Catwoman and 'Pod -- The End

Always follow your instincts. . .

Back in August, in my review of the larger Pod's smaller predecessor, I mentioned that the 1/25th scale version "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!!"

Sadly, it did not. By way of recap, not only were all the pitfalls found in the original 1/25th scale kit still present, but. . . 

• sink marks and "soft" details are much more prevalent on this kit.
• the tires came with dimpled sink marks on one side; and on one of them, the polyvinyl was "blistered" on the defective side, while on the other, the bead was deformed.
• the instructions had numerous errors--more than on the 1/25th!
• and, finally, as I pointed out in my initial review, "the figure [is] beautifully cast in resin; but if you expect to build it straight OOB, then think again. Don't get me wrong: the fit is near-perfect, and the castings near-flawless, BUT. . . this is not a particularly well-designed, sculpted, or detailed miniature--think Marx toys, [early Elastolin,] or low/mid-end polystyrene. In fact, unless you are willing to invest a considerable amount of time, research, and effort, it would be best to forget about Selina and enjoy the Pod as a stand-alone model." I left out the laundry list of required correc- tions in my initial review, planning to address these as they came up in the build; but alas, that will now not come to pass.

I provisionally mounted Selina to the Pod to see how the "handlebars" lined-up given that I had modified a boot. My boot modification was seamless: no alteration of the original fit whatsoever! And herein lies the rub: the original fit. Or rather, the original design of the grips: the hands are not protected at all and half the forearm is exposed!!! This was the proverbial straw.

I have not filed this in the circular file cabinet, as I might be sufficiently demented one day to attempt to make it right acceptably better--it would take more time and effort than it's worth to make it right. But they--both of them--have been removed from the bench. And for the time being, that means: out of sight, out of mind. Or at least I hope so. . .

Catwoman and 'Pod (3a) - Selina + "Handlebars"

The modelling portion of the project is definitely fast-coming to an end: I have just completed the "handlebar" [x2] assemblies (Step 5) (more at tillers).

That was the easy part. The respective pieces were assembled with a light application of glue as I strongly suspect there will be some repositioning involved once it comes time to mate the rider and handlebars to the bike itself. Fortunately, the plastic used is somewhat resistant to the "welding" effect of Testor's Liquid cement and areas of slight contact can be easily loosened. Trust me, I know whereof I speak. . .

More to follow. . .

Catwoman and 'Pod (3) - Selina

I have been working on Selina all along, time and circumstances permitting. Now the time has come to begin focusing on what will be the "centrepiece" of this vignette.

By way of recap, to-date I have:

• Permanently assembled the legs to the torso.
• Reworked the neck join to allow for a stand-alone head-neck unit.
• All-but-completed the "conversion" ("the stock, short 'kitten'-heeled boots must be converted to the serrated stiletto-heeled, platform 'kinky boots' of the character..." ) of the left boot.

To the above I can now add:

• All-but-completed the reanimation of the legs and fitting of the body to the Pod.

Both legs must be reanimated at the knees as well as the ankles. This is a tedious process given the inherent variability of fit of the various kit parts/subassemblies involved. Patience, commitment, and resiliency will be essential.

By way of "spoilers" to what lies ahead, I will mention that to maximize fit of the body to the Pod, I will have to add the omitted high-density foam inserts to the knee rests, as well as tweak the seat. But all in good time. . .

Stay tuned!

Catwoman and 'Pod (2)

With the arrival of a usable tire, it was time to forge on. . .  My first step was to knock out the Front (Step 2 - including the back-filling of both munitions clusters, this done with Aves) and Rear (Step 3 - save for the rear break pedal) Wheel Assemblies.

The question now is: how far do I want to go to detail the "off" sides of the munitions clusters? While I was inclined to proceed with sheet plastic enhancements, careful assessment dictated otherwise: all the additional work will be essentially unseen. The model has limitations; and with that in mind, one must work within the limits of what has been provided lest we stand guilty of attempting to make a silk purse from a sow's ear. The time can be much better spent detailing the visible/exposed portions of the clusters, and perfecting the fit (e.g., flash suppressors) and finish.

More to follow. . .

Catwoman and 'Pod (1c) - KUDOS to Moebius!!!

I heard back from Moebius yesterday, as expected, and accepting the given (. . . "if I sent you a new set they would look exactly the same. . . "), however reluctantly, I am delighted with their response and evinced concern for the customer: to paraphrase, they are going to open kits to find the best tire with a non-distorted bead.  

Obviously, the questions remain: Why wasn't this noticed in the test shots? (Was it evident in the test shots?) Why wasn't this addressed sooner?? If the tires were too large to adequately cast in polyvinyl, why weren't they cast as a unit with the wheels in resin??? Etc. . . .

