1/48 SOUTHERN CROSS BIOROID

[Podtastic]

50 minutes ago, tekering said:

Having done this work, and established a consistent set of colors for the 'Lloyds, here's a pop quiz.

Which color accurately reflects how the biovers were painted in the anime? 🤓

 

 

I think either ochre "brown" (green) or desert "tan" (green) look best in my opinion.

I'd say desert tan.

 

[Boobytrap]

2 hours ago, tekering said:

That has more to do with lighting than the type of camera you're using, actually.

Yes and no. If it was a decent camera I'd agree with you (although with a decent camera there are ways to compensate for that). But when the light is increased, as with the last photo I posted, the whites get blown out. I don't think this phone has ever taken a decent indoor picture. Even getting it to properly focus is a pain. It does well enough outside during the day.

1 hour ago, Podtastic said:

I'd say desert tan.

I agree with you. I went with the lightest olive drab I could do. I keep trying to convince myself it is fine but in the end it really is too dark. I think I am going to have to re-do it. Otherwise it is always going to eat at me every time I look at it.

[tekering]

47 minutes ago, Boobytrap said:

I keep trying to convince myself it is fine but in the end it really is too dark.

I posted those screengrabs to demonstrate the futility of trying to establish a consistent color, much less trying to match said color.

I think your color choice is entirely justified by the animation, so it shouldn't bother you at all.

That Matchbox red-and-yellow scheme, on the other hand...

[Podtastic]

39 minutes ago, tekering said:

I posted those screengrabs to demonstrate the futility of trying to establish a consistent color, much less trying to match said color.

I think your color choice is entirely justified by the animation, so it shouldn't bother you at all.

That Matchbox red-and-yellow scheme, on the other hand...

All the colours posted look good IMO, even field "grey" (green).

As to the matchbox; in the words of Chuck Norris:

"That's not a choice."😂

[derex3592]

awwww..come on guys, no love for the Matchbox Southern Cross bad guys??!!  I was a super happy camper at age 10 or 11 when I got the Matchbox bioroid terminator/hovercraft AND one Robotech Master figure to play with for my bday! I still have them! They're in that they are SO bad they are cool category! 

[Podtastic]

The Bioroid Terminator IS actually cool.

How does one even play with only one Robotech Master? You need three so they can discuss their plans around the magic mushroom.😁

[Big s]

My bioroid terminator had the G.I. Joe problem and lost his thumbs. It was actually a really cool figure for the time and I was really surprised it got made at all. Hopefully one of the newer companies like the one doing the Dana with removable armor decides to do a nice updated figure 

[Podtastic]

7 hours ago, Big s said:

Hopefully one of the newer companies like the one doing the Dana with removable armor decides to do a nice updated figure 

Insta army building buy for sure.

[Big s]

I was just thinking, I only know they were called bioroid terminators in Robotech, but I don’t think I ever knew what if anything they were called in Southern Cross

[Podtastic]

I cant recall them ever being named in the Robotech TV show either, only initially on the Matchbox figure cards.

If they are ever done as a toy it would be great if they gave us the on screen colours.

 

[tekering]

I believe I mentioned unforseen setbacks earlier... 

It's gonna take me a week to strip, sand and repaint the primer, surfacer, base color, primary color, highlight color, and topcoat layers again. 😩

15 hours ago, Big s said:

I only know they were called bioroid terminators in Robotech, but I don’t think I ever knew what if anything they were called in Southern Cross

Official publications identify them as "combat armor worn by Zor soldiers."

I don't think they were originally designed to terminate Bioroids, however.  I mean, why would you want your soldiers to take out your own mecha? 🤨

Seriously, how could a guy in body armor even terminate a Bioroid...?  What does that even mean? 

The Robotech nomenclature is as nonsensical as calling organically-grown clones "androids."

[Boobytrap]

2 hours ago, tekering said:

I believe I mentioned unforseen setbacks earlier... 

Aww man, that sucks. Been there done that. Having to go back to square one after getting so far in the process is one of the worst feelings in this hobby. Is the blaster glued to the sled yet? Hopefully not so you can at least preserve the rest of the work you did and focus on the two parts that need to be fixed.

For me, I decided to proceed with the color change. I'm much happier with it. Unfortunately the Tamiya tape pulled off some white paint when I did it so I am going to have some extra clean up to do.

 

I've also finished weathering step 2. Just need to seal it then on to step three.

[Podtastic]

10 hours ago, tekering said:

I don't think they were originally designed to terminate Bioroids, however.  I mean, why would you want your soldiers to take out your own mecha? 🤨

Seriously, how could a guy in body armor even terminate a Bioroid...?  What does that even mean?  

That's a rather odd interpretation of that name, as not even the action figure's Matchbox filecard gave them the role of destroying Bioroids.

Their Matchbox purpose was supposedly:

- to police the onboard clone population, and (I infer) "terminate" malfunctioning clones.

