1/48 SOUTHERN CROSS BIOROID

[captain america]

 I shall be unto thee a real pain in the wallet!

[Boobytrap]

Returned from vacation to find this waiting for me.

 

I couldn't wait to get started. This is the initial test fitting.

Me admiring it...

[Tober]

10 hours ago, captain america said:

 I shall be unto thee a real pain in the wallet!

Awesom! Great news, thanks Capt'!

[derex3592]

WOW! That's all I got.  Truly a great time for Southern Cross fans! 

[tekering]

22 hours ago, captain america said:

 I shall be unto thee a real pain in the wallet!

The whole payment process is a real pain.  A percentage of my monthly salary should just be sent to you automatically.

21 hours ago, Boobytrap said:

I couldn't wait to get started. This is the initial test fitting.

That's the easiest part.  Cap' produces parts with such exacting tolerances that sometimes you don't even need glue.  It's fun, too, 'cause you can mix-and-match parts and mess around with poses without fear of damaging the paint.

For me, though, the most enjoyable part of the process is adding custom markings, using waterslide decals and dry transfers.  By adding a level of detail not possible in TV animation, the model starts to look more a like a box art illustration than a cartoon robot, and creates a much more profound sense of scale:

To maintain the alien Zor aesthetic, I'm deliberately avoiding anything that looks like an alphabet, since all visual evidence from the anime suggests the Zor rely on pictographs, rather than written language.  I want to match the techno-organic design sensibility, and use shapes that complement the existing geometry.

My Japanese Gunpla masters have taught me how important it is to add your own distinctive touches to the piece, so that you're not merely reproducing someone else's design work.  Expressing your own creative impulses through the model is how you win contests, and get your work featured in modeling magazines.

Edited June 24, 2021 by tekering

[vladykins]

Great work, @tekering

[Boobytrap]

11 hours ago, tekering said:

That's the easiest part.  Cap' produces parts with such exacting tolerances that sometimes you don't even need glue.  It's fun, too, 'cause you can mix-and-match parts and mess around with poses without fear of damaging the paint.

For me, though, the most enjoyable part of the process is adding custom markings, using waterslide decals and dry transfers.  By adding a level of detail not possible in TV animation, the model starts to look more a like a box art illustration than a cartoon robot, and creates a much more profound sense of scale:

Agreed with both parts. The test fitting was pretty easy and customizing it is what makes it all yours.

Right now I am working on the joints. My goal is to make it a completely stable action figure.

So far I have replaced the post in the shoulder with a screw and a washer in between the two halves. A screw in the elbow. The part of the screw in the forearm doesn't have threads so it can rotate easily. Replaced the ball joints for the the wrists and toes with Hot Toys joints. I've got a bunch of them filling up my parts bin so it was nice to find a use for them. I then did a screw and slot in the hip ball joint. That last one was a really difficult decision as I knew it would be the hardest to hide but I couldn't think of a better solution so just bit the bullet and did it.

I haven't figured out how to do the fingers yet. I don't have small enough ball joints for those. Hopefully I can find something on ebay that will work. I'll probably just pin the thumbs and swap them out as needed. ** unless of course cap somehow has some extra palms laying around so that I can make two sets of hands with the different thumbs 😁**

I still need to recess some things a little better (and eventually put covers on the elbows and hips) but overall they are functioning as expected.

[tekering]

4 hours ago, Boobytrap said:

I haven't figured out how to do the fingers yet. I don't have small enough ball joints for those.

That'll be super-easy.  Barely an inconvenience.

 

Revoltech has got you covered, dude.

Have you figured out how to articulate the head?  👀

[Boobytrap]

17 hours ago, tekering said:

Revoltech has got you covered, dude.

Have you figured out how to articulate the head?  👀

Thanks for the tip. That should make the search easier. Any idea what the mm on those are?

I'm planning to leave the head static. I could probably mount a post inside the torso with a ball or Hot Toys joint on the end and carve out a hole in the head to put on that (edit* after thinking about it I would instead put a plate inside the torso with a ring magnet on top and another ring magnet on the underside of the helmet. That would give good adhesion, perfect rotation, and no torque) but it would all be for naught. This is the commander type so the chest lamp (or what ever that thing is) and back thrusters would limit any movement other than an ever so slight turn to the right. Definitely not worth the effort.

Edited June 26, 2021 by Boobytrap
new idea

[Ignacio Ocamica]

I haven't bought the Bioroid (bad timing, too much stuff for me at tthe same time 😒) but I guess you could use Revoltech joints between 10mm 8mm and 6mm. Judging by the size of the Bioroid you are lilkely to use th 10mm ones for the majority of the joints.

Ed can chime in and tell us which ones. For the fingers he definitely used smaller than 6mm.

