Movie Optimus Prime build

[kingbob]

OK, work has kept me busy recently, but i have 2 weeks off now, so am at it again!
On the plus side, the clearcoat i put on the body has had time to cure, so i set at masking up the front end today.

And finally, success!

I'll give the front end flames a day or 2 to dry, then start masking up the cab doors and roof. Then just the sleeper to do.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/129.JPG
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/130.JPG

[diesel950]

looking great bob

[Espeefan]

That looks really nice, Bob! Can't wait to see more. Glad it turned out well for you this time. Finally, right? Take a deep breath, relax, and soak it all in. Well deserved.

[Finster]

Nice paint job, well done! Looking forward to seeing it finished as I'm sure you are to ;)

[kingbob]

OK, after HOURS of cutting tape, the body is masked and ready for painting blue tomorrow!
Fingers crossed i dont screw this up otherwise the body is going through a wall! lol

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/131.JPG

[kingbob]

FINALLY!!!!!!!

So freakin happy the body is finally painted! And its mostly to my satisfaction!

I printed out pics of the real truck, and traced the flames onto tape, so the design should be as close as i can get in this scale.
I would have liked the red/orange fade on the hood to be smoother, not so rapid, and the finish in a few places isnt as smooth as i'd like. BUT, it is finally done! Now i see it painted like this i realise there really was no way to do the tiny pin stripe around the flames. In scale its just not practical.

Still needs a clear gloss one the blue is cured, but as near as i can tell, paint is complete! A huge milestone as far as i'm concerned!

I'll get a few better pics once the sun comes out of hiding, and the body is a bit drier and safer to handle. So just a quick snap for now in bad light!

Thoughts?

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/132.JPG

[kingbob]

Ahh the sun came out. Here we go, some decent pics :D

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/133.JPG
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http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/139.JPG

I like it :D

[kingbob]

The only real hiccup is at the top of the front flame on the left of the sleeper. I didnt quite do enough red, so it shows a little bit silver.

Hopefully that will be obscured by the exhaust shield once fitted.

[diesel950]

looking good out in the sun

[kingbob]

You'd think i'd have learnt this build is best served by patience, but apparently not.
Last night before bed i threw a quick coat of clear over the body to protect it all. Looked this morning and it made some of the blue on the sleeper run! *bangs head on wall*

The flames at the front are fine, they had a full day extra to cure, but the sleeper had only had a day. This is the only really bad bit. I should be able to spray a bit of blue over it to blend it in and hopefully save it.

Just should have left it for a week or so to cure.
(we need a headbutting a wall emoticon!)

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/140.JPG


The other side is mostly fine. Little bit of the blue collected in seams and against raised detail, but most gets hidden.
I started adding adhesive chrome metal foil to the appropriate details. I decided to use this instead of the folded metal rod i made as i tested it on a scrap piece of plastic and couldnt glue it in without wrecking the paint.

Need to make door handles and the vent for the sleeper doors, hopefully done today/tonight. Then can start bolting on details!

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/141.JPG

[kingbob]

OK, i've sprayed a touch paint up over the bit of run paint, now have to wait and see how it looks when dry.

But i've come to a decision, i'm going to finish the truck with the body as-is, and it should look passable from a distance. But, the body has so many flaws, mistakes, and re-works in its history, that it just isnt in a state that i consider done to the best of my ability. In some places the paint/primer/putty is thicker than the plastic.

So once finished, i'm going to build a new body for it, with all the lessons learnt applied. I know what modifications i need, how best to apply the paint, and so on.

Starting from a pristine body, i think i can get all the bodywork done in a weekend, get then do the red painting the following week, then the blue a week later. But since the truck will be finished, i wont have to rush, or be waiting on it before i can continue.

Does that sound like a good plan, or am i mad? lol

[kingbob]

Got the chrome trim around the doors etc finished. Roof lights and exhausts attached, and mounted the breathers and grille. Still have 10,000 things to do, but its starting to look the part now!

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/142.JPG
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http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/145.JPG

[kingbob]

So over the last few days ive done loads of bits and pieces to the truck.

Lowered the steps and added air tanks to them.
Made and fitted hood latches.
Replaced the rear toolboxes with more detailed ones.
Shortened the headache rack mounts to the right height, then made U bolts for it and mounted it, along with chains.
Fitted bezels and LEDs the the rear fenders. Added stone guards to the front of them, then mounted them to the chassis.

