Revell At-At WIP... finishing up!

[Jun Austria]

The "hip" joint was a pain to re-create in the Revell model.

Did this back in 2011. I'm sure Starks can do a better job.

 

[swmodelfan1977]

Thank you for the heads up on that thread! Huge help! Fantastic project and detail captured there. Confirmed for me where the pin on the motion limiter leg extension that slides in the hip slot is located.

Looks like you have a lot of insights yourself as you have already traveled down the road we are headed. Any additional insights you can contribute would be very appreciated.

Since I've posted in seven years ago, I could not have time to do because of work and private issue. I have found interesting info recently as follows.
Have you looked at PropStore Phil Tippett Auction? Most of them were sold but we could see the pics with watermark. There are hand drawing and picture of component from early prototype that would be same as pic in #121 of this thread. Prototype and filmed model was different in detail but it gave us some sort of idea.

Hope this will help.

Journey of research will be kept going.

 

[starks]

The "hip" joint was a pain to re-create in the Revell model.
View attachment 1458940
Did this back in 2011. I'm sure Starks can do a better job.

As much peer pressure as I feel right now I think this may be the Empires straight ahead only Model But I would like to look more closely at the studio models operation.

And carrying on ITS ALIVE!
Well sort of. I have a working leg joint. I made a quick mock leg with cam to be sure on all the positioning before modifying the Revell leg further.
As far as I can see and looking at the screen shots Hagoth posted of the walkers cam movements earlier on ( top of page 6) this movement all lines up. Please excuse my crude screws and drill bit pins, just trying to quickly put something together.

The leg locked down and the cam locking tab facing the hip to body joint. The leg extension retracted back to the leg.

Half way up

and leg raised for knee up. Cam locking tab facing down and leg extension fully extended in the same fashion as the studio model.

What's your thought's guys... success here or is there anything I'm missing?

Cheers,
Josh

 

[Hagoth]

I think you have captured the general motion here nicely. You could probably go with this but looking at the picture you posted at the bottom of page 6 I think there should be an adjustment on the positioning of the slot and pin location on the leg motion limiter. My motion sequence layout is not accurate in shape or in the positioning of the pivot points of the leg extension. It was just an example of the motion relationships. I think the pivot that slides in the hip slot needs to be about 1/3 of the way down the length. I'm hoping someone with the Bandai kit can post a picture of that piece from the backside. Here is the picture I'm studying.

Notice how the slot seems to line up with the motion limiter? They seem almost parallel to each other when the leg is slightly back (or forward if on the front) There does seem to be a gap that was filled with resin so that feature is well captured. I suspect it is just the pin location that will line things up.

Also notice the small portion of the second larger diameter crescent that you can see on the leg. It lines up with a pin mark that I think is the pivot of the cam arm driving the movement of the pistons. The center of the piston cam is the hole in the armor plate below.

 

[Analyzer]

I'll try to get a picture.

in the meantime, this may help

 

[Analyzer]

starks I think you got it!

Hagoth is this what you were looking for?

 

[Sym-Cha]

That looks great starks ... I've been doing some googling and found several interesting pictures. But first refering to anamorphicWayne's build, he has the pin location of the motion limiter also much lower in his design, as Analyzer just showed us :

It seems to concur with these images, i.e. see hind legs :

Also on the AT-AT in the far distant :

But you may need to make some openings in the legs as Junk Pilot showed us :

And then I found this nice picture of the making of the AT-AT with all the metal parts :

See those upper legs in the center of the table, they do have a 2nd semi circle as in the above picture by anamorphicWayne, and a spring in their feet

Chaïm

 

[starks]

I have the slot and pin in the leg ok Chaïm.

The image I've drawn over the top of I have had to correct for perspective. However if its still skewed in at the top or bottom or even left or right it is going to change the angle of slot in the hip, not by much but even a mm or 2 will make a difference over the length of travel.

Also the angle of the leg to the hip alters how parallel the limiter sits to the slot.
Its very hard to make everything that precise as it's incremental adjustments now.

I will move the pin though and see what needs altering. I put it at the top of the limiter as that seemed to give the limiter the correct angle of travel. Could be the hinge pin of the limiter to the leg is too far in or out to as that will change the limiter angle.

Cheers,
Josh

 

[Hagoth]

starks I think you got it!

Hagoth is this what you were looking for?

View attachment 1459367
View attachment 1459368View attachment 1459369
View attachment 1459370
View attachment 1459372

Yes! Thanks! Those are great shots. I'm impressed with all the little details that Bandai captured including the second cam pin hole location.

So Starks the location of my pin for going in the hip slot needs to move down to about 1/3 the total length and be in the middle of the width.

 

[starks]

Yes! Thanks! Those are great shots. I'm impressed with all the little details that Bandai captured including the second cam pin hole location.

So Starks the location of my pin for going in the hip slot needs to move down to about 1/3 the total length and be in the middle of the width.

