Modification Making my Lizard King (Iplehouse EID / SOOM Monzo hybrid) [Complete: 11/26/2016 - Pending revisions]

Thank you both! I've been enjoying working on him. ^^ I'll have a bigger update to post this weekend (since I want to do video updates on YouTube as well and I need to edit the video together first) but I'm making a little progress every day. I've been keeping the parts that need work in the kitchen so I can work on them here and there through the day.

One thing I just finished was stripping the paint off his legs so I can work on the knee joint some more and see if I can figure out how to make him stand. And WOW, is that paint durable.

Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

Here's a snapshot from while I was working on it. At this point I'd been scrubbing for ten minutes, using sixteen cotton balls saturated with pure acetone, and I still wasn't all the way through the acrylics! And the primer? Yeah, that's going nowhere. I sanded off the primer on the top, so it's good enough to let me work on adjusting the fit.

I'm going to have to do some brainstorming to make him able to stand. Because of the bizarre way the old EID knees are, I don't think I can alter this part to fit the hinge, but the ledge on the back isn't high enough to keep his knees from buckling when the weight of the upper body is on them. It's already fitted to the shape of the EID thigh piece, though, and modifying the thigh means he wouldn't be able to wear his human legs any more, so it's certainly a quandary.

The only thing I've come up with so far is expanding the back of the knee joint to create sort of a U-shaped groove/socket that the thigh piece can fit into, but I'm not sure if it would be strong enough to actually hold without breaking. Right now I don't have any other ideas, but hopefully I'll think of something this week.

 

So I hit a small snag in the project when the extra arms I ordered arrived. Even though I tried to be as clear as possible, the language barrier got in the way, and I ended up with a set of the new style EID arms instead of the old ones.


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

This wouldn't be a problem if not for the fact the elbows weren't included, and the old style EID elbows aren't compatible!

I puzzled over what to do for a while. Since I didn't have more money to devote to this project right away, I decided to see what materials I had on hand, and started making my own elbow pieces.


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

It was a long process of building with clay, shaping, re-shaping, puttying, sanding, puttying, sanding, puttying, drilling, sanding, puttying...

But in the end, I ended up with workable pieces that should suit my needs.


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

I created a short project update video for my little YouTube channel, showing some of the materials I used and displaying the fit and posability of the finished arms, as well as a small problem I encountered that I'll be tackling next.
You can see that video here:


On to the next part, though! I've started working on the real challenge in this project... altering his knees so he'll be able to stand.

 

Though I've been diligently sanding away, there's not too much to show just yet. I've adjusted the fit and the angle of the knee joint. I've done a test stringing and I'm happy with that, though right now, all I've been able to do is finishing work for those parts. That means a lot of sanding and puttying, which is, of course, my least favorite part of all this. XP


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

But the ball joint on the hands has been redone, so the hands are ready to have the last of the paint stripped--I only removed enough to get the adjustments done, since I used so much of my cleaners getting through the paint job on the legs. In the end, I gave up trying to get all the primer off the leg pieces, since they're just going to be re-primered anyway and what is there is smooth.

At this point, I have one major change left to make so he'll be able to stand. I did a test-run with my plan and got him on his own feet for the first time ever, so I was super proud, but it quickly became evident that he's going to need sueding to stand without sliding into some very unusual posture. Part of this, of course, is just that he's more than six years old, so the odd little resin lock nubs in his hips are worn down to nothing, so sueding from the waist down can only help everything.

To preserve his ability to wear his human parts, though, I've decided that instead of putting suede inside the knee socket, I'll apply it to the top of the knee joint. But because I'm putting suede over the top of the knee ball, I've yet to decide if I'm going to go ahead and putty/sand it to a smoother finish, or if I should skip it since it's going to be covered in suede anyway and won't be visible.
It would certainly be faster to do the latter, but will I still feel good about it if I don't give these parts the best finish I can? Something to think about, anyway.

 

Yes, I was thrilled to see him up unsupported. I wasn't really sure I'd ever see it! ^^ I wish I could work faster, but I've been juggling doll projects with making dresses and decor for my sister's wedding, so it's been tough to squeeze it in. The wedding is next weekend, though, so I should be able to step it up after that!