And dare I say it, but I think, actual chassis and body construction might just be complete! :O


There are a few little things left to do:
-Add LEDs to the breather lights
-Properly polish the breathers (they're still raw ali)
-Mount the lenses to the headlights

Then its just electrical work:
-Add speed controller and reciever
-Hook the LEDs up to their control box.

The LED control box is still on its way, hopefully should be here next week.

Im tempted to take all the shiny aluminium parts to get chromed, but a few pieces have Lynns bezels super glued in, and I'm sure I'd end up breaking them or damage parts while removing them, so may wait and see what the finished product looks like after their final polishing.

Then just need to finish the trailer!

[Espeefan]

Bob, that paint job really shines in natural sunlight! Despite the flaws, it's still really beautiful. Especially with all the aluminum/chrome parts added to the cab. Very nice. I don't blame you for making a whole new cab. For the very reasons you stated, I hate body work. I haven't figured out how to do it well enough to be up to par for my own personal standards, so I have stayed away from doing any of it. Same with painting, unless it's a simple one color job. So no, you're not mad, you're a perfectionist. So am I, so I admire your desire to make things perfect. I've made lots of parts for my own truck two, three, and four times over. When you know you can do better, you won't settle for anything less.

All that said, the truck still looks awesome.

[kingbob]

Yeah the colours work well. That blue seems almost Ultraviolet, seems to suck in the sunlight! But given that i havent done any styrene re-work like this before, i think i'm allowed to call this one the practice body! All the lessons learnt will be applied to the next one.

Had a productive weekend though. Got the breathers and headlights all polished up, wired up all the headlights and breather lights, and made the headlight lenses.

Theres no more drilling, glueing, cutting, painting or parts to add!
All i'm waiting on is the light control box, and its finished!

Still have the trailer to do, but by comparison thats nothing.

[dabears]

Looking awesome!!!! Cant wait to see it finished!!!

[kingbob]

I'm still waiting for the controller for the lights to arrive, so no night shots yet :D

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I have just realised that i havent put the windscreen wipers on yet, nor the width indicators on the bumper. The tips of the exhausts should be cut at 45deg, but still waiting for them to arrive.

Comments? Thoughts? :D

[kingbob]

Oh and need to put a touch of red paint in the Autobot logo on the hood too.

[wolfws6]

:jaw: Looks awsome, good job!!!!

[kingbob]

The controller for the lights came in a couple of days ago. Got it from Integy, these (http://www.integy.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=17490&p_catid=318#.UllryVOZjNo) its a 4 channel set with headlights, brake lights, reverse, fog, roof, and 2 aux channels.

Got it all hooked up on the workbench, all the channels connected. Indicators work, and with a switch can turn them to hazard lights so they both flash. The 4th channel setup on a toggle switch lets you cycle through. Each time you throw it, it turns on one of the 4 extras, so can switch lights on individually. Works fairly well.

Except the reverse and brake lights. For the life of me, just can not get them to work properly. When turned on the brake lights come on and stay on. Can throttle up or brake, and they dont change, and the reverse lights never come on. I've switched channels on the radio, on the reciever, but makes no difference. Have tested the LEDs themselves and they work, just the function doesnt. Note that the speedy and motor do what they're meant to.

Has anyone else used this set, nad any similar issues? Or tips?

I've emailed Integy, maybe its just faulty, dont know. But annoying since this is all thats holding up the truck from being finished!

[Espeefan]

Looks so good Bob, I can't see any flaws on it anymore, even though I know they are there. Heck of a result for a practice Optimus Prime! Beautiful. The next one will be an incredible treat to the eyes, seeing how well this one turned out.

[kingbob]

Its funny, even though i've decided to make a V2 body for it, i still want to complete this one. It does look ok, but every time i look at it i see some other tiny thing i need to do to it. I realised i havent added the silver vent on the sleeper doors, nor door handles! At least they're all simple things.

Have to admit, i do get a little sense of pride when i look over and see it on the bench :D

[Bigrigger]

That is amazing, Bob! Quite a finish for this fantastic build! It looks just like the movie truck! This thing is a work of art, and I don't see any flaws because I'm blinded by all the chrome! Lookin' good KB! :D

[kingbob]

I ordered another control unit from another shop and manufacturer. probably exactly the same underneath but was slightly cheaper. Got it today, hooked it up, and worked first go.
Clearly not a problem with my radio/reciever/speedy etc.

Tomorrow i wire it in, and Prime will be lit!
Fingers crossed it looks good!

