Of Dreams and Nightmares

Time has passed so quickly, and I barely noticed it was halfway through September. I've given myself a deadline; If I haven't started painting by now, it'll be another photofinish to the end of the line. Worse, I might not finish it on time at all. In most cases, I dream about my builds, often having a solution to a tricky thing upon waking, but sometimes, it comes to a point of it being a nightmare. Well, at least, close to it. (I no longer "fear" nightmares).

The weather isn't much of a help either. With it the main enemy of any painting stage, an unpredictable weather (redundant, if you ask me) condition can prove detrimental to a the smooth tango of a well-planned painting schedule. Paints curl. Topcoats frost. Oil residue defines itself.

I keep telling myself that majority of the crucial modifications are done anyway, so, there's a good chance that SIN will make it. But, I later remind myself, I started this project as early as June. The kit, I bought as early as April.

So, as the two inevitable ends each bare their proverbial teeth, I now prepare myself to more delays, as "real-life" work projects literally slammed themselves on my lap. Some have been on-going since the year started, some, just recently started, and others, though speculative, have a high possibility of pushing through. Murphy hasn't bared his teeth yet, but I suspect he isn't too far behind. If my experiences with the Ronin, the Angelus, the Bathala and the Haribon has anything to say with regards to the matter, is to not be to sure of anything.

The Pillars

I've cleared my actual work table so I can already mount the diorama's individual parts. I've been working on the couch ever since I got a laptop (and got a little more than I bargained for, gaining a little weight and a few inches in the process), And all my clutter along with it. The diorama is made from several sections; the main base LED-lighted, the modified Keiko Action Base 1, and what I'd like to call The Pillars, which are mostly scratch-built, augmented with a couple of parts from the Keiko base. The overhead section mounts onto the Pillars, and will also have strips of LED to provide the Overhead lighting. The Pillars themselves each might have a 3pc LED strip, to light the front of the kits if needed.





Pop Quiz: What do you suppose is this contraption is?



Last entry coming soon...

Deception

What's a hangar base without lights, right? When the year began, I actually already had the idea of a hangar diorama brewing in my head, mainly because my very first ever hangar dio was a rushed bust. Simple as it was, it took me a long time to build, mainly because of inexperience. I wondered back then, as I was engaging my warp engines if I can even pull this one off, because of the lighting it will involve.

A couple of months after, March to be exact, I already had a circuit in mind, bought 5mm and 3mm LEDs, to augment the 5's and 3's and SMCs I already had on hand, as well as some two prong wafer connectors, a new soldering gun and batteries. That being said, I don't like soldering because it's too inconvenient for me, and I try to avoid it as much as possible, hence why I developed non-soldering methods. Little did I know that those purchases (and my soldering woes) would prove to be somewhat "useless" since I "discovered" something I've known and been aware of for quite some time, but, the gears in my head was on low. CD-R King has them for quite some time, but, with my mind being set on building a circuit myself, I ignored it.

In one of my sojourns to Quiapo (Hidalgo for camera stuff and Raon for electronics), hunting for parts and such, I saw an assortment of the thing I ignored at CD-R King. It was then that the gears in my head kicked into high gear, and I told myself, "why didn't I think of that sooner?"

LED strips. They come in all sorts of color variants. This particular roll contains 60 LEDs per meter at 5 meters per roll, and can be bought at P100 per meter. Prices range from P100 to P400 depending on the type (there are multi-color and double types which of course, are more expensive), and for this particular type, the cheapest I found so far is at P100/m. They are rated at 12 volts, but they can run on a 9V battery as well with a slight (but acceptable) dimming.

With these, I can lay down a strip of lights with little soldering involved, and no worries about the overall circuitry. The strips can be cut in 3 LED sections, and each section can be re-soldered onto each other or onto a circuit. I can simply cut a strip of appropriate length, and since it is self-adhesive, is easy to mount on almost any solid surface. I've used a 120LED/m type to light the underside of the base, and will use the 60LED/m type (the one pictured above, which incidentally has a black mount wrapped in weatherproof silicone) for overhead lighting. It's a good thing I ignored my impulse to buy the LED strips at CD-R King, because the non-weatherproof type they are selling is already at P680 and the weatherproof type at P780, the only plus is, both have an AC power source included (which I won't need).

