Aliens Remote Sentry Guns Headcount...

[JediMike71]

Any news update on this project?

I am still "in" for one of these...

 

[Mudshark]

There's an update comin' buddy, still working like crazy to replace all the data files and pics I lost. Hang in there, Marine.

 

[JediMike71]

Gotcha "sarge"!

I"ll "stay frosty"!

 

[DBoz]

Hey ya! I haven't been around this board a lot lately, but I am still keeping track of this project and am still in on making the decals. Just need scale drawings/measurements so I can make them the correct size.

 

[Mudshark]

Hey ya! I haven't been around this board a lot lately, but I am still keeping track of this project and am still in on making the decals. Just need scale drawings/measurements so I can make them the correct size.

Great to hear from ya, DBoz! I've also been absentee on the boards for quite a while. Work has sucked up a lot of my time and energy this past year, but I'm still hacking away on these drawings every chance I get. Should have a substantial update for everyone in near future.

Btw, the scale drawings & measurements I've prepared should provide you with everything you'll need to make a complete set of perfectly-scaled, SA decals for the RSGs. I'm really looking forward to seeing how they turn out, once we get beyond this painfully time-consuming preproduction stage.

 

[pjam]

GO MUDSHARK, GO!

Great update, Boys!

 

[Mudshark]

Thanks for the support, P!

"Okay.... I'm ON it!"

Just wanted to let you all know I'm here and still working like mad to get caught up on everything. After coming back and seeing how messed up things have gotten for some of the other artists on the board (with all the flaming, etc.) I truly appreciate how patient you all have been these past couple of years already!

One difference may be that I haven't asked for any payment for my work, in fact I've spent a considerable amount of my own $ on this project for supplies already, (not to mention all the labor I've put into it so far)... but that isn't to say I don't "feel the heat" any less than the guys on the board doing this kind of work for a living, who have fallen behind on their projects!

Our situations may be different, but I absolutely understand how they feel, and I really hate having to keep people waiting for these drawings to get finished to my own and, especially "El-Tee" Portman's, complete satisfaction... Rest assured, they WILL be when I'm done.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know I'm doing the best I can with the available time I have, that the drawings are looking ever better, and that I'll post that update I promised you all just as soon as I possibly can!

In the meantime, "Stay frosty, Marines!"

 

[JediMike71]

Thanks Mudshark! I, and everyone else associated with this project appreciates all of your efforts! I am definitely still "IN" for one sentry gun to go with my Hot Toys ALIENS marines collection!

 

[JediMike71]

Here's my BUMP for this thread for the new year!

Any news lately Mudshark? Please let me, and the rest involved in this project know about it.

Thanks! We appreciate it!

 

[abake]

Sadly, I don't think I care either way anymore.
Still, it'd be nice if this ever actually got to fruition.

 

[Mudshark]

*IN MEMORIAM*

Chris Chulamanis - "FNG"
Aug. 16, 1949 - Jan. 10, 2008

 

[p!tu]

i woudnt consider Chris and FNG more of a Veteran.

 

[pjam]

Thanks, Mudshark. An important reminder about who helped us launch this project.

Btw, I think we could all use an update, Bro.

 

[Mudshark]

i woudnt consider Chris and FNG more of a Veteran.

You're absolutely right, bro. Chris was a veteran. I believe he served in the Vietnam War as a US Army hardhat salvage diver, no less. (Kind of an unusual job for an Army grunt!) Anyway, "FNG" was his US Colonial Marines callsign, which he picked himself. According to Chris, it stood for "Funny New Guy". The man definitely had a great sense of humor to go with his sense of humility.

Thanks, Mudshark. An important reminder about who helped us launch this project.

Btw, I think we could all use an update, Bro.

It's only fitting that we remember Chris here on the day of his passing. I am constantly reminded of Chris whenever I work on the drawings or think about finishing my squad of CMs. So in a way Chris is still very much a part of this project, and his inspiration lives on.

I see that my last update was back in October... hard to believe so much time has passed already, and so quickly. Work has taken up a lot of time and left me with very little remaining for family and personal stuff the past few months. Anyway, here's a current progress report on where the drawings stand at the moment:

Sentry Gun Mech Drawings Update:
The sentry gun proper, that is, the upper gun body and all fixtures on it (except for the elusive sensor array on top) are complete. That includes:

1. Multiple 1:6 scaled views & 200% enlargements of the gun, with an additional set of cross-sectional structural diagrams.