[Mojave450rider]

Sick build! I remember playing with Optimus as a kid and he was always my favorite.

[kingbob]

:D

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/146.JPG

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/147.JPG

Comments?

[Trucker_Jo]

That's awesome!:bounce::bounce::bounce:Do you have any rear pictures in the dark?

[kingbob]

Actually no I forgot lol
I'll take some in a few days, I need to drill out a couple of holes in the rear light plate for the reversing and indicator lights. But the 3 lights in each fender work, you can just see a slight red glow in the second one.

[kingbob]

I'm not sure i can quite bring myself to say it, for fear of jinxing something, but there is a distinct possibility of a chance that maybe, just maybe... the truck is... finished!

:bounce:

[kingbob]

I found a few little things todo to the truck still.
1: Add a touch of red paint into the autobot logo on the front grille. Easy to do.
2: Add coiled hoses for trailer attachment (they do appear in reference pics). Easy to do.
3: Add the width indicators to the sides of the front bumper. Problematic, cant work out a secure way to attach them.

Have restarted work on the trailer today too. Drilled out the holes in the upper and lower frame for all the blue LEDs. Also primed those frame parts ready to be painted blue once the primer cures. Its THAT dreaded blue i had so many troubles with, but needs to match the truck so have no choice.

Started soldering leads on the multitude of LEDs for the trailer. I might make up a little relay board with a separate battery for them. The light controller wont have the power to drive them all as is.

And need to raid the electronics store to try and find some miniature connectors to connect the truck to trailer.

[1985 kenworth]

wow lots to do yet..eh...i know the feeling :rolleyes:

[kingbob]

Yeah theres always something left to do.
Need to apply the chrome wrap to the side panels of the trailer still too. Thats gonna be a painful exercise.

Then theres a mk2 body to do since im not entirely happy with this one.

[cabs]

that looks awesome, my last tractor was a black triaxle lit up with blue air cleaners, back of cab and under fenders and frame rails, looks hot at night

[kingbob]

Well i just applied the chrome vinyl to the side panels for the trailer, and am really unhappy with the result. Just a bit uneven, too many little defects, and given the size of the panels and grooves i dont think i can get it any neater.

Now i need to come up with another way of getting them mirror polished shiny.

[1985 kenworth]

http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j436/1985kenworth/SSPX2537.jpg (http://s1085.photobucket.com/user/1985kenworth/media/SSPX2537.jpg.html)hey bob it can be done ...trust me it takes time and patience,when i did this one it took 3 days ..lots of patience oh yea and a few swear words also..i said some i didn't even know i knew ,but the end result is here what you see...don't give up :cop:

[kingbob]

I have a feeling it was partly due to the thickness of the vinyl I used. Was difficult to get it into the little ridges of the styrene.

I actually found a local place that does that awesome multi part spray on spectra chrome. Gonna call them tomorrow, see what they charge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBNfMd0Plec

[kingbob]

So i was doing some googling looking for alternate ways to chrome the side panels, and was looking at the multi-part spectra chrome paint. Expensive, but not impossible. Doing some reading it mentioned that you need a smooth gloss black basecoat, to apply the chrome over.

I have some chrome paint i've used on clear polycarbonate RC car bodies, so i thought i'd give it a test.

Sprayed a few different blacks i have to see which gives me the glossiest finish, then applied some of the chrome over it. A good old spray can of gloss black came out the smoothest. I was tempted to polish it, but not sure what effect the residues of the polish will have on the chrome adhesion finish.

It came out more like a shiny stainless steel than chrome, but still mighty shiny, and i'm actually quite happy with it. (chrome left, black right).
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/148.JPG

I'm going to polish some of the black, and see if it makes a difference.

[Espeefan]

:D

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/146.JPG

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/147.JPG

Comments?

Sweet! That's all I have to say about that! :D

[kingbob]

Here we go, this shows the reflection. Not mirror shiny, closer to stainless steel, but works for me. Good for paint!

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/149.JPG

[kingbob]

While painting the side panels that shiny chrome in the post above, I ran out.
And as was pointed out to me, some of my mishaps on this build can be traced to my method of running out of something, so substituting something else.

In this case i stopped immediately, and ordered more of the same paint. Got it in today, so with a little luck, this weekend the trailer should be looking pretty close to done.

STILL waiting on my reefer unit though.

[kingbob]

Some minor progress this weekend, I got both side panels painted up and ready to install. Also made the silver strip to go on the side, as well as making the red/white reflective strips for the sides.