Ill make the adjustments down 1/3 tonight.

On the limiter Bandai have like a fill piece between the limiter and the leg.... like a shallow area attached to the limiter.
This is on the resin model but looking at pics of the studio hero model that fill isn't there. I figured it was a result of the moulding on the resin model.
It's not on the limiters of the mira model either I notice.
Any insight here?

Cheers,
Josh

 

[Hagoth]

That looks great starks ... I've been doing some googling and found several interesting pictures. But first refering to anamorphicWayne's build, he has the pin location of the motion limiter also much lower in his design, as Analyzer just showed us :

View attachment 1459366

It seems to concur with these images, i.e. see hind legs :

View attachment 1459371

Also on the AT-AT in the far distant :

View attachment 1459373

But you may need to make some openings in the legs as Junk Pilot showed us :

View attachment 1459376

View attachment 1459375

And then I found this nice picture of the making of the AT-AT with all the metal parts :

View attachment 1459374

See those upper legs in the center of the table, they do have a 2nd semi circle as in the above picture by anamorphicWayne, and a spring in their feet

Chaïm

Good pictures Chaim. I also have the one you posted from AnamorphicWayne. In fact he is allowing me to convert his profiles into 3D shapes. I will modify them from there as needed to capture the motion we see on screen. I think I know how to link the second curve slot pin to the cam for the pistons. A little differently than what SWmodelfan1977 and AnamorphicWayne did using the pin that rotates the center piece.

By the way that book you mentioned with with a similar picture to above is on its way.

 

[Hagoth]

Ill make the adjustments down 1/3 tonight.

On the limiter Bandai have like a fill piece between the limiter and the leg.... like a shallow area attached to the limiter.
This is on the resin model but looking at pics of the studio hero model that fill isn't there. I figured it was a result of the moulding on the resin model.
It's not on the limiters of the mira model either I notice.
Any insight here?

Cheers,
Josh

Yeah, I agree. That part looks like filler from the resin model and probably should not be there based on what we see on screen. In that case the pin will be right on the edge of the limiter instead of in the middle. Much like the picture posted by Chaim of AnamorphicWaynes profile which I think is pretty darn accurate. I have some profile shapes from him that I will be converting to 3D tonight and see if I can simulate the relative positions as in the pictures we see.

Are you planning on moving the leg pistons on this kit or will you leave them static? I would be happy to share the method I'm developing to move them. I'm certain they are cammed as the motion does not seem to be at a constant speed. The arc of motion is changing which I think I can reverse calculate to figure out the connection point to the piston cam.

I must say I'm very impressed with the talent on this site and the willingness of people to contribute knowledge and insights. This is awesome!
And this latest round of sharing is all because you decided to upgrade a model. Thank you for continuing the journey and sharing on this one.

 

[1badelement]

Hi fellas, been admiring the great work u guys have put in on the Revell AT-AT upgrades/rebuild. I was gonna suggest a couple sites y’all might wanna check out.
The first is The Star Destroyer Project Facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/The-Star-Destroyer-Project-by-Monsieurtox-546509578715505/
This guy is an amazing modeler and is currently CNC’ing the Studio Scale AT-AT metal legs and there are great pics on there that may have the answers ur looking for as to how the real props operate. Keep in mind, it’s his work not mine, but I’m betting he’d be willing to share some useful info if ya contact him.
The other site is Lee Malone’s Facebook page:
https://m.facebook.com/lee.malone.10?groupid=578150572535839&ref=gysj
He has made a couple (and is currently finishing up one) replicas of the big AT-AT prop. You’ll have to look abit in his FB page, but a few months ago I remember he posted a cool video talking about and showing in detail the mechanics of the how the walker’s legs move. He’s very knowledgeable on these models. And there’s more stuff about how he built the rest of the kit. It’s all CNC’d and 3D-printed I believe. Apologies if ur already aware of these sites, just figured I’d chime in and see if y’all knew about those sites/builds. Again they’re not my websites but I’d imagine they’d probably offer some useful info that could help in ur build. Also, on a different note, I think Merlin Models (a small FB Model company) are soon releasing their Studio Scale AT-AT model, which is supposed super-accurate, idk but they may be selling STL files in the future too, may wanna check it out. Keep up the great work fellas.

 

[Analyzer]

Julien's work is incredible

 

[anamorphicWayne]

So, that's what Julien been up to. WoW! he's come along way.
Another FB page to check out is Jim Davidson Facebook

You're doing incredible work Starks. Keep-a-goin'.

 

[Hagoth]

So, that's what Julien been up to. WoW! he's come along way.
Another FB page to check out is Jim Davidson Facebook

You're doing incredible work Starks. Keep-a-goin'.

Jim Davidson's page has some fantastic pictures! Also wow!

