Return of the HOVER BIKE project!

Well, it only took four years to get going on my HOVER BIKE project. I started talking about it in 2013 - http://onesixgo.blogspot.com/2013/02/new-project-hover-bike.html 

I broke out the project box and started going through all the parts I had collected for the project. I also do a lot of model railroad related projects (( http://n-rail.blogspot.com/ )) and the time has been spent mostly on that side of the fence.   But, I plan on slipping some time in around the edges for this project this summer.

I still have the BluBox Cygirl figure to use for this. She's always been one of my favorites. That's why she's still around while many of her compatriots have been sold off to fund IRON MAN and BATMAN Hot Toys purchases! hehehe

 

I also purchased a fantastic, die cast OVERWATCH gun for her to use. I love the look of it! It's very SCI FI.

Shout out to GIANT TOY SHOP on eBay! Great service and selection.
http://stores.ebay.com/justuffcn/

THE PARTS

I have a good start on the items I want to use on this project. I have some bits purchased from a hardware store, some parts from old model projects, and some cool light options for the piece.

The bike itself will make a fantastic base. I like the curves of it and, once the wheels come off, I'm sur it will look very sci fi and slick.

I think my CyGirl figure will have ol' Red as a mechanic. I'll get some cool tech gear for her to sport.

I'm going for an AKIRA / GHOST IN THE SHELL feel. Katsuhiro Otomo's real word style and the great Masamune Shirow's science fiction goodness is an inspiration for sure. I'll look to these genius artists for inspiration along the way.


GO!

The bike itself will be easy to customize.

I started by unscrewing some key screws and taking off the wheels.

Once the wheels were off, it already took on a futuristic look.

I was sitting there looking at the wheels and thought they might make a fantastic hover engine solution instead of the small, white pipes I had purchased from the hardware store. They look like they would be big enough to support a bike and rider. I'm going to drop lights into them and cover the wheels with styrene or opaque plastic to give the hover glow I want for the piece.

I was on a roll, so I thought I might as well do the base coat of paint to see how it was going to look painted. I was originally going o try to keep some of the original paint, but I'll reintroduce the color later if I still want it.

The post-paint look was inspiring. :) I really dig where it's going so far!

So, this becomes a time management puzzle now. I want to work on this piece, but I'm also looking at completely tearing out my train layout and re-doing it. I think I may work on this during the summer, then I'll start up my revamp of the model rail layout closer to the fall. We'll see.

I've been watching some spaceship building videos on YouTube and they have been super helpful in how I'm thinking through this project. Th steps are the same and the mindset is spot on. Build up the base item, add smaller details, and paint to taste. :)

The TerryOh Studios work has really gotten me into the kitbash frame of mind.

I want to continue the efforts and emulate some of what he is kicking out. I'll post other inspiration artists later.

ONWARD AND UPWARD! Check back for updates!

Cheers!