DBMiller's Alien

Post by **DBMiller** » Wed Jun 03, 2020 12:03 am

Today my wife and I took our last kitty for his final vet visit. Ping was over 20 and went down hill rapidly this past week so we had no choice.

So, in his honor, I've chosen a kit that symbolizes the resilience of the feline species. A kit from a film where the only real survivor was a cat.

Alien:

For Ping (and Jonesy):

Post by **BigWall** » Wed Jun 03, 2020 2:00 am

Sorry to hear about Ping. May he rest in peace.

Can't wait to see the build!

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Wed Jun 03, 2020 5:02 am

Oh that is a hard time of life, saying goodbye to such a dear close friend
We love our pets as much as the children, maybe more

Ping is dancing through tall grass chasing mice and having as much cheese as is catly possible
I shall give Bean an extra couple pets in Ping’s honour tonight
Feeling for ya pal

Post by **Hawkmoon** » Wed Jun 03, 2020 7:50 am

Sorry to hear about ping but I bet hes having a cat ball in a happier place now and nice choice.

Post by **Stokesy44** » Wed Jun 03, 2020 9:32 am

Sounds like Ping had a long and happy life. A memorial build is a fitting tribute.

Sorry for your loss mate

Post by **Donkeywalloper** » Wed Jun 03, 2020 10:46 am

These two are Cleo (Dinner Jacket colour) and Sergey (aka Black Panther), who currently are our House Cats.
Previous to these two scamps, was my buddy Rupert. Old, Knackered, and with many illnesses and conditions (exactly like me really). We went everywhere together, and if I sat down, he found my lap and cuddled down and went to sleep.
He was my mate and companion, and i miss him terrible.
Thats why, I dont take posts like this lightheartedly and have a great affinity for Pet Owners who lose these loved companions. So sorry for the loss of Ping, looks like a beautiful cat.
Best wishes chap,
DW

Post by **Tomcat64** » Wed Jun 03, 2020 4:05 pm

So sorry to hear of your loss, DBM - sounds like Ping was a wonderful companion and a great friend.

Post by **RangerNeil** » Wed Jun 03, 2020 5:33 pm

Really sorry to hear of the loss of your friend Ping. Like DW I tend to take such announcements very seriously - the wife is known for commenting given a choice between and animal and a human I'll take the animal every time. We lost our long term companion, Toby - a X-breed dog - in 2017 and, to this day, he is with us. Maggie joined us last year and now has her own place alongside Toby. It is the way of things.
The memorial build is a lovely idea - it will be nice to see once complete.

Post by **DBMiller** » Tue Jun 16, 2020 7:40 pm

I suppose it's time to post something here. I'm almost done with my Bond kit so time to move on!

First, though, is thank you all for the kind comments about Ping. It means a lot that so many of you understand what it's like. He was our last and I miss him.

There isn't much to say about Alien - film and creature - that you all don't know already. So not much introduction here.
Here are the parts.
It's a Halcyon PVC kit at 1/5 scale. Not many parts but that's no hinderance to me messing things up. Also, it in no way resembles the cover art. The box shows an alien out for your guts. The model looks like - "Can I take your order sir?"

Instructions. Even I should be able to follow these.

What the heck? The alien cranium cover is soft PVC (or rubber?) and should be a blast to get looking good.

Pile of parts.

Less of a pile. The little bag contains heal spurs. The tail needs a bit of un-bending.

Scary! Oooooooh.

Post by **Gary30** » Wed Jun 17, 2020 2:57 pm

Sorry about Ping!

Looking forward to the build though, looks massive!

Post by **Tomcat64** » Wed Jun 17, 2020 4:41 pm

Well that's an interesting take on the cranium!

Do you have the ability to change the pose of the finished item to look more intimidating or are you stuck with the cocktail waiter alien?

Post by **DBMiller** » Wed Jun 17, 2020 5:39 pm

Tomcat64 wrote: Wed Jun 17, 2020 4:41 pm Well that's an interesting take on the cranium!

Do you have the ability to change the pose of the finished item to look more intimidating or are you stuck with the cocktail waiter alien?

I intend to try! What could go wrong? Even if I can get him to give the middle finger that would be something!

