SDD Heavy Combat Armor

Being obsessed with the beefy style robots of the 80's has really influenced the building theory applied to many of the vinyl creations that pop up on this blog. There is something about a slight SD (Super Deformed) look that just appeals to me. I still love the hard edged, more real looking mechanical marvels out there, but in the end I always play with the beefballs the most. That kind of reads gross, doesn't it.

A personal challenge for this round of vinyl (outside of the base and saucer) was to create a build that used only the Wedges and Switch Pins that was big and solid. The "solid" aspect always proves to be the main obstacle when going very large with a build (vinyl or PVC), so the structure on the SDD Heavy Combat Armor shown above had to be extremely sturdy. After a number of experiments, a "dual" upper leg assembly formed and that really gave the rest of the build a strong foundation to stack on. The arm cannons have some good movement, and the multiple opposing angles help to keep their positions without the dreaded "droop" factor setting in. The thruster pack on its back can fold out into a set of small wings that can also get some fun positions. The central area has a strange assembly, as the parts are pushed through each other in a curved letter "C" style that locks into itself. Kind of tough to accurately describe it, but the result is a very tight and solid fit.

The complete build stands nearly 10 inches tall and weighs about 3 lbs! There are just under 60 Tri Hub Wedges and roughly 100 Switch Pins used in the construction. It feels like a big brick and is not fidgety or loose. It can also stand and not fall over after 30 seconds, which was the biggest hurdle.

I'm feeling very tempted to paint it up. What do you guys think? Paint or no paint? Maybe I'll leave some clear parts and use some dye to give it an extra real "Real Type" vibe.

 The above pic was shot under the kitchen light featuring an alternate central "head" assembly. The look of the parts really changes depending on the light source, which is something I've come to truly love about the tinted and colorless plastics. In general they have a slightly unpredictable quality that's pretty fun to explore.