MOC: Samus Aran

Now here's a video game character you all should recognize. Because I'm not much a gamer I've mostly controlled every one's favourite brightly clad space heroine in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Not that I would be very good with Samus, but she's fun with the Charge Beam and everything.

I've built Samus couple of times before, with Power Suit in October 2016 (didn't remember that neck looked that bad, and people still wanted instructions!) and with Zero Suit in late 2013, with major revamp in May 2015. The latter looks still quite good and is still built and in similar scale than this one, but I can give you a shot of both as the tight-fitting version is in Joensuu, some 420 kilometres away.

This new Samus was built after realizing that I had hoarded enough orange to make her in bigger scale. The old power suit version was oddly coloured with red and tan because of lack of parts, but now that problem has been solved. Some of this was built in Joensuu, some here. I went with Other M/Super Smash Bros. 4 style, as I like the round, simplified shapes and there was good reference material out here; it also fitted the OM-style Zero Suit. I began with the gunless arm, continued to the iconic shoulders that came out rather nicely, and had a break of couple of weeks; Then I worked with the lower torso and embarked the quest to built the legs, which was scary but fortunately rather successful adventure. I can't say there's lot of posability, but they're sturdy. The real sorrow was the hip joint, though; I wanted to have a black rubbery part, but the loose pulley tires kept going places and setting unsettingly; They also limit the movement. The old hip joints were in A-shape using those tri-axle-connectors, but I deserted the idea. They kept falling off.

The chest plate was problematic, too. It's not too easy shape to start with, and the lime lines made it worse. I made several versions, back in Joensuu and in here, before settling to this one. The lines are far from perfect, but at least the plate is solid and without notable gaps. The helmet was easier and didn't take too long. It maybe a tad flat, but I quite like it. The tubes use old technique of lever piece with base on both ends and short ribbed hose around; you might have seen on some MaK. bot arms.

The cannon wasn't easy. I wanted to make it in medium azure, which is a beautiful colour and looked great with orange, red and yellow. There isn't too much pieces available, but I had some nice curved wedges and slopes and though it can't be too hard. I made the first version, photographed it and showed to some friends and yeah, it was too small, so I redesigned it, shot the whole model again and here we are. Some liberties are taken with the shape, but it doesn't look too bad, right?

-Eero