Masakari Kits Available

I have a few of these left.  If you are interested, please contact me!  

I am also available for commissions...unique creations or build-up of kits.

Building the Masakari

Recently I tossed together a copy of the Masakari and wanted to make the community aware of a few snags I ran into.  Just a reminder from a previous post...the original was never intended to be kitted. While I did re-engineer some parts, there were still some shortcomings. Also, there were some parts where I felt we had to strike a balance between casting ease and building ease.

1.  The main issue...the main body is HEAVY! The caster tried to hollow cast this, but those big cut-ins around the cockpit made it very problematic. If I build another, I may bore out some hole from the bottom and then cover them with sheet styrene detail just to reduce the weight a bit.

2.  I added pins to the knee area rather than the old flat mating surfaces. On my kit, the holes and pins are not lining up quite right so I had to do some tweaking there.  I used a 5-minute 2-part epoxy on that joint and let the epoxy cure for a day or so before adding the body.  That joint gave way (see #1) after a couple days.  I cleaned the joint and used CA the second time and it seems to be holding.

3. The elbow is more of a ball and divot rather than ball and socket. I tried one arm with epoxy and one arm with CA...the Epoxy held better.  In fact, I swift bump on the CA arm and it snapped off.

4. Pins were added to the ankle as they were with the knee and I had the same fit problems here. They lined up well enough on the master but are a tad off on the casting. No issues with buckling here.

5.  The PPC barrels are not as snug as I would like, but nothing a little CA can't handle.

6.  The tabs where the arms connect to the body need to be sanded down a bit...or drill out the hole in the upper arm a bit more.

In hindsight, if I had realized the body would weigh so much, I would have made the upper and lower leg one big piece...caster be damned.   Overall, I am about 85% happy with this kit.  I still think the Dervish has been the best engineered yet.  Don't get me wrong, this thing builds into a badass mech...there are just always issues trying to take something never designed to be a model and make it into one.

On another note...the Thor is up in the casting queue.  Start saving your pennies.  The engineering on this one is close to the Dervish.  Scott at Messy Desk made me a copy of the legs he used on his that I just HAD to modify to make them a bit more like the TRO version. This one should be available in late May/early June.

I also started cutting plastic on the Templar. Lacking any commissions, I decided to go ahead and do one that I have been wanting for a long time.  This mech was my favorite ride in the PC game.  Let's see if I can do it justice.

Original Armorcast Mechs

One of the original supporters of my work here, Dave, is in a position that requires him to have to thin his herd a bit.  His lack of luck may make today your lucky day.  He is selling an Armorcast Mad Cat and a Vulture on eBay. Here is the link:

LINK!

I am always getting e-mails asking if I have a line on these OOP kits.  This is your chance.

Masakari: Inbound

Alright, all the pre-order Masakari kits are out the door...if PayPal worked, you should have all received your shipping notices. There are a few kits left, so if you are interested feel free to contact me. The cost is $200 and that includes domestic shipping in the lower 48.  I will consider international orders on a case by case basis.  Make sure you have read the Shipping caveats and understand that shipping will be expensive. 

Mad Cat MK II and Vulture MK IV:

As mentioned, the caster doing those was in a serious car accident last month and is still suffering from a severe concussion and a sprained wrist among other injuries. He is trying to work but has a hard time doing things one-handed and with the constant dizziness.  They will be ready when they are ready. I am as frustrated with you, but there is little that can be done except be patient. For those that are regulars, you can assure the new customers that they WILL get those kits. Remember the issues with the Vulture MK II in 2013? I think that one took 5 months. 

Regiment: Assemble!

For a long time, I have wanted to have a color scheme for BMC...and a unit logo.  Well, here is what I have so far.

This is the primary logo.  It is a mesh of the original FASA logo and FASA Studios logo.  I figure since they are the inspiration for a lot of the work I do, it was only fitting. 

Not sure of the name of this Company yet, but they are the "line-holders." Once we have a piece of real estate, we don't like giving it up.  That is where these guys would come in. This company is primarily heavy and assault units.

Patton's Third Army...move fast, hit hard.  That is the concept this company is designed around. They call themselves "The Third." They are combined arms...aerospace, infantry and mechs...mediums and fast heavies...with the occasional "fast" assault mech...like a Mad Cat MK II. 

This company evolved on it's own, really. There is a distinct Clan influence here...martial prowess and indoctrination in all things military. No surprise as all of the lance commanders in this unit are Clanners. They pride themselves on military protocol, history, tactics, and battlefield skill and expect that of all their mechwarriors.They adopted the Spartan imagery as they feel it represents their mindset best...and avoids any clan connections. 


Our "field" color scheme is a Sky Gray with occasional darker highlights. Currently, there is no "Parade" scheme...although since we have so many Mechwarriors from House and Clan units, it has been suggested that Mechwarriors be allowed to pay homage to their former units by painting a swath of their mech in those original colors. 

Masakari Limited Pre-order

The pre-order for the Masakari is now CLOSED.  This is a limited pre-order. Limited!?!?!  In what way?

1. Pre-order price is $185 with free shipping

2. The pre-order runs now through Sunday evening

3. Pre-order is open for customers in the lower 48 states

4. Once the pre-order closes Sunday evening or it sells out, that is that. No exceptions.

If any kits are left after the pre-order, they will go up for sale in the Marketplace.  At that time, I may offer international orders.

Redefining a Classic

Good morning everyone!  I think we can all agree the classic Atlas design is looking kind of dated. Granted, that design is iconic...like the Madcat and Vulture.  So, if you are going to play with the design you better do a damn good job...and that is what they did with the MWO Atlas.  I am not fond of a lot of the redesigns but Alexander Iglesias did an awesome job.  Then, Scott over at the messy desk made his MWO Atlas.  The work was fantastic.

I have been pondering making my own version...a combo of the two.  Then, Scott shared with us his frustrations with getting kits made. He and I have been talking and he has agreed to let me produce the MWO Atlas.  The masters are almost cleaned up. Then he will send them to me.  If I catch anything he missed, I will touch it up and it will go to the caster.  This will be a limited production and based on the size and part count will be easily $200 so start saving your pennies now.

As some of you will ask, there will be a pre-order but not until I have this one in hand and the Madcat II and Vulture IV are completed and orders are fulfilled.