Be that as it may, in anticipation of the receipt of a usable tire, I have begun reworking the boots. To date, I have pegged the lower legs (paper-clip wire), bisected the lower left leg at the ankle, and repositioned the foot. Next will come the stiletto and the platform. . . Once I get one boot more or less done, I will post images of before (right foot)/after (left).

Stay tuned!

FOLLOW-UP. . . By way of a follow-up--and closure--the replacement tire arrived today. Yes, it still has the release dimples, BUT the seat of bead to rim is PERFECT!

My only remaining question is: Why hasn't this issue surfaced on the forums?  

PS - The Chassis Assembly (Step 1, A-G) is now complete!

Catwoman and 'Pod (1b)

I heard back from Moebius Friday afternoon. . .

"Unfortunately the dimples you see are from the molding process, if I sent you a new set they would look exactly the same. We try our best to put out a perfect product but due to the complexity of our tooling and manufacturing processes, sometimes these things occur and sadly we cannot always correct the issue in time. I will forward this email to our designers to see if there is something that can be done to correct this with future runs. Sorry for the inconvenience."

While this raises any number of questions, etc., I responded that evening and hopefully will hear back from them sometime tomorrow.

In the meantime, I have permanently attached the knee-rest subassembly, and tentatively fitted Selina to the 'pod. I also began reworking the neck join on Selina so that the head is a complete stand-alone piece: OOB, half her neck was part of the head, with the bottom half attached to the torso. . . not the best engineering to effect a seamless neck-join! Needless to say, the position- ing of the head can/will now be optimized to give the figure a more natural, dynamic look.

As soon as I hear from Moebius, I will post their response--and my decision whether to continue with the 1/18th 'pod; or scrap it and convert Selina into a stand-alone (literally!) 90mm figure.

More to follow. . .

Catwoman and 'Pod (1a)

First of all. . . a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year to the readership! 

Things are finally beginning to normalize after a brutal year-end at work, and while I am stilI a few days away from returning to the bench, my mind can once again begin to think of things not involving numbers and wonky software. . .

First up, the 1/18th scale Bat Pod. As much as I tried to rationalize the defective tires, there is simply no way I could--would!--invest the time and effort to detail the kit and "upgrade" the figure, only to have the illusion shattered by obviously factory-defective tires!


I have reached out to Moebius to see if they will provide a replacement set. . .

On a more positive note, I have assembled the legs to the torso of Selina, and have begun to plot out the rework of the boots.

More to follow. . .

Catwoman and 'Pod (1)

Initial assembly has begun if for no other reason that the Bat Pod must be essentially completed before any real work can begin on Selina. The Chassis (Frame) subassembly is all-but-done, and I have begun prepping pieces for the "wheel" subassemblies.

So far, so good. While all of the pitfalls found in the original 1/25th scale kit are still present to a greater or lesser degree, the larger size makes them easier to negotiate and address. On the flip side,

• sink marks and "soft" details are much more prevalent on this kit (read: my sample), and these will annoyingly impede progress. 
• the tires, at least in my sample, came with dimpled sink marks on one side; and on one of them, the polyvinyl was "blistered" on the defective side.

Once the rear wheel subassembly is "functional", I can begin to work on Selina. The main focus will be the boots: the stock, short "kitten"-heeled boots must be converted to the serrated stilet- to-heeled, platform "kinky boots" of the character. . .

Stay tuned. . .

Notable Acquisitions December 2012

What with the port strike in LA, the Holidays, etc., I really didn't expect to have an entry for December, but I was pleasantly surprised today. . .

KITS
Moebius Models Catwoman and Bat Pod (1/18th scale, Jeff Yagher(?) and ???)

By way of a quick review, the Pod is little more than an up-scaled version--albeit moderately better detailed: a dozen or so additional pieces (e.g., separate engine)--of the original, 1/25th scale offering. It is still a relatively petite--and I imagine, delicate--model, but much easier to "work" given the larger size.

As to the figure, beautifully cast in resin; but if you expect to build it straight OOB, then think again. Don't get me wrong: the fit is near-perfect, and the castings near-flawless, BUT. . . this is not a particularly well-designed, sculpted, or detailed miniature--think Marx toys, or low-mid end polystyrene. In fact, unless you are willing to invest a considerable amount of time, research, and effort, it would be best to forget about Selina and enjoy the Pod as a stand-alone model. Me? I enjoy a challenge, and I am looking forward to spending a lot of time getting Catwoman to slinky purr-fection. The research is essentially done, and with 3-5 more viewings of the movie, I should be ready to break out the burrs and putty. . .