We have a CBT arm

So I've got the CBT arm together. I've just put a primer coat on it to pick out any faults

It's not quite finished yet it needs cleaning up in places but all the details are there. (Ignore the white pin the real one sits flush in a recess but once its in its a devil to get out)

 Above you can see I drew heavily on the Mechwarrior Online hunchback for arm design inspiration.


The arm its self will be cast in 4 parts;

• Bicep
• Forearm
• Hand
• Under forearm laser

I'm still doing the math on what the HBK will retail at. I need to weigh the model to see how much resin it uses then work out what the materials has cost me. I do have a spread sheet for that but its finding the time and tbh I'm focused on finishing the CBT set.

If you like to register interest in a hunchback then let me know at:

MW4 HBK - Reactor Online

78 days ago I started it and today marked the day the HBK was fully cast - yay go me

Here she is as she came out of the mould with minimal clean up.

(Click to enlarge)

 

(Click to enlarge)

As you can see lots of crisp detail the legs can be posed to give a natural stance. There is articulation in torso/hip, shoulders and elbows.

Pricing will come later this week once I sit down and work out how much everything's cost me. I'll probably offer 5 at first then more at a later date (so i have time to paint one myself)

The CBT/MWO parts are almost there as you can see from today's progress.

I think it needs something on the rear probably a pipe of some sort. Just waiting on the putty to cure so i dont risk smudging it.

Other photos from today;

(Inside of the mould)

(Master stood next to the mould)

Some picutres from today

I realised it been a while since i post pictures (a common sin among build blogs) so here we go.

Torso has been pored. this morning should be able to de-mould tomorrow. Below you can see it waiting to gobble up a kg of silicone.

I also cracked on with the cbt parts all the main bits have been made and waiting on the putty to set. Then they need some details.

Just one area giving me trouble there's a gap between the arm the torso. It needs a round piece I've tried a few but they don't seem to work out... not to worry i have a few ideas

Quick update

So I'm officially back to the point i was at week ago when my silicone went wobby yay me.

The new Catalyst is working as it should and i have the forearm moulds made and i have the Torso in a mould box waiting to be pored.

By mid week I should be able to cast a complete MW4 HBK . I can then focus on finishing the cbt styled parts (there isn't much to do)

Feeling much better

Feeling much better today. I was getting some casting done and giving the garage a clean.

While tiding up the garage i was musing on my casting methodology. And I decided to make some changes. Here's my ramblings on the subject;

• First is bigger pour spouts. It means more cleaning up for you and there will have to be a blank area to attach it. The up side is a quicker more reliable pour which means everything can be pressurized sooner for better casts. I'll try to mould in a weak spot in the pour spout so it break clean and doesn't chip the part.
• No more dye. Its unreliable. If not mixed properly blobs of dye gather on the part and ruin it. Too much and it effects the cure of the resin. So your stuck with beige but that's only a aesthetic 1 coat of primer and you'll be good and there will be alot less waste.
• Lastly new rule is for myself not mixing anything more than 250g at a time. I don't know what it is but I can't resist trying to cast everything in one go. Problem being i have 5mins to mix, pour 8 moulds and get it in the pot a pressurized  that's about 30second to pour a part which tbh it's asking for trouble and results in lot of wasted resin. Now its going to be 3 moulds or 250g max. Ironically it'll take the same amount of time to cast because resin only take about 15mins to go from liquid to solid, I can then take it out of the pressure pot and set them aside to cure while i do the rest of the mould. So 4x15mins vs 2x30mins

Anyway forgive my ramblings I thought I share with you some of floats around in the space between my ears.

*Looks over at the hunchback need to get back to work!

Oh dear - Unfortuante halloween related post.

My house is now under lock down

 

My little boy has brought home horrendous batch of flu from nursery. Which has taken the whole family out. And this is the second lot of flu he given me in as many weeks. The house is feeling like the walking dead atm  (...mmmMMbrains). I just couldn't get anything done at all because of the fever grr :/

Any way enough moaning. I'm hoping to be back my feet soon. I received a replacement for the faulty silicone I was sent. I'll be getting on with new moulds excited to see the home stretch on the HBK mk2.

Silicone issue

Seems like all of the last batch of silicone i ordered is bad. Going to call on Monday to have all of it replaced (hopefully with out too much trouble) before the and of next week.

Set backs like this are frustrating because they waste time in this case probably 2weeks by the time I get the replacement in. However in the mean time I'll get to work on the torso and the cbt arms. I'm keen to see both version of the HBK painted and on to the next mech!

Any way this is how the forearms came out. The detail was spot on but the resin stayed tacky. I'm guessing because of the moulds catalyst interfering with the cure process. 

