Batmobile Side Mech Progress

The old blog has been neglected for a very long time. I have been very focused on fitness for the past year, and have made tremendous progress on that front.

But the Mattmobile project still lingers. Much has taken place. Much still to be completed. For now, here are some pictures of recent work I have done on the side mechs. Trying to get these all finished in the next two weeks.

This first picture is my workbench I've taken over at Fonco. I am not working at the Mattcave right now, but have temporarily set up shop here.

I of course brought with me a bunch of tools and supplies that I know I will need to get the job done.

I have become very particular and peculiar with my work spaces. I need to be close to my work, but also sitting in a comfortable chair. I am using this stool as my work surface.

These are some parts that I finished a while ago. Heck, probably more than a year ago. It's been a while since I have tackled these pieces. Honestly, this type of work is my least favorite. I could almost say I hate it. 3d part clean up really sucks and is no fun. Its a seemingly endless cycle of sand, putty, primer, repeat. It makes me bonkers. But for the sake of this project, I have to get it done.

I have a little painting station set up outside, and these are some of the pieces that are in flight.

I call this piece the "coffee can." At this point I have probably done three passes on it, and am getting close. These, my friends, are what we in the trade call "Famous Last Words."

Another pic of the coffee can, from later in the day.

This piece is proving hard to clean up, as it's just got so many little cuts in it. Putting all my files to good use this week, that's for sure.

The plan is to finish clean up on these pieces, mold them, and then cast them. I don't know how sturdy 3d printed parts are, nor if they can survive sitting on the side of my car. I have already seen one of them get completely ruined by sitting in the sun for about 20 minutes, so I know raw 3d printed parts are not the answer. I have started the molding process on a couple of the small connector rings.

I have started construction on a box for one of the weird looking pieces.

Laid down some rubber on the first couple of parts.

Because of the weird shapes of these two pieces, I decided to pour some rubber into the recesses on the front, thereby eliminating any possibility of an air pocket getting trapped in there. These pieces are really oddly shaped and there's loads of opportunity for air pockets. I shall proceed with great caution.

This is an assortment of parts I was working on earlier today and yesterday.

Overall things are coming along really nicely, though it's just such back breaking work.

I'm definitely getting better at stopping short of perfection. These are going to be mounted on the side of the car. They will be painted castings, which means a lot of the detail will be lost, or simply will never be seen. I'm also taking into account that there is a "back face" to these pieces which will never be seen, and am paying even less attention to those surfaces. But it's tough. The perfectionist in me struggles against the part of me that just wants it done.

Thanks for reading this post and for checking in. I will of course try to update this as things continue. Best bet is to check out the facebook page for "Rise of the Mattmobile" where I tend to post more often.