Articulated Hands for Transformers & Macross 1/48

[aurascope]

Hi everybody,

I'm wonder if anybody is interestedi in hands like these

http://dalong.net/review/mg/m88/p/m88_15.jpg

http://dalong.net/review/mg/m88/m88_p.htm

for their transformers binaltech/classics/henkei/movie

G1 optimus prime, G1 Inferno, Grapple, Hoist, Sunstreaker,

and other figures of similar size that tend to lose their hands.

It fits in the Yamato 1/48 Macross VF-1's

so it is still perfect transformation with no parts removal.

I'm looking to comission a resin kit modeller to recast them

using a pressure chamber.

It's about US$20 per pair (shipped from singapore)

and it needs at least 50 orders to start the project.

It's a long shot,

but I wonder if any of you are interested.

It's a one time thing,

only the ordered quantity will be produced and

no extras will be kept for future sale.

Do let me know if any of you guys want it.

aurascope at yahoo.com.sg

there is a spelling error for articulated hands, can mods fix that?

Edited April 21, 2009 by aurascope

[Kicker773]

might be interested in it if i can see how they would look like on the yammie

[miriya]

i think the hands are available for cheaper on HLJ. Not sure though.

[misterryno]

I think their pretty cool. They remind me of scaled up Yamato V.2 1/60 Hands.

[claude grant]

are these hands the same size as the 1/48 standard (chicken) hands, or a little larger? and will you do different colors or just valk white for customizing? inquiring minds wanna know...

[claude grant]

i think the hands are available for cheaper on HLJ. Not sure though.

say miriya, where on HLJ do you think you saw these hands, if you can remember? under what category or phrase did you type in?

[miriya]

I can not seem to find what I had seen (maybe a year ago or more?) but I did find these, which are not the same....

http://www.hlj.com/product/KBYMB-29

http://www.hlj.com/product/KBYMB-28

http://www.hlj.com/product/KBYMB-27

http://www.hlj.com/product/KBYMB-26

Sorry I could not find the right ones.....

[aurascope]

The only company in the world who makes these hands

is probably bandai (china bootleggers don't count)

The hands you see on online hobby shops are fixed pose,

these are individually articulated. they will be cast in white only,

so some paint is required.

The US$20 reflects the wastage in the recasting for these hands,

it only takes one air bubble to destroy the whole sprue as

the fingers are so fine in detail.

I'm considering the recasting option as a last resort

because no hobby shop online sells bandai MG gundam hands

as a standalone. Bandai requires you to buy the whole sprue

and the hands are spread over 3-4 sprues. So it will be a

heck more than US$20.

Some time back, some members did it on macrossworld,

they managed to buy bandai MG gundam hands as a standalone

from R10, but R10 has stopped selling bandai parts.

[aurascope]

here it is:

http://macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?show...ticulated+hands

Photos below:

http://macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?act=...st&id=36905

http://macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?act=...st&id=36943

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l135/diz...89/IMG_0490.jpg

http://macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?act=...st&id=37196

http://macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?act=...st&id=37199

Edited September 12, 2008 by aurascope

[miriya]

Wow! Those are very cool!

[misterryno]

Wow! Those are very cool!

I do agree somewhat. I guess I'm just a big fan of teh fixed pose hands.

[valhary]

I would like more like the new patlabor

[miriya]

I would like more like the new patlabor

is that the yamato one?

[valhary]

yes i cant understand why do this hands for patlabor and chiken hands for macross

[aurascope]

The patlabor hands cannot be recasted because

the 4 fingers have another clip joint.

Clips cannot be resin cast because the resin is

hard and brittle, will break when you try to clip on.

Edited September 12, 2008 by aurascope

[claude grant]

thanks for the links miriya, but i've seen all of these hands and they are fixed pose indeed. one last question aurascope; and this will determine whether i'm in or not...will you be using the super strong resin, or the cheapest grade you can find to do the recasting? because it does make a difference & time will reveal which option you inevitably go with. be as honest, open, and candid as you can be, cause right now, i'm feeling this.

[aurascope]

hi claude grant,

I'm comissioning this project because I personally intend

to get 5 pairs for myself, and the recaster is unwilling to

make only 5 pairs. So I'm hoping some people will help me

make up the 50 pairs needed to start this project,

also, he has assured me that he will use the strongest resin

suitable for this project because

the fingers are load bearing points for the gunpod.

He is aware of the stresses the hands will be subject to

from some normal handling of the recasted hands.

The resin will be a 2 part chemically harded resin.

so it's more controllable than atmospherically hardened resin.

Materials failure is usually acclerated due to defects

such as cracks or voids (air bubbles)

I shall personally see to it that he does everything

he can to keep this to a minimum.

I am a materials engineer undergraduate,

so I have a fairly good idea of what to avoid.

For the sake of those who are not aware,

resin recasts are strong, but brittle.

It will function well for its intended purpose,

but do not expect it to take alot of abuse.

I am thinking asking people to buy in lots of five pairs,

so we need only 10 people to get this started.

