Custom: Classics Rotorstorm

[Doubledealer]

I feel the need, the need for another custom! After reading the inspiringly brilliant Last Stand of the Wreckers (if you haven't read it, you're missing out on the best thing since TFA Season 3) and falling in love with Rotorstorm's awesome portrayal (was so pleased at how well they handled his character being a huge fan of the G1 Euro Turbomaster toys) I thought what would be cooler than a modern interpretation of the fantastic Rotorstorm!

This custom will be similar to my last (Earth TFA Wasp) in so far as I'll be repainting a modern Transformer (in this case, HFTD Tomahawk) and customising the head. I may decide to use another head but I'll first see how I go at sculpting on details to Tomahawks head (it's a perfect canvas, the eyes inparticular are spot-on).

For this project I'll be using Tamiya Acrylic/Enamel Primer (the Mr Hobby primer you see in the background has horrible coverage imo) and then Mr Hobby acrylic paints. I would have gone with Tamiya enamels but they didn't have the colours needed for this project like the hot pink. I hand painted Wasp but for Rotorstorm I'll be using my new Iwata airbrush. :D

Oh and before someone else mentions it, yes I know I forgot the main ultramarine blue colour paint. :rolleyes: Damn brain...Expect more pics as I go!

HFTD Tomahawk moments before being totally pwned by a screwdriver and sandpaper
http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu332/Doubledealer_83/Transformers/Tomahawk.jpg

After the accident
http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu332/Doubledealer_83/Transformers/rotorstormsandeddismembered.jpg

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu332/Doubledealer_83/Transformers/rotopaint.jpg

[Deonasis]

Goodluck DoubleDealer, your Wasp was excellent and I eagerly await this.. :cool:

[Hursticon]

Ooh!, I'm looking forward to this one! - Good luck Doubledealer. :D

[Sky Shadow]

What I love most about these is your confidence, Doubledealer - you post what you're going to do before you do it and then show us the process and progress. And if Wasp is anything to go by, Rotorstorm will be amazing.

Wreckers: combine!

[gamblor916]

Looking forward to see what you come up with. Good luck.

[i_amtrunks]

Cant wait to see the progress pics, Rotorstorm is a longtime favourite of mine too.

[Doubledealer]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I'm glad you're all looking forward to seeing how Rotorstorm turns out as much as I am! :D And cheers Sky Shadow, I think it's more fun for everyone if I show the whole process from why I'm doing it, how I'm doing it and which tools I use along the way. At the end of the day it's all experimental fun (had an absolute ball customising Wasp), and if I can take others along for the ride then all the better! :p

I was thinking for Rotorstorm's transparent pink cockpit, maybe it would be worth using some pink contact paper, like they use for protecting school books. What do you guys think? I can at least give it a go as it would be easy to just pull off I spose...Dyeing clear plastic is one thing I haven't tried yet and it scares me more than anything. :p

[gamblor916]

For the transparent pink I think it would be easiest to just mix clear and clear red and lightly spray it.

[i_amtrunks]

I was thinking for Rotorstorm's transparent pink cockpit, maybe it would be worth using some pink contact paper, like they use for protecting school books. What do you guys think? I can at least give it a go as it would be easy to just pull off I spose...Dyeing clear plastic is one thing I haven't tried yet and it scares me more than anything. :p

If you can find the bright day glow pink clear contact, it cant hurt to try it (wonder if it could be used in light piping if you are messing around with the head...)

If this custom takes you 3 months to finish, all the contact wrapper rolls should be out just after Christmas in time for back to school, so if it is out there, that is when it will be found!

How are you going to attempt to turn the black rotor blades the same shade of fluro pink?

[Doubledealer]

For the transparent pink I think it would be easiest to just mix clear and clear red and lightly spray it.

Are you able to elaborate a bit more, gamblor? I get that mixing white into red makes pink but clear and clear red? Are there clear paints out there or are you talking about a wash?


If you can find the bright day glow pink clear contact, it cant hurt to try it (wonder if it could be used in light piping if you are messing around with the head...)

If this custom takes you 3 months to finish, all the contact wrapper rolls should be out just after Christmas in time for back to school, so if it is out there, that is when it will be found!

How are you going to attempt to turn the black rotor blades the same shade of fluro pink?

