This is something I've been messing with for the last week but time to work goes mostly to commissions and the wife who is on vacation this week, so progress is going slow on this. Not being able to dig in fully dig in is causing my motivation to dwindle some so I thought I'd post the WIP and see if you guys like the idea. mMaybe gather up some encouragement. I love crazy ass IDW whirl, especially when drawn by Nick Roche as a total cartoon character. I wanted to see him in action figure form badly, but couldn't find one anywhere on the internet google machines so I decided I had to make one. I want him to be as comic accurate as possible to still transform, and to have a pretty accurate alt mode too. Below is my progress and plans. It will take a lot of sculpt and stryrene work, and I do have more parts chosen for the arms already. Only thing I havent really fully planned out is how I will do the head, but I do know it will involve a double ball jointed contraption that hides in the top doors that still open on the helicopter top. I'll likely scratch build the head. UPDATE 1 Got some time to work tonight and once other paint projects needed to dry I dug in on this guy with the ideas I've been stirring up all day. Still tons to do of course but he is shaping into something slightly recognizable. New pics added with some explanation of what's going on. The styrene and sculpt work is just very simple base stuff for now. More will be added over much of it. Final Update I have enough done now to post a final update. Plenty more little additions to make and of course the paint job, which I hope will bring it all together. I reposted the pics so they go from latest progress to back when it was just an idea. (Hangy crotch piece was removed to work on him more easily but it'll be back on before painting.)
Loving this! Do not lose motivation on this, as the unvincible one will be displeased... oh so very displeased...
Thanks guys. A way make the shoulders work without killing transformation has me stumped already. Lots of boxes of parts left to go through but not a lot of time to be blowing on all that just yet. I really want him to have that separation between his chest and shoulders- the thin connection as seen in my mock up, but everything I've tried hurts the alt mode too much.
What if you just made the arms with that gap. Then for alt mode make a part that hides the gap for vehicle mode but hinges away for robot mode
Work looks great so far good concept can't wait to see more Gen Sandstom horz turbine vents may be of use on this project. I would make the arms seperate from the turbines and have them clip onto the arm with a connected wing flap. Have the turbine double hinged at the fuselage so they can fold down and up. And then the arms could fold into and under similar to whirls I had thought about doing one using Gen Whirl and sandstorm, but have way to many others I want to do, to even think about this
Actually I have DOTM laserbeak turbines cut off and ready to go. I like that the fin can rotate to a wing because I can change that wing into a claw hand. Also, the Laserbeak turbines are already a bit big for this and I think Sandstorm's would be even bigger. I came up with a solution for getting that shoulder gap I wanted but I'm not sure how I can make it sturdy. I cut off his stock shoulders to rebuild them longer but those parts move for transformation and it takes some pressure to do so. I'll probably use metal pins.
OOH nice !! didn't think about Laserbeaks rotors, yes those would be definetly be better. Yes sandstoms are bigger but I was kind of stuck on voyager size and forgot yours was a deluxe. Still great work
Got some time to work tonight and once other paint projects needed to dry I dug in on this guy with the ideas I've been stirring up all day. Still tons to do of course but he is shaping into something slightly recognizable. New pics added with some explanation of what's going on.
i dont think you could have chose a better base to start off from you have some really great progress and so far your nailing the design keep it up and i cant wait to see the end result
Thanks guys. Please let me know if you see anything that needs some improvement. At first I thought maybe I made his back wings a bit too big but I kinda like it. I don't care much for how much of the Blazemaster arms I ended up needing to use to keep the transformation as I planned but I will be filling the inner arms out more so maybe they'll come out alright. I know alt mode isn't quite accurate, since really his legs should become dual tail fins and the longer wings should be closer to the middle rather than on the rear. That's the price for an accurate robot that still transforms though. At least the key elements of the alt mode will be present.
oh man oh man..putting my kit to shame man. too bad we can't ALL have one like this. this really is going to be beautiful.