I hope answers your questions?

regards,

aurascope

Edited September 12, 2008 by aurascope

[aaajin]

here's a few examples from the pictures that I took a long2 time ago :

[big F]

Since the fixed pose 1/48 hands also fit the 1/55 Chunkies (obviously modded ones) too so maybe you should angle it toward them too. I'd be up for a set or two.

[aurascope]

I just spoke to the recast guy again,

if we can get 100 orders,

he should be able to make it US$10 per pair.

Understandable, since this is labour intensive

and he feels he should be compensated for his labour.

I'm proposing anyone interested to order them in multiples of ten.

That means 10, 20 or 30 etc

Also note that the hands will be made and shipped from Singapore,

where I live.

So now, anyone interested?

While I think you're on a good roll here making articulated hands, I wouldn't buy resin ones. If you're in Singapore you should be able to find some company to make then out of abs. Something that can be turned and moved that still holds up against the friction needed to keep the fingers grasping something. That's why you don't see a lot of resin parts like that around here unless they're solid headcasts or non-moving weapons.

Hi Jin,Unfortunately, Singapore is one of the top ten most expensive cities to live in.

Consequently, Injection molding ABS is not going to be cheap like in China.

The costs of mold fabrication is easily 5 figures (even though it looks simple)

and the fact is most injection molding plants will ignore us

if we told them we wanted any run less than 10,000 units.

Lots of money involved. And storage space for unwanted stock.

Oh, I happen to major in Materials Engineering.Resin recasts of this particular model of hands should work.

I've spent many nights studying them and reading up on

the material properties of most resin materials.

Unless there's any other viable (aka cheap) option, this could well be the only way.

Of course, the trade off is the brittle-ness. (Low fracture strength)

I tried many times contacting Bandai's spare parts dept.

They don't sell to any non-Japanese address.

Shipping proxies charge too much to make it worth while.

The bandits.

I need somewhere like 20 pairs myself to switch out the hands

on my binaltechs and alternators.

The original thread is here.

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/radicons-gen...oss-1-48-a.html

Edited April 8, 2009 by aurascope

[big F]

I would be interested in around 8-10 pairs, myself

[ff95gj]

What color would the fingers would be in? I am using them for my valks, which have white fingers most of the time. I'd prefer them to be white. Is that possible?

Does it fit into my 1/48 valks right away?

Thanks!

Edit: If both answers are yes, and at US$10 I am interested in 10 pairs. Not at $20 though (US$20 is sufficient for me to get a whole MG model).

Edited April 9, 2009 by ff95gj

[Kicker773]

I'd be interested in 10 pairs as well or maybe more..but which ones are they? there are a few pics on the first page and do this slap right on or are there modifications needed?

[EXO]

I'll take 10

[Skull 0ne]

I would be willing to take 5.

-Aaron

[aurascope]

I'll be making a trip to see the guy at his workshop at the end on the month.

I'll keep you guys posted.

It should be casted in white.

I'll PM you guys about the outcome and whether we have enough orders.

Thanks for the show of support.

You guys respond better than the other forums!

Come to think of it, does anybody here have a 1/60 VF-1 Ver.2.0 with the MG hands?

I wonder if they would fit. I don't own a 1/60 VF-1 Ver.2.0

Edited April 20, 2009 by aurascope

[Black Valkyrie]

Will they fit on the 1/60 VF-1 ver. 01 ?

Thx.

[aurascope]

I don't have any scale other than 1/48 to try on, sorry man.

I'll see if I can find some other macross fan in Singapore with it.

Edited April 20, 2009 by aurascope

[Black Valkyrie]

Any I've ordered those custom hands :

http://www.hlj.com/product/KBYMB-28

I hope they'll be able to fit with my 1/60 M&M 1J ver. 01.

[Gunpod71]

If the hand fits on a v2 1/60 I'll grab 30 of em.

[claude grant]

Alright aura, I'm in for 20 pairs of these...don't let me down my friend.

[miriya]

3 pair for me.

[ff95gj]

I'll be making a trip to see the guy at his workshop at the end on the month.

I'll keep you guys posted.

It should be casted in white.

I'll PM you guys about the outcome and whether we have enough orders.

Thanks for the show of support.

You guys respond better than the other forums!

Come to think of it, does anybody here have a 1/60 VF-1 Ver.2.0 with the MG hands?

I wonder if they would fit. I don't own a 1/60 VF-1 Ver.2.0

Any news?

My 1/48s are itchy for their new hands...

[aurascope]

sorry about the lack of updates,

I went to see the recaster guy in early may,

he's tied down with a few other large orders.

he told me to look him up in June,

which is about now.

I'll find some time to drop by his workshop again.

I've been tied up with my graduation project recently.

will keep you guys posted.

[Vi-RS]

For 1/60 scale VF-1 you probably should try B-club resin manipulator set, I bought them before to fit my V1 1/60 VF-1 and it's in good size. Once again, it's fixed pose.

http://www.hlj.com/hljlist2/?Word=manipula...acroType=OptKit

I don't like the idea of individual articulated fingers, I'd rather have them fixed pose. Those articulated manipulators get loosen over time and it doesn't look really good IMO with those ball joints at each end tip of finger.