Always do a search for what your looking for before asking questions, it can save you some grief from the members and even some time that you would have spent waiting for an answer. But remember you cant learn anything without asking a few questions so don't be afraid too. Sites may also have archives or a database where they keep all there files, much like the halo costuming wiki, were they store all of their papercraft files.
~Mike~
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well today's the day folks, the one day outta the week where im not writing test or moving people in or out, where I can actually finish repairing my helmet and paint my knee at the same time. Ill be adding progress pics to the current projects page by the end of the day so you can see how it all went
~Mike~ Well, seeing as Mike has done most if not all of the work on the site I suppose I should throw my hat into this advice thing.
I'll be talking about Time Management. Some of you may already be thinking; But Shawn I already manage my time wisely. You're probably right in most respects. But humor me, how many times have you been sitting either A: at your computer, B: sitting in front of your T.V. either watching it or playing a game or C: just been generally bored and in need of something to do? if you've answered at least once to any of these options, you're probably making excuses right now as to why. Either way. Not important. Management of time in a project is essential where in you need to set a deadline and make a schedule to work around it. For example: When Mike and I decided to finish our mandalorian armor this year, we had a VERY vague deadline until we were offered to appear in our cities Canada Day parade. This made us open our eyes to just how far behind we actually were from our goal. So having a strict deadline got us moving. We realize that in the real world people have jobs or chores or lives that interfere with project builds. We get that. I myself have found life getting in the way of my projects. I had been working on my armor for nearly 4 years on and off because of school and work and lack of funds. I saved enough and kinda relied on Mike for a bulk of our supplies (ie: the sintra). Now we went to extremes with our time management. If we weren't eating, sleeping, working or going to the bathroom. We were busting our humps getting our costumes ready. You on the other hand are free to do as you wish with your time. The point is: if you have a project be it a fiberglass Mando helmet, suit of steel plate armor or even just a model car. You should always put aside at least 30 minutes to an hour to get even a little something done. That way you'll make baby steps to completing your project. All it takes is time. ~Shawn~ Most of you should be familiar with ebay, the worlds largerst website made to help people buy and sell items, ranging from paperclips to even houses and boats, its also a great source for vinyl or resin models. Most of these models are the ones you would search for month for and still come up empty handed, and some have been out of production for years now. Now most of these models are recasts, which is just a fancy word for a copy. These recasts are basically done in the same way they made the original model, make a mold of the part and then cast the part, but as we all know that when you make a copy of a copy of a copy, some things start to look pretty bad and the end product looks like a washed out version of the original. This is exactly waht happens with recasts, lines will look shallow, facial detal will be weaker, points and edges become soft, the overall model looks like its been but through a rock tumbler. Most recasters are very good at what they do but some of them just dont have the hang of it. If your looking for a special model, lets say you want the 1/9 scale ED-209 model from robocop, you want to check out what the average price is, see if the seller shows a picture of the parts, and send the seller an email asking if all the parts are there. If you get an email back saying that he doesnt supply the leg detail for the model then i would consider looking for someone else. Reading the reviews of customers that have purchased the same models is also very helpful, I came across a model of batman tha look very nice and was a decent price but all the reviews said that the model was recast terribly and it wasnt worth it. Just make sure that you know what your buying and that the seller isnt trying to rip you off.
-Mike This tip was inspired by a commission by a friend who wanted a prop designed after a characters weapon. The prop is a simple gun, not much detail and basically no moving parts, the only problem is that I have yet to obtain a good front view of the weapon. Usually to make an accurate replica of anything you need at least a front, side, top, and bottom view, which you can then use to make a 3D model or accurate measurements for the replica. Most times you can usually find a good piece of concept art or footage of the prop, giving you a good look at the weapon and allowing you to estimate the proper look for it. This particular gun is from a video game so I think ill start shifting through game footage for good views of the gun, i hoping for a good front view of the gun which i can then use to plan out the final design. sometimes kits wont come with exact instructions for painting, most do come with color suggestions and some even come with the exact paint they want you to use. You can usually use the box art to obtain the correct paints and if the model is popular you can find sites where they list the paints that they used for it. Don't be put off by the age ratings of models, there mainly there to suggest the age at which you should try and tackle the model, not how old you have to be to have fun putting it together. Most pre painted snap together models have the same level of detail as their more complicated, and more expensive, counterparts. They can be easily assembled in a short amount of time and are a great way to try your hand at model building or spend an afternoon with the kids. I find that most sci fi models come as snap kits, this is great if you want to hang a few Klingon war birds around the house or use them as a special effect in a movie without spending alot of money. these are the kits that most people enjoy getting at chirstmas beceasue they dont need alot of prep time or the added cost of paint supplies. Mostly i find these models satisfying to build becuase you see the end result quicker and lets face it, sometimes I'm just to lazy spend 6 hours getting that perfect gritty look on the aft section of an imperial star destroyer. Remember that even though you buy an model for cheap, and I'm talking about $20 or $30, the paint for that model may cost upwards of $40 for even a simplistic model. Some model are simplistic snap kits where they are pre-painted and only need to be assembled, possibly requiring some glue for smaller parts. You can order model paints from testors, I use acrylic paints because they look better in my opinion and they have a quicker dry time which allow you to get more work done. | ArchivesDecember 2009 CategoriesAll |
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