As suggested, I'm taking some time to consider this. Finances haven't been going well lately Quote
captain america Posted January 14, 2021 Author Posted January 14, 2021 2 hours ago, tekering said: If parts are included for three Bioroid variants, I'll happily order three kits immediately. You'll be able to build any of the three variants (Cherry, Green Apple, Blueberry) from one kit. Quote
DarkArchon3000 Posted January 14, 2021 Posted January 14, 2021 Exciting! I'm in for at least one. Quote
derex3592 Posted January 15, 2021 Posted January 15, 2021 Double wow!!! Can't wait to this one come to life! Quote
505thAirborne Posted January 15, 2021 Posted January 15, 2021 29 minutes ago, derex3592 said: Double wow!!! Can't wait to this one come to life! ^^^This!! Quote
Lord Uglor Posted January 16, 2021 Posted January 16, 2021 I definitely will be up for one of these kits! Quote
CoryHolmes Posted January 16, 2021 Posted January 16, 2021 I'll hafta to cut back to only one package of raman per day, but count me in for one! Quote
Major Tom Posted January 16, 2021 Posted January 16, 2021 Hell yes, it's about time! I'll take 2. Quote
captain america Posted January 18, 2021 Author Posted January 18, 2021 Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you know that BIO LLOYD drafting is progressing well. Or rather, as well as it possibly can, given the nature of the source material. However abstract and disjointed the line-art from previous projects was, this one is its own, special kind of clusterscrew! It's not bad enough that the line-art just looks like a bunch of jellybeans cobbled together, and the multiple views contradict each other, I'm used to that. But the joints on this thing were really just phoned-in, even by Anime standards! As such, I'm performing high-level creative gymnastics to give this thing a reasonable degree of articulation while still keeping true to the source material. As I progress into the sculpting, you will start to understand why this will be a bargain, even at 300 bucks +. A glimpse into my technical drawing madness: Quote
Tober Posted January 18, 2021 Posted January 18, 2021 Down for three at this stage. Thanks Capt! Quote
Tober Posted January 18, 2021 Posted January 18, 2021 (edited) Do you have rough shipping costs? I remember it being really vicious even for small packages from Canada, and that was before COVID-19, Edited January 18, 2021 by Tober Quote
captain america Posted January 18, 2021 Author Posted January 18, 2021 11 minutes ago, Tober said: Do you have rough shipping costs? I remember it being really vicious even for small packages from Canada, and that was before COVID-19, Contact Brett over at R2KF, he'll take care of you and as a fellow Aussie, your shipping will be substantially cheaper. Quote
tekering Posted January 19, 2021 Posted January 19, 2021 16 hours ago, captain america said: It's not bad enough that the line-art just looks like a bunch of jellybeans cobbled together, and the multiple views contradict each other, I'm used to that. It's really hard to pin down scale, too, given how inconsistent their onscreen depiction was. I mean, look at how big it appears from this angle... ...and then how much smaller it appears in this shot, from the same scene. 15 hours ago, captain america said: Using that human figure for reference, it looks like you've scaled the Bioroid up to about 7.5 meters in height... which would result in a model nearly 16cm tall, about the size of Sentinel's Legioss (or a Voyager-class Transformer). Is my assumption correct? Quote
captain america Posted January 19, 2021 Author Posted January 19, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, tekering said: It's really hard to pin down scale, too, given how inconsistent their onscreen depiction was. I mean, look at how big it appears from this angle... ...and then how much smaller it appears in this shot, from the same scene. Using that human figure for reference, it looks like you've scaled the Bioroid up to about 7.5 meters in height... which would result in a model nearly 16cm tall, about the size of Sentinel's Legioss (or a Voyager-class Transformer). Is my assumption correct? BIO LLOYD will be a little over 17cm tall in 1/48. I always begin with the human pilot and cockpit as a starting point to determine the mecha size. They had created the art for the cockpit ball cutaway, so all I had to do was size it such to fit into the mecha's neck/upper chest area. Of course, the mecha's size contradicts the numerical dimensions, but that's nothing new. The hover-sled will be bigger than the mecha itself: 24 by 18cm. That'll require a massive custom mold box. I only use the animation as reference if nothing else is available because it's so inconsistent. Besides, the line-art is the primary reference that the animators use, so I make that a priority. Edited January 19, 2021 by captain america Quote
tekering Posted January 19, 2021 Posted January 19, 2021 (edited) On 1/20/2021 at 12:40 AM, captain america said: BIO LLOYD will be a little over 17cm tall in 1/48. Oh, the same size as the old Matchbox Bioroid toy, then. Interesting coincidence. On 1/20/2021 at 12:40 AM, captain america said: The hover-sled will be bigger than the mecha itself: 24 by 18cm. That'll require a massive custom mold box. Does it need to be a single piece? With all the natural seam lines in the design, it would be easy to break the base down into separate parts... Edited February 3, 2021 by tekering Quote
captain america Posted January 20, 2021 Author Posted January 20, 2021 On 1/19/2021 at 11:11 AM, tekering said: Oh, the same size as the old Matchbox Bioroid toy, then. Interesting coincidence. Does it need to be a single piece? With all the natural seam lines in the design, it would be easy to break the base down into separate parts... Even split into two parts, each half is considerable in size, so the mold box will have to be custom-made regardless. I'm also seriously considering making some parts from flexible resin to offer posability without violating the source material. Quote
