Movie Optimus Prime build

[kingbob]

Yeah to me breadboards are the white style you can just slot components into without soldering.

I just tested all the LEDs and one of the ones in the messed up breather bar is dead. I did test them all before installing, but hey, it happens. Only pronlem is is glued in with CA, and really not coming out. Marinating it in some acetone at the moment, so hopefully wont need to make a new bar, and cut new tubes.

As Izzy suggested i'll switch to something else for a while. I do tend to bounce from part to part anyway, stops me getting annoyed when a given part doesnt want to behave how i want it!

[kingbob]

Before i lay down any paint i'm test fitting everything to the body to check for any alterations that need to be made. So i attached the makerlights this evening, and did a test fitting with the headlights. I'm not totally happy with the makerlights, but they're about as good as i can get with hand tools.

Need to tweak the headlight mounts a little, mounted to the sides of the the hood gives the a slight inward slant, makes it a bit cross eyed.

Also found that one of the fenders isnt quite straight after i cut out the inner radius to correct them. So need to cut the wedge out, and reposition it.

But heres a glimpse, starting to look a bit like Prime now.

[Espeefan]

That's a great frontal shot! I like it, Bob!

[R.J.F Transport]

another tip if glued in is to pop it in the freezer for 30 mins or so till its nice and cold then pop out the offending part the freezer makes the glue brittle and will break cleanly i use this when building bodiesand 1/24 scale and glue something in wrong spot

[kingbob]

I trimmed about an inch off the rear end of the chassis rails today, and mounted the angled plastic parts N7/N8 from a knight hauler to get the correct slanted look to the rear end, and mounted a wonderfully shiny light plate from Russ.

[kingbob]

I was in a soldering mood, so wired up the LEDs for the rear light plate, made light bars for the rear fender brake lights, and made up the roof lights as well.

Unfortunately I cant get more of Lynns visored bezels at the moment, but i found some chrome bezeled LEDs at the local electronics place. Dont have the visored look, but can easily replace them when the visored ones become available again.

[kingbob]

Gave the rear fenders a light blue basecoat, then spent a while masking the pinstripe for the flames. Had to look at a bunch of reference pics to get it right. Not perfect but its close! Its 1mm tape!

[kaptain Jack]

looks very nice.

[kaptain Jack]

Hey Bob,where did you buy the head lights?

[Espeefan]

Gosh, the fenders look incredible Bob! Love the rear tail light panel too. Even your masking looks flawless.

[kingbob]

Originally Posted by kaptain Jack

Hey Bob,where did you buy the head lights?

Kappy, they're from Garden trucking.

Originally Posted by Espeefan

Gosh, the fenders look incredible Bob! Love the rear tail light panel too. Even your masking looks flawless.

Thanks ESP, took a couple of goes with the masking to get it how i liked it, and to get them being close mirrors of each other. I'm dreading masking the hood and front fender flames though.

Got the rear light panel all fitted, and the top part painted too.

[kingbob]

The red areas get painted first, so they got a gold undercoat last night, followed by the red today. Once the first coat of red dries over the next day or so, i'll be sanding a few bad spots where either dust stuck, a finger print showed up, or the paint mottled a bit. Then lay another coat down. Its a semi translucent red so the more coats I lay, the richer it gets. Its a little light at the moment so it should be just right i think.

My desk light makes it look a little orange, but it is red.

[kaptain Jack]

I can't wait to see the final result.

[kingbob]

Originally Posted by kaptain Jack

I can't wait to see the final result.

*fingers crossed *

Me too. I'm doing the fenders first so that if something doesnt work out with the colours, or backing process, or something they're smooth enough and simple enough to simply sand flat, reprime and try again.

[kingbob]

Son of a....
Just received the styrene sheets I ordered to do the trailer sides. I ordered the wrong pattern.

*bangs head on desk*

[JoseFL10-4]

Hey men nice project, take a look a grille on evil bay

[Espeefan]

Bob, any updates on the paint? I can't wait to see it all finished! The fenders are looking really nice.

[kingbob]

Actually ive sanded the fenders back and re-primed. The light blue pin stripe just look ridiculously over scale. Holding off painting them until i come up with a better way.

The real pinstripe looks like its only 5mm or so, which in scale is something like 0.3mm. Unpaintable. Im going to look for some blue pinstripe tape and see how thin i can cut it.
Otherwise i dont think it will be doable.

In the meantime i've been working on the light bars under the cab and sleeper. Finally made some im happy with after 6 hoes.

Will add a pic tonight.

[Radio Control Trucker]

Hey Bob, for the fender pin-stripes - How about making up a set of clear decals that have the pin-stripes printed onto them and then apply the entire decal over the fender. The paint would be protected and still seen through the clear decal paper with the pin-stripes straight and intact without tearing or any misalignments.

Just a thought

- RCT

[kingbob]

The thing with decal paper will be wrapping it around the compound curves without it wrinkling.
Be worse on the cab with all the bolt detail.

I have a mate whos a sign writer, i might get him to print/cut some that i can then trim to half a mm or less.