Latest update. New bumper has been attached to the front end. I know it looks like a mess right now but this will all get sculpted down using a rotary tool (i cant say Dremel cos i cant afford one and only own a crappy non name brand one) and lots of automotive coarse sand paper.
thats gonna be pretty sweet. i must admit though that for some reason or another, im not a fan of the wheels sticking out like that. Although, I am aware that it might not be somethig fixable. Other then that...its going to look wonderful! if i only i was that creative........or had the money to buy things to modify lol
Dude, im broke as hell too. Im doing these things on a shoestring budget so i doesn't take much to do good work like this. Now the wheels sticking out, i think that might be a problem i cant fix but that said the original wheels stick out a bit anyway. Im not really liking the look either though, so i might just drill the pins out and just glue the wheels on. This might fix the sticky-outy issue but will stop the wheels from turning, which is no big deal to me really since i dont "play" with my figures lol.
I'm not sure if anyone has noticed before, but there's a way to shorten the lower legs of the Subaru, which would make Cliffjumper look a little shorter and stockier than other Alts (a la G1). It works best on Smokescreen due to his larger spoiler, but your mod gives this figure a pretty large spoiler anyway, so it might work for you too. It sort of involves configuring his feet so he stands on his "tiptoes", except less of the leg folds out, so overall he's shorter. The spoiler then becomes the front of the foot. EDIT: I'll also point out that it's a reversible mod. It doesn't require permanently altering the figure, so it's easy to try out. It looks surprisingly good IMHO. I'm going to be taking some pictures tonight, so maybe I'll snap a couple to show what I'm talking about if anyone's interested. zmog
Yah i'll be interested, im more curios than anything. Its always good to see people making new mods for others to use, since many of us (like me) are useless with that part of the customization process.
Why not box in the wheel arches so that the wheels are covered rather than cut them further back? The wide body style kit shouldn't impinge upon the limb movement or transformation in any way. Take a look for APR or (I think) ESX body kits which include flared arches. Your R/C kit may have them built into the wings already so some surgery might be the answer to those phat wheels. It is looking mighty fine so far though. A picnic table on the boot could look scary on his feet though, lol.
I would do that, i would have to sculpt it out of milliput though as the flared arches on the RC car are part of the diecast body, cant cut em out. The only problem with doing that is on the front and those hinges on the wheel arches. If i add a flare to that section as well, they wont fold outwards unless i cut a much bigger hole out to fit the flared arch. Plus i can imagine this might prove it harder to fold the wheels out of the arches for bot mode...i'll look into it though and see how much space there is, i doubt i can do it though. I have an alternative idea though which can avoid that problem altogether but still give the look of flared arches.
im curious to why you used so much sculpt to connect the bumper rather than some apoxy bonding or screws? looks like a lot of work with all the excess so far.
I've got a no-name Dremel wannabe as well and I'm able to cut through diecast no problem. o.o Just gotta bump the speed nice n high and make sure the safety goggles are on. XP You missing the cutting bit or something? o.o
Because i don't have any apoxy, one i cant afford to buy anything right now and i dont know where to buy it nor have i ever used it before. And i never considered using screws...i find it easier to do it this way. I would still have had to use milliput anyway to blend the seams in otherwise it would have just looked like a plastic bumper stuck onto the front, this way it will look like its been molded this way. Dont worry, you wait and see its gonna look awesome and exceed your expectations.
Yep, and my lame rotary tool (well it technically isnt mine, im just borrowing it)doesnt have varying speeds either, it struggles to cut through some plastics, yet alone metal.
Never heard of it. I highly doubt my local hobby store sells anything like that either, plus it will be considerably more than "$3" as im in the UK. This country is useless for supplies, its not like America where theres countless stores on every corner that have everything you will ever need. Everything is a hassle over here, nothing is easy or cheap. If i want or need something 9 times out of ten i need to order online, which then just adds to the total with people charging insane amounts for shipping. Thats why i improvise so much. High quality customs on a shoestring budget with minimal resources and tools, that should be my new motto.
Updates 13/1/08 I have most of the front bumper done. Everything has been sanded and sculpted to fit and look like it was molded that way. I still have some re-shaping to do to the front section, as well as fill in a few tiny holes that i could only see once i had primed it. I am now working on the rear end, the modded bumper fits pretty good and should require as much sculpting as the front end did. After that all i gotta do is fit on the side skirts using the same methods, some how re-sculpt the head (if i mess it up i might just buy a CJ head from Sculpt Bot if i can afford it) and add the spoiler than paint. Should be a pretty smart looking toy once im done. Here's some pics. A shot of the underside:
