captain america Posted January 3, 2022 Posted January 3, 2022 Happy New Year 2022, y'all! Hopefully everyone had a happy, restful and safe holiday season, because I'm about to be a pain in your butt... Or rather, wallet. As promised back in Spring of last year, I'm offering the Biopsycher Bioroid (hereafter HEMORROID) as a follow-up kit to last year's 1/48 BIO LLOYD. This kit, unlike the Bio-Lloyd, will include a cockpit ball, and will include both pistols featured with the Bio, but with corrected details for the officer's version (Thanks to Ted E.) The kit will be available in 2 versions: -HEMORROID/BUG FACE only (no sled) -HEMORROID/BUG FACE W/HOVER-SLED Please take note: the BUG FACE parts will only be available for the pre-order window Looking to get 30 orders, so who's in? Quote
Convectuoso Posted January 3, 2022 Posted January 3, 2022 Please count me in for one kit without the sled Quote
captain america Posted January 3, 2022 Author Posted January 3, 2022 (edited) I've already started preliminary drafting, because reasons. Boy, I thought the Mk1 Bioroid was a clusterfrack of nonsense... Let's just say that I hit the nail square on the head by naming this thing as I did. Edited January 3, 2022 by captain america Quote
tekering Posted January 4, 2022 Posted January 4, 2022 3 hours ago, captain america said: I hit the nail square on the head by naming this thing as I did. Those elbows! I assume more rubber parts will be required for that bicep armour. Quote
captain america Posted January 4, 2022 Author Posted January 4, 2022 53 minutes ago, tekering said: Those elbows! I assume more rubber parts will be required for that bicep armour. The neck, the shoulders, the knees, ankles, hips, abdomen... What... What even is this?!? And then, of course, the different views show tremendous inconsistencies one to another. It's like someone gave me a 5 year-old's drawing and asked me to make an action figure out of it. Quote
tekering Posted January 4, 2022 Posted January 4, 2022 25 minutes ago, captain america said: It's like someone gave me a 5 year-old's drawing and asked me to make an action figure out of it. At least we have the model sheets to work from, rather than just poor animation reference... 😬 Quote
jenius Posted January 4, 2022 Posted January 4, 2022 36 minutes ago, captain america said: The neck, the shoulders, the knees, ankles, hips, abdomen... What... What even is this?!? And then, of course, the different views show tremendous inconsistencies one to another. It's like someone gave me a 5 year-old's drawing and asked me to make an action figure out of it. LOL, thank you for trying to make sense of this... Quote
captain america Posted January 5, 2022 Author Posted January 5, 2022 Keep the orders coming in, guys; still a ways to go. Quote
Tober Posted January 5, 2022 Posted January 5, 2022 I'm down for two 'roids with sleds when the Return 2 Kit orders open. Thanks again for making this happen Captain! Quote
captain america Posted January 7, 2022 Author Posted January 7, 2022 Captain’s special report: January 7th, 2022. I’ve been feeling a little bit restless, so I decided to start my examinations and drafting for Bio Lloyd II: I figured that this would provide me with some gratuitous anxiety, and I was right! However incoherent the designs for Bio Lloyd MK I were, this particular design is the poster child for incoherence! I’ll spare you all the gory details but to say that Studio Ammonite seems like they phoned this one in. It’s a shame too, because the Biopsycher is the Southern Cross equivalent of the Konigstiger tank: a formidable battlefield weapon that has grown to be revered with time, but despite its technological superiority, couldn’t quite deliver the vicory its designers had hoped for. While I based my plans on the front/side/rear views from the Anime model sheets, I also made some corrections to harmonize it with the far prettier 3/4 front view. The animation stills aren’t particularly helpful, because however inconsistent the line-art is, these are way worse! In fact, I’m not even sure if this particular ‘Roid has three fingers or five, but I’m leaning toward the latter. Interestingly enough, there was at the very least a BUG FACE prototype made, but this is the best quality image of it I could find. If anyone would happen to have a better one, please let me know. Quote
Big s Posted January 7, 2022 Posted January 7, 2022 I’ve seen most images with three fingers. I honestly never noticed there were some pictures with five Quote
sbantonelli Posted January 7, 2022 Posted January 7, 2022 I guess that leaves a lot of room for artistic interpretation. I have never been disappointed with any of your interpretations. Quote
Podtastic Posted January 12, 2022 Posted January 12, 2022 So where does the Biopsycher get shown with five fingers? I thought it might be this scene, but no. Standard three. Quote
captain america Posted January 12, 2022 Author Posted January 12, 2022 1 hour ago, Podtastic said: So where does the Biopsycher get shown with five fingers? I thought it might be this scene, but no. Standard three. You can actually see it if you scrutinize the Biopsycher's left hand carefully. Admittedly the resolution doesn't help, but there are actually four fingers plus the thumb. When you combine that shot with these two other shots, you see that there are indeed 5 fingers and not three. Re-using the Bio-Llloyd hands would have been the preferable option, but these images dictate otherwise. Quote
