Metroplex Custom (pic heavy!)

[lancalot]

i love that last shot ....

[UltraMarginal]

Just for Paulbot and Spitcurlboy...


DSC_0116 by M-bot2011

nice, I too appreciate your life imitation of art.

and seeing the insides of such a standalone toy is very interesting.

[M-bot]

(Request for moderators: Is there any chance you could please change the name of the thread to "Metroplex Custom WIP (pic heavy)"? I just realised that it may be a more accurate description of the thread. Many thanks!)

Step 2: Washing/cleaning the parts. No pics as this was a pretty boring part of the job, yet very important to the final result. Washed every external part with a special formula designed to cut through any grease and oil on the figure's surface.

Step 3: Gap filling. Using a special epoxy clay, I'm filling all the big holes and gaps in the figure. There are a lot of them, some quite deep and large (primarily due to the size of the figure), a necessary element of the construction of the figure, both in conserving plastic and reducing weight, but also in stress to some parts.

While a small amount of the epoxy clay goes a long way, it is very expensive stuff, so to conserve it, I filled the holes mostly to the top with cheap plasticine first:


DSC_0117 by M-bot2011

The green side is the plasticine, the white is the epoxy clay over the top.


DSC_0118 by M-bot2011

Once the epoxy clay has cured, i will file/sand it down so it is more or less seamless. Some of the holes, such as screw hole, will only be able to be filled close to the end of the custom, after reassembly.

The use of the plasticine and the size of the holes lead me to a small problem: it will make the figure heavier, and even if this is only by a couple of hundred grams, it may lead to balance issues in the future. To counter this, I found some plastic cutting board:


DSC_0119 by M-bot2011

It's about 5mm thick, and very light. I cut some of this up to fit into some of the larger holes, underneath the plasticine, to fill space without adding too much weight. You can see some of it here:


DSC_0120 by M-bot2011

I'm going to be gap filling most of this week I think. It's fiddly and time consuming, but the custom will be a much better result for the work though.

...And seeing the insides of such a standalone toy is very interesting.

DSC_0093 by M-bot2011


DSC_0096 by M-bot2011

Yep, the ratchets were a bit of a revelation to me. Basically, the orange and grey pieces seen in the pictures above are separate and move against each other. They are each held firm in the two sides of the pivot joint and pushed together with a spring inside the joint. As you move the figure's joint, the spring is depressed, allowing movement, while (presumably) causing it to be static without force. I suppose if one wanted to improve the strength of the ratchets, you would just insert a stronger spring.

[drifand]

This is all very relevant to me, as I do model kits such as Gunpla and at the moment Patlabor's Ingram.

I promote this to say all the above so far he said about the epoxy filling is true and is not cheap stuff.

Nice work so far.

[lancalot]

Wow you going all out and filling all the gaps as well!! great stuff bro... i think who ever get the commission is going to get a bargain!

[1AZRAEL1]

Filling all the gaps is no easy feat. But he will look superb when he is done. Eagerly want to see how this big guy will look.

i think who ever get the commission is going to get a bargain!

[AJ_Prime]

Great work so far! You have the patience of a saint. Really looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

[kup]

DSC_0092 by M-bot2011

I sliced open my thumb during the unboxing, so I've already given the first part of the blood, sweat and tears that this custom is going to take!

Comments/thoughts/opinions/constructive criticism/questions welcome.

Reminds me of when I pulled apart my Fort Max to restore several years ago:



Who says G1 toys are simple?

[M-bot]

More gap filling...


DSC_0122 by M-bot2011

You have the patience of a saint...

You have no idea. 19 separate gaps on each big red gun (I'm doing 2 guns), a whopping 27 gaps on each hand!

I've got a few days off work, including a clear 8 hours without the family tomorrow, so I'll be getting plenty done on the custom.

In other custom news, thanks to a generous tax return, I've brought forward a goal I had already set for next year - bought an airbrush! Plenty of Youtube tutorials to watch and practice before I unleash it on Metroplex, but it should improve the results and speed up the painting process when I get to it.

[AJ_Prime]

Fantastic! Well take your time with it, the more meticulous you are the better the result. As much as I am looking forward to the final result, I'm also happy to wait for the awesomeness that will be your Metroplex custom. Loving the progress pics by the way.