Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

That trailer look great! should suit the Semi well

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

Looking good Bob like the back door it looks real... Nice job....


Wayne

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

Love the quilting and your door hinges.. Still hate the Tamiya door latch mech.

Alan

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

He's mighty close to being finished! Not much i can do about the Tamiya door latches. Probably could make something, but why reinvent the wheel?

This morning I made and painted the blue strips for the top and bottom of the front panel, now just have to wait a couple of days for the paint to cure properly before i can handle them. Also cut and primed the side stripes for the trailer. Will spray them silver shortly, then again its waiting for paint to dry.

Only thing then is the black autobot logo on the sides of the trailer. Might see if i can find a sticker for it, but might be hard to find the right size. If not, maybe paint, or cut one out by hand.

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

Have just made the Autobot logos for the trailer. Not bad considering i did them by hand!

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/178.JPG

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

exclusive r/c has printed door latches on his site

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

Lets see how i've gone today.

Front face trimmed and mounted. Done
Front blue strips mounted. Done
Plugs for light hookups. Done
Side stripes trimmed to size. Done
Side stripes mounted. Done
Autobot logo mounted. Done

I must be forgetting something. I'm sure of it. I have to be overlooking something!
Because if i'm not, it means the trailer is fi... fin... not sure i can say it... fini... DONE

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/182.JPG
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/181.JPG
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/179.JPG

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

Bob that trailer like great now we need to see some pictures of the two together in the sun......


Wayne

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

If it wasnt cloudy and rainy outside it'd be out there getting pics with the truck now!

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

Maybe tomorrow..:D:D


Wayne

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

Still a little cloudy, but some sun poking through. I need to wipe loads of finger prints off, and give all the ali bits a bit of a final polish to bring out the shine.

The trailer isnt actually hitched, its just sitting on top of the 5th wheel so it does look a little high at the front end.

Truck is 700mm long, trailer is 1170mm (including reefer). Hooked up its about 1.7m long.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/183.JPG
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/185.JPG
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/186.JPG
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/187.JPG
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/188.JPG
Yes theres loads of finger/handprints on the side panels!

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/190.JPG
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/191.JPG
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/192.JPG
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/193.JPG
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/194.JPG

Size 12 shoe for comparison :D

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

All the lights work, indicators, brake/reverse etc are radio controlled. And the trailer hookup is functional, so the trailer rear lights and running lights work the same as the truck.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/195.JPG

Theres about 15,000 things i'm not happy with, and of course i see every little flaw and defect in it! I'm still thinking of making a new body for the truck, and possibly the rear fenders too. They have a few scratches and nicks, and one has a puttied seam thats got a small crack which i dont like.

The trailer was the first time i've basically done any metalwork since 8th grade (i'm closer to 40 than 30), and is far from perfect. Its one of those things that may look good on the outside, but inside its a mess! LOL
I've seriously considered rebuilding it more than once. Unfortunately i dont really have a work shed or much in the way of proper tools, so its pretty amateurish.

But, as far as i can tell, going over my reference photos, its pretty much done. Theres a couple of tiny little details that 99% of people would never even notice that I might still do.

But i think, that its pretty much FINISHED at long last!

I'll see about getting some pics tonight with all the lights on. Theres something like 150-160 LEDs on it so it shines bright!

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/196.JPG
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/197.JPG

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

Bob the truck and trailer looks great.. Ready for the movies....


Wayne

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

That truck combo is Awesome. Great job on the lines and details are spot on. I cant stop looking at this truck:cool:.great job.


Ed

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

It looks perfect! Awesome build man!

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

very nice build. remember, all builders see there mistakes. dont sweat it.

now lets see it turn into Optimus Prime.

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

Great looking rig. Looks perfect to me:jaw::jaw:

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

great job my friend! love Optimus! you can never go wrong with that!

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

Great job bud, that is a gorgeous recreation of my favorite version of Optimus Prime. Keep up the great work and congrats on finally finishing your long but gorgeous build.

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

Thanks for the comments guys. Been a long build, but glad its turned out (mostly) so well. Theres heaps of things i'd like to go back and fix, redo, or generally could do better, but i'm just glad to see it finished looking vaguely like I imagined it would look!

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

So i'm contemplating doing something really really stupid.

I recently found a 1/35 scale kit of this version of Optimus Prime. Not a kit of the truck, but of the figure! Kit is about $130, and is about 10 inches assembled. When i saw this kit, i looked over at my 1/14 Prime, and thought "hmm, Would look good if they did a kit the same scale.". Then i realised, I have a 3d printer, using the kit, i could reproduce all the parts in the right scale. With an existing part its relatively easy, just get out the vernier calipers and ruler, and draw each part up in a CAD application. I've been doing that for parts for my M1070, and am decent with Sketchup, so am thinking about giving it a go.

