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1:18 scale M557 APC scratch-build
http://www.forum.alienslegacy.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=17004		 Page 1 of 15
Author:  Skiffy [ Thu Aug 17, 2017 10:48 pm ]
Post subject:  1:18 scale M557 APC scratch-build
I started this 4 years ago and it got lost in a workshop tidy-up. I just found it again and decided to resurrect it.

I always thought that it was possible to fit the inside into the outside (if you take a few liberties with it). Obviously the outside is now a lot larger than the live-action vehicle but I'm going with a 'play-set' vibe similar to the Mattel Eagle toys from Space 1999. Hopefully the layout will be reasonably screen accurate.

Sadly I can't afford either the older or newer figures just yet - we'll see if I can get the vehicle to a decent state first before investing in those.

Here's a couple of pics of where I'm at with it.

Image

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I started those plans way before the newer commercial blueprints were produced. I even tried adapting my Halcyon kit - now long gone!
Author:  Red_2 [ Thu Aug 17, 2017 11:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1:18 scale M557 APC scratch-build
Cool! An APC playset would be awesome.
Author:  Dropshipbob [ Thu Aug 17, 2017 11:14 pm ]
Post subject: 
I had plans to do this same thing! I started working on some 1:18th USCM (which have their own page further down stream) and they would need a ride. Then I heard HIYA Toys was going to do one so I put down money for that. It looks like that one might not happen, so I may have to switch back to planning my own.

Yours is looking great!!
Author:  Skiffy [ Fri Aug 18, 2017 12:02 am ]
Post subject: 
Thanks, guys! Yeah, I've seen the Hiya Toys APC. It looks OK but is WAY over-priced. I know next to nothing about customizing 1:18 scale action figures but I know it's a 'thing' so I'll look into that. I can possibly print out armor and guns - I have a small 3d printer and I'm a CG modeller by trade. I'll admit right here that I'm not looking at producing a super-polished museum-grade product. It'll be cardboard, kit-bits and basic paintwork. :)
Author:  knoxvilles_joker [ Fri Aug 18, 2017 12:29 am ]
Post subject: 
I wonder if a life sized version would be a good idea for an attraction piece.
Author:  retrogarde [ Fri Aug 18, 2017 12:45 am ]
Post subject: 
Pie in the sky, but how cool would it be to have a full sized mock up that moved like Star Tours?? Everyone would strap in for an express elevator to hell!

This scale model playset is totally rad. Great job!
Author:  Dropshipbob [ Fri Aug 18, 2017 2:39 pm ]
Post subject: 
I seem to recall there was a ride like that years and years ago....but the APC portion wasn't actually modeled like the APC.
Author:  Skiffy [ Fri Aug 18, 2017 7:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1:18 scale M557 APC scratch-build
I spent a couple of hours building a scaled pulse rifle in 3d and printing it out. I tried a couple of available models online but they weren't suitable for printing.

Image

The print is in two halves which get glued together - just like a regular model kit.

Image

I threw a little paint on it - just any old primer color - to show the detail/scale with a scalpel blade.

Image

Yeah - it's a little rough but it'll do the job for now. I'll do a more detailed one later.
Author:  knoxvilles_joker [ Fri Aug 18, 2017 7:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re:
retrogarde wrote:
Pie in the sky, but how cool would it be to have a full sized mock up that moved like Star Tours?? Everyone would strap in for an express elevator to hell!

This scale model playset is totally rad. Great job!


If that was the case Do a fully reinforced custom build and take it on level 4 jeep trail at sky rock and if it rolls over, no one is hurt inside...
Author:  retrogarde [ Sat Aug 19, 2017 10:45 am ]
Post subject: 
The PR is looking pretty good!
Author:  Skiffy [ Sat Aug 19, 2017 10:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1:18 scale M557 APC scratch-build
Thanks Retrogarde - it's really just a placeholder though I might do some armor pieces too.

My next focus is getting the body shell to look right - especially at the front. More pics when I have progress. :)
Author:  Dropshipbob [ Mon Aug 21, 2017 2:44 pm ]
Post subject: 
If you ever get it done, I'll have to bring over my squad for a photo op.
Author:  Skiffy [ Mon Aug 21, 2017 4:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1:18 scale M557 APC scratch-build
Cool!

