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The Great Flash Gordon Community Build!


MarkMcGovern

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Ladies and Gentlemen:

I have posted the suggestion on the HobbyTalk Modeling Forum that we organize a group build. This hadn't been done since 2014. The suggestion garnered some support; then it occurred to me that it might be fun to invite modelers from other forums to participate as well. So consider this your invitation to join the group build!

The model selected is the Atlantis reissue (or an original kit, if you're so inclined) of Revell's Flash Gordon model kit. The group build will commence on June 1st, with a deadline of October 1st. Do whatever you wish with the model. Post your WIP photos and comments to the thread on the IPMS Group Builds forum and I'll publish links among all the other forums involved so every participant can view everyone else's progress.

The idea here is to see how many variations can be accomplished with the same model kit, promote figure modeling in our hobby, and of course, to have fun. The Great Flash Gordon Invitational Community Build is on! Are you in?

Here are the other forums I've invited (I'm waiting to get placed on the FineScale Modeler Group Build calendar): The Clubhouse, the HobbyTalk Modeling Forum, and the Universal Monster Army.

 

UPDATE: I got tired of waiting to get on the FSM calendar and simply posted a thread on their Figures modeling forum:http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/5/t/171143.aspx.

Edited by MarkMcGovern
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UPDATE:

 

mach7 has posted WIP photos of his build on the HobbyTalk Modeling Forum, along with some insights on the styrene in which the model was cast. Also, halloweenfan 1978 has been posting his progress over at The Clubhouse.

I haven't started the figure, yet. I'm working on a scratchbuilt diorama item. As soon as I have the thing put together, I'll post photos; WIPs would be meaningless at this stage, trust me.

Edited by MarkMcGovern
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  • 4 weeks later...

UPDATE: As we end the first month - and the first quarter - of The Great Flash Gordon Invitational Community Build, I'm happy to report that we have ten participants so far. On the HobbyTalk Modeling Forum, there is: ark undertaker, cajjunwolfman, deadmanincfan, mach7, Mark McGovern, rkoenn (who has already finished his model!), Roy Kirchoff, and scooke123. Several of these builders are also members of this forum, but billikenmonster is posting exclusively here. Finally, Roktman on this forum has stated his intention to join the community build. We also have a few guys who are following our progress even though they've said that they can't participate; we're happy to have them along for the ride.

There's been a lot of activity on the HobbyTalk Modeling forum, and interest shown at The Clubhouse and FineScale Modeler Figures forums. The Universal Monster Army forum has been quiet, but I'll keep them in the loop, anyway.

Edited by MarkMcGovern
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  • 2 months later...

Hello, all!

I hope everybody has had an enjoyable Labor Day, and are enjoying their labors on their Flash Gordon kits! There are some updates I'd like to share with you as we enter the final month of The Great Flash Gordon Community Build.

Since I started the thing, I'll go first: finally got to the point where I gave up trying to post photos of my progress here, so I've posted WIP photos on my web site. If I post them here, the photos are simply too large. And, in my WIP gallery there are captions that explain what's going on.

Next Steve Marciante, "bilikenmonster" on The Clubhouse forums, has done what they said couldn't be done: he has had made one piece glass helmets to replace the kit item. Steve's helmet will fit over Flash's head, which the two-piece plastic helmet can't. That means you could twist off the helmet from a completed figure and slip the new one on painlessly. Supplies of the glass helmets are running low; to quote Steve "...I think I have 4 left but I can get more..." At $16 each, these are a great addition to the model. Contact Steve for yours at: billikenmonster@gmail.com.

Here's a bit of a surprise, but it only occurred to me after we started building: everybody please send me one or two good raw (meaning unedited) photos of their finished models. I plan to work up an article about the Community Build and submit it with all the photos to the IPMS/USA Journal. No guarantees that the article will get into print, but they've published three of mine this year already.

This may put a strain on those of you who haven't got their models done yet and aren't sure they can get Flash Gordon finished by the October 1 deadline (I'm in that club). With all due respect to those who have finished their models, I'm willing to take a vote from everyone who has at least begun a kit. How many want to see the deadline extended and to what date? Mr. Marchiante suggested the end of October; anyone else?

Edited by MarkMcGovern
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  • 2 weeks later...

UPDATE: As we end the first month - and the first quarter - of The Great Flash Gordon Invitational Community Build, I'm happy to report that we have ten participants so far. On the HobbyTalk Modeling Forum, there is: ark undertaker, cajjunwolfman, deadmanincfan, mach7, Mark McGovern, rkoenn (who has already finished his model!), Roy Kirchoff, and scooke123. Several of these builders are also members of this forum, but billikenmonster is posting exclusively here. Finally, Roktman on this forum has stated his intention to join the community build. We also have a few guys who are following our progress even though they've said that they can't participate; we're happy to have them along for the ride.

 

There's been a lot of activity on the HobbyTalk Modeling forum, and interest shown at The Clubhouse and FineScale Modeler Figures forums. The Universal Monster Army forum has been quiet, but I'll keep them in the loop, anyway.