I had to re-make the upper frame sides for the trailer, the position for a couple of the LEDs conflicted with screws i'd already mounted. They're all cut, drilled, and primed, ready for blue paint tomorrow.

[1985 kenworth]

cool!!! waiting to see it done and complete :bounce:

[kingbob]

Its close! I have the materials for the rear doors, and the reefer finally arrived so have to paint that.

I do still have to make some legs for the trailer though. Because i lowered it slightly i cant use the kit ones.

The end is in sight! I ordered the King Hauler for this project exactly 12 months ago, and started the build at christmas. So i want to have it finished by then! A 1 year build!

[1985 kenworth]

you are lucky mine will be at the 2 year mark feb 2014 ,i am still working on my trailer ,but added a few extra builds too so i have been juggling all of them....whew!!!.i keep the positive like you...the end is near..:lol:

[kingbob]

Got the frames painted drilled and mounted to the trailer floor and roof. Made all the LED looms, just need to solder them into a board for power.

The blue trailer lights will have their own power and a switch on the trailer, because i'm pretty sure the light controller in the truck wont be able to power an extra 80 or so LED's. The brake lights/reverse/indicators will run from the truck though.

Also, i hate trying to keep finger prints off the stainless steel!

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[Tamiya Cowboy]

Looking Good Bob..

[BRICKNICK]

I can't wait to see this baby pulling that sweet trailer. Looking great Bob.

[flatdeck]

Bob What gage wire are you using?? That is going to be a well lit wagon...


Wayne

[kingbob]

It is actually very thin wire, just happens to have thick plastic on it. Pretty sure its about 32awg.

[dabears]

Looks great so far with the wiring!

[kingbob]

What im really dreading, is bolting together the front end, having to reach in all the way from the back!

[dabears]

What im really dreading, is bolting together the front end, having to reach in all the way from the back!

Yea that will suck! is there a way to glue the nuts in place so you don't have to reach in and tighten?

[kingbob]

Superglue wont have much resistance to shearing forces, so screwing in a screw would likely loosen them.

Im thinking I might have to cut a large hole in the front panel to get my fingers through, and cover it with the reefer unit. Of coure then I have to find a way to bolt the reefer on lol.

[dabears]

well It was worth a shot anyways lol

[1985 kenworth]

ok stretch armstrong...:lol:nice work so far yet again my friend:D

[kingbob]

Woot!
I got december build of the month! Thanks all :)

[dabears]

Very well deserved!!

[kingbob]

Right, life has been stupid busy lately. I work for the Fire and Emergency Services here in Western Australia, and being summer its fire season, so we've been a bit busy! Far too many on call callouts recently so have barely done any work at all on my builds.

BUT, i have a little bit of time now, so am back at it!

I'd been contemplating building a new leg setup for the trailer, so it can fold like the real thing, but being time poor I decided to just use the trailer kit legs. But because i lowered the trailer by about 12mm i needed to shorten the legs. Not wanting to hack them up, i had a play with them and found an easy way.

On the inside where the spring attached to the lower part of the leg, there is a screw holding a plastic ring in place to keep the spring from slipping. I noticed that the release lever would brush against this screw when extending/retracting the legs. So i replaced the screw with a larger socket head one, put it on a couple of spacers, and now the lever will catch on it and rest quite happily on the screw instead. This lowers the trailer when the legs are extended by just about the right amount.
I do need to add a little bit of styrene to the feet to make it just right, but was a nice simple, low effort fix!

Next up are mounting the trailer sides. I've found that the plastic side panels I painted have curled slightly as the paint has cured. So i've got some aluminium sheet which i'll cut to size, and mount the styrene to it with double sided tape. Should keep it flat.

Aiming to have the side on this weekend!

[flatdeck]

Bob Can you post some pictures of the leg mod...


Wayne

[thebat]

im a huge optimus prime fan i can't wait to see this whole thing done truck and trailer the truck looks amazing and if i didn't know it was a king hauler modded id of swore it was optimus prime good work dude.

[kingbob]

Bob Can you post some pictures of the leg mod...


Wayne

Basically i just replaced this screw:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/164.JPG
With a larger cap head screw, on a couple of washers so it sticks out further.

The release arm can then use the screw as its catch.
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/163.JPG

Make sense?

[kingbob]

im a huge optimus prime fan i can't wait to see this whole thing done truck and trailer the truck looks amazing and if i didn't know it was a king hauler modded id of swore it was optimus prime good work dude.

