"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.

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

Skirting by. I decided to modify the the front skirts to more appropriate proportions, reducing the width in the process. I cut the ball joints and one of the vent connections on each of the skirt frames, then cut the skirt armor along the length of the thicker section. I then cut the side section to remove a few millimeters. I then made a new connective framework by merging the connective ball joint with a shaped WHIPS, reinforced at the edge with 3mm beams. I then rebuilt the armor with WHIPS, maintaining the vent connector. These will undergo further detailing.





I've also rebuilt the midsection of the the rear skirt by modifying a spare part from my PG Astray kit (coincidentally, this is also a rear skirt section) and modifying the frame to add shape, detail and volume overall. The assembly comes three sections for easier painting later on.





Last but not least, I've decided to build the rear skirts entirely from scratch, mainly because the modified stock skirts seemed off, and any further modifications would be a waste of time. Unlike the Front skirts, I'll be making these in once-piece sections, mainly because of the curvature I need to accomplish.



Prototyping frustration. Initially, the rear skirts looked nice to me, that is, until I've wrapped the top part. At this stage the flaws of my design bared its teeth, with the curves looking forced and uneven. I was going to simply cover it with my planned layered armor design, but that also posed a problem since even though it's a single piece, the thing got too heavy with all the thickening I had to do to get enough surface area on the edges for the curved surface to adhere to. So, I had to do a "quick" rethink.



At this point, I was already working on the layered armor for the initial design by curving shaped pieces of WHIPS. Without using heat, one can get a more spherical curve by combining smaller curved pieces. I prefer doing it this way since the armor is layered after all, and I can still make small adjustments later on.





While I was working on the layered armor, I decided to make the darn thing a two-piece assembly. I used the initial failed skirt as a mold for the layered armor, removed the top ugly part, and kept the base as it was, made adjustments as needed and mounted 3mm beams (that will serve as connectors). I added "ribs" on the inside part of the armor, which doubles as connective stops for the frame base.



The original one piece skirt with the two-piece redesign side-by-side justified my frustration earlier on. Aside from having a better, streamlined shape, the two-piece assembly is actually lighter than the single piece without the layered armor.




I'm using WHIPS exclusively now (I still have a whole 1.0mm, cut 0.5mm and 0.3mm Tamiya plaplates), to test its useability. Compared to plaplates, WHIPS are sifter and easier to cut, shape and bend. Filing and sanding is also a non-issue, though the softness does take a bit of getting used to.

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

Leg up! Modifications are tricky. Sometimes, I get to modify a lot of parts in a couple of days or so, sometimes, It takes several to modify just one part, especially when I have to get back to it to make repairs and additional modifications. This rarely happens when marrying PS to PS plastic, but often when marrying PS and ABS. In my experience so far, not all ABS plastics are created equal when it comes to combining them with polystyrene in modifications. The toughness of ABS when it comes to cutting and bonding it with cement varies with the color it comes in. The gold ABS frame of the MG Strike Freedom is rather soft, whereas the grey ABS frames of both the Sinanju and the Unicorn are indeed tough, but, since there are no polycaps for the joints, are susceptible to humidity and temperature change, that, when left posed for a long time, tend to stick. The upside of that is that they are also easy to bond to PS with cement, though, I have learned it's always best to reinforce joins. Next on the list is the PG RFA's red ABS frame. Though it melts upon contact with cement, and oozes when it undergoes pressure during bonding, it also tends to grow brittle over time.

The toughest so far (and you can test this yourself) is the black (or dark)-colored ABS frames (PG 00, MG Wing EW series, The O). Though similar to the red ABS in toughness, this one barely melts on contact with cement, unless I really rub the surfaces together. When the bonded surface dries, the ABS quickly lets go when stress is applied. Since I have the habit of modifying high-stress parts like joints, this is a major issue that I have to contend with, especially since for such a huge kit, the MG The O manages to have too small a part to modify easily.

So, after the nth test fit and it giving way (slightly, if I may add. The beam modification actually holds, but the external HIPS/ABS join is stubborn), I decided on applying the reinforcement mod I have been trying to avoid.

I shaved off about 0.5mm from the surface of the ABS/HIPS on the modified leg section (red area) and leveled it with a file. Using the 0.5mm WHIPS (White High Impact PolyStyrene) I recently acquired, I cemented a piece to merge the problematic joins together. I then encapsulated the edge with the same, saturating the joins with extra thin cement and applied pressure, especially on the radial part.



In this case, I waited for 12 hours before re-beveling the edges with a file and smoothing it with a 600-grit sandpaper. The one on the left is untouched, the one on the right has already been re-beveled.



Spared Parts. I have a LOT of spare parts, from various kits and stuff. Some, I've used to build the X-Walker, some, still waiting to be part of something else. In some cases when I do modifications, I do cut certain sections that have promising use, so I keep them whenever I can. Care to venture a guess which kit/s I got these from, and what will become of the parts on the second picture?



Footloose! The O is a HUGE kit. As such, it's not really strange that it has big feet. Nevertheless, that logic didn't stop me from stripping the side sections off because I think they look silly anyways (whatever practical use it may have). This one took the better part of 4-5 days to complete, from cutting, filing, attaching the new surface (using the 1.0mm WHIPS) and waiting for it to cure for 24 hours, then finally cutting away the excess and filing it again for good measure to make it seamless. I also cut the midsection for that "Kampfer" look.



With the lower shine/ankle extension looking too thin compares to the overall kit, adding volume to it is essential. I cut several 8mm clear tubes (with a pipe cutter), and made a pair of this nifty little bugger.



This slips into the remodified ankle to simply add volume and detail.