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tekering

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  1. tekering
    I don't blame you there! 😅 I'm sure you'll find the Spartas much easier, both because of the more angular features and proper style guides to work from. Quite a bit further, actually... Given the more advanced nature of these 'roids, I've devised a more advanced pattern of decals for 'em.
  2. tekering
    Are you suggesting this secondary intake is redundant? 😅 It just looks like sloppy work to me... right down to the spelling inconsistency. 🙄
  3. tekering
    Au contraire, mon Capitaine! I filled it in. As far as I can tell, it's a lot more anime-accurate that way. It's just how I see it, of course... ...and you may well disagree. We all know how inconsistent the animation was... ...but I think there's enough onscreen evidence to support my interpretation.
  4. tekering
    Not at all, man. Different Bioroid, different thread. 😊 I'm actually grateful to have that Duck Models build for reference as I move forward with my own Hemorroid, as it shows pitfalls to avoid and opportunities for improvement. The lenses in the head represent one such opportunity, since our erstwhile Captain was thoughtful enough to make them separate pieces: By using those pieces as a buck, I could make transparent versions using the ol' "heat and smash" method.
  5. tekering
    Do you really?
  6. tekering
    With apologies to @Convectuoso, it really didn't. 😒 The green color was a good choice, and the red is pretty close, but the orange... isn't. 🤨 More importantly, I see the same problem inherent with other Duck Model builds is just as prevalent here: the limbs aren't correctly attached. Dare to compare: I avoided commenting until I had my own kit in-hand for comparison -- and I had commissions to complete before I could devote time to it -- but now that I've begun assembling the "Hemorroid," I can objectively criticize Duck's work. The thighs are floating above the knees (leaving visible gaps), and their ball-joints don't appear to be fitted properly to the torso, either. This makes the thighs appear too long, too thin, and much too far apart. Worse still, it pushes the "skirt" armour out to the sides at an oblique angle, which forces the arms to hang at such an awkward position that they look broken at the bicep joint. The chest pipes are flared out (rather than hanging down), the knee segments are the wrong color, and the shoulders are at completely incongruent positions. 🙄 As this was the first painted sample to have appeared online (and still the only completed one I've seen to date), I'm concerned by how badly it misrepresents Moscato's design. If I were @captain america, I'd be upset to see my work presented in such a manner. I admire his restraint, having refrained from commenting personally... I don't think I could be as magnanimous. I just hope I can do justice to his work, 'cause these are fabulous kits. For anyone else needing proper reference, I'm happy to share my color model sheets. 😇 These are the colors I'm testing:
  7. tekering
    I loved all the callbacks to First Contact, particularly the use of Jerry Goldsmith's score. 👍
  8. tekering
    I appreciate the suggestions, gentlemen. My second attempt is closer to the anime look I'm after: I added a purple tint to the image, which counteracts the effect of the clearcoat and ends up a neutral grey. It's still not exactly what I want, but it's a definite improvement.
  9. tekering
    Hasbro's not even done with Menasor, and third-parties are already fixing their mistakes. 😅
  10. tekering
    Are those Spike and Sparkplug figures from NewAge? 😮
  11. tekering
    Hobby Japan magazine has always been ahead of its time. 😅
  12. tekering
    Actually, I'm not so sure... The sealant coating turned the ink kind of greenish, and softened up the lines more than I had anticipated. Plus, the pattern looks more like a circuit board than the hull of a battle fortress. 🤨
  13. tekering
    Wow! How are you possibly gonna add lights...? 😮
  14. tekering
    It wouldn't be difficult for anyone used to working with silicone molds, but the resulting resin parts would be thin and likely just as fragile... 🤔 These styrene beams will reinforce the thin plastic areas and provide greater structural integrity. I'm preparing for phase two, hyper-detailing the surface for a proper sense of scale. I'm pushing my printer to the limits of its resolution, trying to get panel lines as thin as possible: I might've overdone it a little. 😅
  15. tekering
    I only recently learned that Takatoku's original release had spelled Daedalus as "DAIDALOS" on the stickers, and actually came with Lancer II accessories...! 😮 One can imagine how quickly those would've gotten lost. 😅 I was nonetheless inspired to do something similar: I thought Valkyries on the Prometheus deck would be far more appropriate (provided they were properly to scale). 😎 I kept them in a single color to maintain the toy aesthetic... and also because I'd have a great deal of trouble painting Valks that small anyway. 😬 You're preaching to the choir, buddy. 😔 Everything's glued, puttied, sanded smooth, painted with primer, puttied, sanded smooth, painted with primer, surfacer, base coat and clear coat, and finally ready for final assembly... ...and then when you try and fit the parts back together, there's that horrifying sound of the plastic splitting and cracking, AGAIN. 🤕 I ended up using a lot of scrap styrene for internal reinforcement, wherever I could make space to do so.