I'm glad you've enjoyed it!
Since the core of the hands are made with Apoxie Sculpt, they've held up beautifully. Even after several years, I haven't noticed any scratches or dents. The worst that's happened is the paint chipped off the tips of his claws. Bondo alone definitely wouldn't have been enough to withstand stringing, or falling off tables, as Rune really likes to do...

I've experimented with other putties and I personally think for filler and touch-up work, Bondo is the best option. I tried Tamiya putty for some elf ear mods, but it's so delicate that even fully cured, you can leave indentations in it with a fingernail. The Bondo spot and glazing putty sands easily and is firmer, but it's brittle on its own, so I wouldn't suggest it for major modifications without building on top of something like Apoxie Sculpt or Milliput for a solid core. I mostly use it out of convenience; if I needed something really durable, the 2-part Bondo putty would do the trick. I've a friend who sculpts with it for both figurines and cosplay, and her work with it is just as solid as stuff done with epoxy clays. I just don't have the time or patience for that right now, so I just squeeze out the one-part putty and roll with that. ^_^

 

Thank you! I have always enjoyed seeing your mod work, so I appreciate that. ^^

I've certainly learned a lot from it. And you're right--the long-term stability of modifications isn't something that seems to pop up very often. I think these materials have held up admirably. Hopefully they'll look just as good in another five years.

Thank you! I'm excited to see it finished myself, but it'll probably take me most of the summer to do it. I guess they do say slow and steady wins the race, but it's hard to remember that when you're eager to get on to the next part!

 

I meant to post this when I posted the video on Friday, but I ran short on time before I had to travel for my little sister's wedding and this is the first time I've gotten to sit down since then. Phew!

Since I wasn't totally happy with how the wig I made for him turned out, I decided to give it another go, this time with alpaca hair. It was a first for me, but I didn't think it could be too different from working with synthetics.
I bought some raw fiber off Etsy and cleaned it myself, because I'm a glutton for punishment, I guess!


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

It's really beautiful stuff, even if there's a bit of a learning curve to the cleaning process. Once I figured out the best kind of brush and how much heat I needed to straighten it, things went a lot smoother.

Between this stuff and the synthetics I've always worked with before, I found the alpaca hair to be much easier to deal with, particularly since it's so easy to manipulate for styling. The styling isn't quite done, but the wig is:


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

That ponytail, though! I mean, poof. After consulting with my pocket cosmetologist, I got some styling products and ordered some thinning shears to use to finish the trimming and tame the ponytail poof. I have no idea where they're coming from, though, so whether they'll show up next week or at the end of the month, who can say?

Anyway, the video for the actual making of the wig is here:


The alpaca hair was so much fun to work with that I think I'll make him a few more wigs in different styles, but that's on the back burner until the rest of the modifications are done.

 

Another very small update here.

Since I've been getting ready to re-paint his fantasy parts and mods, I started stripping the old paint off his hands and feet so they can be redone properly. This was pretty easy for the hands, just tossing them into a jar with cotton balls and pouring some Winsor and Newton brush cleaner on top.


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

I didn't have to immerse them since the cotton balls held the W&N against the pieces, so that saved a lot of brush cleaner, and after sitting for an hour or two the paint wiped right off. That's why W&N is so great--extended exposure won't do anything to resin, epoxy clay, or the Bondo filler I've been using. The epoxy is pretty stained in some places since I didn't seal it before, but since they're just going to be painted green again and have no use other than this, I don't really care.

Once I had the paint off and gave his hands a better inspection, though, I found I wasn't entirely happy with them. So aside from doing a little more finishing work to fill in uneven spots I missed before, I'm also going to work on reshaping his claws. They're just kinda stuck on there, and it shows pretty badly. Not particularly realistic, and I think I owe him a little better than something just slapped on.

So since I couldn't find any reference pictures that suited my needs, I took a trip to the local zoo to visit some scaly buddies and take pictures of their feet. Fortunately, the Komodo dragons were right up against the glass that day.


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

Seeing them up close certainly gave me some ideas. For one, I know I don't really envision the shape of Rune's hands to be that lizard-like after all. They're more like the talons on the eagles instead, with a defined finger pad on the underneath and a slightly recessed top, making them more similar to a fingernail than an extension of the finger. With that in mind, I used a pencil to start drawing guidelines for the re-shaping of the claws.


