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Classics Galvatron

Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 10:27 pm
by hXcpunk23
Hope you guys enjoy it--I worked hard on getting this thing just right.

Here's a quick run-down on what I used and what I did:

1) Paint (Testors Acryl Blue, Black Flat, Orange Gloss, Red Gloss, Light Ghost Gray, Silver Gloss, Gray, & a dark gray I mixed up.

2) For the G1 arm cannon, I used the back end of an oversized Bic pen (cut down and glued so you couldn't "click it" anymore). I used my dremel to cut the pieces off the bottom of the Energon Megatron electronic tank/cannon so that they could still "snap" into his arm. I glued them to a small piece and mounted the hacked up pen (well, the back end of it). I proceeded to go through 3 different arm cannons--two of which were created from various pens and the third. The 3rd and final cannon may look familiar--I took G1 Galvatron's arm cannon and cut off the end that used to slide into his head in alternate mode, then trimmed the other end of the cannon a bit so it wouldn't look too long or big. I considered keeping the G1 look to it (the clear/sparkly orange, but it didn't quite look right, so I attacked it with some Testors Acryl Orange Gloss. As this was drying, I didn't like the pen stuff, so I decided to trim some of the fat and use some styrene to create a cannon holder as close to G1 as possible.

3) I didn't like the chest of the Energon Megatron figure--too rounded for my liking. So after painting it to see how it would come out, I realized that I could create a better chest with styrene. So I did......but once I got it all done, I painted it as a "test" to see how it would look (I still needed to sand it more, but I wanted to see if the shape of the chest was good). Didn't like it. So I decided to trim it down in a "v" type of shape--the sides angling in toward the middle of his abdomen area. It came out MUCH better, so I sanded and painted.

4) I didn't like the way the arms looked and took the forearms apart to see if it looked better. Didn't care for it either, so I tried to think of a way to make it better. I then realize that the underside of the arm is pretty similar to the G1 "toon-style" Galvatron forearm. So I take it apart, flip the fists inside, slap it together again and paint it up.

5) Didn't do much modding to the head--but I did take that middle "horn/crown" section and shave it down a bit with an X-Acto blade so it matched the thickness of the other two.

6) Raided my G1 Galvatron for the shoulder pads and glued them onto the shoulders of Energon Megatron (the shoulders still slide, with the glued shoulder pads intact).

7) I took my dremel and cut off the Energon Megatron shoulder pads (the ones that held his two cannons in place). Never liked 'em, so I was more than happy to hack 'em off. :)

8) I trimmed the back of the legs down a bit, since the legs wouldn't really be attaching to the old "wings" anymore with the new alternate mode I was working on.

9) I used the G1 Galvatron "tripod/tail piece" to make him more G1-styled. I attached this with magnets so that it could easily be taken off if need be. This piece really doesn't move much, other than to rotate back up to his back in robot mode. The magnets helped give it the right height to fit with the tripod/tank treads.

10) I hacked up the "wing" section of Energon Megatron to use it as the tank treads on his tripod/cannon alternate mode. I dremeled out a section to allow room for the tail piece to fit perfectly with it. This is also attached by magnets, which allow you to leave it as-is on his back (which looks BAD, trust me) or remove it (again, parts-former!). I glued G1 Galvatron's original tank treads onto the bottom of the wing piece to give it a distinctive G1-feel.

11) Finally, the arm cannon slides neatly into the opening left when his head flips forward to allow him to transform.

ON WITH THE SHOW!

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AND, for those that are wondering (and I know you are)...........

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*UPDATE: links to a few more "action" type shots added below*

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/hXc ... 0_0902.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/hXc ... 0_0903.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/hXc ... 0_0904.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/hXc ... 0_0905.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/hXc ... 0_0906.jpg

Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 10:35 pm
by secretcode
The grey paint on the cannon is a little rough and patchy, but other then that, great job.

Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 11:40 pm
by Clay
It's brilliant. I want one :o

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 2:44 am
by Pun-3X
Agreed about the gray. But that's minor and easily fixable.

The construction on this guy is OUTSTANDING! Seeing him from the front, I was pretty impressed with him just because I like seeing people redo that toy into a better Galvatron. But when I saw his 'backpack' material, I had a whole other reaction altogether just knowing where this was going.

Very impressive. And yeah, I want one too. :D

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:19 am
by TonyzCustomz
He looks really cool, great job.:up:

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:24 pm
by hXcpunk23
*Updated the original post with links to a few more "action" type shots*

Thanks for all the helpful tips, compliments, and kind words, guys. I appreciate it! I plan on doing a little touch-up work, but nothing that will really change what you've already seen.

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 6:57 pm
by Clay
hXcpunk23 wrote:I plan on doing a little touch-up work, but nothing that will really change what you've already seen.
Yeah, I wouldn't worry about it terribly much. I've noticed a lot of the time a coat of paint will look very opaque and thorough in normal light, but the flash of the camera exposes all these little imperfections that you couldn't see before. And then you think, "Crap!"

Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 3:40 am
by Ravage
Behold Galvatron! Very nice!

Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:11 am
by der2
considering the level of modding you've done to this mold, I have to say its one of the most impressive Galvatron conversions I've seen, really nice work.

Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 7:23 pm
by hXcpunk23
Thanks, guys! I don't think I'll worry too much about it, Clay. I really like it as-is and it does look much better in person (the flash washed it out a bit).

Thanks again for the kind words, guys! I appreciate it. :)

Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 4:43 pm
by Sonray
Beautiful! Truly great work!

Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 6:15 pm
by Starblaster
Fantastic work! That is sweet! :up:

Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 5:10 am
by *BARRAGE*
holy hell man! thats so much better than anything i could ever do!

that thing is goddam electric! badass!

Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 10:37 pm
by hXcpunk23
Thanks for the compliments, guys! I didn't think I could pull it off either, but with some time and patience, I think I did a decent job. Glad you guys like it!

Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 10:55 pm
by Soundwave
I really like it he looks just like the g1..well at least in robot mode and the alt mode isn't too shabby. Well done sir keep up the great work.

Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:10 pm
by Angelic Knight
Holy crap, this is one of the best kitbashes I've ever laid eyes on!

I noticed wings tucked in at the bottom part of Galvy's back. Do those serve any purpose?

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 1:55 pm
by electro girl
Angelic Knight wrote:Holy crap, this is one of the best kitbashes I've ever laid eyes on!

I noticed wings tucked in at the bottom part of Galvy's back. Do those serve any purpose?
i agree are they meant to be unfolded?

Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 2:05 pm
by Vin Ghostal
How much do you want for it? ;)

Really, though, a job well done.