funkyfreshcryptid

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today's bug thing is this caterpillar plush!

[funkyfreshcryptid]

Zephyr Slip

At the end of last year, before I'd begun working on Bit Cobalt, I ran into some paleoart of Austroraptor, a dromaeosaur (raptor) from Argentina. Austroraptor is one of the largest dromaeosaurs, with a long, narrow, Big Bird snoot, conical teeth that probably point to fishing, and small forelimbs, as well as leg proportions that hint at a runner. Much of the paleoart I saw depicted Austroraptor in waterbird colors, which gave it a soft and friendly appearance, immediately my new favorite dinosaur.

So I drew an Austroraptor and then a robotic one, adding a quail topknot or ahoge feather, and started to think about making a transforming figure that would change from this animal into a humanoid robot. But a transformation from cute robot girl to cute robot girl, except one of them is a dinosaur, seemed a bit redundant, and there would be compromises in both directions that would detract rather than add.

But a couple of months later, I saw a particular motor scooter and something clicked, and the game was on. I love motor scooters, and they're a fantastic accessory for other figures on the shelf. I went through two foamcore prototypes to nail down the transformation, making it as simple and sturdy as I could manage and making sure both modes would scale well with other 1/12 scale figures.

I also started collecting some reference images for details I could nab and integrate, and to nail down the scaling of the scooter.

After I had something that worked, I drew up some concept art for both modes and started modeling. I was able to streamline the design a couple of steps further in the 3D model, and then it was all carving up shapes, fine tuning, etc. Probably the longest phase of modeling was after I had my model roughed out into shape, but needed to build the joints, firm up the edges, define all the contact surfaces, and apply subdivision surfaces. I found it useful to rig the model and set a couple of animation steps in Blender for the two modes so I could simply page back and forth between them.

I had to set the design on the back burner while I worked out the kinks with my 3D printer and built my last couple of projects. Then I made a test print to identify any trouble spots, and after a couple of tweaks to get the feel right, it was time to print and finish the real thing. Zephyr Slip is the first thing I've printed in "color", and thanks to some dyes I need to experiment with more, she won't be the last. That means a much more durable finish for parts that have to slide against one another or clip into place. I did add a gloss coat to some surfaces of the black elements, but it shouldn't show chipping much. (Unlike the kickstand, thanks to my terrible decision to paint its feet.)

Like my previous figures, Zephyr's eyes (and console) are just printed gloss paper under a coat of gloss varnish, and her headlights and taillights have some clear resin poured in over the paint and cured into place for lenses.  Cutting plastic windows like the ones on my Vertigo GT for the lower headlights didn't have the same effect, so they got the same clear resin treatment. The decal designs themselves were made in Blender, because I've given up on Inkscape's interface, but I think they came out okay.

The joints are almost exclusively 3mm ABS rods, although her hip joints are Kotobukiya Hexa Gear joints, which gave me a sturdy pin and hinge in a compact package and without visible pegs. I'm looking into options to make the pegs show less while being easy to remove for the construction and painting process. Despite some care with the tolerances, I did have to widen some peg holes and mush some pegs during assembly to get her pose well and snap together tight into either mode. But everything does clip solidly into place, resulting in a really playable figure. 

As my first fully transforming figure and also my largest, Zephyr Slip is definitely the biggest figure project I've tackled so far, and I'm extremely happy with the results. Posability is probably her weakest area, but she can pounce and emote, and with her solid handfeel and satisfyingly snappy transformation, I'm happy with the design. 

Paleontologically, I've followed most of the proportions of the real animal, although her torso should be a little bit longer, and her tail half again as long. She should also have visible first fingers, and I'm playing into the paleoart meme of bare snouts on dromaeosaurs that shouldn't have them. The proportion of thigh to shin is exaggerated, and the tail should have some left-right sway even if it's inflexible in the vertical axis. But it pleases me that she is both a roughly accurately scaled Austroraptor, and also a fairly realistically scaled scooter (if a bit chunky).

As always, due credit to @aprilpowered and Workbenchmaniac for support and feedback along the way, as well as Nemocyte (Tumblr | Twitter), whose feedback helped me to work out (among other things) the articulation needs of a theropod figure, something I'd never had to think about before.

[funkyfreshcryptid]

today's bug thing is this ladybug watch!

[funkyfreshcryptid]

Psychedelic forbhopper, Thericles obtusifrons, Thericleidae, Orthoptera

Found throughout southern Africa

Photos 1-2 by jolandiswart, 3 by alexdreyer, 4 by wolfachim, 5 by mstrimas, 6-7 by botswanabugs, 8 by bartwursten, 9 by grant_reed_botswana, and 10 (for scale) by roxylaz

[funkyfreshcryptid]

A little princess

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Still some work to do but look at how cute this fit is turning out ??

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look at these

[funkyfreshcryptid]

the fairy shrimp from a sludge pit next to publix have once again turned a tupperware of microbes into crystal clear freshwater. now I have to make them additional microbe slurry myself

you're so lucky I'm here to get you fresh slurry

[funkyfreshcryptid]

The circus has come to town and this troop of 6 clowns is currently looking for homes via auction! 🎉🤡

The auctions will run until Sunday 5/26 at 5 pm pst unless they go over due to our anti-sniping clause.

Check out the linktree below for all of the google form links!

Originally these demons were going to be premades, but due to a vote they were switched to auctions. Some are more complete than others and the forms will be updates as they are completed!

[funkyfreshcryptid]

(source)

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sunlight

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another deranged drawing from my demented mind

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[funkyfreshcryptid]

the blackbirds are officially back

[funkyfreshcryptid]

(first image from left to right: north American porcupine- E. dorsatum {F}, Groundhog- M. Monax {J} {M}, Eastern grey squirrel- S. Carolinensis {M} & {J} {M}, Eastern chipmunk- T. Striatus {M}, & Eastern meadow vole- M. Pennsylvanicus {F})

All of my rodents so far! At this point my entire collection is rodents + 2 foxes lol.

I love to see all the similarities and different the porcupine is in structure. I think this is because porcupine have their own group within rodentia and an increase in size.

It's been great learning about rodents and I hope to find more soon.

[funkyfreshcryptid]

Female porcupine skull. She has visible damage to the front of her face resulting in broken incisers. This breakage is due to her getting hit by a car back in October 2020.

This is the biggest skull I have so far! The mandibles are quite thick and the entire skull is quite heavy. The fact that porcupines are rodents is fascinating. I'll have to do a comparison with my other rodents later.

[funkyfreshcryptid]

Bone time!

Before and after of my first time skull glueing.

Chipmunk skull from a naturally dead animal.