Project Atlas - Part V

Update - 

The bulk of the modeling work is completed (Save the head), and I've started to experiment with another free 3D modeling program called MeshLab, as it allows me to clean seal any gaps in the 3D mesh that would cause 3D printing errors. 

I've decided to print it at 1/100 scale, so when finished it will stand at about 6 and a 1/2 inches tall. My goal is to have the modeling finished by the end of this month, and a prototype in hand by the end of the first week in March. 

That's alł for now, if you want to stay up to date with this project, hit that email subscription button to your right. 

See you, Space Cowboy ... 

Mechwarrior 5 - Confirmed!

It is however being developed by PGI, so take that with a grain of salt. 

News just dropped at MechCon 2016 that Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries is slated to come out some time in 2018. To show off the new game, Pirahna Games posted a Pre-Alpha look at the game on YouTube, which can be found here (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz8Y1V8gy1A ), on their new Website for it, they posted the below excerpt showing the setting of the game (Can be found here: http://www.mw5mercs.com/) 

The year is 3015.

Humanity has expanded to the stars, colonizing a vast region of space known as the Inner Sphere. Where the Star League once ruled in relative stability, generations of countless wars, alliances, and betrayals have divided the Inner Sphere into five distinct Successor States. These states, also known as the Great Houses, have fought and quarreled for centuries over the remnants of the Star League and control of the Inner Sphere. They are now in the midst of a Third Succession War, one which has been raging for almost 150 years.

While the battlefields of the Inner Sphere burn with an array of devastating weaponry, none is more formidable than the BattleMech. These immense fighting machines, piloted by elite fighters known as MechWarriors, dominate the wars of the future with enough firepower to annihilate entire cities.

In MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries you will adopt the role of a rookie MechWarrior pilot thrust into combat as the Third Succession War continues to fracture the Inner Sphere. Take contracts from the factions of your choosing and engage in tactical, first-person, PvE ‘Mech combat through an immersive, career-based Mercenary campaign driven by player choice. Victory, prestige, and profit will not only require skill on the battlefield, but in the acquisition, maintenance, and enhancement of your BattleMechs.

Set for release in 2018, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is under development by a dedicated development team at Piranha Games. MechWarrior Online, Piranha’s existing F2P multiplayer-focused tactical ‘Mech combat game, will continue its ongoing live development by the MWO team at Piranha.

I for one am Very excited to here this news drop, perhaps overly so. Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries is slated to come out 9 years after it's original announcement in 2009, where shortly after, legal action by the one and only, the monstrosity known as harmony gold (Notice the fact that I refuse to capitalized their name... cancelled the project, and we were left with Mechwarrior Online in it's wake. But, better late than never. 

PGI, you have one chance at this, for me, and for many other Mechwarrior/Battletech fans. Don't. Let. It. Slip. 

That is all. 

Project Atlas - Project IV

Heya, thought I'd make a quick update post showing progress on Project Altas; I've started to work on the front torso assembly after restarting the project from the ground up. My ultimate goal is to have the 3D model completed by the 31st of December. 

If you'd like to follow this project as it progresses progressively, make sure to hit that subscribe button on the side of the page. 

I'll be back with another post, real soon. 

See you, space cowboy ... 

Project Atlas -PtIII

Heya, 

made some more progress headways into project atlas, where I have redrawn my pen and paper orthos in AutoCad in order to have a more precise look at things. All components may not be completely lined up with each other, but they are close enough to gain a general idea. 

Here's where I'm at with the orthos as of yet. Lookin' pretty sly eh? 

I also began the 3D modeling portion of the project, beginning with the back of the torso assembly, renderings done via Google Scetchup, for ease of production. (Not to mention being the easiest program to work with at my disposal... Seriously... I have no idea what I'm doing... LOL) 

I used the height of the current sculpt of the CBT Atlas, which is roughly 5.5 CM tall, making it roughly 56 feet tall in real life. I may change the height however, as the Atlas is a very stocky design, that is shorter than other mechs of it's tonnage, while the current sculpt is more lanky. I prefer the shorter, stockier look. 

That's all for now, and we'll catch you in the next one. If you're interested to see how this progresses, make sure to follow the blog using the box to the right. 