- To serve as an elite guard for the Robotech  Elders.

I dont have much use for that first role.

I do however like the idea of them being an elite guard, perhaps comparable to the Royal Guard in Star Wars, who perform specialised roles such as piloting the Bioroid Assault Craft.

I always thought (back in the day) that they were called "Bioroid" Terminators because they were not ordinary clones, but rather some kind of advanced artificial beings that somehow fitted into the Bioroid System.

The "combat armour worn by Zor soldiers" implies that it's bog standard GI, and the fact that ALL their soldiers aren't then wearing it requires explanation.

Their kind of like the Cobra Techno-viper in GI Joe, in that they look great but are "officially" nothing special. This is a total waste. 

Sadly, wasted potential is often a feature of official media. 

7 hours ago, Boobytrap said:

For me, I decided to proceed with the color change. I'm much happier with it.

It looked great before, it looks even better now.

Edited August 20, 2021 by Podtastic

[tekering]

6 hours ago, Boobytrap said:

I decided to proceed with the color change.

And yet, you kept the olive drab color on the flat deck portion in the center.  That's what I was talking about before; creative decisions like that make your work distinct and memorable.

6 hours ago, Boobytrap said:

Is the blaster glued to the sled yet?

No, the blasters can't be glued down, or you won't be able to move them in and out of firing position. 

See, when the Biovers are deployed, the blasters are retracted:

...and they remain that way pretty consistently in flight.

This position mirrors their placement in this animation model sheet:

...which places them about here on Cap's model.

However, in firing position, they're extended forward considerably...

...as this piece of line art depicts:

...which therefore places them up here on the model.

So, in order to maintain fidelity with the source material, you have to be able to move them forward and back.

It was my failure of engineering that led to the damage, since the drum at the base of the control yoke needs to be moved out of the way before the blasters can be repositioned...

Live and learn, I guess.

14 minutes ago, Podtastic said:

That's an rather odd interpretation of that name

Not if you understand the function of adjectival modifiers in English:

• The purpose of a "house painter" is to paint houses. 
• The purpose of a "cockroach exterminator" is to exterminate cockroaches. 
• The purpose of a "Bioroid Terminator" would be to terminate Bioroids.

15 minutes ago, Podtastic said:

to police the onboard clone population, and (I infer) "terminate" malfunctioning clones.

If that was the intent, Matchbox should've called them "Terminator Bioroids."

Obviously Matchbox wasn't clear on how Robotech defined Bioroids either, though.

Really, the only way "Bioroid Terminator" makes sense is if Matchbox assumed "bioroid" meant malfunctioning clones... which seems unlikely.

What seems far more likely is that they just didn't give a damn. 🤨

[Podtastic]

1 hour ago, tekering said:

Not if you understand the function of adjectival modifiers in English:

I don't doubt that you are technically correct.

Its odd given how your average person would interpret the meaning of the name given the data on the file card.

If you were to say " I'm collecting a squad of Space Marine Terminators" a 40k fan is not going to think that this is something that kills space marines. They're going to know its a special class of Space Marine armour.

1 hour ago, tekering said:

If that was the intent, Matchbox should've called them "Terminator Bioroids."

This is expecting a bit much from a toy company. The name probably just sounded snazzy to someone with decision making powers.

1 hour ago, tekering said:

What seems far more likely is that they just didn't give a damn. 🤨

Not giving a damn is why I will never slavishly follow official media.

They create excellent concepts with beautiful designs...and then they don't stay true to the spirit of what they have created. Invariably they degenerate it in their desire to milk a franchise for ever more and more money.

1 hour ago, tekering said:

It was my failure of engineering that led to the damage, since the drum at the base of the control yoke needs to be moved out of the way before the blasters can be repositioned...

Live and learn, I guess.

Enough about semantics. Good luck with the rework.

I'm so excited to see the pics when all is done.🙂

[Boobytrap]

On 8/19/2021 at 8:56 PM, tekering said:

And yet, you kept the olive drab color on the flat deck portion in the center. 

Part of why I did the repaint is that it was always my intention to have the two tone effect. If you try real hard you can kinda sorta see it in my original pictures. The colors were just too close to each other to be able to see it easily.

On 8/19/2021 at 8:56 PM, tekering said:

No, the blasters can't be glued down, or you won't be able to move them in and out of firing position. 

Oh yeah I remember you mentioned you were going to do that before. Are you building a swing or a slide mechanism to do that?

For me I have run out of some paint and enamels for weathering take a long time to cure. So while I wait on the postal service and for paint to dry I have started on the base. I have the footprint and rudimentary shapes for the city started. It has a long way to go.

[jenius]

The only thing that throws me with this model is when you see the straight forward shots and there is a space between the abdomen 'ribs'. It feels like that should be solid to me. That said, the space does give it a more organic vibe so I could see where some would like it more that way. Is there line art that shows a void there?

