Alternators Mirage- Mercedes Sauber

strata32000 · 10-22-2010, 05:35 PM

Hello everyone,

It's been a long time since I've posted anything here.
I have been busy updating my skills and have decided to start off by kit-bashing.

I have always loved the Alternators/Binaltech figures from Hasbro/ Takara,
I was sad and upset when they pulled the line years ago.
Seeing as how they ended up killing the line by needlessly doing so many
repaints I want to try my hand at updating the look of the original
18 Autobot cars.

Here we have my first ever kit-bash "Mirage" a Mercedes Sauber race car.
I saw this kit and Mirage instantly came to mind.

The base figure is Alternators Mirage and I managed to maintain the original
transformation of it.
This project took 2 1/2 months to do and involved a lot of cutting, carving, and sanding.
I managed to keep the body pretty tight in car mode and it looks like a good blend of G1 Mirage and Alternators Mirage in robot mode.

One of the hardest parts about this figure was the fact that the kits plastic was really thin making it difficult to cut and not break.
The kit also didn't come with a hood. That's right no hood.
The kit came with a clear thin plastic sheet that I guess they intended you to use to create a hood.

It looked really cheap and so I made my own hood out of aluminum sheet metal.
This figure was created for my own collection and making the hood out
of aluminum is more durable and a vast improvement to Revell's kit.

Over all I'm 85% happy with how Mirage came out.
I would like to spend 5% more time on detailing the robot mode
and 10% tweaking the transformation and placement of the hood in robot mode.

Well I hope you all enjoy this figure, it was a pain in the ass but when it is all said and done it was so worth it.

KINGBOTZ · 10-22-2010, 05:43 PM

This looks so clean & incredible man, & the fact that the doors still work & the interior is still there just tops it off! Killer job on this guy.

plowking · 10-22-2010, 05:49 PM

Wow....yeah, this is fantastic.

Top shelf work.

G60Force · 10-22-2010, 05:50 PM

*speechless*

Tigertrack · 10-22-2010, 06:01 PM

This is very awesome indeed. However, it reminds me more of Gobots Crasher than Mirage. Probably cause of the car mode though.
And for your first job, I have to say well done! Well done indeed! I should be so lucky with my first custom.

Truly awesome!

timshinn73 · 10-22-2010, 06:04 PM

Mirage got back!

Fantastic craftsmanship! Really great!

Alloy Alchemist · 10-22-2010, 06:06 PM

to put it simply...AWESOME!

RIDUltraMagnus · 10-22-2010, 06:09 PM

As a die hard racing fan, I must say that this is officially sick. Add to the fact that the doors still work in vehicle mode. I'm utterly speechless. Mad props to you, sir.

knoted · 10-22-2010, 06:12 PM

Amazing. Super slick production quality.

Superquad7 · 10-22-2010, 06:34 PM

This is far and above my favorite kitbash of Mirage ever.

10-22-2010, 05:35 PM	#1
strata32000 Predacon Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 470 Location: Here on earth dummy:) Collection Count: To many to count. MIB, MISB, RARE out of control	Alternators Mirage- Mercedes Sauber Hello everyone, It's been a long time since I've posted anything here. I have been busy updating my skills and have decided to start off by kit-bashing. I have always loved the Alternators/Binaltech figures from Hasbro/ Takara, I was sad and upset when they pulled the line years ago. Seeing as how they ended up killing the line by needlessly doing so many repaints I want to try my hand at updating the look of the original 18 Autobot cars. Here we have my first ever kit-bash "Mirage" a Mercedes Sauber race car. I saw this kit and Mirage instantly came to mind. The base figure is Alternators Mirage and I managed to maintain the original transformation of it. This project took 2 1/2 months to do and involved a lot of cutting, carving, and sanding. I managed to keep the body pretty tight in car mode and it looks like a good blend of G1 Mirage and Alternators Mirage in robot mode. One of the hardest parts about this figure was the fact that the kits plastic was really thin making it difficult to cut and not break. The kit also didn't come with a hood. That's right no hood. The kit came with a clear thin plastic sheet that I guess they intended you to use to create a hood. It looked really cheap and so I made my own hood out of aluminum sheet metal. This figure was created for my own collection and making the hood out of aluminum is more durable and a vast improvement to Revell's kit. Over all I'm 85% happy with how Mirage came out. I would like to spend 5% more time on detailing the robot mode and 10% tweaking the transformation and placement of the hood in robot mode. Well I hope you all enjoy this figure, it was a pain in the ass but when it is all said and done it was so worth it. Attached Thumbnails

10-22-2010, 05:43 PM	#2
KINGBOTZ www.KINGBOTZ.com Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 863 Location: www.KINGBOTZ.com	This looks so clean & incredible man, & the fact that the doors still work & the interior is still there just tops it off! Killer job on this guy. WWW.KINGBOTZ.COM FACEBOOK & YouTube Channel

10-22-2010, 05:49 PM	#3
plowking I'm with ErechOveraker. Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 9,206 Location: MI. Collection Count: A lot less than before..... News Credits: 2	Wow....yeah, this is fantastic. Top shelf work. PK FB

10-22-2010, 05:50 PM	#4
G60Force World Smallest Mini-Con Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 7,058 Location: Netherlands Collection Count: 99+	speechless WIP'S/COMPLETED/COMMISSIONS MY WANTS / MY SALES... COMMISSIONS OPEN!

10-22-2010, 06:01 PM	#5
Tigertrack Back In The Game! Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 7,069 Location: Colorado Springs Collection Count: Three Masterpieces	This is very awesome indeed. However, it reminds me more of Gobots Crasher than Mirage. Probably cause of the car mode though. And for your first job, I have to say well done! Well done indeed! I should be so lucky with my first custom. Truly awesome!

10-22-2010, 06:04 PM	#6
timshinn73 Herald of Unicron Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,535 Location: Richmond, VA, USA Collection Count: 350+	Mirage got back! Fantastic craftsmanship! Really great!

10-22-2010, 06:06 PM	#7
Alloy Alchemist Decepticon sympathizer Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 2,235 Location: south florida , the sea of rust Collection Count: KEEPERS? 10 MPs,10 alternators,15 classics/universe,7 3rd party ...20 in progress customs	to put it simply...AWESOME!

10-22-2010, 06:09 PM	#8
RIDUltraMagnus #Can'tdealwithitrightnow Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 2,378 Location: Western Canada Collection Count: 6 News Credits: 1	As a die hard racing fan, I must say that this is officially sick. Add to the fact that the doors still work in vehicle mode. I'm utterly speechless. Mad props to you, sir.

10-22-2010, 06:12 PM	#9
knoted Resistor Transistor Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 2,676 Location: From Utrecht, the Netherlands to Manila, the Philipines. Collection Count: I'm not sure...some of them died :( News Credits: 2	Amazing. Super slick production quality.