See you Space Cowboy ...

RG GPo1 Over view

"For the Rebirth of the ideals of Zeon, and to ensure the success of operation Stardust... Solomon, I have returned!!" -Anavel Gato

Recently I finished my Real Grade Gundam GPo1 Zephranthes. 

Out of all the gunpla kits that I've built over the year and a half I've been into this side of the hobby, this is the best one. It's just that good. 

The kit has the gimmick of having a transformable core-block fighter like the RG Zeta Gundam, but it beats the Zeta in every regard. Bandai has taken what they've learned from the Zeta and streamlined it to perfection. Same gimmick, none of the hassle. 

The sculpt of this kit is also spot on, the proportions; everything. The kit combines angular surfaces with nice curves. Not to mention the head unit, it makes the kit look like the RX-78's meaner and tougher cousin. 

The GPo1 has all the articulation you would possibly need with a gunpla. 

In terms of the build quality, this kit is solid, even with the Core Fighter. I've heard of problems with the arms popping off at the inner shoulder joint, but I haven't seen this issue. 

Definitely a recommended buy. I may paint this in the future, but I may just end up semigloss coating it to protect the decals. Forsure it is an accurate portrayel of Kou Uraki's Mobile Suit. 

With that being said, make sure to hit that subscribe button to keep up to date with my rants, and we'll see you in the next one. 

See you Space Cowboy... 

Project atlas - Posability Pt.1

I was staring at one of my gunpla kits today and thought that I could create a 1/144 scale poseable figure of the Atlas to go with them, making use of the poly caps from a cheap High Grade kit in construction, as I already am going to be making a version of the Shimmering Sword atlas at 1/285 scale. (Refer back to the previous two posts) 

In case you haven't seen the orthos for the design, here are the scematics. 

Below are the constraints for the Atlas' poseability I'm going to be using. These angles are hard and fast, with little to no lee-way as I am modeling a walking tank, afterall. 

Hip/leg assembly-

Hip joint

45 degrees forwards, 15 degrees back, tilt left/right 15 degrees. 

Leg joints 

-90 degrees at knee. 

Ankle joint 

-15 to  20 degrees forwards, 10 degrees back. 

-Ankle tilt - 15 degrees to counter act the 15 degree tilt at the hip, left or right. 

Upper torso 

Torso joint

-45-90 degrees each way, right to left torso twist. (This may change... I have to do extra research for the proper torso twist amount.) 

Arm joint

-0 degrees at the shoulder, 15 degrees each way foward & back 

-90 degrees at elbow joint. (Gotta be able to recreate the pose seen in the Mechwarrior games)

As of this writing, this whole 1/144 scale Atlas project is all talk at the moment, but if things go as planned I hope to have a 1/285, Classic Battletech scale figure 3D modeled by mid December, with a prototype in hand by the end of January, to get the proportions correct for the large scale version.

After which I will begin modeling the 1/144 scale, poseable version, which will be a long, long way off. 

If you'd like to keep up to date with this project, make sure to hit that subscribe button on the right of the page. It'd help me out alot. 

See you space Cowboy... 

Battletech - 2nd Sword of Light Company

G'day folks, just got the final member of my House Kurita 1st Sword of Light company in a trade with a good friend, and I thought I'd shows them off. It's been a long project. With other commitments It's taken roughly two and a half years to get these guys all painted up. Now to get the company to grow to battalion size! 

I hope to increase speed of production from here on out however. 

Seen here: The newly completed company. This group of the Sword of Light is unusually on the heavy end of the spectrum. From right to left, first row to back. Shimmering Sword Marauder, Stalker II, MWO Jagermech, MWO Centurion, Jagermech, MWO Blackjack, MWO Centurion, MWO Shadowhawk, MWO Victor, Zeus X, MWO King Crab, and finally, the MWO Banshee. 

The crown jewel of the collection, a Shimmering Sword Marauder I got in the aforementioned trade. (Never thought I'd have the priviledge to own this particular rendition of marauder! And with a great paint job to boot!)

 

Over the coming months, I plan to add to this company, and make it more diverse in terms of weight classes than it currently is, and of course, I will add more official Battletech miniatures into the mix as well.

