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A quick crazy drabble, inspired by fanart.
By:Quirel
Date: 6/2/17 2:13 am

From the Amazon review page, dated Sept. 14 2556:

Finally got it together. Finally. I'm an avid collector of MAXPOWER's 1:1 scale kits, and I've got to admit that the Locust was easier to assemble than this.
(For my video on the Locust model, with the trials, tribulations, frustrations, and the industrial accident that cost me my right arm, check out my NuTube channel [here].)

The bane of MAXPOWER's larger kits is that BCT Super-Plastic may cost its weight in gold, but it ain't structural material by a long shot. Like every other one of MAXPOWER's 1:1 model kits, the Mantis uses a steel alloy tube frame for a skeleton (Some assembly and welding required), but we saw that the tube framework was having trouble holding up the weight of the Locust. Did MAXPOWER hear our complaints and take the Mantis's unique design into consideration when they manufactured this kit? They did. The tubes are 38mm dia. instead of the old 25mm standard, and they're beautifully made with some kind of internal cross-bracing, so they won't collapse like the Cyclops was infamous for. Downside is that it's some kind of titanium steel alloy, so hobbyists with MIG welders will have to source some exotic wire or make do with crappy welds. That's why the smart guys TIG.

MAXPOWER obviously put thought into the the design constraints of the Mantis. Everything I have seen proves this, from the redesigned tube framework to the feet that appear to be made of steel forgings. So I'm completely baffled as to why this kit shipped without a baseplate. Yeah, I know, none of the other kits in MAXPOWERS LifeSize™ line use baseplates, but the Mantis needs one. See those spindly little booties they have for feet? It's taller than the Cyclops, it's got skinnier feet than the Cyclops, and it makes the Cyclops's posing issues look like a walk in the park. This thing spends 95% of the time on its ass (Which, I'm told by veteran Mantis operators, isn't too far from the truth) and the percentage is only getting higher as I get tired of lifting it back upright. This model, on its own, can be knocked over by a stiff breeze. I tried to set the feet in concrete last week, and this morning I go out and see the pad cracked in half and the piece of shit stuck codpiece-down in the lawn. And for some damn reason, I painted the damn thing Navy Steel Blue and marked it as a Shipyard Security mech. If only I'd painted it in a Marine Corps Camouflage scheme, the damage and dirt stains would look authentic.

That's it for now. I'm going to go see a man about concrete and rebar.

Casting Quality: 4.5/5 (They cut a few corners in the cockpit)
Poseability: 1/5 (Being generous here)
Paintability: 3.5/5 (The joints and fiddly bits take a lot of patience)
Cost: 4/5 (It's part of the LifeSize™ lineup. They don't just give these things away)
Fun: 3/5

-Modelerforlife183, AKA "Lefty"


Messages In This Thread

A quick crazy drabble, inspired by fanart.Quirel6/2/17 2:13 am
     That's beautifulGrizzlei6/2/17 5:40 am
           Re: That's beautifuldavidfuchs6/2/17 8:37 am
                 Re: That's beautifulQuirel6/3/17 2:44 am
                       Re: That's beautifuldavidfuchs6/5/17 7:16 am
           Re: That's beautifulQuirel6/3/17 2:42 am
                 Re: That's beautifulGrizzlei6/3/17 5:32 am
                       Re: That's beautifuldavidfuchs6/4/17 5:25 pm
                             Re: That's beautifulQuirel6/4/17 6:43 pm
                                   Re: That's beautifuldavidfuchs6/4/17 7:48 pm
                                         Re: That's beautifulQuirel6/5/17 3:10 am
                                               Nazi uniforms are to die for.scarab6/5/17 6:00 am

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