Jump to content

1/48 SOUTHERN CROSS BIOROID


Recommended Posts

Trying to imagine a use for the actual hairs may have distracted some of us.

Bioroid Arm Muscle Fibres?

Protruding Optical Wiring?

Bioroid Artificial Neural Ganglia?

Like one of us. Let me guess...there arent actually any cute pony hairs?

Trust someone whose hairstyle is dictated by the pillow each morning to misinterpret the meaning of "hair accessory"

Edited by Podtastic
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/17/2021 at 2:21 AM, Boobytrap said:

Great minds think alike. Here's what I am using for mine.

Those large Hobby Base ball joints are really stiff.  I like 'em. :good:

BlueBoi has proven the most challenging to paint, particularly the head...

1114795544_multi-layeredmasking.jpg.adc8f66f3f1da6780b5736366af0ff6c.jpg

...but he's finally starting to look the part. ^_^

348738948_BlueBoiWIP.jpg.28d12d9ce376e38c0c3291d98fa14da0.jpg

 

Edited by tekering
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Convectuoso said:

You're working really fast on these kits, @tekering

Thanks to you guys!  It's the attention and feedback from users in this thread that's keeping me motivated. ^_^

633063963_BlueBoidecals.jpg.4269e28627b8f53f61a3da249c342688.jpg

Normally I'm loathe to show my work in such excruciating detail, but I wanted to demonstrate what a difference a few random decals can make... B))

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, tekering said:

Thanks to you guys!  It's the attention and feedback from users in this thread that's keeping me motivated. ^_^

633063963_BlueBoidecals.jpg.4269e28627b8f53f61a3da249c342688.jpg

Normally I'm loathe to show my work in such excruciating detail, but I wanted to demonstrate what a difference a few random decals can make... B))

The only problem with your pics, in general, is that there aren't enough of them.

Can't wait for the full body and group shots etc.

Questions.

Are you using magnets on the Red Bioroid cockpit?

Does every Bioroid have a cockpit, or just the Red?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

57 minutes ago, Podtastic said:

Are you using magnets on the Red Bioroid cockpit?

It remains an option, but I usually prefer more secure attachment methods.

1 hour ago, Podtastic said:

Does every Bioroid have a cockpit, or just the Red?

If I can refine the production process, I'd like to make multiples (for the upcoming Biopsychers, at the very least)...

1862326549_Biopsycherswaitingtolaunch.jpg.c3fae533f58e867a5f4dd29325bfe17d.jpg

I'm printing these patterns on clear decal film, so I can make several identical cockpit modules:

1148960089_cockpitdecal.jpg.66941527fb2c6ee09b4f372d07f27dad.jpg

I still have to figure out what to use for the cockpit cradle, however.  That will require a great deal more effort.

Polyester putty, maybe...? 🤔

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fantastic work, Ted! I really appreciate the effort and detail you've put into your builds! For what it's worth, I actually did fabricate a basic cockpit ball for the kit, but because of the complexity of the necessary scribing and support details, I left it out. The base kit was already a massive workload, and I needed to not add to that workload for the preservation of my own sanity. I don't rule-out adding the ball in a future re-issue, but that brings-up aother matter: it should be noted that the cockpit balls for the three regular roids are different than the ones for the Biopsycher. Not just in the recessed partitions, but also the addition of shapes and blisters attached to the ball itself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, captain america said:

I really appreciate the effort and detail you've put into your builds!

Right back at you, Cap'n. :hi:

1 hour ago, captain america said:

I actually did fabricate a basic cockpit ball for the kit

The empty chest cavity certainly suggested as much. 😅

1 hour ago, captain america said:

it should be noted that the cockpit balls for the three regular roids are different than the ones for the Biopsycher.

Oh yeah, I prepared a cockpit pattern for the "Middle Period" Bioroids as well:

463883518_Biopsychercockpitdecal.jpg.a636d79a205130efbc74a8e8c13d8e53.jpg

...but I'm not even sure the cockpits are the same size, actually. :unsure:

1298866751_totallydifferentcockpit.jpg.b43f5a7c9b58ab9c3312da7845cfdc9d.jpg

At this point, it's really just an intellectual exercise anyway. :p

Link to comment
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, tekering said:

I think...  Yes, I can just make out a light up ahead...

1181411134_thelight.jpg.6a498eaf13ae2ffd043c6aca8e7d2999.jpg

Man, this pic is like something out of the archetypal "You've finally gotten the toy you've always wanted." dream.

You know, the one where your dream self tries to hold on to the toy in the futile hope of bringing it back into the waking world with you.

Edited by Podtastic
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Podtastic said:

Man, this pic is like something out of the archetypal "You've finally gotten the toy you've always wanted." dream.

