1/3 AFS

[Noddy4000]

Well, although I have 6 builds on the go at the moment only two of them are really worth posting about. One is the Armoured Fighting Suit and the other a 1/6 Judge Dredd figure for a Heroes and Villains group build over on http://www.scifimodels.org.uk/

So, this project was started several years ago when I was sharing a flat with my girl friend and space was at a premium. I built it using my lap and a large bread board as a work table, sitting on the sofa in front of the tv. I got this far:

but stopped when we moved to a new place and never really got back into it...till now . I decided to really go to town on the detailing of this build, as it made no sense to carry on with the original idea of just doing a shell and detailing the helmet interior. So I cut the torso shell apart to enable the building of a complete engine and cockpit interior:


This is the engine bay and hatch prior to starting on the fiddly bits.
The bits and pieces I've used for the engine:
http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad39/Noddy4000/Armoured%20Fighting%20Suit%20No%201/070410020.jpg
In it's basic form:
http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad39/Noddy4000/Armoured%20Fighting%20Suit%20No%201/070410030.jpg
Some of the detailing for the bulkhead behind the engine:
http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad39/Noddy4000/Armoured%20Fighting%20Suit%20No%201/070410057.jpg
Engine in place:
http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad39/Noddy4000/Armoured%20Fighting%20Suit%20No%201/070410054.jpg
And with lots of extras to busy it up! This was taken a while ago as there's been a fair bit more added including hazard/caution/warning notices etc. It all needs a bit of weathering yet plus dents, dings and scratches.

The front section cut from the torso:

This is where I'd got to about a week or so ago. The hip/waist joint isn't completely done yet so the top of the model is being held upright by a styrene tube out of sight behind the leg but it gives an idea of what it'll look like. Stands about 25/26 inches tall. I'm quite happy with it so far but boy is there a ton still to do! Starting on the arms and the cockpit interior sometime soon, once I've got Dredd done and mounted:

Any comments or criticisms/ideas/recommendations most welcome as it all helps to make for a better effort and a better result.
Thanks for looking!

 

[Junkie]

That is simply insane. I love it. Keep at it man. This will be an amazing piece once complete. Heck it's amazing now!

 

[anthony14rmg]

WOW!
That is so Big, I cant wait to see the arm laser for him. Keep up the great work.

 

[Grendels]

A suggestion:

If you do an arm laser, get on Ebay and buy a green laser pointer, hack the thing apart, and put it in the arm. I got two the other day for $12 US with shipping from China. It would add that little kick to it, and the green laser beam is visible in a darkened room.

Great work so far!!

 

[JMac]

That is so cool. I wonder where you would display that...

 

[Quaralane]

Looking really good there.

 

[Noddy4000]

;D Heh heh. Um...yeah, JMac, that's what my darling other half is asking too! (I have a habit of getting carried away with the scale sometimes :-[. Haven't told her about the 1/6 scale Falke I'm planning to do...or the 1/3 scale Power Loader either). Ahem. ;D

Grendels, great minds think alike! I've got a pointer somewhere but haven't been able to unearth it so yep, going to pay a visit to evilbay and nab one. Green sounds better too than the missing one which is red, if I remember correctly.

Thanks, Quaralane.

I'll post some more on this next week.

 

[Maknifiso]

Ah ha! bringing out the big guns
Work of art man, glad to see you still at it

 

[mariosmodelkits]

I love it , And i will offer my house to store this monster . Your really doing a magnificent job on this bro keep it up please.

 

[java]

You have more greeblies in this suit than airforce one.

 

[JMac]

Hey Noddy; I was wondering what you are planning to do for a suit pilot?

 

[AKE]

Hey Noddy; I was wondering what you are planning to do for a suit pilot?

It could be the best child Halloween costume ever, wouldn't it? ;D

 

[Noddy4000]

;D Thanks, Makni. This one has been hovering on my 'want to do list' for ages but always had to wait till I had a decent workspace to play in.

Heh heh, watch out mario your hope/wish may be granted if Liz (my other half) finds out about some of the ideas I have for future builds. ;D Where can I find an evil, twisted, madman emoticon?

Hi java! Yep, trying to use up some of the 'small' pile of stuff Liz and her friends have been collecting on my behalf. Actually, a thought occurs to me. How about a drinks cabinet and a catheter tube for the pilot? More detail still but fun. Certainly not what you normally see on these builds!

JMac, I've been thinking of getting hold of something like an Obitsu doll bust and using it as an armature to sculpt a figure on, mainly because I'm lousy at doing figures and because they're available at the right scale. Planning something like a thin flight suit style top, with a VR helmet and a few cables etc, all out of styrene and Magic Sculpt/Milliput. Was thinking of making it removable so more of the cockpit's lower interior detail could be seen but the way I've made the hip/waist joint means that won't work (look) so good.

AKE, so tempting! Especially as they could only get out if we let them. "Sorry children but we did say that you could only get out of your AFS suits and have some of your sweets IF you were good. Shouting 'TREAT' and lasing the next door's cat wasn't very nice now, was it"? ;D ;D

I need to get out more....

Thanks for the encouragement, guys!

 

[JMac]

Very cool.

 

[Noddy4000]

A bit more on this build: ordered the pilot bust from Japan so I'll make a start on the interior detailing once that's here. Also managed to get a good chunk of the left, laser arm done as well but the other half was away with the working digi camera for the weekend so some progress shots will be missing.

I have got another digi camera but thanks to my son dropping it on the hard kitchen floor it tends to turn everything an exciting shade of pink.

 

[Noddy4000]

Okay, got some progress to show on this for you guys. Had a major re-think of the waist joint and got the elbow/shoulder joints done too. The laser is great fun to play with...er...sensibly use...damn :. Works a treat and probably gave the people at the other end of the village something to wonder about. ;D

Arms all together and in position (although not properly attached yet):

I taped the manipulator on as well, to see how it all looks:

I have started a second set of fingers as I'm not 100% about what I've done so far. But, having said that, I came up with another idea this morning so I'm going to try a third attempt. The problem I'm finding is getting the finger joints to look right and yet still be fully (and easily) poseable and articulated. More on this minor prob' later.
Right arm view:

Left, fun laser side view:


I'm going to be making a start on the pilot figure soon so I can get the finished sizes for the cockpit interior padding, behind which will be hidden the wiring and the batteries for the lighting set-up.

My apologies for consistently poor quality WIP shots of my builds. I really need to get a photo booth set up so I can get rid of all the background clutter, but at the moment we're still in the process of trying to sort out, decorate, and move around the bedroom arrangements. When that's all done things should get better.

Thanks for looking.
Noddy.

 

[JMac]

Looks good. That suit is huge!

My apologies for consistently poor quality WIP shots of my builds. I really need to get a photo booth set up so I can get rid of all the background clutter, but at the moment we're still in the process of trying to sort out, decorate, and move around the bedroom arrangements. When that's all done things should get better.

Don't worry about it...Background clutter makes it real.

 

[Quaralane]

That's looking great.
And Noddy, I'd only worry about "dressing up" the final pics.

 

[Grendels]

I agree with the others, it is looking good, and the clutter gives the work character and a sense of scale....