[StarshipTrooper]

While we're on the topic of joints, @captain america, have you ever considered using Lego pieces as joints? For example, these tiny ball-and-socket joints are cheaper (and more durable) than Revoltech joints.

I don't know why that part is Xed out, but this was the best image i could find to show most of them.

[505thAirborne]

On 6/25/2021 at 2:48 AM, tekering said:

That'll be super-easy.  Barely an inconvenience.

 

 

I see I'm not the only who uses that line. 

[Big s]

I saw a review last year for a god gundam using LEGO joints. It was a resin kit, but all the joint construction was done with LEGO ball and socket and hinge joints slightly modified to make a highly pose able inner construction.

[Boobytrap]

Unfortunately for me it's turning out to be quite the inconvenience. Since these are for finger joints I ideally need them in 2 or 3mm (4mm if forced to). I've tried searching for Revoltech, Figma, and Figurart joints. I've gone to every site I can think of including Shapeways. The best I can find is eBay where they are charging $5 for ONE joint. It's especially frustrating because apparently Max Factory was taking orders for sets of 20 2mm figma joints for only 660 yen through April this year.

So before I spend $30 + shipping does anyone else here know a more affordable place to get these things?

[Convectuoso]

1 hour ago, Boobytrap said:

does anyone else here know a more affordable place to get these things?

Did you try Aliexpress?

They have lots of joints of different shapes and sizes

Edited June 30, 2021 by Convectuoso

[Boobytrap]

Yeah, I tried there too. They were all too large, too expensive, the wrong style, or some combination thereof. Thanks for the thought though.

[captain america]

6 hours ago, StarshipTrooper said:

While we're on the topic of joints, @captain america, have you ever considered using Lego pieces as joints? For example, these tiny ball-and-socket joints are cheaper (and more durable) than Revoltech joints.

I don't know why that part is Xed out, but this was the best image i could find to show most of them.

Most aftermarket joints can't handle the weight of resin parts, to say nothing of cheap ones. I've been tinkering with the idea of workable joints since 2005 and they're either the wrong size, not strong enough, not the right configuration, so I make my own. Also, even though I've said it countless times in the past, I'll say it again: I don't recomend trying to make expensive, exotic resin kits playable. The joints I came up with are intended to help the modeler achieve the optimal static pose and nothing more. I admire those who take it upon themselves to add some playability to their models, but it's a calculated risk that can, under some circumstances, lead to a very costly and heartbreaking disaster.

[tekering]

On 6/30/2021 at 10:49 AM, captain america said:

I don't recomend trying to make expensive, exotic resin kits playable. The joints I came up with are intended to help the modeler achieve the optimal static pose and nothing more. I admire those who take it upon themselves to add some playability to their models, but it's a calculated risk that can, under some circumstances, lead to a very costly and heartbreaking disaster.

It probably sounds hypocritical, coming from me, but models aren't supposed to be played with.  I treat Gunpla like toys, to be honest, and my Japanese colleagues criticize me for it; anything from the passive "You pose your Mobile Suits like Transformers" to the overt "That's not a toy, Ted!"  As action figure collectors, we know that the most well-articulated figures are also the most fragile... and that goes tenfold for models, and a hundredfold for garage kits.

It's fun to mess with resin kits in their bare plastic state, seeing how much playability we can squeeze out of them, but things change a great deal once the parts are properly painted.  After weeks of work, I'm starting to get an impression of what the final results will look like:

...and at this stage, I'm terrified to change the poses.  😬

The Invid kits weren't so bad, but these 'Lloyds are all overlapping surfaces constantly interacting with each other, and there are few points where moving a limb won't result in parts rubbing together.  I'm actually not likely to use much of the articulation I've engineered for these kits, now that I've put so much work into the surface textures.  It's just not worth the risk!  😳

[jenius]

Sure is pretty!

[Bolt]

Loving that Ted. You've really done a great job with a beautiful model. 

[Podtastic]

2 hours ago, tekering said:

It probably sounds hypocritical, coming from me, but models aren't supposed to be played with.  I treat Gunpla like toys, to be honest, and my Japanese colleagues criticize me for it; anything from the passive "You pose your Mobile Suits like Transformers" to the overt "That's not a toy, Ted!"  As action figure collectors, we know that the most well-articulated figures are also the most fragile... and that goes tenfold for models, and a hundredfold for garage kits.

It's fun to mess with resin kits in their bare plastic state, seeing how much playability we can squeeze out of them, but things change a great deal once the parts are properly painted.  After weeks of work, I'm starting to get an impression of what the final results will look like:

...and at this stage, I'm terrified to change the poses.  😬

The Invid kits weren't so bad, but these 'Lloyds are all overlapping surfaces constantly interacting with each other, and there are few points where moving a limb won't result in parts rubbing together.  I'm actually not likely to use much of the articulation I've engineered for these kits, now that I've put so much work into the surface textures.  It's just not worth the risk!  😳

Cant wait to see the final pics of your Bioroids.

