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01-23-2009, 02:09 PM | #21 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: death star
Posts: 218
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This next idea may or may not be scrapped. For months now, I’ve been considering a vehicle for transporting the dog/wolf cages. This vehicle’s name is The Pit.
I want to base it on the GIJOE Eliminator but I’m having second thoughts since the toy’s ground clearance is too high. I had an idea for a vehicle with cages that are actually part of its body frame. Also, the initial idea was to have a vehicle in Wez’s gang that would not only transport dogs and wolves but also prisoners but now I’m opting to have only animals. |
01-23-2009, 02:10 PM | #22 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: death star
Posts: 218
|
The original Rage:
I wanted the gunner's machine gun to rotate 360 degrees like in the movie, Rambo. |
01-23-2009, 02:11 PM | #23 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: death star
Posts: 218
|
The new Rage:
I came across the following passage in a class textbook: “…based not on further sacrifice of the villages in favor of the cities and of smokestack industries…” (good thing I studied, lol) An idea was instantly born. I thought about the post apocalypse. Marauders ransacking and burning villages, their vehicles polluting the air with clouds of smoke emanating from their smokestacks, villages being replaced by smokestack industries, technology replacing/annihilating nature. This is what Rage was missing all along: SMOKESTACKS. The smokestacks you see are temporary. They’re McDonalds straws, lol. I’ll be hunting for metal smokestacks at my local hobby stores or will order from an RC store. The problem with the smokestacks is that they hinder the gunner’s machine gun from rotating the full 360 degrees. Rage marks the first time I will be dying plastic. The battering ram will be dyed black as well as the supplementary panels in the flatbed section. |
01-23-2009, 02:12 PM | #24 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: death star
Posts: 218
|
Every time I get an idea for a post-apocalyptic vehicle, I sketch it as closely as possible. I’m no artist but that doesn’t impede me. To my satisfaction, the finished product resembles the sketch very closely, often 100%, and occasionally exceeds its original design.
This was the sketch for Carnage. The original Carnage: |
01-23-2009, 02:13 PM | #25 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: death star
Posts: 218
|
My weaknesses as a customizer are impatience & impulsivity. When I get an idea, I immediately pursue it even if I lack the necessary parts to accomplish it. I find a substitute and sometimes end up ruining a beloved toy. I also don’t review the idea enough times in my head to ensure that all potential problems, obstacles, & miscalculations are resolved. I learned from these mistakes while remaking Carnage.
I was very intent on replacing Carnage’s plastic wheels with rubber wheels. At KB, I found an RC car with similar sized wheels. My instinct told me the wheels weren’t 100% suitable; they were slightly larger. However, I was overzealous on upgrading Carnage’s wheels so I made the purchase. The entire project failed miserably; it was doomed from the start. I should have listened to my instinct. I felt heartbroken not because of the $20 wasted but because my favorite custom lay in pieces beyond repair. Now it only existed in my memory and in the pictures previously posted in this forum. Fortunately, I had an unopened Street Fighter Crimson Cruiser. I doubted my ability to make a new Carnage. But I had to prove it to myself that I could do it again. I had to prove to myself that the first Carnage wasn’t out of luck but skill. The rollcage section and net material which holds the gasoline canister are the only parts I didn't remake. They were taken from the original Carnage. And with my confidence restored, here is the new and improved Carnage: Gasoline storage allows gas canister to fit 100% secure Gaps on both sides were concealed via plastic fusion, thus vehicle looks more realistic Cardboard basket holds supplementary supplies such as food and clothing. Metal basket will replace temporary cardboard basket. Rear wheel suspension is new and thus no longer clashes with custom rear bumper |
01-23-2009, 02:14 PM | #26 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: death star
Posts: 218
|
The rollcage section has been the most challenging and difficult custom piece.
Crowbar storage (made from paperclips) |
01-23-2009, 02:15 PM | #27 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: death star
Posts: 218
|
Many of the upgrades the new Carnage has were made using pieces from the original. There are still lots of pending upgrades: -All-terrain rubber wheels (this time around they’ll be the right circumference, size & fit) -Rear or side exhaust pipe(s) -Rear antenna(e) -Electronic headlights & possible roof lights |
01-23-2009, 02:17 PM | #28 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: death star
Posts: 218
|
Some people see their toys as no more than objects; I respect that. For me, toys mean something more especially these post apocalyptic customs. They’re a dream in progress. Let me explain.
1) I’ve written stories based on my ideas but I have always wished being able to draw my ideas on paper. Sure I can take drawing classes but when they are expensive. I can visualize my ideas but unfortunately cannot draw them as they appear in my mind. Customizing has allowed me in some way to manifest those ideas physically. 2) These post apocalyptic vehicles are part of a spin-off stop motion animation series based on The Road Warrior. I want to complete this series within the next 6 years. That will require taking night classes in Photoshop, special effects, stop motion animation, editing, etc. Of course, this won’t be a one-man task. In the meantime, I am developing as much of the storyline, characters, vehicles, and storyboards as possible. Immense progress is achieved daily. My next step is to master the art of sewing 1:18 scale clothes; my mother will pass her knowledge of sewing to me in the coming weeks. |
01-23-2009, 02:18 PM | #29 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: death star
Posts: 218
|
What I love about making post apocalyptic customs is the artistic freedom. Vehicles don’t have to look perfect. They can have all sorts of mistakes, deformities, battle damage, etc. After all, these vehicles should not look as if they rolled off the assembly line shiny and intact. Drivers and/or passengers are constantly modifying, repairing, rectifying, improving, and altering their vehicles weaponwise.
For example, after fusing the motorcycle windshield to Breaker, I realized it was a very crooked. I had to fix it. In doing so, I literally sabotaged the winshield section making a huge mess of it and like a surgeon found some clever way to “sew” it all back together. Although the finished product looks messy, the important thing is that the windshield now sits straight. One thing I’ve realized from the progress I’ve made is that each custom requires more and more work and is more challenging and time-consuming than the previous. Nevertheless, I love this form of art. When I’m customizing, I am at peace with the world, I am able to realize my dreams, thoughts, and ideas. I am in my element and nothing can stop me. |
01-23-2009, 02:18 PM | #30 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: death star
Posts: 218
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JUGGERNAUT
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