Project R, and Project ADD:

Slow progress, but there is some. 

I've got project ADD, and the multiple hobbies are all crossing over on the workbench.  With that said, I've gotten more progress on Project R.  The forearms are done and molded, the casts pulled just fine as did the medium laser housings.  Next up for them is to do the shoulder armor plate and make up the fingers for the hands.   At some point, possibly soon, possibly not, I'd like to do a Large Laser housing for the arm as well.  I suspect that's what I'll be carrying on the build in MWO as those extra few points of damage tend to be just what you need to cut the legs out from under the  harassing lights that come up on you.

 That leaves the cockpit and center torso to complete, and I've decided to go a different direction than I was with it.  I'm going to keep the same forward instrumentation, but I am going to try a different, and more detailed pilot and cockpit, as well as a canopy from a different aircraft.  We'll see how that works out in the build.  What I had originally was just too ... off... in my mind.  I want to change this up a bit and be happy with the outcome.  So, taking my time to work it should help with that.  I"m a little frustrated at the lack of progress, especially since I really can't do much to assemble/paint this thing without the center torso, but it's important to me to get this one right.  Or right enough to make me happy.

I'm about to run out of mold rubber and casting plastic too.  And I'm on the fence about that stuff too.  I really like the "instant gratification" of the fast set mold rubber and plastic, but I do have the usual issues with small bubbles.  The Moldstar 16 stuff is pretty good about not making surface anomalies though.  The thing is, I understand that I can't really pressure cast if there are bubbles in the matrix, and I DO get bubbles or voids on some of the corners and edges.  I believe that using the Smooth-cast 310, which sets up in 30 minutes would give the opportunity for bubbles to move out, but on the flip side, I can't slush-cast with that, it takes too long to set up. 

Decisions decisions.

Speaking of decisions, the engineer in me isn't slowing down.  There are a couple of other 'Mechs that have been wanting to do.  Now, Thor has done both of them: the Jenner and the Spider.  The thing is, both of the ones he's done have been scaled to the MWO sizing, and I find that they're way too small in my estimation.  The spider comes up barely to the Atlas's hip.  For a 30 tonne mech, it should volume out at about a third of the Atlas.  The spider is small, but not *that* small.  Similarly for the Jenner.  The bubble doesn't have room for a cockpit/pilot.   I think for both of these, I need to do some drawings, starting with the cockpits and building outward.   These are 'Mechs I use in team play.  I love my Warhammer and Archer, but primarily, I am a scout driver. 

On top of this, I now also have a high-priority deliverable to do.  Once I get the Archer completed, I need to do some fabrication in the 'MechLab and see about building out the Prometheus.  I have to shred the torso of the DireWolf I got from FCY to put in a cockpit, and then fabricate up the specific Arms and missile launchers specific to Victor Steiner-Davion's 'Mech.   On the bright side, this will work out as a trade and AngryHippy will paint up my bolt-action Soviet Infantry.  Good trade on my part. :)

So, to recap:

Projects underway:

Project R: Archer    70%

Project DW: Dire Wolf Prometheus  20%
Project A-DDC: Atlas:  10%  (Gauss Rifle fabricated)
Project T:  Trebuchet  25%
Project S:  Spider  0%  (conceptualization drawings beginning)
Project J:  Jenner  0%  (conceptualization drawings beginning)
Project L: Loki       0%  ('Mech acquired.)
Project MDIV:  MadDog IV:  0%  ('Mech Acquired)
Project W:  Warhammer 20%  (Mech acquired, basic assembly begun, electronics conceptualization beginning)
Project o:  Owens  0%   ('Mech purchase order sent)
 

Oh.. and FCY is teasing another MUST-have Mech.  ssssiiiigggghhhh. 

And these are just the 1/60 scale Battlemech projects.  It doesn't touch the list of SCA armor builds, Mandalorian props/armor, steampunk armor, Bolt Action army work, or scenery builds. 

Project ADD much?