WIP Lee "Apollo" Adama 1/6th

[Mooncat]

Email in from Lonnie today asking for my address to send them over for the final bits and pieces, so hopefully if he gets them out this week or next they should be with me within 3 - 4 weeks, when they are here its a case of tidying the casts up, forming the visors, wiring the lights up and then painting them, once done Ill post pics prior to posting them off

EDIT and just so you know the black box thingy with the antennae is infact the valves that go on the back of the helm and the hoses that attach to the finials !

 

[Mooncat]

Another Update, Lonnie's sent me tracking numbers for the casts which are winging their way here as I type

 

[Mooncat]

Parcel arrived this morning and I was blown away, any concerns I had, I neednt have worried, (was worried about fitting the headsculpt back into casts as I wondered about how the insides were gonna turn out, was worried about the finish on the sculpts and the details, even the valve section on the back)

Lonnie has been superb couldnt recommend him more, not only did he cast the things for me, but he also graciously created the hosing

He also added a freebie in its box no less ! see attached pic

They are fantastic, as soon as I can Ill get cracking on with these, atm Ive a few things I need to finish off (a day or 2) but here they are ready for the finishing touches :

 

[galactiboy]

Those came out fantastic! Great work

 

[JediMike71]

Yeah, it all looks great Mooncat! I still want to get the Viper pilot 1/6 scale kit from you to go with the Starbuck head sculpt I'm getting from BillyB soon.

I gotta have a 1/6 scale Kara Thrace!

 

[Mooncat]

BillyB informs me his casts have arrived (he was getting the raw unfinished casts and doing it himself) he also said his Kara Thrace sculpt fit inside no problem

Im going to be vacuum forming the Visors this afternoon.

Dont worry Mike Ive got your deposit and as soon as they are finished the helmets will be winging their way to you and everyone else !

 

[Mooncat]

Good News and Bad News

With the new visor casts I tried vacuum forming four visors at a time, it didnt work, as you can see in the image it didnt pull down correctly over the casts

So tried it with 2 . . 1 worked 1 didnt

So tried it with one

Worked great but with alot of excess plastic !!!

So bit of a waste getting extra casts made of the visor (having said that they sped up my vacuum forming production line as I didnt have to cut everyone out to put the cast back in the former)

The previous visor form I did was quite flimsy, so I upped the thickness of the plastic and also the height of the vacuum form base in which the cast sit (that probably didnt help with the 4 at the same time and the incorrect former)

The result

Just the right ridgidity in the visor but flexible enough to be manipulated

So here they are prior to trimming :

 

[JediMike71]

Excellent work on the visors Mooncat. I look forward to getting my Viper pilot helmet from you someday soon. Also, where can I get that great looking Viper pilot uniform and boots shown a few posts back with the Lee Adama head sculpt? I really want the Viper pilot uniform for my Kara Thrace figure. Let me know. Thanks again!

 

[knucklefunger]

speechless
Amazing work
will be a joy to make this build, damn, makes me wanna watch the show now

 

[Mooncat]

Excellent work on the visors Mooncat. I look forward to getting my Viper pilot helmet from you someday soon. Also, where can I get that great looking Viper pilot uniform and boots shown a few posts back with the Lee Adama head sculpt? I really want the Viper pilot uniform for my Kara Thrace figure. Let me know. Thanks again!

Hey Mike the Viper Pilot Uniform I made, Ive discussed with Blind Voyeur doing a more tailored flight suit for both Kara and Lee

However so far its only been a discussion

I was hoping to see some development on the Gauis Baltar suit Blind is supposed to be working on, but I havent bothered Blind because Darren Carnell hasnt finished painting my Baltar head

Im cracking on with the electonics for these (soldering etc) so once a helmets finished ill contact Blind about doing a flight suit

 

[JediMike71]

Okay, Mooncat. That sounds good to me. Keep me updated on the progress of the Viper pilot flight suit for Kara. I definitely want one for my Kara figure. Thanks again!

 

[Mooncat]

Been getting stuck into these tonight, trying to work out the logistics of how its all going to sit together, Im having to tweak the sculpt around the visor to get it to sit in the helm right, basically I think the way to go is to glue the Chin section onto the visor then slip the visor in and the chin section slots into some small pin holes (male and female) so thats secure

However theres no way to really fit the batteries and their holders into the helmet (2 x CR1220) and the headsculpt also

tbh I never intended to fit the batteries on mine into the helm, I was always gonna hide them under the jumpsuit.

The holders make the batteries (which are thin to start) slightly bulkier, but I wanted holders so they were easier to change if you ever needed too swap the batteries out

https://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?criteria=CR1220&source=15

So Id suggest cutting the holders into whichever body your eventually going to use (Im using the truetype 38's for mine). That way they can sit flush when your put your clothes over them.

How they are connected is proving to be another chin scratcher

I bought some male to female pins with the intention of creating a male and female connection between the helmet and the neck ring, but the stuff I bought is too large, Im looking at some custom made connections I think as theres nothing of the shelf I can see thats small enough to to the job.

Thats going to be fiddly and may take sometime (may have to tap Hurricane up for some advice there)

Plus if I do put the connections there, eg. If the helmets on and the circuits connected via the neck ring

where do I put the switch ?

I had intended to put the switch at the base of the helmet and attach the Valves (that Lonnie did) at the back to this switch, that way when you slide the valve you slide the switch, there should be enough give in the hosing from the valve round the helmet for the valve to slide (I can compensate for that anyway)

But creating a switch in that area, plus 2 connections to the neck ring will be difficult, especially If the headsculpts a squeeze in there also.

So if possible Id like to know how you want the electrics for each helmet configured ?

placements of connections, batteries, switches etc

Basically I need to know what characters your doing

1 ) eg. Kara or Apollo etc

2 ) what body your intending to put them on ?

