Scratchbuilt Mars Rover, 1/32

[John Everett]

Hello All,

I've finished a major diorama project and wanted to take a little detour into SciFi.
The finished rover will only be about 6 x 6 inches and perhaps 4 inches tall.

Two man crew modified from Tamiya and Verlinden figures.



Driver's seat.


Driver's legs repositioned. Hornet 1/32 head added.



Lower body reworked with epoxy putty.


First parts of the rover vehicle joined.


I'm planning to light up the interior with LEDs. That's going to be as much work as the model itself.

Thanks for following!

John

[deafpanzer]

Freaking cool project!!! Please count me in...

[TRM]

Nice one John!! Is it me, or does that pilot look suspiciously a lot like another "pilot" we know? LOL!!! Off to pick up some popcorn for this!!

[wbill76]

Definitely looking forward to this one John!

[dupes]

Sweet! Do you have an idea of what the rover is going to look like already? Or are you designing as you build?

[John Everett]

Thanks for following along, gents.

Jan 27, 2014 23:17:58 GMT -5 dupes said:

Sweet! Do you have an idea of what the rover is going to look like already? Or are you designing as you build?

Yes and yes. I have a very exact idea in mind. But, like any scratchbuilt project, that idea evolves as I take a look at what's available from the scrap bin. The final model will be pretty close to what I envisioned at the start. But many, if not most of the details will change along the way.

Right now for example, I'm thinking the windows are too small. I may decide to tear them out and enlarge them with better built clear assemblies. A real Martian rover would probably have very small windows, like a deep sea sub. But I want the viewer to be able to easily see inside.

A lot of scratchbuilding is like that, three steps forward, one step back. You should always be ready to throw away several hours of work if you're not happy with it. The final model will be better for having done so.

[Mence]

Interesting project, following...

[John Everett]

I still haven't figured out how to do the light up TV screens inside the rover. I've got a couple of ideas cooking. But I did get a decal sheet printed up for both the internal and external details of the vehicle.



A few short minutes with the file and our metal soldier is ready to go to Mars. Epoxy putty blended into the white metal and soft-top helmet liner added.

[John Everett]

Thanks Dicky,

The most difficult part about printing your own decals is to find all the hidden menu options on your computer which allow the print to be at the highest possible quality. This work was done on a $90 printer.

Playing around with lighting options and settled on this:


A single bus will power all the lights (LEDs).

[Leon]

Nice work on the figure redo and really like the lighted screens John.

[deafpanzer]

Loved the work!!!

[John Everett]

A follow up:


Obviously in need of a frame and trimwork. But I think it should look pretty good once its finished.

[danb]

This is cool great project buddy can you share on the best way of printing stuff for yourself?

Dan B

[John Everett]

Feb 2, 2014 5:32:51 GMT -5 danb said:

This is cool great project buddy can you share on the best way of printing stuff for yourself?

Dan B

I'm using a Windows computer and MS Word. (Apple computers do all the same things. But I can't afford them.) MS Word is excellent for dropping pictures and then shrinking them down to where you need them. There is even a little spot in the corner of the photo edit screen which tells you the final size that your manipulated photo will be.
When you go to save your stolen internet pictures to your hard drive, save them as a PNG file. PNG is a higher resolution than standard JPEG files and your shrunken decal graphics will look sharper.

Make lots of duplicate copies of your decal graphics, try to fill the whole page with decals. If you're scratchbuilding you can expect to have several rejects because your model will change or be adapted as the build progresses.

When it comes time to finally send the MS Word document to your printer (I'm using an ink jet printer) have a look at the menu which pops up when you hit the PRINT icon. There will be an option to select, "Highest Quality, Specialty Paper".

I use full sized decal paper from Micro Mark. In the US they are 8.5x11 size.

When you are happy with the final printed sheet, protect the ink with a layer of spray-on matte acrylic from a spray can. Matte acrylic spray is available in the scrap booking section of the craft store. It's used for preserving photographs. Matte acrylic also stinks terribly when it's applied. So spray it outdoors if you're able.

[danb]

Thanks John for the info sorry i have not replied sooner have not been in ere for a bit been busy with life stuff keep up the good work buddy

Dan B

[John Everett]

The Mars Rover will need eight wheels. My spares box has a nice wheel for this purpose. But the cost in fresh resin needed to produce 8 new copies was going to be a little expensive. Thus, I determined that there might be a less costly option:


Total cost for both trucks, $6.48 USD.

Eight tires, close enough to the original.






There was some nice detail on the insides of the wheels. So I will probably reuse the hubs.


Thanks for stopping by!

[Deleted]

LED lighting looks good   
Keep the updates coming  

[Deleted]

Always up for a little scratch building, That's a great idea using the Toy tyres.

[Leon]

Nice replacement on the tires John,This is looking cool.

[wbill76]

Now there's a creative solution for the wheels and cost effective too!

[venom1]

Man, this is looking groovy! Great idea with the wheels, can't wait to see what the final design looks like!!

Cheers,

Sam

[John Everett]

Thanks for stopping by!

Small update. I've begun work on the panel and suspension system.

I'm beginning the interior detailing. Lots of shapes and gizmos and do-dads and such.








Suspension system. These brass tubes are strong, but I don't know if I like the way the top joint comes together. It may be a simple fix with some epoxy putty.

[danb]

Nice update John thanks for sharing

Dan B

[deafpanzer]

Agree with Dan... looking brilliant!

[ceresvesta]

Superb project mate, I am in!

[armorguy]

Bloody stunning ! This will look hyperrealistic ! What an interior, mindblowing stuff !

[John Everett]

It's only been half a year since I last posted on this one. I got wrapped up in preparing for the IPMS show in Hampton two weeks ago and had to put the rover on hold. If you were there, sorry I missed you. Look for the rover to be in Columbus a year from now.

So.............I hated the rover once I pulled it out of the drawer. It was too boxy, too small, too simplistic. I wanted something more Hollywood, less NASA, you know, like that movie where Bruce Willis blows up the asteroid.

I bought two car kits for $1 during a club auction with the plan of using their curvy parts for the rover.

This is where that idea took me:

This next series is for Nylon Gag.

Nylon, are you out there? You can see that in grafting together the front end of the vehicle I have several very rough spots and gap problems. How would you handle these? My plan is to Bondo and epoxy putty the transitions as we've seen with countless other Sci-Fi builds. But I wanted to ask if you've got a better idea.

Has anyone else got a better idea?

Thanks in advance,

John

[kaytermarram]

Love it, very interesting and the figures are way cool! Top work! And man am I curious how it will end!!

Frank

[dupes]

I liked it before...but I like it now, too! Keep it up!

[deafpanzer]

I plan to be in Columbus... National IPMS... so I would LOVE to see it in person if you are talking about this show.

Figures are perfect for this... more amazing work here!