Dark Power

Now, with that out of the way, I had to figure out how to power the LEDs. I've always managed with button cells for a switch-less single or double LED setup, but with this, those wouldn't be enough. Four 3V button cells in series can power an entire roll, but since they are not made to handle high loads, the batteries got depleted in a matter of minutes. So, I opted to power them up with 9V batteries. I got 9V battery clips, easy enough to set up with the LEDs and the switches (I will till try to avoid soldering altogether by using two-prong connectors), but to ensure longevity, I'll wire two 9V batteries, either with an interrupt/interchange switch, making one battery the main power, and the other an auxiliary. Switching from main to aux will still be manual, with a main power switch.

Connecting the batteries would be simple, but I didn't want to just leave the batteries loose inside the dio, especially if time permits, I'll be rigging the diorama to a turntable (for that effortless 360° view). So, I built battery cases that will mount on the underside of the dio. At first, I cut pieces of HIPS using the battery as a guide, but I realized it was taking too long to wait for the individual pieces to mount and cure, more so, I would have to reinforce each joins, making the case too thick and heavy as I would like.

So, I did what should have been obvious. WHIPS are more flexible and easily bendable, so, I wrapped a strip of 1.0mm WHIPS onto a 9V battery and cemented the sides with another strip of WHIPS centered on one of the longer sides of the battery, then I cemented a base on one of the ends. The battery fit snugly into place, as such I drilled a 3mm hole on the center of the base so I can simply push the battery out when needed.

More to come...

A Sinner's Tease

Getting back into Gunpla (or more like it, cutting plastic), proved to be another painful transition as my hands adjust from light to heavy handling and vice-versa. As I type this, my right-hand fingers are all stiff. mainly because of the pressure I had to apply in cutting the patten I plan to use for the Sin's diorama base. In this case, however, I could have made it simpler if I just cut the pattern through and through and reassemble the pieces like a jigsaw (and used a 0.5mm piece of WHIPS instead), but, it wouldn't serve the purpose of the effect I have in mind overall.

I laid down half of the pattern on a large piece of 1.0mm WHIPS and cut off pieces where I needed, leaving notches in between cuts that would hold the entire piece together, marked by a pencil crossing the main lines and adjusting them as I went.



And viola! I simply mirrored the piece onto another piece of same sized WHIPS and assembled them side-by side. I was able to replicate the mirrored pieces closely as if it was done on Photoshop. This is the main piece that will lay above the diorama's base.



Trick Question:  What do you suppose this is?



More to come...

When in doubt...

When in doubt, I ask questions.  Everytime I go to unfamiliar place, without a predisposed knowledge of the ins and outs, I normally just ask people nearby; the vendors, the trike drivers, the guards, or, the cops, when there are in the area, for directions.  Most are helpful, some are not, and if it was the latter, I simply ask more people until I get it right.

I've written a few tutorials, some of which might be helpful to some people, or not, depending on the fact if I have written the tutorial well, with enough descriptive pictures supported by descriptive text.  Most of my WIP posts are tutorials within themselves, especially when I include step-by-step photos.  Also, when there's something I can't find online, I go ahead and try it myself.  Even if I find something online, I still go on ahead and try it myself, because, I might not get the same result after all.

I've also started selling a few items that I actually use.  White High Impact Polystyrene Sheets (WHIPS) are cheaper alternatives to Tamiya Plaplate and are of comparable quality.  They are also slightly softer than plaplates and are more pliable and bendable.  My White Sticky Stuff and Clear Sticky Stuff (yes, there's a joke there somewhere, as the names came from a joke in one of the groups) are cheaper alternatives to Tamiya Regular and Extra Thin cement.  I have never kept it a secret; the Sticky Stuff's base formula is Hudson Polyurethane Reducer (PUR).  PUR is available at local and mall hardware stores, usually in 1L and 4L cans, and although I keep telling people that, they prefer to get it at smaller amounts instead of the whole shhh-bang.  You can use pure PUR directly as cement, as I have repetitively mentioned, as well as numerous buyers can attest.



Hence, why the Matx Hobby Stuff Page was born.  My main products are the Sticky Stuff and WHIPS.  As was expected, I get a lot of inquiries regarding the two items, and although current sales are a bit slow, I have recovered my investments a few times over. 

I sell WHIPS at PhP80 for 1mm and PhP40 0.5mm, quite a steal considering Tamiya's 1.0mm plaplates are now at PhP170 a sheet at the same size.  My Sticky Stuff are at PhP80 per 85mL bottle and comes with a free applicator, whereas Tamiya cement are now at PhP180 at 40mL.  So, simply put, that is my main selling point.

I have been using these items even before I decided to market them as MatX "signature products" hence I can guarantee that they work.  Hudson PUR is actually a thinner for Polyurethane Varnishes.  The term "reducer" is a fancy name for thinner.