Jason Rhian Posted January 22, 2021 Posted January 22, 2021 Been buying from Moscato for years, even offered to buy 2 Starfish kits to ensure the minimum number of orders were met. Planned on buying 3 of these Bioroids. When I asked which versions would be available Moscato refused to answer, directing me here instead. Not sure what's difficult about saying "All three." $900 is a lot of money - more than enough to buy a little common courtesy. Not sure if I'll go for these or give them a pass. There are Big West kits available for about the same price. Quote
CoryHolmes Posted January 22, 2021 Posted January 22, 2021 I can only hope this leads us to the Cap'n getting a taste for Southern Cross mecha and gifting us Hovertanks and Ajacs copters Quote
tekering Posted January 22, 2021 Posted January 22, 2021 (edited) On 1/22/2021 at 9:02 AM, Jason Rhian said: When I asked which versions would be available Moscato refused to answer, directing me here instead. Not sure what's difficult about saying "All three." $900 is a lot of money - more than enough to buy a little common courtesy. I'm sure he sent you here so that us pedantic geeks could provide some clarity, since it's not that simple... There are six distinct Bioroid models, after all, plus Seifriet's custom unit. Above is the "Early Period" Type II Bioroid (the "T'siendral," in Robotech nomenclature), and you'll notice the head and chest are significantly different on Seifriet's model (known as the "Gister'dohl"). This is the "Early Period" Type I Bioroid (aka the "Nous'dohl"), arguably the most common unit seen in the series. Since the arms, legs and lower torso are almost identical among these three variants, we can assume Moscato's kit will include parts to build any of these three: The "Middle Period" Bioroid types, however, were significantly different: These types were frequently featured onscreen, but only in the last few episodes of the series. The "Late Period" Bioroids, on the other hand, exist primarily only as concept art... ...although it's worth noting that Matchbox's only Bioroid toy was based on the Type I "Late Period" model (the so-called "Neue Nous’dohl"). On 1/22/2021 at 9:02 AM, Jason Rhian said: Not sure if I'll go for these or give them a pass. There are Big West kits available for about the same price. The Arii "SOL Bioroid" kit you speak of is awful, even by mid-'80s standards. It's awkwardly-sculpted, poorly-articulated and smaller than a Hi-Metal R figure... Any perceived value it has is based solely on its rarity, not its quality. Moscato kits, on the other hand, are far more rare, and I'm sure you're already aware of their quality. $300 CAD ($237 USD) is a bargain! Edited February 3, 2021 by tekering Quote
captain america Posted January 22, 2021 Author Posted January 22, 2021 3 minutes ago, tekering said: The Arii "SOL Bioroid" kit you speak of is awful, even by mid-'80s standards. It's awkwardly-sculpted, poorly-articulated and smaller than a Hi-Metal R figure... Any perceived value it has is based solely on its rarity, not its quality. Moscato kits, on the other hand, are far more rare, and I'm sure you're already aware of their quality. $300 CAD ($237 USD) is a bargain! In fairness to L&S (not Arii) they could only do as well as technology, budget, and source material allowed them to. Remember that they weren't fans: they answered to accountants and a corporate structure that saw this as just one more franchise to milk for profit and move on. Speaking of that particular kit, have you seen what the originals are going for these days? Quote
Podtastic Posted January 22, 2021 Posted January 22, 2021 4 hours ago, Jason Rhian said: Been buying from Moscato for years, even offered to buy 2 Starfish kits to ensure the minimum number of orders were met. Planned on buying 3 of these Bioroids. When I asked which versions would be available Moscato refused to answer, directing me here instead. Not sure what's difficult about saying "All three." $900 is a lot of money - more than enough to buy a little common courtesy. Not sure if I'll go for these or give them a pass. There are Big West kits available for about the same price. The only existing kit I know about is the Red. Finding a Blue or a Green kit elsewhere will be a trick, I've only ever seen a promo pic of a Blue from a very long time ago. I've never even found a build of one on the net. I have the SOL Red Bioroid Kit and, as others have said, its not great. It doesn't have an integrated ball joint system and does not come with the flying conveyance (Bioroid Skysled). Quote
tekering Posted January 22, 2021 Posted January 22, 2021 1 hour ago, captain america said: Speaking of that particular kit, have you seen what the originals are going for these days? I'll trade you mine for one of yours! Quote
Convectuoso Posted January 22, 2021 Posted January 22, 2021 I have that old kit and it can barely raise it's arm. Quote
Jason Rhian Posted January 22, 2021 Posted January 22, 2021 18 hours ago, Podtastic said: The only existing kit I know about is the Red. Finding a Blue or a Green kit elsewhere will be a trick, I've only ever seen a promo pic of a Blue from a very long time ago. I've never even found a build of one on the net. I have the SOL Red Bioroid Kit and, as others have said, its not great. It doesn't have an integrated ball joint system and does not come with the flying conveyance (Bioroid Skysled). That's all true. These kits have a LOT going for them. I guess I'm just disappointed at the change in how he responded. I've plunked down some serious cash in the past and would've been fine with buying 3 of these. It didn't take much to tell me to come here - but it would've taken less to show a long-time customer a little appreciation. Thanks! Quote
captain america Posted January 29, 2021 Author Posted January 29, 2021 Hi everyone! I'm pushing the first BIO LLOYD pictorial update to next week. Progress is actually going very well, stay tuned! Quote
CoryHolmes Posted January 30, 2021 Posted January 30, 2021 Yaaaaaay What about Hovertanks and AJACs copters??? Quote
tekering Posted January 30, 2021 Posted January 30, 2021 (edited) 12 hours ago, CoryHolmes said: What about Hovertanks and AJACs copters??? One miracle at a time, please. Let him deliver the moon before we ask for the sun and the stars. Edited January 30, 2021 by tekering Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.