A little more progress. I've worked out the angles for the front plates. My APC is a little taller (in proportion) than the regular shape - about 10% - which helps allow figures to stand inside it. That's made the working out a little more fiddly but it's done now.

Image
Author:  Dropshipbob [ Mon Aug 21, 2017 8:35 pm ]
Post subject: 
Are you cutting all this out of styrene? How do you plan on gluing it all together? Super glue, Weld-all?
Author:  Skiffy [ Mon Aug 21, 2017 9:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re:
Dropshipbob wrote:
Are you cutting all this out of styrene? How do you plan on gluing it all together? Super glue, Weld-all?


As of now this is fairly thick cardstock. I'm taping most joints since I do plan to go to styrene at a later point and I'll use these card pieces as templates. If I do have to glue, a general all purpose adhesive like UHU works well.

There's still a lot to work out - like how/where the walls and the roof will separate to allow access to the inside. Also, I'm still finding new details of how the interior is put together - where the bulkheads are, what shape they are etc. All fun stuff!
Author:  Skiffy [ Sat Jan 20, 2018 9:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1:18 scale M557 APC scratch-build
So, after a lot of sketches based on screenshots, blueprints and references such as Hiya Toys upcoming APC model, I'm ready to start cutting styrene.

Image

I've started marking out the base-plate now I have some styrene sheets large enough to use (A3).

Image
Author:  bigbisont [ Sun Jan 21, 2018 1:05 am ]
Post subject: 
Glad this is still an ongoing project (unlike the HIYA one.... *ba dump pssshhhhh*)
Author:  88reaper88 [ Sun Jan 21, 2018 12:49 pm ]
Post subject: 
Kicking ass here mate :)
Author:  retrogarde [ Sun Jan 21, 2018 1:23 pm ]
Post subject: 
So epic!
Author:  577_ops [ Sun Jan 21, 2018 5:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1:18 scale M557 APC scratch-build
Great build/progress!
Looking forward to see more of it.
Author:  Dropshipbob [ Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:18 pm ]
Post subject: 
HIYA is really pissing me off with the way they are handling their APC. I canceled my pre-order for it a few months ago.

Anyway, I'm watching this thread closely, I might have to build my own.
Author:  Moloch [ Mon Jan 22, 2018 5:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1:18 scale M557 APC scratch-build
What`s happened with Hiya ?
Author:  bigbisont [ Mon Jan 22, 2018 6:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1:18 scale M557 APC scratch-build
Moloch wrote:
What`s happened with Hiya ?


They way I understand it, they have decided they won't make it until it hits a certain number of pre-orders, yet the their refusal to commit and resulting continuous delays have actually led to cancellations of pre-orders, not additional ones. So you know. There is a chicken or the egg thing here that pretty much means it is dead.
Author:  Skiffy [ Mon Jan 22, 2018 7:03 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for the comments everyone.

Yeah, that's bad news about Hiya. I hope they or someone else takes it up, I think it's a viable project.

While the workshop is so cold - I worked in the house and sloshed some rough paint on the pulse rifle I printed and gave it to my Apone stunt double. :)

Image

I was using my printer at the local maker lab (I'm a volunteer instructor) and printed out a better version of the Pulse Rifle with a longer stock since it was difficult to get him to hold it properly. I'll print out a few more and glue/paint them up ready for later.
Author:  Dropshipbob [ Mon Jan 22, 2018 11:28 pm ]
Post subject: 
bigbisont, yep, that's it. I didn't like having the money tied up with a place I hadn't done business with before and hoping they wouldn't "misplace" it. HIYA kept pushing it back again and again and I just said "F-it" and canceled. IF they ever actually make it, maybe I'll order it again, but with the way it's going, I'll end up having to make my own before that happens. And IF I make my own, well, that crosses out the need for the HIYA version.

It's pretty dam stupid relying on pre-orders when the people who ALREADY have pre-orders in are getting tired of the endless wait and are canceling. And the last time the posted the numbers they needed to go into production...they were really behind. At the rate they were going, if they could keep pre-orders, it was going to be another 3-5 years!

There was a guy who was making 1:20 APC kits, but unfortunately he stopped making them a few years ago. The only other option for a 1:18 APC is the HCG version, and that's OOP and going for crazy money on the secondary market.

What I don't get is how HCG was able to produce and sell there's for more money and with less bells and whistles than HIYA's, but HIYA can get into production.
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