tekering Posted January 13, 2022 Posted January 13, 2022 On 1/7/2022 at 11:10 PM, captain america said: I’m not even sure if this particular ‘Roid has three fingers or five, but I’m leaning toward the latter. It's actually supposed to be four: Or three fingers and a thumb, if you prefer. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: When in doubt, go to the source. The line-art is the basis for all the depictions that followed, and all those inconsistencies in the animation are a result of Ammonite's inadequate reference material. The anime isn't as inconsistent as first appears, however... Early appearances were usually depicted with three fingers, as the previous Bioroids had been. Later episodes featured four fingers instead... ...and it was only in the final episode that they were consistently drawn with five fingers. And, given that the same episode also depicted Zor's Bioroid with five fingers... ...I'd consider it questionable reference at best. I say split the difference, stick with the line art, and make it three fingers and a thumb. Quote
captain america Posted January 13, 2022 Author Posted January 13, 2022 The resolution on the line-art I had wasn't high enough to determine the finger count, which is why I resorted to the animation. Quote
tekering Posted January 13, 2022 Posted January 13, 2022 53 minutes ago, captain america said: The resolution on the line-art I had wasn't high enough to determine the finger count Happy to have been of help! Quote
Podtastic Posted January 13, 2022 Posted January 13, 2022 2 hours ago, captain america said: The resolution on the line-art I had wasn't high enough to determine the finger count, which is why I resorted to the animation. I still prefer 3 fingers myself because it kind of goes with the triple everything theme of these Bioroids. Are options a possibility? And how many fingers on the Scout then? Quote
captain america Posted January 13, 2022 Author Posted January 13, 2022 37 minutes ago, Podtastic said: I still prefer 3 fingers myself because it kind of goes with the triple everything theme of these Bioroids. Are options a possibility? And how many fingers on the Scout then? The wrist attachment will be the same as for Bio mk I. BUG FACE also appears to have 4 fingers, which makes sense, given how it's a derivative of the Biopsycher. Quote
Big s Posted January 13, 2022 Posted January 13, 2022 A lot of the above pictures look like odd angles giving the appearance of another finger, but they look more like a side view. The last couple definitely show an extra finger but could be just a mistake. To me it appears that here are 3 fingers and a thumb four in total Quote
Convectuoso Posted January 13, 2022 Posted January 13, 2022 Should we vote? I think it's 3 fingers and a thumb. Quote
Big s Posted January 13, 2022 Posted January 13, 2022 Maybe a vote from the buyers of the kit . Either that or a lot of extra work from cap and include the other option hands, although that seems like a bit too much. Quote
Podtastic Posted January 14, 2022 Posted January 14, 2022 On 1/13/2022 at 1:28 AM, captain america said: Re-using the Bio-Llloyd hands would have been the preferable option, but these images dictate otherwise. Is this not then still an option as a swap out? Quote
captain america Posted January 14, 2022 Author Posted January 14, 2022 1 minute ago, Podtastic said: Is this not then still an option as a swap out? It is! Quote
Podtastic Posted January 14, 2022 Posted January 14, 2022 Just now, captain america said: It is! Excellent!😁 Quote
captain america Posted January 14, 2022 Author Posted January 14, 2022 Captain’s log: Friday, January 14th. You may now send your payments, as construction has commenced on BIO LLOYD II. Take a look at pic 00. A really long, hard look. Now take a deep breath, and thank God that you’ll never have to pine or yearn for such a lackluster and uninspired sculpt ever again. Pic 01: in my own particular custom, now that the technical diagrams are (mostly) done, I can start making a mess in the shop. In addition to the schematics I made myself, I always have some copies of the original line-art on hand as reference. I also have some leftover blocks of modelling board from the last Bio Lloyd that will come in handy because they’re already squared and not too big. Pic 02: as per usual, I cut the paper templates out so that I can glue them to the blocks in order to guide the cutting and shaping process. Pic 03: … But first, some of the blocks need to be trimmed and made smaller. One particularity with these projects is that there are a myriad of small parts (blobs) which, when combined, will look like a mecha robot. Once a block is cut down to size, it then needs to go to the mill (pic 04) so that the roughly cut surface can be made smooth and square. however tedious this step is, it can’t be rushed: the accuracy with which the blocks are made will determine the accuracy of the final part and its fit with all the others. Pic 05: I’ve decided to create a new shoulder joint; something better than the MK I, so I start by drilling the peg hole that will serve as the shoulder pivot. This new, larger peg will be much sturdier. Pic 06: a number of templates have been glued to their respective blocks. This is really just the first phase, and some parts are so complex that they need a frontal and side template. Pic 07: with the templates in place, I proceed to