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

I'll get my Apoxie Sculpt out and get started on that at some point this week. Hopefully it won't take long, since I've already detoured from my original mental schedule for getting this project done.

 

So I put Apoxie Sculpt over the ends of his fingers where the claws went on. I smoothed it out as best I could, and I also started working on adding more putty to the hands to smooth out the surface.


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

Then I drew some guides back in place, and used dental tools to carve the fully-cured epoxy into something a little more like what I was looking for...


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

And after that, I used a razor knife to pare away the extra clay. The end result is more more claw-shaped claws.


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

I also had a few problem spots where the new layers of epoxy cracked while carving and broke away, so the last layer of touch-up putty for those is cured and now just waiting for sanding. I think his hands look much better now.

I also finished the knee modifications that will allow him to stand. It looks a little odd, but if not for me sharing this photo, nobody would ever know:


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

The main problem was the change in his center of gravity causing his knees to buckle no matter what I did. The solution that worked best was this: drilling out the top part of the elastic channel in the knee to create a wider opening with a ledge at the bottom. I inserted an aluminum pipe, which has since been trimmed shorter because that much length is unnecessary and cumbersome. This creates a brace that rests against the inside of his thigh and keeps the leg locked in standing position

The best part is that this doesn't hinder his posing. I filed the cut edges of the tube smooth to prevent wear or snags, and strung him by running the elastic through the tubing. If I want him to sit or kneel, all I have to do is pull the knee down enough to remove the tube from its well and slide it up into the thigh. Since the elastic runs through it, the tube is always handy to slide back down into position and lock his knees again. It still takes a bit of finagling to get him to stand, since the EID body is extremely top-heavy, but I'm really happy with the result!

And while I was puttying the hands I also puttied the tops of his knees and sanded those smooth, so I think it's finally time to move on to the fun parts. All I need is a few pretty days to start painting everything I have done.

 

Goodness. It's been a while since I poked in here, but I feel like I haven't completed much. At this point in the project, I'm held up by waiting for good weather so I can finish painting his fantasy parts. I got a few things done, though, and I've been posting updates on Instagram and YouTube, but I keep forgetting to post here.

For one, after I spent that eternity sculpting and sanding and finishing his hands, I realized I was pretty worried about breaking or damaging them after putting in so much work. So I made him a pair of cast resin hands, since that lets me keep the original master parts somewhere safe. That way, him taking another jump off the table only runs the risk of breaking a resin finger. Whew!

I also finally had my thinning shears arrive, so I used them on his ponytail for very pleasant results...

Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

I also made a few design tweaks to his shirt to make it easier to get on and off a doll, made a pattern for it, then made the shirt.

Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

And while the fabric was absolutely horrible to work with, I'm really in love with the way those sleeves drape now that it's done!

Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

Isn't it just beautiful?

Then I used the scrap alpaca fiber cut from the ponytail of his wig to make him a second wig, with his hair down...

Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

Primered and then airbrushed a fleshtone to match his yellowed NS resin onto the tops of his legs...

Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

...and finally, FINALLY had a day where the humidity dropped below 60% so I could use sealants and get to work on painting his fantasy parts.

Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

They've been enhanced with further hand painting and blushing since then, but it's back to high humidity weather, so they're just chilling on my craft table waiting for good weather.

I'm pretty happy with how the painting on his fantasy parts has turned out, and since I immediately managed to chip one of his arms and had to touch it up, I decided to go the extra mile and make it as permanent as possible. I've been experimenting with a few options, and once I have the pastel blushing sealed properly, I'm going to be coating his completed fantasy parts in UV-friendly low-discoloring polyester resin. I did a test run on one of the elbow pieces this morning and immediately dropped it 3 feet onto concrete. The point of impact looked pretty bad where it was coated with just Purity Seal, but the clear resin only had a few scuffs that were easily buffed out. Unfortunately, I'll need to sand down the part where there was only Purity Seal, as the gouges from impact are pretty deep, but I'm excited to know he'll probably have the most durable blushing ever done!

