Minor/Repaint: Art Feather Bumblebee mods

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

  1. OptimusTimelord

    OptimusTimelord Masterpiece Reanimator

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2011
    Posts:
    6,557
    Trophy Points:
    297
    Likes:
    +17,384
    Twitter:
    YouTube (Legacy):
    [​IMG]

    I picked this figure up for the novelty of a VW alt mode, but wasn't keen on the bot. The main thing was to do something about that damn hunchback! I modded the rear of the car so it rotates 180° instead of flipping down (cut the spine and put a swivel inside).

    [​IMG]

    Had to build a new hinge (well, series of hinges) for the chest/roof to stay attached to the front, done with styrene and rods. So the whole rear end including wheels and arms rotates, meaning his arms are swapped left for right.

    Note the head/neckpiece is now fixed in place to the hood section. I also cut the ends of the curved pylons that attach to the main body, making them c-clips instead of pin and hole.

    I was going to make the popular mod to fold the hood under the chest, but it turned out there was room to store the doors inside the torso, which I figured was a better option, just because I hate them on the arms and didn't want to cut them to make them fold round the legs, as some do.

    [​IMG]

    The front bumper is now on pivots so it gives the illusion of ankle tilt. I also found Art F BB is very prone to tipping over backwards (unless his legs are spread wide enough to lift the wheels off the ground) so I cut out part of the underfoot area and glued it to the back of the lower leg; as the leg rotates up for transformation this part moves down and back and makes a heel. As it turns out this was superfluous, since I ended up clipping the spare hood sections behind the foot, as Quantum Reflex first did in the Art F pre-order thread.

    With the doors and hood he's a partsformer, but at least I can look at him on the shelf and see him as a Masterpiece now, which I couldn't before...

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    EDIT note that I have put the black rear wheel/shoulder parts that rotate on the metal rods a certain way (the ball joints are not molded symmetrically in the middle). The ball joint for BB's shoulder should be toward the rear of the car and offset to the front of the bot, to bring his arms better into place.

    [​IMG]
     

    Attached Files:

    • BB3.jpg
      BB3.jpg
      File size:
      300.9 KB
      Views:
      4,021
    • BB0.jpg
      BB0.jpg
      File size:
      223.1 KB
      Views:
      8,606
    • BBwip2.jpg
      BBwip2.jpg
      File size:
      180.1 KB
      Views:
      4,970
    • BBwip3.jpg
      BBwip3.jpg
      File size:
      188.2 KB
      Views:
      5,044
    • BB6.jpg
      BB6.jpg
      File size:
      253.9 KB
      Views:
      4,205
    • BB19.jpg
      BB19.jpg
      File size:
      324.8 KB
      Views:
      7,903
  2. cheetor71

    cheetor71 Autobot

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2009
    Posts:
    5,145
    Trophy Points:
    191
    Likes:
    +16
    I love this. I wish my skills were that good. I can paint, yes but this......
     
  3. nikinaga

    nikinaga Destroyer of Threads

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2012
    Posts:
    165
    Trophy Points:
    67
    Likes:
    +3
    can i have one?
     
  4. warewullf

    warewullf Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2005
    Posts:
    48
    Trophy Points:
    71
    Likes:
    +0
    Love this figure and love that backpack mod. A definite improvement.
     
  5. Devastator77

    Devastator77 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2009
    Posts:
    309
    Trophy Points:
    121
    Likes:
    +0
    i like it can you make me a set of hinges like that. for his chest and his feet. where are the doors and hood at ? does it still transformers?
     
  6. RustyBarnacles

    RustyBarnacles Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2012
    Posts:
    7,261
    News Credits:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    282
    Likes:
    +1,188
    I asked for a rundown of how to do this and am in awe.

    That is well beyond my ability but damn does that look amazing!
     
  7. OptimusTimelord

    OptimusTimelord Masterpiece Reanimator

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2011
    Posts:
    6,557
    Trophy Points:
    297
    Likes:
    +17,384
    Twitter:
    YouTube (Legacy):
    Thanks guys! :thumb 
    Yes it transforms, with some partsforming; the doors are inside his body and the hood parts clip onto the heels (you don't need to do any modding for that btw, the hood sections are c-clipped to a metal rod and will pop off by hand, then clip on the rear of the feet).
    Cheers, I think it's a definite improvement!
     
  8. Dano71

    Dano71 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2011
    Posts:
    74
    Trophy Points:
    107
    Likes:
    +1
    Wow. Just, just wow.
     