remove as much rough material with the band saw as I can: this saves time and makes less of a mess than machining straight away. Pics 8-10: Because there are a multitude of curves in the parts to be shaped, I implement an array of different tools on the mill. Pic 8 shows a rarely used hack, which is to use a large grinding stone as a makeshift milling shank. Something like this would be unthinkable when working in metal, but because modelling board is easy to machine, I can implement this hack. Pics 10 and 11 show the use of more conventional milling shanks. I can expect to go through several different cutters on one part as a standard routine. Pic 11: the milling process can only go so far with some parts, so now that the vast majority of the excess material is removed, I can proceed to sand the parts manually for the final contouring. Pic 12: phase one of the parts shaping process has come along nicely. The plots you see in the upper-right corner are another reference I use to gauge my progress and make fit adjustments. Due to the… I will be polite… Very vague and incongruous reference material, I give myself the lattitude to make in-progress adjustments as I see fit, or to tweak the proportions to better match the 3/4 view of the mecha, which I esteem to be the prettiest. This first update is far from the most exciting, but the basic procedure laid-out for you is fundamental when employing classical scratchbuilding techniques. Things get more ineresting next week, so stay tuned! Quote
CoryHolmes Posted January 15, 2022 Posted January 15, 2022 14 hours ago, captain america said: Take a look at pic 00. A really long, hard look. Now take a deep breath, and thank God that you’ll never have to pine or yearn for such a lackluster and uninspired sculpt ever again. Oh, yeah? I still yearn over a Rifts Glitterboy and that's a pretty lacklustre sculpt As always, I'm deeply impressed by how much prep work you put in, and just how much that helps the final product come out. Quote
captain america Posted January 21, 2022 Author Posted January 21, 2022 Captain’s log: January 20th. Pic 13: Once the parts have been shaped as far as they can be on the mill, it’s time to break-out the rotary tool and begin grinding the compound curves into the blocks. This part is more art than science, requiring a good eye and making sure to remove just a little bit of material at a time. Pic 14: here you can see a variety of parts in various degrees of refinement. Since the hip sockets on BIO LLOYD MK I worked so well, I decided to import these into the MK II as well. In total, five parts will carry-over from the previous iteration: the hip socket cups, and the three midsection pieces. A couple of other parts will be scavenged from the MK I, but they will be heavily modified. Pic 15: one of those heavily modified parts is the main torso back, which you see here undergoing major surgery. The only reason I retained this part (and the breastplate) is that it houses the excellent inner shoulder socket assembly, and would have been much longer to start again from scratch. The height, depth, upper width, as well as the abdominal joint mounts are all different, and require considerable modification. Pic 16: the blocky thighs from pic 14 are back, having been ground-down much closer to their final shape. An interesting detail about this MK II is that it’s more high-waisted than its predecessor, so shorter torso and longer thighs. Pic 17: the same parts with the left thigh now having received some rough love from the sanding sponge. This is a tedious process, requiring the removal of vary little material at any one tome, and also checking to make sure that the shapes and symmetry are maintained. Pic 18: the line-art shows what appears to be a « calf-like » crease pattern on the back of the lower leg armor, so I start by sketching out the plot lines with a pencil, then running over it carefully with a hobby plade, followed by some chiseling. A variety of files and sandpapers will be used to iron-out the shapes until everything is nice and smooth. Pic 19: just like the back, the breastplate has itself seen considerable re-shaping and modification. Here I’ve added some putty to close-up the neck hole around the cockpit. Pic 20 shows the same part and all the putty work that went into its alteration. The neck collar shown is for the Hemorroid variant: the Bug Face unit will have a completely different neck housing. Pic 21: the rough cockpit ball assembly in place. This too will require some modification, but it’s off to an excellent start. Pic 22: one area which I thought needed upgrading was the shoulder joint: because there’s a different shoulder armor on this variant, I decided to make something more robust and reliable fo the hinging mechanism. Pic 23: I’m quite pleased not only wth the amount of progress I was able to make in a single week but also with how attractive this mecha is becoming. While the design had numerous engineering hurdles to overcome, I can tell even at this early stage that it’s going to be more eye-catching than its predecessor, and has more hidden joints that will allow for, in some cases, even better range-of-motion than the MK I. I will cover all those little innovations in next week’s installment, so stay tuned! Quote
derex3592 Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 Always amazing to see the master at work!!! Quote
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