Batpod (Moebius) - Update #2

I took advantage of the long holiday weekend to spend some quality time at the bench with no particular goal in mind: just relax and enjoy. To this end, I spent most of the afternoon reac- quainting myself with the 'Pod and moving ever-so-closer to priming. I actually thought I might be able to get it primed today, but haste makes waste.

The first thing I did was attach the CO2 cartridges to either munition cluster. Once the joins were stable, I proceeded to "backfill" the munitions clusters with MS. There is still some final finishing to be done, mostly sanding, but the clusters are effectively done.

In order to ensure as near-perfect alignment as possible, I decided to assemble the major sub- assemblies. In short, I now have a stand-alone chassis--minus the handlebars, tires, and the right munitions cluster. As most of the vehicle is black, painting an essentially assembled model is not a source of major concern: the only tricky part will be painting the left munitions cluster silver, but careful masking and judicious touch-up and weathering should make short work of this.

I can now begin to think about cabling and painting.

Stay tuned. . .

Batpod (Moebius) - Update

While there still remains loads to do, all the subassemblies have been completed (or as complete as my planning will allow), save for the Handlebars Assembly (Step 4). In short, the kit is just about ready to be given the once over, cleaned, primed, re-inspected, and painted.

In spite of all the shortcomings listed to date, this has been a very fun kit to do! And the best is yet to come as they say. If nothing else, it has allowed me to recapture the joys of modelling; and as a secondary benefit, it has been a most enjoyable preview to the 1/18th scale version tbr later this year.

Stay tuned. . .

FOLLOW-UP - 13.08.2012. . . I have just dry-fitted the three major subassemblies, and I must say I'm delighted! Alignment is not--will not be--an issue, though permanent attachment will require care and patience, and most likely will benefit from repeated dry-runs. Finding a way to "lock" the wheels will also help immensely.

The worst is now over. There are multiple prepping sessions ahead of me until the kit is ready for priming, but all in good time. . .

Reference: Batpod Kit Pitfalls to be Avoided

This will be an ongoing list of pitfalls inherent in the kit that frankly should have been caught in the test-shot phase, but apparently were overlooked, or - at worst - disregarded:

• Step 1B -- The hollowed tube on the rt. frame half to which the front chassis connector tube is attached will need to be reduced in length to accommodate the latter--nowhere is this mentioned in the instructions! BUT. . . if you make the front chassis connector tube fit flush against the frame as apparently designed. . . 
• Step 1C -- . . . the shock absorber will not fit correctly: it should be parallel to the frame. You will have to 1) pre-assemble the shock absorber and bracket; 2) remove the locating peg on the bracket; 3) glue the distal end of the shock absorber to its mounting hole on the left side frame brace; and 4) shift the bracket mount laterally towards the left of the locator hole, checking its location by dry-fitting the engine cover. You will then have to fill the exposed locator hole.
• Step 1D -- The lower surfaces of the engine cover are angular, straight edges that begin right where the seam lines are! If you clean the seam lines, you eliminate the distinctive lines of the cover. Proceed with caution. 
• Steps 2 & 3 -- The one-piece wheels have splines that center the tire on the same. The problem is that since the tires are a plasticky vinyl, the splines gouge into the sidewall. Apparently, one is supposed to heat the tires to avoid this (not mentioned in the instructions!); but most on-line discussions recommend removing the splines altogether. I have already done this, but also intend to warm the tires (with hair dryer) before sliding them onto the wheels (nb: 15-30 seconds under a hair dryer set on high works like a charm!).
• Step 2 -- The munitions clusters on either side of the front wheel are hollow cast. Granted, this is relatively insignificant given the size of the tires; but at the right angle, or upon close scrutiny, all the points racked-up by your hard work will vanish in a micro-second! I strongly suggest covering with sheet plastic, or filling with your favorite epoxy putty (I will probably do the latter).
• Step 3B -- The brake pedal. This one doesn't quite make sense--nor does it gibe with the reference photos of the actual vehicle. First of all, the brake pedal should be on the right--if it were an English "bike", OK; but not an American bike. Secondly, all the refshots suggest that this is a textured shim (adjustable?) for the ball of the foot; not an operational component. Finally, the right foot rest is shorter by design. Why? Because the toe "cup" which is the actual brake pedal makes up the balance of the rest's length. I hope that I am right about this as I have already begun the corrections. . .

Check back often as I will add to the list as warranted. . .

Batpod (Moebius)

With the then-forthcoming release of TDKR, Christopher Nolan's third installment in the Batman/Dark Knight trilogy, I finally broke-down and purchased Moebius' 1/25th scale Batpod (no. 920). Announced in 2010 (if I'm not mistaken), and released in Fall 2011, this is a petite gem of a kit!

The operative word here is "petite": this is not a kit for the ham-fisted or impatient. Comprised of 49 pieces (47 injection-molded black polystyrene + 2 vinyl tires) exquisitely cast, there is an abundance of fine detailing and assembly intricacies that will bring to the fore every modelling caveat you have ever heard (e.g., dry-fit to the nth, glue once!)! Having said that, there is no rider: Moebius has announced, but has yet to release, what at one time was a four-figure set that has now been reduced to two, one of them being Batman in a prostrate riding position. Personally, this is neither here nor there for me, as I don't think the figures will be state of the art, and will very likely detract from the model, unless one is willing to to invest a considerable amount of time effectively retro-fitting the figure to the 'pod.

The instructions are indisputably thorough and well-presented; however, successful assembly will require a moderate amount of modelling experience and intuition, to say nothing of extensive dry-fitting--at the very least the Skill Level 3 assigned by the manufacturer. Painting instructions are "light", but fortunately the Web in conjunction with the movies will provide all that you might need.

It is more than acceptably accurate--screen and otherwise. I had the opportunity to see one of the movie 'pods in person during this Summer's "Tumbler Tour", and this compares VERY favorably. Certainly as good as you could hope for the price and scale. In fact, this looks decidedly better than the TBR 1/18th scale version with Selina Kyle! I am hoping that the final production version far outshines the prototypes!!

As a final note, there is ample room for embellishment! Not structurally, but rather points of detail familiar to all vehicle modellers: cabling, wiring, etc. etc.

I am still working my way through sub-assembly 1 (Chassis assembly): I am hoping to have this completed and ready for priming by next weekend. UPDATE - 11.08.2012. . . The chassis assembly has been completed. There are still 3 pieces to be attached but this will wait until the wheel subassemblies are completed and everything can be lined up before glue is applied.

More to follow. . .

PS--While this is little more than wishful thinking at this point, I am hoping that Knight Models releases a Batpod with the consumer's choice of Batman or Selina as the rider. . . AND that they make the figure/s available separately! One can dream. . .