yvesvidal

Hips armors and chest are installed. The chest can still be removed but it is very tight and does not need to be glued: The hips armor plates are also helping with a tight fit of the chest plate. In the center, you can see the magnet that is used to hold the pelvic armor plate (above). Overall view of the creature as it stands today. Once all the armor plates have been installed, it looks a lot more sympathetic than it does at the moment. Yves

I am now spending some time on the AI creature, starting with her Mohawk, on the back of her head: I suppose this Mohawk is a massive radiator for the computer and chips installed in her cranium. Then, I move to the rear sides of her armor: These are glued in place, using the chest to position them exactly. Most of the armor plates are removable and secured by magnets, but not these two pieces that need to be perfectly installed and glued so that all other parts of the armor can fit. To do that task, I removed the shoulders and you can see the Orange LEDs protruding out, on each side. Once glued, a few pictures: And with her little skirt in place (held by magnets): Yves

Absolutely amazing. I love the precision of your work, color of the wood and the way you approach the various tasks. Such perfection. Yves

Incredible and beautiful work. I like the 3D printing approach for the frames. Quite unusual and smart. Yves

Mike, yes, it is most definitely a very difficult kit to print and put together. Thank you for the compliments. Yves

I am almost done with the plumbing. It has been quite a rocky path, to find the location of all these hoses and pipes. In addition, the connection between the Robe of the AI creature and the Hangar is made difficult, because of the two different types of printing techniques: Filament for the Hangar and resin for the piping. Inevitably, there are some slight differences in sizes that makes the connections delicate or impossible in some cases. Anyway, some pictures: I am quite happy with the "pool" of resin on the base, as it makes everything so much sturdier. One section that really was impossible to connect is this one: The resin pipes are absolutely inflexible and the anchoring points did not match. I decided to cut the pipes and create some kind of bag in the middle for their connection. I may change that in the future as I am not too happy with the way it looks. Most people and rare implementation of that kit that you may find on the Internet, are going with a fully dystopian approach and lots of weathering. I really suck at weathering and decided to not go that route. I wish I could have done it, as it makes the model so much more dramatic. I have a few hoses left and truly could not find a location for them: I may be able to place one or two more, by cutting and reworking them..... we will see. Now, is the time to work on the details of the head and torso of the creature: Yves

Great printing results Craig. It will be interesting to see how this new paint is doing on resin, which is never an easy medium to work with (glue, dust, brittle....). Yves

What a gorgeous boat. You did a fantastic work with it, worth displaying in a museum. Yves

I managed to install another half a dozen of pipes. Making slow progress using length, size, appearance and connector diameters. It is not easy and the existing pictures of the original design are helping a lot. I also poured some acrylic resin with a couple of drops of green dye. I do not want to pour too much as it may leak between the main feet of the Hangar. The benefit of that resin is also to secure all the pipes and hoses to the base. No more wiggling. Below are close-ups on a few new hoses that I installed: I still have another 12 to 15 to place between the creature/robe and the various components of the hangar. Yves

Major milestone achieved, yesterday: the permanent gluing of the "robe" on the wooden base: Before this step, I placed some transparent caulking all around the intended pool that will be used to secure and terminate all the pipes and hoses: Hopefully, the caulking will prevent the acrylic resin from leaking. As we all know, the resin by capillarity will find any way out of where it is supposed to stay and polymerize. A few pipes and hoses have been painted and installed: The back and neck are now connected to the "Hangar": The two cables suspending the creature under the arm pits have been installed: I still have a ton of hoses and tubes to integrate. It is not easy..... The painted cables/hoses have been identified and I know where they locate: I hope you are enjoying this dystopian diorama. Yves

Quite a change from sunny and warmy Florida.... Yves

I installed the "Hangar" on the base, to make sure everything fits: Yves

Gorgeous boat, so well done!! I hope you tried it in a tub and are happy with the stability before launching it on a pond. As I have said many times, I love Billing Boats kits for the variety of styles they cover and for the great kits they provide. The Nordkap is such a cute vessel. Yves

Billing Boats has plenty of beautiful and cute ships. I will be following your Build Log with a lot of interest. Yves

Amazing !!!! I can't believe this is an AIRFIX kit. They have really improved recently. You turn that model into a little marvel, honestly. Yves