It's not uncommon for me to get questions regarding my tutorials (even though the inquiry was something I specifically showed on the tutorial, with photos) or about the products I sell.  My Sticky Stuff often get hit.  So, it's quite amusing when I get inquiries like this:

Him: boss you there? one quick question

Xander Xinger: ?

Him: i find one store here that sell one of your suggested alternative for tamiya cement..polyurethane reducer, i can use this as it is?

Xander Xinger: yup

Him: im still cautious on using this it might melt not only the sheet but also the armor part

Xander Xinger: a little should be fine.  also, TEST it on runner slabs

Him: and the clerk said its not a glue its a thinner.  is that okay?

Xander Xinger: dude, I've been using it. who do you believe, the clerk, or me?

Him: you of course. haha. okay..

Xander Xinger: again, it won't really hurt if you try it

Him: ill begin testing

Please note, I am not offended nor annoyed, but rather amused by what transpired above.  It's one thing to ask questions about something that isn't obvious, but quite another to do so when it is too obvious, like on a tutorial.  I don't blame the guy for having doubts, in his position, I would probably have doubts, but I've been into Gunpla long enough to realize no amount of asking questions or getting answers for them will suffice for something I don't do or try myself.  That's how I got to develop most of my tutorials, and discover alternative materials, after all.  My consistent use (and getting consistent results) of the Sticky Stuff should have been enough proof.

Anyways, No WIP update for the Hellraiser yet, but here are a few teaser pics (all of which are either modified or scratch built with WHIPS and Sticky Stuff).

Something Airborne Comes This Way...

I'm still detailing the Bathala, wings and all, and it's actually a surprise, especially for me, to be able to work on another <ambitious> build.  This won't be a rush project, but, I'll devote most of my <free> time on this (while working on the Bathala's details), and if I finish it in time, this might become my entry to the <ugh> GBWC.

Never mind the overuse of <>.

So, I'll make this <exciting> for you guys with a guessing game (for Philippines only).  Whoever correctly guesses the base kit of the Haribon will have a chance to win an HG Age Gafran and a set of (3 X 0.5mm + 3 X 1.0mm) WHIPS.  The entries should be sent via email.  The Winner will be announced during the MAC Forums Y2 meet.  Deadline for submission is on 17 August 12MN PST (+8.00 GMT).

Update:  TWO GUESSES PER ENTRY.  No direct clues will be given, for that will ruin the fun of the game.  You will have to guess the KIT itself (so don't ask about scale or grade, guess the KIT itself).  I'll give VERY VAGUE hints until the deadline, but none of them would be too revealing.  As of this edit, I already got a couple of emails for the contest. 

When you email, don't confirm whether you guessed correctly or not, but I'll reply to confirm your entry.  I'll be transparent and list everyone (their handles/nicknames) who have joined.  If there are more than one correct guess, all of them will be "raffled off" during the MACY2MEET.  If there's no correct guess, then all who have joined are eligible for a draw, or, I will choose one which is the <closest guess>, whichever is more appropriate or popular).

Update 2:

Hints: What is the kit used for the Bathala's base? What is the kit prize for this contest?

Those ARE NOT the base kits for the Haribon.  Also, the Haribon banner itself has subtle hints. 

So, those who have already sent their entries, I'll allow you to have another go at it. To be fair to other entrants, I'll allow two guesses from hereon.

Update 3:

Deadline has been changed to 17 August 12MN PST (+8.00 GMT).

Hints: It's been recently released, and I mentioned it somewhere...

"BATHALA" - PMX-003 MG The O vMatX Part IX

Taking Flight!  Though I will still be working on the Bathala, this will be the final update of sorts for this project overall, mainly because I have work projects coming in, and I have to decide if I'll even enter this year's GBWC. I might use this improved wing for another kit instead of entering with the Bathala, mainly because it'll be too costly for me to get another MG The O at Toys R Us at mall price just to be able to enter. I'm thinking of getting an Infinite Justice or Sword Impulse (or some other similar kit), but as of the moment everything is frozen, even my budget for any new kit.

Anyways, I've finished majority of the wing, enough to be able to mount it and do a test fit to see if the mechanism can hold up to the weight. As predicted, the weight is rather significant, probably as heavy as the PG Strike Freedom's backpack/wing. The central gear mechanism is able to hold both wings when folded, or even when the main wing is spread, and so does the wing arm. I've made adjustments to the gears of the wing arms, pinning the gears on the receptacles aside from superglue, so that it holds it's place even during high tension. I've also added lock washers to prevent the nuts from slipping out when the wings are being handled.



