I Never Thought I'd Do Something As Shine As That

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Nu Finish worthy

Making a can

My space when I'm busy.

Rust Bucket

Must finish by end of the week!  So far:

I save chunks of dirt, rock and roots.  This is some concrete that sloughed off a building.

Arranged on base.

...adding a highly modded 75mm figure.

Changed my mind about the jet engine.

As of 10 pm last night.  Cheers!

This model is for the Massive Voodoo Mad Max Car Contest, Issue 2.

http://massivevoodoo.blogspot.de/2015/11/mvs-mad-max-car-contest-issue-2.html

Building the PKking Dark Elf Queen Part 2

In part 1 the focus was on getting the core parts of the model cleaned up.  For part 2, I must get the leg and body attached together (so we can properly mount to the base later). Three main goals: 1) Use an attachment method that allows parts to be removed from each other, 2) When parts are together they are positively locked and do not shift position.  3) Listen to Dubstep (Butterfly Crash, Glitch Mob, Two Fingers) while working.

The plan.

PKking's engineering has made it easy for me to put this together with a screw.  First thing is to get the leg attached to body.  Start with the screw you will be using then drill hole to accommodate that specific screw.  Diagram shows the basic logic.

Imagine where screw axis will be.

Here is the actual part, I am holding up a some rod stock so I can visualize the hole.  Its an exercise in seeing if it will work before I start hacking into this thing.

Mark entry point with Sharpie.

Check visibility.

In this case the screw head will be covered by the skirt.  The less filling, grinding and sanding the better.

Use calipers to measure the screw.

I know what you might be saying, "oooh fancy tools, too expensive for me".  Sure you can go crazy and buy a $150 Brown & Sharpe pair of calipers.  (For my day job I did, because I use them all the time).  I just checked, you can get a decent 6" dial caliper on Ebay for $10-$15ish.  Don't get digital, battery will be dead when you need it.  Since I'm in the US, I use the English measurements, the dial is measured out in 100ths of an inch. The 440 screw is around .108 hundredths of an inch.  If I want the threads to bite, I should drill under this, about .099, or a #39 drill bit.

Mark center.

PKking used square rod stock to build up his master.  This allowed him to assemble the parts as he sculpted them and ultimately became the breakdown for casting as well.   Because he has already figured this out, we* will simply go down the road he has already provided.  The road we are on now is this square shaft.

*Note on use of "we".  This is the "Royal We", I.e., you and me, but really means You.  Example: "We should take out the trash".

Get hole started on center.

Using the # 39 drill bit carefully get your hole started on the center of his square shaft.

Like so.

We are just getting it centered.  Once you tag the surface, check it, you will be able to see if your on center or not.

"...stay on target"

Slowly, staying on this imaginary axis, drill all the way through.  As the bit breaks through the surface keep in mind you have just wrecked a one-of-a-kind $110 resin masterpiece.  Yes, I will find where you live and re-position all of your Star Wars action figures or worse blunt a corner on your 9.6 DD #168.  True value is not is not measured in collections of atomic particles.

More drilling.

Time to extend the hole up into the body.  I check using the model and mark the depth with tape.

Lightly tag.

Again, before we wreck this beautiful model any further, using existing hole as a guide, we only want to mark the inner surface.

Check centering.

Looks good, hole is in center.

Crank it.

We are good.  Drill up to the tape.  Now, you will notice the tape is missing, I'm not sure what happened here, but I am going to put the blame squarely on Sticky (my AMS Deamon).

Another diagram.

My pics got messed up a bit, but the diagram will make what is going on here clear.  Right now there should be a .099 hole in both parts of your model.  This hole is a "Tap" size hole, meaning it is the right size for threading the 440 screw.  We want the 440 threads to bite on the "A" portion above.  The "B" portion is a "Clearance Hole", meaning it will need to be slightly larger than the 440 screw.  What this does is allow the screw to pull the "B" section of the leg snug against the "A" section.  At this moment both holes are .099. Remove the leg and carefully drill that hole to .111 (not shown, BTW).

440 tap.

Here is the body and a 440 tap.

Carefully tap hole.

