Studio Scale (:p) AT-AT

[MonsieurTox]

Chin guns, yeah !







Once again I've added texture to the head (may rework or sand some of it because Im not happy of some areas). The castings dont have this texture.

 

[Talkierg]

It really shows how crisp it is after primed,I love the way you did,adding texture on the surface replicate what ILM did on the film used model.
Your attention to details......speechless:thumbsup

Don

 

[MonsieurTox]

Thank you Don ! Hopefully the texture will look good after painting

The head underside is what I like the most on the head, it's so busy and mechanical, it works, really ! (something MR didnt get, they forget a lot of details).

Im going to make the gun recoil system, it will be pretty bad in comparison of what Matt will do ! I'll replace mine later.

 

[Duncanator]

I love that you are making these to the level we always wished we could for the movies! When working on a film, we always have to keep the budget and time frame in the front of our mind. We always end up making compromises to quality or quantity. Your parts look so clean and crisp! No glue globs, seam lines, gaps, etc…

For movie models we often only build and paint the side that's seen by camera and have to stop there. We seldom if ever get to indulge in "completing" a model. Many models are made with materials that only have to survive the shooting process, that then fall apart shortly there after.

I applaud and respect all of you who take these builds to the level that you do! I am jealous because we don't get to on the "real" things.

 

[MonsieurTox]

Thank you John !
However it's not that perfect, airbubbles, seam lines etc... I should admit that I have a lot of chin gun rejects that could make their way on a filming model !

Oh and you ever get a chance to restaure again the AT-AT with the leg cutouts, please add back those Leopold parts ! This AT-AT is the last one with the whole original chin guns, that would be great if it had all the parts it has during the filming (the one used for ROTJ still has those Leopold parts).

I hope I'm capturing as much as possible of possible all the flaws of the original models but it seems it doesnt do the trick. lol

Thanks again for the pics you posted earlier, they were very helpful !

I love that you are making these to the level we always wished we could for the movies! When working on a film, we always have to keep the budget and time frame in the front of our mind. We always end up making compromises to quality or quantity. Your parts look so clean and crisp! No glue globs, seam lines, gaps, etc…

For movie models we often only build and paint the side that's seen by camera and have to stop there. We seldom if ever get to indulge in "completing" a model. Many models are made with materials that only have to survive the shooting process, that then fall apart shortly there after.

I applaud and respect all of you who take these builds to the level that you do! I am jealous because we don't get to on the "real" things.

 

[joberg]

Beautiful head! Model making at its best!! And to respond to your question: born and raised in Brussels, Belgium (bonjour voisin) moved to Canada 33 years ago. It's fun to see people from around the world on the RPF:cool

 

[Talkierg]

Thank you Don ! Hopefully the texture will look good after painting

The head underside is what I like the most on the head, it's so busy and mechanical, it works, really ! (something MR didnt get, they forget a lot of details).

Im going to make the gun recoil system, it will be pretty bad in comparison of what Matt will do ! I'll replace mine later.

Yea the most interesting part of the head is underside and the gun recoil system,looking forward to that:thumbsup


Don

 

[VFX Freak]

Hmmm... Going to have to go to my Thesaurus. I've run out of words to express how great this is looking!

 

[MonsieurTox]

Beautiful head! Model making at its best!! And to respond to your question: born and raised in Brussels, Belgium (bonjour voisin) moved to Canada 33 years ago. It's fun to see people from around the world on the RPF:cool

That explains all ! I love Brussels !

Yea the most interesting part of the head is underside and the gun recoil system,looking forward to that:thumbsup


Don

Too bad it doesnt show more on screen, they've put a lot of energy on the underside ! The pyro head underside are crap with not well intregrated parts.

Hmmm... Going to have to go to my Thesaurus. I've run out of words to express how great this is looking!

I learnt a new word (which exists in french with a slighty different signification ).

Thanks guys

 

[VFX Freak]

In anticipation of getting a chance to build up a SS AT-AT from Juilen's amazing parts, I managed to track down what must be the last few bottles of the original Floquil enamel Reefer Gray and Aged Concrete. I tested them next to the Polly Scale acrylic (no longer available either) and newer Model Master versions of the colors and here's the result:



I had thought they used the spray cans at ILM because it would be quick, and as we've seen the paint finishes are very rough. However, the cans of paint I got were way off! The bottled Floquil enamel seems right to me, but as you can see, the newer colors aren't very good matches. The Model Master Reefer Gray is close but too warm, and everything else is quite different from the original colors.

Hope this helps!

