UPDATE: The leg, skirt and thigh mods are nearly complete. I managed to make his hips, waist and legs more like MP-10's. I still have to do the outer leg armor to match MP-10's, but the hard work is done. The legs move and Prime still transforms. I don't have time at the moment to post all the pics of the process, but I have one of the end result. The masking tape is a mock up of the outer armor that will be replaces as soon as I can manage it: Stay tuned folks...
Yeah, that's pretty much the goal: to see how much of MP-01 I can transform into MP-10. Maybe I should call him "MP-101"....
Good idea. Now, for the promised update pics: I began by marking MP-01's waist for the trim line: Then, I cut down the spare crotch section I had from my stash of repair parts: The assembled legs (retracted) and pelvic joint: Same assembly, with new pelvic block in place and sanded for fit: I began cutting the "skirt" with the dremel tool; note that I had to revise the trim line on the pelvic piece: Skirt flaps trimmed, ready to be glued together permanently: The inside of the new pelvic assembly, needing some remedial sanding: A closer look: The two test-fitted together (revealed the extent I would have to revise the cut: Glued (devcon plastic welder) and sanded: I then sanded the upper hip joint housings so that the outer leg armor (when attached) would rotate smoothy around it: Where the project stands now: The legs look a bit skinny right now, once the leg armor additions up top are completed, that should be remedied. The current leg armor is just a dummy made of masking tape as a temporary stand in. I also may have to sand the pelvic block a bit more to get it to look appropriate. Continuing work on this folks, stay tuned.
You were supposed to, you gullible Spoiler customiser Back on track though, this is some mind boggling work your doing.
Yeah; it's really pushing my skills as a kitbasher to their limits. Next up is manufacturing and attaching the outer leg armor to fill the legs in a bit. Then, I'm going to get even more nuts on this. The silver stripe on Prime's chest, after much study, is too wide from top to bottom. The "lats" on him (red areas on either side of his grill) are too short from top to bottom, and the stripe still needs to be reshaped. So, in even more insanity, I'm going to change the dimensions on the stripe and increase the length of his lats. Stay tuned folks: the slag's gonna hit the fan....
Small update: upper leg armor attached: There's more filler parts to add in, then I'll sand and get a nice, smooth transition that will make it all look like one piece. Proof it doesn't interfere with the transform: (Yes, they are supposed to sit that high; about 1/2 of an inch beyond the old mark for the leg is now within the lower leg). Me in the process of adding the armor to the upper leg (where the joint was normall covered by the waist "skirt": And last, proof it doesn't affect his poseability a single bit: Rear view (showing how leg armor fits nicely with solidified waist skirt): I need to work on his lats and lower chest...more to come...
Thanks guys Yeah, the leg and pelvic modifications worked better than I hoped. Right now, I'm giving the glue time to fully cure before I proceed any further. This is where the project stands right now: Still work to do, but it's coming along nicely. Another Idea I'm toying with: narrowing the height on prime's front windows and adding in the front center detail below them. Yeah, it would require grinding metal and all, but this is pretty much evolved into a redesign of MP-01. Scary territory, I know. But as kitbashers, if we don't push the boundaries, then we stagnate. I see no reason MP-01 cannot be proportioned and awesome like MP-10. Stay tuned...
The windows look fine, i prefer them to MP10's personally. but its your figure. How far you gonna take this, its turning into a masterpiece prime Mk 3.
Well, the windows I wanted to make a little more streamlined. But that's not a major priority right now, so I don't have to make any decision on them soon. As for how far I'm going to take this, well this song should answer that: Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone - YouTube
UPDATE: Silver stripes cut and sanded. Making parts to replace the wheel well walls I removed: Stay tuned...
I totally agree with this. Keep it up, and don't give up! Looking good so far, and it'll look great in the end. I'm eager to see the final look of the upper leg 'armor' parts. For me (just my opinion) I would make the armor pieces flushed and smooth, and permanent with the legs. That, to me, would look cool. Also, any way to make the skinny arm areas in the middle of the arms a bit beefier / thicker ? Just looks a bit skinny there. Again, great job on this project.
Hey SO, Yeah, I'm actually working on smoothing out the leg armor now; I build first for strength, then I rework the parts to blend in, The upper armor needs to withstand movement stresses They are permanent now (being glued in and all), so I have to work carefully. But I do have update pics coming soon. As for the upper arms: yeah, that's been bothering me as well. I wouldn't want to make them too thick, but they are a little too skinny for my tastes. The only problem is the post on Prime's right elbow had to be repaired after construction stresses sheared it off, so I need to take it easy here. Let me see what I can do there.
UPDATE: Just to show everyone the blending work on Prime's legs: The upper armor isn't 100 percent worked in yet, but it soon will be. Then I'll go ahead and add in the details to the legs. I'm also planning on using the dremel tool to carve detail into the backs of both the thighs and the lower legs. I also have pics of the rebuild work on the silver chest stripes: I plastic-welded in two new plates, and they fit smoothly without impeding or gluing together the transform (yes, I tested it!). I am adding back in some details as well to the stripes, then I will detail his "lats" and get them up to speed with everything else. After that, sanding for all the areas and paint. Stay...er...(can't use "tuna'ed" again)...SQUIRREL!!!