Thanks for your advice, Trunks. The rotor blades are a tricky one! The most annoying thing about them is I can't find any way of removing them from the body short of snapping or sawing them off (neither of which can be done easily from what I can tell). At this stage I'll be painting them using Mr Hobby fluorescent pink acrylic paint. If it looks awful I'll explore different options but I'm hoping it'll turn out okay!

[kup]

I always thought that mold had a distinct Rotorstorm feel to it. I am also looking forward to seeing it as such.

[i_amtrunks]

Are you able to elaborate a bit more, gamblor? I get that mixing white into red makes pink but clear and clear red? Are there clear paints out there or are you talking about a wash?

I know you can buy clear paints in a can (they use them for the clear radio controlled car bodies to get the translucent effect) but I wonder how to get rid of the yellow already in place on the clear plastic? Painting the clear pink over the top would surely result in a brown-orange hue?

Since the rotor blades will be a solid pink, maybe it would be easier to just do the same over the cockpit?


At this stage I'll be painting them using Mr Hobby fluorescent pink acrylic paint. If it looks awful I'll explore different options but I'm hoping it'll turn out okay!

You are a more patient man than I, I always give up after a few coats when painting a lighter colour over a dark colour, all that sanding and masking!

[gamblor916]

Are you able to elaborate a bit more, gamblor? I get that mixing white into red makes pink but clear and clear red? Are there clear paints out there or are you talking about a wash?

I'm sure you can find clear paints where you bought your other paints. Just mix it by eye and go easy on the spraying.

[lcz128]

Totally looking forward to this as it's something I intended to do when I first saw pix of the toy!

Haven't been able to find one for cheap enough to buy it though. :S
Either way; looking forward to it bro!!

[liegeprime]

Erm any new developments?

[Doubledealer]

Yeah sorry for the lack of updates fellow bots. Going from a desk job to a network field engineer in the last few weeks has knocked the stuffing out of me and as a result my hobbies haven't been at the forefront of my attention. Hopefully I'll be able to do a bit of work on ol' Rotorstorm this weekend or the next so stay tuned. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen! :p

[lcz128]

Dangit. I thought there was an update! Lol

[Doubledealer]

Dangit. I thought there was an update! Lol

Haha, sorry to disappoint, lcz128. All in good time my friends. :)

[Seraphim Prime]

But I want an update nooowwww......

:D

[Doubledealer]

Hey bots, small update for today. Rotorstorm has been primed and will be ready for his first coat of paint next weekend. As I've finally started the ball rolling on this one, updates should be a tad more consistent from now on. :)

I've said it once and I'll say it again, the Tamiya Fine Primer is soooooo much better than the Mr Hobby stuff, it goes on like an absolute dream with no transparency at all. I'l be using Mr Hobby acrylics for the main paint though, does anyone have any experience in terms of paint/thinner ratio for this stuff or is it still a case of getting the milky consistency? I've heard the Mr Hobby acrylics are pretty thin to begin with so I might just add a tiny bit of Tamiya acrylic thinner. What could possibly go wrong?? :D

Another thing I wanted to ask for anyone in the know, is it best to airbrush the smallest parts first, tape them up (when dry obviously) then do the largest bits last (to avoid having to tape huge sections)? It seems most people spray the whole object in the main colour and go from there, but surely that means they have to go through a lot more tape??

Oh and in regards to the cockpit, I'm going to take i_amtrunks' advice and simply spray it the same colour as the 'blades (hot pink).

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu332/Doubledealer_83/rotorstormprime.jpg

[gamblor916]

Nice setup :D
I think going from lightest colour to darkest would be best in most cases.

[1AZRAEL1]

Looking good so far.

I started to like Rotorstorm after his brief appearance in LSOTW :)

[i_amtrunks]

Nice setup :D
I think going from lightest colour to darkest would be best in most cases.

especially with the dark and light blue shades, it'll stop any paint bleeding.

Cant wait for more updates!

[Doubledealer]

Thanks for the tips chaps, makes sense to me! I couldn't wait until next weekend to start painting so I went on a bit of a rampage after work today...Here's another update bots, paint's still drying but I had to show the prettiness. :D

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu332/Doubledealer_83/rotorstormpart1.jpg

[gamblor916]

Wow I'm blinded by the pink :D

[Seraphim Prime]

Even jusgt seeing the base colours on the seperate pieces, I know this is going to be awesome! Definately got the colour choice right!