Has a metric buttload of parts, probably take as long to do this as the truck did (18 months).

Am i mad to even consider it? It would be about 600mm tall, same length as the truck, so would look awesome. Plus i'd be able to paint it with the same colours/paint so it would match.

I think i'm nuts for even entertaining the idea.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/opkit1.jpg
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/opkit2.jpg

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

give it a go

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

I say go for it as well.

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

Yes it would be a lot of work but the pay off in end would be worth it. To have the truck and then the figure next to it would be a real show piece!!

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

Well, the kit just arrived. First impressions: holy sweet mother of all things transformable...

This is not a kit for a beginner. The instructions are in japanese, and in a very compact, slightly confusing format. The main frame of the body is pre-assembled, is coloured silver grey, but has lots of details picked out in silver, gold, etc. The skeleton is also fully articulated and poseable. Lots of the parts on the sprues are already painted, either with flame pattern, autobot emblems, details picked out in various colours etc.

Looks like the body mostly snaps together, but i can see it would need glue to stop pieces coming loose.

I also measured one of the tires (which are rubber), and my size estimate was a bit out. Based on scaling the kit tire up to match a Tamiya 1/14 tire, the overall height would be 840mm!

Kit is 300 parts, plus however many the assembled frame is made up of, which i'd say would have to be 40ish.

Beginning to think i might be biting off more than i can chew!

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

Need some Pictures Bob.....



Wayne

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

i know it would be yet another expense,but how about one of the smaller 3D scanners?..just place the part on the turny thing,scan it,and print it in the larger version on the 3D printer?:rolleyes:

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

Yeah I'm researching scanners at the moment. Hopefully trying out a small laser scanner in a couple of weeks.

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

Seems the frame might be problematic. Heaps of articulation, the arms, legs, shoulders, hips etc all have little poly caps so they can rotate but also be detached, which is good.

But, the various components of the arm, leg etc, seem to be glued together. Doesnt look like i can disassemble them without damaging them, especially since some components are small and detailed. Parts on the sprues arent a problem, but the pre-assembled bits are, including some joints like knees and elbows.

Plan might be scuttled before i start!

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/Optimus.gif

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

I just finished building the OP model. Holy cr@p what a kit. Its fully poseable even after construction, has about 1000 points of articulation. Even the fingers and knuckles are fully poseable.

And my hat off to the designers, it goes together without glue! Some parts are a little loose so i will be adding some glue here and there, but for the most part it doesnt need it. I did manage to lose one part though, one of the finger tips pinged away to be lost to the carpet monster, but its not visible posed into a fist anyway.

Now to start repainting it to match my truck!

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/199.jpg

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/198.JPG

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

now that is Bad A$$

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

Both are "BAD A*S" nice job BOB....



Wayne

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

Model repaint done. I love the red paint i've used, but its stunningly hard to capture in a photo the true depth of the colour. I'll try getting a few pics under studio lights.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/model/1.jpg

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/model/2.jpg

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/model/3.jpg

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/model/4.jpg

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

lol autobots! roll out!!!

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

Hey all, long time no see. Lifes been stupid busy and havent been on here for ages!

On the weekend I was on Facebook in a local Hobbies/pastimes page, and someone asked people to post pics of their hobbies. Naturally I posted a pic of my Optimus Prime.

Someone local has now messaged me asking if i'd be interested in selling it!
I'd never actually though about it, but i must admit the idea has stirred my curiousity.

But I haven't got a clue how much it might be worth. I can add up the cost of parts, but that doesnt factor in the time i spent on it. He did say he knew it wouldnt be cheap and has asked me to come up with a price if im interested.

What are peoples thoughts?

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

5,000 all day long...

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

I think it's probably worth close to that as well but I wish you luck getting it. People ask me regularly about building this that or something else from scratch. They swear up and down that they know this hobby is expensive but when you finally drop a price 99% of them gasp.lol You can try to explain the 100's of hours in labor and $1000's in parts until you are blue in the face but most don't see it because they just assume the parts magically appear and we glue them together like a Revell model for $20. Hopefully you have someone on the hook that really sees and appreciates the work you've put into the paint. It truly is an art of it's own!

Re: Movie Optimus Prime build
 

Always loved your truck, true craftsman quality put into it! Just curious, does anybody know what happened to the real Optimus Prime after the movies, did it go out and work for a living or is it a show truck in some collection? Also, always wondered why it had a headache rack and pulled a reefer trailer.