2. All of the small external details have been accurately rendered, including the locations of the armored plates and bolt heads, the power coupling panel, and the small IR sensor on the upper forward housing on the gun. Many of these required enlarged, more detailed drawings (per Lt. Portman's request), as they are very finely detailed and were too small to draw clearly and precisely enough in 1:6 scale. (Note: This required a considerable amount of time repeatedly viewing the DVD, taking screen caps, making sketches, working out all the correctly scaled measurements, and then adding the final details to the existing drawings. Whew!)

3. I've worked out a couple of ideas for the articulation mechanism that I have yet to discuss with Lt. Portman. The SU sentries could swivel left and right, but did not actually raise up and down, as the hardware fixtures below the guns suggested. (The gun's were welded in place and the actuators were only there for show, apparently). We want to make our sentry guns fully functional, and that requires some re-engineering for the model, while keeping the visual appearance of the gun as SA as possible.

4. The gun mount, downtube & hydraulic fixtures, and tripod legs have been sketched out but are still WIP. Same-same with the Gridcase computer and power unit, which Stendec was going to do. I had no idea I'd be doing this by myself and I could really use his help now!!! I'm sure we'd be a lot farther along, if not finished already, if he were here to lend a hand. Anyways, I'm still totally committed to doing my best on this project, no matter what.

5. Lastly, I haven't been in touch with Lt. Portman for many months, but I assume she's keeping busy with other projects, and is just waiting for me to send her something to start on. The only thing holding that up is my needing to add notations of all the actual measurements to some of the finished drawings, which I am in the process of doing at the moment.

Once I get that packet of material sent off to her, I can get busy on the other parts of the gun I mentioned. I hope this gives you all something to keep your hopes and expectations alive. As always, your continued support is appreciated more than you know!

 

[pjam]

Quite an impressive Update Mudshark. And many thanks for all that work, Chris would have been proud if I may say so. We emailed each other and talked about this project with umitigated passion. He even recommended that we make Kit Boxes with Graphics.

I don't know if everyone is aware of this but we Will be commemorating these kits with Chris initials. I wish I knew what page on this thread I could refer to where we discussed this but it was also disussed with Lt Portman and decided. And she came up with a great idea. More on that when we get there.

God Bless our Friend and Squad Leader Chris.

 

[JediMike71]

I had the great opportunity to speak to Chris in a few e-mails, and also buy some of his great products before his passing. He seemed very nice, and very helpful. He enjoyed my enthusiasm for this hobby, and for ALIENS that we shared in interest with each other. I whole-heartedly agree that this project SHOULD be dedicated to him!

I can't wait to get my own 1/6 scale remote sentry gun kit someday soon! Keep up the great work Mudshark! I wish that there was something I could do to help you out. Thanks again for the nice update.

 

[Mudshark]

Thanks for all the positive comments, guys. It really makes a big difference to me knowing that there are people who are as passionate about this as I am. I also communicated with Chris in numerous emails (which I still have, btw), and he was always very helpful and happy to discuss the ideas I had for detailing my figures or anything else Aliens-related. I dearly wish we'd had a chance to meet in person.

The idea of making a box with graphics, along with a detailed, illustrated booklet including assembly and painting instructions is something I've been thinking of since I began working on this project. The USCM armor kits Chris sold on his EVA site came with really excellent instruction booklets written by Chris himself, and I believe our sentry gun kit should get the same treatment. When we get to that stage, I'd be happy to lend a hand with the illustrations and anything else needed to make that happen.

 

[abake]

Great to hear about progress in this project, it's one of the first projects started by this community AFAIK.

 

[DBoz]

Even though I don't post here that much, I have been keeping up with this project, and unlike some, I have never lost faith in it. Yes, it has taken quite a while, but that is the way of things sometimes. I still believe that this will be worth the wait. Thanks for the updates.

 

[pjam]

Even though I don't post here that much, I have been keeping up with this project, and unlike some, I have never lost faith in it. Yes, it has taken quite a while, but that is the way of things sometimes. I still believe that this will be worth the wait. Thanks for the updates.

For the Record, I would just like to say

DBoz Rocks!