Dude its been like 12 hours. Updates! LOL.

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everybody -
Thanks for all the support & encouragement -- i'm sure you other dio builders know the 'overwhelmingness' of a project in this stage ...



I don't know how far I'll take it. I'm trying to get everything basecoated the same color, or close to it. I'm planning on *at least* dry-brushing the stones grey to try to get everything to tie together, and will probably do *some* detail painting. I do have some bags of dried moss & other craft-supply foliage, but I know that this will get used & played with, and I don't want to be vacuuming up that stuff for the rest of my days!

thanks again!

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So, I had the opportunity to spend some hours on this today while the wife & kids were away, so here's an update!

I call this one "20 Things I Learned Today":

1. I need to organize my fodder better


2. I have more stuff than I will ever use, but ...

3. I'm missing some stuff ... specifically a drop-in turret for The General <off to marketplace after this update>


4. Old plastic is Old.

5. This thing is going to take a *lot* of paint.

6. This thing needs carrying handles, and

7. Interior pieces need to be as free-standing/removable as possible: HEAVY!

8. It's easy to get sidetracked on details

9. One project at a time! and if you, like me, get inspiration for other things, put them in their own seperate box for later

10. it's time to get out the big tools ...

11. Should have taken more reference photos of the original toys, or at least saved their instructions ...


12. never enough horizontal spaces or containers

13. spiders get everywhere

14. don't waste too much time looking for stuff -- there's a good chance you cut it up & used it somewhere else ...

15. or look on the shelf behind you ...

16. keep some figures nearby - it helps when determining how high to place walls, etc.,

17. I need another Castle Greyskull (or at least the side walls) -- more marketplace!!

18. Tin Snips are a vital customizing/diorama tool!

19. hot glue is neither as temporary nor as permanent as I'd like

20. deciding to work on this is a true commitment -- even the tear down for the day takes an hour!

Bonus: rubber mats to stand on are critical to putting in serious time on a garage floor!

ok, a few more photos for today:

I had another idea that I thought would be really cool, but it would require putting in another level ...


so I figured I better assemble what i had to get an idea of how tall this was already



holy crap, this is a toy for a GIANT! ... no more levels...


the true photo for today is this mock external wall -- I used hotglue to hold the pieces in place as i was doing the build up -- it workd well, but it won't hold up to play ... but it aslo was a pain to take down, and when i did, it took some of the hardboard with it (cosmetic) -- I think when I install for real, I will use a combination of hot glue + JB Weld or something (and screws)


i had this old rolling platform from my rock and roll lifestyle days, it works perfectly for moving this around the garage -- i don't want to put the final casters on yet, as i don't want them to get all messed up from the garage floor


finally, this is what it all looks like, put away for the day -- without dumping everything that i've just sorted back into the giant totes, it takes up a LOT of room!

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I am jealous of your garage cabinetry mostly. The project looks great but I got sidetracked with that last pic.

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Small update, and the last one until next weekend (even though i'll take pics along the way)

I got a little bit done between yardwork & family time -- mostly started on the platform wings :


I'm using part of the General, as well as short walls from the old HQ as braces. The main reason I'm posting this update is because it's the first application of "tech detail" in the display!




Here's a photo of the adhesive i'm using:


I used my Japanese saw & a file to notch out for the HQ walls, then put them in with the JB weld:


Then I got distracted while using my grinder, and started this gunner chair:




and also this hat dryer clip for my fan:


anyway, then i gave the platforms a coat of matte silver, to see what they'd look like -- I like them!




As always, critiques & suggestions are welcome!

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Great hat!

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I <3 joemichaels70

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Best hat dryer ever.


Hi JM

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Yahoo for tech detail! So why the addition of the hinge? So the platform wings can swing out?

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thanks everybody!



swing up ....

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I just totally copied him - Without even knowing it!

Here: Maybe this will help - it's noting compared to what you are attempting, but it's an excuse to trot out this old gem...



- R

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This is going to be epic, J.

Very well done so far. I think I like your choice in hats, too.

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not a whole lot to update this weekend - spent my time this week sorting, planning, & drawing ... but I have some:

here's a quick early view of a catwalk for use on the launch level:



Then, rather than glue the landing pad platforms to the outer walls, i decided to make them removable, so I cut the supports out off the TTBP


One of the resulting cuts left me with the winch platform, so I decided to finish them up for use in either the BAT Factory or the Vehicle Level"


Here is a shot of two HQ walls welded together for use on the launch level:


Here is a set of doors, made from cutting an HQ weapons bin cover in half, and then gluing them together to form a door facade:


Here's a hand-held representation of what I hope to be the side of the Launch Level:


Here is the front of the Launch level (bottom half)


Here's some shots of how I've been cutting the HQ pieces to fit:




And here are some photos of how I've been applying some tech detail to cover holes & put some interest onto bare walls:




Finally, here is one shot showing how I cut the plastic for a play feature 'sliding blast door' -- this will be expanded upon in a future update --

thanks for viewing, and of course, any suggestions or critiques are greatly appreciated!

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I really like the HQ weapons storage cover as a blast door. That was really cool and something I'm going to steal one day for sure.

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I am as much impressed as I am in awe of the scope.

Hi JM indeed.

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