TR-1 Hazel Owsla/Primrose

[clee-cm]

Hi Everyone, it is time for another update. I have been busy puttying, filling and sanding all of the seams for the parts that I have created thus far. I am using Milliput Putty for the job, I have a box of putty for over 1.5 years, I knew that I had to find a way to get some use out of the stuff so that it does not get waisted. So I had to use the putty before it hardened and became unusable, a knife was needed to cut the putty into small pieces and lots of muscle was needed to kneed and soften up the putty, it was already starting to harden.

None the less, I did get the job done.

TR-1 Hazel Owsla/Primrose

TR-1 Hazel Owsla/Primrose

I am now working on the two armored hip sockets, I started out by using a 1/35 late WW2 German Steel road wheel, and heat formed the strips of styrene into the round shape that I needed before I glued them on to the road wheel. This is my first serious attempt at using heat formed plastic on a model project, it was much easier than first thought. I used a Socket wrench bolt socket to wrap the plastic strips around, then I clamped everything down with a pair of plyers. After a few minutes in hot water, I cooled the plastic down with cold tap water.

TR-1 Hazel Owsla/Primrose

TR-1 Hazel Owsla/Primrose

In the photo below, you can see the socket that I used to wrap the plastic around, in the middle is the finished heat formed plastic, and on the right is a piece of the plastic I used to wrap the plastic around. Now, you see the finished part, I have already cut out the round discs that go on top, glued, puttied and and sanded the part down.

TR-1 Hazel Owsla/Primrose

TR-1 Hazel Owsla/Primrose

Now I have started on the armored plates for the thighs.

Update

I am amending this post, over the weekend, I spent a lot of time working on the upper legs of the Hazel.

This is what I accomplished., there are two of them, one for the left leg and another for the right leg

TR-1 Hazel Owsla/Primrose

I have more photos and comments on flickr.

[Ezechiel]

Damn, great work on the thigh, the discs look great, and I can imagine how hard it must have been to obtain.
Might be the angle of the picture but it looks a bit shorter than the original?
Having that huge finished part in your hand must feel pretty satisfactory

[Adeon000]

Ive been quietly following this build and ive been amazed at every picture, I cant even cut styrene straight with a ruler for my Hazel Owsla Rah and your building one at 1/35!

I'm really enjoying seeing the unit come together, keep up the good work! look forward to seeing more progress!

I agree with Ezechiel about the upper leg part looking short, its probably a combination of the upper leg really being that short and the angle of the picture,

Have you changed any proportions and sizes you felt were wrong or are you sticking to your original plans?

[ZLuca]

Damn excellent work Clee! In each update it looks more and more refined, and awesome, and BEAUTIFUL!
I can't wait the DAY you'll put together!
WOW
z

[clee-cm]

Thanks of all of the nice comments guys. 

@ Ezechiel and Adeon000: Thanks guys. Yes, the thighs are wider than the originals by 4mm, I realized that I made a error when I test measured the pieces after I glued everything together. I cut the side support struts to thick. The height and length are correct, but the width is a bit to wide. 

@ Adeon000: As for the cutting of the plastic parts, I used my old drafting tools to help me make the cuts. All of the rulers, and T-Square are metal, I also use a rectangular drawing and cutting board with the T-Square to help line up the sheets of plastic before I cut anything.

I also tape down the sheet of plastic before I cut.

But I am not perfect either, I beveled all of the edges so they look much straighter than they reall are.

@ Zluca: Thank you for the compliment, I can't wait to see your next modeling project.

[Funaka]

The thighs look fantastic! Did you putty it, or are you just getting really good, because it looks more like a completed work than some of your earlier parts. It's really cool to see the piece in your hand, I remember some earlier size references to figures, but they didn't give me a good feeling of size. It's actually BIGGER than I imagined.

Dang, looks like the rest of us are fighting for second place! 

[clee-cm]

I puttied the seams and the cracks in the plastic plates with Squadron White putty and Milliput Putty, after I cut the plates and assembled the support struts, then used Milliput to make the plates look thicker than they really are.

This is what the thigh looks like after I finished glueing the plates together.

TR-1 Hazel Owsla/Primrose

I did not realize myself how big the thing is until I test built the primrose unit. I was not prepared for how big this sucker is until I built the Abdomen and tail. 

[mtomczek]

I want one!!!!

[clee-cm]

Since my last update, I have been working hard on the neck and mount for the neck, I have completed most of the work, I spent quite a lot of time going through my scrap model parts containers. I found the pig snout mantle from a WW2 King Tiger Tank, and a German All steel road wheel as the base for the neck, I used the various pieces of scrap plastic that I saved, to construct the parts for the neck and mount for the Hazel.