Resin is soft, so tap hole carefully.  This is why I used 440 size screw, the threads are larger and have more bite.  Additionally, the hole is deep to allow for more threads to bite.  Eventually, the threads in the resin will tear our, so we will not overuse the hole.

Recess hole.

As you can see, the entry is at an angle causing screw head to hang out.  We need this 440 screw to be recessed so that skirt will fit.  This means a little grinding.

Grinding.

Use the flat side of the grinding tool to seat against the hole.  The outer spinning face of the tool does the most grinding, the end does not.  Use this to your advantage to define the hole.

Leg firmly attached.

PKking's leg attachment point is awesome, the addition of the screw locks it in place with no wobble.  And, we can remove the leg for assembly and painting.  Oh yeah.  In the next chapter, we will get the skirt on, after that get her attached to the base.  Time to go brush my teeth.  Cheers!

Sing, Brother Heckler! Sing, Brother Koch! Sing, brothers! Sing! SING!

Thank you Massive Voodoo for extending the deadline for the Mad Max contest...!

Guttywurx all painted...time to button up

I wanted the interior to be right.

Nice and cozy.

A shot of my working space.  Once this is wrapped up...back to the dark Elf..I promise!

Building the PKking Dark Elf Queen Part 1

Nice Package!

I just had to put this kit under the knife.  So here we go.  (I suggest listening to Excision during this phase of construction).  I am going to go through my process here in some detail, if you fall asleep at any point I will simply deduct points from your final score.

The model's core

The very first thing to do is get the model's core set.  By this I mean correctly fitted and aligned.  Everything else on this model will get added or positioned relative to this core structure.  Think of it as your armature (like the aluminum skeleton in a spaceship miniature).  Here is the core of the DEQ.  As noted in the unboxing, these castings are really clean, this means less work for me.  Less work grinding means more time shopping for shoes.  

#18 X-acto and maple block

I hate grinding resin.  When ever possible I will cut it off.  You need to be careful about this, resin chips and you don't want to be adding back something that you cut off.  Especially if it is a thin edge, these areas are time consuming to repair.  Resin is kinda like wood, but no grain.  Kinda.  What I mean is, if you were chiseling into oak, you would use a sharp tool and slice off a little at a time.  Same logic with resin, the trick is to slice off a little at a time.  Also, cut away from the detail or in the opposite direction of your eye.  You control the cut and if it chips (it will) it will be on the inside and hidden.  I have a bunch of these small maple blocks that I use to cut everything on.  They allow you to steady the part.

Thin slices and away from your fleshy bits

Most people don't use their #18 blade.  I think I use it more than the #11.  Remember, it's not a race.  Thin layers.  It goes very quick.

Look ma, no dust!

This took about 5 minutes.

Test fit.

Nice fit.  Notice that the edge of the leg where pour stub was removed is underneath corset detail on model. Before I went crazy and cleaned up this I test fit first to see if it is visible.  If it isn't, then I'm done, no sense in wasting effort on an area that will be hidden.  Remember, I have shoes to shop for.

Save the big chunks you cut off.

I save all the resin I cut off (throw them into one of the bags).  These are very useful to fix chips and holes on parts later on.  Because they are the same material they glue really well and sand the same as the host.  You'll see.

Save the bags parts came in.

Likewise, I save all the original bags the parts came in.  Usually there is little bits of resin junk in them.  As you are building you typically discover some little chip or something missing from a part.  If you saved the bags, chances are you can locate the little chip and glue it back on.  Oh yes, I know what your thinking.  This guy is anal.  It's Ok.  I've had worse.

Another pour stub.

Time to expunge this stub.

Same logic.  Cut away in direction of eye.

Another awesome tool.  Scalpel chisel.

...But you said.  Use very little pressure and BE careful.

Beautiful.

Sawing off instead.

In this case I am using a saw to remove the unwanted material.  When looking at this part my first inclination was to cut off the square part too.  Then I realized this was probably a keyed locator for the hair.  So before cutting I checked the other part and sure enough it was.  2 points for me!  Check how your parts go together so your not making work for yourself.

Square peg into square hole.

Viola!

So we got the basics sorted out.  Let's take a break before tackling the rest of the headdress and skirt.  See you next time!   

