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Post by bourno on Oct 13, 2011 13:02:07 GMT -5
Yeah, it is hard to explain in words for another person's mental picture for how I want to progress this piece into a final version.
The final piece will be hollow, but with less aggressive for inserting or staying in the chest. I think the originals were on the overkill side, but at least kids didn't pop them. Most likely only adults later on for replacement parts. I am still amazed at the needle nose pliers job that was done on the right fist to get the shooting insert out of it.
Go Buster Robot !!
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Post by KingboyD on Oct 13, 2011 14:12:42 GMT -5
That's a great start to the mold. Its nice that someone was able to make it for you. So how is this normally held in place in the Popy toy?
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Post by bourno on Oct 13, 2011 15:42:10 GMT -5
So how is this normally held in place in the Popy toy? If you go a pry out the red chest piece from a Mazinga, it should be very similar to that ;D
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Post by bourno on Oct 14, 2011 9:38:31 GMT -5
Here is an earlier photo of the custom sickle on the left. It is all cleaned up now and is ready for molding. I plan to cast this piece in clear resin with aluminum powder which should give a nice metal appearance. I prefer not to paint the plastic resin. On the right, was the mattel reproduction before making a mold of it. Attachments:
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Post by bourno on Oct 14, 2011 9:46:42 GMT -5
Thought I would show a quick photo of the mold putty that was bought at HobbyLobby. It is good stuff for making quick copies. On the left is an impression of Grendizer's foot. Instead of adding red stickers to the feet, I am tinkering with the idea for making a plastic cover instead. In the middle, was the mold copy of Grendizer's chest piece that I got from toyseeker2010. On the right, made a partial copy of the right hand of a Uni-Five Mazinga. The Uni-Five fist is pretty much the same as the popy versions, except for the thumb, they made that thicker, but I like the popy thumb better. I plan to use this small cast to fill in the bad part of the damaged Grendizer right fist that I have cut away. I plan to re-cast the right hand. Attachments:
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Post by bourno on Oct 14, 2011 10:05:07 GMT -5
Here is a photo of the Super Sculptey, their "mold material" type. It stays softer or more flexible after baking it. Normal Super Scuptey is quite firm, but not hard as a rock though. What you see is the chest side. I laid this onto the chest after powdering the chest with some corn starch. Then I pressed it into the chest slightly, then I pressed the Grendizer chest piece (sanded the side where it meets the chest for form) down onto the sculptey. I pulled it off the shogun and the copy piece of the chest emblem, then stuck it in the oven. (Super Sculptey needs to be baked for about 15-20 minutes for every 1/4" thickness of material for it to harden). I plan to add some more material and sculpt the "snap" fitting plastic for making it stay into the chest. The reproduction of the chest emblem is coming along pretty good. Starting to look like the fist restoration is going to be the more involved and time consuming piece. Once the chest emblem piece is pretty close to final along with this super scultpey piece, I will mesh them together again and finish any work for blending them together for a mold copy. Thanks again to Arthur for sending me an impression of his popy chest emblem piece. Attachments:
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Post by moop on Oct 14, 2011 10:16:14 GMT -5
Great updates man. I love the inner workings of the process. Once I get your Bowfists I'm gonna post my restored Raideen pics so be on the lookout.
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Post by bourno on Oct 14, 2011 13:03:29 GMT -5
I have an idea about modifying the chest piece afterwards to possible fit onto the Mattel version. I have already sent WillOhio a request for getting a side shot of his mattel chest protrusion. I think the popy piece might be slightly larger than the mattel, from looking at some photos, for a possible thin shell to fit over it. It appears higher on the chest for sure.
I think it would be sweet if it would be able to fit over. My list for "future projects" is starting to get long.
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Post by bourno on Oct 15, 2011 23:04:32 GMT -5
Here is shot of the chest piece and some bondo work to smooth out a small warped in area. Attachments:
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Post by bourno on Oct 15, 2011 23:08:24 GMT -5
Here is from a few minutes ago for test fitting the chest piece onto my grendizer. I just need to bond and fill the back piece onto the front chest piece better, then polish up things up and am hoping to begin a mold by tomorrow night along with a couple other items. Attachments:
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Post by willohio on Oct 15, 2011 23:45:06 GMT -5
Wow. That is really shaping up nice. How's the lie? Snug with the curve of the chest?
~Will
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Post by eyeone on Oct 16, 2011 4:43:34 GMT -5
super cool, great to see your process at work!
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Post by mikedeco on Oct 16, 2011 5:21:30 GMT -5
Looking great so far, nice work.
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Post by bourno on Oct 16, 2011 10:21:06 GMT -5
The piece lies against the chest pretty good. At the middle top, there is a gap, just like on Mazinga. I thought reducing it, but in the end, I didn't.
Thanks for the words. I am so far having fun making parts for this restoration and coming up with more ideas for things to do for other Shoguns from features seen on this one.
