HC Toys Iron Man MKVI KO Rebuild For Walking Gantry.The Photo Shoot Setup Trials & Tribulations..

Peaches wrote:Wow, you make me shiver in my boots with my own project.  It will look so amateurish!  I'm in awe!

Don’t get discouraged, Peaches. Everyone has to start somewhere. ShovelChop has been at this for quite some time, and he’s a maestro at thinking outside the box. I’m sure your project will turn out cool.

Peaches wrote:Wow, you make me shiver in my boots with my own project.  It will look so amateurish!  I'm in awe!

Don't doubt your abilities, everyone's their own worst critic! Yes experience and techniques go a long way to improving custom work but that can all be learnt over time, there's no rush, enjoy learning something new everyday, I still do! I also get frustrated at times, it's only natural, just take a break and do something else for a bit and come back with fresh eyes. 'Keep The Faith' as Bon Jovi say LOL.

Stryker2011 wrote:

Peaches wrote:Wow, you make me shiver in my boots with my own project.  It will look so amateurish!  I'm in awe!

Don’t get discouraged, Peaches. Everyone has to start somewhere. ShovelChop has been at this for quite some time, and he’s a maestro at thinking outside the box. I’m sure your project will turn out cool.

Exactly, share your work with pride and pick up any tips while you're at it if you feel you need them. Cheers Mark! Then I use the box to make something...

The lighting you've added really does take it to another level, I'm loving it!

skywalkersaga wrote:The lighting you've added really does take it to another level, I'm loving it!

Thank you SWS!

Got the last bit of EL-Wire to install then make a splitter. I finally got around to painting the mechanical arms but now have to work out how to attach them best, probably magnets like the original ones. I built my first Master Grade Gundam figure (the other was Perfect Grade), it's amazing how small they turn out when compared to their boxes which come jam packed with runners of parts, just a lot of engineering in one little figure.

Very cool, Alex. You must be getting close to the finish line on the gantry. Seeing this baby in action is going to be sweet.

Stryker2011 wrote:Very cool, Alex. You must be getting close to the finish line on the gantry. Seeing this baby in action is going to be sweet.

Well it won't spin or actually take his armour off!

Those arms look perfect!

GubernatorFan wrote:Those arms look perfect!

Thanks GF! The paint match and the screws help offset most of the design differences I hope.

Nothing exciting but needed to be done, mounted the shoulder armour in a way similar to HT's version (rather than the KO's lazy effort of just plugging it into torso armour too far forward and not able to articulate) but without the fancy hinges and springs to do it. I just drilled carefully and applied SG very carefully so not to muck up his shoulder articulation, seems to work well. I also applied nail varnish to all his fingers and arm joints to tighten them up, then painted some on his mechanical chest parts for a glossier finish.

Looking good, my friend. So, when you finish the gantry are you going to do sequential photos of the arms taking off bits of his armour! ‘cause that would be epic.

Stryker2011 wrote:Looking good, my friend. So, when you finish the gantry are you going to do sequential photos of the arms taking off bits of his armour! ‘cause that would be epic.

I'll give it a go! I was thinking of calling it (the finished pics thread) 'Date Night' as JARVIS is reminding him in the movie clip that Pepper is expecting him, thought her turning late as Rescue would be an amusing twist.

Nicely done. And I see what you guys meant about the film's CGI making the robo-hands (or whatever they really are) look too thin; this looks more plausible.

GubernatorFan wrote:Nicely done. And I see what you guys meant about the film's CGI making the robo-hands (or whatever they really are) look too thin; this looks more plausible.

You lost me there a bit GF, I haven't changed any parts, must be the camera angle/lighting? I'm still bugged by that unarmoured arm's 'puffiness' and will probably redo it super tight using a stronger mesh as this type is prone to shredding.