3 ) what clothing your putting them on (eg. If your using Blind Voyeur for a custom jumpsuit etc) ?

Bare in mind that I have to create a circuit for the blue LED light inside the helm

Which means hiding the batteries, a switch and

4 ) is the helmet being taken off regularily ?

eg. you dont want to have to undress him to take the helmet off and you want connectors round the neck ring so the circuits active when the helmets on.

so all that needs to go somewhere ? be it in the helmet or on the body ?

5 ) Or if you dont intend to display the helmet on the figure I can just put the batteries in the helmet ?


6 ) or alternatively I can scrub the electrics completely and that will save alot of time and hassles ? (Ill send you the electrics for you to determine)


Please let me know your preferences !

Those with deposits I thank you for your patience and ask that you post what youd like and how you intend to create your custom BSG figure

 

[JediMike71]

Hi Mooncat. I would want my Kara Thrace to be able to have the helmet with the blue LED lights in it, and be able to have it on and off of her head. I haven't checked with Blind Voyeur about the Viper pilot outfit yet. The only female 1/6 scale body I have now is from a Dragon U.S. Army "Jennifer" figure. I currently am using that body for a custom Lt. Dietrich from ALIENS. But I will take her head off to put Kara's head on it from BillyB. I really think that the blue LED lights will look great inside the helmet with it on a figure's head. But I still want to be able to take off the helmet, and have Kara hold it in one of her hands. I hope this can still be done. If I need to buy another female 1/6 scale body that you think would work better than that Dragon "Jennifer", please send me a PM, and let me know. Thanks again!

 

[Mooncat]

Hi Mooncat. I would want my Kara Thrace to be able to have the helmet with the blue LED lights in it, and be able to have it on and off of her head. I haven't checked with Blind Voyeur about the Viper pilot outfit yet. The only female 1/6 scale body I have now is from a Dragon U.S. Army "Jennifer" figure. I currently am using that body for a custom Lt. Dietrich from ALIENS. But I will take her head off to put Kara's head on it from BillyB. I really think that the blue LED lights will look great inside the helmet with it on a figure's head. But I still want to be able to take off the helmet, and have Kara hold it in one of her hands. I hope this can still be done. If I need to buy another female 1/6 scale body that you think would work better than that Dragon "Jennifer", please send me a PM, and let me know. Thanks again!

Ill configure the helmet so the connections are in the base of the helmet and the neck ring, You will have to cut into the body you are using to hide the switch and the batteries,

One thing that had occurred to me is theres a scene in BSG were Kara is on a planet using oxygen tanks on her back ! The one were she cuts open the Raider and flys it herself.

It maybe possible to replicate those and use them to hide the batteries and the switch !

I will have too look into that,

 

[JediMike71]

Yeah, I remember that episode! That would work for me, if you don't mind creating that battery backpack, or canister set that would look similar to a scuba diving tank. Let me know if that will work. I'm open to having that done for my Kara so that I can take the helmet off and on of her head. Let's keep in touch about that Mooncat. Thanks again!

 

[Mooncat]

Went down to Maplins today and picked up some contacts that look like they will do the job (they look small enough) to connect helmet and neck ring, Im hoping to do some more work on these at the weekend

 

[Jediguy]

Darn can't believe i missed this. Sounds pretty exciting.

I'm making a Kara figure. I intend to use a Dragon body. How much difference would this make from a triad otaku?

 

[Mooncat]

Darn can't believe i missed this. Sounds pretty exciting.

I'm making a Kara figure. I intend to use a Dragon body. How much difference would this make from a triad otaku?

How do you mean difference ?

 

[Mooncat]

Hi guys had 2 PM's in today about Helm's apologies for the delayed updates

Been getting stuck into the wiring,

Not as easy as it first seemed, to create a connection between helmet and neck ring

The helmet needs to slide in horizontally to fit round the head and ears of the sculpt

but the connectors need to slide in vertically to connect into the holes,

so I think Im gonna have to shorten the male connections so that theres a bit of play vertically

Ill post some updated pics this afternoon

Im concious of time ticking away (im guessing we are very close to 6 months on these)

Anyone at anytime can ask for their deposit refunded, I get to these when inspiration takes me, and Ive recently purchased some original DST BSG figures, so Ive no doubt when they arrive Ill want to display their Re-imagined custom counterparts so Ill be cracking on with my own after these are completed

BTW I found a great BSG fan site here

https://www.battlestargalacticaforum.com

 

[Mooncat]

Back at this again

Started the electrics everythings quite tight atm not a lot of give under the headsculpts chin to make the connections but at least there in now, Im gonna leave the wires long and sculpt over the wires inside,

The switch on the back will be covered by the helmets valve housing and its that that youll move to switch the light on and off

So as you can see the male connectors in the helmet go into the female connections in the neck ring, idea being that the power is housed in the body and connected to the base of the neck ring with wire, the switch in the back of the helmet create the circuit etc

Wanted to test the circuit worked once id sculpted over the wires into the helm and then see if the sculpt fit back in over the wires, so excuse the jury rig of electrical tape and loose batteries, I think the visor and the light works quite well tbh, I hoping with a little sanding on the helm it will smarten up ok and then I can apply the paints.

Once the sculpey (I use milliput) is set inside, I think ill sculpt the chin section up too and touching the neck ring as you can see some of the helmets light is shining through the gap in the bottom of the chin section in the photos.

Ill start work on Kara and her body as Id like to know how much give there is with her sculpt (received BillyB's sculpt a few weeks ago) and the helmet as I said the Lee Adama sculpt is quite tight in the helm and theres not alot of manouvering, which is problematic as I have to slide in the helmet horizontally for the headsculpt to go in it and slot the connectors in vertically so a bit of give is needed.
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