Masterpiece Jazz: How I Build - by Jarrod

(Here are Jarrod's original threads for this piece; feel free to stop by and leave a comment, etc.:

MP/ Alt G1 Jazz WIP

1/24 Masterpiece Jazz, finished!

Thanks again to Jarrod for providing all he's done here as well as how well he's contributed to Radicons Customs over the years! ~Superquad7)





Jazz was created using the torso, arms and head from Alternator Jazz, Taimya's 1/24 Martini Porsche 935 Turbo kit, and Bandai's MG RX-78-3 G3 Gundam Ver 2.0 kit for most of the legs, the skirt, hands and gun, and whole and a lot of styrene!

Jazz was painted using Tamiya Pure White spray, Model Master Semi-Gloss Black, Krylon Silver, and a dark gunmetal mix of my own for knee joints and vents. Additional, small details were done in Tamiya Silver and Clear Red, Blue and Yellow. The chrome accents were done using Bare-Metal Foil, and the decals were all provided with the kit.


[First step] is about 10 hrs [of work] now, and just barely scratched the surface. The plan is to have as near perfect a replica of Jazz's G1 self as possible, updated to Alternator/MP level.




The front end is fully attached, as is the roof/windshield. The doors are coming along, still need the excess styrene trimmed. The rear half of the car is just sitting there; that's going to be the biggest challenge.




Don't mind the Gundam feet, they're there just so Jazz can stand for now . . . and the skinny legs will be built up later. I plan to build a articulated "skirt" like MP Primes as well.

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[Here, I've] trimmed the doors, and added new hands. I also added a balljoint to the upper part of the elbow joint to mimic a bicep swivel:






Next, gotta do something with the very large hood piece that sticks up behind Jazz's head . . . and then it's onto the legs.

Thanks! I'll actually be using the rims and tires that come with the kit; they're the proper ones as well. These are rims I'll be using, the ones that belong to the 935:




Thanks, it's actually a modification I did to my Alt Streak years ago when he was first released.


I guess I could, but he's pretty much exactly the same size as regular Alt. Jazz, the Porshe is nearly identical in size to the RX-8.

Well, I still plan to mod the head too, trying to get it more G1 like, so I gotta redo the "horns" and change the side of the head abit. He'll have a G1 accurate gun and missle launcher when he's finished. And yep, the fingers independantly move at the first two knuckles each, and the thumb is on a single ball joint.

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[Here is the] work on the legs and feet, [and there's] lots of scratchbuiling here! I started by putting in a polycap that swivels side to side; this will give Jazz some side to side ankle articulation. The polycap will also serve as the transformation joint for his foot:




[The] next step is [to] starting to build up the lower leg, and building a frame to attach the car shell to:




I hope to have part of the rear car shell attached tomorrow.

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The car shell [has been] attached to the transformation frame of the foot. You can also see I've hinged the hood panel above his head to fold down:




Both rear halves attached. Ugh . . . gotta fix that gap between the door and rear end:






Thanks, its Alt Jazz/Meister actually. The arms transform quite differently, and it was the separate support hinges for the arms that led me to choose this body over the Subaru.

It's the MG RX-78-2 Gundam Ver 2.0 (or the G3 Gundam, same kit, different colors).

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I decided when I started this project that the rear windows weren't just going to flip open and lay on the backs of his legs. First off, they look kinda dorky, and second, they're huge. They'd stick up to his mid-thigh, and totally restrict his knee articulation. So, I figured they'd slide or rotate into the feet somehow.

So, I cut a groove into wall I'd built, added a peg to the window:




. . . . and now the rear window panel slides down into the foot for robot mode!




And [here are] both rear panels attached. Onto the feet/shins next, then i think thats it for the integral engineering - mostly cosmetic additions after that:

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[Here,] I realized that I'd have to add the waist skirt before I start on the feet. I need[ed] to know how much free space I have to work with. This is just the functional base, [as the] details will be added later. I haven't come up with a good selection for the rear part of the skirt yet . . . as it is, there's no room in vehicle mode for it. I may end up just gluing a panel onto the back hip:




I also realized I've never taken shot of him from the rear, so here ya go:





And proper rims and tires attached. Unfortunately, I had to set the rear wheels lower than they're supposed to be. As it is, clearence is in the millimeters. Some sacrifices must be made for the perfect robot mode I guess:




Well, I'm at the point I was most apprehensive about - the shins and feet. I protoyped a working model I guess; the size is right, the foot has some side to side movement, and the shape is right.

Problem is, the whole leg has to pass right though that spot for transformation, so it has to hinge out of the way. The bigger challenge, however, is getting it to fit into vehicle mode. That whole shin and foot piece is going to have to fold in half, and raise up about a centimeter, and kinda fill in a space behind the seats.

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Yep, I promise when its done, theyll looks just like Jazz's waist.

After a few unsuccessful attempts, I've got a working shin and foot! Here it is crammed in vehicle mode. Damn, that Porsche really does have such a small rear end!






. . . . and here's the transformation. Start by unfolding the legs:




Then open the panel and swing the leg through, then swing panel closed:




Finally, flip the foot down.




And done! I've got to sand the inside of the foot some to allow better clearance in vehicle mode still, and make a peg to hold the foot to the shin in robot mode:






Phew! After this, it seems like it should be a breeze. It's basically just filling in panels and added surface details . . . I think!


Yeah, the rear windows will still fit, the window panel can still rise up about 1 mm or so; its just resting on the leg at the moment.


Yep, they are. I use styrene tube, with brass wire as the pin, made by the same company that also makes styrene.

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Both feet attached. Jazz can now stand freely on his own, but I still plan on building in some kind of heel for added stability.




I'm really trying to push it on this one. I didn't want to just copy the G1 or Alt transformation. Plus, I wanted to add in a bit of his animated appearance.

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Man, the closer I get to finishing this thing, the more I want to work on it!

I added pegs to the legs/rear of the car to hold it together, then paneled up that section. The rear of the car how holds snugly together:




Here's an underside shot, too. You can see the waist sections splayed out, and if you look reeeeaaallly close, you can see what will become the heels:




And speaking of, here they are in their origami goodness. I designed them really just from a functional standpoint, they're not supposed to look fantastic, just provide stability, and fold up into the already limited space available:




He now stands very solidly! I started adding some details to the right leg, some line scribing, extra paneling, etc.:




And a shot to show off the articulation. There's a few extra thumbnails below too.

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[Here, I'm] working from the bottom up adding details. Both legs now have the same details added; check out sticker-like the detail in the upper shins. [I worked] on the waist, too, - got the shape a bit better, and added lots of detail there, too:




Here's a closeup of the new stuff:




And, just when I thought I wouldn't be able to fit them anywhere, I had an idea, and was able to fit in some flip out speakers in his waist. They're kinda small, but they're there!

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