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pengbuzz

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  1. pengbuzz
    UPDATE: alternate head self-destructed on me this morning after I just got done painting it. Threw that across the room with all my might... so it looks like there's not going to be an alternate head. Sorry folks. Just going to continue on with finishing details and the backdrop for the diorama. Stay tuned.
  2. pengbuzz
    UPDATE: As promised, the foiling process I use- 1) Make sure the area to be foiled is clean; use rubbing alcohol to wipe away any debris, residual mold release or skin oil. 2) apply the foil evenly; I tend to "roll" it across the surface slowly so that it minimizes air bubbles getting trapped. Run your fingernail along the edge to "mark out" where you want to trim the foil. 3) After trimming, use a burnisher (mine is an old Xacto version with a ball on one end and a large flat plastic blade on the other) to smooth down the foil. Prick any air bubbles with the tip of an Xacto knife and smooth down with the burnishing tool. 4) Use 400 grit (or finer) sandpaper to give the foil a "brushed metal" look; make sure to go in one direction only, and be careful of how much pressure you use in sanding the foil. Too much can tear it and make a mess with the adhesive. For fine or detailed areas: cut the foil into smaller sections and burnish starting with a cotton swab. then move to using a toothpick for panel lines and finely detailed nooks and crannies. 5) After sanding the foil lightly, use #0000 steel wool to smooth it and burnish it down further. 6) After buffing with the steel wool, go over the details one more time with either a cotton swab or toothpick, re-buff with steel wool, then blow whatever debris from the steel wool off with compressed air/ hair dryer/ your breath. Wipe down one last time with rubbing alcohol, then seal with your usual brand of clearcoat (particularly if you want the "laminated titanium" look of Robo here): Stay tuned...Murphy's law head is next....
  3. pengbuzz
    Awesome!
  4. pengbuzz
    As promised, here are the pics between the last I posted and my most recent update- So first, test poses to ensure the armor would move correctly on the figure: Then it was time to cast Murphy's unhelmeted face (still working on this BTW): I made a mold of the face using Plaster of Paris (making sure to keep the entire thing cool until it set, so Murphy didn't end up looking like Emil at the steel factory!). I then poured Hot Melt Glue into the mold (with Vaseline as a mold release) and let that cool, then pulled it out when done. Then, filling areas on the armor that were marred when I cut the armor apart: First: a dam made out of masking tape was applied; then, the hot glue was poured into the void and allowed to harden. After that, sanding to match the contour of the armor and a masking tape "patch" that would be smoothed down to prevent anything from making an uneven surface. Next: foiling the armor. Stay tuned...
  5. pengbuzz
    UPDATE: A few pics to tide everyone over until I can post the rest of the progress pics: Stay tuned...
  6. pengbuzz
    Sounds like they went from Louis XVIII to Admiral Kirk in a generation or less...
  7. pengbuzz
    ...and.... I'm out of ideas here. *retires to faraway planet and takes up origami*
  8. pengbuzz
    One issue is going to be your fuel budget. In atmosphere, it's not that bad for a VF, but in space, propellant and fuel is at a premium. In Macross Delta, Arad had to remind Hayate to watch his propellant levels" during one sortie, as after a couple of maneuvers, you could be out of propellant or even low on fuel. Additionally: the more thrusters and engines you put into a mech, the more weight and mass that will be added by said dry mass, but the more fuel you will have to carry. While the fuel issue is (one again) not so bad for a VF in atmosphere, the systems still take up space in the airframe. In space... that mass costs big. On top of that: added thrusters/ engines and such are going to add to the overall cost in time, money and materials in the form of maintenance. If those systems cannot be maintained at a reasonable level, then all they are doing is taking up mass and room on an airframe that needs every ounce working towards its' performance. One thing many folks forget when it comes to airframe design: it becomes a series of tradeoffs, where you have to decide what the goal of the craft is and what matters most. This is why in Macross, you don't see too many "just like a Gundam" type craft; there are costs and supplies are used up, as is endurance. Not to mention that what seems like a good idea on paper often doesn't work in the real world. One reason there aren't rocket launchers that fire chainsaws...
  9. pengbuzz
    Has anyone tried 91% Isopropyl ("Rubbing") Alcohol to remove the yellow tint on the canopy?