Post by **Hawkmoon** » Wed Jun 17, 2020 7:27 pm

Nice start on the little beggar and looking good

Post by **DBMiller** » Fri Jun 26, 2020 1:27 am

My first actual build post.
Started washing and trimming the parts. Here is the main cranium, rear cap, and translucent cover.

Needed more trimming than the instructions show to fit at all.

Using two part epoxy to hold them together. The epoxy flows into the seam nicely.

Jaw clean up. I will have to paint these parts before assembly.

The tail has a stiff wire in it for posing!!!!

Torso and hips. Not a good fit - even with very extensive trimming! I haven't glued them yet but it looks like more epoxy is in order. The parts can't fall apart because of the way they fit together so the epoxy should do well.

Post by **Bdiddy** » Fri Jun 26, 2020 2:06 am

Sorry to hear about Ping mate, we have 3 cats & know what you're going through. Lovely idea to do a tribute for him.

Looks nicely detailed, am loving the skull! Cant wait to see this finished

Post by **Hawkmoon** » Fri Jun 26, 2020 8:30 am

Looking good and nice work

Post by **DBMiller** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 10:06 pm

Putting together more of the sub-assemblies.
The hands look like gloves with really thick wrists. I've started grinding down the seams and filling them with super glue.
And the feet - what an odd way to sculpt the parts. Why not just solid on the sole?

Lower legs glued to the upper. Got super glue all over my hand while filling the knee joints. Of course.
It's not a particularly dynamic pose but it will be an imposing size when done!

Post by **aur0ra145** » Sun Jun 28, 2020 1:19 am

Looking good so far!

Post by **DBMiller** » Tue Jun 30, 2020 8:37 pm

More filling on the oddly malformed torso, wrist joints, and knees. I think the torso was a bit warped and that's why it didn't line up correctly. I missed that.
The way this is built there is no way (for me at least) to re-pose it to look more threatening - so waiter pose it is.

Thank goodness for epoxy.

A bit of round stock to fill the seam under the rear of the skull.

Oh, look, more epoxy.

Wrists filled and coated with Tamiya clear gloss to seal the putty.

Skull with a coat of gloss black primer!

Post by **DBMiller** » Sun Jul 05, 2020 6:44 pm

Back from taking a bit of a heat wave break.
I've put aside the epoxy for a bit and have been trying out the color scheme on big boy.

Post by **aur0ra145** » Sun Jul 05, 2020 7:10 pm

Looking good!

Post by **BigWall** » Sun Jul 05, 2020 7:11 pm

Wow! That absolutely brought it to life!

Post by **Bdiddy** » Mon Jul 06, 2020 1:36 am

nice!

Post by **RangerNeil** » Mon Jul 06, 2020 12:07 pm

Impressive!! Wouldn't fancy waking up in the early hours to see that looking at me - instant cure for constipation.....

Post by **DBMiller** » Sun Jul 12, 2020 6:08 pm

I gave the head a light, dilute coat of Tamiya Smoke to even out the shading. I've also added a black wash. I will have to go back and highlight the tubing and other detail with the lighter color to make it all stand out better. Also, I've painted the teeth and will give them a wash as well.

When I first started this someone asked if I'd be re-posing it for a more menacing look. By the look of the leg to hip joins I'll be lucky to get it looking good with the default pose! Maybe some sort of two part filler like Milliput instead of the more fluid epoxy I was using? I wonder if it will stick to the vinyl material.

Get a load of that crotch! I mean as a modeling challenge - don't just, you know, admire it.

At least it is impressively tall. And with the sunlight coming in and the flash it almost looks painted and ready to go.

Post by **DBMiller** » Tue Jul 14, 2020 5:31 pm

Here goes the Milliput experiment. It seems to fill in nicely and stick to the surface. After it dries I'll sand it smoother and make any repairs necessary.

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Tue Jul 14, 2020 8:36 pm

Oh Jesus man that creeps me right out..I think that means you are doing a great job

Post by **RangerNeil** » Tue Jul 14, 2020 9:17 pm

Twokidsnosleep wrote: Tue Jul 14, 2020 8:36 pm Oh Jesus man that creeps me right out..I think that means you are doing a great job

Was thinking much the same thing myself....

