Hi all,

This is what I'm up to all this while. I've mentioned about this build to some of the modelers here and this is the build that I'm currently trying to finish. Hopefully this will explain why I didn't have any new builds to show... :lol:

This is my most ambitious project (apart from a 1/24 scale B-Wing which I have planned after the first Cineleisure meet :lol: ). What I'm trying to accomplish is to convert this...

into this....


It is called the Plan303E Deep Striker (DS for short). This is a Gundam that never appears in any Gundam series/movies but it is in the Gundam Sentinel era. In building this, I won't be building the Gundam first. I'll be concentrating on scratchbuilding the biggest part which is the canon.

THE CANON
This will be the biggest part for the DS and the most complicated as I have to minimize the use of plastic sheets and Bondite and figure out the way to make the parts sturdy yet will use as less cost as possible. What I do is I make a drawing of the parts in actual scale (1/100) and cut the plastic plates according to the size. Then I cut the parts off and attach the plastic plates together to make the base look. Then I filled the insides with a wood block cut to size... BAD IDEA... I accidentally drop some water on the wood and it expands a lot making the part looks bulgy. Back off to square one....

Luckily the plastic is not damaged when I pry the wood out. I then reassemble the plastic parts and fill the canon part with silicone sealent. Although a bit heavy, I can at least make sure that the part is sturdy to handle.

This is what it looks like when the basic assembly is finished.


After the block is completed, then I cut some more plastic sheets for the sides. It is then drilled for the holes on the sides as well as the placement area for the canon mount (the big round thing on the canon).

:D :D

ahh the secret's out.. :)

good effort there druid.. i for one never would have the creativity to scratchbuilt anything as of now.. :))

waiting to see more as it progreses

kuman

Druid,

I sincerely hope that by the time you complete this project, Bandai has not announced one in plastic.

I remember talking to RX bout the Deep Striker and he said there are chances it will be released...

Hehehe... actually there are more progress done as of now but due to other workload, this project has slowed down a bit. All the progress shown was a few months back.

THE CANON CARTRIDGE
Ok, now for the weapons cartridge on the back (the oval thingy). First of all I would like to apologise for not having a step-by-step progress on some of the parts build as I have build it quite some time ago. Back to the topic. I cut the shape by drawing the desired shape onto the plastic sheets. I make two of the shape and stick it together with a few layers of plastic for the thickness, then I apply epoxy for the basic shape before using the trusty Dremel to remove all the unwanted excess of the epoxy.

This is the shape that I get. The proportion on the curve looks off a bit but it has been corrected using epoxy (again) and Dremel.


THE SENSOR
This is the sensor or whatever parts that you call it.

I use the rear sensor that comes with the Ex-S kit and I cut off the top parts. This is the part where the hose that is attached to the canon comes out. Again with a lot of epoxy, alluminium tubing and plastic sheets I shape the look that I wanted before shaping it again using Dremel and wetsanding. The picture shown before the panel lines is scribed on the epoxy.


THE I-FIELD GENERATOR
From the picture, the DS have some sort of extension on the chest. It is the I-Field generator or the "projected cockpit".

For this I use the smaller chest extension from the Ex-S and using a few strips of plastic sheets, I glue the basic shape to make a frame for the extension. When the frame is done, I put more plastic sheets to make it sturdier and to get the overall look without using much epoxy. Then I cover the gaps using epoxy and using Dremel to shape it up. There are still much more needs to be done here.


THE RADOME
I think this is what they call it... Hehehehe... Well, what the heck, I just name it as what I think it is...

To build this, I cut two circular shape with different sizes (one for the front portion and one for the back) and using a few plastic strips with uniform sizes I make the basic structure as shown in the picture. This structure will be filled with plastic sheet before adding the epoxy for the shape.

The holes are done by scribing it bit by bit (luckily I got a template for the circular parts) and brass tubing is attached to it.


MULTI-SENSOR
This is the name as mentioned in one of my reference pictures.

