Building the Beast - Yamaha YZR-M1
Discussion
Ok, I've cut my teeth enough
My previous effort was a success (a few niggles aside), and I'm happy to start a monster project.
So - onto this animal.
It is printed out, on 34 sheets of A4 for the bike - the rider is a possibility, he's another 5 sheets.
The base however, is another 284 sheets of A4. I think i'll skip that.
I don't think i'll be using much sticky tape.
Stage 1 - complete the front fairing. What the instructions and the website failt to prepare you for is the scale of this behemoth. The fairing alone is 10cm along, and about the same high. Quick finger-sums lead me to think the entire model will be appx 30cm long, and 20 high - possibly larger.
The front fairing is a double skin, with a carbon coloured inside that sticks in once the structure is complete.
The instructions are at once excellent and annoying. They show you how each completed part connects to the next, and have a couple of front/back photos of the completed section - but, they don't show how each individual part is put together.
This is part of the front suspension (it actually goes together pretty easily), however, there were a couple of pieces that are a little unclear on their actual construction.
Having dotted black fold lines on a black carbon fibre textured part isn't particularly conducive either. Maybe extending the fold lines out a few mm on either side of the scrap card would help.
I think the card I'm using may be a touch too thick, as when you're trying to make a front-fork tube that is 7mm in diameter, the card has a tendency to crease rather than roll.
Updates on this one will be a little slower due to the scale and detail - the part above took 20 mins to cut out.
My previous effort was a success (a few niggles aside), and I'm happy to start a monster project.
So - onto this animal.
It is printed out, on 34 sheets of A4 for the bike - the rider is a possibility, he's another 5 sheets.
The base however, is another 284 sheets of A4. I think i'll skip that.
I don't think i'll be using much sticky tape.
Stage 1 - complete the front fairing. What the instructions and the website failt to prepare you for is the scale of this behemoth. The fairing alone is 10cm along, and about the same high. Quick finger-sums lead me to think the entire model will be appx 30cm long, and 20 high - possibly larger.
The front fairing is a double skin, with a carbon coloured inside that sticks in once the structure is complete.
The instructions are at once excellent and annoying. They show you how each completed part connects to the next, and have a couple of front/back photos of the completed section - but, they don't show how each individual part is put together.
This is part of the front suspension (it actually goes together pretty easily), however, there were a couple of pieces that are a little unclear on their actual construction.
Having dotted black fold lines on a black carbon fibre textured part isn't particularly conducive either. Maybe extending the fold lines out a few mm on either side of the scrap card would help.
I think the card I'm using may be a touch too thick, as when you're trying to make a front-fork tube that is 7mm in diameter, the card has a tendency to crease rather than roll.
Updates on this one will be a little slower due to the scale and detail - the part above took 20 mins to cut out.
smallish update - I'll be honest, I'm not sure if I'm going to continue with this model.
At the scale it is made, there is too much fiddly detail that is next to impossible to fold (at least within my medelling skillset)
Having a 1mm wide "side" with a 5mm tab attached to it is awkward to work with at best, and tiresome at worst.
The lack of folding instructions per item is annoying me and i'm just not managing a level of finesse I'm happy with - it may be that the card i'm using is a tad too thick.
Upper suspension/steering.
23 parts. a week of gnashing of teeth. hex handlebars are 5mm across, and entire thing is appx 100mm tall.
still 13 parts left to complete the front forks.
I'm going to complete the forks, and front fender, as I've already printed the parts onto card - then I'm going to review the rest of the instructions. If there are a lot of tubular sections to be completed, I think I will look for another project as I'm just not feeling this one.
I have this in the "to-do" bin, along with a pretty nice looking E-type.
After watching the Guy Martin Spitfire Doc, I'm thinking I might move in a more aeronautical direction
At the scale it is made, there is too much fiddly detail that is next to impossible to fold (at least within my medelling skillset)
Having a 1mm wide "side" with a 5mm tab attached to it is awkward to work with at best, and tiresome at worst.
The lack of folding instructions per item is annoying me and i'm just not managing a level of finesse I'm happy with - it may be that the card i'm using is a tad too thick.