While having 3D prints of the MWO mechs for use as proxies is nice, I need to support the people that make the game, and ultimately my hobby, or obsession, rather, possible. Especially with the new Classic 'Mechs that Catalyst Game Labs is coming out with; hopefully sooner than later. 

To keep up with my rants and ramblings, make sure to hit that subscribe button on the right of the screen. It'd help me out alot. 

As always, I'll be back with another post, real soon. 

See you Space Cowboy ...

New Battletech fanservice available!!

G'day folks, 

Picked up my copy of Battletech: Combat Manual Mercenaries from the hobby shop today, and I'm really looking forwards to reading through it! 

So far I've only excitedly rifled through the pages cover to cover, but what I've seen is awesome! We not only have various engagement rules for mercenaries with lore, but we also get a full color Mini-TRO with the new Classic 'Mechs in all their unaldulterated glory,  painting guide showing off the various color schemes for the different Merc. Outfits, and brief wright ups for each Mercenary company throughout the various time periods with in the Battletech univers. 

(The Classic Shadowhawk... In all it's glory, to give you an idea of the awesomeness contained within this book. Seriously. I'll probably need at least a lance of each design for my Kuritan Sword of Light Battalion I've been building up, and don't even get me started on units from the succession wars composed of primarily unseen. I'm looking at you both... Gray Death Legion and Black Widow Company...) 

Regardless, this is a buy that is completely worth it with all the chunky lore that it contains. I was dissapointed while at the local LFG to find it was only a paperback. I find that hard covers survive the test of time much better, but this is a minor issue. 

That's all for now, and I'll be back with another post, real soon. If you want to keep up to date with what I post, make sure to hit that subscribe button to the right. It'd help me out alot. 

See you, Space Cowboy ... 

Project Atlas - PTII

Heya, so I've finished with the orthos for the Atlas, and now the fun begins, where I start fiddiling with Blender in hopes of getting an end product that would be 3D printable. 

The orthos may not be completely accurate, but I'll fill in the details as I go, using the Atlas on the Box set cover as my guide. 

With that being said, here are the completed orthos. While I can't distrubute 3D prints or the model, it goes without saying that those with the capability can use my orthos to make there own. :) 

Thanks for looking, and if you'd like to keep up to date with this project, make sure to subscribe, it'd help me out alot. 

I'll be back with another post, real soon. See you, Space Cowboy ... 

MG GM/Project Atlas - Begin!

First off, my apologies for not updating the blog for a while, I've just been busy the past two-two and a half weeks. Ok maybe not so much as busy as procrastinating. :P 

A post or two ago I promised I'd have a WIP series of posts for my MG GM, but I ended up jumping the gun and completing it without taking pictures. So here's the finished model! 

All together I'm happy with how it came out. Maybe next project I'll try weathering the outer armor more but as it stands, I'm quite happy with it. 

                                                    

                                         

                                          

The standing pilot figure - 

                                     

                                

         

    

  

I've also started my next project, in the two years, going on three after Catalyst Game Labs released the latest version of the Battletech box set, I have always stared at the Atlas D-DC on the box art and thought; "Ah man... I'd really like a mini of that!" So about two weeks ago I started making orthos so I can try to make the mech in Blender, and hopefully have it 3D printed some day. This'll be my first project in Blender so we'll see just how far me and my tech incompetency can get! :P 

If you'd like to stay up to date with my ramblings, hit that subscribe button on the right side of the screen. It'd help me out alot. 

I'll be back with another post, real soon. Stay tuned. 

Knight Custom 'Mech Preview & Lore

KNIGHT KNI-06J Battlemech Lore and Loadout 

The KNI-06J Knight Battlemech was first conceived in December 3050 as a counter to the ever growing threat of the Clan invasion. The ‘Mech design and concept was designed in the heart of the Draconis Combine, Luthien, at the famous Luthien Armor Works. The design was meant to play off of the success of the Star League’s now all but extinct Black Knight design, taking cues from the Black Knight’s energy heavy primary loadout. The technicians finally settled on the Knight’s namesake not just in honor of the design’s predecessor, but also the AC/5’s location on the Right Arm, that resembled a Lance used by the knights of old. 

