Y U No Make MattMobile Update??

That's a question I've been asked a few times lately!

Truth is, I've been very busy with other projects. As much as I swore that the MattMobile would take precedence over other projects, sometimes something comes along that is just pretty darn cool.

I'm actually not allowed to talk about the specifics of the two projects I'm currently involved with, but I will say that they are really exciting, and I'm happy to be a part of them.

One is a feature film, for which I am building a number of things for. The other is a web series that I think will make A LOT of people very excited once word gets out about it. Both of these have me building things that are part of my "core competency," which is always really exciting.

I'm documenting the heck out of the stuff I build, so ONCE the I get the go ahead, I will for sure be posting behind-the-scenes details about the stuff I'm building.

Until then, please be sure to keep an eye on the Batgirl webseries, for which I not only built a bunch of props, but also filmed a few behind-the-scenes pieces. Here's a link to the main one, which kind of tells the story of the origin of the series, and the filming of the trailer.

Matt Munson on CosCast!

My friend Joey Rassool puts together a really fun and interesting pod cast that is focused on costuming, prop building, and other fun hobby related stuff. He was kind enough to invite me over for an episode, and I'm really happy with how it turned out. If you'd like to hear Joey and I wax nostalgic about how I got into the hobby, or what my thoughts are on the state of the hobby OR Batmobile building, please check it out.

CosCast 34 with Matt Munson

Star Trek TOS Tri-Viewer Is Finished

At long last I am here to reveal the finished Tri-Viewer that I made for the web series "Star Trek Continues", of which I am very pleased to be involved with in a tiny way.

I had a little party yesterday, and wanted to show it off there (cuz that's the kind of parties I throw!!!!) so I put together a screen graphic for it. This is just something I printed out on my home computer and stuck behind the blue border. The point really here is to show off the fact that it's easy to make static display screens for this bad boy.

The detail that kept this build from being finished was the blue border around each screen. It was actually very easy to make, and turned out really well. I started by cutting three pieces of styrene to size.

Then I marked off a border.

I used a straight edge and a box knife (with a fresh blade, natch) to cut along the lines. I did more of a "score and break" technique than an actual cut. That typically works well for me, and saves me the trouble of cutting through some thick styrene.

This left me with three styrene frames.

I then did a quick/light sanding of the frames, just to knock down any edges that popped up as a result of the cutting process.

I was ready to paint, BUT I wasn't sure if the brand of paint I purchased was going to adhere properly to the styrene. So I did what any good builder would do, and did a test. I took a scrap piece of styrene and sanded it down a tad, just the same way I had the three frames.

This is the spray paint I selected, based entirely on color.

I blasted a little corner, and left it to dry in the sun. It worked great, and I was very happy with the results.

And so then it was on to painting the three frames that I cut earlier.

I used two sided tape to adhere the frames to the main body of the tri-viewer. The fact that it's not super robust is also an intentional part of my design. The goal here is to allow the production to change out the screens as necessary. Whether they need a green screen for special effects, or a graphic, or even just a blank screen.

PAX Behind The Scenes

I found some footage last night on my computer that I totally forgot about. It was stuff I shot with my Sony Bloggie before and during the panel I was on during Pax, "From Pixels to Props" where we talked about making props from video games.

It edited together pretty well, and I'm really pleased with the outcome. Sadly much of the footage the bloggie shot was not super high quality, though I think the footage tells a fun little story.

And in case you missed the panel, I have the entire thing broken down into 7 parts on my YouTube channel. Here's a link to the playlist that will take you through the panel. There are some slow parts, but overall it's got some really great information in there.

From Pixels to Props

New Rise of The MattMobile Episode - Party Time!

I do not think this video needs any introduction:

Great Video Tutorial By A Fellow RPF Member

A friend and fellow costumer who goes by the name Guri has put together a REALLY interesting tutorial on how you can create faux leather gear using craft foam and easy to find supplies. I'm sure a few of my readers will find this information helpful, so I thought I would post it here.

It's also really great to see other folks from the community helping to build the online knowledge base, so please support Guri by commenting on her video with any helpful suggestions or kudos, and "like" it so she knows people are watching.

MattMobile Mentioned In Online Article

I think this may be my first press appearance for the MattMobile project, and I dare say it's a doozy! Check out this awesome article about the upcoming documentary on the Batmobiles, written by my pal Steven Kirk. Some great quotes in there from me, and even a link to my youTube channel. Thanks to Steve for all the awesome exposure!!

http://www.examiner.com/article/chicks-dig-the-car-batmobile-documentary-on-the-cw-network

YouTube Channel Subscriber Update

I'm thrilled to announce that I now have 300 subscribers on my YouTube channel, which in my opinion is pretty fantastic! I put together a little "thank you" video for everyone who has subscribed. The next one will be when I hit 500, and I'll try to do something a little special for that event.

MattMobile Body Work

There has been a lot of work going on with the shell lately, but because it's not very visually exciting, I haven't been posting many update pics. It's kind of just the same stuff over and over again. But, since a bit of time has gone by, I figured I may as well show where things are now.

This is that main dip/bulge problem spot on the passenger side door area. I've really made a ton of progress, though it's probably hard to tell. I think the next step with this part, as with most of the other stuff, is to hit it with a coat of primer to see where we stand. As it is, there are so many different colors and textures that it's kind of hard to really see where the problems lie.

More work on the drivers side front fender. This part is really coming together, and some wet sanding has made it very smooth. Still some final detail work to do, but the dip on this side has really been smoothed out to my satisfaction.

Here I'm cleaning up one of the seams in the body, which also turns out to be a bulge/dip issue. I may end up relocating that wheel well about a quarter inch forward, as it seems to be a bit wonky.

More progress on the gas cap area. I'm at a point now where I'm doing beauty passes with the putty, meaning I'm just filling in little cracks and pock marks. I think the overall topology of this area has come together nicely.

I've started working on the shallow dip on the front passenger side fender. This is my first layer of putty, and you can see there are some issues with it. But for a first pass, it accomplished a lot.

I don't know how things like this end up in the casting, but here they are. It's like a spider crack or something. There's all kinds of these deep little cracks in the gel coat all over the place. I don't really think sanding them down would be the right answer, as that would mean removal of maybe a 1/16th of an inch of surface. So I've taken to puttying them in, and then sanding out the putty.

Lastly, here's the drivers side intake vent. The area above it had some weird valleys in it, very chunky looking. I've made my first pass with the putty in this area, and it really helped to level things out. That's it for now. I'm very anxious to start building out the cockpit, but I'm still waiting to get my metal order finalized to make that happen. With San Deigo Comic Con looming on the horizon, I fear that not a lot of work will get accomplished over the next week or so.

Small Tail Lights Have Arrived

After a brief wait, these tail lights arrived the other day, and they are great. I got them for about 100 bucks cheaper each than you can find on ebay, which strikes me as a real deal. They do not include any mounting brackets or electronics, but this was expected. Nice to finally have these on hand, as it will allow me to do some body work on the back part of the car.