Titan Materials

[MattCrawford]

So I've been working on a Titan recently, with the basic steps going off really well. I spent plenty of time getting a feel for size and proportion through the plethora of photos others have posted (mostly through dakkadakka.com but also here), and eventually my efforts were rewarded with one BIG skeleton made out of PVC piping and the basic shape of the Titan.

 

Here's my problem:

 

The PVC pipe for the skeleton worked out really well, and I think it should be able to support the weight up top. To build the chassis of the Titan, I looked about for something sturdy, lightweight, and easy to cut. Imagine my luck when election time rolled around for Montreal and I managed to snag a bunch of those posters (I never did like Louise Harel anyways ;))

 

The material is everything I asked for, except on two very important counts:

 

1) It has a kind of ribbed texture, and when I tested the spraypaint I bought on it (Krylon black), it looked rather terrible.

2) The material itself doesn't lend to bending well. If I try to make anything curved, it just tends to fold instead.

 

So I'm looking for something like the poster material, but that responds better to bending and doesn't look like :P when it's painted. Any thoughts?

[Ail'Slath'Sleresh]

What kind of titan are you building?

[MattCrawford]

Emperor Class titan, with some Khornate adjustments

[Ail'Slath'Sleresh]

Well I've seen people build warlord titans using foam core that you should be able to find at stores like mIchaels. They then glue plastic card(styrene) in cut panels to hide the seams and decorate the model with rivets and other stuff like tubing. First try to get plans for the model the way you'd like it then you could use materials to your liking. Good luck with this project bud! It is a big undertaking and it would be awesome to see it done well!!!

[CarbonCopy]

It sounds like you are using corrugated plastic (looks like corrugated card board, only made from plastic).

 

My advice: you are wasting your time -- throw it out.

 

The one mistake most titan builders make is using foam core. Yes, it's relatively stiff. But it does not bend or fold easily (without scoring with a VERY sharp knife). You also need to carefully seal exposed foam edges before painting as foam melts when exposed to most spray solvents. Cyanoacrylate (super glue) also melts it like crazy -- even THROUGH the paper/card backing.

 

You want to use polystyrene sheet exclusively, often referred to as "plasticard" on these forums. You should be able to find loads of it for super-cheap at your local hardware store as yard signage, like "beware of dog" and "no parking" for just a dollar or two.

[Hemal]

the alternative is to build an armature out of copper tubing if you have access to a soldering iron or blow-torch, as then you get a really tough, strong, core on which to hang plasticard, carboard, plastic and wood components. Its really easy to put together a metal armature as long as you can cut things to the right size, and it will be sturdier than other stuff.

[MattCrawford]

It sounds like you are using corrugated plastic (looks like corrugated card board, only made from plastic).

 

My advice: you are wasting your time -- throw it out.

 

The one mistake most titan builders make is using foam core. Yes, it's relatively stiff. But it does not bend or fold easily (without scoring with a VERY sharp knife). You also need to carefully seal exposed foam edges before painting as foam melts when exposed to most spray solvents. Cyanoacrylate (super glue) also melts it like crazy -- even THROUGH the paper/card backing.

 

You want to use polystyrene sheet exclusively, often referred to as "plasticard" on these forums. You should be able to find loads of it for super-cheap at your local hardware store as yard signage, like "beware of dog" and "no parking" for just a dollar or two.

 

Thanks! I was aware of plasticard, but was never able to find it in large enough quantities - never thought about the signage.