Monday, 27 June 2016

Not a Power Loader from ALIENS.

While at the club yesterday |I played a board game so no Photos of that.

So here instead is a model I purchased at Salute 2015 from GZG (John Tuffley) It is Mec -02 (Link to GZG shop ) and costs £12 plus postage.  It is the closest thing I could find to an Aliens Power loader. Now I did put of building it for over a year as there were no instructions AND I had NO immediate use for it. I currently do have a use for it though so it was about time I got it started.

So Today It is a how to assemble a suitable model for a power loader. Simply because I had to figure it all out myself and I can imagine someone getting stuck.
All the pieces cam in 2 resealable bags
There are NO instructions
 
Stage 1 is to lay all the pieces out and make sure they are all there.
There was no list of contents
 

Keeping the arm pieces that came in 1 of the bags separate
I layed out the other pieces.
I started with the torso and worked
out from there

Each foot came in 3 pieces
And were assembled as above.

Once a foot is built,then build a leg.
One thing to remember is that the legs
are not the same, there is a left and right.
Very minor diference but make sure
the Bulge goes on the outside at the "ANKLE!"
 

Then attache the hip.
In the Photo you can see the bulge on the right of the leg.
Having 2 Bulges together at the ankles would impede movement
on a finished walker and make the model
more awkward.



The Torso comes in 3 pieces,
The centre Torso the Front (I went for the open cage effectand a rear section
with an engine. You have a choice of fronts and a choice of backs

On one leg I arched the foot so as to give it a
slightly bent leg as if it was just about to take a step.

I then attached the Torso
And glued the upper arm to the shoulder joint

The fore arm was then glued to the upper arm and an elbow created.
Kindly note the "Forks" are not glued and are in fact upside down.
You want the flat surfaces to face each other.

Shoulders and upper arms attached to torso.
There is a lot of positions you can put them in so
find one you are happy with before applying any gule

The forks are now facing each other and both arms age glued together.
I deliberately placed the forks DIFFERENT distances apart as
I realised that if I made them the same but got it wrong people would notice.

Two additions to place on the torso.
Holes are present (mine did need a little cleaning out) but the
Order you place them is up to you. Or even to place them at all.
 

Finished assembly from the front.

Finished assembly from the rear.

And also from the side.

At the end of the build I had 2 pieces left over.
1 is an alternative engine.
1 is an alternative cabin.
 

Overall it was an enjoyable build and it will go to paint in a few days. The difficulty comes from a lack of instructions but given time and patience you will overcome that and work out where everything goes. (I managed it after all). While the model is supposed to be 15mm wargames scale I intend to use it for 25mm (and maybe 28mm) so sometimes a change of scale will work just as well.

It is not an exact copy of the ICONIC Aliens Power Loader but for me is close enough.

Thanks for looking today and with luck I will start to splash some paint on this and have it ready soon.

All the best Clint

19 comments:

  1. Nice step by step instuctions on 'how to'. I dobt I would have the nerve to attempt anything like this without some clear assembly info.

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    1. Thanks Joe. If I was building another I would be more adventurous but as I am not building another (that I know of) This will have to do and IF any of it is wrong please no one tell me as I feel it looks right!

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  2. Nice guide Clint :)

    Khurasan have a powerloader that is a pretty good match to the one in Aliens

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    1. Thanks Tamsin. This one will do as a power loader and should look OK once Painted. We both know and LIKE GZG stuff so no need to get another. Also I for one am not looking to replicate the film fan boy style. So for me differences are a good thing.

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  3. That's a nifty tutorial, Clint. It is such a shame that the kit came with no instructions, but I think you've cracked it. Good effort!

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    1. Thanks Bryan. Instructions would have made it easier. But Once laid out and a little head scratching it did go together quite easily. I would happily do one again but as I only need one I do not think I need to. Currently undercoated.... and drying!

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  4. Great tutorial Clint, and well done on getting the model together. Definitely a posting I'll be returning to should I pick one up; and I do visit "GZG" from time to time :-)

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    1. Thanks Blax. I will get some (but not all) the paint on it tonight. It is also worth knowing that NO MDF base comes with the Kit but I would advise anyone to get one.

      With no instructions it does take a while to figure out, but there are no Fantastic leaps of thinking required!

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  5. That's a cool model, and I've just looked at the GZGs site and spotted some really nice civvie bits and bobs in the Star Gruntz range.

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    1. Thanks Roy. You are right GZG does some very nice models . At shows I tend to walk past their stall very quickly or else I just spend too much!

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  6. Looks real nice Clint, good job figuring it out

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    1. Cheers Gobbo. I only hope that it paints as nice as it went together (after the head scratching).

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  7. Thanks David. There are only 32 pieces (34 with the 2 alternative bits) so IF approached logically I am sure you would get it right. You may also get an extra grey hair or two, but I am sure you would succeed. Now In Paint so (Fingers crossed) I should be able to show it in a day or two. Like I said, fingers crossed.

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  8. Good grief. That's more jigsaw puzzle than miniature!

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    1. Thanks Millsy. It has come out looking how I want so despite the struggle it has been worth the effort.

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  9. Nice work Clint! It's amazing how many of these white metal kits don't come with instructions. It's crazy-making!

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    1. Thanks Curt. Usually the lack of instructions is not much of an issue. But this time there were so many pieces that I thought it worth doing this blog post.

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