 

[StarshipTrooper]

21 hours ago, Podtastic said:

Cant wait to see the final pics of your Bioroids.

Ditto!

[tekering]

You'll have to wait a few more weeks, I'm afraid.  The only parts I've actually finished so far are the gun pods:

Satan Claws' weapon turned out to be quite a pain, actually.

See, despite some inconsistent proportions, the gun pod used by Seifreit's Bioroid is always depicted with the bulbous disc protrusion on the starboard side (and the rarely-seen etched symbol recessed in the port side)...

...but the weapon included with the kit is backwards, a mirror-inverse of what it's supposed to be.

I'm not sure why it was designed that way, but I needed to make changes so mine would be anime-accurate.

[derex3592]

Amazing work so far @tekering! 🤩

[Podtastic]

5 hours ago, tekering said:

You'll have to wait a few more weeks, I'm afraid.  The only parts I've actually finished so far are the gun pods:

Satan Claws' weapon turned out to be quite a pain, actually.

See, despite some inconsistent proportions, the gun pod used by Seifreit's Bioroid is always depicted with the bulbous disc protrusion on the starboard side (and the rarely-seen etched symbol recessed in the port side)...

...but the weapon included with the kit is backwards, a mirror-inverse of what it's supposed to be.

I'm not sure why it was designed that way, but I needed to make changes so mine would be anime-accurate.

A few weeks is nothing. 

Love the weapon drums. Are you opting not to paint those front elipticals black/dark grey?

Ouch on the Bioroid Blaster, I'll either have to do the same or make him a lefty.

[tekering]

21 minutes ago, Podtastic said:

Are you opting not to paint those front elipticals black/dark grey?

The jury's still out on that one, actually... 🤔

22 minutes ago, Podtastic said:

Ouch on the Bioroid Blaster, I'll either have to do the same or make him a lefty.

It's a minor issue, and easily remedied with a little sanding (as long as you ignore the recessed detail on the flat side).

I'm only going out of my way to reproduce every detail because our redoubtable Captain hinted at a contest... and competition always brings out the best in me. 😎

[Podtastic]

46 minutes ago, tekering said:

The jury's still out on that one, actually... 🤔

Something like this? Or matching the muzzle colour?

(I actually thought those should be grooves/recesses rather than protuberances, but maybe that doesnt work on a small model?)

Edited July 5, 2021 by Podtastic

[captain america]

Loving the progress so far, Ted! I think it's entirely possible that the main image I was using for the construction of the pistol was flipped, or I was tired when I added the raised marking and just put it on the wrong side; alas, my bad. I'll have to go and correct the masters, just in case there's a re-issue several years down the line.

Funny thing: the L&S kit had the main body of the SOL pistol as an oval, not round. I spent a lot of time trying to determine which version was correct, and of course, there was no proper side view to be had, so I went with a perfect circle. I think that was the better looking choice... Considering how odd and non-functional Bioroid weapons are. 

[tekering]

17 hours ago, captain america said:

I think it's entirely possible that the main image I was using for the construction of the pistol was flipped

That's what I'd assumed as well.

20 hours ago, Podtastic said:

I actually thought those should be grooves/recesses rather than protuberances

You've pinpointed the precise reason for my ambivalence.  I would've assumed the black indicated a recessed surface -- and painted them accordingly -- but I'm not sure the black looks right on a raised surface.

Interestingly enough, Chris Vera also assumed they were meant to be raised, rather than recessed:

...and yet, his version of Seifriet's gun pod has the portside detail recessed, rather than raised.

Also (like Cap's) it's rendered as a circle, rather than an oval shape, which is obviously the right choice... despite all the other proportional inaccuracies evident on the CG model.

Since I have a couple of extra drum parts, maybe I'll try sanding down those raised panels and carve channels into drum instead... 🤔

 

[tekering]

Double post.

Edited July 6, 2021 by tekering

[Podtastic]

Hmmm...the case of the disappearing posts.🕵️‍♂️

And oddly I was not able to post even this until I switched from google.

Edited July 16, 2021 by Podtastic

[tekering]

2 hours ago, Podtastic said:

Hmmm...the case of the disappearing posts.🕵️‍♂️

At least three, it would seem... and probably not deliberately deleted, since the superfluous "double post" mysteriously remains.

Weird.

Anyway, here are some key elements I'm using to upgrade the 'Lloyds:

Namely, they are a set of double ball-joint parts from Hobby Base, a Master Grade Gouf (v.2) heat rod, and a "Cute Pony" hair accessory from DAISO.

[Convectuoso]

@tekering what's the Cute Pony thing for?

[derex3592]

@tekering - yes, what he said!!! I'm very curious! 

[tekering]

I figured the shape would've been a dead giveaway...