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Post by nickgreat on Aug 25, 2015 5:29:00 GMT -5
Been wanting to have a Daikyojin for a while, and finally had the Kotobukiya D-Style Optimus Prime and thought it would make a perfect base to start.
First time I'm doing a custom / modification / scratchbuild (not sure what you call this type of work) for a robot.
Bought another D-Style Optimus, and so far, got the head done.....
What I thought would be a fairly easy thing to do was loads of work (and I've only the head), and I'm beginning to wonder if I'm biting off more than I can chew.. |
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Post by gravewolf on Aug 25, 2015 6:09:52 GMT -5
You won't know if you are biting more than you can chew if you don't make the project. But good planning before starting a project gives it a better chance of being successful. Yeah I've also been victimized by the notion of a project being "easy" only to encounter tons of problems lol. But projects like this are a good tool to learn new things which can help with future projects.
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Post by magengar on Aug 25, 2015 15:20:18 GMT -5
I've started projects in the past and realized I've bitten more than I could chew, due to either laziness or lack of resources, or just being distracted by other things in everyday life. Gravewolf is right, projects are good learning tools to become better at your craft skills. It will also bring out the best artist in you.  zozo-mag |
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Post by nickgreat on Aug 25, 2015 19:40:50 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice guys. Definitely a good learning project; will have to follow the threads here for more tips.
I'll definitely see this little one thru. I don't have a 3D printer at my disposal, so it'll be the old school method of exacto knife and files.
I'm not thinking of future projects at this moment though; just want to get this done first..
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Post by gravewolf on Aug 25, 2015 23:35:44 GMT -5
3d printers just make my projects easier but I did a lot of handmade scratchbuilt projects. The projects I worked one helped me understand scratchbuilding a lot better that I was able to apply when making 3d models. Here is a figure I did made out of plexiglass and this was one of the most laborious projects I did a long time ago.  |
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Post by nickgreat on Aug 26, 2015 1:14:10 GMT -5
Wow, that looks darn pretty amazing. Looks like an RX-78 or variant; any chance of showing the completed one?
Plexiglass is a really hard material. Do you have some power tools to help you with shaping them? And your're definitely right; looks REALLY laborious... and here I am complaining about my little robot..
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Post by gravewolf on Aug 26, 2015 2:57:26 GMT -5
Wow, that looks darn pretty amazing. Looks like an RX-78 or variant; any chance of showing the completed one? Plexiglass is a really hard material. Do you have some power tools to help you with shaping them? And your're definitely right; looks REALLY laborious... and here I am complaining about my little robot.. I was making a GM sniper the size of an MG kit.....but after all the hard work I realized I could have just bought an MG GM sniper kit lol. But this project proves that even plexiglass can be used on robot projects and the material is easy to acquire in my area. I just used a jewelers saw blade to cut the pieces, a torch to shape some of the rounder one and different sorts of files to clean it up. I don't think I'll be able to finish this as one of our employees accidentally dropped the box where this was stored and shattered my work. Actually smaller robots are harder to do since the details on it are gonna be smaller too so I'm really interested in what method you will use to pull it off. Everyone has their own techniques and I'm always eager to see and learn from others. |
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Post by nickgreat on Aug 26, 2015 19:22:23 GMT -5
I was making a GM sniper the size of an MG kit.....but after all the hard work I realized I could have just bought an MG GM sniper kit lol. But this project proves that even plexiglass can be used on robot projects and the material is easy to acquire in my area. I just used a jewelers saw blade to cut the pieces, a torch to shape some of the rounder one and different sorts of files to clean it up. I don't think I'll be able to finish this as one of our employees accidentally dropped the box where this was stored and shattered my work. Actually smaller robots are harder to do since the details on it are gonna be smaller too so I'm really interested in what method you will use to pull it off. Everyone has their own techniques and I'm always eager to see and learn from others. Sorry to hear about your damaged work. Happens to me when I drop things I'm working on; literally heart dropping. I'm actually wondering the same, if there'll be a retail Daikyojin before I finish my project. Right now I'm using the original plastic kit for base, so it's lots of filing with needle files and sanding. I'll also be using styrene sheets and putty for add on parts. The plan was actually to do Daitenba to go with it and have the centaur bot, but at the speed I'm going, and this being my first, it'll just be Daikyojin. Besides, unless I have a base for the horse portion, I'll need to completely scratchbuild it, and I have zero experience with that. |
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Post by nickgreat on Aug 30, 2015 1:26:44 GMT -5
Update on the torso and arms;
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Post by gravewolf on Aug 30, 2015 9:43:41 GMT -5
That's looking really good! Keep it up!
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Post by nickgreat on Aug 31, 2015 7:31:48 GMT -5
Thanks gravewolf!
Managed to churn out another piece.
Hips
Legs, wings and weapons to go.
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Post by nickgreat on Sept 2, 2015 20:34:09 GMT -5
Sword and Shield done. Trying to follow the anime's design as close as possible, but still trying to get that "deformed" feel.
I used Lego parts for the Shield and sword pommel.
Also added a magnet to the underside of the shield so that it'll attach to the arm, where I would embed another magnet. I've got to remember to get the polarity right.. |
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Post by nickgreat on Sept 3, 2015 21:19:31 GMT -5
Got the legs done. Pretty exaggerated details, but I think it'll fit the deformed style I'm after.  All the white is styrene sheets; some stacked and glued to give it thickness. Will be spending the weekend getting this thing painted. Hopefully be completed next week if all goes well. |
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Post by magengar on Sept 4, 2015 4:53:43 GMT -5
Dude I love the progress you're making! You have a very good eye for small detail! zozo-mag |
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Post by nickgreat on Sept 4, 2015 19:19:17 GMT -5
Dude I love the progress you're making! You have a very good eye for small detail! zozo-mag Thanks magengar! I have some experience customizing Lego figures (like my avatar on the left), so I guess I'm used to looking at small things. This project however, required a whole new set of craft techniques. The head itself, while looking simple, took a long time to do before I showed it here. The body was done much faster in comparison. |
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Post by nickgreat on Sept 7, 2015 10:48:31 GMT -5
Finally got this done. Woo-hoo! I actually had the original die-cast Daibazin when I was a kid. Stupidly sold it off..
So this is me trying to claw back a bit of my childhood memory.
Some parts wish I could do better or paint better, but I'm still darn pleased with it as a whole. Paint job all done with spray cans. For gimmick, the shield attaches to either arm by magnets. Overall height is 10.5cm.
Comparison with the original Optimus Prime that I modified from.
I'm really stoked to get the horse part done now. But still, without a base figure to work on, I'm not quite sure if I'm there, capability wise.
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Post by admin1 aka Ed on Sept 8, 2015 13:48:10 GMT -5
Love the work man! Thanks for sharing...
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Post by nickgreat on Sept 9, 2015 4:53:17 GMT -5
Love the work man! Thanks for sharing... Thanks! Think that'll be it for quite a while, while I try to figure how I can do the follow up horse. |
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Post by mojacko on Sept 9, 2015 6:48:43 GMT -5
Not too shabby.....Supa like for the effort man....very nice indeed!!!
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Post by nickgreat on Sept 9, 2015 21:55:12 GMT -5
Not too shabby.....Supa like for the effort man....very nice indeed!!! Thanks mojacko! Actually turned out better than I expected.  |
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