A prototype of the Mech was first built and underwent combat trials piloted by the legendary Albert Benton later in May of 3051. In lieu of the Chassis’ successful combat tests, the design would see limited production and first see the heat of live battle in the year of 3052, against the onslaughts of Clan Ghost Bear, and in the defense of DCMS space from Inner Sphere factions, specifically the Lyran Commonwealth, the Federated Suns, and on the small border dividing House Kurita and House Marik. 

The design saw use throughout the remainder of the Clan invasion, and would see other other variants that would play on the ‘Mech’s strengths later in the wake of the Word of Blake’s Jihad. By this time, the chassis would see limited use throughout other factions in the Inner Sphere due to battlefield salvage, and later on production by other Inner Sphere factions. 

This would give yield to the alternate modified variants of the D6 including the KNI-06D a variant made and produced by the Lyran Commonwealth, the -06S, a Marik variant, and finally, the -78T produced by the Federated Suns. 

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Knight KNI-D6    Loadout 6/30/16

Class - Assault 

Tech level - 3050, Clan Invasion 

Faction: House Kurita, Inner Sphere 

**Note 1: Based off of the Stock AS7-D. Armor values identical to this ‘Mech** 

**Note 2: Design's loadout follows Standard BT naming conventions. RA stands for Right Arm, LL stands for Left Leg, and RT stands for Right Torso, and so on and so forth.** 

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Armaments Loc. Ammo    |  Equipment Loc. Notes

AC/5           RA 2 Tons      |   XL 370 CT Top Speed: 

4 MPL         LT     N/A       | 59.92 KPH

                   RT                 |  Double HS Eng. Total: 4 HS

2 ML           LA    N/A       |                                     2 HS

2 ERLL.      LT     N/A       |                                     2 HS

AMS           RT 1 Ton        |

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With the meat of the post out of the way, here is the rough copy of the Knight Battlemech as it stands as of now. I should have the final version inked by the end of the month, but I will shoot for the end of next week.

That's all for now, if You'd like to see the finished copy, hit up the email subscription form on the side of this page. It'd help me out alot.

Stay safe out there, and we'll see you in the next one.

Battlemech redesign - The Blitzkrieg

Heya, thought I'd take a wack at redesigning another of my favorite Battlemech designs from Battletech, the Blitzkrieg! 

On this design, their wasn't too much to fix mechanically speaking, i.e; minor fixes, such as making the mech able to torso twist. This is a common problem with older 'Mech designs and the Blitzkrieg cetainly isn't the worst offender by any means. (Nova... I'm looking at you.) 

In terms of astetic changes, one of the goals was to decrease the size of the AC20 and mount it in a more TRO accurate place. (Which Ironically I botched this aspect... Lol. I put the AC on the right torso when it should have been on the left torso. Twas an easy fix, as simple as flipping the image digitally.) 

Furthermore, I wanted to go for a more modern MWO astetic so most of the key areas are much blockier, while keeping the areas that make the 'Mech recognizable as a blitzkrieg. 

Any ways, that's enough talk, down to the meat of the post, the redesign! 

In other news, should have the Zaku II Thunderbolt Ver. from the previous post finished and uploaded soon, very soon. Just have to get to the store to get a literal Crap-ton of dull coat. Ain't nothin wrong with stockpiling, quaff? 

I should have a series of WIP posts for an MG GM that I am working on at the moment as well. 

As for now, stay tuned and we'll see you in the next one. As always, if you like what I do around here, make sure to subscribe via email to stay up to date with my latest ramblings. It'd help me out alot. 

Battlemech redesign - The Lancelot

Heya, sorry it's been a while since I've updated the blog, just been busy the last couple of weeks and I haven't had the time to post. 

In the mean time I thought I'd take a whack at redesigning the Lancelot 'Mech from Battletech, a 'Mech who's loadout has always been to my liking, but the original TRO design just didn't do anything for me.

The original design...  

My redesign... My apologies for it not being a high-res scan and only a photo, my computer crapped out on me this week. I'll try to upload a scan of the deign as soon as possible. 

On this redesign I tried to keep the general slim proportions, while making sure the 'Mech could actually move. (Just look at the legs on the original... See any viable joints in those legs, save for the hip joints?) 

