Hi. For those that have followed this thread, its been just a bit of a project for the last month. It started off with the ambition of new feet and hands and has grown into what you now see. I'm really happy with how this has turned out (still needs to be painted). Its been tough working through some of the design issues on some of the parts but with the support and the ideas on this thread, i've stayed motivated and taken it to completion. I will be kitting out the Asian Exclusive Ultra Magnus in a modified version of the kit. So, when that is done, I will post the results. Anyway, hope you like... Any comments welcome. If you're interested in this mod, email me at [email protected] and/or check out my AFC page on Facebook for some of the other projects. Here is a list of the final mods: New ball jointed hands. New pivoting G1 style feet. New grill. New shin guards. New backpack/vehicle roof Kibble adapters. Leg gas tanks (these did turn out more complicated than originally anticipated so the price I stated for this part would need to be changed). Smoke Stacks.
Nice! Please design a new grill that can plug into that hole above the original and so the grill runs all the way up from waist to chest.
Long ago someone made a flat cab top for this guy, but it disappeared. While the gun/wind vane was a great design, the flat top makes for a nice G1 alternative...needless to say, please consider that! Love the feet and hands, how do they look in ALT mode?
Hi guys. Great idea on the upgraded grill for robot mode. I will definitely add that to the list and also the flat roof for the G1 look in truck mode (which is also a great idea). Here are some pics of the vehicle mode. The new feet look ok in vehicle mode but I may try and get them to fold lower and more in line with the rear of the truck. Let me know what you think. I have showed them stowed in 2 configurations...straight fold and rotated fold. The hands work fine within the existing design.
Wow! I'm really impressed at how much better the figure looks with just the new hands and feet! Great eye! zmog
Thanks for the feedback so far. Optimus now has new shin guards. Just a few more mods left to do for this figure.
That grill is great. I love it! Been wanting that for so long. How can I buy it. Really liking the shins too.
Are you scratch-building all these parts? If not, I'm curious... where did those hands come from? zmog
All the parts are designed from scratch and built on my 3d printer. I am happy to print these parts for anyone that would like them. Personally, I prefer the surface finish from my printer compared to what you get from Shapeways and it should be cheaper than an equivalent Shapeways part. I use ABS plastic, print solid all the way through and parts will generally have a smooth surface. Just email me at [email protected] and let me know which parts you're interested in. Generally the parts range between 1 and 2 dollars per part for this kind of set. Smaller, less complex parts, are 1 (grill) and larger parts are 2 (shins). The hands are made up of 2 small parts. So, they are 2 per hand. Postage is extra, around 2.50 for US domestic. Just to let you know, I currently have 3 more parts that I want to make for this set. 1. A gas tank for the leg. 2. The flat roof. 3. Smoke stacks. Also, not sure if you saw my previous posts but I have produced a set of deluxe hands (same style) for the deluxe classics cars and a modified version for classics Ironhide/Ratchet (as well as a torso mod). If you check out AFC on Facebookor look through previous threads on TFW2005, you can see these mods.
I can't wait to see all of the upgrades done. Do have a link to your Shapeways page? I would like to bookmark it for when your upgrades come out so I can get them.
Hi. Thanks very much for the comment and interest. I just sell direct if people are interested. I think Shapeways is great but personally I prefer the finish on the prints I can do and I can do them cheaper; so I can pass that saving on. My AFC page on Facebook is where I try to keep people up to date with where I am with the different projects. Just search for AFC and you should find it. Then, if you're interested in a project, just email me at [email protected]. Pricing is as per the post above but I can give you more specifics based on what you want. I price per part so you can buy as little or as much of a kit as you want. Also, here is my first attempt at the flat roof. More of a proof of concept that I need to refine, but it gives an idea. The idea is that the roof becomes a backpack in robot mode with attachment points for the arm kibble (if you want to remove it).
Thanks for the info, Omegaonline, I will definitely look you up on Facebook. I like the design of the the roof and how it becomes a backpack with attachments for the arm kibble. Like I said before, I can't wait to see more. Edit: I tried looking up AFC on Facebook and all I find is sports stuff, what's the name of your Facebook page so I can keep up to date on your stuff?
Hi. Figured out how to find the Facebook address and it is: https://m.facebook.com/ArrivalFromCybertron Also, big update over the weekend. I now have a v3 of the flat roof, plus a kibble less Optimus Prime, new kibble adapters and the kibble attached to Primes v3 backpack. So, concept is now a reality Really pleased how this has worked out. Now just need to incorporate smokestacks and the leg gas tanks and Prime should be in good shape. For Info; I had to design new kibble adapters because I could not get the 5mm kibble pin to come loose. I tried the soldering iron trick but it wouldn't budge. So, I used an auto center punch and knocked out the smaller pins instead. Here are the latest pics.