The wings spread out. The main wings look short because of foreshortening especially since they curve inward. Looking at it at an angle reveals how long the longest "feather" really is (left wing), and how it curves inward (right wing).



Test fit. The Bathala can actually hold the wings up on its own when the Main wings are folded inward towards its center of gravity. I've also added another pair of V-fins, these coming from my PG RFA.



The wings, "fully" spread. I can still spread it further but it would look unnatural. Because of the overall weight, plus, the added leverage when spread, I won't be able to do this kind of pose for the wing (unless I make pose receptacles for them), not that it will be allowed if I enter it in the GBWC this year. In this configuration, the wingspan comes to a kewl ~100cm (~39in). I had to lay this down on the floor and set my tripod up down angle to get the entire thing inside the viewfinder.



That's it for now. Will post another update if ever.

"BATHALA" - PMX-003 MG The O vMatX Part VIII

Redesigning the redesign (or, more likely, refining the old one). Sometimes, simple is the best option. In this build, I tried to employ the simplest modification or build as I possibly can. In my previous update, I was able to make the base/arm of the wing as simple as I can, but, the more I worked on it and thought about it, the more stability problems can occur, especially since I was going to rely on a simple dual bar mechanism to hold a wing assembly more than 10 times its own weight. "

So another radical rethink was in order.  This time, I looked back at my original wing base design and assessed where it failed.



With all those articulation points being held up by a flimsy design, it was bound to fail, although it looked impressive at the time. Even though I was avoiding this, I wasn't prepared to sacrifice stability for simplicity. In this redesign, I've reconfigured the 4WD gears and the aluminum extenders to an optimum placement and positioning. I've used the same configuration (as I have for the old design) for the spine of the wing, as such, when one wing is turned in on direction, so will the other in the reverse direction, and these two hold each other in their relative angled positions with the wing's full weight (I haven't tried mounting both wings yet as I am still working on the other wing, but it does hold the weight of one wing so far). Instead of using plaplates as frame, I used a fiberglass bumper reinforcement to hold the gears in position, and mounted this on the O's backpack frame. This redesign removed the need for counter gears (flesh colored flat gears in the original design).

I've sandwiched 4 pieces of shaped WHIPS, bored a hole to snugly fit the gear's shaft, and superglued it into place, doing the same thing for the other side in reverse. The angled cut allows for a nice rotation range for the wing.





For the wing arm, I used those nifty 4WD aluminum extensions in a yin-yang configuration and placed gears/countergears at each end. One end attaches to the wing base, the other to the lower part of the secondary wing, making the design similar to an actual bird wing (as compared to the forced-wing design of the Wing Zero Custom). This allows the maximum rotation angle for either end. I've also customized hinges using 5mm beams as the the hinge shaft and 6mm hollow square beams as the hinge receptacle, encasing the latter in a square configuration to hold it in place (the hollow square beams are made with a different type of plastic and does not melt with cement). This gives the wing two articulation points on the Y-axis; one at the wing base, and the other at the lower wing.





More later...

"BATHALA" - PMX-003 MG The O vMatX Part VII

A quick update:

As I previously assessed, overall weight is an issue when it comes to connecting the base of the wing to the back pack. Still, of all the mechanisms I imagined and tested (I even tested the swivel/hinge units of the extra sword arms underneath the front skirts), nothing could hold the combined weight of the wings. I began thinking of crazy mechanisms again, until the simplest solution became obvious.

A single pivot connection won't cut it, unless I use screws and nuts again, which I am avoiding because this is the very same thing that caused my problems with my previous wing designs. I also use a dual pivot system before with the Angelus, but it also failed because of inherent flaws in the design itself.

So, what if, I used a dual pivot system which has parallel connections?



The mechanism is so simple, with nothing more but a pair of sandwiched polycaps that are interconnected by two beams of equal length, working on the principle of a dynamic parallelogram to create angular motion.



Again, simplicity wins. Despite the weight of the wings, the simple mechanism holds it up. I will still need to reinforce this, disguising that as detail later on.



More (much) later. I have a couple of projects coming in, so I won't be able to work on this monstrosity for a couple of days or so.

"BATHALA" - PMX-003 MG The O vMatX Part VI

The Evolution of Design. As an all-around Graphic Designer for the last 20 years, I've seen design disciplines evolve with the times. In those two decades, I've learned that sometimes, if not most of the time, the simplest of designs is often the most effective, especially with logos or corporate identity.

