mslz22

The sidewall will have much more in the way of instruments and monitor type thingies, as well as the 2nd version of the back wall. The "A" wall is really more about the door and that platform....

So here is pretty much what the back wall part "A" will look like, i am going to do a "B" version for people who want other options, the area on this that has no real detail is where the receiver of the gantry will go, that will allow people to pick where they want that stuff. That platform will also be cast seperatly so that people have the option to do what they would like with it. I may add some more detail to the area next to the platform that is not in the way of the tracks.... thanks mike

Are you going to WF in KY in May? I think i will be there..... mike

Well, not at the exact same time , I almost always have something in the pressure pot when it's warm enough, we just got thru a cold snap that i did not get to cast anything but i am casting today. Even with the 45 degree weather stuff takes a lot longer to cure, so stuff stays in the pots for at least an hour or so, that time between is when i'm working on other stuff right now....

There will be a part that will "receive" the gantry part that will extend the footing out another 3/4 of an inch or so, it will be cast seperate from the wall so that you can position it where you would like, there is enough room for the gantry with this part even with the turntable. You can see it in the pic below.......I am trying to find a good middle ground between using the available pics for insperation without all out copying it, i think that is better in the long run......

With the exception of the claws this is pretty much set, just to give you an idea of how it looks with a 1/72 destroid take a look, sorry for the hand in the way, this will be cast in 3 parts so i don't want to glue them together... mike

So i have started on i guess what is the gantry (SP?), and the sled for the hook, these are not final, i will add a bit more detail. I will be casting the sled seperate so that it can be adjusted around, also i will be adding some "claws" to sled thingy, the sled will hang on the rails.........I have also deceided to make a "short" wall for people who are going to be combining more than one.....it will seperate the destroids/valks etc, and offer a bit of interesting detail.... mike

Got working on the back panel, with a nice big door!!, i have the feeling i will end up with at least 2 versions of the back wall for those who may not want the door.....or for those that will be combining more than 1 component... mike

So it's a bit tough to see all the panel lines in the pic but i have started on the floor, i wanted it to have an interesting footprint so the panel lines are not just squared up, but have angles and different shapes and sizes, to me this is much more interesting. I also made a "turntable" with a track for a towhook etc... mike not sure if i should start a whole other thread for the build but for now i will put it here...

So this is 12" deep by 15" long, i think this may be a winner for the basic set, it's big enough to display 2 or 3 valks or destroids but is not so big that it's can't be easily displayed, i put a 1/60 valk next to the 1/72 destroid just to show the size of a 1/60 in the mock up. let me know any opinions on the size before i commit..... mike

I'm thinking that the 16 or 17 inches would be long, but the depth would be around 13", i think there are shelves that hover around 12", and a 1" overhang would not be bad. Ikea sells some shelves that would be perfect for this type of display... mike

I've already started fooling around with the idea of a partial angled celing, i like the angle because it allows you to see the detail on the celing and i like it partial because it gives you a feeling of fullness without boxing in the models......

So here is a very crude mock up with the "hanger" dims at 15" long by 14" wide, i think it can be a bit less wide but needs to be a bit longer maybe 16 or 17". these are both 1/72 scale....let me know what you think....

Don't worry, i would not get much more than a rough in, just to get an idea of what size would look good. I'm thinking that while i will take insperation from macross stuff, and try to gear most of it to 1/72 scale, it is something that would look good with 1/60 valks, and hopefully some Gundam stuff etc.... mike

So i have been looking at line art for this project and i got to say, i'm pretty excited and i have lots of ideas, i may even get started tonight

A hanger for the monster would be GIGANTIC!!!! That would be built depending if people who had the monster wanted one. What i am likely to do is make these different things available in component set, what that allows me to do is offer the basic kit to people who don't want to spend too much $$, for those that want extra components they will be offered in packages. One example that i am thinking of would be an accessory kit that had misc Mecha parts, engine bits etc.., instead of making everyone pay for that detail set it would be sold seperate for a small amount... For the support vehicles, i thought Valkyrie was working on some of those, i do not want to step on his toes so maybe those will be available thru him, unless he has abondoned that project.... mike

That brings up a good point, i plan on building in a way that you can attach more than one side to side by flipping the wall, in theory you could make as many bays as you want. You could make yourself a custom shelf and mount it to a wall with as many as you would want to display your valks!

Hey guys, a quick eval of how i would do something like this......I think i would offer it with a floor, back wall and one side wall, i would make a 3rd wall available if people wanted it, but when i have found that the 3rd wall makes display kind of narrow, you would need to look at it almost straight on to see everything, where as if 1 sidewall is left off you can see everything nicely if it's displayed on a shelf. I was looking at the perfect memory repair bays and some other source material for insperation. To keep the cost down each floor/side would be less than 1/4 inch thick, for added stability the modeler would likely want to mount the floor to a nice base (wood/mdf) and depending on how things come out, some small bracing for the wall. Making the floors/walls too think would result in a higher cost due to resin cost but may be easier to assemble, i guess that is a bridge i could cross later. I would want to do everything i could to keep this under or around $100.00, and i would provide a decal sheet. If anyone has a wishlist of details or size they would like on this thing please let me know. thanks mike

Sorry guys, looks like now may not be a good time to approach this subject. thanks mike

Monster will be available again in the spring...... mike

Boy that put a big smile on my face!!!

Man that is awesome, do you have any pics of it next to the monster??????

Also, to anyone who is wondering this will be available again in the spring... thanks mike

Sorry guys never quite finished these up, i do have most of the major steps here.. http://p208.ezboard.com/fmslz22modelsfrm7....topicID=3.topic I will try to remember to add the final assembly soon, these should get anyone started... mike

the monster will be available again for a short time in the spring..... mike