[BROG] Biorobo Custom Jumbo Machinder

Hello all-
I have posted a brog [toyboxdx.com] on my Biorobo Jumbo. I am providing the elements to help anyone make their own (except the head, you're on your own there). The cardstock guides are approximate, I never made templates originally so I just did some rough measurements of my existing pieces. The sticker sheets are the same ones I made fifteen years ago, that somehow survived the migration through so many computers since then. If anyone goes ahead with this, please post!

Sticker Sheet 1 [toyboxdx.com]
Sticker Sheet 1 [toyboxdx.com]
Sticker Sheet 1 [toyboxdx.com]
Cardstock Sheet 1 [toyboxdx.com]
Cardstock Sheet 2 [toyboxdx.com]

-ChemicalEggs

Thanks a lot for posting this.
Funny thing is that I was looking at the Bio Commodore yesterday and was thinking that it was a pretty cool toy and that your custom was a nice idea and I should try it some day. I have a spare Daimos for parts somewhere so there's no reason why not try it :))

Thanks for sharing

This is amazing work, ChemicalEggs. Thanks a lot for posting the details. What specific kind of paint did you use, out of curiosity? Just a flat black spray paint over the primer?

Genius.

I've always wanted to attempt big Valk custom from the Matchbox VF-1S. Too chicken.

that is truly impressive.

Mike Parisi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Genius.
>
> I've always wanted to attempt big Valk custom from
> the Matchbox VF-1S. Too chicken.

The shoulder mechanism and swingbars are there, the arms would be the greatest challenge, as they are one large fused block of plastic.

I'm pretty sure it's been done. Wanting articulation is a challenge, but if you just want an upright Valk made from all the parts, you still have to do some radical cutting of the fuselage to make it into a torso, I think.

Introducing Prometheus Rising Studio.
[prometheusrising.net]
I make 3D printed mecha action figures.

Why do I have the feeling that the price of a loose, beat Shogun Daimos just went up? :) No matter, this is really great. I must admit, I half suspected that up close shots of this would reveal it to be not as cool as it looked on your shelf pic, but I gotta hand it to you, it's just superb. Bravo!

"There's no Bigfoot in The Awakening." -James Bickert

Actually the Matchbox Veritech arms are not fused together, they are screwed together. You can unscrew them and they separate just fine, but they are missing a "wall". The real issue is the toy was originally supposed to be fighter or gerwalk only, so there's no mechanism to get it into battroid mode. The problem with gerwalk is the kneejoint was taken out.

Also be aware that only the original Matchbox release has the shoulder mechanism intact. It's removed on the Harmony Gold China and Playmates/Exo-Squad reissues.

-Ginrai
Golden Gate Riot on dead trees at: [www.destroyallcomics.com]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/05/2011 10:19PM by Ginrai.

great job. More of us should be making custom jumbos.

Thanks for the comments.

Matt, the paint was $5 Home Depot spray cans. A white Plastic Primer (made for lawn furniture judging by the label) and a flat black.

The pic Dave is referring to is of my collection around ten or fifteen years ago, here: [toyboxdx.com]

My current shelf is a little more incognito, and focused almost exclusively on Jumbos and their kin.

There is a space on the bottom left for Boba Fett.

-ChemicalEggs



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2011 05:53PM by ChemicalEggs.

Wow, nice pics! Nice seeing a Renzi Kong in there, but I'm not sure I like the Kraken with legs. Any particular reason you switched up the fists on the junior Pegas and Robo Kress? That totally threw me off for a second.

"There's no Bigfoot in The Awakening." -James Bickert

I like the idea of being able to shut them up inside -- must save on dusting efforts & no worries about sun-fading. Though with the frosted glass it sort of has a "toy morgue" feel. (and not in a bad way)

Finally got done reading the brog...and mopping up my drool. AWESOME job, Greg! I totally love the care taken in getting the colors right, the symmetry in all the customized parts, and finally in the photography.

We definitely need MORE custom Jumbo action. Speaking of which, I'm sure *someone* took shots of Walker's Jumbos from the Summit... If there was ever a question about what paint to use, he pretty much silenced the skeptics!

This Bio Robo looks even more awesome than I expected and made from such clever materials.

Great work. And thanks for the illustrator work you put in on stickers!

Since others are throwing it out there, I thought I'd share some information about painting stuff - Especially if you want paint to stick to stuff like PET vinyl... here are some tools for you :

1. Acetone Bath / wipe down - you can get a large enough bottle of this at any Pharmacy / Rite-Aid type of store. NOT fingernail polish remover, but a large clear bottle of acetone.

Giving a bath or wipe down to plastics is important. it preps the surface by removing factory oils and silicone sealants that combat adhesion. While factory sealants and super engineered materials are great to keep your toys clean and durable, they are the spawn of Satan to re-finishers and prototypers.

Don't over SOAK or leave plastic in in a tray of acetone... it will melt. Just a quick dip or a gentle wipe down, and the acetone will evaporate. Acetone breaks down the sealants... and eventually the plastic, so do be gentle. You can rub away plastic or leave scratches if you apply too much pressure.



2. Adhesion Promoter - I use one from dupont for painting plastics. It's similar to a primer, except it's clear. This is important for translucent work. I mainly use one from Dupont, but other people sing praises of one product line or another... it varies greatly depending on the base material.

Simply spray an even coat over your item and let it dry. It's a game changer.



3. Monster Kolor - Recently I've been using Monster Kolor to spray resin. I've only given it a acetone bath to prep it, and it did not need adhesion promotion or primer. It was finished with a clear coat. Not tacky, the finish is super strong.



4. IF you don't get monster kolor, go for non oil based paints. Tamiya makes great acrylics. Oil enamels like testors and rustoleum or krylon have a lot of xylene or other blending agents to make the oil based paint even. This reacts badly with plastics and results in the "sticky" or "never dry" paint job.



5. Flat vs Gloss - flat paint is the way to go. It doesn't possess the harsh chemical lacquer combination. Again, Tamiya makes a good spray as well.



6. Top coat to protect - sealing a paint job before stickers, handling, etc is crucial in most cases. One of Matt Walker's more obvious steps is sealing his work. It doesn't have to be Matt Walker super gloss top coat either. It can be flat, semi-gloss, or even a metallic flake. The key is that it's the right top coat for your paints... But generally Most clear non-oil based lacquers work fine.



7. Cure time - between your primer / adhesion promoter, coats of finish, and sealant you should allow a proper cure. If it's warm and evenly sprayed 15-30 minutes between coats is normally enough time.
Usually a couple hours is long enough to handle it. Always consult your product labels.

Ventilation speeds things up as does a little heat. I've fond painting in 80º - 85º with spray is ideal.

__

As Sanjeev pointed out, I'll testify to as well, Matt Walker has a pile of great paint that I have used on figures called Monster Kolor. It's the truth for the painting of plastics.

I'm really Wishing I had bought Erik Sjoen's Bio Robo game now...