Upper suspension/steering.
23 parts. a week of gnashing of teeth. hex handlebars are 5mm across, and entire thing is appx 100mm tall.
still 13 parts left to complete the front forks.
I'm going to complete the forks, and front fender, as I've already printed the parts onto card - then I'm going to review the rest of the instructions. If there are a lot of tubular sections to be completed, I think I will look for another project as I'm just not feeling this one.
I have this in the "to-do" bin, along with a pretty nice looking E-type.
After watching the Guy Martin Spitfire Doc, I'm thinking I might move in a more aeronautical direction
shortar53 said:
If there are a lot of tubular sections to be completed...
I'm astonished that you've managed to engineer all that just out of card/paper!Far be it for me to teach you to suck eggs, but have you tried using something like the shafts of a set of jeweler's screwdrivers to form the tubular sections?
I'm no modeler, but I looked at the fork stanchions there and thought I'd be trying to form those around something hard and narrow.
Seriously awesome work there, I'm amazed by the brake and clutch levers!
It does look like some parts need to be printed on a thicker/thinner material to get the right effect.
Keep at it for a little longer - I'd love to see this get completed.
ETA What are people's thoughts on steaming the paper/card slightly to soften it in order to form the complex shapes?
Edited by TheExcession on Wednesday 22 October 15:02
Ex has some decent ideas in there
And one not so good
If I tried to steam a printed sheet off my inkjet I'd have runny printing on the paper
Thinner paper for some, thicker for others looks to be about right, try 70GSM and 90GSM for a starter
Do the 'tubes' need to be hexagonal or this a limitation of the building materials?
Mind you, nice Spitfire
temptation comes with elliptical wings
And one not so good
If I tried to steam a printed sheet off my inkjet I'd have runny printing on the paper
Thinner paper for some, thicker for others looks to be about right, try 70GSM and 90GSM for a starter
Do the 'tubes' need to be hexagonal or this a limitation of the building materials?
Mind you, nice Spitfire
temptation comes with elliptical wings
perdu said:
If I tried to steam a printed sheet off my inkjet I'd have runny printing on the paper
I did say steam 'slightly', we're not talking full on Swedish sauna here. I was merely wondering if one could get it a little warm and moist, then perhaps it could be shaped around something stiff and hard with little or no bleeding?
(Must investigate )
Thanks guys.. you may have persuaded me to continue
the fork stanchions were formed in two stages, first bent round a marker pen (about 1" dia) to get them bending, then a pen of the right diameter for the tube. no matter what I did, the paper creased. maybe they needed to be on thinner paper to roll - that's something to try, it may be strong enough to not buckle- then I'll need to separate the handlebars and reattach to the new tubes. luckily the crossmembers are not glued yet.
Steaming wouldn't work - i have to try and keep the card dryish otherwise it delaminates and the ink runs - even with just a little much PVA
the hex sections are part of the design - the holes they pass through are hex shaped, as are the end pieces. to be honest, they're not too bad. Fold along a metal ruler after scoring, and pass a toothpick through the middle to press down on till the glue bites.
the levers are flat - but double thickness card
the fork stanchions were formed in two stages, first bent round a marker pen (about 1" dia) to get them bending, then a pen of the right diameter for the tube. no matter what I did, the paper creased. maybe they needed to be on thinner paper to roll - that's something to try, it may be strong enough to not buckle- then I'll need to separate the handlebars and reattach to the new tubes. luckily the crossmembers are not glued yet.
Steaming wouldn't work - i have to try and keep the card dryish otherwise it delaminates and the ink runs - even with just a little much PVA
the hex sections are part of the design - the holes they pass through are hex shaped, as are the end pieces. to be honest, they're not too bad. Fold along a metal ruler after scoring, and pass a toothpick through the middle to press down on till the glue bites.
the levers are flat - but double thickness card
Success! audio only teleconferences rule
I reprinted pages 5 & 6 on regular paper.
They rolled so much more smoothly that I think I'll continue on with the model, using thinner paper when and where it's needed such as the exhausts. The fairings have an inner skin which I'll also use thin paper for, whilst retaining the stronger outer section.