  10. pengbuzz
    The figure is a 21st Century Toys 1/6 figure (they had a run with 2 different types of bodies; this is the second with the multi-jointed elbows, knees and torso). They used to be plentiful in the 2000's, then everyone got away from 1/6 in the lower market for some odd reason. O.o
  11. pengbuzz
    While waiting to find a solution to lightening up the paint job on my Tomcat (suggestions welcome folks!), I started a Christmas project a little early (my wife let me open one of my gifts a day or so in advance): She got me a pre-painted 1/6 Horizon Robocop model that I had been asking for (I wanted any version of it really, but she found this one for me!) for Christmas. The basis behind this project is to cut apart the armor and mount it on a 1/6 body, making it into a fully poseable 1/6 figure. *Note: 500+ dollars for a 1/6 figure from Hot Toys is well out of my price range!!! O.O Even 60 bucks is a bit much (which this cost)!* So, got the armor cut apart and test mounted: Most of the parts fit okay, with the chest being a primary area of concern. It's a bit wide for any of the 1/6 figures, and after comparing it to screenshots and still pics I have, it needed some reworking. Thankfully, vinyl figures can be reshaped via a heat gun or hair dryer (note: if you're cutting a vinyl figure, it stands a very good chance of cracking unless you heat the material first). Next, time to sew up the body suit: This was a couple of pieces of Spandex/ Lycra from an old piece of clothing my wife no longer wears (a top that had this under a layer of lace that wore out), that I ended up harvesting for this project. I hand-stitched the pants and top for the undersuit, after which I slid the armor parts into place. Some were tacked into position with hot melt glue, while others I put furniture cushion foam in between the outer shell and the inner bodysuit both to hold it and cushion the figure from any abrasiveness from the vinyl: My work so far (apologies for the blurry pics; will try to get better ones tonight with a fresh set of batteries): The helmet comes off the figure, revealing Murphy's face underneath. I'm planning on finding a cost-effective way to make a mold of the head sans helmet; after than, I will case a new face and rework it to exclude the chin guard and show a better portrait of Peter Weller in the role. The plan is for two interchangeable heads; this way, I can permanently glue the helmet to the original and fill the head so it remains stable, and have the option of switching the heads: Stay tuned...
  12. pengbuzz
    Question for the gang here: How would you folks go about lightening a paintjob on a model kit that already has decals on it, without stripping the old set/ paintjob? The paintjob is just a little dark on the model (darkened when clearcoat was applied), and I wanted to fade it a little bit. Suggestions welcome (kind ones, please! :p)
  13. pengbuzz
    These are from the 1979 Filmation cartoon. Although labels would be nice.
  14. pengbuzz
    Right? I would probably buff most of the silver on the body with #0000 steel wool to give it a bit of a "brushed metal" look. That would let the face stand out a bit better, especially if the face were done in a different shade of metallic and black were added around the eyes:
  15. pengbuzz
    It's akin to the reason why an archer unstrings the bowstring on their hunting bow when not in use: constant tension will remove any ability to respond and the string will lose all resilience, resulting inevitably in snapping. Not to mention it's not realistic al all; the world isn't in constant danger 24/7 forever. Even after the end of the world, the fragments of the planet float peacefully in space.
  16. pengbuzz
    Right? Looks like a lot of folks out there really want to see MII!!
  17. pengbuzz
    I think we all do bro; it's part of being an artist and modelbuilder.
  18. pengbuzz
    Not to mention that a beam weapon's pulse would travel far faster in space than a solid projectile (given that it would travel fairly close if not at c ), making it much more difficult to dodge in a dogfight.
  19. pengbuzz
    Yeah; they didn't think that the Battlepods were the foot infantry (as so to speak). And they assumed it would be a ground war, not a space-based assault. Ah... so that's where the Ford Pinto came from!!! O.o
  20. pengbuzz
    I liked the design for the Zeta Gundam's shield; not sure how useful it was in combat, but it made the wave rider mode look much better.
  21. pengbuzz
    What happened? O.O
  22. pengbuzz
    This is still a thing? I thought they fired the cast and crew quietly, and Michael Burnham was on the street holding a sign that read "Will Dramatize for Food".
  23. pengbuzz
    Not to mention: in the case of the VF-1, its' operating time in space was limited due to the size of its' fuel stores (and maneuvering propellant as well), getting into position to use a bayonet or knife would have wasted operational time in space when missiles/ gunpod fire could do the same job. Later fighters such as the VF-4 could maneuver longer, but I cannot imagine it getting into melee (hand to hand) combat configured as it was in Battroid mode.
  24. pengbuzz
    So it wasn't exactly Dick Dastardly up thee, right?
  25. pengbuzz
    1) He looks kinda angry/ constipated (facewise) 2) Did he let a gigantic fart rip at the end or something? O.o
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