Here is the path to completion on the restoration yet.
1. Of course, gotta get the chest piece molded and first cast made.
2. Mold custom sickles and cast them up. (I have some magnets coming to see about using them in the handles for keeping together instead of a separate adapter piece. I am using plastic bought tubing from Plastruct.com for the sickle handles instead of the original style for joining.)
3. Copy the shooter mechanism from the right arm. I would like to use this with my modular fists that I have done.
4. Fix up the right fist. This may need to be copied. I believe I could patch it up, but would require painting to match. I plan to repro the left and right fist to add to the modular fists/sleeve cuffs. I may use the mattel sleeve since I have it and the red blade accessory for that already. Possibly, later on, I may re-visit and make the popy sleeve. There is not much difference, only down by the wrist area for tighter groove the red blade piece goes into and the angle at the wrist is steeper than the mattel.
5. Patch the broken area in the waist piece.
6. Possibly make plastic covers on the feet instead of red stickers
7. Do up a web page showing the process, extra photos and differences between the mattel and popy version grendizer.
8. Clean-up and assemble again.
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Post by bourno on Oct 18, 2011 11:21:36 GMT -5
I used some dupli-color clear coat on the sickle and the platinum silicone didn't like to cure around it. So, pulled it out, sanded down the piece and am just going to use a primer only. Tonight, I plan to brush in a thin layer of silicone and re-place the piece back into the mold that did cure everything, except for the last 1/16" by the sickle.
I should have tested first as hadn't used it before. Platinum silicone can be a fickle product for what it likes or doesn't like. It may had cured, just taken longer, but the piece moved when I was removing the clay walls, so.... guess I will see what can be done tonight without needing to redo the whole first part of the mold.
I am letting the chest piece cure longer as I didn't use much clear coat on it and only a small area may be affected and hoping it will cure without needing to re-surface it too.
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Post by magengar on Oct 19, 2011 13:13:29 GMT -5
Damn, every time I go to Home Depot I get tempted to buy some of that stuff (Bondo, Filler, Fiberglass cloth meshes, and Fiberglass resin) it seems easy to use for making rigid mothermolds and large jumbo bodies. I've bookmarked this thread for reference, this is awesome work you got going on here! Thanks for sharing! zozo-mag
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Post by bourno on Oct 24, 2011 12:16:50 GMT -5
I am going to re-do the custom sickle mold and the chest piece mold (maybe start that tonight or tomorrow night). I tried to patch the bad spots where the silicone didn't cure well, but didn't turn out the best. I did sand down a chest piece and looked okay mounted, but I want it better. Not a big set back, but a little frustrating. I should have tested the clear coat with the platinum silicone, I am quite certain a tin-cure silicone would have been fine.
I have molds for the "in shoulder" shooting mechanism from Grendizer almost done and just need to decide how to pour them for easier re-casting. I have 2 ideas and one should hopefully work decently.
I haven't started on the fist restoration yet.
Have been doing some research on vacuum forming plastic sheet material for a possilbe SPAZER winter project. I thought about just doing a single build out of wood, but am now digging into vacuum forming information. Not sure about the different colors yet, may be done in white plastic and painted as necessary (kit type). Checking some web sites, I would rather make a shop version vacuum forming system, and not in the kitchen. Time to work on the $$ involved as one web site was estimating around $1000 for a shop version complete table. Not sure if this will happen, just another idea bouncing around in my head.
Looking around on the internet, am kinda surprised not to find some home-built Spazers or model kits. But, maybe I didn't search around properly.
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Post by bourno on Oct 24, 2011 12:22:19 GMT -5
Here is a small photo of of the first cast for the chest piece. Had to wet sand it. It was okay, just not really good and I am picky, lol. Attachments:
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Post by KingboyD on Oct 25, 2011 8:09:25 GMT -5
Have been doing some research on vacuum forming plastic sheet material for a possilbe SPAZER winter project.
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Post by bourno on Oct 25, 2011 10:16:45 GMT -5
Here is a link to the plans for a largish vacuum former machine. www.build-stuff.com/1002plans_proto-form.htmI ordered up their book last night. www.build-stuff.com/001book_vacuum_forming.htmMy idea would be for the 2x2 machine, it has a 21" useable area and should be large enough I believe. I haven't gotten around to printing out photos and start estimating sizes yet for the Spazer. Just some forward thinking, but I do believe done right, the Spazer does have a nice form for vacuum forming. I can see doing the top and bottom shell halves, then the top canopy and rear engines by vacuum form. The rear vertical fin and side pieces by resin casts. Just need to think more on how to join the pieces together, I don't plan on a kid sitting and riding it, so may not need the extra support and bracing internally I have an old friend that works at an appliance center and may have to see about getting some heating elements. The flat ones this place sell, look nice, but at $226 for the 2x2 model. Taking pre-orders now ;D No, am not. Maybe I shouldn't joke about that, LOL.
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