 

It's all airbrushing. The base coat is a dark green, then I used a bright lime green over it to add scales. The huge difference in color gave me some wiggle room to make the scales brighter or darker in some places (on the feet and hands particularly) to create depth, which I really like. The pattern was created with mesh. I'll have some more detailed photos (instead of a cell phone shot) after I have the resin sealant on them. I don't want to risk scratching them up right now.

 

A little bit! The transition is fairly abrupt, but I've been working on hand-brushing some more randomly placed scales along the edge where they emerge.

 

I haven't tried a lot of options, but I've used 2-part resins and a few UV cure resins and what I'm working with right now is definitely my favorite. It's Solarez dual cure UV resin. It can be cured in direct sunlight or under UV light, or mixed with catalyst. The catalyst cure is much slower, though it can be accelerated by exposing it to UV. The directions say it'll cure in 3 minutes in UV light, but I found it took a lot longer than that, maybe 10 to 15 minutes of direct exposure. Part of that could be because I was applying it on top of a dark color, which it does say can slow curing times. If you're worried about sun exposure, it might not be great for your needs. I'm kind of deliberately yellowing his new upper arm pieces that aren't painted, so it wasn't an issue for me.
Absolutely do not use it unless you can work outdoors, though. A ventilated room won't be enough. The stuff is so noxious you can smell it through the bottle and it has to be kept inside another bag for storage. Just the whiff I got from opening the bag they shipped it in made me feel sick, so I'd never consider even opening the bottle without a respirator.

I applied the resin with a foam brush, which eliminated any chance for bubbles. I will say you have to work fast, because even if you aren't in direct UV light, sitting in the shade meant enough UV exposure that the resin I poured into my bowl was slowly curing. It coagulates and turns into something kind of like gelatin beads before it sets up completely. If you don't touch it, it's fairly self-leveling, so it's not a concern. Since I didn't expect that, I slathered some blobs onto a part and then couldn't get them off, so I had to use some files to remove them. A bit of gloss paint (or another thin coat of resin) on top of the sanding eliminates cloudiness and sanding marks.

That's one thing worth note - The polyester resins are high, HIGH gloss. Spraying a matte sealant on top will reduce the glossiness considerably, but likely won't eliminate it completely. I'm still working on cutting these parts down to more of a satin finish.


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

The other thing that's noteworthy is that the stuff has a glass-like texture, super smooth, so my fingertips kind of stick to the surface. I don't know that it'll be a problem, but I'm going to take the time to suede all the joints on these parts just to eliminate as much rubbing as possible.

It is durable as all get out, though. Save one arm piece that rolled over and stuck to the table before the resin was fully cured, taking a chunk out of the paint job when I pulled it free, I've not seen any damage to the paint or blushing. I don't really count that, since the resin wasn't fully cured yet. :P After curing, I (accidentally) dropped one of the pieces onto the concrete from at least 3 feet up. There were some scratches in the polyester resin coating that were easy to buff out; the paint underneath was untouched. I'm really pleased with it so far, so hopefully it holds up long-term.

 

Aw, thank you! Always glad to be inspiring. Heck, this thread is inspiring to myself. Every time I feel like I'm stuck and bogging down I go back to the beginning to re-read and remind myself how much I've accomplished and learned. I've started considering doing some further facial modification since he's already been sanded and puttied pretty heavily to re-shape his face to suit repairs after his fall, but I'm not sure if I'll be up to tackling that after all is said and done.

Thank you, I'm really pleased with his hands at the end of everything ^^ His claws still aren't quite perfect, but they're much better, and I don't think I can make them any better until I become more experienced with sculpting. But since the ones he's wearing are resin, I can continue to refine the original sculpts as I learn.
I think a doll like a Feeple65 would be much easier to fit Soom pieces to than this. The shape of my Feeple65's knees are much more similar to the original shape of the Soom parts, so it probably wouldn't need complete reconstruction and re-engineering like this guy. ^^

Thank you both! I wish this part were going faster, but it is what it is. Sanding and fine finishing is my mortal enemy, but it's a necessary step for a good end result. I feel bad when I don't have anything to show at the end of a day of sanding, but the visible differences are so small it'd just be a bunch of boring photos even if I posted them!

