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AT-AT - The Old MPC kit from 1980


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I dug out my long abandoned MPC AT-AT build. I started on this back in 2006. It got packed away and has finally seen the light of day again.

 

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I resumed work to get it to this state. The plan is to do the famous tow cable scene from the movie.

 

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Compared to today's Bandai kits and even the Revell kits, this model leaves a lot to be desired. The fit is less than stellar. 

 

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I started applying paint and washes to each part of the kit separately. I felt it was easier to finish each minor assembly separately rather than the complete model.

 

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More to come...

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Just for fun and reference. Here is an actual filming AT-AT used in Empire. I took this photo when Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination came to Fort Worth, Texas in 2007.

 

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Another angle

 

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More progress. The AT-AT is now able to stand on it's own four legs without any worries of tipping. There's still a lot more to do.

 

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"We've spotted Imperial Walkers."

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I discovered this part missing. Searched and searched to no avail. There's no telling how long this part has been gone. Well, this allows me to do a little scratch building.

 

The kit part is on top and mine is one the bottom...it didn't turn out too bad.

 

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Edited by stevee671
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10 hours ago, Hunter Rose said:

Nice work, yours actually looks a little sharper!

 

Thank You! I'm happy it turned out as good as it did. I was really stressing over it. Going far as to maybe resin casting the kit part.

In the end, this was easier and turned out good.

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Working on the snowspeeder.  I used 22 gauge wire, anything smaller wouldn't support the weight.

 

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Applying a wash...

 

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Looking top down.

 

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Looking good,I had one of these yonks ago,I didn't glue the legs and the thing would flop about like an uncoordinated puppy.Yours looks much better.

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Just an observation if I may - the legs of the AT AT should be slightly differently spaced. As bipeds we think that things should move in pairs when in fact there is actually some disjointedness to how a quadruped moves. If their legs moved in pairs, they'd fall over. If you look at the pics of the studio model you'll see two legs close together and two further apart, with one leg moving forward. In the movie scene you can see the same spacing. 

You've got a fantastic model going on here (I agree that yours is looking better than the studio model!) and it would be a shame for the stance to be the thing that detracts from its presentation. 

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Parabat, the problem I had was that two of the legs are in a fixed position. I tried numerous combinations and this one seemed to work the best as far as allowing the walker to stand alone.

So, even though it's not entirely 100% correct for for movement. I feel this is the most stable configuration for the legs. I even went so far as to weight the feet so it's not top heavy.

 

Edit: This bothered me, so I disassembled the walker and found that indeed, there was a workable configuration. Thank you for pointing this out. I will have to do some paint touch up, but it'll be okay in the end.

Edited by stevee671
Additional info
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I believe the gait of that AT-AT was based on the Elephant which is unusual in having two sets of knees.....It's certainly a feature that the AT-AT shares:

 

a5FHk.jpg

 

EDIT - Apparently the elephant's knees tale is BS (TBH a quick look at a skeleton makes this very obvious, as I just discovered!  :doh:).....The AT-AT still looks and moves like one though IMHO:rolleyes:

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On 06/10/2016 at 2:07 AM, stevee671 said:

Parabat, the problem I had was that two of the legs are in a fixed position. I tried numerous combinations and this one seemed to work the best as far as allowing the walker to stand alone.

So, even though it's not entirely 100% correct for for movement. I feel this is the most stable configuration for the legs. I even went so far as to weight the feet so it's not top heavy.

 

Edit: This bothered me, so I disassembled the walker and found that indeed, there was a workable configuration. Thank you for pointing this out. I will have to do some paint touch up, but it'll be okay in the end.

Sorry about that bud, I did not realise how much work would be involved!  I'm glad you've found it able to move, it's going to look awesome now.

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SNOW!

 

Woodland Scenic Snow and Woodland Scenic glue with a little water. I mixed to the consistency of soft serve ice cream and then spread with a cake decorating spatula.

During application, I used some artistic license to replicate snow. I pressed the walker into the base so I could locate it in the desired position after it dried.. I made a foot template from sheet styrene to make the tracks.

 

Snow_zpsw8huds1n.jpg

Edited by stevee671
added more info, typographical errors
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Close to the final product. I still have to do some additional weathering where I corrected the legs. I also have to paint an detail the gun turret.

 

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