Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First bld) (pic hvy, upd 27-10)

Daeothar · Oct 9, 2018

Re: Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First build) (pic hvy, upd 9

Oh, but that actually makes a lot of sense. Looks like I was right when I noted you put thought into this build!

I like that you even made allowances for the tilting of the cab to the platform.

And if you want details in the inside of the cab to be more visible, why not add some lights to the back of the cab wall? You probably know what I mean; there are many trucks on the road that have some sort of LED 'art' or logo on the back wall of the cabin. Sometimes the brand logo, but I've also seen crosses, Mickey Mouse, names and more. Perhaps something to consider?

Please keep it up; this is already a cracking build!

Hoplitespear · Oct 9, 2018

Re: Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First build) (pic hvy, upd 9

Thx!

One of the big reasons for the gangway is to give people a sense of scale. I noticed while I'm building that the scale gets lost. Especially on that custom engine. The gangway, and worklights bring your brain back to the scale of a normal truck/lorry.

SCUDMAN · Oct 9, 2018

Re: Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First build) (pic hvy, upd 9

Looks great! Very inspiring!

Hoplitespear · Oct 14, 2018

Re: Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First build) (pic hvy, upd 9

SCUDMAN said:
Looks great! Very inspiring!

Thank you man!

K, so I got it to the point where its ready for paint. I don't know what to think of the result. Its not entirely what I was aiming for, but then again i like it.
I didn't fiddle with the front to much to keep its iconic look (of the VOLVO) so it is instantly recognizable.

I'm happy with it, being a first attempt at kit bashing, its not easy, especially the wholo sci-fi theme which is easily overdone and just a 'mess'. I think I'm on the edge of it being to much... :s. So I am hoping a main base color and some detailing will give it a clean look and pull the whole thing together.

Anyway here is the result:

details:

Still thinking about color, details, striping.... painting progress to follow soon.

-Hopli

angrytrooper · Oct 14, 2018

Re: Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First build) (pic hvy, upd 9

I think this looks great. The options you have as far as painting where you could virtually go any direction as far as scheme/color. Nice project I've been watching with interest.

tgreco · Oct 15, 2018

Re: Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First build) (pic hvy, upd 9

I love everything about this build

Muzza · Oct 17, 2018

Re: Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First build) (pic hvy, upd 9

Just Brilliant!!

Hoplitespear · Oct 18, 2018

Re: Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First build) (pic hvy, upd 9

angrytrooper said:
I think this looks great. The options you have as far as painting where you could virtually go any direction as far as scheme/color. Nice project I've been watching with interest.

Thank you! That is the problem tho... so many possibilities...

tgreco said:
I love everything about this build

Thank you for your kind comment!

Muzza said:
Just Brilliant!!

Thank you very much man!

Ok so I got updates. Since I am still not convinced of the paint scheme, I decided to work on the 'stand' to put it on. After working a while on embedding a nut in the engine block (cracking it open -.-, luckily easily mended) and putting it on a piece of threaded rod... I decided to scrap the idea of having it mid flight and trying something... special.

I have seen this here and there on Reddit and this forum and decided to try the 'smoke' effect with cotton balls. I am still so new to model making that this was a wild gamble...

Another reason for this effect, is to really sell the idea of a flying truck/lorry.

So here was my progress, first off some chicken wire, a modular led set that works on 230v (mains in Belgium) so that i can put it on a shelf w/o having to worry about batteries, and a bag of cotton balls.

my first 'proof' of concept (at least for myself, the internet has proof enough)

The LED's where not that keen on bending, so I had to scrap a few and I hope now they are in place they will just ... stay working.

second pillar, fiddling with the model trying to fit these on the right spot was annoying....

Third pillar!! (getting there)

Four pillars!!! woop woop it works, and it looks really cool!

The model just lifts of, not going to permanently fix it.

And this is where I decided it was time for sleep:

Please do tell me what you think of this effect. Black to grey gradient will be sprayed on from bottom to top. The wood is getting a layer of styreen after all the smoke is fitted. And some landing pad details (not to much). Also I only worked on the left side atm.

Cya soon!

-Hopli

Hoplitespear · Oct 21, 2018

Re: Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First bld) (pic hvy, upd 19-

Hello everyone,

today I got some minor updates for you. I finished the base. And got the model coated in a nice metalic paint.

Not that many pictures of the greeblies on the base. I wanted some sort of launch pad.

The 'story' being, in the air the truck/lorry flies with a kind of jet fuel and can stay in the air for a long time. but it has to land to refuel. Then a good burst of the engines is needed to get the thing in the air.

I have put some yellow markers on the edges of the launch pad, a small com. array and a fuel pod, some vents... the usual. Started off with a styrene base on the wood.

I also added some random decals from my donor kits.

You might have noticed the smoke got some more depth. I achieved this by using te primer used for the base on the cotton in light bursts. Hitting the 'oldest' smoke with darker patches.

Finished base with model on top:

I really like this angle:

And here is the model in the base metallic coat.

Masking all the tiny bits would have been a nightmare. So I just got a good coat on all the body panels.

I have now started painting everthing that doesn't need to be in the metallic colour, more on that soon!