Post by **Bdiddy** » Wed Jul 15, 2020 4:17 am

what are your plans for the colour scheme?

Post by **DBMiller** » Wed Jul 15, 2020 3:06 pm

Bdiddy wrote: Wed Jul 15, 2020 4:17 am what are your plans for the colour scheme?

Like most scifi ships and creatures what you see on screen is mostly a result of the lighting. The Alien creature looks dark greenish black and shiny on screen but references show the head under the clear dome to be more bone colored over the dark green black base. The rest I'll just wing with a base color, darker recesses, and lighter highlights - pretty much like the head I've just about finished.

Post by **DBMiller** » Fri Aug 07, 2020 2:22 am

I took a break for stupid hot humid weather. Managed to get in a bit of time this week though.

The way this vinyl kit goes together is a pain. The parts are hard to squeeze into the holes without adding cuts to the parts - then they just look like they are inserted and not part of an actual living creature. Oh, well.
The hip joins are so bad that I had to use a load of filler and try to sand it smooth. The vinyl doesn't sand like regular model plastic so I hope a clear coat will smooth it out enough to hide the texture.

Here are some of the other parts I'll be working on.

And here is where they go.

Here are two of the back extensions with the cuts made.
The ends are very close together when attached but I think I can paint them in place.

Here they are inserted but not glued yet. They flexed so much I wanted them to settle in before adding glue.

Post by **Tomcat64** » Fri Aug 07, 2020 3:31 pm

Do you ever think you might have been better off starting with a chunk of epoxy and working back from there?

Seriously though the head looks great with the work you've done on it so far and the rest of the body is starting to come together as well.

I honestly don't remember those sticky out tube things on the back, but that might just be down to the way it was portrayed in the movies I guess.

Great work sticking with it though

Post by **BigWall** » Sat Aug 08, 2020 4:15 am

Looks like you're doing a great job with a fiddly kit.

Post by **DBMiller** » Tue Aug 11, 2020 3:54 pm

Tomcat64 wrote: Fri Aug 07, 2020 3:31 pm Do you ever think you might have been better off starting with a chunk of epoxy and working back from there?

Seriously though the head looks great with the work you've done on it so far and the rest of the body is starting to come together as well.

I honestly don't remember those sticky out tube things on the back, but that might just be down to the way it was portrayed in the movies I guess.

Great work sticking with it though

BigWall wrote: Sat Aug 08, 2020 4:15 am Looks like you're doing a great job with a fiddly kit.

Thank you both! Yes, the hips have been giving me some trouble. But I think I've got it to the point where the shading will mask the filling.
Here are two shots with the upper back extension in place. And the stick up his butt. Until the tail goes on it is too off balance to stand on his own. So a stick.

You can really see the epoxy filler here. It's tough when your hips go.

Here he is with gloss black primer.

It doesn't look too bad from this distance. The primer covers pretty well.

Post by **DBMiller** » Mon Aug 31, 2020 2:27 pm

As usual I can't finish anything on time!

EDIT: OMG - this build ends in September not today!!

So, here it is, August 31 and I'm still trying to figure out the colors. I've been mottling various shades of green and something tan/brown-ish - trying to get the bronzy brown I've seen in photos. Once I add the darks into the recesses it should start to look better. I think I need to add the arms to get the final look or I'll end up with them looking too different from the body!
The funny thing is that a Lightroom preset makes my photo look very like the look I'm going for! Not enough black/green but very close! (See the last image)

Here is the funky look that the Lightroom preset "Winter Blues" creates!

Post by **aur0ra145** » Mon Aug 31, 2020 11:35 pm

Looking good!

Post by **BigWall** » Tue Sep 01, 2020 12:52 am

Very nice!

Post by **aur0ra145** » Fri Sep 04, 2020 10:03 pm

Any updates? I liked where this one was going.

Post by **DBMiller** » Sat Sep 05, 2020 5:43 pm

aur0ra145 wrote: Fri Sep 04, 2020 10:03 pm Any updates? I liked where this one was going.

