Minor/Repaint: Art Feather Bumblebee mods

Discussion in 'Radicons Customs' started by OptimusTimelord, Jan 9, 2013.

  1. OptimusTimelord

    OptimusTimelord Masterpiece Reanimator

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    Thanks! Sorry I only have the one pic, but there's not much to it really. As you can probably see it's just roughly cut styrene strips, with holes where styrene rods hold it together. A hole in the central spine at one end and some glue fixing it to the underside of the head at the other. Works surprisingly tight, so I didn't even need anything to secure the chest in place (thought I would need a rod across the shoulders for my pylon c-clips to attach to in bot mode, but no).

    [​IMG]

    Styrene is great for experimenting with like that; I drilled all the holes by hand twisting a drillbit between my fingers, it's so soft the bit goes in almost straight away. Get a lot more precision that way too.
     

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  2. ambitron

    ambitron Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the reply! So it's just glue holding it to the base if the head? Out of interest, what sort of glue did you use? (I've tried all sorts with mixed results. I see a lot of people recommend epoxy two-part glue, but that never works well for me, and Humbrol model glue works better but can melt the plastic too much and depends on the plastic. It works great for gluing styrene together, but not always for gluing styrene to something else.)

    I take it the parts of the hinge are each three layers of styrene with a single layer for the joins?

    How did you do the actual swivel between the two pieces of spine once you'd sawn the spine in two? Is it a pin or a screw, and what is it holding? I took a look at the spine of mine, and at the point you have cut it, I can't see anywhere to put a screw or rod through - all I can see is a slot. I just can't see any way of putting it back together once it's cut...

    Sorry for all the questions! I just really like this and am desperate to have a go at copying it.:) 
     
  3. OptimusTimelord

    OptimusTimelord Masterpiece Reanimator

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    I have several different glues at hand, I never seem to be able to predict which will do a particular job! For this occasion it was Hobbycraft own-brand 'Super strong glue', a liquid with a brush in the lid, I guess a bit kinder to styrene because of being meant for arts & crafts. The hinge starts as one layer of styrene (the right thickness fits perfectly between the hollow sides of the yellow frame). Then two identical parts clamping either side for the next section, then a single layer between at the other end, which I built up with more strene to give extra grip area for the base of the head.

    For the spine I ended up using two plastic washers from the axel of a car kit and gluing one each above and below the join, and found a metal pin in my parts box with a head at one end (don't ask where it was from, I've no idea! Must have come from some junker). Glued the flat end into one of the washers with the head threaded through the other, thus 'permanently' attaching the spine.
     
  4. tibhor

    tibhor Well-Known Member

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    I love it
     
  5. bellyboy

    bellyboy working working working

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    I love it
    genius
     
  6. ambitron

    ambitron Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for all the information! Very much appreciated. I'm definitely going to have a crack at this. The hard parts are definitely going to be the swivel and getting the right glue to take, so fingers crossed...

    Thanks again!
     
  7. mandiprime97

    mandiprime97 Junkion

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    Looks great
     
  8. Ra88

    Ra88 Dutchman!

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    100% improvement. Great job!
     
  9. stprime

    stprime THE コンボイ that the Matrix refused

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    ohhhh i want this i want this i want this!!!!!!

    PLEASE make a goldbug!?!?!?!?
     
  10. ambitron

    ambitron Well-Known Member

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    <slightly_off_topic>

    I think the mould works well for goldbug without altering the backpack, seeing as Goldbug always had a protruding backpack behind his head anyway - xaviercal did a great job at turning this mould into Goldbug here:

    http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/radicons-customs/712603-mp-goldbug.html

    </slightly_off_topic>
     
  11. OptimusTimelord

    OptimusTimelord Masterpiece Reanimator

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    Cheers folks! :thumb 
     
  12. OptimusTimelord

    OptimusTimelord Masterpiece Reanimator

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    No probs. Good luck with it, hopefully there's not much you can do wrong to mess it up (I have deliberately kept actual alterations to the base figure to a minimum - I could literally remove my central hinge and put him back 'as stock' if I chose to).
    That does look good as Goldbug. However, if I ever did, I would make more radical changes. But that's not something on my radar at the moment!
     
  13. ambitron

    ambitron Well-Known Member

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    I've already dismantled him and cut the spine in two at the same point as in your picture. I've also successfully created the C-clips in the head base and chest - that took a while of carefully cutting from inside the chest, seeing as I didn't want to try to force the rods out, but they still clip on nicely, which is great.

    I've got 2mm (I think) styrene which fits snugly in the slot, and a thin styrene rod for the hinges, so the chest hinge piece shouldn't be too much of a problem.

    The only thing I really should have thought about before cutting him up is what the heck I'm going to use for the swivel, given that I've been through my spare pieces and I don't have anything similar to what you describe. I think I'm going to be looking at a lot of household objects tomorrow wondering what I can cut up. :) 

    Interesting! I'll keep an eye out in case you ever do that, along as looking out for your other work, which is always top class.
     
  14. blaynescott

    blaynescott Well-Known Member

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    This looks excellent. Nice mods.

    What caught my eye was the autobot logo - it's pretty smooth/crisp, and the ideal size for this mold. I'm just finishing up a Goldbug, and wanted to go with a similar sized autobot logo. How tall is the one you used? Also, reprolabels, or is it from one of those thinner metallic KO-sticker sheets?
     
  15. OptimusTimelord

    OptimusTimelord Masterpiece Reanimator

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    Thanks man! And wow you don't waste any time lol :lol  There's other things you could use for the swivel, you could make something from a larger styrene tube with a smaller styrene rod threaded through. Or a ball and socket joint. Or just a screw and washer.
    Thanks, I think it's from Reprolabels... (I have several different sticker sheets). A 3 x 3.5 inch silver sheet with 5 rows of symbols on? Anyway I used the fourth row (second to largest size) :thumb 
     
  16. Skywarp181

    Skywarp181 Well-Known Member

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    Ambitron,
    Take progress pics!,,
     
  17. SMOG

    SMOG Vocabchampion ArgueTitan

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    Are you a wizard? :thumb 

    zmog
     
  18. knockoff

    knockoff Well-Known Member

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    If there were ever to be a G1 MP Bumblebee, this would be it. Words can't properly express the awesomeness of this custom...
     
  19. OptimusTimelord

    OptimusTimelord Masterpiece Reanimator

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    Yes, do keep us up to date with your work :) 
    Sssh.
    Thanks, I'm amazed how impressed people are with this, considering how little actual work I did to the figure! Just goes to show what a huge difference a couple of extra steps in transformation can make.
     
  20. ambitron

    ambitron Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for posting extra pictures!

    Doesn't this mess up the transformation? I looked at this when I took him apart, and it looks as though the shoulders won't have room to fold in under the car if the shoulder joints are placed towards the rear of the car, because the plastic of the spine gets wider there. (And I'm almost certain up the transformation if you left the doors on the arms rather than have it as a parts-former.)