 

[starks]

Yeah, I agree. That part looks like filler from the resin model and probably should not be there based on what we see on screen. In that case the pin will be right on the edge of the limiter instead of in the middle. Much like the picture posted by Chaim of AnamorphicWaynes profile which I think is pretty darn accurate. I have some profile shapes from him that I will be converting to 3D tonight and see if I can simulate the relative positions as in the pictures we see.

Are you planning on moving the leg pistons on this kit or will you leave them static? I would be happy to share the method I'm developing to move them. I'm certain they are cammed as the motion does not seem to be at a constant speed. The arc of motion is changing which I think I can reverse calculate to figure out the connection point to the piston cam.

I must say I'm very impressed with the talent on this site and the willingness of people to contribute knowledge and insights. This is awesome!
And this latest round of sharing is all because you decided to upgrade a model. Thank you for continuing the journey and sharing on this one.

I don't plan on the model moving much at all, I like Diorama's as I feel it gives the model a purpose, off topic but as such:

The Belle started her life as an airfix B17'G' not an 'F' and has considerable surgery to remove the chin turret and correct the windows.


But have been finding a lot more magic in sci-fi modelling than doing warbirds, maybe because I built Star Wars models as a teen and it's taking me back. So really looking forward to doing a Hoth diorama with the Speeder whipping around the Walker.

I don't need the cams in the legs work or the limiter either but it's sure been fun and I want the leg details in the right place once set in place.
I really am keen though to do this at a studio scale so even though I might not use everything on this build it is there for the next, and while we're not seemingly covering any new ground we're all learning for ourselves here together. And we can now use that information to assess future models and further our own. But would be happy to take you up on your offer when building the next!

That Merlin At-At is amazing... at $1300 too far out of my price range unfortunately but more incentive to build my own!

Contributing is what it's all about. if anything I do can help someone else achieve there goals I'm all for it.

 

[starks]

Hi fellas, been admiring the great work u guys have put in on the Revell AT-AT upgrades/rebuild. I was gonna suggest a couple sites y’all might wanna check out.
The first is The Star Destroyer Project Facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/The-Star-Destroyer-Project-by-Monsieurtox-546509578715505/
This guy is an amazing modeler and is currently CNC’ing the Studio Scale AT-AT metal legs and there are great pics on there that may have the answers ur looking for as to how the real props operate. Keep in mind, it’s his work not mine, but I’m betting he’d be willing to share some useful info if ya contact him.
The other site is Lee Malone’s Facebook page:
https://m.facebook.com/lee.malone.10?groupid=578150572535839&ref=gysj
He has made a couple (and is currently finishing up one) replicas of the big AT-AT prop. You’ll have to look abit in his FB page, but a few months ago I remember he posted a cool video talking about and showing in detail the mechanics of the how the walker’s legs move. He’s very knowledgeable on these models. And there’s more stuff about how he built the rest of the kit. It’s all CNC’d and 3D-printed I believe. Apologies if ur already aware of these sites, just figured I’d chime in and see if y’all knew about those sites/builds. Again they’re not my websites but I’d imagine they’d probably offer some useful info that could help in ur build. Also, on a different note, I think Merlin Models (a small FB Model company) are soon releasing their Studio Scale AT-AT model, which is supposed super-accurate, idk but they may be selling STL files in the future too, may wanna check it out. Keep up the great work fellas.

Thanks very much for sharing. there is some great information here that we wouldn't be aware of otherwise!

So, that's what Julien been up to. WoW! he's come along way.
Another FB page to check out is Jim Davidson Facebook

You're doing incredible work Starks. Keep-a-goin'.

Thanks for the kind words!

Cheers,
Josh

 

[starks]

That looks great starks ... I've been doing some googling and found several interesting pictures. But first refering to anamorphicWayne's build, he has the pin location of the motion limiter also much lower in his design, as Analyzer just showed us :

View attachment 1459366

It seems to concur with these images, i.e. see hind legs :

View attachment 1459371

Also on the AT-AT in the far distant :

View attachment 1459373

But you may need to make some openings in the legs as Junk Pilot showed us :

View attachment 1459376

View attachment 1459375

And then I found this nice picture of the making of the AT-AT with all the metal parts :

View attachment 1459374

See those upper legs in the center of the table, they do have a 2nd semi circle as in the above picture by anamorphicWayne, and a spring in their feet

Chaïm

That last photo is fantastic, thanks bud. You can see those lovely Cams in the leg pieces! and in the background there is a leg and hip with the hips hinge mechanism!

Cheers,
Josh

 

[starks]

I got ten minutes to drill a new hole, everything seems to still move ok and line up as per the screenshots ok.

Any changes or shall I start spitting these out to attach to my legs?

Any solid thoughts on the correct shape for the leg limiters?

And a thought, are the front hips the same as the rears? Im wondering if the limiter slot is on a different angle? will definitely be a mirror image of holes for cam location.

Cheers,
Josh