These are all my current works in progress. Some are in need of finishing; some are in need of repairs or modifications; and some just need to be tested.
SPiXE (BUBGY #2, finished)
SPiXE (BUBGY #2, in progress)
This is my second buggy, inspired by the vehicle from the PUBG video game. But unlike video games and toys, this vehicle is entirely unplayable. Its whole focus—visually and functionally—is its unplayability. A fully-formed RC toy with animatronics, swappable figures, and additional play modes from the rear cockpit, it will all be made dangerously inaccessible from the innumerable spikes. These “Spixe” were collected from a honey locust tree, Gleditsia triacanthos, known for its dense clusters of thorns that grow from the trunk and eventually become its branches. But the thorns are like little hypodermic needles, stiff and sharp, easily penetrating skin on even the slightest of grazes. And sufficed to say, I had a heckuva bad time getting the placement of all the Spixe squared away. I am still moving forward with this project, making sure to fill out all the roll cage areas with thorns first. My only conceit will be to make the whole process easier when I begin detailing the body panels by using EVA foam to adhere the thorns to, then applying the foam squares with the thorns to the vehicle body panels like they were welded on scraps of metal for the final look. My familiarity with this original model buggy will have me making at least one more after this build is completed. But I’ll call that a future work, not necessarily a work in progress (yet).
Snowblower
I made a gorgeous plow, seen above, and it works. By “works,” I mean that it looks cool. Functionally, it doesn’t work so good. I mean, it moves up and down and is a big, shaped wall of metal made from an aluminum clipboard I found in the middle of the street many years ago, having been run over by dozens of cars before picking it up—providing that wear and tear that you just can’t fake with paint. But as a plow, it has difficulty actually moving anything other than itself. Especially snow. I can push it a little bit, but the weight of the moved clump quickly outgrows the capacity of the brazed skeleton holding it together, as well as the traction of the vehicle attempting to push it around on the slippery surface of wintry sidewalks. In an effort to make something more effective at moving snow, I wanted to develop a snowblower out of an old round hairbrush that would be spun by a brushless motor. A final form factor will account for whether or not the bristles can withstand the constant lifting of snow and brushing the ground. But this prototype is being built for the smaller scale 6×6 vehicle, the tried and tested Firetruck. The half-round barrel for the blower housing was made from an expired can of CA accelerant, cut in half and then formed slightly to match the rounded hairbrush. Honestly, it was a “figure it out while I build it” process that is as much a work in progress as it is a thing in need of throwing out and starting over. But this post is intended as a reminder to myself—to remember just how many unfinished ideas I’ve begun, and provide a place to review my kernels of inspiration, see which seeds might birth fruitful avenues to pursue or revisit.
Planes
Planes are hard. Flying is harder. And knowing this makes it impossible to want to try and make even more of them when crashing and building is all I’ve done. On the left is the Rocket Plane owned by Rocketship Games. They are a cowardly lot, not even attempting to fly this. On the right is my 3rd attempt at a custom-made airplane that I hope—intend—to place animatronic controls and a figure inside the cockpit. But it’s my third one because learning to fly has been costly. Costly for my time and patience. I’m so bad, I don’t even know what I’m bad at. The best thing I could do is buy a premade RC plane and learn to fly it. But I’m too busy building airplanes to bother learning how to fly ’em.
Rocket Launchers
I have made several “successful” models to launch scale rockets. But I would like to finish out my detailing of the Tamiya XR-311 vehicle (aging the surface, adding other colors, and generally trying to make it look worse for wear), begin greebling the launching turret above the driver, and design a disposable rocket that makes use of simple 4mm aluminum that somehow provides rifling vis-a-vis an offset or obstruction behind the propulsion when launching. My issues with this design is that I have no stabilizing or control surfaces and the rockets just come out like a whacky straw shape, looping around and looking no better than a bottle rocket that has misfired. These are hobbyist-level rockets I’m launching here. Though small, I want them to at least explode further away from the vehicles that launch them. Lastly, I need to either rebuild or reinforce my LAUNCHBOX trailer platform. The original design used 3D prints that feigned at structural integrity but never actually provided any. They beams that carry most of the weight have all begun to sag and the whole body of the thing could use some gussying up. But I can keep the LAUNCHBOX in the “still working” column and only add it to the “work in progress” column if I’m feeling particularly productive.
Figures
I’m trying to develop more Blanks—figures with simple designs that are ripe to be added upon and painted once sold. This figure has a patterned outfit I could repeat pretty easily, a post-processed chest for an addition of a servo, and several head options that are just resin printouts that would be left unpainted. Hands and feet are always a special consideration though. The feet because the foot pegs are, at best, simple designs that can break easily and, at worst, wrong and stupid and impossible to work around. Whatever the case, I have some hooded jumpsuit characters already done and may just sell them to interested parties with the request to stay in touch and receive feedback or suggestions after they’ve put something together. Then, iterate the designs to better cater to what a customer might want. Or forget the whole business approach entirely and be stubborn about just doing my art for art’s sake. One or the other. Whichever seems easier.