This device is attached to the DS's left hand. Again I cut three circles with different sizes and elevates them using strips of plastic sheets with uniform widths and heights and again plastic sheets is filled and epox is applied to give the shape before Dremel is used for the smoothing process.

That is what I'm afraid of actually because the decal for the MG Deep Striker has already been produced and I've purchased the decal as well.

But even if Bandai produce the 1/100 scale MG Plan303E Deep Striker, at least I've build mine myself... from scratch... hehehe... :D

Druid, i must say this is awesome scratch building. I dont know much about Gundam, but the Deep Striker definitely catches my attention...

Keep it going..

Driud: Nice Built

Here comes the another custom built Gundam in Malaysia.

Sure druid_99 will very proud if joining this month Gundam competition in Sg. Wang. :lol:

If this 1/100 MG kit is small try get some fund to get the 1/35 scale EX-S to modify. :ph43r:

Anyway keep on movin'

Thanks for the support guys.

Explorer: Sadly I won't be joining this years Gundam Competition in Sg. Wang. This build took longer than I expected and it can't be finished in time.

THE MAIN GUN ELEVATING ARC
This is the name given in the reference picture I have as well. I cut off the plastic sheets and make 3 copies each of the fin parts (the upper parts) and only one of the lower part. Then the fin is attached together to make the fin. This picture shown is still in its unfinished state. It still needs some detailing to be done.

The fin will be attached to the elevating arc that will be attached to the main body of the canon. To build this, I cut roughly the curved shape for guidance and using bits of plastic sheets uniformly cut, I arrange it on the lower part of the curve as a base. I then cut a few strips with the same width and length and paste it to get the sturdy shape of the curved part. As for the slanted plastic, I just roughly cut the plastic to shape, paste it and using a rough file, I file it off until only some excess is left to be tackled using sandpaper. This is still unfinished and still needs to be filled with epoxy and sanding to complete it.


THE RADOME (update)
Remember the good ol' Radome that I build the skeleton previously? Ok, now is the time to give the radome some flesh and skin.
For the gaps on the radome, I filled the gaps with plastic plates before applying epoxy on it and smoothen it for the final shape. Then using a very rough file, I file off the uneven surfaces and wetsand it to finish it off. Brass tubes cut into shape as well as some parts from the Ex-S is added to give the "busy" look on the radome.
As for the surrounding, this is a bit tiring thing to do, I cut partially 1cm length and bend it (not broke it) and paste it onto the sides of the radome before smoothing it using 500grit sandpaper.

This is the final product (still needs cleaning and sanding)

CANON (REAR)
This was build about the same time with the canon mid-section but due to not having any digital camera that time, so no progress can be shown except the partially completed parts.

Again, for this build, I draw the exact size of the parts before measuring and cutting of the plastic sheets. After a few layers of plastic sheets and plastic strips, this is what it looks like.

The under-side parts is made of plastic tubes and some brass tubes. I drilled the hole for the parts before gluing it to the canon part and applied some epoxy.


Ok, these are the pictures of the built but not yet completed parts of the project. Note the I-Field generator is smoothed and the weapon cartridge is more proportioned.

These are another picture with all the parts that is built including the main canon part. Note the size of the 1/100 Ex-S head.

Great works Druid!!!
Gambahteh!!! :lol:

great build, car guy is building gundam.... awsome scratch building

Thanks Bomber Vince and RX-78-2... all the progress is actually from a few weeks back. Currently this build has slowed down as I have a lot of other works needs to be done (not hobby related though).

More update...

CANON (FRONT)
I've started to build the front part of the canon. There are a few separate parts that will have to be connected and assembled to give shape to the canon. I usually make the basic shape and then went off building another parts basic shape as well before completing all the parts and start on the detailing.

This is again involves drawing the overall shape in size on a paper, measuring the size and cut the plastic sheets into the shape before glueing the parts. For the small shape, I basically put layer after layer of plastic sheets for the parts before I carve out the circle shape using the trusty Dremel.

This is how the parts looks like.



These are the other parts that is also for the front part of the canon. Note the thickness of the plastic on the top side. That is a solid plastic (layered plastic plate) drilled using Dremel and the mid one is the parts which is not drilled yet.


