Science Fiction Flavour

Category: Film

  • Optimus Prime

    YOLOPARK 12cm Optimus Prime — An Unexpected Tribute

    A model left unfinished

    This Optimus Prime had been sitting at roughly 70% completion for several months.

    It is the YOLOPARK 12cm Optimus Prime model kit, officially licensed by Hasbro. Unlike the conventional plastic model kits I normally work with, the parts did not come attached to runners. Instead, they came in moulded positive-negative trays.

    When I first started the project, I put on gloves, removed the parts from the mould trays and prepared them individually for painting.

    The painting

    The model was airbrushed using Mr. Hobby Mr. Color paints.

    As this project had been shelved for several months, I no longer remember the exact Mr. Color paint numbers I used. What I do remember is the approach: I first gave the parts a dark base coat, then built up the colours using blue, red or grey depending on the individual part.

    The darker base was allowed to contribute to the final appearance, creating a weathered effect rather than a completely clean finish.

    Once the airbrushing and weathering were completed, I left the parts to dry.

    And then the project was shelved.

    At roughly 70% completion.

    For months.

    An unexpected reason to finish

    Peter Cullen passed away on 26 August 2026.

    In the hours after work, while catching up with the news, I came across reports of his passing.

    The news hit differently.

    Peter Cullen was the voice of Optimus Prime, one of the most important roles in the Transformers franchise.

    Almost immediately, I found myself thinking about the unfinished Optimus sitting among my modelling projects.

    So I dug him out.

    This time, I decided to finish him.

    Completing Optimus

    The first step was to assemble the painted parts.

    After months of being left separately, the weathered pieces finally came together as a complete Optimus Prime.

    I then used gold and silver markers to highlight the remaining details on the model, particularly the mechanical and armour sections.

    There was no major repainting.

    I simply continued from where I had stopped months earlier.

    And with that, the Optimus Prime was finally completed.

    An unplanned tribute

    This was never intended to be a Peter Cullen memorial build.

    The model had already been started months before his passing.

    It was simply an unfinished project that happened to be sitting there when the news arrived.

    I did not buy the kit because of the news.

    I did not begin the painting because of the news.

    I already had an Optimus Prime waiting to be completed.

    But after learning that Peter Cullen had passed away, I decided that this particular Optimus should not remain unfinished.

    Remembering Peter Cullen

    For generations of Transformers fans, Peter Cullen’s name is inseparable from Optimus Prime.

    He voiced the character from the original Transformers era, including The Transformers: The Movie, and later returned as Optimus for the live-action Transformers films and other Transformers productions.

    His voice became an enduring part of Optimus Prime’s identity and the character’s legacy across generations.

    The completed Optimus

    This model had been waiting on the shelf for months.

    I had no idea that I would eventually finish it under these circumstances.

    Sometimes a model project acquires meaning that you never intended when you first opened the box.

    This one did.

    The YOLOPARK Optimus Prime is now complete.

    And it will remain, for me, as a small tribute to the man whose voice helped define Optimus Prime for generations.

  • Power Loader

    Build Log: MODEROID 1/12 Power Loader (Good Smile Company)

    On 18 July 2026, the 40th anniversary of James Cameron’s Aliens (1986), I completed Good Smile Company’s MODEROID 1/12 Power Loader. It felt like the perfect occasion to finish and share a build of one of science fiction’s most iconic industrial machines.

    There are model kits that test your painting skills, and there are model kits that test your patience. The MODEROID 1/12 Power Loader managed to do both.

    Rather than building it straight out of the box, I decided to repaint the entire model. Every solid yellow moulded part was first airbrushed with Mr. Hobby Mr. Color No. 13 (Neutral Grey) as a base coat. The black moulded parts also received the same treatment before painting continued. The yellow armour was then weathered using Mr. Hobby Mr. Color No. 109 (Character Yellow), gradually building up a worn industrial appearance through multiple light applications.

    One thing I quickly learned was the sheer scale of the project. The kit contains a large number of parts, and simply preparing and painting them required considerable time before assembly could even begin.

    Assembly itself proved to be an enjoyable engineering exercise. Although several steps in the instruction manual recommended the use of glue, I found that the snap-fit design held together securely enough for my build.

    The most demanding stage came with the hydraulic tubing. The supplied black rubber tube had to be cut into multiple lengths before being routed throughout the Power Loader. Installing each section required patience, as previously connected tubes would occasionally detach while the next ones were being fitted.

    Another lesson came from the piston cylinders. Their orientation matters more than it first appears. If assembled incorrectly, routing the hydraulic tubes becomes significantly more difficult, with tighter bends and less room to manoeuvre. Correct alignment made the installation process much smoother.

    To complete the exterior, approximately thirty decals were applied. They add the finishing industrial touches without overwhelming the clean mechanical design.

    Looking back, this wasn’t simply a painting project. It was an exercise in mechanical assembly, problem-solving and patience. Every painted component, correctly aligned piston, carefully routed hydraulic tube and precisely placed decal contributed to transforming a box of plastic runners into one of science fiction’s most iconic industrial machines.

    Happy 40th Anniversary to Aliens. Here’s to four decades of one of cinema’s greatest science fiction classics, and to the remarkable machine that continues to inspire model builders around the world.