 

And... he's up!!


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

There are bits of suede all over my floor from today's ventures, so excuse the mess. I also still haven't gotten around to replacing that wall outlet cover from when I busted it with a stray flying tool at the beginning of this project. Priorities, huh? Nobody really goes in there but me, so it's easy to forget.
I'm really excited - all the way through this project, I wasn't sure I'd actually be able to get him up and standing. He's a little wobbly because the Super Hero torso is soooo heavy, but there were times I never thought I'd get this far. It's a really good feeling. I posted a video of me airbrushing his scales to YouTube this morning, so there's that if anyone's curious--link to my channel is in my sig and I've linked to videos several times so far (and will a few more times before all is said and done) so I won't spam you up today, haha.

There are a few little things to do next before I can move on. One, I need to glue his headcap magnets back in. Two, it looks like his upper arms need a little more time in the sun to be an ideal match (though they are better than they were) so I might unstring his arms again and lay them in the window for a while.

I've been working on getting things ready for his outfit and accessories, though they've been a little hit and miss. I decided to dust off my ancient intentions to learn 3D rendering, and figured I'd get a base model of his sword 3D printed and then do the finishing work and painting by hand. So I started that..


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

Just need the hilt finished, then it should be good to go.

I've hit a bit of a snag with his outfit materials, though, in that getting the right color of suede just isn't going to happen.


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

The washed out, dusty blue on the top was what I wanted, but since all I'd found initially was a remnant, it's not enough to make his whole outfit. Turns out that color was discontinued and it just can't be gotten anywhere.

The light blue is a swatch of what I finally decided to go with, after getting half a dozen swatches of different suedes online trying to find a match. I ordered it two weeks ago... and the package disappeared. It was marked as delivered but was never delivered, which means someone at the post office is stealing packages again. I'm going around with the company I ordered from, because it was marked delivered and I guess they think I'm trying something shady by wanting them to refund or re-ship when it says the package was delivered.

The navy blue is what I suppose he's going to get, because it's the only blue suede available in this city. It's not what I wanted at all, but it's polyester, so the color can't be lightened. It's better than nothing, though, so I suppose I'll just have to deal.

At least he's standing, right?

 

After months and months, it seems this project is finally winding down.

The good developments are that with enough fussing, I got my yard of lighter blue suede replaced, and I'm pretty happy with that. It looks much better than I expected, when actually on the doll.
Also, I finished the rendering of his sword. It's a little rough since I've never done 3D rendering before, but I figure it'd have to be sanded and puttied and primed before I can paint it up anyway, so a little rough won't hurt. I cut the rendered gems in favor of using glass stones on the finished product, which I think will look much nicer. Once it's printed, I'll share some photos.

Less good is that the support tubes in his legs don't fit as well as I'd like just yet, so I've removed them for now--it keeps him from being able to stand, but I need a clear day and the time to cut the tubes down a bit more and file the edges, and it's been either too stormy to be outdoors, or so high of a heat index that people are cautioned to stay indoors. We went grocery shopping this weekend and the grocery store was handing out chilled bottled water to everyone who came in because just walking across the parking lot was making people ill. Crazy!

Plenty of other things to work on in the meantime, though, and I think I'll make him a saddle stand anyway so he can actually stand up and be properly displayed. My workshop is on the corner of the house and only my work table by the window gets a lot of light, so if I put him on the shelf in the opposite corner, he'll be fine to be out all the time. He's also already so yellowed just from being old that I don't think light exposure could make it much worse.

I worked on his jacket over the weekend...

Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

I'm pretty happy with the end result. I'm making a PDF copy of the pattern to post on my website. Excuse his wig, my 3-year-old assistant was petting it.


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

I think I need to move the snaps on his sleeve cuffs though. The newer EID arms seem to be juuuuust slightly slimmer through the wrists, and his lizard hands are narrower since they only have 4 digits, so the cuffs keep sliding down farther than I'd like. At least that's an easy fix.

I did some rough planning for his pants, working out how I'll need to put them together. I've never made a fall front before so that should be an interesting trick.


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

Then I started working on the pattern for the pants, which is a little confusing when I look at it, even having the pieces clearly labeled.


