Topic: Clonehead's Custom Figures reloaded

[Clonehead]

One shot of him showing off his new holster and then some shots of the airbox construction. I started using a 1/35th scale German WW2 MG ammo box and drilled some holes into it for where the hoses would protrude from. I also drilled a couple of holes into the RC's modded face for receiving peg holes for the hoses.  Using a proper guage of insulated electrical wire, I coiled much thinner guage copper wire around the two hose lengths to give it a ribbed effect.

[Clonehead]

Here are the last 4 shots that I found of the in-production purple RC.
I used some wire insulating "sleeves" mounted into the holes that I drilled into the RC's face to be receiving holes for the protruding wires of the now hosed airbox assembly. Plus, I mounted a german gas mask cannister to the top of the airbox. I also used two turned aluminum fittings from a model car aftermarket detailing kit and fitted them to the helmet ends of the airbox hoses to give it more of an official plumbed feel. I like that unpainted shot with the airbox mounted. This piece was engineered to remain removable as I'm sure you guys realize.

[Clonehead]

Thanks Lighuen!!
  Let's get back to some current projects, shall we?
I didn't work on any of my projects while I was at the lake but awoke early, this morning, missing my custom activities. I went ahead and pretty much wrapped up the paint apps on the skinny Ponds figure which I will list, tonight and, I re-started the camo scheme on the snow mando's cape. This is a slight variation of a camo pattern that I have used before and is a bit tighter than the pattern i used on the original snow mando's cape as well as lighter and redder in color. I think that this one will turn out more satisfying for me and hope to wrap it up, today.

[Clonehead]

Doc, I found the kit and will post about it in my non star wars customs  thread in the customs topic.

With a proper color application, Commnader Pond's bald head was the last thing I had to do to the fig and after a post or two, I'm off to take some pics for the bay and risk his existence to the bay to try to stir up some traffic.

I finished the camo scheme on the snow mando's cape and am ready for a test-fit of the cape on the figure.
There are a few touchups to do to the cape and then he is finally done.

[Clonehead]

And here is the test-fit

[Clonehead]

It seems that I have too much time, as of late. Today was a busy day, though.
I hosted a couple of the pics I took for the Ponds figure's  auction. Once again, I used the Geonosis dio with these shots.

[Clonehead]

Thank you buddy but I think that you will find this subject material more interesting.
  In-between sessions of casting and cleaning parts for this weeks resin orders, I broke out the body of your walker and one of the deathstar guns with a chair for the purpose of doing some troubleshooting. I was curious about how much room we were actually going to have with this large piece of  weaponry.
  For those of you who don't know what I am talking about. It was agreed that I should butcher one of Tamer's beloved walkers into a version of the unused prototype ion cannon atat design as seen in a pic in a folder that is documented in the unproduced toy section of the SWCA.com site. "see the pic"

Ok, shawn, I have removed the 8 screws that hold the walker's armored shell to the floor of the troop transport area and have placed the gun on it's chair mount kind of where on the floor I think it should set. Obviously, the chair isn't going to work, even in the shaved version of it that I had envisioned. I will have to keep the mount but scrap the chair. Other than that, I dont see any clearance issues other than a nub that is receiving a screw from the bottom side that serves to hold the floor in place. The plan is to have the gun stowable in its barreless form, like this, and have the barrel stowed on the inside of the walls, somewhere, either in the remaining part of the static walls or the parts that open out. As I had hinted, I want to build a little crane that the crew members use to mount the barrel with, to be mounted on one of the swing open walls, I think.

[Clonehead]

Looking at that picture, it appears that I need to move the gun further towards the aft of the walker and kill the lower barrel. Tamer wants it stowable, right?

Getting excited, yet?

[Clonehead]

Anymore ideas on the chair Clint? Ofcourse it could be a crew served weapon, kind of like the 155s I dealt with in the Army.  I can't wait to see this come together.  You know I thioiught I would get upset when I saw my little walker all torn apart, but it didn't bother me a bit. Put that bad boy under the knife or the saw I guess.  I know one thing, with all the great ideas you keep coming up with, this is easily gonna be the most time consuming custom you ever created. I could see this one taking a long time.

Oh, i don't know, buddy. My guess is that after the panels get sawed, the thing might take off on us.
  I do like your idea of relocating the chair. perhaps further back and closer to the gun on the same side?? I was going to have to do some work to the chair anyway, as it was made when figures had no knee articulation and the seat part of the chair is too long for a figure to lean back and put his feet down, I was going to make the seat part shorter so the figure could bend at the knees.  I'm going to cut the chair off of the mount and alter the chair to make it shorter in length and possibly less wide. Then, I will mount it to the gun, instead, probably. It will move in elevation with the gun, that way.  I will have to troubleshoot with any clearance issues when I go to remount the chair and may have to fab up some kind of connecting framework. I will get that together, and figure out a peg for the mount to sit on and rotate around that will possibly be fixed to the battery door so that the door can be opened with the mounting peg still attached. That way, you can still get batteries in the beast. I will do that and then either finish fabbing the barrels for the gun or go ahead and start the cutting on those panels. Once I get the panels cut, I will figure out a hinge system for them and some kind of securing system for when it's together so that it will stay. I will also have to incorperate a physical stop for the panels as I don't want them to hang straight down but want them to hang level to the sides. I have this one german ww2 model tank called the Mobelwagon which was a panzer 3 tank chassis that, instead of a turret, had an anti aircraft gun mounted on the chassis. around this gun was a box of movable armor plates that could be lowered into an open position with the plates layed out to the sides providing the greatest mobility for the gun and it's crew. I am basing the open position of the walker's sides and top on this design.. I will dig out the kit and get you a pic of what I am talking about.

