3D Artwork: Fakebusker's Shapeways thread - October 2012 Creative Spotlight

Discussion in 'Transformers Fan Art' started by fakebusker83, Mar 21, 2011.

  1. daimchoc

    daimchoc Well-Known Member

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    Just note that when items become "bigger," they tend to cost more.
     
  2. Geminii

    Geminii Toyetic multiformophile

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    Not a picture, but it could work along these lines:

    Start with a simple sphere for the wrecking ball. Textured and with some greeblies, if you like. Split it four ways to form the four-fingered claw.

    Each claw base is mounted on a ball joint, for simplicity and articulation, and they all plug into a small base - just a block of plastic barely large enough to do the job.

    One of the claw fingers has a slot running down the center of its outside. This slot hosts a sliding tongue of plastic which sticks up above the slot and then makes a sharp right turn towards the "top" of the slot (towards the base), then doglegs back 90 degrees again and turns into a mount protruding directly outwards from the center of the sphere.

    The whole thing is dimensioned so that when the tongue is slid to the top of the groove, the dogleg fits neatly over the base and the visual impression is that the mount connects to the base and on to the claw/sphere.

    Now, the reason for the groove is thus: Sliding the tongue to its _other_ end (closest to the claw tip) allows the two claw-fingers to each side to rotate out of the way, and the opposing claw-finger to assume a position which makes it look like a hook. The balljointing allows some posing and imitation of different kinds of hooks, which gives a bit of play value.

    OK, that's ball, claw, and hook.

    Back to the mount. There's a 90-degree joint just above the connection to the tongue, allowing the ball/claw to swing back and forth for poses. The other end, the one furthest from the claw, becomes a plain block of plastic with a hole drilled through it, and then continues on to become a jackhammer tip. The hole fits securely over a peg which connects the tip of two long, thin rectangular panels, actually the sides of the crane boom. (Or you could have a single peg like Energon Bulkhead's wrist transformation. The effect is identical.)

    When the grab/ball/hook is deployed, the jackhammer is swung inside the boom. When the jackhammer is deployed, the mount swings inside the boom, and the mount joint is pushed 90 degrees so the ball, claw, or other positioned fingers stick out of the side of the boom (they're too big to fit inside), but well back from the business end.

    If you wanted to get fancy, you could even split the ball into six fingers instead of three, and rotate three up and away for the claw mode, giving a three-fingered grab like Omega Supreme's hand (or a two-fingered pincher, or a four-fingered caryard grab, or...)

    The six-fingered version would require the following parts:

    6x fingers / sphere segments, with ball joints;
    1x extra piece as one of the fingers will have to be created in two pieces due to the tongue-in-groove assembly and then snapped together;
    1x base unit to join all the fingers together;
    1x tongue with groove connector, dogleg, and half of the mount joint;
    1x mount/jackhammer; and
    probably 2 pieces for the boom, depending on how creative you wanted to get.
    12 total.
     
  3. daimchoc

    daimchoc Well-Known Member

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    You might want to do some doodles of that. Interesting read. :thumbs2: 
     
  4. wingsaber86

    wingsaber86 Well-Known Member

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    interesting indeed. can you upload a rough picture? even hand made would be great! ;) 
     
  5. Geminii

    Geminii Toyetic multiformophile

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    OK, let me slap something together.

    Here's the wrecking ball with the mount in dark orange:
    [​IMG]
    The dark stripe is not a shadow; it's where the slot would go if I could be bothered to take the time to model it accurately instead of just slapping some digital paint on it. The mount slides along this slot, which means the ball effectively rotates in place.

    Here's a closeup of the base unit:
    [​IMG]
    Note that the base unit is NOT attached to the mount piece, although it looks like it is from most angles. You could even have the two pieces actually touching, making the base unit 'click' into place under the mount for extra stability.

    The balljoints allow the segments of the wrecking ball to do this:
    [​IMG]
    - thus turning them into a three-fingered grab. Each finger is independently balljointed, so they can be positioned in many ways. The light grey pole at the top is just for illustrative purposes, showing where the crane boom would come in.

    Finally, by sliding the mount piece along the slot (pretend there's one there), and swiveling out one finger, we get the hook configuration:
    [​IMG]

    As you can imagine, there are also heaps of other configurations for the fingers - spread wide to form a satellite dish receiver, two deployed and four held back to make a pincer, reversed to form an umbrella shield, etc.

    I didn't model the jackhammer component here because it's not really part of the transformation of the wrecking ball. Basically, everything you see here would all swing back and lie alongside the crane boom while the jackhammer swung around and into place to replace it.

    (Although if you wanted to get fancy, you could have the jackhammer deploy down through the center of the base piece, and you'd put the fingers in umbrella mode to get them out of the way (and shield from jackhammer debris). This would also let the jackhammer and one of the fingers form a vise tool or arc welder.)

    Anyway, you get the basic idea.
     
  6. Geminii

    Geminii Toyetic multiformophile

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    Now I look at it, the sliding slot mechanism isn't technically necessary to make a hook mode - just swing five of the six fingers up into a loose ball and the remaining one's a hook. However, the ability to tilt the central axis of the finger-group away from the boom adds play value, and allows the ball above the hook to be tighter. Could simply have added an extra joint above the mount piece for much the same effect, though. Oh well.
     