This is how the parts will be arranged. There are a few parts still needs to be build to fill the gap. Note the transparent tube that will be used as the canon barrel.


The pictures below shows the arrangement for the parts that I've build for the canon (only) and below it is the size comparison with the Ex-S head.

Here goes the big cannon. If all assembles together sure will be very heavy to hold.

Whatever.................. just keep on going. ;)

Although I'm not a fan of Gundam but I do love scratchbuilding and the one your working on Imran is a beauty given its complexity. Its amazing how much planning went into this and how you've broken the very complex shapes to more simple and manageable pieces that when put together become complex again.

Thanks for sharing this excellent work. Pity I missed this thread earlier.

Amazing scratch build skills and fantastic job on the complex curves / shapes. You sure have put a lot of effort and thought into this huge project. Please share some more. :lol:

How big a shelf do you need to display this? :blink:

Let's just say at 1/100 scale, the barrel length itself is approximately 3 feet...

Thanks for all the encouragement guys.

Explorer - This is one heavy canon and I will have to put a lot of support to hold the barrel as well as the canon but I have a few clear plastic rod to hold it (as well as the Gundam).

Beachbum - The plan in building this involves a lot of sketching, measuring, scale calculation, more sketching and measuring, actual size drawing (for the 1/100 scale) and a lot of time thinking (in the lil' boys room :lol:) on tackling the parts build. The first try actually went way off scale (the first build is about 1/60 scale... imagine how big it will be :lol: )

PoohBear - as Xamel1975 said, in 1/100 scale, the barrel will be approximately 3ft in length. Including the diorama that I'm thinking to build (since I can't finish it for the competition this year) will be around 4ft to 5ft but maybe less (depends on the cash flow... :lol: )

Whoo...that IS big...you must have a tonne of paint in stock... :D

Keep up the good work! :lol:

The painting is not a problem. Since the main colour will be white, I will be using the industrial spray can to paint the white area and will only be using the Gunze paints for the other colour like the body and other details... So I will probably need 2 cans of white paint and a few of Gunze paints for the details.

Ok, some new update/progress

THE CANON BODY
I have build the bracket that will be holding the hydraulic system and added some minor detail on the main gun. All this is build using 2mm thick plastic sheet cut to size.



Then I add the structure that will be holding the Main Gun Elevating Arc using the 2mm plastic sheet as well. I'm not really satisfied with how it looks and I'm thinking of redoing it.

More progress update...

CANON (REAR)
Updates for the rear part of the canon. This part needs to be widened so, to do so, I have to cut out strips of plastic with the same width and build a frame. The picture below shows the process.


When all the plastic is glued in place, the picture below is what it looks like. Then I cut another plastic sheet according to the shape needed and glue the shape onto the frame. The gaps on the sides will be closed using epoxy. The third picture shows some parts has been filled with epoxy.




This picture below shows the assembled parts of the main canon (not glued yet) with a bottle cap (the green thing) which is the size of a Coke bottle cap to show the size of the canon. Note that the front part of the canon is partially done.



Another comparison. All the parts is assembled (also unglued) but minus the canon barrel. Below the canon are two casette as well as the green bottle cap.

B) druid_99, i'm glad to meet 1 of the scratch builder in OUr Place. Man, your works is Awesome, what i can say is ---- > Keep working on your BIg BIg Project. We are proud of you.

allan

Bro....This is one of the A.W.S.O.M.E scratch project i ever seen....... :o CONGRATES :)
Can't wait to see the complete product.

No matter how long you'll take to get it done,I will wait ;) :)

If you need any help just let me know :)

Thanks. This was actually for BAKUC 2006, then postponed to BAKUC 2007 but then I'm too busy that this needs to be brought forward to BAKUC 2008 (I hope... :lol: ).

