I came across the start of a conversion from the last time my group played Battletech.

The battlemech in question comes in several pieces and the stock look for the mech is firing platform on two leg-shaped struts:  example of a well painted version in a stock pose (not painted by me)

Now the idea of the mech coming in pieces is for you to adjust the pose yourself on assembly … and of course for casting … but really the only thing you can do without cutting the mech up is to create a “running mech” with the arms and legs pumping.

However, if you look at the arms you can see that any real conversion comes from cutting and rebuilding:

daishi_arms_left_alone.jpg

So, I first considered straightening one or both arms.  However, upon closer inspection and sleeping on it, I decided that the effort wasn’t worth it.

However, I did get an idea as to how I wanted the Daishi to stand.  I wanted its left foot raised onto a building’s remains with the left leg straightened to hold the mech high as if it had just stomped through the HQ of the enemy.

So I cut the left leg in two places: at the backward cantered knee and the toe.  The knee joint is curved and sits in a groove so that was fun to cut apart.

daishi_right_upper_thigh.jpg

I cut the right leg at the knee and at the ankle.

I built walls on the base using plastic and some putty to lock it all down.

I left space around the left foot where the foot had shifted and left a partial impression.

You can see the foot pinned to the base:

daishi_right_leg_assembly_test.jpg

Time to test fit all the pieces and see what pieces I would have to manufacture to get the final pose.

So with some sculpey to hold the one side together I fit all the leg & torso pieces together:

daishi_left_leg_temp_assembly.jpgdaishi_leg_position_test.jpg

daishi_front_test_assembly.jpgdaishi_test_assembly_front_right.jpg

As you can see above I had a fairly decent gap in the right leg assembly to get the mech stable.

So I built an ankle actuator around the pin above the right foot.

daishi_right_ankle_rebuild.jpg

And to ensure balance and stability I added a large piece of metal to the inside corner of the wall for the mech to stand on.

daishi_right_ankle_platform.jpg

After some fiddling and a series of tweak and dry fits, I finally had what I wanted:  Finished parts:

daishi_parts.jpg

Final Assembly:

daishi_assembled_front_right.jpgdaishi_assembled_back_right.jpg

daishi_assembled_back_left.jpgdaishi_assembled_front_left.jpg

Next we’ll prime it so I can better see any outstanding mold lines or details that need fixing.

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