  • Darkstar

    Building the Bellfine 1/72 Darkstar from Top Gun: Maverick

    The Darkstar sequence from Top Gun: Maverick was one of the most memorable parts of the film for me, so I decided to pick up the Bellfine 1/72 scale kit and attempt a full painted build. Although the aircraft itself is fictional, its presentation in the movie blends futuristic aerospace styling with realistic experimental aircraft design, which made it an interesting project to work on.

    Initial Preparation and Painting

    The kit runners came moulded in black, white, and clear plastic. For the main body, I airbrushed the black and white runners using Mr. Hobby Mr Color No.18. The clear parts were left unpainted to preserve their transparency.

    After allowing the base coat to settle, I began masking selected areas using 5 mm masking tape. The highlighted sections were then airbrushed with Mr. Hobby Mr Color No.13 Neutral Grey. This helped break up the otherwise dark surface and introduced subtle tonal variation across the aircraft.

    The white sections were lightly weathered using Character White to reduce the stark contrast and give the aircraft a slightly more operational appearance rather than a factory-fresh finish.

    Assembly Process

    Once painting was completed, assembly of the main airframe proceeded relatively smoothly. The sleek fuselage and blended wing design captured the cinematic appearance of Darkstar very well once fully assembled.

    The landing gear, however, turned out to be the most delicate part of the project. The subassemblies had to be glued progressively in phases due to the small contact points and narrow support structures. I used Tamiya cement throughout the process, but even after curing, the assembled landing gear remained fragile under the weight of the completed aircraft.

    After completing the landing gear installation and photographing the model in its parked configuration, parts of the assembly began separating under load. To avoid further damage, I eventually removed the landing gear and decided to display the aircraft exclusively in flight mode.

    Display Solution

    One unexpected challenge was the absence of an included display stand. Since the Darkstar is visually better suited for an airborne presentation, I improvised by adapting a Bandai Action Base using the peg-type holder attachment.

    Although it was not specifically designed for this kit, the setup provided enough support for stable flight-mode display and photography. In the end, the airborne presentation arguably suited the aircraft more naturally than a grounded configuration.

    Decal Application

    Applying the water slide decals took approximately an hour. Once the decals had dried, I used a damp cotton bud to gently remove residual water marks and adhesive residue surrounding the decal edges. This helped the markings blend more cleanly into the painted surface and improved the overall finish of the model.

    Final Thoughts

    Despite some engineering limitations — particularly the fragile landing gear and lack of a dedicated display stand — the Bellfine 1/72 Darkstar still turned out to be an enjoyable and visually striking build.

    The combination of dark tones, subtle grey panel variation, and in-flight presentation helped capture the futuristic hypersonic aircraft aesthetic seen in Top Gun: Maverick. While the kit required some improvisation and patience during assembly, the final result displays very well and stands out nicely alongside more conventional aircraft models.

    Overall, this project felt like a blend of traditional aircraft modelling and science-fiction display building, which made it a uniquely satisfying addition to the collection.

  • Ohmu

    Bandai’s 1/20 Ohmu from Studio Ghibli was completed today, coinciding with Hayao Miyazaki’s 85th birthday, a fitting tribute to the creature’s origin.


    Painting & Weathering:
    All parts were base-coated with dark hobby paint, then airbrushed with plant-green paint to add natural shading. Tamiya Panel Line Accent (brownish-red) highlighted crevices, giving an organic, weathered appearance.
    The clear orb-like eye parts were first coated with a silver marker and then layered with transparent red hobby paint, creating depth and a soft glow.


    Assembly:
    Sides, base, and optic units assembled smoothly. The legs and other limbs, totaling over 50, required careful attachment. The final result is a fully articulated and visually dynamic creature.


    Reflections:
    Pre-painting parts simplifies assembly and ensures consistent weathering.
    Silver under transparent red produces realistic glowing eyes.
    Patience is essential when attaching repetitive parts, but the visual payoff is significant.
    The finished Ohmu serves as a miniature homage to Studio Ghibli’s imaginative creatures.

  • Buzz Lightyear

    Bandai plastic model kit, base-coated in dark tones and airbrushed with desaturated colours for a weathered finish. Water-slide decals add a more grounded, tech-like look. Built to commemorate Toy Story’s 30th anniversary.

  • Carcharodon carcharias

    A snapfit plastic model from Bandai, released through the Exploring Nature Lab product line. The mouldings were of solid-plastic, translucent-plastic, and rubber materials.

    I had the solid plastics airbrushed with Mr. Hobby paints, and the translucent and elastic pieces left unpainted. Panel line accentution solution was applied to the rubbery parts.

    In the final assembly, the pieces gripped together firmly.

  • Batmobile (Batman Begins version)

    Scale 1/35 plastic model from Bandai. A good majority of the components were snap-fit, while only a few required adhesive to hold. Super-glue was used to keep some of the wing flaps in place. Mr. Hobby paints were used to airbrush the parts and Tamiya panel line accentuation solution to bring out the details on the parts’ recesses.

  • All Terrain Armoured Transport (AT-AT)

    Scale 1/144 plastic model from Bandai.

    A snap-fit project with overall straightforward building instructions. The machine has numerous flat surfaces which can be satisfying to airbrush. Comes with intricate detailing parts and removable side plates.

  • Iron Man Mark XLIV Hulkbuster

    Scale 1/7 pre-painted model kit from Fondjoy. The set contained three runners’ worth of parts for assembly. The limbs came pre-assembled. I performed panel line accentuations before building the model.

    After construction, the cockpit housing became clad with magnetic parts. The optical lenses and several nodes on the body came with lights and batteries pre-installed.