[Doubledealer]

Well this was the night I was dreading, applying the silver paint. :eek:

This stuff is a heck of a lot thicker than the regular non-metallic paint and while I thought I had put enough thinner in, when it came to spraying it spluttered and choked like nobody's business!

Still, being the daring (stupid? :D) type I perservered and managed to get the paint on without any dramas. Having said that, there was a lot of stopping and starting to clear my airbrush. Eep! Needs a bit of tidying up as despite having meticulously applied tape to the cockpit windows some silver still managed to get through in places...Ah well, a job for another day!

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu332/Doubledealer_83/rotorstormchest.jpg

[gamblor916]

Your masking came out great!
I've found that thicker paint flows to the bottom of the cup faster so to mix it properly blow bubbles by placing your finger over the nozzle while pulling back on the trigger.

[Doubledealer]

Your masking came out great!
I've found that thicker paint flows to the bottom of the cup faster so to mix it properly blow bubbles by placing your finger over the nozzle while pulling back on the trigger.

Thanks mate. :) That's great advice re: the thicker paint, I'll be sure to give this a go when I do the other silver parts!

[i_amtrunks]

Looking great!

Cannot believe how well it is turning out thus far!

[kup]

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu332/Doubledealer_83/rotorstormchest.jpg

That looks fantastic!

[1AZRAEL1]

Looking fantastic. Can't wait to see the final product.

[optimus1]

Looking reeeeally good so far :cool:

[Sharky]

roughly how much time goes into creating a custom paint job like this??

[Doubledealer]

roughly how much time goes into creating a custom paint job like this??

Many, many hours. :D Mr Hobby acrylics are a great time saver though, I find them to be of a milky consistency straight from the bottle (bar the metallics) and haven't been using thinner with them at all. Not only does this save preparation time, it also saves the amount of time the mist coats take to dry (it's pretty much dry in a few minutes, but I leave it for 15 minutes after each coat just to be safe).
Furthermore, the coverage with these paints is unreal so I've only been using 3 mist coats and that's it, job done.

So, for example, those blue thrusters you see took around 1 hour to complete, most of which time is spent waiting for the paint to dry. Because the airbrush paint container is sealed, I don't have to worry about it drying out, I just leave it until the next coat's ready to be applied and carry on. Paint comes out perfect every time!

[Paulbot]

Many, many hours. :D
So you wont be mass producing these for us then? Shame :)

[Doubledealer]

Here's another little update bots. :) I've got the day off today so will be focusing on getting all of these parts looking as close to perfect as I can. He's slowly getting there!

Note: The blades will indeed fold back for robot mode, I'm just not game enough to try doing it until I've applied the Mr Hobby Clear Coat!
http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu332/Doubledealer_83/Rotorstormincomplete.jpg

[1AZRAEL1]

Wow that's looking good.

You going to mass produce these? :D :p

[i_amtrunks]

Coming along nicely! The hot pink is spot on.

[Doubledealer]

Thanks for the kind words bots, your feedback is always appreciated!


Wow that's looking good.

You going to mass produce these? :D :p

I dunno about mass produce, haha, but I'm certainly thinking of bringing our favourite G1 Euro's up-to-date. Y'know, I was looking at Generations Blurr last night and it hit me...He is SO Turbomaster Boss...The way the shoulders fold back, the colour, the chest piece just needs to be rotated upside down...Then I'm thinking Terradive could be a Predator...So much to do, so little time. :D

[1AZRAEL1]

but I'm certainly thinking of bringing our favourite G1 Euro's up-to-date. Y'know, I was looking at Generations Blurr last night and it hit me...He is SO Turbomaster Boss...The way the shoulders fold back, the colour, the chest piece just needs to be rotated upside down...Then I'm thinking Terradive could be a Predator...So much to do, so little time. :D

Man that'd be cool if you do these. Blurr as Boss, never occurred to me before, but you are right, he does have the right look. Just needs a few modifications :D

[Paulbot]

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu332/Doubledealer_83/Rotorstormincomplete.jpg

Oh. I see. This is going to spoilersbe a Garrus-9 version of Rotorstorm. ;)

[Doubledealer]

Oh. I see. This is going to spoilers Rotorstorm. ;)

What makes you think this is the case m'boy? :p

[Sky Shadow]

Wow. That's beautiful, DD.

