From CGI model to tested prototype.

From CGI model to tested prototype.

From CGI model to tested prototype.

From CGI model to tested prototype. 

During the Thanksgiving weekend there were two juicy bits of news worthy of mentioning here. 

The first being after the Ages 3+ Up Renderform Dark Emperor TF Painting & Customizing Class there were leftover kits.  Talking with Renderform he informed me (and the community) that he was going to try and make these kits available to the public so they could turn their own Transformers Prime Voyager Megatron into Galvatron.  To take it one step further Renderform, through A3U, opened up a pre-order for 100 Dark Emperor Garage kits that will be casted in translucent orange for the cannon and purple for the other body parts. 

As of this writing there are kits still available so don’t delay!  If you’ve never bought a Renderform product they are well crafted and very detailed.  So far I don’t know of anyone who has been disappointed by purchasing a Renderform product.

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The second bit of news is from HeadRobots and HighendTFs in announcing a redeco of the Blood kit (for Revenge of the Fallen Voyager Bludgeon) that is in a blue color to match Botcon 2012 Gigatron / Overlord.  This new exclusive is named the Skel-E-Tron Upgrade Kit and is available on amazon.com or through HighendTFs for international customers.  The whole purpose of this upgrade takes a so-so Botcon figure and does one of the most unique universe cross-overs into the Masters of the Universe world with a nod to Skeletor.  Talk about a great idea that’s perfectly executed by this upgrade kit.  This kit is limited to only 200 so make sure you get your upgrade kit AND your Botcon 2012 Gigatron now. 

Here’s a Thanksgiving treat:

It is done.

This is the base model for Fall of Cybertron Shockwaves laser fist.  At some point I’ll print this in Shapeways purple Strong and Flexible material to see how purple the purple dye actually is.  And when I say base model, yes that means I’m happy with all the connections and measurements but I have a few more ideas I want to try and implement.  Some are already in the works …

Adding to the set of available Seeker weapons comes this request for a Sunstorm style flamethrower that my friend saw on a custom Sunstorm.  It’s a big weapon.  The pegs were tested again both a standard Hasbro seeker and as in this picture a CHMS clear Skywarp.

Back in June I was lamenting about if I should order Mp-12 Lambor with or without his Amazon.co.jp exclusive chrome piledrivers.  I thought about it and even though it’s just an extra bit of chrome plastic I decided it was worth the trouble and extra cost to pre-order them.  If I remember correctly the cost difference was about $25 when you include cost and shipping difference.  That’s a pretty decent chunk of change just for some chrome plastic parts especially since if I figure out how they clip on there’s a high possibility I could create my own via Shapeways.com.  But I have always been one to support the brand even if the brand is the Takara/Tomy brand and not Hasbro.

Lo and behold what I see today: BBTS just opened up a pre-order for official Takara/Tomy chrome piledrivers for MP-12.  WTF!  The cost is $15.99 and I do take advantage of their Pile of Loot system to help minimize shipping costs but really T/T?  How does one not understand the word exclusive?  Yes, I’m a tad irked that I sprung for the “store exclusive” chrome piledrivers only because one would think they would not be made available elsewhere if they are only supposed to be exclusive to a particular store. 

Ugh.  I should probably stop supporting the brand and just go straight Third Party for all the shenanigans Hasbro and Takara/Tomy have been doing.  And yes, I was glad I didn’t spring for the Asian exclusive GDO because they went from Asian exclusive to Asian and TRU (US/Canada) exclusive.  I was on the fence for most of them but almost did pull the trigger on a Asian exclusive GDO Hotspot.  I guess the money saved there was lost on my Amazon.co.jp exclusive MP-12 Lambor with chrome piledrivers.

When I saw the Asian exclusive GDO deluxe sized Wheelie I was first impressed with the head sculpt but also that they traded in RTS Jazz’s gun for a slingshot.  Combine a great looking new head mold, Wheelie’s iconic weapon along with the main body being one of the better Classic style molds and you have one of the better GDO figures from the set.

I saw a few people contemplating/discussing getting rid of their Universe Legends Wheelie because of the GDO/TRU exclusive.  I find that somewhat sad because I also think in terms of an updated G1 figure the Legends Wheelie is an excellent figure as well.  If anything the Legends Wheelie scales well with Masterpiece Grimlock.  However, maybe adding a new accessories for this figure would help make it stand out again. 

That led to the development and design of a slingshot for Legends class Wheelie:

I’m still working on the clip as this figure has no natural 3mm-5mm holes for Wheelie to hold anything.  Plus the overall feel of the slingshot is that’s soooooo tiny.  I need to beef it up a tad so those who handle it won’t crush it.  A friend mentioned finding a place to store the sling shot would make the idea more appealing to him.  I can honestly say usually the “storing” portion is the furthest from my mind when designing stuff but in this case I think I figured something out.