To illustrate this, I've drawn out the movement possible in each leg joint. Full movement is only available at the hip, while the knee and ankle joints remain completely stale. Unless the armor plating moves with the joints, the 'Mech won't be able to move in it's original TRO incarnation. (Which doesn't quite feal feasable at the ankle joint.)

That's all for now, but I am working on the Zaku II from Mobile Suit Gundam:Thunderbolt, so I should have that to show off soon^TM. 

Thanks for looking, and if you like what I do around here, make sure to hit that subscribe button to the write, to get the latest posts delivered to your inbox. It'd help me out alot. 

Stay safe out there, and we'll see you soon. 

MWO marauder, 3D model Pt. 1

G’day folks, thought I’d try something different in this post. While going through Thingiverse, (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1453274) a website with free 3d models, I happened across the 3d model of the Marauder Battlemech from Mechwarrior Online of the Mechwarrior/Battletech franchise! One of my favorite PC games with my all time favorite subject matter, giant stompy robots!!

 The model looked clean enough, so I decided to upload it to shapeways, an online 3d printing service to see how much it would cost to produce. While there, the algorithm detected some weak spots on the model that the 3D printer may not be able to print due to their orientation on the model, or may otherwise break off easily, so I decided to plug the model into Blender; a free 3d modeling program, found here: (https://www.blender.org/ ) to clean up some of the problem areas.

The problem areas on the model are highlighted in yellow. The rest of the model is in green. That means that those parts would be clear to print without major errors. 

The problem areas on the model were some of the smaller details such as the ladder rungs on the lower left and right legs, the antenna wires on the Center Torso, and the Cargo(?) rungs on the Left and Right Torso Assemblies. 

To begin, I started with the easiest part of the modification process, removing the antenna on the center torso. To do this, I clicked edit mode on the bottom of Blender’s Operating face. I then right clicked the vertices on the model I wanted to delete, and then, logically hit the delete button. Here is the end result… Pretty legit eh?

The editing process will be continued in the next post, and we just might be able to make this thing 3d printable. Thanks for looking, and I’ll see you in the next one. 

Macross Valkyrie, Pt. 2

In today's post, we'll continue progress on the Macross Valkyrie from last post. 

We have completed the preliminary work, and will start on the white basecoat in the next post. For the Gerwalk mode, I will use the decal's to make Roy Fokker's signature Skull squadron paint scheme, and I may do the same for the fighter mode, depending if I have another set of the same decals laying around... Well see. 

Another fighter I had lying around will be an even funner project than the Gerwalk mode and Roy Fokker's Valkyrie combined as the me from a good eight years ago, when I was just starting out in modeling, decided to spray paint it (Very thickly!) and use a two color camo using Silly Putty as a mask. The silly putty stuck a little too well, and that's how we got here.  Most of this Silly Putty is still on the model, only harder than it once was. Not a big problem, as I've got plenty of spare time on my hands. 

That's all for now, if you want to keep up with this project as it progresses progressively, hit that subscribe button on the upper right of the page to stay up to date. It'd help me out alot. 

Stay safe out there. 

Shown above: The two legs to the Gerwalk, both puttied, sanded, primed, then sanded. 

Shown above: The torso for the Gerwalk. The torso was in two man peices that can together with a big seem line down the middle down the nose. It is primed and ready for the white base coat in the next post. 

Macross Valkyrie, Pt. 1

G'day folks, last post I mentioned that I would start a work in progress (WIP) series of posts, this will be the first one. I will be documenting the build process of one of the older Robotech 1/170 plastic models. 

The first step to take with a model like this is to assemble the model so that you can start on the next process, filling the mold lines. Because this is an old kit dating back to the mid '80s, this process will be delightfully tedious. Here is a before and after image, showing both the unglued and the filled and glued leg together. 

This process requires you to first put down a layer of putty on the offending area. In this case I am using Squadron's White Putty. It is cheap, and fairly decent for what it's worth. 

After waiting for this layer of paint to dry, the next part in the process is to file down the putty so that it is flush with the surface of the model. After this, I tippically rub the part with a damp cloth to remove any debris, then I spray it with a thin layer of grey spray primer. 

