12.15.07 » Detail-up

So many pics that a page 2 is necessary! I'm starting to feel like this projects construction phase is nearing it's end. Whew! I still have a lot to do before I can start priming and painting, but now it's just the wheels and minor things. I decided to put everything that I have done together and double check it's fit.

First up is the engine. You can see in this first pic the brass brackets I made to hold the long gas-tanks that sit on the frame on either side of the cabin. You can also see one of the bent-styrene d-rings I added.

Here you can see the many pieces of wire and spring I added to the boosters. The engines have a lot of this detail molded in, but layering it like this really adds to the busy and detailed effect. You can see the small brass turn-handles on the smaller braided tube couplings and all of the mountings for the various braided tubes.

Here you can see a close-up of the wiring.

In this pic you can see the small hinges and pistons I made for the airbreaks.

I finished up the smoke dischargers by adding caps and chains. Straight-pins were inserted through the chains and into the caps and tubes to connect the really small chain. This is the same chain I used on my Gelgoog NT. Small stuff! Another chain was added to prevent the maintenance crew from losing the gas-cap. I'll properly align the tubes when I go to glue them in after painting.

Lastly is the complicated 3-point mount for the lights. Much flame and bending required to get these just right!

03.08.2008 » Back on it...

After a brief hiatus from this project for my own mental health I've returned to it. I started doing the final clean-up of parts and work on the figure. Nothing new to show for the parts, but I can show progress of the pilot figure. The head is from an MG Dom figure which I'll be modifying a bit with some head-gear. The rest is all sprue/wire-frame covered in Magic Sculpt and Aves Apoxie Sculpt. The clear dome is a cap from one of my daughters dried-up stamps. Perfect size and fit! The gun is just from my own imagination.

03.09.2008 » Non-Slip

More bulk has been added to the figure so that his basic shape is being formed. After I bulk the arms I'll start adding wrinkles/folds to the suit, details, armor, equip, etc... My Magic Sculpt has gotten old and the hardener part is well... hard. So I'm only using it for build-up. Over that I've been adding the Aves which is very very nice to use for the details.

I also added the non-slip texture to the hull today. For this I masked off where I wanted the texture to be and then sprayed those areas with Krylon Fusion texture spray paint. Afterwards I reprimed those spots. The only odd thing, and I'm glad I tested it on scrap first is that the Krylon Texture paint sprays REALLY HARD and forceful. It blasts out of the can so be sure to hold your parts at least 12-18 inches away from the nozzel. No joke.

03.13.2008 » Bulking Up

More figure progress. The gun is about done and the Mars-suit is coming along rather well. Still a lot of detail to add though such as finishing the feet and headgear.

03.15.2008 » Martian Blend

Now that the figure is done, primed and base-coated (no pic yet) I've started painting the 'Hopper. Last night I did some research on Mars images from the various rovers. I picked some colors I thought would work right, but wasn't sure about a pattern. I decided to look up WWII German tank camo patterns and found several that I liked so what else was there to do but blend them together. What I like about this pattern and colors is that from a distance the squiggly gray would look like waves of Martian regolith. The dots simulate rock highlights, but mostly just look cool.

Looking at my references the color should be a little more yellow-orange and slightly less saturated. However there's three reasons for my not doing that exactly. 1: the colors will blend better once filters, washes, and such is added. 2: Mars dust colors in the wash and pigments won't show up if the base colors are exactly the same as them, and 3: making it off will visually seperate it from the groundwork making it more visually interesting. Otherwise you end up with a very monochromatic piece. In this first pic you can see what the various weathering effects will do to the base camo to blend it in.

03.20.2008 » Paint and Chips...

Here's a little teaser of the paint so far. Decided to paint the frame in semi-gloss black instead of red. Added rusty chips to those parts as well. I made a stencil for the unit numbers and mainted them on sloppily leaving some overspray for that quick and dirty look. Also added a few decals. Painting the details and accessories in various colors breaks up the rust montony. Sheet-metal covered sections of the repaired hull are being painted using Adam Wilders mild steel technique. I'm up to the oil-paint portions there and will add rust pigments to them later after washes and such.

03.22.2008 » Engines

Here's a shot of the engines so far. This is just the construction phase. Next up will ne weathering the whole kit.

03.27.2008 » Near Complete

Here's some shot's of the ADH near completion. I still have some dusting and weathering to do, straps to add to the jerry cans, and need to make a base and paint the figure.