  9. NC Soundwave

    NC Soundwave Tactical Officer

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2011
    Posts:
    664
    Trophy Points:
    187
    Likes:
    +3
    Nice...very nice. Much more "realistic" looking.
     
  10. soymonk

    soymonk Mathematical!

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2009
    Posts:
    4,566
    News Credits:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    262
    Likes:
    +1,074
    LOVE your mods!
     
  11. SG hailstorm

    SG hailstorm JaAm aficionado

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2011
    Posts:
    3,672
    News Credits:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    262
    Location:
    Kaon
    Likes:
    +2,857
    wow..that really cleans him up and makes him look great!
     
  12. HunterRose

    HunterRose Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2006
    Posts:
    870
    Trophy Points:
    262
    Likes:
    +1,896
    Very nice work.
    If the figure had looked like this, I would have bought it.
     
  13. xaviercal

    xaviercal Customizer/ Store Owner

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2009
    Posts:
    1,585
    Trophy Points:
    257
    Location:
    California
    Likes:
    +744
    nicely done. very clean modifications
     
  14. CodeXCDM

    CodeXCDM Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2011
    Posts:
    8,232
    News Credits:
    5
    Trophy Points:
    287
    Likes:
    +2,601
    Ebay:
    See... this is why I thought it was an overpriced KO reshell... there's been a few mods done for a while now to reduce the kibble... which they could've retooled into their offering... but nope, just make the bits removable. blech.

    Gotta say though, partforming or not, the mods you did work out real well. The backpack rotating gives him much better proportions... as well as offering space to store his doors.

    Only way to perfect it would be to remove partsforming altogether. But still awesome. Nicely done.
     
  15. Alucard77

    Alucard77 Kaon Gladiator Champion

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2010
    Posts:
    19,078
    News Credits:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    337
    Likes:
    +2,564
    Damn, you do it again. Is there anything you cannot do. Shiiiiiiiitttttt.........

    Looks great! I was taking pics of MP Red Alert today, and I kept thinking, "HasTak should have just used OTL's design!" Now you go and do this!
     
  16. OptimusTimelord

    OptimusTimelord Masterpiece Reanimator

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2011
    Posts:
    6,557
    Trophy Points:
    297
    Likes:
    +17,384
    Twitter:
    YouTube (Legacy):
    Thank you folks. I wish the makers had put some extra thought into this instead of just going for a straight reshell of Classics BB. It could really have been a lot better...
     
  17. OptimusTimelord

    OptimusTimelord Masterpiece Reanimator

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2011
    Posts:
    6,557
    Trophy Points:
    297
    Likes:
    +17,384
    Twitter:
    YouTube (Legacy):
    Thanks, mostly kept to interior so 'invisible' when you look at him. I didn't even need to do any painting on this (even though I've got the first version with not-quite-matched paint, so it would've been of benefit!)
    Absolutely. I think there's still a definitive G1 Bumblebee to be made. As I alluded to in the description, it's certainly possible to do the doors around the feet and the hood folding under the chest, but I chose not to... Maybe somebody else will :) 
    Ha ha cheers dude, I just got MP Alert today in the post. Wish they'd made more effort to differentiate him from Swipe, but still a great figure.
     
  18. Skywarp181

    Skywarp181 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2006
    Posts:
    1,931
    News Credits:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    267
    Likes:
    +115
    Ebay:
    Dang I want to do this mod! Can we see some detail pics of where the doors are attached?
     
  19. ambitron

    ambitron Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 24, 2011
    Posts:
    5,127
    News Credits:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    287
    Likes:
    +8,858
    This looks fantastic! (Funnily enough, I was wondering only the other day when you'd be posting the mods you mentioned you were thinking of making a while back in the AF BB thread.)

    Would you be at all willing to post a couple of extra detail shots of the new hinge you've made, and how it's attached? I'd love to have a go at that backpack mod myself, as I ended up with two of these. Either way, looks great!
     
  20. OptimusTimelord

    OptimusTimelord Masterpiece Reanimator

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2011
    Posts:
    6,557
    Trophy Points:
    297
    Likes:
    +17,384
    Twitter:
    YouTube (Legacy):
    The doors are not actually fixed to anything, but slide in comfortably between the central section and the rear wheels, resting on those little molded protrusions just above the hips and pressing against the rear end of the car. They might not have done this quite so easily if I hadn't previously taken off the unsightly square wing mirrors (I'd rather have none at all than those huge things!).
     
    • Like Like x 1