You know, the one where your dream self tries to hold on to the toy in the futile hope of bringing it back into the waking world with you.

I'm so close to getting that dream.  Just trying to beam more thoughts into the Cap'n's brain from here! 😁

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Engine bells are always an open invitation to install LEDs... 😎

1487515190_enginebellslit.jpg.4c123212df8fbfea2ac174739d98c1af.jpg

...but damn, these hover sleds are huge.  I'm already burned through two cans of primer on this one, and the surfaces still need work... :unsure:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, tekering said:

Engine bells are always an open invitation to install LEDs... 😎

1487515190_enginebellslit.jpg.4c123212df8fbfea2ac174739d98c1af.jpg

...but damn, these hover sleds are huge.  I'm already burned through two cans of primer on this one, and the surfaces still need work... :unsure:

If it helps, I imagine the sleds to be mass-produced units with little regard for surface perfection. Think of them as large foundry castings with a rough texture, much the same as you'd see on a WWII tank.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/28/2021 at 6:55 PM, tekering said:

Engine bells are always an open invitation to install LEDs... 😎

1487515190_enginebellslit.jpg.4c123212df8fbfea2ac174739d98c1af.jpg

...but damn, these hover sleds are huge.  I'm already burned through two cans of primer on this one, and the surfaces still need work... :unsure:

I was planning on doing the same thing but hadn't decided how to run the wires to keep them out of sight. I figured that I would have to dremel out a channel on the underside and then putty over them. How did you solve it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Boobytrap said:

I was planning on doing the same thing but hadn't decided how to run the wires to keep them out of sight.

No wires necessary, man.  I have the LED and battery housing installed in the thruster bells themselves:

1420511893_batteriesinhousing.jpg.dc7205b792609e15544b2f63df4ada6e.jpg

Screw them in tightly enough, and the batteries will come in contact with the LEDs and light up the thrusters.  ^_^

23 hours ago, captain america said:

I imagine the sleds to be mass-produced units with little regard for surface perfection.

Actually, it's not the existing surfaces that need finishing, so much as all the accurizing work I've done that requires clean-up. 

The more I study the animation (and the model sheets it's based on), the more discrepancies I find with the resin kit:

888780087_nigglingproblems.jpg.ed051ec578cc380b37b130bd864596be.jpg

The most prominent (and consistently depicted in the show) is the wide gap in the front that extends out from under the blasters and down the sides of the craft.

1565304378_cannonsrecessed.jpg.ea4dcb2f73e8bbb067d270c4f52daa30.jpg

The corresponding groove on the kit's fore platform is only as wide as all the other grooves:

1494227936_theoldgroove.jpg.051febd8ac9c98a0a4df1f26bed8c49b.jpg

Thus, I needed to carve a much wider channel.

525891583_thenewgroove.jpg.6dac8e617db452d8bb28cf8001be5b80.jpg

It took many layers of putty, sanding, primer, more sanding, more primer (and often more putty) to finally match Moscato's clean line work.

780932555_surfacemodifications.jpg.50bdd91349b7e61fb16e8fc3c34140ec.jpg

The yoke guards are supposed to be thinner at the top, with oval-shaped cutouts on either side of the lower steering column:

1401514722_notchedguard.jpg.2446946a730de6e6e18a53371ccc9480.jpg

The Moscato kit doesn't even try to emulate that shape.

1829939346_oldvs.newguards.jpg.2ae903607704d8c7d64f09781dfee83d.jpg

Easily modified, however. :good:

1057226407_recessedgrill.jpg.94554e66ff1ae19839bfa7addb73bd78.jpg

Easier still to fix is the engine grill at the back (which is supposed to be recessed, not protruding).

1797597964_protrudinggrill.jpg.5fb2b9399487d1549de26ecc8be26982.jpg

This will only require a styrene frame to be built up around it.  A few millimeters deep should suffice.

1780104912_gum.jpg.2d23b9f30a7df49f8cab367ef304cf57.jpg

This gunk clogged in the starboard aft corner proved much more difficult to clean up...

1469791489_gumgone.jpg.7c01b6ad52b4d064deb905a0bba47795.jpg

...but not impossible, with the right tools (and sufficient putty).

The last issue to address is the fore blasters, whose placement must've been a cause of great consternation for the Cap'n.

1863115391_extendedguns.jpg.d7b76033b45a65cf59d9714f231d757e.jpg

His instructions suggested they should be positioned over the edge of the deck, which is how they're depicted in battle:

1136670860_cannonsforward.jpg.823a10e7217895dd143ed22297ae7630.jpg

...but the line art and animation often depicted them recessed aft of the control yoke, particularly when not engaged in combat.