Then I test fitted the head along with all of the pieces I finished, I know that the neck looks like it is suppose to be. After I took the photo, I cut out some of the extra plastic in the head, and now it is about 1/3 of a inch or about 7cm lower than before, and sanded down the other parts of  the base so that the neck is now much shorter and looks more natural.

TR-1 Hazel Owsla/Primrose

TR-1 Hazel Owsla/Primrose

TR-1 Hazel Owsla/Primrose

TR-1 Hazel Owsla/Primrose

Before I started construction of the neck, I added some detail to the arm mounts, I had to add a groove to the two blocks that I built early on in the project. Adding thin plastic to the already built parts was easier than cutting a square groove into the existing plastic.

TR-1 Hazel Owsla/Primrose

I am now in the process of thickening the side walls of the neck mount, I still have a long ways to go.

Update:

Here is a better shot, I spent most of the day working on the side walls, of the mounting plate, I lowered the height of the base, and removed more material from the head, it now looks more like the real thing.

TR-1 Hazel Owsla/Primrose

TR-1 Hazel Owsla/Primrose

[Mrex-sgundam]

 

clee-cm, I've been watching your work closely and I have to say its really coming together. The Head just blew me away! The detail of the neck is outrageous. You did really well on the planning of this project.

[FichtenFoo]

This is looking better and better. If you did decide to make a GK of it it'd probably do rather well. The head is one of those parts that can make or break a piece and yours is looking really nicely done. Will you be adding g-sys style details to it (the whole kit) or going for a less extravagantly detailed build?

[clee-cm]

Thanks for the compliment, I am happy to hear that you both like the head. I have to thank Ninjascience for all the scans of the head, I would not have been able to build the correct shape with out all of the pics on the Flickr account.

@Mrex-sgundam: I am also very happy that I took the time to plan things out the way I did. I under took this project to channel all of the stress and craziness in my life right now, this is how I am relieving my stress. If anyone wants to attempt a build like this, I encourage you to do as much reading and research as you can, especially a AOZ MS.

@FichtenFoo: I am going to get as close to G-System as I can, I am going to give the external surfaces as much detail as I can without going over board, like the vicious project kits. I am not going to super detail everything, and build a full internal skeleton, right now I am focused on building the exterior it will be very detailed; but super detail the parts of the internals that will be visible, like the leg joints, abdomen, knees, ankles, neck (I am working on now...), cockpit.

About the resin kit idea...

I have thought about making a kit, but I have no experience with resin casting, I can only imagine how much resin would be required. If I do make the resin masters for casting, my neighbors would get high and then angry at me from all of the resin fumes I would create.   

I have not ruled anything out, I am getting way ahead of myself with the model kit idea...   
We will cross that bridge when we get there.

[fulcy]

Don't cast it yourself - Fichtenfoo and I know several casters out there who are capable of casting models like this...

[clee-cm]

Thanks for the advice fulcy. 
______________________

After working all weekend on the neck and mounting plate, I could not resist assembling all of the pieces of the torso to see if the bust of the hazel will fit. Wow, I am amazed and relieved at how well everything fits together. 

I used some of the figures for a long abandoned WW2 model project as size references.

TR-1 Hazel Owsla/Primrose

TR-1 Hazel Owsla/Primrose

I am now working on the two front Armor Plates that protect each the thighs.

[AnatoleFarmond]

Simply fantastic. I have been lurking this since I first saw it, and I'm both impressed at how fast of progress you have made, and the quality of the kit so far. Right now I can look at this and say: Hazel Gundam. I am really looking forward to see this colossal model kit painted and detailed. A great feat my friend, this is something you will always be able to look back on and say: "Man... Being a geek rules."

[gtetra]

Awesome scratchbuilding!!!! I did not appreciate how hard it is until I notice the thickness of the plastic from your last pictures.  That's going to cost a ton of resins to cast.

[Irk]

This is insane!!!!
Awesome, awesome, awesome - I want one! Super job on the scratchbuild - you're going to be able to get so much detail on a model this size. Truly spectacular!

[nico]

Impressive, it take shape. You still have a long way to go but yiou took the right path good luck 

[clee-cm]

Hi Everyone:

Thanks you for your compliments, I have a long ways to go before I start detailing the surfaces of the model, which will be a major undertaking. But unlike the Kampfer build , for which I underestimated the cost and the difficulties of modeling all of the curved surfaces  ; this time I know what I am getting into with my Hazel. 

All of the styrene sanding and cutting is very therapeutic...   

I am making good progress on the front armor plates for the abdomen. 

[gtetra]

All of the styrene sanding and cutting is very therapeutic...   

Styrene and putty sanding has gotten me kicked out of the house.  I am moving my model stuff into the garage.  Seriously, I am amazed your desktop looked so clean in your pictures.