Redone the left arm to make it thinner. I was going to use some black shrink tube but couldn't find any the right size so painted the arm instead, the mesh I needed to use was the wrong colour but everything else was right so I painted that too. I sewed the mesh on tight, trimmed it, took it off and put it back on with the seam edges on the inside. Then reattached the wires and armour bits with the bands trimmed down for the now slenderer arm. Looks the part now, glad I redid it, I still need to make a ball for the socket inside the torso to attach it properly though.

OOh, the new arm looks GREAT, well done!

skywalkersaga wrote:OOh, the new arm looks GREAT, well done!

THANKS!

Turned out great. Nice job on the arm and mesh.

I wasn't complaining about it before, but this is certainly even better!

Stryker2011 wrote:Turned out great. Nice job on the arm and mesh.

Thank you Stryker!

GubernatorFan wrote:I wasn't complaining about it before, but this is certainly even better!

I was constantly! LOL It's taking the time with little things like this that bug you then work out the way you want it that make attempting it worthwhile to me.

I'm on the scrounge for magnets now as I'm skint since I just preordered the HT IM MKL (50) figure, only paid a deposit too! Well I'll be taking by bag full of mini speakers apart in hope of finding some usable ones for the arms of the Gantry.

Did what I said above, seemed to have worked out fine and is free. I finally found the elusive connector to finish making the splitter wire for the EL-Wire. Cut the base plate to make trap doors for arms to come out from/go back in etc.. needs filing and black paint along with the steps.

I think your desk lamp has been possessed by robotic technology!

Really inventive stuff, Alex. I’m constantly impressed by your ingenuity.

GubernatorFan wrote:I think your desk lamp has been possessed by robotic technology!

LOL! I blame Doctor Smith's magnetic spiders (they are there, from the 'Lost In Space' movie toy).

Stryker2011 wrote:Really inventive stuff, Alex. I’m constantly impressed by your ingenuity.

Cheers! You just need to know where to look, the idea came to me as I was nodding off I think, that's normally when I get eureka moments!

The first batch of pics are just to show you why I needed more ferrous anchor points for the gantry arms, the existing positions are all too low to be used by themselves. I made more by using some thin sheet steel that I had cut off a guitar rack to make one of my gun racks, then after some filing and bending super glued them in place. I've now got clear nail varnish drying on the original arms I converted to be articulated as they were a bit loose due to the heavy resin they are made from. All the arms are interchangeable of course due to the magnet system.











MASKING EL-WIRE FOR PAINT LATER

Oh yes, very definitely an improvement!

Impressive. Complex looking work.

Oh, wow! I have to admit, when you mentioned the robotic arms you were attaching, I had no idea what you were talking about. It's been absolutely YEARS since I saw the first Iron Man films, and I only saw one Avengers movie way back when it first came out. So I really couldn't picture what you meant. But now I get it -- and it looks excellent!

GubernatorFan wrote:Oh yes, very definitely an improvement!

Stryker2011 wrote:Impressive. Complex looking work.

skywalkersaga wrote:Oh, wow! I have to admit, when you mentioned the robotic arms you were attaching, I had no idea what you were talking about. It's been absolutely YEARS since I saw the first Iron Man films, and I only saw one Avengers movie way back when it first came out. So I really couldn't picture what you meant. But now I get it -- and it looks excellent!

Thanks guys!! SWS: yeah it's kind of like a roiling sea of arms and annular armatures that convolute and spin around him as he walks, taking off bits of armour and storing it under the retracting floor as he strides down the landing platform on STARK Tower whilst talking to JARVIS as he goes.

I've now attached his left arm and hand properly also cut up and dremelled the armoured arm turning it into separate pieces to be held by the many arms which will hold his helmet parts and chest plate too;now I just need to work out how to do all that!

You should set all this at one end of a scene, and at the other you should put Dr Strange grooming himself with all of his extra hands and arms.

That looks brilliant!

Sorry if I've been a bit AWOL of late. I've been playing around with the driving game Assetto Corsa and all the modding you can do with it. So much fun and frustration in equal measure.

CHEERS!