  16. tekering
    Marvel comics colors, eh? There are telltale signs of Photoshop retouching (particularly on Megatron's torso), so it's difficult to evaluate the work. 🤨
  17. tekering
    Thanks again for all the feedback, guys. 🥰 I added some tiny red lights to the radar array: Oh yes, I've been following his work with burning jealously. His CAD modelling skills make me feel like a dinosaur, and without a resin 3D printer of my own, I'm practically extinct already. 🤕 That wouldn't be a problem, depending on how you implemented them. Unfortunately, the diecast frame is really crappy metal, with no magnetic properties whatsoever. In fact, it's so soft you can drill holes into it with a pin vice! Actually, I think I just came up with a better solution: A couple of 2mm holes (strategically placed to avoid interfering with the internal mechanism) allows me to secure each subassembly directly to the frame instead. 😊 Transformation would now require removing a couple screws from the outside, separating the frames, repositioning them and tightening the screws on the inside, and then putting them back together again. It's not an elegant or toyetic solution, but hey... at least Minmay's not gonna fall off a cliff. 😇 Durability requires clean holes that are the precise diameter to the screws you're using. The parts won't attach securely if the holes are too wide, but you'll crack that infamous blue plastic if the holes aren't wide enough. There's not much margin for error, so proceed with caution! 😬
  18. tekering
    Nothing quite so elegant, I fear; as I say, I'm not much of an engineer, so transformation now requires a screwdriver. 😬 Most of you already know that each cannon boom is attached to one side of the chest, and that each "arm" is connected to the same subassembly. This entire segment is connected to the diecast metal frame with only two screws, making it very easy to disassemble. By removing some plastic from the bottom of each side of the chest, I made space for the diecast frame to fit much lower, allowing the subassembly to sit 16mm higher -- exactly the height required to align the top of the chest with the conning tower. 😇 This results in a taller, thinner profile that renders the overall proportions much more anime-accurate. However, the subassembly can't be screwed into the metal frame in this position, so instead I threaded 30mm wood screws (through the existing screw holes) and drilled mounting holes into the back to secure them to the main hull. These screws will have to be removed for transformation back to cruiser mode, of course.
  19. tekering
    So, are we not getting any more characters from The Batman? No Alfred, Gordon, or Falcone figures? 😢
  20. tekering
    Oh sure, the restoration process is just the first stage for me. The pristine toy look is fine, but I want to add a great deal more surface detailing, replace all the surface battery guns, conceal all the screw holes, and treat the whole thing more like a model kit. I'm even considering a Macross Island diorama. 😇 I've already painted up a set of recessed engines: LEDs are installed, but I haven't figured out how to integrate a switch. I did, however, figure out a solution to a much bigger problem: The conning tower now sits parallel to the shoulders in "Storm Attacker" mode. 😎 I'm MUCH more satisfied with the proportions now. 😁
  21. tekering
    Here's cruiser mode: I've mentioned my use of magnets to keep the cannon boom arms straight, but I came up with a simple mod to the ratchet joints to account for the weight of the "arms" and keep the support carriers properly aligned as well. The ratchets were originally designed to position the joints at perfect ninety-degree angles, which would seem ideal for a battlefortress in space; however, in an Earth gravity environment, we all know how weight causes sagging in cruiser mode. If I may borrow a photo from @jenius to illustrate: Even a pristene-condition Matchbox specimen sags significantly in the bow, a little in the "shoulders," and quite profoundly past the "elbows," all of which I've managed to correct. The joint housings align the ratchets with these tabs (painted white for the sake of this photo). I realized I could cut my own notches into the ratchets, and thereby adjust the angle of the joint to account for the effects of gravity: You can see how the ratchets now hold the shoulder joint at a canted angle, to correct for the sag caused by the weight of the arms. Another niggling flaw that's bugged me for decades is finally fixed.
  22. tekering
    I would have trouble justifying such a purchase, since I can't even tell what's been updated... I will MAKE room for that one. 😋
  23. tekering
    I particularly appreciate this acknowledgment, Gabe. Trying to restore cracked and broken pieces to pristine condition was tedious, repetitive work in-and-of-itself... ...and as each visible layer of primer, surfacer, putty and plastic demonstrates, perseverance was key. Even more time and effort went into making my main gun extensions look as seamless as if they'd been designed and manufactured that way to begin with: Many of you made the same modifications in much less time than it took me, but left telltale signs that I fastidiously eliminated. Final assembly's completed now, and I have a couple more exciting mods to share... 😎
  24. tekering
    It's taken much, much longer than expected, but everything's more-or-less ready for final assembly. Typically, I apply markings using custom decal sheets designed in Photoshop, but as I'm under the gun, past my self-imposed deadline, and ashamed it's taken this long already, I simply accomplished what I needed with 1mm masking tape. I'm fairly pleased with the results, actually. 😊
  25. tekering
    You expect to have your model ready within a month? 🤨 I assume you're a lot further along than the images you've posted would indicate... 😅
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