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tekering

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  1. 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.
  2. tekering
    So, are we not getting any more characters from The Batman? No Alfred, Gordon, or Falcone figures? 😢
  3. 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. 😁
  4. 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.
  5. 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. 😋
  6. 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... 😎
  7. 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. 😊
  8. 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... 😅
  9. tekering
    If the camera lens is a removable piece... ...why the hell do they keep it on his chest in robot mode? 🤨 It might have a halfway-decent chance of looking like a humanoid robot, but there's no way to tell from these so-called promotional pics. 🙄 Either way, if it's not a functioning DSLR camera, the whole design is pointless. 😑
  10. tekering
    Just this one. 😅
  11. tekering
    I think the Big Zam deserves to be part of this conversation. 😊
  12. tekering
  13. tekering
    No question there. Joker was a massive critical and commercial hit, earning over a BILLION dollars worldwide. That's more than DC tentpoles like Wonder Woman, Justice League, or even The Batman managed, and at a fraction of their budgets.
  14. tekering
    Audio sync issues aside, Comanche and English are very different languages. Having been written in English, translated into Comanche and then translated back into English for the subtitles (!), the dialogue frequently didn't make sense. Characters express non-sequiturs, react to information that wasn't expressed in Comanche, and laugh at jokes that don't make sense. It's a surprisingly poor translation. If you want to watch the Comanche dub, I'd advise using the closed-captioned script from the English version.
  15. tekering
    They've had to keep up appearances; they've stayed active on the convention circuit for decades. Science-fiction fandom is the gift that keeps on giving. Kelly McGillis, on the other hand, never made a sci-fi film. 😉
  16. tekering
    Figures a prolific scratchbuilder like you'd be able to tell. I'll bet you could whittle a whole Zentradi armada out of a rotten 2x4. 😅 The aluminium rods allow for a little fine adjustment, but I decided not to articulate them further. While it would make logical sense for them to be independently-targeted cannons, there's actually nothing in the anime (nor the animation model sheets) to indicate that they are... and furthermore, no existing toy with such a feature, either. And you know, sometimes unnecessary articulation can actually be an inconvenience: It's not like I'd ever want to display those rail guns pointing in different directions anyway.
  17. tekering
    Picard: Season 3. Nobody under 50 in the cast, nobody under 50 in the audience. 😑
  18. tekering
    I wish I didn't know what an all-in-one Hasbro combiner looks like. 🤕 Lest we forget... 😒
  19. tekering
    Of course, "a lot better than CW Menasor" is still several stages below "acceptable." 😝 I'm not even sure if Legacy Menasor qualifies, given those giant snowshoes he appears to be wearing... 😒
  20. tekering
    Celebrating the little victories: Cannons have been straightened out, and reinforced with 2mm metal rods. 👍 Another problem finally solved, after annoying me for decades. 😅 Can you tell which barrel was missing from the toy I bought, and needed to be fully scratchbuilt? 😋
  21. tekering
    Sometimes I miss spending time on your planet. Here on the rogue asteroid known as Japan, Sludge won't be released for another month. 😔
  22. tekering
    You'll find Bandai's Robot Spirits "A.N.I.M.E." line to be equal in scale and articulation, and with even more accessories... and they're only about three times more expensive. 😑 I was happy I hadn't already ordered one of those, since the Gennaro "Outhouse" set comes with a nigh-identical T-Rex... a completely different figure than the T-Rex that came with Timmy and the Explorer, mind you (despite representing the same dino from the same scene). I like a little more variety in my dino collection, which is why I was happy to find a Dreadnoughtus on sale: I don't know how the hell I'm gonna display it. 😶
  23. tekering
    She looks a little too big to scale with New Age, Magic Square, or even MechFansToys figures. What was Dr. Wu intending her to scale with, I wonder...? 🤔
  24. tekering
    C'mon KC, again with the fabric? 😑
  25. tekering
    "So far...?" Are you suggesting they'll actually get around to releasing the other figures they solicited, much less produce more characters...? I'm beginning to think they've abandoned the line. 😔
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