 

[martinmack]

Hey guys, I may be able to help a bit here since I did the paint restoration on the AT-AT that is currently on the Identities exhibit. A couple of notes to start...this model had been restored previous to our restoration and it had been painted in a very brown tone that wasn't accurate. We were asked to bring it back to it's original condition while not getting heavy handed with a total repaint. I actually brush painted the entire model using numerous washes to gradually bring the color back to it's original tone while leaving the original weathering as intact as possible. Trying to recreate that particular tone out of the bottle with airbrushed or rattlecan opaque coats will be really difficult indeed. I basically worked the paint until I matched the reference provided to us by the ranch...once they bought off on it I was done. It's been a couple of years since we did it but I know I was working washes of original Floquil enamel reefer grey, with white, and some aged concrete on a couple of panels to give some contrast. Remember i was working over a brown undertone so obviously that colored everything I did on top of it. I know that originally ILM used out of the bottle colors for continuity and the Floquil Railroad line were heavily used...sadly those tones have definitely changed over the years so getting an exact match is virtually impossible. I also did a paint on Boba Fett's cuffs and had to mix the paint to eye since there just wasn't a match available...I'm sure there was 30 years ago, but things definitely change over time. Feel free to hit me up if there's anything I can do to help with this build, it's a great looking project!

 

[VFX Freak]

Thanks for that information, Martinmack! I didn't realize the models had been repainted so much. That will make it difficult to be accurate. I have several good photos of the AT-AT from the "Star Wars - Where Science Meets Imagination" exhibit from Los Angeles, 2007. Do you know the status of the paintjob for this model at that time by any chance?



Now that I'm looking at the photo, the Floquil Reefer Gray does look too dark. Hmmm... Washes and a brush you say? I never would have guessed that.

 

[dragnink]

Great stuff guys, thanks! It does sound like a mix of those colors, resulting in a creamy tan/gray.

That model in your picture vfx is the Jon Berg AT-AT (has his signature on the one side). I've compared the paint to some photos in 1980 and most of it is original. But some of the early blaster mark weathering it had was removed (then some was added back, oddly!).

Any additional things you could think of would be a big help Martin, don't suppose you still have a swatch of your final color match kicking around or any materials left over from your restoration? (or more photos?? can never get enough..)

Not to derail the topic, but someone (who I won't name for the sake of his privacy) has helped providing dimensions for a key part on the upper thigh. He has an original production part and has bent over backwards dissecting the thing for me and dealing with all of my annoying requests (with complete grace I might add). I've been able to trace the outline of the part and cross-ref with his dimensions to get something I hope will be pretty accurate in the end.





The originals were resin, but suffered breaks due to the stresses put on a peg that keeps the part located within a channel on the hip. The ILM guys were in a rush, and seemed
to drill the holes for the peg off-center, causing most of them to break. So we'll use something a bit stronger for ours

The neck's almost finished now (this is an older shot), just wanted to show some of the lengths we're going to get everything as close to the original models as possible...

 

[joberg]

Well, this thread keep on giving. Merci Mr. Tox pour aimer Bruxelles (Thanks Mr Tox for loving Brussels)...I visited Paris so many times that I lost count (always something to see).
Martin, thank you for the behind-the-scene info, very valuable. Dragnink: great info also and make sure to thank profusely your source for his patience and grace:cool

 

[martinmack]

Hey guys, here's a few more image that I have on hand....I have dozens on a backup hard drive somewhere so I'll try and find those. These are good examples of why you never ever ever ever!! (is that enough evers?) use baking soda for snow. That stuff is caustic as heck and will eat your paint right down to the resin. That's great for guys like me who get paid to fix it, but sucks for everyone else! Woodland Scenics makes an excellent snow product that scales really well. Mix it up in a cup with some Pledge floor polish and it'll make a paste you can put anywhere. It'll look a little weird going on, kinda grey and wet, but when it dries it'll be a very nice snow white....and you won't be dealing with paint flaking in five years or so. I'll look for more pictures and see what else I can remember....

 

[dragnink]

Wow what a mess. It shows how great of a job you and John did fixing them. My eye keeps wandering to all the paint flakes and baking soda clumps on the acrylic base,
it looks like a dog during shedding season :lol

Appreciate your guys' generosity with sharing firsthand pics and info from your experience, even though they were in bad condition it still must
have been a treat to work with them and make them more presentable again. Will take note of your recommendation on a good snow product and keep
the baking soda boxes far, far away..

 

[MonsieurTox]

Martin, thank you very much for posting here !

You did an awesome job on restoring this AT-AT ! Thank you for these additional pics ! The baking soda did indeed a lot of ravage.
That's too bad the lighting is so poor at the exhibit (dark with blue neons...), the actual color cant be figured.

What did you do with those big flakes of paint that were coming off but still attached ? Tried to reglue them ? Removed them and repainted the exposed areas ?
Luckily enough there are guys like you that are taking care of those pieces fo cinema History !

Here's the master of the necklace, still abit of cleaning to do and I'll be able to mold it.

 

[SKIN JOB 66]

Awesome work once again Julien, let me humbly bow before you superior craftsmanship !

:love

fred

 

[3d-builder]

True dat J?

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[Duncanator]

I think the gaps are supposed to be open through. Take a look at the pictures in my post #327. The neck rings are lying on the base in the second photo.