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

Should make for an interesting week ahead, but I'm happy to be at this point.

 

Aw, thank you! It's certainly been an ordeal, but I've had a lot of fun doing it. It'll be a relief to be done, but at the same time I almost hate for it to be over.

I love the way suedes look, but I sure hate sewing with them! I do think the end result is worth it, though. I'm glad I decided to stick it out and do it with suede instead of settling for something else, especially now that most of his outfit is done.

Oh, thank you so much! It's not all been sunshine, that's for sure, but I'm glad for everything I've learned. My other half has kept me steadily supplied with healthy snacks, which is appreciated, since I'm a stress-muncher and there have been parts of this where I felt like tearing my hair out. I think I'm sick of carrots now though, no matter how satisfying it is to hear it crunch when I've jammed my sewing machine for the 9th time in a sitting.

He's very close!!

Here are a few shots from where I am now:
His clothing is all done and I'll be starting his armor soon. I finished his pants last night, and though I triple-checked the measurements, I still made the pant legs just slightly too narrow for his feet to fit through them! So I have to remove his feet to get the pants on and off, but I had to do that with all his clothing before, so I'm kind of used to it. One of the amusing benefits of working on this doll for so long is that I can take him apart, change his elastic and get him back together in about five minutes. I'm pretty happy with the pants in the end:


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

And look how well he stands! He doesn't even have the support tubes in his legs now, though I still intend to put them back in later. After I get the sharp edges sanded all nice and smooth so they don't damage his elastic.


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

I still need to tighten his sleeve cuffs. I'll be starting on his belt and armor pieces soon, but I want to get the pattern PDF for his cool looking pants made before I go on. Should have that up and ready to share in the pattern section of DoA next weekend. His sword is also being 3D printed this week. My rendering skills are pretty lackluster so I'll have lots of puttying and sanding to do, but my sculpting skills are even worse than my rendering skills, so I'm glad to have a good base for his sword that'll only need finishing work.

I'll also definitely have to redo his faceup. It already had some chips and scratches when I started, but he got a pretty good faceplant against the door frame while I was learning how he balances on his new feet, so he'll have to be wiped and redone. It's a good thing because this is a very old and very early faceup done by me, but I'm not totally thrilled about the prospect of having to color match his facial mods/repairs again. It will give me a chance to smooth out the repairs on his nose a little bit more, though, so I guess there's a silver lining.
I just hope he turns out well, because I think he's looking pretty nice as he is now. With luck, I'll have everything done by the end of August, then I can finally have a little time to breathe.


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

 

Nothing major to show this week, I'm afraid. I've been dealing with car problems all week. I'm way behind on everything I wanted to do this week as a result, including being late for heading off on vacation. I was supposed to be floating in a pool drinking fancy soda right now, darn it!

But there was a happy thing today, so I'm glad I was still here. ^^

I removed Rune's damaged faceup, but now I have to wait for dry weather to start the new one.
In the meantime, I'm working out patterns for his armor pieces, and today, his sword arrived!! It got done two weeks earlier than expected, so I'm pleased I was here for the delivery. The box was way bigger than I expected, but I'm happy they went the extra mile with the packaging. It arrived in perfect condition, and it's huge!


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

There are a few places I couldn't get smooth enough in the 3D render (mostly because the extent of my rendering knowledge is, uh... this sword) so I'll need to put some putty on the cross guard and the point where the blade flares out to fill in my mistakes, then the whole thing will need to be coated with filler primer to level out the textured surface. You can see the problem areas and the texture better here:


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

I'm happy with it overall, though, and the nylon is sturdier than I expected, so it's all good stuff. I'll be marking where I want the gems to go and then measuring to be sure I order crystals in the right size, then I'll start working on the sanding and finishing, since at least I can do that while the weather is hot and humid.

 

Certainly! I used Blender for all the rendering, then set the file units to mm, scaled the model to 42cm, and saved it in STL format. I spent a couple weeks trying to find a local 3D printer I could use, but it didn't pan out; the only one I was able to find was limited to a maximum size of 20x20cm prints. So I ended up having this done by Shapeways. I'm pretty happy with the quality overall, it's just my rendering skills that are bad and need fixing. XD But since this was my first time making a complete model from scratch, I'm sure the next attempt will turn out better!