[Big s]

It’s usually drawn black from what I remember, but a lot of lowered detailing was black, but could also just be interpreted as a void with nothing there. In my mind I would like to think it’s a solid black part. It wouldn’t be that hard to make with thin plastic sheeting painted black and glued in place, but it would take a bit more work for those trying to keep that waist section movable 

[captain america]

6 hours ago, jenius said:

The only thing that throws me with this model is when you see the straight forward shots and there is a space between the abdomen 'ribs'. It feels like that should be solid to me. That said, the space does give it a more organic vibe so I could see where some would like it more that way. Is there line art that shows a void there?

That was/is one of the bigger issues with the design (one of many): it makes no functional sense, and posed a challenge to the overall mobility of the model. The old 1/48 plastic model is itself a testament to this fact. I suppose that a modeler could add a thin piece of black nylon stocking to the underside of the rib parts to reproduce the black area shown in the line-art,but I tend to think it looks better (and more alien) open.

[Boobytrap]

I agree with Captain. In addition, as you can see from my most recent pictures, the only time you see the gap is when viewed perfectly straight on at the waist. Looking at it from any other angle the gap disappears and (especially once painted) even appears to be black/dark in between the pieces. Since most. if not all, of the images I have seen from the anime are always at some kind of angle and not straight on I assume that Cap got it right... from a certain point of view .

[Podtastic]

9 hours ago, Boobytrap said:

So while I wait on the postal service and for paint to dry I have started on the base. I have the footprint and rudimentary shapes for the city started. It has a long way to go.

Fascinating.😎

How large is the base going to be?

[Boobytrap]

10 minutes ago, Podtastic said:

How large is the base going to be?

350mm * 350mm

[Boobytrap]

Weathering step 3 done. This step is a little more subtle (edge highlighting) so not too much different visually from the last pictures. On to step 4.

[Big s]

That shine reminds me of those old tooth brush commercials. It’s definitely looking great 

[Boobytrap]

Yeah it does have that minty fresh sparkle 😁.

I only wish I had the funds to get multiples when Cap originally offered these. I would definitely have kept one of them with the glossy shine. All the curves and angles are great for that.

I plan to take a bunch of pictures under different lighting conditions before I apply the final flat coat to enjoy the gloss one last time.

[Podtastic]

And take some more pics of the glossy Bioroid on the Skysled if you can.

On 8/26/2021 at 2:06 AM, Boobytrap said:

from a certain point of view 

Lol, I saw what you did there.😁

[tekering]

I'm calling these done.

On 8/26/2021 at 2:15 AM, jenius said:

The only thing that throws me with this model is when you see the straight forward shots and there is a space between the abdomen 'ribs'. It feels like that should be solid to me.

It's consistently solid in the anime.

On 8/26/2021 at 8:25 AM, captain america said:

I suppose that a modeler could add a thin piece of black nylon stocking to the underside of the rib parts to reproduce the black area shown in the line-art

I used a layer of PVA glue.  It has a flat surface with some elasticity, but not enough to damage the paint. 👌

On 8/26/2021 at 2:04 AM, Boobytrap said:

Are you building a swing or a slide mechanism to do that?

The mechanical approach I'd come up with for repositioning the biover blasters failed to provide the necessary clearance, and thus scratched up the paintwork.

I scrapped that mechanism, and instead went with a much simpler solution.

[jenius]

Simple but elegant. Thanks for making the video too! I'm a long way from having time but I'd love to build some models and maybe even resin kits some day.

[Big s]

Everything is looking really good on that little army 

[Tober]

9 hours ago, tekering said:

I'm calling these done.

Amazing work as always, Ted! 

Thanks so much for what you contribute here! 

[Podtastic]

 

13 hours ago, tekering said:

I'm calling these done.

 

 

Absolutely stunning work @tekering! 

13 hours ago, tekering said:

used a layer of PVA glue.  It has a flat surface with some elasticity, but not enough to damage the paint. 👌

That's a useful tip.

3 hours ago, Tober said:

Amazing work as always, Ted! 

Thanks so much for what you contribute here! 

Seconded.😊

[Convectuoso]

Awesome work, @tekering

[Boobytrap]

On 9/9/2021 at 9:14 AM, tekering said:

I'm calling these done.

Excellent work! Assuming you go with these, I can't wait to see what you do with them for the contest.  

[derex3592]

10 hours ago, Podtastic said:

 

Absolutely stunning work @tekering! 

That's a useful tip.

Seconded.😊

Thirded! Excellent work @tekering!!! I am LOVING your video! 

[Podtastic]

On 9/10/2021 at 6:35 PM, derex3592 said:

 I am LOVING your video! 

Indeed.

Both useful and full of Bioroid eyecandy😃 

@tekering is it possible you could pose either the Blue or Red Bioroid next to your Kamjin to show how they scale? (The green would be too much green seen on the screen🙃)

Edited September 12, 2021 by Podtastic