Hi everyone, today I'm sharing with you my self-modeled and printed Sladegelmir | スレードゲルミル.
Without further ado, here's a picture:
(Full video at the end of the article)
The Zankantou of the Sladegelmir from Super Robot Wars Alpha Gaiden, even after more than twenty years, still remains one of the best animated sequences in my mind.
Therefore, this time I decided, based on my own imagination of a properly proportioned Sladegelmir, to DIY one and attempt to recreate a stop-motion animation of the Zankantou.
Unlike previous projects, this time the 3D model's views are not intended to be a direct copy of commercially available versions; the detailed settings had to be done by myself.
A tall building starts from the ground; I tried to materialize the vague shape in my mind. Unfortunately, I was willing but unable in terms of drawing. Fortunately, with the internet being so developed now, after cramming some human figure sketching techniques, I repeatedly tried again.
After much effort, I finally managed to draw the Sladegelmir as I imagined it... I suddenly felt my drawing skills had improved (hey!)
Next was modeling according to the blueprints. Compared to the planning and design of the blueprints, modeling was relatively simpler; it felt like a midterm exam for proficiency.
The entire modeling process was roughly like this: low-poly model to capture the overall shape > refining model details > splitting into parts according to printing requirements. In terms of time, I personally felt that modeling took about 50% of the time, and part splitting/adjustment took 50%.
Here are a few progress photos:
Initial stage
Low-poly model complete
High-poly model & part splitting
After modeling was complete, I started test printing. This step involved adjusting various printing issues (tightness of joints, part verification, ease of printing, etc.), as well as verifying the overall proportions.
Since the printed material (PLA) is not as hard as ABS or soft plastic parts used in regular models, the joints wear out quickly; so this time, all joint parts use a star gear structure to increase durability.
Joint interference verification, checking if the joints can properly achieve the intended rotation and fixation:
And finally, it's complete! Since this character was primarily made for stop-motion animation, I spent a considerable amount of time on filming.
Stop-motion video:
Making-of video:
Thanks for watching.