Metroplex Custom (pic heavy!)

[M-bot]

Update!

More gap filing. Pics might be getting a bit boring at this point, but this is an important part of the final result. I fully expect to spend way more time on prep than painting, which will give me a good result in the end. My deadline's about 6 weeks away, so I've been working pretty hard.


DSC_0123 by M-bot2011


DSC_0143 by M-bot2011
As you can see, when I run out of one colour, I move onto the next.

In the legs, I have a slightly different problem to the weight issues I discussed last time. The heavier the legs are, the easier it is going to be to balance the figure, lowering the centre of gravity. The lower legs are largely hollow, and hence, I stuffed as much plasticine low in the legs as I could fit, in areas that wont be seen in the finished product.

In addition, I found a little ridge in the inside of the feet that gave me an idea, and an opportunity for a little kitbashing...


DSC_0127 by M-bot2011

I cut some styrene foam to size and slid it in to the ridge, creating a little compartment in the front of the foot, to add a space for more plasticine.


DSC_0128 by M-bot2011


DSC_0130 by M-bot2011


DSC_0142 by M-bot2011

More pics of this when it's all the way done.

I've finished with the plasticine filling, I'm about 2/3 of the way through the epoxy putty over the outside. I got the stuff I'm using on eBay, way cheaper than the "Green Stuff" epoxy putty I've used before. On the plus side, the stuff I'm using is white, not green, so I'm expecting it will be easier to paint over in the end. On the downside, it's very very sticky, and not quite as easy to work with.


DSC_0141 by M-bot2011

Still need to trim and sand it down, but so far, so good.

The biggest job - once again, it's the hands. Doing my head in! Small and fiddly, but even before the paint job, it looks so much better with nice cylindrical (and not hollow!) fingers.


DSC_0139 by M-bot2011


DSC_0140 by M-bot2011

More updates soon! Many thanks for all the positive comments.

[M-bot]

The foot addition, all finished bar a bit of a clean up. Plasticine added in a newly created pocket to add a small amount of weight to the foot, hopefully giving the figure a bit better balance. If my observations are correct, it shouldn't affect transformation at all.


DSC_0150 by M-bot2011



DSC_0152 by M-bot2011

And with that, all the gap filling is complete. including each and every fiddly digit of both hands.

This week, I'm going to start base coating.

On a side note, I have ordered the Reprolabels set for Metroplex, which I will add some of judiciously, right at the end, keeping in mind that you can't beat a good old fashioned paint app.

[liegeprime]

Goodness me, with all the filler he's getting , it makes me think how much Hasbro kinda gipped us with a very hollow toy :P.

Hmm would it make the toy quite heavy though with all the gaps filled in as such M-bot? You've got a loooot of patience doing this project. Can't wait for the final showpiece.

[UltraMarginal]

Great Work so far M-bot. while many of the filler pictures are a little samey, it's still interesting to see where you can and can't fill due to transformation.

you're modification of the foot was a great idea, the only suggestion I might have made was to fill some of the space behind the plasticine with some small ball bearings, magnets or some other denser material to increase the local mass. I guess it's a little late now.

I'm looking forward to your next update.

[M-bot]

Goodness me, with all the filler he's getting , it makes me think how much Hasbro kinda gipped us with a very hollow toy :P.

Hmm would it make the toy quite heavy though with all the gaps filled in as such M-bot? You've got a loooot of patience doing this project. Can't wait for the final showpiece.

I guess the "hollowness" is a bit like ads in the newspaper: if it wasn't for them, it would cost $20 to do the crossword and read the sports pages.

As far as I understand, it's partly also a function of the moulding process as well as saving on materials.

Great Work so far M-bot. while many of the filler pictures are a little samey, it's still interesting to see where you can and can't fill due to transformation.

you're modification of the foot was a great idea, the only suggestion I might have made was to fill some of the space behind the plasticine with some small ball bearings, magnets or some other denser material to increase the local mass. I guess it's a little late now.

I'm looking forward to your next update.

You're not wrong about the sameness. Once I've started painting, I think the posts will get more interesting.

The beauty of the foot mod is that I can still add things over the top of what I've already put in, to add more weight.

[bassbot]

This is brilliant mate, loving the process. I don't have the patience for it, but watching it come alive through your work here is great!

[Soundwarp]

Awesome!

[M-bot]

How's Melbourne's weather today?

So good, in fact, that I decided that an afternoon outside painting with my new airbrush was the go.

STEP 4: PAINTING

First up was Scamper. I decided to try it out on him first, so if I made any major mistakes, I could always keep it and paint the Scamper from my own Metroplex instead.

My set up outside:

DSC_0164 by M-bot2011
You can see the air compressor in the background. I also bought some alligator clips and stuck them to kebab sticks to hold the pieces of the model when spraying. I stick all the sticks into a polystyrene block. It's a bit of a production line - I pull out each stick one at a time, replacing it as it is painted. Because I'm doing several very thin coats of paint, by the time I get from one side of the polystyrene block to the other, the first piece is already dry, and so it goes. About 5 passes for each piece.


DSC_0169 by M-bot2011
Blutak masks the ball joints.


DSC_0165 by M-bot2011
I decided to paint Scamper's head black, but keep his face and visor red. Again, I masked out his face with blutak.


DSC_0167 by M-bot2011
I masked the windshield as well. I think I'll paint over the metallic blue with a metallic red instead.


DSC_0172 by M-bot2011
I decided to give Scamper's all-black colour scheme a bit of contrast - the pieces that were grey originally will be a matte black base, very lightly dry brushed to bring out the detail. The rest is a gloss black. Not sure if the difference comes across in the photo too well. The wheels will be matte black too. I think there will be some detailing from the Reprolabels set currently in transit.


DSC_0170 by M-bot2011
I bought one of those cheap storage containers to keep the drying bits in to prevent dust and hair and stuff getting on the drying paint.


DSC_0171 by M-bot2011
In the bottom of the box, you'll see some of the shoulder pieces I've masked and primed, as well as the painted face.

As well as painting, I spent a bit of time sanding down some of the gap-filled pieces. No pictures, as all it would be is the same pieces that I've already shown and me covered in white dust.

Lastly, I mixed some custom paint for this guy, based of some colour testing I did a while back - sorry, no pics of this either as they didn't come out clearly. Basically, I took a bottle of gloss white and added some drops of silver. It makes the paint a slightly off-white colour, with some metallic flakes through it. Hopefully the gloss comes out nicely as well on the finished model.

[Deonasis]

M-bot, i think you may have filled where the 2nd gun would attach in city mode. This article May help you identify the grey piece ://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/new-pics-demonstrating-2nd-gun-for-sdcc-metroplex-in-city-and-battle-station-vehicle-modes/27876/ I am talking about at the swinging arm.


I am using a broken phone and cant edit this post better. Your grey arm piece filled with yellow.. http://www.flickr.com/photos/m-botst...s/10343430104/

[Lint]

Love how well you're documenting all this M-bot, keep it up!