Probe droid very slow build

[marsattack]

The gp styrene that's coated has no body, meaning it's a very thin layer.
This can be taken off with even the thinnest sandpaper.
However th head will be done in reverse, only the armor plating is gloss on top so there is no need to sandpaper the back.
Mars

 

[Guy Cowen]

Oh ok our HIPS here in the states doesn't have that coating on it,
no wonder it looked all glossy. I was wondering when you go to put
all the eyes on it how will you do that?

Mike the Hips you sent me for the A-wing is the best I've ever seen, I think the stuff you get in the USA is far nicer to work with than the shiny stuff this side of the pond, I have some 3mm left over of yours that I'm going to use on the Slave 1 as the 3mm stuff I've bought is no where near as rigid.

So can you send me some :lol

 

[3d-builder]

Mike the Hips you sent me for the A-wing is the best I've ever seen, I think the stuff you get in the USA is far nicer to work with than the shiny stuff this side of the pond, I have some 3mm left over of yours that I'm going to use on the Slave 1 as the 3mm stuff I've bought is no where near as rigid.

So can you send me some :lol

No problem PM me
Mars looking forward to your next up date

 

[ralphee]

Styrene here in the UK isnt as good right now. The 2mm stuff from EMA feels so flimsy of late, really rubbery almost, i have a full hull for the snowspeeder cut in in, and while itll do the job fine, anything larger, it would need so much internal support to stop sagging, there is just no rigidity to it anymore.

lee

 

[marsattack]

Hi guys, I will post here and transfer only the valuable info to the sale thread.
Sorry I haven't updated this thread,
I have however managed to not only collect all the kits for this probe , Lee has sent out the legs so they are in transit BUT I also finished up all the designs and CNC work for the Probe droid other than 2 small items.

I was so impressed by the following and the result was nothing short than a perfect shape.
We CNC the skirt and underskirt to the correct measurement after scaling .
After trying out a few things we thought we would vacform the 2 pieces as one in 3mm .
Although this was an incredible strong pull the detail had been lost,as the styrene is very thick, so rather than "compromise " acuracy and detail , I decided to vacform them out of 1mm.
Believe it or not the underskirt is very strong, the main skirt is flimsy.

A ring will be fitted to the main skirt, not only for strength but also for assembly.
I will post here a few pics of the master molds , however these were machined exactly to take 3mm styrene, so now they have been recut to accomodate 1mm styrene.
Programmed to cut on monday , but here were the test pulls we did today.
All are 1mm but not the correct master mold.
but you get the "gist"

now this next picture has the TOP dome as suggested by GUY to be done as a vacform, works great and the "cubes" or those pockets on the side of the skirt will be also vac formed.
The one picture is untrimmed and actually not correct as it was vacformed the opposite way around.

here is a quick test fit of the cube

The only 2 things missing are the middle washer that separates the main body.
As this is an important part , I was thinking of , after cutting it out of acrylic or 4.5 mm styrene making it a main part of the armature.
If for some reason the armature is not something that you want , i will supply it alone.

Last part is the head armour .
I have recasted the sat V parts , which will then be cut in half and filled with plaster or similar to be vacformed over .
still have some in silicon , but also managed to take GUY's advice and cast the eyes HOLLOW

Furthermore test fitting domes, another 2 rings were made for the lower head and upper body and another for the skirt to facilitate the assmbly of cutout styrene.
total 4 ring have now been cnc and vacformed.


All parts are now produced and/or underway.
I will update the sale thread with prices .

I will start a build thread as soon as the legs get here and the rest of the kits.
thank you
Mars

 

[ralphee]

Mars, thats looking stellar, a proper Probe droid at last, clean and crisp styrene, cant wait to get my hands on this lot, looks like all that hard work is paying off.
Now i really have to get to work on a couple of legs sets lol, looks like there is all the room in the world for electronics in this one lol.

lee

 

[moffeaton]

Standing ovation!

 

[Scott Graham]

Wow Marcel. That's a great job you're doing on this! Looking forward to seeing this come together.

 

[Guy Cowen]

Just brilliant, what a day when this lands. Your really putting in the love and time it deserves.

I think I'm going to cry now

 

[Guy Cowen]

I dont know why but that crown really makes me smile, ace stuff.

 

[3d-builder]

Everyone loves Raymond........and plastic parts!thumbsup
yea the 1mm will do a lot more for you......i have seen the thick
stuff form with good results.......you really need a good secondary
vacuum source. Nothing beats a plastic or fiberglass part.....:thumbsup

 

[marsattack]

Thank you guys for the comments and comments.
3d the guy got the non gloss styrene also , all black too for certain parts.lol
The 3mm was outstanding but the under rim of the skirt was a little too round for me.
As this is a dress up part and a thick disc will be added in the armature section for the leg support I opted for the 1mm.
I originally wanted to go fiberglass but this would mean that a silicon mold has to be made with external support right?
I just did not think I could do that with without distortion to the parts.
Again thanks
Mars

 

[3d-builder]

Thank you guys for the comments and comments.
3d the guy got the non gloss styrene also , all black too for certain parts.lol
The 3mm was outstanding but the under rim of the skirt was a little too round for me.
As this is a dress up part and a thick disc will be added in the armature section for the leg support I opted for the 1mm.
I originally wanted to go fiberglass but this would mean that a silicon mold has to be made with external support right?
I just did not think I could do that with without distortion to the parts.
Again thanks
Mars

Ahhh who cares man make your model it looks good so far!thumbsup

 

[marsattack]

thanks guys for the compliments,
will keep you all posted.
mars

 

[ssfx]

This is incredible
Wish I had your talent

 

[Arkive Dave]

Oh WOW !!!!, Just AWESOME !!!!!!, keep the photos coming,

 

[vaderdarth]

Very nice Mars!!!!!

 

[ralphee]

Thank you guys for the comments and comments.
3d the guy got the non gloss styrene also , all black too for certain parts.lol
The 3mm was outstanding but the under rim of the skirt was a little too round for me.
As this is a dress up part and a thick disc will be added in the armature section for the leg support I opted for the 1mm.
I originally wanted to go fiberglass but this would mean that a silicon mold has to be made with external support right?
I just did not think I could do that with without distortion to the parts.
Again thanks
Mars

Id just flat the underskirt rim out buddy, what id do, just in case, is fill the interior of the lip with a skim of resin, just a mm or two, then sand it all in to lose the curl.

lee