A lot of people have asked for an astronaut figure based on the guys seen at the TMA-1 site in the film. The difference between the TMA suit and the Discovery
suit is the TMA suit did not have the control panel on the left arm and the chest/backpack elements were completely different. I asked a friend of mine to work
on this about 6 months ago and he delivered just before Wonderfest.
Please note that these photos show the button panel on the left arm. This is a pre-production mockup and that panel has been removed from the master, so the figure in the kit is correct. The kit features a one-piece helmet, clear material and instructions for the visor and decals for the spacesuit and helmet. Delivery on this kit is immediate.
Cost is $85 plus $10 shipping within the US. The cost of shipping to all destinations outside the US is $15.
Payment can be through Paypal (use AtomicCity@gmail.com) or by Postal Money Order. Here's the address:
Scott Alexander
804 Laura Lane
Hanford, CA 93230
When I originally decided to do this kit, I thought that the Monolith would be the easiest part to make. I had plenty of tooling board (similar in most features to wood, but synthetic) and could get more when needed. Well...
I've run out of the tooling board, on the left. (Ignore the one on the right, it'll show up soon...) It turns out the price has gone way up and shipping it is out of the question: it is 16"x2"x60". Very heavy. In fact, the last time I bought this stuff, I went down to Los Angeles to pick it up. Its great stuff, but now it is just out of the question for making Monoliths. My only other choice was to just make a mold and cast the Monolith. The problem with that is it won't stay Monolith-shaped when the resin cures. It will distort. The solution--
-- make a master that is the Monolith split down the middle, into two halves. To avoid the problem of having the joint show through the filler, I even beveled the top and sides and also added registration so keeping everything together where it belongs is easy. But--
It still turns out wonky. And each finished Monolith takes 470 grams of resin, more than it takes to make an entire Pod body! So, the solution is now something I originally considered, but didn't do because of the extra steps it takes to finish.
The answer to this problem is to make the Monolith out of MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard). The steps to finish this version are slightly more involved than the tooling board version, though the tooling board version required a lot more sanding. So--
Step 1: Apply several coats of lacquer Sanding Sealer to all sides of the Monolith. They'll dry very quickly, but don't overdo it.
Step 2: Make a sanding board using 400 grit sandpaper. Sand the Monolith until all surfaces are smooth. Apply another coat of sealer and repeat.
Step 3: Once you have the Monolith as smooth as you want, spray several coats of flat black paint onto it. I use Krylon Ultra Flat Black, but any brand of flat black will do. Give the paint a good long time to dry and then sand it with the 400 grit sandpaper. You can also use really fine steel wool, but the chance is you'll burn through the paint on the corners and edges if you are not careful. For this step, I recoated and sanded 3 times.
Step 4: Coat the finished Monolith with a satin or flat clear urethane finish. You can sand this if you like, but I'm not sure what's involved to get a good finish with this stuff.
I did a piece using these finishing suggestions and had no problems. I'd show a photo of it, but it just looks like a black rectangular shape!
Scott
Please note that these photos show the button panel on the left arm. This is a pre-production mockup and that panel has been removed from the master, so the figure in the kit is correct. The kit features a one-piece helmet, clear material and instructions for the visor and decals for the spacesuit and helmet. Delivery on this kit is immediate.
Cost is $85 plus $10 shipping within the US. The cost of shipping to all destinations outside the US is $15.
Payment can be through Paypal (use AtomicCity@gmail.com) or by Postal Money Order. Here's the address:
Scott Alexander
804 Laura Lane
Hanford, CA 93230
When I originally decided to do this kit, I thought that the Monolith would be the easiest part to make. I had plenty of tooling board (similar in most features to wood, but synthetic) and could get more when needed. Well...
I've run out of the tooling board, on the left. (Ignore the one on the right, it'll show up soon...) It turns out the price has gone way up and shipping it is out of the question: it is 16"x2"x60". Very heavy. In fact, the last time I bought this stuff, I went down to Los Angeles to pick it up. Its great stuff, but now it is just out of the question for making Monoliths. My only other choice was to just make a mold and cast the Monolith. The problem with that is it won't stay Monolith-shaped when the resin cures. It will distort. The solution--
-- make a master that is the Monolith split down the middle, into two halves. To avoid the problem of having the joint show through the filler, I even beveled the top and sides and also added registration so keeping everything together where it belongs is easy. But--
It still turns out wonky. And each finished Monolith takes 470 grams of resin, more than it takes to make an entire Pod body! So, the solution is now something I originally considered, but didn't do because of the extra steps it takes to finish.
The answer to this problem is to make the Monolith out of MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard). The steps to finish this version are slightly more involved than the tooling board version, though the tooling board version required a lot more sanding. So--
Step 1: Apply several coats of lacquer Sanding Sealer to all sides of the Monolith. They'll dry very quickly, but don't overdo it.
Step 2: Make a sanding board using 400 grit sandpaper. Sand the Monolith until all surfaces are smooth. Apply another coat of sealer and repeat.
Step 3: Once you have the Monolith as smooth as you want, spray several coats of flat black paint onto it. I use Krylon Ultra Flat Black, but any brand of flat black will do. Give the paint a good long time to dry and then sand it with the 400 grit sandpaper. You can also use really fine steel wool, but the chance is you'll burn through the paint on the corners and edges if you are not careful. For this step, I recoated and sanded 3 times.
Step 4: Coat the finished Monolith with a satin or flat clear urethane finish. You can sand this if you like, but I'm not sure what's involved to get a good finish with this stuff.
I did a piece using these finishing suggestions and had no problems. I'd show a photo of it, but it just looks like a black rectangular shape!
Scott
