Update 4 (21 AUG 2011)

Paint and eye LED MOD

1. On this post, I will discuss the paiting and some last minute eye LED MOD.
First, I've taken IH apart and applied surfacer.



2. Here is technique I used for this project. Essentially, it is same as how real cars get painted in the shop (I actually got the idea watching my buddy painting his truck in the workshop).
a. Apply surfacer (it is like putting primer...no big deal so far).


b. Apply metal under coat (I used Mr. Metal Color: Chrome Silver). This gets covered up almost complately by next step.



c. Next, I've applied highly diluted super flat black coat (I used Mr. Color: Super Flat Black in 1 paint part per 4 thinner part ratio). The trick is almost completely cover the metal under coat and leave just enough to have th metal part show. As you can see from the picture below, you can barely see the metal under coats.


d. Finally, add detail paiting by dry brushing and chipping (since there really are metal under coats on the figure, you can carefully chip away the black layer to reveal the metal parts).





3. Here is a detail shot of IH's face after spending an hour (including dry time between layers) of paiting.



4. Here I faced a dilemma. On one hand, I absolutely loved how his face and eyes turned out. On the other hand, I hated the idea that his eyes will only blink short period time. So.... I installed another switch to keep his eyes to turn at my will. See below pictures for reference. Basically I've added addtional wires from his battary box to his LED. You can see the new switch (marked by red circle). I've drilled the battary box so all the wires goes inside of his body. I also want to note that all original sound and light gimmcks still work.





5. Here is IH before final assembly. It looks like when Sentinal Prime F#@! him up in the movie LOL.


6. I've added several coats of "Top Coat: Gloss" to seal the paints and polished using compound. I'll end with just few shots today. I'll add some more shots later. I just need some beer now to celebrate this beast!!!!




Thanks for reading

Zebu.

 

wow dude, that looks killer, GREAT WORK MAN!! I ordered a set of those hands for mine, so those SHOULD be here sometime soon, and I'll get to work on mine.

 

Good luck to ya,

Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions  

 

wat stores r G-system sets like your custom hands available

 

Beautiful beast, where do you purchase those switches, I can't seem to find them. and thanks for he how to for us neophytes

 

I think you are asking where I got the hands?

Here is the link on e-bay
G System - 1/60 or 1/72 Injection Made Full-Action Hand | eBay

Thanks, these switches are everywhere. I got mine off of an old electronic toy (one of those cheap toys with 'try me' switches on the back) that I got from yard sale.

Or you can get all kinds of switches from e-bay. For my next project I'm going to use micro switch. Here is example type I got from e-bay.
5pcs mmx8mm Push Lock Tactile Power Micro E-Switch,8MM | eBay

Good luck and feel free to ask more questions~

 

oh my.

awesome.

 

looks lovely! and i cant stop looking at the chain base! both are just straight from the movie.

if you cant make me a chain base like that im afraid im gonna have to make my own  

great job

 

fantastic job all the way around on this guy... I would have preferred more black on the legs...but then again, you painted what you wanted....

Getting those hands to work(as I have the same set for my own personal Ironhide) is great dude...

 

You're too kind my friend~

It wasn't too bad. The hardest part was getting these chainbases for reasonable price. After that, just go crazy on it buddy. It's a hangar, it suppose to be messy with constant upgrade and installation. If you have any specific questions or just want to bounce ideas, feel free to PM me.

Thank you for the compliment. Yes, these hands are just perfect!. I'm making another one for me (It will rightfully be called Ironhide MK II) once I sell the current one to offset the materials  

 

For some reason I cannot add anymore images to this post.

Those of you who have been asking for more final photos (clean background without hangar), Here is link to my Flickr account for more final studio pictures. Enjoy  
Flickr: godzebu2002's Photostream

Thanks  

Zebu

 

ok, just a quick question, as I just started working on my V1, so I am wondering how exactly you did the "4X4" decals for the alt mode??

 

I've masked the decal. YES it was pain in the arse  .
I've cut the masking tape between 0.5 to 1mm in width and masked the numbers.

Good luck!

 

After these photos I want to run to the nearest store for paint and brushes 
It is tremendous work!!! I think real Ironhide would have appreciated it!  

 

awesome mods dude. thanks for the tutorial. i always appreciate these man.