 

 

Sorry dude. The thought escaped out of my brain. I'll pick up a kit and see what I can do. ;)

Edited by Roktman
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My Flash Gordon arrived from CultTVMan this afternoon -

 

006.JPG

 

So I'll be diving into the kit tonight.

Since I'm actually on The Clubhouse more, I'll be putting my progress there.

Edited by Roktman
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Diving right in to the kit I put all the major subassemblies together. The first thing I noticed was this huge piece of flash -
004.JPG
Taking that off, it left a big hole in the shoulder of the model. Evidently, from looking at the other side, that big flipped up piece was part of the epaulet. So the next thing to do is break out the Aves and replace it -
005.JPG
I'll smooth it down more when I get rid of the seam lines in the next step. While I had the Aves out, I added blobs of it to his feet as I plan on creating a new base for Flash. These blobs will let me anchor the figure to the base -
003.JPG
Here he is so far. Thanks for looking.
006.JPG

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Almost done -
Helmet Futured
008.JPG

Face done except for gloss on the eyes
009.JPG

The Martian - still not sure if I'm going to use him
010.JPG

Uniform front -

011.JPG

Uniform back -
012.JPG

Thanks for looking

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Kev,

 

Really nice-looking space suit there! Flash's face is terrific, also. His hair looks a little dark to me, but that's your call. I vote you keep the Martian since it's clear you've done so much with him already. Two tentacles up!

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Kev,

 

Really nice-looking space suit there! Flash's face is terrific, also. His hair looks a little dark to me, but that's your call. I vote you keep the Martian since it's clear you've done so much with him already. Two tentacles up!

You're right re: the hair. When I took another look at the pic, I had added the blond strands but thought I got rid of the highlights and shadows. So I added some more GW Agrax Earthshade, which darkened it, then took the pic. Its been fixed. :smiley2:

 

Ok, all done.

But picking up from where we left off last it was just a matter of getting his head on his shoulders and then tackling his helmet. Finally the base was done.

 

I was glad I checked as I was going to put the head on and then put the bubble helmet together and just simply slip it over his head. Nope won't fit. So, the head went on and then the back part of the helmet was fixed onto his shoulders. There has been talk of what to do with the seam line. Some have bought an aftermarket helmet. Others simply said they are not going to worry about it. I fell in the not worrying about it category. But what I did was put a black edge on the front part. I had previously taken a little piece of lead wire (from Bass Pro Shops, I think) and put a dot of PVA glue on the tip. This will mimic a microphone. I then attached the front piece to the back part.

007.JPG

 

Looks good but there's no real support of the microphone. It just sorta sits there inside the helmet. The blackened edge didn't really show up as I had planned. I needed to do something else. In the end I too the simple route. I took another length of the solder wire - which is incredibly flexible - and curved it around the outside of the helmet from where the microphone was to where the helmet met the neck ring. A touch of superglue wicked the glue along the length of wire. I then took a file and VERY gently sand the tip so that it looks like it's angling into the helmet. Some black paint finished off the illusion.

 

Next I turned my attention to the base. The one that comes with the kit is actually two small bases. One for Flash that has a large crater, and the Martian had a tiny one, with a tiny crater. I didn't like this. But I wanted to include the craters. I cut them off and arranged them on the base -

005.JPG

 

Those other marks are just where I scored the wood so the Celluclay would lock down. The Celluclay was next -

006.JPG

 

I made it a little uneven for variation, but had to keep it level enuff for the two figures to stand.

Once the Celluclay was dry I added some sand around the base -

001.JPG

 

Color was next. As It's Mars I added various orangy browns and oranges. Pics of Mars always show few rocks that look black - so I added them in as well -

004.JPG

 

The next was how to get Flash to stand on his base. I didn't thing the wires thru the feet would do it - tho it worked for the Martian. Since Flash is pretty lightweight except for where I put the Aves in his feet, I ended up getting out some magnets and adding them to both the feet and the base. You can see some circles (magnets) in the base. Once all the magnet glue was dry I added him to the base. I took the supplied sign, chppoed off the feet, added wire legs and then after a black prime added two tone lettering. A coat of satin clear on the sign and the model is finished. Here's my Flash Gordon. Thanks for looking -

 

005.JPG

006.JPG

007.JPG

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B!tchin' job all around, Kev! The suit looks Science-Fictionary yet functional, and I like your weathering. Not only does Mars look orange and brown, it looks very dusty in all the photos I've seen. Three tentacles up!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thanks guys, I appreciate the kind words.

It was a fun kit to build. Since it's an old repop, I thought it would be a lot tougher on me than it was.

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I'm so ashamed. My Flash is just not going to be done by the end of the month. If I had a conscience, I'd do the honorable thing and fall on my Ex-Acto knife.

Aah, thats too bad. But just keep plugging away. Don't send him to the almost done stack! ;)

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