Another 3D printed Microman scale (1/18) CD-1-L Blockman figure has been added to the ranks! This one was a commission by a big Micro collector and friend of mine, looking to add some cross-pollinated SFLand action to his collection. This guy was painted at the same time as the Brute Squad Bounce Torotise, featuring similar techniques and finish. Painted with Monster Kolor and acrylics.
Here’s the family photo of the three fully painted Blockmen I’ve completed. More photos after the jump.
The “My Friend the Micronaut 2013” opening sounds like it was a huge success. There are a ton of pics on the Micronaut 2013 Tumblr page now, so thanks to everyone who attended and snapped some shots! The show’s webstore is now up on the Grass Hut site for your perusal. There are three Allarounds left for $150 each and the Blockman prototype for $275. I’m pleased to say that my 3D printed figures are in good company, as they are listed right alongside the incredible works of Brownnoize Productions. Sanjeev is cranking out some incredible stuff. His Shapeways-produced Powered Suit Fake Type is an multimedia tribute to the original Diaclone Powered Suit toy. What speaks to me more, however, is his home-printed Powered Bio Suit (PBS), a Diaclone Powered Suit scaled up to Microman size. I’ve been following this project behind the scenes for a while now, and I am so excited for Sanjeev to finally be debuting such a rad project. It’s funny that we both independently came to similar conclusions with what we wanted to do with our consumer-grade 3D printers. I am sure we will be seeing some Blockman and PBS crossovers in the future. There are also some other terrific Microman-centric works for sale in vinyl, PVC, canvas paintings, and more than one other 3D printed project, so make sure to check it all out on Grass Hut’s site.
Union Fighter Blockman is an obscure little Takara line that came out in 1984 as an offshoot of Diaclone and the SF Land stuff. The line featured two inch tall plastic and metal robots covered in 5mm pegs and ports. The bots were cute little pocket warriors that could combine together and with a whole range of accessories to create everything from jets to massive gestalt robots. The story behind Blockman was that the Combination Droids were built to help human space colonists explore and settle. The Blockman sets came with little one inch tall chrome pilots with sculpts reminiscent of Diaclone drivers, which were the same size. I have always enjoyed Blockman as a fun building line with neat little bot figures, but thought that the Combination Droids could be pushed further. I also love the way the different Takara SF Land lines (Henshin Cyborg, Microman, Diaclone, …) were interconnected and related even though they were different scales, so I wanted to see how a Blockman would look scaled up to Microman (1/18) scale. While I was at it, I figured I should take advantage of the added room the large size would afford to add some new live to the design. A few days and test prints later, and the Micro-scale Blockman is ready to roll.
The fully posable Blockman features ratcheting joints in the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees, with additional articulation at the shoulders, biceps, wrists, waist, and hips. The extra room on this huge figure gave me the opportunity to try out a couple of new articulation tricks that worked like a charm, and I could not be happier with the results. The first CD-1-L Blockman prototype is available at the “My Friend the Micronaut 2013” show at Grasshut. It’s a huge figure that takes a bit to print, but rest assured I am working around the clock to get some more made for public consumption. The best part about this guy is that he is 100% printed ABS parts, including all of the articulation. That means no more fighting with fit to existing joint parts or worrying about running out of supplies.
More details and comparison shots after the jump!
“My Friend the Micronaut” is a yearly show at Grass Hut Art Market where artists from around the world display Microman/Micronaut-themed work. The show is the brainchild of Grasshut front man Bwana Spoons, who has done many Micro-themed pieces over the years. This year, I was asked to participate by show co-host Microbry, and I jumped at the opportunity. The Prometheus Rising Heavy Industries Allaround power suits are 1/18 scale, designed to look at home next to Micromen and their many robotic allies. The “Buffalo Squad” being deployed at Micronaut 2013 is the Allaround’s first release, done up in a Diaclone inspired scheme and given a proper PRS weathering treatment. These are also the first painted PRHI 3d printed figures to receive the acetone treatment, and I could not be happier with the results. Micronaut 2013 opens on August 1st, and hopefully there will be some good coverage! There are five Allaround figures, including a commander with the mag-rifle, being released at the show, and any figures not sold in person will go up on Grasshut’s online store.
I’ll be sure to put up a link to the show when it goes live. Microbry has set up a Tumblr page with details on the participating artists, and the lineup is great. Pay special attention to Brownnoize Productions. I’ve seen some of the 3D printed mecha goodness that Sanjeev is sending to the show and it is not to be missed. Also at the show will be the first completed test figure of the next Prometheus Rising Heavy Industries toy, which should blow up more than a few skirts when the photos start rolling in 😉
More pics after the jump!
The Microman Bio Mechanic suits were model kits released at the tail end of the original Microman line and reissued by Romando in the 90’s. You can read a thorough history of them at Microforever, but the sparknotes version is that they are chunky, rugged snap-fit battle armor kits for Microman figures. This one started out life as the tan and brown Desert Filtered type, but I was on a blue kick when I airbrushed it a while back. Microman is a pretty veteran toy franchise, so I went heavy with the weathering as if this unit had been there since the beginning.
Two of my pickups from the awesome East Coast Chogokin Summit this weekend! Onda Jeeg is an elusive and funky cheapie figure, and the Magnemo Acroyear is part of a massive Magnemo set that was a gift from the gracious host.
Prometheus Rising Studios 