 

Making Rune's armor pieces has been almost as difficult as all the sanding. A lot of the pieces are such odd shapes that I have to sew them by hand, and hand sewing the vinyl is really tough on my pitifully weak wrists, so it's been very slow going.

Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

I tackled his pauldrons first, but apparently I never took a picture of them finished, just this one before I sewed them together! The completed pieces are visible in a video I posted on my YouTube channel though, so there's that.

I created a pattern for his spats:

Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

Though I ended up cutting it into more pieces to make it easier to put together. I've taken bits of time over the past few days to put them together and the base piece is done now; I just have to add eyelets to lace them closed, then add the straps and buckles and things. That may have to wait a bit longer, since I ran out of buckles and had to order more.
On the whole, the fit is pretty good, even if my cell phone shots of the progress are not:


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

I put a layer of Bondo putty on his sword so I can sand it nice and smooth at some point. I need to finish puttying the hilt, but it's been sitting on my kitchen counter like this for a while.


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

It's been too hot to go outside for sanding, and now that we've had a streak of cooler weather, I've been trying to do faceups on the dry days, so I haven't gotten to the sword just yet. I'll probably putty the hilt and then sand it all at once. I've gathered the materials I'll need to finish the sword, so I have paints and clay and masking tape ready to go once the initial sanding is done.

I spent a long time looking for gems for the hilt, but I wasn't happy with the choices available to me. Glass gems only came in huge packs and I'd spend a fortune getting what I needed, since I had to have 4 different sizes/shapes of gem plus the larger stone for the pommel. After seeing how much that was going to cost, I realized I had a way cooler option, and most of them have already arrived. Instead of using glass gems for the rubies like I'd originally planned, why not use rubies for the rubies?


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

So that's exactly what I decided to do! Lab-created real rubies to be the rubies on his sword. Unexpectedly, it saved me a lot of money over what I would've spent on glass or acrylic stones, so I'm pretty stoked to use them. All the rubies for the cross guard are here, but I'm still waiting for the cabochon I'll be using to create the pommel. His sword will be an interesting conversation piece, that's for sure...

 

Thanks, @Ellidyr! The end is in sight, I may actually have him done before Christmas.

I was up late working on his gauntlets last night. They're done now, except for the lacings and buckles for the straps. I ordered the buckles a while back but they're coming from Asia, so who knows how long it will take? I can't finish them (or his spats) until they arrive, but at least I know they're coming.

For now, I've got this:

Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

I had a little misadventure experimenting with glues before just using rivets. They're a bit big, but they were the smallest I was able to find.
The good news is the last of the gems for his sword arrived. After seeing the star ruby for the pommel, I'm pretty sure I need some gems like these for me!!


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

It looks much prettier in direct light, of course, where you can see the star clearly. I couldn't manage to wrangle the stone and the camera at the same time and still get good light, but you can see a few rays. I'm pretty happy with how it looks. Since I have everything for his sword now, I'll be tackling that while I wait for the buckles to arrive...

 

Ah, yeah. ^^; It's pretty good looking overall, but the surface has a gritty texture that won't look nice if it's painted that way. A lot of people use an acetone bath to melt the surface of 3D prints even, but that would round out my crisp edges, which I don't want. I also don't want to sacrifice any size by sanding the nylon directly, the handle of the sword is already particularly slender so even losing a millimeter of material through sanding would be too much. It seemed the best way to do it would be spreading on a super thin layer of Bondo and then sanding it back off, which will fill in the texture and keep me from losing size!

 

I rendered it using Blender. It was my first time doing 3D rendering, so it's a little crude, but it works. I had it printed by Shapeways. They were the only printer I could find that could print it all in one piece.

