3D design and printing is getting horribly addicting

As I get more and more comfortable and knowledgeable in using blender to design objects in 3D, the more addicting this becomes. Using the image reference feature in blender, I’m able to quickly design out parts for the project. When I first started working on the project, I didn’t pay much attention to how the ammo drum attaches to the back of the Dom. So I created a connection part that inserts into the back. I will probably keep this as I continue to build; but as I did more research and looked at the Dom more, I found upper and lower brackets that hold the drum to the back of the suit. Using the reference pictures, I designed the upper and lower brackets.

Also in this post, we recently printed some new shirts for this year’s SCGMC. Our new SCGMC mascot has its own t-shirt design. And since our theme this year is the “Ball”, we got a design printed on both a grey and an orange shirt for the two versions of the Ball from the various animes. The last shirt in the group is the judging shirt from SCGMC 2018 that we gave to our judging volunteers. Click on the images to get to the store, this is how we fund most of what we do for SCGMC.

More about the latest 3D designs for the Dom Barrage after the jump. (more…)

Continue Reading3D design and printing is getting horribly addicting

Back to working on the Dom Barrage (update 3 for those counting)

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming. It has been a decent while since the last update for the Dom. I got interrupted by the Exceed RX-78 thingy as well as a shiny new Form 2 3D printer. The latter bit ties in nicely with this update. Continuing from where I last left off sometime last month; I was still cleaning up the work on the front skirt. I had FDM printed the missile pods and created them so that they can be opened. The skirts were cut and sanded so that the pods can be inserted. Here are a few test pictures. You should be able to see that the two skirts are not identical and will need more work. The area for the lower small pods is a little off too, so more putty work is in store for these parts.

As with the larger missile pods, I made the smaller missile pods in two pieces so that I can display the pods opened or closed. Since the smaller pods have less room to work with such that I cannot install a polycap system. I redesigned the print to have a hole through the two pieces that I can insert a brass rod. Now it’s openable.

More after the jump. (more…)

Continue ReadingBack to working on the Dom Barrage (update 3 for those counting)

Goodbye Hugo

Ok, personal life post time, so if you’re looking for something TGG, SCGMC, or Gunpla related; you may want to skip this one. This is about a part of my life that has been with me for the past 15 and a half years. And he’s gone now. So this is my goodbye.

This is the very first picture I took of Hugo when I brought him home in early December 2003. He was born on October 27, 2003 and I had somehow found an ad for him by the breeder out near Lake Elsinore. THe breeder had actually kept him separate from his littermates as she was originally planning on having him become a show dog. He melted mine and Clementine’s hearts immediately and we brought him home. I did not know that 13 years later, we would get Bob from this same breeder. Once home, his first order of business was to find something and drag it along the house.

This is the very last picture I took of him late in the evening of March 23, 2019, still smiling because all his friends hes gotten to know over the years are within smell radius.

(more…)

Continue ReadingGoodbye Hugo

RX-78 Gundam Exceed Model Head DONE!

This is easily one of my quickest projects to complete in the past 10 or so years. The tough part was figuring out how to take the damn thing apart, and you can check out the disassembly video here:

Naturally, I need to add lights to the thing so I built a light setup for the eyes and the mohawk piece. I also wanted to lower the light bleed below the eyes so I added some styrene to the face piece just under the eyes. The nose vents are just holes so I covered this area with some plastic as well. Styrene tubes are glued to the back of the eyes to focus the light as well as have a place to slide the eye light assembly.

The complete finishing steps after the jump as well as completed pictures. (more…)

Continue ReadingRX-78 Gundam Exceed Model Head DONE!