-Hopli

bwize · Oct 22, 2018

Re: Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First bld) (pic hvy, upd 22-

This is a ridiculously awesome build! Love the level of detail and the thrusters.

thepoynt · Oct 22, 2018

Re: Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First bld) (pic hvy, upd 22-

I love that it really seems to have a history. Like 75 years from now, someone picked up an old truck and started tinkering with it and upgrading it, bringing it back to life.

Kinda seems like something you'd see in Ready Player One or Blade Runner (Which is what you were going for, so that's great!). Mix of high tech and dystopian.

g0rb · Oct 25, 2018

Re: Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First bld) (pic hvy, upd 22-

That lighting effect is super cool. I was skeptical about using cotton balls for this, but they look like they diffuse just enough to make it look like you have the engines putting out some dense smoke. Looking forward to the paint job on the vehicle itself.

Analyzer · Oct 25, 2018

Re: Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First bld) (pic hvy, upd 22-

Very cool project and great effects on it

I now have Deep Purple's "Space Truckin" stuck in my head

JediMichael · Oct 25, 2018

Re: Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First bld) (pic hvy, upd 22-

This is really turning out pretty good.

Hoplitespear · Oct 27, 2018

Re: Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First bld) (pic hvy, upd 22-

bwize said:
This is a ridiculously awesome build! Love the level of detail and the thrusters.

Thank you!

thepoynt said:
I love that it really seems to have a history. Like 75 years from now, someone picked up an old truck and started tinkering with it and upgrading it, bringing it back to life.

Kinda seems like something you'd see in Ready Player One or Blade Runner (Which is what you were going for, so that's great!). Mix of high tech and dystopian.

This was the plan indeed, never wanted to make a moder sci-fi, cause it would look a whole lot different.

g0rb said:
That lighting effect is super cool. I was skeptical about using cotton balls for this, but they look like they diffuse just enough to make it look like you have the engines putting out some dense smoke. Looking forward to the paint job on the vehicle itself.

It depends allot on painting and how you form the cotton, its my first time, could be better, but there's always next time

, the lights do help sell the effect tho.

Analyzer said:
Very cool project and great effects on it

I now have Deep Purple's "Space Truckin" stuck in my head

Thx! Gonna have to look up that song

JediMichael said:
This is really turning out pretty good.

Thank you!!! Your battlecruiser kinda got me started again

Ok time for some updates.

It is 99.99% finished. Painting this wasn't easy, and not in therms of difficulty, but kinda on how, what and where. I struggled allot with the engine color (went for the engine color of VOLVO, green. They where orange at one point). Also since I sprayed the whole thing metallic, i got the idea to just repaint everything that isn't..... which was impossible.

So I looked around on here, Reddit and the web. And many people paint their model in one color, and then put some details here and there.
So this was the solution to my issues, instead of painting every single detail, just chose some here and there to 'pop' and keep the rest in one color. Fixed the painting issue, made the model less busy.

I guess this is how you are supposed to do it, but took me some time to figure it out, that not every single kit bashed part needs a diff. color.

So with this knowledge I popped something here and there, added some decals. Put an orange line on there (not totally convinced of that one). The engines also got some extra detail.

Some quick pictures (better ones ARE COMING !!!!!)

Let me know what you think!!

-Hopli

JediMichael · Oct 28, 2018

Re: Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First bld) (pic hvy, upd 27-

That has turned out fantastic. Really love the smoke. Im actually going through the issue of what colors to detail my battle cruiser. And i just moved across the us and had to leavr a bunch of stuff, like all the paint. So until i can even find a job, cant do any work. Just been busy working on videos from the past.

kruleworld · Oct 29, 2018

Re: Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First bld) (pic hvy, upd 27-

Brilliant. Space Truckers... someone should do a movie about that....

Analyzer · Oct 29, 2018

Re: Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First bld) (pic hvy, upd 27-

Excellent!

g0rb · Oct 30, 2018

Re: Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First bld) (pic hvy, upd 27-

This is a such a cool model, congratulations!

Hoplitespear · Oct 30, 2018

Re: Volvo FH16 - Sci-Fi Retrofit kitbash/scratch build. (First bld) (pic hvy, upd 27-

JediMichael said:
That has turned out fantastic. Really love the smoke. Im actually going through the issue of what colors to detail my battle cruiser. And i just moved across the us and had to leavr a bunch of stuff, like all the paint. So until i can even find a job, cant do any work. Just been busy working on videos from the past.

kruleworld said:
Brilliant. Space Truckers... someone should do a movie about that....

Analyzer said:
Excellent!

g0rb said:
This is a such a cool model, congratulations!

Thank you for the nice comments!

This was made to place on my desk @ work. (I work at a Volvo truck dealership). But I wasn't happy at all with the orange name and lines, they where sloppy. So before taking it to work I changed them to a mat black with grey letters. The black was done with a spraycan making it a waaaay crisper line. I really need an airbrush for my next projects.

Anyway here is a higher res pic straight from my desk @ work with the black striping instead of the sloppy orange.

I have a college that is gonna help me with decent photographs. But for now this will have to do.

Thanks for watching and following, I will edit ones more for final 'decent' images.

-Hopli

One more EDIT (sorry). Figured out my phone has issues with the thruster/smoke LED's. So I disabled them for some better pictures.