[Paulbot]

What makes you think this is the case m'boy? :p

Because the Decepticons have ripped his arms and heads off :p;)

[Sharky]

that is looking outstanding,

it certainly would not look out of place with a general release that is for sure...

[Doubledealer]

Because spoilers :p;)

LOL, sad but very true!


it certainly would not look out of place with a general release that is for sure...

Thanks Sharky, that's exactly what I wanted to hear. :D If it can seamlessly blend in with the other Classics...Mission accomplished!

[gamblor916]

Nice paintwork!

[i_amtrunks]

Terradive would make an awesome Snare....

Blurr as Boss would not be a massive repaint, Scorch got a Botcon release... Just Hurricane and Flash to figure out... Would the RotF Brakedown make a good Flash?

[Doubledealer]

Terradive would make an awesome Snare....

Blurr as Boss would not be a massive repaint, Scorch got a Botcon release... Just Hurricane and Flash to figure out... Would the RotF Brakedown make a good Flash?

Just bought a Terradive online and you guessed which Predator correctly, Snare it shall be. :)

Brakedown would be a good choice but he's far too small, I want them all to be the same size for continuity. Good suggestion though!

[i_amtrunks]

so all have to be deluxes... hrmmm...

If you dont mind mixing the visual aesthetics, maybe you could use Animated Blurr for Hurricane?

[Doubledealer]

Would be too hard to tell it's Hurricane, try again. :p

Another update bots, this time I've added the little chicken winglets complete with shiny yellow missiles. :D And yes, I caved and folded the blades...No damage was incurred! One thing I am a bit miffed about, I tried using Mr Hobby Top Coat Gloss tonight on the missle launches...Big mistake, it somehow stripped some of the paint off and I can see pink peeking through from the layer below. :/ No idea what I did wrong but now I'm terrified of dousing the main toy with this stuff...Think I'll try doing it in the sun next time and spray further back!

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu332/Doubledealer_83/rotostormwings.jpg

[gamblor916]

Think I'll try doing it in the sun next time and spray further back!


That's probably a good idea. Nice work so far.

[i_amtrunks]

Loving the triple shades of blue, the missiles are looking nice, perfect shade of sun yellow.

[1AZRAEL1]

Looking super sweet.

[liegeprime]

Query: so once that Mr topcoat is applied there wont be any mor epaint chipping will there? or is it still not gonna be as playable as one would like - transforming without so much care....

[Doubledealer]

Query: so once that Mr topcoat is applied there wont be any mor epaint chipping will there? or is it still not gonna be as playable as one would like - transforming without so much care....

Hopefully not, that's the dream anyway. As well as this it also allows you to clean the object without damaging the paint job (very important!). I'm going to use gloss topcoat, see how it looks and if it's too shiny then I'll go over it with a coat or two of matte topcoat (yes you can flip between them :)).

Update for today:
http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu332/Doubledealer_83/rotostormwitharms.jpg

[SkyWarp91]

Hopefully not, that's the dream anyway. As well as this it also allows you to clean the object without damaging the paint job (very important!). I'm going to use gloss topcoat, see how it looks and if it's too shiny then I'll go over it with a coat or two of matte topcoat (yes you can flip between them :)).

Update for today:
http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu332/Doubledealer_83/rotostormwitharms.jpg

Whoa, hot stuff! Btw you're great at teasing by not showing the complete toy yet! ;)

[Doubledealer]

Gonna douse the missile launchers in Easy-Off BAM! tonight and start again...Still terrified to use topcoat on the main toy. >_< Also thinking of going with a matte finish to better match with Not-Springer...Hmm, decisions...

[Doubledealer]

Only got around to Ka-BLAM'ing Rotorstorm's missiles tonight as I only had the (useless) spray before.