This also holds true with industrial design, an in my case, Gunpla. I have been fascinated with most anything that has wings that, aside from weird and unique designs, I actually tend to lean on those that have wings, or at least, a semblance of it, with a few exceptions (I don't like the Destiny since its "wings" looks forced, and though I did get the MG Strike Freedom at a huge discount, I never really liked it either, not to say that what I'll do now would look okay later on). The designs I like so far are the Kyrios, the Zeta Plus A1, the Epyon and of course, the TV version of Gundam Wing.

I have made several attempts on wing designs, the simplest so far was what I've done for the Ice Queen. This was a "simple" swivel mechanism where the wings are attached on a single pivot point.



Before that was the Impaler Wings (for the MG Sinanju), my first attempt at a fully articulated and multi-joint wing design.



This was plagued with stability problems mainly because of its complicated design, with all the connective parts I tried to include. I abandoned it altogether and simply put it as learning experience (in my case what isn't?).

Then, there were the Angelus Wings, a "simplified" version of the Impaler Wings, but worked on a similar joint concept. Though it worked wonderfully, it was still unstable. Also, there were the Chimera Wings, which has a solid design, but failed while I was setting it up during the 2010 BMWKC. I was so frustrated back then, I already knew it wasn't going to win anything by the time I got home.





I realized then that any wing design that has multiple points of articulation with screws will have this problem, so I had to do radical rethink.


The Bathala Wings. This is a takeoff from the Angelus wing design, but I simplified it further by reducing the swivel point of the main wing design to one.  I've also added a lock nut to keep the swivel firm. I still wanted the main wing to spread and fold like a fan, but instead of using "gear points" which will limit how the wing spreads and will require holes and pegs located at certain angles (as with the Impaler), or actual gears to automate the wing spread or fold by pulling one out (the Angelus), I used what should have been most obvious from the start.

Instead of a single piece, each "feather" of the main wing is made of two pieces, cut and attached at a certain angle as such the lower layer "catches" the movement of the higher layer thereby creating a natural angle limiter between layers.



I made two prototypes, then decided to use the design of the larger one (keeping the prototype untouched, just in case) to match the Bathala's height. I then encased the joint portion with a simple "box" that follows the shape of the wing. The main wing's span is already at 29 cm, so this thing is going to be huge and heavy. I used all my remaining 1.0mm HIPS for these, since I noticed that even the 1.0mm tends to grow stiff and brittle over time.



Unlike in the Angelus, the Bathala has a lower compound wing with "feathers" that also fold in and out slightly. The feathers are compounded in a 4-3 configuration, each with its own articulation point.



A very "dry" test fit. This is how it should look like when the main and lower wings are attached.



Joining the Wings. Initially, I decided on a simple swivel mechanism to connect the main and lower wings, but that basically limited the Wing's swivel in one direction. I wanted the wing to swivel in several directions so that I can pose it folding over the shoulder of the Bathala somewhat, similar to that of the WingZC. I thought about this a lot, and the only way I can achieve this without making the joint too complicated was to use 8mm Revoltech Revolver ratchet joints. These joints are rare and very difficult to procure, and I got a few of these from R10 via M1Gs a couple of years back and haven't been able to use them, well, until now.





With the Bathala's wing becoming heavy, I had to make sure that that joint's pegs can handle the weight (they're thin and actually soft, being made with High Density Polyethylene, a plastic similar to polycaps), so I made peg modules by encapsulating polycaps with HIPS and WHIPS. These not only hold the polycaps but reinforce them as well. I'm still deciding if I'll mount them permanently on their respective sections or have them removable.

Addendum (18 July 2012):

Lightning update. Though it's main purpose is to hold the main wing up, the lower wing also has semi-articulated compound feathers that swivel out for a full spread pose. This combines weight support functionality with wing aesthetics, so if I was thinking the same way I did before this would be very complicated.

Instead, I drew inspiration from the main wing of a jumbo jet. The mini-wings will be encased in a wing-shaped "box," and that in turn is constructed in such a way that it it becomes solid in itself without additional reinforcement. The final assembly has potential to be very heavy, so I had to reduce weight by removing material inside the "box." This is easily hidden with the layered armor, in which I also removed material covered by the overlapping layer.





I worked on the connective modules of the joint between the main and lower wings I'm still struggling with OC tendencies to make everything removable. The 8mm Revolver joint holds the wing in place at that angle, but I would have to deal with it spinning somewhat on the "axis" of the peg because of the overall weight.





With this simple configuration, I was able to do the entire wing assembly in roughly 4-5 days, whereas, my previous (and somewhat failed) attempts took weeks, if not months, just figuring out the mechanisms.