First comes the general fabrication and engineering of the beast. When we get that working, I will start in on the dreaded details. There isnt going to be as much room as I had hoped for, but I am planning on cramming as much detail as possible while still being tasteful.

It would have been nice if the t-handle wasnt so far back in the cab but I decided that you would like to retain the functionality of the t-handles ability to control the head movement in the way it was designed to.

What do you guys think?

[Clonehead]

Buddy, are you sure about the t-handle?? The function that I was worried about was the t-handle's ability to manuver the head up and down.
  If you are going to let me gut the thing than it would deffinatily open some doors as to what I could do, here.
If you want it to look realistic, that is what we need to do, my friend. Boy you are really letting go of a loved one on this one. I am proud of you.

I have decided that I like Shawn and Micheal's idea of a rear mounted gunner's chair better than the relocated side mount chair idea that I had. That way, the troops will have more room to walk back and forth beside the gun and there will be less side clearance issues with any equipment that I plan on installing on the gun deck.
  To give us some more swing room with the gun, I am going to have to make a couple of alterations to the butt end of the gun that I had planned on earlier. Since we are now talking about putting a mounted chair at the butt end. I need to kill that long nipple at the end of the gun and then cut the shaft that supports the mushroom shaped piece, twice, so that I can relocate the mushroom further forward, but still at the butt end.

Easy, Tamer, we are breaking the saw out, this morning, but we won't be cutting on the walker, just yet. Instead, we will make a cut or 4 to the gun and its mount.

I await your answer on the t-handle and need to snap some referance pics of that Mobelwagon tank that Doc and I were referring to.

[DocOutlands]

I'm talking about the H.A.L. - Heavy Artillery Laser.  It looks a bit more like the ATAT gun in that the gunner's seat is located at the rear. 

Went back and re-eyeballed the thing today - the HAL has the gunner's seat on the side.  The FLAK, however, has the seat at the back and is a single barrel.

In the Kenner pic, tho, I don't see a seat (or the mushroom, for that matter).  Is that something you just want to preserve for playability?  I'm wondering if having a seat on it will adversely affect the range of motion.  I do like the use of the DS cannon, as it looks like Kenner used something like it in their pic, modified a bit, of course.

Here's pics I grabbed off ebay of the to Joe cannon:

[Clonehead]

Thanks for those pics, Doc! They are very nastalgic to me as I used to own both of those guns as a boy.
I deffinatly like the flak seat better for our purpose and if i had one here, I would start cutting it off, right now.
I believe that the mushroom is there, in the kenner pic, but cant be made out as there is a stormie and part of the side walls in the way.  I had thought before that the seat was there because of the head sticking up where the seat should be but it must not be or there is a different version. I will still troubleshoot clearance issues when deciding on the seat but plan on nixing the nipple and moving the mushroom anyway. And yes, the mushroom is nastalgic to me. "no, not for that reason "
  I like your triangle brace idea and wish that you could draw it out for me so I can get a clear pic of how you are seeing it. I have some mechanical atachments for the inner walls to mount that I had discussed in a previous post.

My plan was to start cutting this morning but another duty or two has reared it's ugly head and I have to run for a bit, to wally world as the wifey says the deck sealer is on sale and that they have restocked their star wars isle.

I have taken some shots of the mobilewagon box and instructions to post but it will have to wait.
 
Tamer, if you get a chance, could you find and post some of the concept sketches that I drew up for the walker, here? If not, I will dig around and find them later.
Lots to do.

I also have just received confirmation on a commission deal to Australia that will require me to paint up and alter 3 Rex helmets to work for a Gree, a Bly, and a Thire figure which I will document the work for, here.

Also, I have finished assembling the parts set that will be the prize in this months contest. Two of the parts are Modded helmets. I have pics of all but will have to post about it in the resin casting thread  a little later and will probably kick off the contest, later today.

[Tamer]

Here are your scetches Clint.

[Clonehead]

Well that stinks on the reset. I was hoping the ESB wave hit you. Guess not.

Nope, plus now, all the pegs are full, darn them stockmen!

Here are the pics of that mobelwagon kit box and instructions. The tank's side armor plating can be lowered into two different positions to allow for greater gun positioining and crew mobility, kind of like our walker will be.

[Clonehead]

One more Mobelwagon shot.