 

Thanks a bunch!! I'm looking forward to working on it. ^^

I was happy with Shapeways all the way around. Their scaling system was really accurate and their knowledge base had a lot of easy-to-follow guides for a first timer like me. I learned how to ensure my mesh was watertight and ready to print, then their automated check system worked really quick and showed me the problem areas on my print right within a few minutes of uploading. They got to my order pretty quick, especially considering I opted to put myself on their longer waitlist (Print my order whenever it's convenient for them, basically) in exchange for a discount. The print cost me about $40, which struck me as expensive until I started getting quotes back from other printers. Yikes. They ended up being the cheapest in addition to being the only printer able to make the sword in one piece, and they did an EXCELLENT job of packing it. It's kinda funny--I was worried about it getting broken and it arrived in this massive box, wrapped in bubble wrap, air packs, and nestled inside biodegradable packing peanuts. They'd definitely be my go-to in getting something made again, assuming I don't eventually buy a 3D printer myself.

 

Man... and I thought the rest of this project was bad. This sword has been a serious lesson in patience, and I'm not doing too well. Here's a photo dump from my Instagram with some status updates.

After several weeks of building up layers of putty and sanding it down, I finally got the sword to the point it was time to start priming. So I built up about four layers of automotive primer, sanding each one smooth.


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

At that point, it still needed a couple more coats, but I finally had the smooth surface I was looking for.

I reviewed my drawings and went back to make a few adjustments with epoxy clay, then started carving out settings for the gems. That was tough, but they'll be set in the sword with the girdle, crown, and table of the gems above the surface so they'll catch more light.


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

After those modifications were sanded and coated with primer and the whole thing was sanded again, it was time for what I awaited most eagerly: PAINTING!


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

And unfortunately... the first try was a complete failure. The enamel paint dried too slowly and a pop-up thunderstorm ruined the finish. It turned tarry and gross and filled with dust.
So I had to strip the paint, and it took most of the primer off, leaving me back at the beginning with the putty and some exposed nylon.


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

Heartbreaking.
I built up the layers of primer again, sanding between each, and worked out a new plan for how I would paint it. I'd work in more layers, starting with a sandable lacquer, which would dry faster than the failed enamel, giving it an advantage.

I picked Testors One Coat spray lacquer in Blazing Black. It's more of a grayish-black with metallic flake, so it worked well for the plates on the hilt. I'll add gloss black over the rest of the hilt using acrylics. Lots of people say you shouldn't mix paint types; you totally can, but you have to do it in the right order. From bottom to top, lacquer, enamel, acrylic. Failure to apply them in the right order is why paint cracks or stays tacky.

The first coat of Testors lacquer showed a lot of promise, and just a couple bits of dust to sand off:


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

And now that I've got a base black I'm satisfied with, it's on to the next challenge: The metal.

I masked off the hilt and put down the first coat. I love the paint I picked out, it's easy to work with and it's gorgeous. In fact, it's so shiny that in sunlight, it's absolutely blinding.


Mod project by Myuuchan, on Flickr

The problem is, chrome metallic hobby paints? They can't be handled or touched. They're basically metal particles suspended in a medium, which means once the medium is dry, the finish can be rubbed off, leaving you with a dull and ugly gray. I got a thumbprint on the blade that did exactly that. I'm working on fixing it, but I have to figure out what to do next. I want something more reflective than a basic silver paint gives you, but not full-on electroplate-style chrome. This paint is perfect, but it's not as easy as just sealing it: clear coats have the same effect as touch, dulling the finish so you have ugly gray instead of the beautiful reflective shimmer above. I've spent hours researching and from automotive hobbyists to scale model builders to replica prop creators, nobody seems to have solved the problem yet.

There's got to be some way to protect and preserve it, though, so today I'm spraying plastic cutlery so I can begin experiments. I have a few ideas, it's just a matter of waiting to see what works.

 

I have considered that! I may try it if I can't get the paint to work out. I'll be painting the other side today. It has a few flaws--metallic paints almost always do when they're used outside professional, controlled environments--but I doubt his sword would be perfectly clean and scratch-free after being in the family for hundreds of years.

I've started testing sealants, though, and I've found a few that look promising, so I'll keep my fingers crossed that I won't have to buy anything extra to see this project to the end.

 

Wow, thanks for that--I'm planning to make armor for another doll in the future, so I'll definitely need that at some point! I'm not sure if it'd work for this, though, partly because it's not going to be just metallic... it's supposed to have a faint color overlay as well, which means my best bet is using candy color overlays for modeling as well. I think those paints would eat through vinyl. But I'm definitely saving that for my armor project, because that'll be perfect for it!