  7. f-primusunicron

    f-primusunicron i just wanna be loved

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    hey how about (again) a right hand for human alliance bumblebee (that plugs in the misile launcher(with the cannon folded)
    and a left hand for human alliance barricade
    XP
     
  8. daimchoc

    daimchoc Well-Known Member

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    @FB: What are releases are we expecting from you soon aside from the fixes that you'll be making for the sentinel evil hands?

    *free bump* :eek: 
     
  9. fakebusker83

    fakebusker83 Radicon

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    Well...there are a lot of projects in development, but nothing is substantial enough for me to comfortably show.

    However, I do have an awesome design I'm waiting the sample for which I know everyone will LOVE. Too bad it's a commission so I'll leave it to the commissioner to reveal it. He has dibs.

    The sample is supposed to arrive today though, so I expect it to come next week because of the delay.

    Anything specific you are looking forward to?
     
  10. daimchoc

    daimchoc Well-Known Member

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    Well, I'd like to get some hands for Leader Ironhide if at all possible. :bowdown: 
     
  11. Raiju

    Raiju Navel Shocker Veteran

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    Hello again, fakebusker! Sorry for the long overdue response; work has been shwacking me pretty good lately and making preps to get married soon certainly doesn't help either. XD

    Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely keep it in mind. I did end up getting a very basic airbrush, a cheapo $22 Testors starter (camo stencil) set that uses cans of aerosol and special screw-on caps for small acrylic/enamel paint jars to attach to the airbrush itself. It's not the most controlled or accurate set up but the price was right.

    You asked for WIP photos of my MP Starscream; they're at the bottom of this page: http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/trans...-fwi-1-leader-starscream-add-hand-pics-6.html

    I think he's coming along well! Already started adding a bit of paint on his face (the lines across his eyes, and adding better gold accents to his "nose" and mouth next). Along with the airbrush and Dremel, I think I'm ready for those Shapeway SS hands soon! Obviously, I'm taking my time with him but it's fun learning and adding parts along the way!

    I might try to track down a cheap HFTD Leader Starscream on clearance at a Ross or TJ Maxx somewhere in the future and try my hand at a complete repaint of it, complete with the new hands too!

    Those came out great and look much better and in scale than his default mech tech sword things! Can only imagine what a little paint TLC will do to make them really pop on the figure! The size and engineering look spot on too, though I wonder, how do they look transformed as jet booster parts on Deluxe Screamer? What Shapeways quality are these in the photos? White, strong, flexible material?

    I happened to procure a second custom-painted DOTM Deluxe Starscream; the first was with a darker gray/black color scheme much like in the last two movies (sans the tattoos; his jet mode looks realistic) and the second a brighter silver/steel color scheme that mirrors his original TFTM look.

    I really do dig the mold and definitely plan to pick up at least two sets of the DX DOTM Screamer weapon sets and paint them up accordingly.

    Thanks for sharing!

    PS - Shapesways sword blades for Sidearm Sideswipe would be pretty cool, and I dig the wrecking ball claw design for Grapple! Makes me want to get those two figures now!
     
  12. daimchoc

    daimchoc Well-Known Member

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    @Timesynch: I just saw the link that you provided and I might get a set or two of the screamer engine set. The weapons for the DOTM screamer are just the default quality (W&S). The parts work great in jet mode. The only thing is that I think one of the mechtech holes is a bit bigger. Or maybe they'll get fixed once I get them painted. I'll just put some super glue and thicken the insides of the hole if needed. I do have a dremel set, but don't have any airbrush set. I might try that one that you mentioned.
     
  13. CodeXCDM

    CodeXCDM Well-Known Member

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  14. daimchoc

    daimchoc Well-Known Member

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    Ooh... Nice. I hope it's for the Protector set. Though, it's still WIP and was posted back in April.
     
  15. daimchoc

    daimchoc Well-Known Member

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    @FB: I just saw some reviews of the MP Rodimus and it looks like it needs some FB designed hands... :D 
     
  16. Primus_feather

    Primus_feather Well-Known Member

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    Mind taking a stab at making a BFG gun for Gen. Warpath, but heres the kicker can you design it to fit in both his fist folded out in bot mode and when his fists is folded in. This would give him an impressive arm cannon. Just a thought!
     
  17. fakebusker83

    fakebusker83 Radicon

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    Aloha! Quick update guys...I'm just working on a mace that happens to be butterfly shaped...Hence I'm gonna call it the "Butterfly Mace"!!

    [​IMG]

    I'm testing the feasibility of mixing materials to give interesting effects, so I made some parts to be printed in Frosted. There are a TON of thin walls in this thing, so I need to get a sample first. Shapeways might ultimately reject my file, who knows?

    The handle is 5mm thick. Obviously 'some characters' will not be able to use it even though it might look awesome with them holding it. Oh well..another project for another time...
     
  18. THEdeathsHEAD

    THEdeathsHEAD All are dead, yes?

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    WFC megs mace!!! WOO!
     
  19. Gryph

    Gryph Action Master

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    Cool mace. Just so you know, the proper term for that is a flanged mace.
     
  20. Primus_feather

    Primus_feather Well-Known Member

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    nifty mace, although I think it might be cool to have the mace bit be a stylized Con symbol!