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu332/Doubledealer_83/rotorstormmissilesgrey.jpg

This goes to show just how awesome the Tamiya Primer is, despite me scrubbing the pieces like a thing possessed, not a fleck of primer came off! Bloody brill, couple of minutes in the goop followed by another couple of scrubbing and it's all ready for painting. In fact I've already finished the pink bits tonight and should have them done by tomorrow. Oh the head should be done by tomorrow too, stay tuned for more pics...

[kup]

Despite the colors of the Euro G1/G2 era being garish, the Rotorstorm colors look 100 times better on this mold than the original color scheme.

[Doubledealer]

As promised, here's a piccy of Rotorstorm's head, all finished apart from the clear coat. Sorry about the lighting, can't give away too much though can I? :p

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu332/Doubledealer_83/Rotorstormhead.jpg

[SkyWarp91]

As promised, here's a piccy of Rotorstorm's head, all finished apart from the clear coat. Sorry about the lighting, can't give away too much though can I? :p

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu332/Doubledealer_83/Rotorstormhead.jpg

Wow man, I can't wait for the complete thing.

What would you do if you found out that Hasbro was going to do a redeco that matched yours?

[Hursticon]

Wow Doubledealer, this is going to look awesome! :cool:
Bloody well done dude! :D

[i_amtrunks]

Looking spiffy!

[Doubledealer]

Wow man, I can't wait for the complete thing.

What would you do if you found out that Hasbro was going to do a redeco that matched yours?

I'd take comfort in the fact that I've got a Rotorstorm painted to my exact specifications, 100% covered in vibrant, quality paint & no Hasbro grey in sight!

And as all Transformers fans know, it's as much about the journey as it is the final destination. :)

Thanks for all the positive comments bots!

[gamblor916]

Looks good so far!

[Doubledealer]

Almost there...Mainly the fun stuff to go now, adding little details and so forth.

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu332/Doubledealer_83/rotostormalmostthere1.jpg

[Hursticon]

Almost there...Mainly the fun stuff to go now, adding little details and so forth.

*snip*

http://i1032.photobucket.com/albums/a409/Darkone666au/Webpics/th_surprise-kitty.jpg (http://s1032.photobucket.com/albums/a409/Darkone666au/Webpics/?action=view&current=surprise-kitty.jpg)

Wow! :eek:
That, as it stands, looks incredible Doubledealer! - You've done exceptionally well mate, Well Done! :D:cool:

[Sharky]

Almost there...Mainly the fun stuff to go now, adding little details and so forth.



That looks awesome, fresh out of the blister and onto the shelf I want one now.... Hasbro pay attention!!!

[i_amtrunks]

Great work DoubleDealer, he looks fantastic, you really nailed the colour scheme and the paint job itself looks very schmick!

[gamblor916]

Very nice!

[Doubledealer]

Thanks guys, glad you like him! Everything has gone according to plan and I can now say upgrading to an airbrush was worth every cent. :) It's a bit hard to tell in the last photo (I'll take some better shots during the day with natural lighting) but the paint went on flawlessly. So, so happy with the result!

After I've finished the minor detailing I'm going to leave Rotorstorm for a month and then clear coat him (overkill maybe but I don't want to take any chances). I'll then be able to add a coupla stickers and show off the alt mode! Thanks for everyone's input/comments and I hope you enjoy the next project, Wreckers Guzzle!

[bruticus]

wow. well done mate. it looks damn cool.
couldnt even tell it was a custom repaint!

[loophole]

wicked job dude

[Sky Shadow]

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu332/Doubledealer_83/rotostormalmostthere1.jpg

Bold custom, Doubledealer. But you reckoned without one thing... Classics: combine!

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu332/Doubledealer_83/rotostormalmostthere1.jpg

http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu332/Doubledealer_83/rotostormalmostthere1.jpg

Well, I thought it was funny. :p

[Lint]

That looks absolutely fantastic DD, well done!

[chuttla]

you absolutely nailed it , head looks amazing, all the colours look great, it just screams rotorstorm! awsum work! really need to get myself an airbrush kit!!!:). when you hit it with the top coat, are you going to pull him down again, or just go over it assembled?

[1AZRAEL1]

Amazing. Nailed it perfectly mate. Now, wanna do one for me? :p

[Seraphim Prime]

Amazing. Nailed it perfectly mate. Now, wanna do one for me? :p

And me? Perfect work!