My second attemp: Moebius 1/8 scale EVA Pod (2001: A Space Odyssey)

[mknayman]

Hey Folks!

Here’s my second Moebius 1/8 Scale 2001: A Space Odyssey EVA Pod.

https://imgur.com/a/l0zrN4f

I built my first one back in October for a good friend of mine, and now I have finally gotten around to building my own.

If you jump over to IMGUR, you can follow the full build process if the captions don't show in the embed.

If you just want to see the finished shots, I've posted them below.

I learned a lot on the first one, and while I feel like I did a lot of stuff better on this one, part of my wants ONE MORE chance to make it perfect. But not right now. First I need a break and to build something with tons of weathering. No more pure white finishes for me.

If you want to compare, you can find my first build here

Moebius 1/8 Scale EVA Pod: First attempt... Second in progress.

Hey there folks! First post... decided to start big. Earlier this year, I decided to purchase three 1/8 Scale EVA pods with two of my fellow 2001 fans, and help them, to varying degrees, finish their models. That way, we could each have one in our homes, and together, the full set of three...

www.therpf.com

After market parts include:
Paragrafix Photo Etch set
Paragrafix Button Decals
Paragrafix Screen Transparencies
Paragrapfix LED strips and connectors
Yay Monsters EVA pod vinyl light blockers
VoodooFX EVA pod light kit
Age of Plastic (shapeways.com) EVA Pod Cameras, Handwheel
Aztek Dummy EVA Pod Vinyl Mask set

 

[Stormy320]

That is so cool. Love the base!

 

[3Dsf]

Wow. Very impressive paintwork!

 

[mknayman]

That is so cool. Love the base!

Thanks. In future, I may wish to make a slightly larger base, and add a victorian chair or mirror something... that room is so creepy. I love it.
I had also discussed the possibility have having a 1/8 scale Old Man Bowman sculpted, wearing his black velvet bathrobe... could be fun.

 

[mknayman]

Wow. Very impressive paintwork!

Thanks. I wish I could say the white looks that flawless in person. it's all Vallejo Acrylics, and they get a bit dusty if you aren't perfect... so the camera grain hides it a bit. IF I ever do another, I'll be sure to finally make the jump to a nice, silky-smooth lacquer to finally get that flawless white finish.

 

[3Dsf]

IF I ever do another, I'll be sure to finally make the jump to a nice, silky-smooth lacquer to finally get that flawless white finish.

And if you do I've made replacement parts for the manipulator arms and rear red box to go along with my camera parts.

I've mostly designed replacement parts for the inaccurate front panel as well - the problem there is making them so that Shapeways is capable of printing them...

 

[mknayman]

And if you do I've made replacement parts for the manipulator arms and rear red box to go along with my camera parts.

I've mostly designed replacement parts for the inaccurate front panel as well - the problem there is making them so that Shapeways is capable of printing them...

Ah! Didn't see those. So you must be behind 'Age of Plastic' on shapeways?
Great stuff BTW. Enjoyed all the pieces I used, though if I can make a humble suggestion, if the cameras could be re-engineered so the silver dish can go in AFTER assembly, with some sort of back plate standing in, attached on the inside, during construction and painting, that would be excellent.

I really liked the manual door release, and just wish I had given it a bit more sanding/filling attention.

 

[joberg]

Beautiful job on that EVA

 

[3Dsf]

Enjoyed all the pieces I used, though if I can make a humble suggestion, if the cameras could be re-engineered so the silver dish can go in AFTER assembly, with some sort of back plate standing in, attached on the inside, during construction and painting, that would be excellent.

Hmmm. That's a pretty good idea! I designed the camera parts the way I did primarily to reduce costs. I've reworked the pieces so that it's possible to insert the silver components in from the outside instead. Each white dish/cone has a small hole so you can insert a pin or something from the inside to push the silver bit out if you need to. (ie: before the silver pieces are glued in) But since it's more expensive I'll just make this an optional version.

Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[mknayman]

Hmmm. That's a pretty good idea! I designed the camera parts the way I did primarily to reduce costs. I've reworked the pieces so that it's possible to insert the silver components in from the outside instead. Each white dish/cone has a small hole so you can insert a pin or something from the inside to push the silver bit out if you need to. (ie: before the silver pieces are glued in) But since it's more expensive I'll just make this an optional version.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Hey ,that's awesome! Maybe awesome enough to build another? lol

 

[3Dsf]

Nah - replacing the manipulator claws and arms would make it worth it. And the crude and simplified front panel if I ever get that done.

There are a number of other areas that need replacing on the Moebius kit for accuracy, but since nobody's that interested in all these parts I'm probably not going to put that much more time into it.

 

[mknayman]

Nah - replacing the manipulator claws and arms would make it worth it. And the crude and simplified front panel if I ever get that done.

There are a number of other areas that need replacing on the Moebius kit for accuracy, but since nobody's that interested in all these parts I'm probably not going to put that much more time into it.

I did look at the new manipulator claws you have, and they ARE gorgeous... As is the replacement 'red panel' though I worry about getting it in smoothly. Would also be nice if shapeways had some slightly smoother prints.

Honestly, the single worst thing about the kit is the design of the windshield, and how it slots in. To do so much painting and finishing work, and not find out until after if your clear plastic survived everything? Ugh.

I considered designing and empty frame to put some clear acetate or tempered glass (like phone screen protector) after the fact, since it's so flat... but way too much work.

 

[3Dsf]

One of the things I hate about the kit, aside from the numerous incorrect details, is the fact that the black parts of the craft are moulded into the body. Which means you have to screw around masking to paint them.

It would have been a bazillion times easier to paint, and the lines would have looked so much sharper and crisper, had the black wedge-shaped details on the earmuffs been their own pieces. And the black window surround should also have been separate, so it could be painted separately and then dropped in to the finished model!

 

[mknayman]

One of the things I hate about the kit, aside from the numerous incorrect details, is the fact that the black parts of the craft are moulded into the body. Which means you have to screw around masking to paint them.

It would have been a bazillion times easier to paint, and the lines would have looked so much sharper and crisper, had the black wedge-shaped details on the earmuffs been their own pieces. And the black window surround should also have been separate, so it could be painted separately and then dropped in to the finished model!

Oh for sure... Man, I wish those were seperate. Masking the radiator wedges is so tedious, and if the front 'eye shadow' were separate, you could add the glass after. Would be much nicer.

If we're complaining, it would also be nice if the buttons were separate pieces that slotted in behind the panels, similar to the paragrafix kit with the brass plates. Makes way more sense than masking 100 individual buttons. And for something so sited to lighting, they really made the tabs connecting different cockpit panels pretty opaque.

 

[3Dsf]

Yeah, it's clear that a key priority in the product design was keeping the costs down. Which is understandable, since they need to be able to recoup their investment in a fairly niche product. But it's so aggravating how much better the earmuff wedges and windowframe would've looked... I've seen a bunch of finished pods that people have made where you can see all the heroic masking efforts they took and it still looks a bit shonky. :/

 

[wayouteast]

Amazing work!

 

[Analyzer]

Very impressive!

 

[Kiwimike]

Hi, quick question. I've got the Moebius kit. Is the instrument panel, buttons etc accurate in terms of size and layout?

 

[Kiwimike]

By size I mean button size.

 

[3Dsf]

Hi, quick question. I've got the Moebius kit. Is the instrument panel, buttons etc accurate in terms of size and layout?

It's not bad. The Paragrafix set will get you much closer. But the interior is sort of acceptable for the type of kit it is, and its price point.

It's the majority of the external details that are pretty poor and not screen-accurate.