1712867635_cannonsretractedinprofile.jpg.ee64e7073ee2a18128cb8b506961025e.jpg

Was this merely the result of inconsistent design work, or were these blasters supposed to be retractable?

1191292219_retractedguns.jpg.27ca6bea5b041598751978bf3e54bacf.jpg

Either way, I'm going to make sure they can be mounted in either position. 😎

secondary reference.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sunnuva... where were these pictures when I was doing my work? I can't even tell you how much time, putty, and primer I spent removing the joint line on the top and making the surface between them level. Now I see that it was supposed to be there :bigshok:!

I guess I'll glue a piece of styrene to the top to emulate this picture where it appears that it should be curved and raised.

1712867635_cannonsretractedinprofile.jpg.ee64e7073ee2a18128cb8b506961025e.jpg

One error I am going to have to live with is the end caps on the handle bar drum. Every image I found had the line on the caps parallel with the connecting handle bar (like the upper right sled in your first image). Now I see it should be more like a forward slash. I'd have to destroy the drum to reangle those at this point.

You've made a grown man weep today. Good job. :lol:

In all seriousness I do appreciate the images. They and your work have inspired me to make some other changes. Back to the drawing board (or hobby mat in this case). I guess dremeling and filling in a channel for the LED wires doesn't seem like such a task now. I prefer to do wires so that I can plug them in and turn them on with a switch or remote.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Ted,

Excellent work on the kits, by the way! FWIW, there were a lot of design elements with the design that had me scratching my head, like that wider gap/partition on either side of the front of the sled. I figured it may have been an animation error (one of many) so I just made them all consistent. The yoke guards I can alter without too much trouble, that's my bad.

Sled blasters: once again, I think this is just due to horrible animation (and design) inconsistency. You'll notice that the animation also shows the control column in a very reclined position, but for that, the whole sled would have to be *pauses* significantly larger than it already is, to say nothing of the size of the control column itself.

If I take one of the screen caps you posted above, and compare it to one I took during the build, you can see a huge discrepancy in the size of the sled, as well as how the sled parts/details are deformed from one view to the next. As such, the rendering of some details I just chalk-up to personal preference.

1346764783_ScreenShot2021-07-30at3_14_23PM.png.42f326765a87dda007fbbeed172a4558.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, captain america said:

The yoke guards I can alter without too much trouble, that's my bad.

Can you believe this guy?

Dude makes our childhood dreams come true -- on a regular basis! -- yet still feels the need to apologize when I find fault with his work.  Is that magnanimous, or what? :hi:

Worthy to wield Mjölnir, this guy. :hail:

15 hours ago, Boobytrap said:

Sunnuva... where were these pictures when I was doing my work?

I'm happy to share, if my reference material is of value to anyone else.  I do a ton of research before starting work on this sort of project, including making my own digital color guides using existing line art:

594048204_biovercolormodel.jpg.0c037f11e116a334c7075d15e3806f40.jpg

I also like stitching screengrabs together to reproduce some of the more dynamic cel layouts from the animation.

1872420490_Jollygreenscreengrab.png.53b77ccd0c6369881ba4f60162d1c868.png

12 hours ago, captain america said:

FWIW, there were a lot of design elements with the design that had me scratching my head, like that wider gap/partition on either side of the front of the sled. I figured it may have been an animation error (one of many) so I just made them all consistent.

When in doubt, always go back to the source: the animation model sheets. 😎

15 hours ago, Boobytrap said:

Every image I found had the line on the caps parallel with the connecting handle bar (like the upper right sled in your first image). Now I see it should be more like a forward slash.

I imagine they rotate, perhaps to allow the angle of the handlebar to be adjusted to the rider's preference... At any rate, there are plenty of images to suggest your positioning is accurate. 

Or, as our Captain says:

12 hours ago, captain america said:

As such, the rendering of some details I just chalk-up to personal preference.

 

Edited by tekering
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Painting is going smoothly.  Barring any unexpected setbacks, I should be done within a week. ^_^

695334342_undersidemasked.jpg.0f71a93a529dcee8efc27029eb60122a.jpg

I wasn't planning on hyper-detailing the hover sled like I had the 'Lloyds, but the control yoke was looking kind of plain without decals... :unknw:

1537354467_controlyokedetail.jpg.f1b5a65f0d3de077aaa0869235af3436.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, tekering said:

Painting is going smoothly.  Barring any unexpected setbacks, I should be done within a week. ^_^

695334342_undersidemasked.jpg.0f71a93a529dcee8efc27029eb60122a.jpg

I wasn't planning on hyper-detailing the hover sled like I had the 'Lloyds, but the control yoke was looking kind of plain without decals... :unknw:

