Progress on Untitled Project, Scratchbuild & Maybe Some Diorama pics Later on.

[Ubiquitial]

I needed something to give [****] an epic feeling, so I decided to make a miniature naginata (it turned out looking more like a Guan Dao, but whatever.)



It took about 2 hours to finish, I carved the blade itself from a 0.3 mm sheet of styrene, Which I then refined with 220 grit sandpaper and my set of Testor steel files.



The edge I refined first with 320 grit sandpaper, then 400 grit, to create a sharp rim. Finally, I polished the blade with some 1200 grit wetsanding, and that was it.



The hilt was a pain in my ass. I took another square of 0.3 and cut a circle in it, with a specialized knife. Then I sanded two sides with 150 grit until they were flat, and that left me with this rounded rectangle look. The hard part was cutting a slit in the middle to let the blade through, and I had to taper the bottom part of it to force it through. I might scribe a design on the hilt later on.

The shaft is simply a lengthened mechanical pencil inner tube thingy. The plastic is soft and Tamiya cement doesn't work on it. I attached it to the blade with some string for now - I'll glue it on after painting.



And a close up of some maple leafs I carved out of 0.1 and 0.2 mm plaplates. They'll be used for decoration later on.

[Ubiquitial]

The Shimenawa ring has been finished. After rounding it out between 2 plastic cups, I let it dry for a few days. Then, future was applied with a brush, until the entire thing was saturated. Let dry, repeat.

A few coats of Krylon Clear flat for texture, and here we are.

[HakureiSM]

Goddammit.

You're skilled.

[Ryuu]

ilu

[Ubiquitial]

ilu

Encouragement is appreciated :3

But any thoughts, really? I'd like to hear any advice on how I can improve this.

[Ryuu]

Encouragement is appreciated :3

But any thoughts, really? I'd like to hear any advice on how I can improve this.

one cannot improve upon perfection, friend

[Drake]

color the maple leavesiknowyou'realreadydoingthat

[Alfred F. Jones]

This is so cool. I can't wait to see the finished product.

[Hello Purvis]

Damn son.

[Wisp]

Whoa, looks pretty nice. Can't wait to see the finished project. Don't give up now.

[Ubiquitial]

Whoa, looks pretty nice. Can't wait to see the finished project. Don't give up now.

But I'm short on money and shit costs a lot 

But yeah, I'm gonna work on it all through winter, up till spring - when I'll paint the thing. I was planning on painting the thing chrome, but I'd need an airbrush to apply the alcad II. I doubt anyone I know has one.

For a textured metal feel, I guess I could use graphite powder, but that's like $5 a gram.

And don't get me started on the cost of paint and primers. Ick.

[Suikama]

Man when I saw the leaves I thought it would be

[Ubiquitial]

hey guys. Won't have any progress for a week or so - My arm got hit by a car. No bone injuries, but heavy bruising. Still, voice your support and keep this alive. 

[HakureiSM]

Ouch.
Voicing my support.

[Slaves]

USE YOUR FOOT

GREAT ART REQUIRES SACRIFICES

[Alfred F. Jones]

What Slaves said. GET TO WORKING!

[Ubiquitial]

What Slaves said. GET TO WORKING!

I did. You have no idea how hard it was, painting a diorama with one hand. I also did something much simpler as a complement. But I'm tired and must rest for now.

[Ubiquitial]

Fuck it. Enough Whoring. Here are the pics.



First, I took another plaplate, and traced a design on it with a dark pencil. This is all good and simple, not too hard provided you can draw.



Then, I cut out basic shape using a scalpel.



Some more trimming removes most of the excess plastic.



Then, I bring out my set of steel files. These are used to grind the sides of the plate down, and to smooth curves.



After which it looks like this. The sides are smooth, and the shape is formed. Now, to create an edge, I wet sand using regular sandpaper, which makes it a lot smoother.



Using cement, I attach a small styrene rod to the base of this blade, to give it some more length. Finally, I attach a hilt. The guard I made from a small rectangle of styrene, the handle is salvaged from an older model. Et voila!

The guard does look a tiny bit small - I'll have to extend it later. When my arm is healed.

[Ryuu]

I couldn't do this if I was Shiva, and you did it with one hand


I applaud you

[HakureiSM]

I couldn't do this if I was Shiva, and you did it with one hand


I applaud you

[Mr_Bob]

Your work is looking very impressive.

[Ubiquitial]

First, I am dissapoint. You let this drop from the front page >:|



I extended the guard, added some strips and a older model's chin to reinforce the sword.
Then I saturated it with thin cement, let it cure, and sanded it down again.



Here's the centerpiece of the diorama, a plaster rock I gave a ink wash to. I accidentally made the mixture too dark, and washed some away using a spray thingy. What I ended up with was this unexpected granite texture. Now, I was going to add some soil effects and moss and lichen, but this looks decent.


So, what do I do? Keep it as it is, or give it the effects?

[HakureiSM]

It looks great as it is, if you ask me

[Dizzy H. "Muffin" Muffin]

That is actually a badass-looking rock.

[Ryuu]

looks pretty good if you ask me

[E-Nazrin]

For realism, a little more dirt and moss would probably look better, yeah. Unless Kanako would insist on having her presentation rock as clean as possible?

[Ubiquitial]

For realism, a little more dirt and moss would probably look better, yeah. Unless Kanako would insist on having her presentation rock as clean as possible?

I was thinking of a more natural feel - like an outcrop, which I could set on another base. But idk, I think I'll just make another.

But I digress. Too cold to really work on that now. I'll scratchbuild the shoulder armor over the weekend.

[Ubiquitial]

Shoulder Armor complete! 2nd try though... The first was an experiment to see how I can fit it.



Made out of 0.3 Plates, my choice for most scratchbuilds for HG kits. I cut it out with my circle tool and some scissors. Tape and hands for bending. Then hardened gently with a lighter. It took 5 tries to get it right. those wide beams are there to keep it in place.



Also, I extended it after each try, ending up with bases of 2cm and 3cm. It's quite plain for now - I'll plate it a little, and then paint some marble effects on it. Maybe put a Kanji on top.



This would be nice



but that would be easy.   :/



Quite proud of this tiny part. I wanted the shield to be able to rotate and hinge independently, so I built a mount for a polycap from an older model, then fitted it on the shield with double sided tape (for now.)



A rough diagram detailing my plans. The leg armor might be a bit longer, and the chest will be a lot more plain. Oh, and the cannons will be removed, there will be a ring on it's back, and.... Knee-length blue hair. All while draped in bright red cloth. Lots of work to do.

[HakureiSM]

Holy shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit

[Alfred F. Jones]

Whoa whoa whoa.

That. Is. AWESOME.