I'm going to complete things slightly out of sequence, as the design is very modular, so once I've completed the lower section, which is pretty straight forward, i'm going to move onto the engine as it's a nice tangible chunk.
I reprinted pages 5 & 6 on regular paper.
They rolled so much more smoothly that I think I'll continue on with the model, using thinner paper when and where it's needed such as the exhausts. The fairings have an inner skin which I'll also use thin paper for, whilst retaining the stronger outer section.
I'm going to complete things slightly out of sequence, as the design is very modular, so once I've completed the lower section, which is pretty straight forward, i'm going to move onto the engine as it's a nice tangible chunk.
Current state of affairs - front fender to build before starting on the engine block next week.
Front forks and steering completed.
picture taken on A4 cutting mat for scale.
as an aside, the youngest decided Dad needed a present in his lunchbox... nestled next to my sandwiches this morning was this!
Front forks and steering completed.
picture taken on A4 cutting mat for scale.
as an aside, the youngest decided Dad needed a present in his lunchbox... nestled next to my sandwiches this morning was this!
bit of dead time this afternoon - the front fender went together surprisingly easily.
the bracket however, was wonky as hell. Yamaha admitted there was a mistake in the kit, and even with the amended instructions and parts, the instructions are unclear, and I ended up trying to mount the fender to the inside of the forks, whereas they're supposed to be mounted from the outside
Front forks completed
Next up? The engine. a nice simple (!!) set of boxes
the bracket however, was wonky as hell. Yamaha admitted there was a mistake in the kit, and even with the amended instructions and parts, the instructions are unclear, and I ended up trying to mount the fender to the inside of the forks, whereas they're supposed to be mounted from the outside
Front forks completed
Next up? The engine. a nice simple (!!) set of boxes
It looks fine - keep at it until you're happy.
On mine, for the curved hull parts (as opposed to tubular), I drew the pieces over the edge of my bench ie pressed the part against the top with one hand, while pulling through and down over the edge with the other hand. The result is a curved part with no facets. Repeat for tighter curves. Also works to a degree for compound curves by repeating the process in another direction. I'm using thinner card though.
On mine, for the curved hull parts (as opposed to tubular), I drew the pieces over the edge of my bench ie pressed the part against the top with one hand, while pulling through and down over the edge with the other hand. The result is a curved part with no facets. Repeat for tighter curves. Also works to a degree for compound curves by repeating the process in another direction. I'm using thinner card though.
a diorama? No chance of that, one will be enough. I don't have the deskspace for two - 'Er Indoors has banned me from bringing my "paper toys" home.
The bike is generic I'm afraid, and the PDF files locked so I can't photoshop them. What I wouldn't give for a model of this detail of Carl Fogarty on his 996 - or if I was making a base, Mr Bontempi's kawasaki in one of his trademark powerslides (strange what has an effect on you in your youth... neither Bontempi nor JP Montoya were particularly succesful in the races I saw, but I admired their style.)
The system went down on friday afternoon, so I had a spare half an hour, so I was able to get most of the parts for the cylinder heads cut out. None of those bits are particularly complex, which is a welcome relief - the lack of folding instructions for individual parts is a pain, esp. if the part is black so you can't see the fold lines.
Doc, the edge of the desk is a good call - I think I've used every hard surface on my desk, and settled on a thick magic marker.
The bike is generic I'm afraid, and the PDF files locked so I can't photoshop them. What I wouldn't give for a model of this detail of Carl Fogarty on his 996 - or if I was making a base, Mr Bontempi's kawasaki in one of his trademark powerslides (strange what has an effect on you in your youth... neither Bontempi nor JP Montoya were particularly succesful in the races I saw, but I admired their style.)
The system went down on friday afternoon, so I had a spare half an hour, so I was able to get most of the parts for the cylinder heads cut out. None of those bits are particularly complex, which is a welcome relief - the lack of folding instructions for individual parts is a pain, esp. if the part is black so you can't see the fold lines.
Doc, the edge of the desk is a good call - I think I've used every hard surface on my desk, and settled on a thick magic marker.
Gassing Station | Scale Models | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff