Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds Martian Fighting Machine

[dproc]

Childhood favourite Martian, 3D Printed. Thingiverse model enlarged to maximise print bed size (220%) on Neptune 3 Pro. 50 hours on the main body. Aluminium middle legs and steel lower legs (for lower centre of gravity). Bicycle spokes for leg support rods. Resin cast the cockpit and red (camera makes them look pink, but they are red) side lights and added LED's with a battery pack accessible through the removable green cockpit. The dangle'y tentacle at the bottom acts as a switch by twisting it so there is no obvious switch on the outside. I have nowhere to put it but its something I always wanted! Goes with my George Pal flyer nicely! ULLAAAAAAA!

 

[19narvik40]

Childhood favourite Martian, 3D Printed. Thingiverse model enlarged to maximise print bed size (220%) on Neptune 3 Pro. 50 hours on the main body. Aluminium middle legs and steel lower legs (for lower centre of gravity). Bicycle spokes for leg support rods. Resin cast the cockpit and red (camera makes them look pink, but they are red) side lights and added LED's with a battery pack accessible through the removable green cockpit. The dangle'y tentacle at the bottom acts as a switch by twisting it so there is no obvious switch on the outside. I have nowhere to put it but its something I always wanted! Goes with my George Pal flyer nicely! ULLAAAAAAA!


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Please, please tell me how you did the eyes with tha pattern !!!! I have a 1/141st scale one from Shapeways and very, very much want to do up the eyes with that very pattern. I have searched for decals. masks and photoetch but to no avail.

 

[dproc]

Please, please tell me how you did the eyes with tha pattern !!!! I have a 1/141st scale one from Shapeways and very, very much want to do up the eyes with that very pattern. I have searched for decals. masks and photoetch but to no avail.

Was exactly how I wanted it! No skill of my own... the thingiverse model has a smooth or pattern option in the files. I 3d printed the pattern one, sanded a little and moulded with silicone. Then cast with clear resin with some green pigment and a black wash to darken the lines. By virtue of my laziness it has the happy accident of the remaining print lines giving a very subtle lenticular lens effect of concentric rings and looks great! Jeff Wayne Martian Fighting Machine / Tripod (fixed) by C_Caina

 

[Astyanax]

Amazing work! It looks like you did the sensor prongs a little differently. Can you explain what those are? Also, what is the tentacle made of?

Thank you!

 

[19narvik40]

Your Martian War Machine is great, I love all the extra detail you've worked in !! This is the wee beastie I have, the eyes are smooth(ish) and are 29 mm wide. I'll keep searching for some decals or even a photoetch set of small hexagonal shapes I can use. Sorry for the crappy lighting

 

[dproc]

Amazing work! It looks like you did the sensor prongs a little differently. Can you explain what those are? Also, what is the tentacle made of?

Thank you!

Sensor prongs are a thin gauge stiff wire CA glued, and then some thin epoxy over it, attached to the 3d printed angled mounts. They are pretty sturdy and go into the body too. Was going to use needles but imagined what might happen. The tentacle is the white sheath from an apple cable with a bent wire insert and a rounded point of printer filament for the end. The upside down question mark shape lets me turn it like a key to turn on the lights!

 

[dproc]

Your Martian War Machine is great, I love all the extra detail you've worked in !! This is the wee beastie I have, the eyes are smooth(ish) and are 29 mm wide. I'll keep searching for some decals or even a photoetch set of small hexagonal shapes I can use. Sorry for the crappy lighting
View attachment 1727171

Great detail for a smaller one! 3D printing the eye texture might be hard. Photo etch sounds like a good idea! Give it the curve squashing between two spoons maybe?

 

[19narvik40]

"Give it the curve squashing between two spoons maybe?"
My thoughts exactly !!! Now I just have to find the right sized photoetch.

 

[TazMan2000]

You have the glow from the eyes just perfect.

TazMan2000

 

[CChris]

Hey there,
Thanks for posting this

I am trying to build this damn thing since 2018 - and it is the reason, why I've started with 3D printing at all...
Since then, unfortunately, I was not able to adapt the files / figure in a way that I was happy with the outcome, especially, since I want to have some electronic components that should go from a base plate to the figure... I need to find a way to route the cables through the legs :-/

But your post got me to the point, that I will give it another try - especially, since I'm stuck to the Musical for over 30 years now - and having such a model is also one of my childhood dreams

I will start another post - when I'm starting to work on the tripod... now, I am building the Handling Machine, which will also get its own post here

 

[19narvik40]

now, I am building the Handling Machine, which will also get its own post here

Do you have the old Comet kit? I'd love to see one built up.

 

[CChris]

Do you have the old Comet kit? I'd love to see one built up.

No, unfortunately I haven't this kit... :-(
Not even known that something like that existed... I need to do some research

 

[Antsnest]

I had both the comet kits but they left a fair bit to be desired. Never built them in the end, but passed them on to someone with more patience...

 

[CChris]

I had both the comet kits but they left a fair bit to be desired. Never built them in the end, but passed them on to someone with more patience...

I don't even know, if I would build them... probably, I would just go to collect them - and never open them... maybe - when I could be sure that my skills are good enough to finish them in a propper way.

 

[19narvik40]

Just so you have some idea of what the kit looked like here are some images I found online. Also, here is a like to an older Youtube open box review of the kit www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=A43H4AZMd1I

 

[Neo-uk]

Yeah those comet kits are only good as a starting point for re-modelling.
I did a kit of this ages ago.