Scratchbuild: Centurion Mecha

[Chem-Dog]

Sweet mother of mercy, this looks amazing. I just have to see how this turns out, Subbed.

Just amazing.

[Mangozac]

Hey guys sorry for the late response - I haven't gotten a lot of replies on this thread so I forget to check it

Hmmm comparing this model with my warhound titan I must say some of the parts look very identical

Just a coincidence or are you using that as a base for the project?

Extremely coincidental - all of the parts are 100% scratchbuilt. Although to be honest I can't work out which parts you're referring to - for starters the scale is very different

Yep, still truly amazing: all the moreso for your "design as you go" approach. I have no idea how this will look in the end - a humanoid upright stance or a hunched chickenback stance? Don't tell me (if you even know). I'm looking forward to the surprise.

Suffice to say, that I would love to buy this kit.

R.

Thanks! I did do a clay mockup of the body, which gives a very rough idea of the direction I'm taking it (don't click if you don't want to know!):
here. The design as I go approach works OK, but I must admit things would be way better if I had the skills to actually conceptualise a cool design from the beginning and build to that plan.

I've been side-tracked lately with work on my Superheavy Assault Walker but am this week resuming work on the Centurion's cockpit. Once that is done I can then start making some good progress on the rest of the torso.

[Mangozac]

OK well the guys on Resin Addict started to really pick apart the cockpit design and awkward pilot seating style. And to be honest I wasn't happy with the way it was turning out either, so as is often required I scrapped the design and started afresh!

I'm now going for a more conventional seating style, but still trying to do the seat itself a little stylised. I've just got a quick shot tonight to show how it's coming together:



That ring around the base is likely to be the actual diameter of the cockpit tube. Cramped, I know, but the pilot wears a VR style headset so doesn't really need that much cockpit space. Controls will be on the front of the seat and tertiary displays around the sides of the tube itself. There will be rungs up one side for entry and egress via the top hatch.

The floor I have some cool plans for including some brass etch mesh which should look great (will do the bras etching on the weekend)!

That's all for now...

[Mangozac]

I made a little bit more progress on the pilot's seat, and even did some puttying:



I decided against doing seams on the padding, mainly because practice attempts looks pretty ordinary. I also decided to put some padding behind where the lower legs go, inspired by the leg padding on each side of the centre console in my Z4. Not that the legs would rest on them during normal use, but hey it adds some interest

The footrests will be detailed up with some brass etch. I've also designed a heap of displays, vents and other cockpit bits to be brass etched, but last night's attempt to use the press-n-peel film ended in disaster when the laminator chewed up the film. Oh well I'll have to wait until Monday to print out another copy on the laser printer at work. I've also got some checkerplate and mesh flooring on the sheet to try out.

Next step: start work on the rear wall of the cockpit, which will actually form the rear of the torso. The reson for doing that next is because I'll be dropping off the cockpit in its current format to Wereweevil on Monday for him to continue work on the pilot....

[Mega Nutz]

Arrived late for this party but now I'm here I'm hooked, absolutely fantastic. The design and execution of the build is meticulous!

Mucho kudos....

[Mangozac]

Thanks mate! Better late than never I think

I've just realised how long it's been since an update. I have been getting some work done on the torso but for some reason haven't posted it. I guess that's because it's been very experimental and I didn't want people making negative comments before I understood the direction it was going in. It's starting to take shape though, so I'll attempt to get an update on the weekend.

Oh and the other reason for no updates is that I've been sidetracked with my SAW Buildup...

[New Cult King]

I want one

[Mangozac]

I want one

Patience

I made some progress today that I'm proud of and decided to share. Again I've run into the headache of photographing tiny styrene parts (as encountered on my BFG scratchbuild diaries) so I apologise in advance for the crappy photos

First up we have the motivation for the update: the main hatch. I've put way more work into this than one would expect, but it turning out really nicely. This pic is a collage, so clockwise from top left we have:
1. Hatch mounted to the cockpit top ring (there is a technical name for this; I just can't remember). Hatch hinge yet to be added.
2. Hatch underside. Note the handwheel and locking bolts.
3. Hatch top side. Lever and other detail yet to be added.
4. Inspiration for the hatch mechanism. This is from a large scale model tank.



Next up we have the two symmetrical vents that will mount either side of the torso front. They need to be sanded down a little so they're not so deep, but the overall design has turned out really nicely. The baffles inside are technically pointing in the wrong direction, bit I only realised this far into their construction and I wasn't going to redo fiddly stuff like that again if I don't need to!



Finally we have a very crude shot showing the torso itself. The central core is hollow (that's where the cockpit is) but for the time being I have some strategically glued temporary braces holding it all together for the construction process. I have a set of shoulder armour plates made up but they're far too small and need to be replaced so I didn't bother showing them. It's all still very WIP so probably isn't really worth commenting on....



Hopefully that will tide all of my fans over until the next update! The torso is really going to start coming together soon!