Subject:
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Re: New MOC: Beau Sabreur Kaji
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.build.mecha
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Date:
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Sun, 17 Aug 2003 23:03:42 GMT
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Viewed:
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586 times
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In lugnet.announce.moc, Will Vale wrote:
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Hi folks,
I thought that making a
mecha with no arms and
legs was a bit of a cheat, so I’ve tried to follow up with a ‘proper’ one.
I’m amazed at how difficult it was to get something jointed that can stand up
and hold poses properly. All the cool mecha I’ve seen so far are now that
much more impressive!
Anyway, here’s Beau Sabreur Kaji for your delectation:
Pre-moderation teaser:
Post moderation:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=53754
Stats
About a foot tall.
Weighs around 1.6 pounds.
15 points of articulation plus ‘fingers’ and shoulder pads.
Roughly 2 weeks construction time (evenings and weekends.)
Construction notes
I thought that I was going to make something akin to a Gasaraki Armour suit,
so I started out by making a chest comparment to carry a minifig pilot. Then
a friend of mine lent me the first few episodes of Evangelion and things
changed a bit... My Beau Sabreur is in no way meant to be an EVA, but it does
have one or two features in common - particularly the lower body and the
entry plug-style pilot compartment.
(By the way, kudos to all the folks who’ve recently made or are making EVAs -
they look amazing.)
There are other influences too - a friend of mine pointed out that the head
looks a bit like the Type-0 from Patlabor, and I had the arms and hands of
Mechadeus from Big-O in mind while building as well.
The problem with the EVA-style cockpit is that the torso needed to be pretty
big, and at an angle to the vertical. This meant that my previous attempts at
click-hinge legs failed to support the weight at the ankles and I had to try
and produce very small worm-gear boxes.
I saw the amazing Dark Gundam a while ago, and read about using worm gears,
but never thought I’d build something that big. Not that Kaji is all that
big. I was pretty pleased with my ankle and foot design, but I’ve since seen
that form of gearbox on other mecha so I guess it was a case of convergent
evolution. The way the gearboxes fit into the shins is very satisfying - it’s
one of those things where all the parts are completely loose until the shin
lid is closed, and then it all locks into place and is really strong.
Creating a middle-sized mecha is quite an interesting prospect really - there
isn’t enough space to use all the really strong joint techniques, but the
smaller hinge-based joints aren’t strong enough for the weight.
I’m pretty happy with the end result of the joints - the poses it can achieve
are quite dynamic, and it will stand posed without falling, although
adjusting the balance to get the pose is fiddly. I think it’d be a lot better
if the legs could splay, and I keep thinking of Optimus Prime when I look at
the upper torso, which isn’t really what I wanted. Never mind.
I’m hoping to build some more equipment (guns and things) at some point but
I’m a bit burnt out at the moment... At least I managed the sabre. I may have
to rework the arms a bit because the ball and socket joints, while very
posable, aren’t able to support much weight. The sabre poses rely on getting
the weight to go straight down through the wrist to prevent it flopping
around, and it’d be more fun without this restriction.
Finally, the name is obviously a nod to Evangelion, plus I liked the idea of
a Japanese mecha fighting using a western martial art. As a keen fencer, that
had to be fencing. (I’m actually a foilist but it’s not such a cool name.)
Anyway, apologies for rambling on and I hope you like it. I certainly enjoyed
the building and photographing.
Comments and criticism very welcome,
Cheers,
Will
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Very nice! I have to argee with Jason... This moc is ugly is a pretty cool way.
-Very- original too. The details are very nice on this moc. The plug cockpit is
great idea, pulled off wonderfuly! This mecha is very smooth too, and the angles
are (for the most part) very well defined. The tubes going into the head are
nifty as well.
The joints you use are cool indeed, the ankle being the highlight. When I saw
the teaser, I thought, there can’t be a worm gear there! But you fit it in very
well indeed! The hip worm gear is nicly incroperated, any chance we can get a
look at the inside? Arm articulation is very good too.
However, I don’t like the lack of hip articulation. Good forward movement, but
it needs hip splay or rotation for the poses to look natural. Also, the legs,
though cool, could stand to be a little bigger. If I were you, I’d make this
mecha bigger, keeping the body and head, and giving it longer legs and arms.
This way you could also fit in hip and ankle splay.
Tristan
(Remove *NOSPAM* before emailing)
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: New MOC: Beau Sabreur Kaji
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| (...) I think it's the 'muscles' and the big beefy arms (apologies to Trogdor) which make it ugly - it's almost leaning in the direction of some of the older Japanese toy designs. (...) They were really difficult to get to work, so I'm glad you like (...) (21 years ago, 18-Aug-03, to lugnet.build.mecha, FTX)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | New MOC: Beau Sabreur Kaji
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| Hi folks, I thought that making a (URL) with no arms and legs> was a bit of a cheat, so I've tried to follow up with a 'proper' one. I'm amazed at how difficult it was to get something jointed that can stand up and hold poses properly. All the cool (...) (21 years ago, 16-Aug-03, to lugnet.announce.moc, lugnet.build.mecha, FTX) !
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