1537354467_controlyokedetail.jpg.f1b5a65f0d3de077aaa0869235af3436.jpg

 Looking forward to seeing more of these stunning pics.😊 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your attention is most appreciated, guys. ^_^

Here's a look at my pre-shading technique with the surfacer, before the primary color is applied:

pre-shading.jpg.331f13fc034da0fa6c8b0ac25ff06dc0.jpg

At Cap's suggestion, I'm going with a "slightly less well-maintained" look for the biovers. 😅

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, tekering said:

Your attention is most appreciated, guys. ^_^

Here's a look at my pre-shading technique with the surfacer, before the primary color is applied:

Looking good. Subtle but eye catching. I would say that the heaviest areas of shading should be where there is the most foot traffic along with engine and exhaust/thruster areas. In my opinion I would put less around the yoke area and more in between the foot pads. The front is also a little too clean.

For my progress I've managed to complete the following:

I've wired some LED's to the thrusters. I plan to have it mounted on an acrylic rod and a custom built base replicating the surface of the mothership. If you happen to have close up pictures of the mothership surface which you could share Ted it would be most appreciated ;).

1544394987_LED1.jpg.8887fbb234819b3ae79f43b3ec132571.jpg

1511149822_LED2.jpg.2cc32c472f3e594cbe63210845892315.jpg

Based on Ted's images and pointing out some areas that could be improved I've made some modifications.

I built a frame for the rear exhaust to make it look recessed.

163642773_SledBack.jpg.132804e1f75d38f005b443cf3265d29f.jpg

I carved out notches in the fairings. I added 1mm plate to the left and right front top to give a raised appearance for that outline rather than just the joint line (which I had erroneously removed). I also added plates to the inside rear sides to create recessed lines like those on the outside.

1456257675_SledFront.jpg.978860b786446f723b55507e6ed5c8fd.jpg

2125049914_SledTop.jpg.1b79e7e3d55811c2eee211379e3d4ba1.jpg

For the figure I am satisfied enough with the base colors so that I can move on to washes and weathering. Some of the lines aren't as crisp as I would like them (my Tamiya tape was giving me all kinds of issues with this project) but I am expecting that the next steps will hide any of those faults. The red I chose is darker and not as saturated as it looks in the pictures.

189226464_FigFront.jpg.35bb3be4f4743466e2e7bf308009aeed.jpg

578588024_FigFrontLeft.jpg.29d4b0af052624533d5d18dff6ea7801.jpg

2005198907_FigFrontRight.jpg.bea149b6a88cf959ec1d2a1e6b8fe03d.jpg

380890344_FigBack.jpg.844809c5bd990be9e073c032193f6da3.jpg

1520150140_FigBackLeft.jpg.f66c3d4cc4399fa11d5ddef2ebb29883.jpg

216024822_FigBackRight.jpg.8c6bf924776b89e9fe4689aba8a8453d.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congrats Ted and Boobytrap, those are lookinh amazing! :hi:

 

Out of curiosity, does it bug anyone rlse that the blue and green sensors on the bioroid domes look like googly-eyes? I can barely ever unsee it, so I was thinking of coloring them a darker shade of their base colors... :unsure:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, tekering said:

Your attention is most appreciated, guys. ^_^

Here's a look at my pre-shading technique with the surfacer, before the primary color is applied:

pre-shading.jpg.331f13fc034da0fa6c8b0ac25ff06dc0.jpg

At Cap's suggestion, I'm going with a "slightly less well-maintained" look for the biovers. 😅

It will be interesting to see how this turns out 👀

 

4 hours ago, Boobytrap said:
3 hours ago, Tober said:

Out of curiosity, does it bug anyone rlse that the blue and green sensors on the bioroid domes look like googly-eyes?

 The red I chose is darker and not as saturated as it looks in the pictures.

189226464_FigFront.jpg.35bb3be4f4743466e2e7bf308009aeed.jpg

578588024_FigFrontLeft.jpg.29d4b0af052624533d5d18dff6ea7801.jpg

2005198907_FigFrontRight.jpg.bea149b6a88cf959ec1d2a1e6b8fe03d.jpg

380890344_FigBack.jpg.844809c5bd990be9e073c032193f6da3.jpg

1520150140_FigBackLeft.jpg.f66c3d4cc4399fa11d5ddef2ebb29883.jpg

216024822_FigBackRight.jpg.8c6bf924776b89e9fe4689aba8a8453d.jpg

Impressive.

Undoubtedly it looks even better with the naked eye.

3 hours ago, Tober said:

Out of curiosity, does it bug anyone rlse that the blue and green sensors on the bioroid domes look like googly-eyes?

Not me, their too high up on the head. I always thought it added an alien insectoid look, like something out of some 80's comic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...