I cant wait either! But the trailer sides are giving me some grief. The plastic sheet can curled somewhat after painting. I used double sided tape to put it on a sheet of aluminium to hold it flat, but it comes off the tape and still curls.

I considered using a hair dryer to soften the plastic so it will flatten, but thats likely to damage the chrome paint.

[flatdeck]

Basically i just replaced this screw:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/164.JPG
With a larger cap head screw, on a couple of washers so it sticks out further.

The release arm can then use the screw as its catch.
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/163.JPG

Make sense?

Yes it dose...

Wayne

[kingbob]

Right, lets get this sucker finished!

So the plastic sheet for the trailer side panels didnt really work out. Even after being taped to a sheet of ali, it came loose, curled, and just looked all wrong. Plus the bloody great big seam where i had to join 2 sheets was annoying me.

I decided to go looking for a metal solution, either ali or stainless. I knew it existed, and even the company who makes it, but no-one had any locally. So after countless emails, phone calls, and web searches, one of the companies actually suggested a place to try. And lo and behold, they had some! They do elevator interiors! Not the type of place i'd even remotely thought of, but they use the stuff i was after, and even had offcuts that were the right size, finish, pattern, everything! And they were actually nice to deal with!

Picked the sheets up yesterday, and have begun drilling the many, many, many holes to mount them to the frame and put LEDs through.

I specifically checked that they had more just in case i balls it up :D

So fingers crossed, wont be long until the trailer is done, especially with the easter long weekend, hopefully i can get it done! Woot!

[kingbob]

Quick snap under bad lights...

The side panels are attached to the roof, but not the base of the trailer yet. need to wire up the LEDs first.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/165.JPG

[kingbob]

Hey all, i'm back!

Been a hectic few months for me work-wise and just havent had time to do anything to the truck. But i've actually had some free time this week, and given how close the trailer is to being finished, i'm on a roll getting bits done so I can finish it off and declare the whole project done!

The trailer in the pic above is still like that, buit actually screwed together now, basically just the front and rear to do. Last weekend i made up the wiring for the rear end (brakes, reversing, indicators), and ran it through to the front panel. I then took the truck apart because i needed to wire in some cables to pass the signals to the trailer. Only using 6 wires, ground, brake, reverse, left, right, and one for the running lights, so its easy to hookup.

Or so i thought. Checked it all, went over the wiring, all correct, but the **** thing wouldnt work! Then i realised i used a 4 pole plug in a 3 pole socket, they werent connecting properly! Relaced the plug, and re-tested, still nothing!

Went back to basics, got the multimeter out, and started testing from the lighting unit... and it turns out the **** thing is common positive, not common ground. Darn thing is a$$ backwards! Will re-wire it tomorrow, and put it all back together.

With a little luck, i can have the trailer done before the end of trhe weekend! Thats my aim anyway!

[kingbob]

OK, well i blew my target of having the trailer done by the end of today. Mostly because i need to dismantle the trailer to cut 5mm off the front of each of the side panels. I forgot to account for the rounded front corners so they're in the way.

Wired in the hookups between the truck and trailer. Stainless base panel with an aluminium support for the cables. I found some small 2.5mm 4 pole headphone style plugs so using them to hookup to the trailer.

Also got the rear end mostly done, just needs doors now. Though of all the things to misplace i've lost one of the plastic pieces that the 2 door bolts slot into. Put one at the top, but cant find the other one!

The reefer is done too, the pic makes it look more sparkly/glittery than it is. Just lighting.

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[thebat]

looking good bud she'll be done soon i wish i had the talent u do so i could build an optimuse prime.

[kingbob]

He's getting there. I think i've finally found a way to do the rear doors to my satisfaction too.

[kingbob]

OK, the rear end is done! I embossed some aluminium sheet to get the quilted look. Its not exactly the same sort of quilted texture as the real thing, but its a passable facsimile i think. About as good as i can get any way.
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/175.JPG


Had to make a new front end sheet. The one i had was sized for when i was using plastic side panels, and ended up being about 3-4mm too short now its all together. Test fitted with reefer, now i just need to make and paint a couple of blue strips for top and bottom.
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/176.JPG
http://members.iinet.net.au/~canison/prime/177.JPG

Then its just the side strips to go!

[PaulNZ]

That trailer look great! should suit the Semi well

[flatdeck]

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


Wayne

[Trucker Al]

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

Alan

[kingbob]

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.