 Here's a tip to deal with resin parts that are tacky. Soak them over night in some none solvent degreaser (such as simple green of you dont have that washing up liquid is ok) to remove the tackiness (just test it out with a pour stub first). I left these in degreaser over night which seems to have removed the tacky spots (but still I'll have to take a new moulds).

Odd things going on with my silicone

Odd things going on with my silicone(RTV). I was making mould for the lower arms today and its seem the silicone catalyst is bad. The RTV set way to fast which might mean i have to bin the moulds >:|

I'll see tomorrow if they make good casts if not then I'll try a new bottle of catalyst and make new moulds..

Not finished till they're painted! - Good Job Blaar

I have news from a South African stationed Highlander!

This one is Blaar's. The same Blaar who gracefully allowed me to use his paper plans as a starting point for my creations. Its been finished in red (one of my fav colours for models)

Great paint Job. Anyone else got a hankering for red mechs I know I do!

Its my opinion a models not finished till it's PAINTED! So if any of you wanted to send me pictures of how you've painted mechs I'd love to feature them on my blog.

Vote for tims next mech to be cast!

Tim from 'Battlemech Club' is asking what mech he should cast next. I have to say I'm voting for the Novacat. It was a popular mech in MW4 because of its laserboatyness which won it fans and haters in equal numbers.

That aside I think its one of the best penned mechs in B'tech art small head located on the top, weapons tucked under the shoulder, the dog legged design would make it run faster then humanoid and god help us if it comes to MWO with all its lasers in its arms EEK!

Check out Tims post

All the main parts are there

So I have all the main parts together and sitting on my desk is a 96% finished MW4 Hunchback.

I did take a few snaps on my phone but.... I'm not going to post them. "Why??!" I hear through gritted teeth. Well its not looking its best, a little messy in places (pen marks, filler) missing finishing details.

I'd rather show you the whole thing once its been cleaned up and finished. Then take some well lit focused photos to show my hours of work in the best possible light.

The forearms will probably take me a week to finish because its putty work and rushing putty always ends in tears before bedtime. I want to add laser lens to the barrel ends beef up the joint and add a few accent details all if which has to be done 2x because some one (looks in the mirror) forget to do those before casting the blanks :-|

-Update- I feel bad for not sharing a picture it was nice an sunny today so here's a peak. Just remember its not finished yet the arms need work (that's why you can see red pen marks)

I've been procrastinating (Dont you judge me :P)

Not much has been done on the HBK mk2 in the last few days. I've been procrastinating, cleaning up my office and had a cold. I just been tidying up the bands on the arms and torso I'm waiting on them to cure so i can sand the putty flush and fill any low points.

Shakey phone cam pic

So like i said not much in the way of progress.  The forearms have already been finished as have the joints I just need to put them all together in a way that still allows me to cast them. I think it will have to be in 4 pieces (forearm, pin, rod end, bicep). I wanted it to be made in just 2 i.e. a clip in joint but I don't think it could of been a strong enough union.

While the HBK might have slowed. I have been working on future project planning mainly making sure my scales are bang on.

Sneaky Sunday update: putty sanded in and arm joint in place (with a temporary pin).

A little show and tell on the CBT arm

I thought I'd show you where i was going with the CBT arm.

The yellow pieces are parts yet to be made. I need to add a shoulder joint too and a barrel to the under arm pod.

I probably detail the for arm more but the yellow parts need to be made first so i know it'll all fit together.

Clan colour scheme

New idea for the clan colour scheme. Taken from the reskin threat at MWO.

I think this would suit the Jade falcons and pay some homage to the strikers cartoon? Maybe a touch more purple.

Like this (excuse the sloppy p'shop)

Legs cast - arms next

Here we have a set of cast legs which have been glued.

The ball sockets have worked exceptionally well. They allow the legs to articulate slightly to give a natural stance while the feet stay 100% to the ground make for a very well balanced model. If you're a skilled modeler you could probably reshape the knees to put the legs in a walking pose. Ball joints will def be added to all future models!

My next on the todo list is the MW4 style arms you can see I've started work on a resin copy of bicep I've cut a rough grove which I'll fill with putty and make a nice soft loop in. I need to make some pins for the arm joints and we can see them cast and assembled.

Then I'll start in on the CT. the rib grooves need finishing and various odds just need a bit more attention.Then we should have a complete MW4 hunchback.

The CBT conversion isn't too far behind either. The head is finished. The fore arm is getting there I need to make the under slung laser and finish the joint surround. The bicep it more or less done it needs joints fitted to either end.

I'm going to make myself an IIC variant. I'm happy to take a mould of it but it'll be a min pre-order thing.