Re: RANCOR Sculpt
CATASTROPHE! DISASTER! Followed by redemption...
This is sort of typical I suppose. So, here's what happened. I was doing some work on the right leg and noticed that the hip socket was too far forward. This was probably due to working from rubbish reference before I had enough studio model pictures. I made a new leg armature but when I attached it to the pelvis I heard a 'crack'. The socket, which was made from epoxy putty had snapped. Great.
So, I dug the entire section out and attempted to construct a new socket. It was very difficult now that the armature was covered in clay so I got some two part epoxy glue to try to glue the new socket onto some of the existing armature wire. Well, guess what, the epoxy decided not to fully set, instead remaining like chewing gum. I now had a huge mess of a model with no legs.
I cleaned the glue off and had to dig deeper to find another anchoring point on the wire armature. For this I had to dig a lot of the tin foil out I had used to bulk this thing out. (See first page to see what I'm on about.)
By the time I had located the wire, more than half the sculpture was ruined. I was on the verge of giving up and binning the whole thing. The top of the torso and arms were thankfully okay, so after a bit of panic I calmed down and set to putting this sorry mess right.
^ After the door scene in Jedi.
If you ever want some advice, my guess would be DO NOT CUT CORNERS EVER!!!! I decided to make a proper armature stand, (which I should have done in the first place) and make a typical mounting position on the back of the model, halfway up the spine.
After hours of looking for armatures I got thoroughly fed up of the prices and decided to go my own way. I went to the timber merchant, got a load of wood cut and made this base:
^ This is a beast of a base, over-engineered to the point of madness. You could probably hang a car engine off this. Monster clay is pretty heavy stuff though, and the sculpture's weight does tend to sit forward, thanks to the Rancor's fat head.
^ I got some thick brass tubing and drilled 2 holes into the wood support. I then carefully knocked the tubing into the wood, ensuring a very snug fit. I then cut some more brass to fit inside the Rancor, and scored it so the epoxy putty would bind to it better.
^ The clamp is holding the model up like a rotten toffee apple whilst I line up the brass rods for epoxying.
^ This picture cracks me up. Looks like some primitive bicycle experiment. Remember Robocop 2 where they pull him to pieces? Ha ha!
The removable section of the square tubing has now been attached to the wire armature with epoxy putty.
The little bit of wire helps to support the front, and will be replaced with a wooden dowel.
And I now have a handy arm storage area.
So, we are fixed. Yeah, a lot of retracing of steps is needed, but thankfully I took many photos - especially turntable shots for 360 degree views, so constructing the bottom half should not be too challenging. I'm actually really pleased and relieved I managed to save this model. As it is now, the legs will not have to be load bearing, so things should be a lot simpler from here on in. The model slides off the tubing easily, and things are all just generally better.
So, looks like I have many hours in front of me. Joygasm.
So, the moral is: When a Rancor is torn in half and now resembles slimer, do not turn to hate and aggression. Keep calm, drink a nice hot cup of tea and work your way through it. A new dawn will arise. We will walk into the light with our heads held high supported by wires and square tubes.*
* the epoxy fumes are affecting me.