This layer will give you a good impression of what the model will look like with other layers of paint on it. 

If the surface looks uneven, file off the primer from the area, and then put another layer of putty down. 

I repeated this process for the rest of the kit, and it is ready for the first coats of paint. 

The fun will really start with the next post! 

The images above show the before and after on filing the fueselage. A major improvement! 

The next step will be to wash the model with water to remove any mold release agents still left on the model from it's original casting. 

Thanks for looking, and if you want to see this project come to fruition and help me out, hit that subscribe button to the right of this post. 

We'll see you in the next one, in the mean time, stay safe out there. We'll see you soon.

Something that got a kick out of me...

Two posts within a week!? A miracle!! Was doing my usual perusing through Ebay and I noticed an listing of a Battletech model kit. 

Upon clicking through the pictures,  I noticed something that really got a kick out of me. 

I first noticed that in the manual they had used the lineart for the original Macross/Robotech VF1 Valkyrie Gerwalk mode and variable fighter mode (The Battletech equivalent to the original unseen Stinger, and Stinger Land-air-'Mech.) in the instructions, and even went as far as to include one of the Zentraedi Battlepods on the front cover of the instruction manual. 

To further this, I remembered that I had some of the older Robotech model kits that Revell used to make back in '84 and the early '80s so I decided to compare the actual models to those seen in the pictures. 

To my suprise, both the runners, plastic model, and decals were the exact same as seen as the pictures below. I'd even be willing to bet that the runners from the Battletech plastic model series even had the very same Japanese Katakana(?) printed on them. 

Anyways, just goes to show how spread out the rights to Shoji Kowamori's original designs were. 

If you are not aware of Battletech and the infamous unseen fiasco fought between Fasa Corporation and Harmony Gold, (The bastards!) the owners of Macross/Robotech, check out this link over at Sarna.net if you've got the time; it is an interesting read and it'll walk you through the whole shabang. 

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Unseen

In the next post I'll be building one of the original Robotech model kits, so make sure to stick around for that. Building a kit of this age will be interesting to say the least. 

As always, thanks for looking and I ask that you please hit that email subscribe button at the top right of the screen, it'd help me out alot. Stay safe out their, and I'll see you in the next one. 

"Here, Let's try for a two-fer!"

G'day folks, picked up the HG:IBO Barbatos, and I thought I'd throw it up for review. Overall, it is a great kit, with posability being it's greatest asset out of the box due to it's full inner frame. Essentially any pose that you can think of, you can display it in. I'm not that creative when it comes to posing my kits so for this review it'll be shown standing for the most part. 

Allthough this kit has great posability, the color separation is lack-luster, even for your average high grade. Stickers make up the majority of the color separation, aside from the standard Gundam colors; blue red and yellow. Some of the smaller yellow details that should be there are stickers as well. These yellow stickers being placed on the shoulder armor and other smaller, less noticeable bits. 

Black stickers are used on the back of the legs behind the knee simulate the look of the jump jets, but they don't look the best either considering that they have to be folded to match the general contour of the model. However, this problem can be fixed with some minimal masking and paint work. For the dark metallic, I used Testor's magnesium buffing metalizer. I think this greatly improved the look of the model. 

Metallic red stickers are used on the shin and shoulder armor; they look okay, but I chose to paint them in. 

Alltogether, the HG Barbatos is a very solid kit, and the $10 price point can't be beat for a hg of it's overall quality. The only thing that I wish that they would have done was spend more time and budget on the color separation, as it is seriously dissapointing. 

My apologies for the terrible final picture, I'll take better ones once I've gotten my completed models portfolio on the blog completed. More on that at a later date further down the line. 

Finally got around to painting my "3D printed" Victor that I had posted a few months back from one of my favorite video games to date, Mechwarrior Online, of the Mechwarrior/Battletech franchise that got me into giant stompy robots in the first place. 

It's painted in the canon paint scheme of House Kurita's First Sword of Light.

 HONOR THE DRAGON! 

As always if you like what I do around here, make sure to subscribe to my mailing list to the right of this post. 

Thanks for reading, and I'll be back with another, real soon.