Unboxing PKking Dark Elf Queen and The Nine Balances Evil Fox

Today we are looking at two PKking resin kits.  http://www.resin-kit.com/  I ordered these from the manufacturer from Ebay.  I put the money thru Paypal less than a week ago and these arrived from Taiwan yesterday:

Everyone here gets 5 stars.  The boxes themselves have a nice thought out presentation.  The Dark Queen on the left was 110 USD, the Evil Fox on right was 140 USD.  I have purchased and built practically every resin kit from around the world.  Price on these is very good.  Notice that Artist (Ppking) has signed top of each.

Image of our Queen.  Even in black and white it looks pretty effing good.  Based on a video game (I think), I like it cause she is just really cool.  That's what we are looking for, right?  Great pose!

A lot of care has gone into ALL aspects of this kit.  Not only in the sculpting and casting, but in the packaging.  What good is a part put in the box in such a way that it warps?  I call your attention here to the staff, which has been carefully taped to stiff cardboard to make sure it stays straight.  I can't tell you how many resin trucks I have bought that have warped chassis because the maker did not take the extra time to insure they laid flat in the box.  Let's keep going, got a lot to cover.

General view of the parts in kit.  Well wrapped with bags.

Close up of Queen's torso.  So a couple of  things here: 1) Notice kit is molded in grey.  This means you can see what's going on.  Often kits are molded in white, this makes it impossible to see casting flaws until you have put primer on it.  2) All the edges (around leg and neck) are sharp and crisp, no chipping.  3) Thought has gone into connecting as much of the kit as possible so there is a minimum of parts and logical construction.  You can tell when the maker is a painter and builder, the kit is engineered to actually be built.  This one is for sure.

Shot of the level of detail.  Looking closely you can see that a real live human used tools to work this surface.  I know, digitally created models are cool, but personally I like seeing the evedence that someone made this thing with their hands.  No air bubbles or misaligned mold seams.

This is the back of the cape.  A very complex part to mold.  Yes this is one part.  Pretty much no flashing.  No air bubbles, pinholes (I hate pinholes!) or misalignment.  I could just give you guys a big hug!

Ok, so here we see two small air bubbles.  These were the only casting flaws I could find.  This part is a large complex part.  What I really wanted to show here was the addition of the that little disc attached to the edge where the cape comes to a point.  That was added so the fragile point is protected during casting, shipping and building. One of the many fine thoughtful touches here.  this is a clue that these guys really care about what they are making and what you are getting.

Flawless.

Another complex part to cast, notice the vents on the top.  I like removing material, instead of having to add it.

1/7th scale.  Very good size.  I do like the big kits (1/4 scale), BUT they take a long time to build, are expensive and take up a lot of space.  It is probably smarter to work in a smaller scale.  In a larger scale these kits would lose their cuteness and probably be to big to get built.  Kits should be built.

If this was one of my kits, I would sign it, too.  This is an awesome model and worth way more than 110 bucks.  Do not buy a recast!  Not only is it bad for these guys, and you will get something of much lesser quality.

Here is the second kit, The Nine Balances Evil Fox.  My wife call these "My Girlfriends".

It was so well packaged, it took me 35 minutes to unwrap it.

Again, part protected by attaching it to board.

Here are the the parts.  It's a lot of stuff!  It includes the base, which is flat on the bottom.

Amazing sculpting, breakdown and castings!

She practically fell together in my hand.

The coolest wolf EVER.

Here is a cape section on the base.  Very large complex part.  Note, the only part that was broken in shipping.  One of the tendrils broke, but can easily be glued back.

Assembly guide.  The kit is much simpler than it looks, but not for beginners.

Color picks from guide.

So let's wrap this up.  140 smackers for this one and worth tens times that.  These are like Wingnut Wings kits..because they have been so well produced and they will get built.  5 stars out of 5, these are the most awesome kits ever!  Grab one while you can and build it!  I'm starting mine tomorrow!*

Oh, here is my crappy Mad Max kit, with a new smaller base.  Cheers everyone!

*by the way if you nice folks at Ppking need some one in the USA to send "review" samples too...