Sunday 14 December 2014

Tyrannocyte transformer

Ok, its not actually as good as a Transformer but I finally figured out how to make the carapace open and close without using a bajillion magnets.  And it does transform into a Sporocyst. However, I forgot to take a picture so you'll just have to trust me when I say that I didn't glue its bottom on.


I started without building the kit.  When I attempted this last time, it was just too fiddly and difficult to cut holes in the body after it was glued together.  This time, I cut 'half' a hole into one of the 5 upper body pieces and used it as a template for all the others.  The hole is actually quite a bit higher than the joint that the arm should fit into.


I glued the 'arms' into the carapaces for stability and made sure that they would slide through the hole at the correct angle


Then the kit was put together.  I drilled into the bottom section of the arm and embedded a 5 x 1 mm rare earth magnet into it.  The opposing magnet was embedded into the body.  This allows the carapace pieces to be placed in the 'open' configuration.


However, I also needed to make the carapaces fix in place when they are 'closed'.  So I made a cylinder out of old sprues and glued it inside the body.  I added more magnets on more bits of sprue to get the carapace arms to click into place.


And it's done!  With a grand total of fifteen magnets.  I have now run out of magnets.

1 comment:

  1. I didn't doubt that you'd figure this out on your second go.

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