My Uzi(el) Weighs a Ton

Rock - get up - get down,
Miuzi weighs a ton!

No...no...that's not it.
 

My Uzi Weighs a Ton - a most excellent edition to Drew Estate's Subculture Studio. This joint

project with Joya de Nicaragua is medium to full in body, and boasts a husky series of 60-ring vitolas booming with flavor. Dark and oily San Andres maduro wrappers conceal a hefty dose of Nicaraguan and Brazilian long-fillers secured by a smooth Connecticut 'Capote' binder. The smoke is hearty and rich, unveiling a deep series of bold yet balanced flavors from start to finish. Layered with complexity - earth, leather, pepper, sweetness, cocoa - the massive 60-ring frame is the ultimate vehicle to savor each of these complex intricacies throughout the slow and cool burn.

 

Good Cigar....but that's not it either....

 

Based on the original prototype of the Uziel, the 2S carries a pair of PPCs as its primary weapons for long range combat. A SRM-6 launcher provides close combat capabilities and a pair of Machine Guns provide anti-infantry capabilities. A Beagle Active Probe allows the 'Mech to detect hidden units and protects the Uziel from ambushes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rounded shoulders and cockpit came from Scott at the Messy Desk.  I cleaned them up a bit and am in the process of heavily modding the shoulders but it was a great jump-start.  Not pictured are the lower legs, foot/toe prototypes, and the shoulders/arms. 



Son-of-a...mother...fu....shi....DAMN!

So, I check eBay almost daily looking for odd Battletech stuff...and much like the Vulture MK II, I somehow missed this!   FUUUUUUUUUUDDDDDDDDGGGGGGGEEEEE!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Battletech-Mechwarrior-2-Maquette-FASA-Armorcast-/201038959089?pt=Games_US&hash=item2ecedb11f1&nma=true&si=upRsfIcjBo1QIpFgw4VZfOBmKYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

And in another corner of the web...

Sam over at Myomer Dreams has posted his thoughts on the Flea and pics of his build...check it out.

Myomer Dreams......

On the Bench

For those that are in withdrawal, here is an update. It would seem there is an overwhelming interest in medium mechs.  That being said the commission work ties in well.  Here is what has been going on....

Daishi Kits:  Just got them in...the last 5. For those that pre-paid, they will ship next week (Monday is a Postal holiday).  The main body is hollow cast and the side walls are a little thinner than I would like, but there is not much I can do there...

Mad Cat MK II:  When I talked to the caster a week or so ago, he was finishing up a job and getting ready to start on the Mad Cat MK II. If you are like me, you are chomping at the bit to see some progress. I have requested pictures...but that is one area where the caster has been lacking.  Given the quality of the kits, I guess I can't complain. :)

Uziel: This one has a lot of rounded shapes and curved surfaces so I am going to try using high density PU to carve these pieces. It also looks like the various parts will lend themselves well to kit design. Additionally, Scott over at the Messy Desk started on this one a long time ago. I have acquired his parts to see if I can incorporate them into this build.  This will be the Uziel 2S version.

Bushwacker:  Just got the down payment for this commission. I will probably start it in a couple weeks.  I may take an artistic liberty or two...I am not fond of the lower legs on the mini. They seem too rounded for the rest of the design which has lots of angles.

Crab: Still in the planning stages.  I am going to have to take a little artisitic liberty with this one.  The original design seems to lack a clearly defined cockpit and the arms are horrid.

Mad Cat:  Finishing up an Armorcast Mad Cat commission.  This one took forever!  There were tons of mold lines and pin hole air bubbles. If I had to guess, I would say this one was towards the end of production...like the molds were wearing out.  Additionally, we ordered custom decals and it took almost 2 months to get those in.  The customer wanted a "factory fresh" look, which I am not personally fond of.  It is actually hard to reign in that urge to do some weathering, shading, etc.

Let the comments begin.

Daishi and Commissions

I sent the Daishi molds to JPG and he feels we can still get some relatively nice casts out of the molds, so I have dug into the wallet and ordered another 5 kits.  One is already spoken for.  If you are interested in one or know someone who is, pass this on.  There is a contact form at the bottom of the page.

EDIT:  I am going to have to treat the Daishi like a pre-order. There have been quite a few "I want one" e-mails so the first five that pay will get them.  I am not going to keep a list of who wants what and who e-mailed first.  It will take about a month or so to get these cast up so keep that in mind when ordering.

So far, I have had lots of interest in commissions but only one taker. As soon as we get the financials smoothed out, I will get started on the Crab. It should be an interesting build. Again, before requesting a commission, read the post (to the right) on Material, Time and Creativity.

Looks like the most interest is in mediums. Not surprised as that is a weight class I have not done a lot with.

Commissions, Mad Cats, and...something...Oh my!

On the Mad Cat MK II front, she is on the way to the caster.  He slotted me for February but is going to try and get busy with the molds while he finishes out another project.  I did make some mods to the cockpit are and the LRMs.  With resin kits it is easier to remove detail than add it so that was the thought process when I did this.



Old Version

New: Notice the laser barrels, the details, and added vents

 

Commission Work:  It looks like the Crab is going to be a go.  The Patron and I have agreed on a pricing.  Watch for some build posts on that one.   I still have some slots available as I usually work on 3-4 projects at once.  If no more commission work comes, I may build some Trek kits.  My wonderful wife got the new Starcrafts Akira kit for me.  Its been a while since I built a starship. I have had some interesting commission ideas come my way including a Battlemaster, a 1/35 scale Victor, a TRO Fafnir, a Jenner IIc, a Thunderbolt, a Bushwacker, and a Sagittaire. Who knows, maybe a Kick-Starter campaign...

The Something:  I guess a lot of people got money for Christmas as I have had a lot of inquiries about models and builds. With those inquiries come the hagglers.  You know..."I see your Flea is $60.  Will you take $25?"  or "Wow...$600 to build a Sagittaire?  I was thinking about $100." About the same time I found a Blog about this very subject and posted Thoughts on Material, Time, and Creativity.  It is worth a read to understand why artists charge what they charge. 

Other things:  Watch out for a new poll to help gauge what I do this year.

Thanks to all who supported the Mad Cat MK II pre-order.  I have never had a pre-order move this quickly.  Was it because it is a popular design or was it  the highly discounted and limited pre-order slots...or both?  Feel free to discuss...

Accepting Commission Work

Hi all...I am about finished with a Madcat commission, the Mad Cat MK II is about to go to the caster and that means I have a bit of free time while I am out of work. So, if anyone is interested in commission work, now would be the time to get it rolling. PayPal does allow for payment plans and you can use Bill Me Later.  Just saying...