YES! I do have an update! A lot of paint work ahead but it's coming along.
Arms are on! Bad joints being filled! Starting to even out the paint work between the body and arms!
The head is on! They didn't even TRY to make the joint between the head and torso / neck work out! I had to chew up the ball at the top of the torso and ream out the neck hole just to get it to settle somewhat in place. The seam - more filling!

On the other hand it looks pretty impressive with its head in place.

Post by **RangerNeil** » Sat Sep 05, 2020 11:00 pm

That is most DEFINITELY not something I would like to wake up looking at in the wee small hours!!

You are doing an amazing job with those joints - well done sir!!

Post by **aur0ra145** » Sun Sep 06, 2020 7:54 pm

I didn't realize till now how big that model is. Coming along nicely!

Post by **DBMiller** » Wed Oct 21, 2020 1:59 pm

I'm sorry I've been so quiet these last few months. My mother in law passed and I've been spending my Sundays helping my wife get the house ready to sell. It really made me think "I'm sure glad I don't have to clean out MY stuff after I die!" As for the rest of the time - I've just been off a bit.

However - yesterday I did work on the nasty shoulder joints and could get back into it over the next few days!
Updates to follow!

Today, though, I get to go for my first dental implant session! The thought of screws inserted into my jaw so next year I can get two new molars attached is so exciting. No, what's that other word? Depressing!
And with our awesome health care here in the USA it's going to cost me a LOT of model kit money by the end.

It hasn't been all bad - I got a new car last month! My Toyota reached over 260,000 miles (most of it to work and back - talk about depressing) and I started wondering when it would just give up. And since I'm sick of the gas station I bought a Hyundai Kona Electric!

Just delivered!

Ohhhh! Spiffy control panel! Just push button!

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Thu Oct 22, 2020 4:29 pm

Ok whoa. Dental implants
Super scary, but actually pretty easy and recovery is usually a breeze
Of course I am on the giving vs receiving end of them, so easy for me to say

If you have any questions, you are welcome to fire me a PM for a second opinion

Post by **DBMiller** » Thu Oct 22, 2020 5:27 pm

Twokidsnosleep wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 4:29 pm Ok whoa. Dental implants
Super scary, but actually pretty easy and recovery is usually a breeze
Of course I am on the giving vs receiving end of them, so easy for me to say

If you have any questions, you are welcome to fire me a PM for a second opinion

Thank you for this! It's all because my 50 year old fillings are coming back to haunt me. Everything went well - shoot in enough Novocaine and I'm good. At least I'll be able to chew on that side again once the teeth get installed. I wanted blinking LED's but that wasn't an option. Although the dentist did say I wouldn't believe the things people want installed in their teeth!

Post by **BigWall** » Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:38 pm

I'm glad it went well for you. Sorry about the LEDs!

Post by **aur0ra145** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 10:20 pm

Nice car!

I too need an implant. The dentist that was replacing my crown somehow punted it and I ended up with no tooth whatsoever. Soooo, trying to get a consult during the time of COVID has been a headache. Then based on work considerations; I may not get one until later next year. oh well.

Post by **DBMiller** » Sun Oct 25, 2020 12:31 pm

aur0ra145 wrote: Sat Oct 24, 2020 10:20 pm Nice car!

I too need an implant. The dentist that was replacing my crown somehow punted it and I ended up with no tooth whatsoever. Soooo, trying to get a consult during the time of COVID has been a headache. Then based on work considerations; I may not get one until later next year. oh well.

"Punting" is NOT a word you want associated with dental work!

And something you don't want to hear is when your dentist looks at your x-rays and says "That's not good". That is when I found out I would need implants!

Post by **NoelSmith** » Tue Jan 12, 2021 7:00 pm

Read of another build of the Alien kit where the modeller used real fish bones for the teeth.

Post by **DBMiller** » Wed Jan 13, 2021 2:01 pm

NoelSmith wrote: Tue Jan 12, 2021 7:00 pm Read of another build of the Alien kit where the modeller used real fish bones for the teeth.

I'll be happy just to finish it!

Post by **DBMiller** » Mon Mar 29, 2021 6:41 pm

Finally! Some progress! He has a mouth! And what a mouth it is!