Since you've revived this thread bro, I think I will continue back where I left out and try to get this done. Thanks for the offer, I appreciate your offer for assistance. :)

ya lor druid,
actually this year i'm expecting this year BAKUC can see your Deepstriker go on the podium!!
nvm, keep it up and make it the next year!!

yalor.. i tot abang druid ada progress nak tunjuk :huh:

i'm the next to extend my support :lol:

well.. i got "ternampak" a G-system out of the box review for the deepstriker from one oversea forum, showing nice pic of the resin parts (but he mention injection kit.. i was blurr :huh: ) and assembling diagram..

i'll extend the link later.. kena carik skrg nie :P
or if u've already seen.. let me know k?

tambah minyak kasi druid jalan lebih sikit this time around :lol:

Not much progress lah Klay. I got stuck in a few areas but I have already solve the problem bit by bit. Hopefully this build will get back in gear soon.

If you can get the link to the G-System resin parts picture and the assembling diagram, that will really help a lot. Thanks.

my wish :D

here..

http://greattoysonline.proboards43.com/ind...8071187&page=34

hope this rili helps :lol:

i'm eager to see u finishing this masterpiece soon :P

Thanks for the links Klay, that really helps a lot!!!...

Now I can find out the problem I faced with my build and use the instructions to correct them and hopefully can get it completed before BAKUC next year... (again... hopefully)

there you go!

i just added some oil :D

and now the pressure is on you again :lol:

druid_99 @ wah so long no progress uh ... ask Sunnyboy he have abox of Deep Strike conversion kit .... ask him to provide the detail picture of this kits ...

I have no progress for a long time because I have to concentrate on the Merdeka GB this year plus the Propeller GB at the end of the year.

I know Sunnyboy got a set but I think if I really stuck then I can ask for detail pictures from him. The only problem currently is the internals plus the wiring but if Sunnyboy wanted to provide detail pictures of the parts, I'll accept it with arms wide open... :D

wat info u want? i photostate the manual n pass to u lo.... ;)

i believe that will help him very much eheheh...
i'm also very tak sabar to see the finish product hehehe

kuman

Really ah??? Wah, can can... That will really be very helpful... :)

druid.. oh druid..

i'm asking this question out of my strong curiosity.. hope that will not kill my cat :P

actually made prompted you to scratch-build this "monster"?

i mean.. when i rili take a good look at it.. hmm.. hmm..
u can click the link below:
http://www.bad-words.com/images/sentinelscans.html

deepstriker images are found from page 128,129 & 130, pls click them to view (i provide the link instead of "linking" it straight to the jpg file due to author's concern)

just looking at all those parts.. alamak.. it's like.. WOW...

and u going to do it.. all from scratch :o

may i know why? :lol:

Well, as I have guessed, sooner or later someone will be asking this question. The answer for your question is:

1) It's big.
2) I want to try my scratchbuilding skills.
3) It's big.
4) It is an interesting subject in the Sentinel Universe.
5) I think I can build it.
6) I like to challengs myself with complicated builds. (Don't ask me my future scratchbulding project... :lol: )
7) It's big.
8) Oh, did I mention that it's big??? :lol: :lol: :lol:

imran.. :lol:

so to summarize your reason... ..its BIG ehhehe :D :lol:
and "bagak"..

u know that its not nice to poison people....

and i'm starting to like this Gundam thinng as well.. :)

will closely monitor ur progress.. :D


kuman

hmm.. and Now.. WE ALL KNOW :lol:

It's BIG, it's BIG and it's BIG :lol:

by the way, jus another concern ;)
u mention that due to cost concern, u r thinking of sourcing alternative materials for bulk-filling, and u mentioned silicon rubber, as bondite can be quite expensive, have u consider paper clay?

i jus came across a craft/stationary shop near jln kuchai lama that supply paper clay, with a packet size of around a gardenia sardin bun (slightly bigger), cost only around rm4 plus. bigger packet oso have (forgot the prize). in terms of volume, definitely more than bondite. i heard it will dry and harden light-weight.
try that before?

Nope, never try it before. Thanks for mentioning it. I will try it in my future builds.

As for the Deep Striker, I will definitely rebuild some of the parts that I've build before as I found out a way to make the canon slightly lighter but stronger. I will show it when I start rebuilding. :D