[kingbob]

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

[bigford]

exclusive r/c has printed door latches on his site

[kingbob]

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

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

[flatdeck]

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


Wayne

[kingbob]

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

[flatdeck]

Maybe tomorrow..:D:D


Wayne

[kingbob]

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

[kingbob]

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!

[kingbob]

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

[flatdeck]

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


Wayne

[heavy_duty]

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

[wolfws6]

It looks perfect! Awesome build man!

[wingnut163]

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

now lets see it turn into Optimus Prime.

[tc1cat]

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

[Exclusive RC]

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

[BRICKNICK]

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.

[kingbob]

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!

[kingbob]

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

[speedy8305]

give it a go

[mavrick0]

I say go for it as well.

[Cooper]

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!!

[kingbob]

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!

[flatdeck]

Need some Pictures Bob.....



Wayne

[Daveroo]

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:

[kingbob]

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

[kingbob]

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

[kingbob]

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!

[kingbob]

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

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

[speedy8305]

now that is Bad A$$

[flatdeck]

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



Wayne

[kingbob]

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

[cosworth34677]

lol autobots! roll out!!!

[kingbob]

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?

[bigdogrod]

5,000 all day long...

[RCP57]

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!

[Claus]

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.

[Lost_ Frequency]

I think they drag it around to truck shows for a while or its sitting out in the back lot of the movie studio or maybe just maybe it's getting repainted and will be in another movie in the future kind of like the 55 Chevy Belair from "American graffiti" it was originally in the movie "two-lane blacktop" after that movie was done it was sitting out back of the movie studio so they painted it black and changed some little stuff on it then put it in to "American graffiti"

[diesel950]

I saw it get auctioned at barret-jackson

[TRUCKMAKER]

http://www.rctruckandconstruction.com/showthread.php?t=11157

[speedy8305]

The Movie truck got auctioned @ Barrett jackson for 110,000 so who knows what the owner is currently doing with it

[James007]

Hi bob, can I ask what you used for the rivets on the body ? Thanks

[kingbob]

Hi bob, can I ask what you used for the rivets on the body ? Thanks

I actually used pinheads. Drilled small holes with a pinvise, put the pin through and glued it, then cut off the bit inside.

If i was to do it again though, i wouldn't do it that way. Externally it looks fine, but inside even with the pins cut, theres lots of sharp bits and i cut myself many times, and it can scratch parts when putting the body on.

Now i'd probably just use some round head resin rivets. Not as cheap as a pack of pins, but neater internally.

[James007]

Thanks for the information bob, can I ask what’s the best glue to stick the body back together, I’m planning on cutting my sleeper down so I’d like to know what the best stuff to use would be, I was thinking loctite superglue?

Thanks James

[frizzen]

I'd use a plastic solvent bonder like Plastruct Bondene, Tenax, or similar... it solvent welds the plastic together, so you need a good fit of parts, apply solvent to soften the joints, clamp parts together, comes up to full strength after about a day as it flashes off or dissapates through the body.

Locktite superglues like 416 or 420 would work, but it'll still be more brittle.

Backing sheets supporting the seam well be your friend while whatever glue you use it sets up.

[James007]

I’m not sure in the Uk I can get the stuff you guys in the USA or OZ can get, I been busy drilling the plastic rivets out, and was even thinking of using a thin piece of fibre glass mesh on the inside of cab ? I do have thin styrene sheets though to stick inside as an alternative.

[frizzen]

Cool, ya didn't give a location.

Solvent welding works with many other 'hotter' solvents like Acetone, MEK...
http://nerfhaven.com/forums/topic/18527-intro-to-solvent-welding-plastic/

Looks like they have a couple uk distributors, if you'd like to go that way
https://plastruct.com/product-category/glues-tools-and-accessories/

[James007]

Thanks for the information, very helpful indeed, I don’t know if you can answer this but I want to move the wheels back on my reefer trailer, there is a thread here but it doesn’t mention this part, I need to make the two rear damper shafts longer (because of the chassis) do you know what works well for a longer damper shaft ? Thanks again

[Wombii]

I'd say the most common stuff for sticking styrene together in Europe is Revell Contacta professional cement and Tamiya extra thin cement. The Tamiya cement is completely liquid and is applied while holding the parts together, while the Revell is more like a glue with a very fine applicator tip. They both weld the plastic together. I'm using them both.
I'd recommend starting your own build thread and show us your plan and progress and collect your questions there. It makes it easier to look up later :)

[James007]

Thanks for the advice, I will start a thread ����