This is the first part of a two-part series dedicated to building the SandCrawler from STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE - The kit is available from Randy Cooper. All his information is in the video.
Best wishes from an Englishman making armour in a French forest! I love the scale of this! So much so, I can't help thinking that in 1977 during that mad summer my Gerbil would have loved riding in this! 😂🤣 RIP Peanut, they were good times buddy. Good luck with the build. 🇬🇧🐹🇺🇲
I know Randy personally, he lives within a mile of me. He has done fantastic models for years. There used to be a hobby shop near both our houses that used to display his scratch built models in their store display windows. He even had a scratch built 5 to 6 foot long Battlestar Galactica model in their window for a long time. The one from the first show.
Randy is one-of-a-kind-- I regret he no longer seems to turn to CZcams to show what he's up to or where he's at. Me-? I just don't like Facebook. Yes, I use it but begrudgingly. You, ya crazy kid, ya! Are going great guns-- good to see. I know these particular YT shows are often in the distant past but still, much progress ur, back then... ur, now. I'm too lazy to go look up the shots of the sand crawler with its operator on-set, but my memory says Randy's model is about 1/2 studio scale. So the shooting model, when under way, is not all that large. I recall that it was powered by a barbecue rotisserie motor-- could be wrong. I say, using a bandsaw for that treadie thing, sort of fuss work is the shortcut to disaster. Things go wrong fast. But it looks like you got it to mostly behave so good on'ya. The warning to use masks for any resin related sanding or sawing is good. The material's damage to the central nervous system will sneak up on you and is a slow process. The worst occurs if you are breathing the fumes when mixing, but dust is also bad. Tiny Jawas... sounds like a Star Wars con band.
Good luck with your build - I've built this kit and it remains my most favourite kit build ever - probably due to the challenges it presented to get it square as my castings were badly warped upon delivery. You might want to consider an internal wooden frame and screw the panels onto the frame and use appropriately shaped plasticard to hide the screw heads. The kit cries out for a ton of additional fine detailing, particulalry the cockpit area. It's also a must-light-it model and yes the tracks are a bitch but a belt sander and jig saw make them easy work - no need for shedding a ton of money on shapeways who offer 3d printed variants. So, good luck to you - the end result is precious.
Thanks! I enjoyed this build tremendously because I love to weather and age models. The results of my odyssey should be posted to the channel tomorrow!
That’s a big sandcrawler. Hope you enjoy the looser painting and freedom Of weathering compared to your previous marathon. You’re a class act and an inspiration.
Phil, I don’t like building resin kits but I don’t mind watching others building them! 😊 This kit appears to have good detail. Looking forward to seeing how this fleshes out. And…what a cool subject. I love your channel, sir. Keep up the good work.
Hey Philip. I was watching you video. And I noticed I didn't explain very well, how to remove that long strip, on the bottom/sides. It's not cut from the inside. It's completely removed. The reason it's there is , when those parts molded, you need a reservoir in case the resin should leak out a little, or when they're in the pressure pot, can condense it a little. So it's just extra resin.
wow...that's a very cool model. One that helps to keep dust down when sanding is to wet sand especially when doing small parts. Cant wait to see you build this one.
Half the fun of building a R.Cooper kit is the cleaning up of the parts, a very therapeutic task... I have been sorting my Phoenix kit for some years now... Note I said years! Must drag it out of the stash and get going again, just need some pilots!
Great to see this Randy Cooper SC kit come together, I always wanted one of Randy's awesome kits in my collection, but shipping to the UK these days is just too expensive. I was lucky enough to find a early unbuilt kit for sale in the UK, and got it for a great price. I hope to build it some day.
I have been trying to get this in a model kit for a long time now. I'm going to get this there's no way I'm not going to get this. I don't know how much it cost but I'm getting it.
Good grief Phil! Are you a sucker for punishment or what?! Straight from the nightmare of TWO 1/350 Enterprises to a huge cast resin kit! This kit looks awesome (and so it should for the price) but would it not have been more sensible to choose a simpler project as a relief from all the stress of the last two? As you say, these things produce toxic dust and on a kit of this size there is a lot of it with all the prep work. I am sure that it will look amazing when it's finished but next time give yourself a break and do a simple, fun kit 👍😁
I’ve bought a kit from RC. The castings were so bad, the kit was unbuildable. I guess with so many great resin kit companies out there doing great work, word is out that RC kits are not that good and money will be better spent elsewhere on quality kits. word gets around. Once you burn your customers bridges, you lose them forever.
Best wishes from an Englishman making armour in a French forest!
I love the scale of this! So much so, I can't help thinking that in 1977 during that mad summer my Gerbil would have loved riding in this! 😂🤣
RIP Peanut, they were good times buddy.
Good luck with the build. 🇬🇧🐹🇺🇲
OOTEENEE!!! Gotta love the Jawas.
I know Randy personally, he lives within a mile of me. He has done fantastic models for years. There used to be a hobby shop near both our houses that used to display his scratch built models in their store display windows. He even had a scratch built 5 to 6 foot long Battlestar Galactica model in their window for a long time. The one from the first show.
Love that! Thanks for sharing! He is a legend in my book! Cheers!
I wouldn't rub my eyes with hands that just handled resin...
Randy is one-of-a-kind-- I regret he no longer seems to turn to CZcams to show what he's up to or where he's at. Me-? I just don't like Facebook. Yes, I use it but begrudgingly.
You, ya crazy kid, ya! Are going great guns-- good to see. I know these particular YT shows are often in the distant past but still, much progress ur, back then... ur, now. I'm too lazy to go look up the shots of the sand crawler with its operator on-set, but my memory says Randy's model is about 1/2 studio scale. So the shooting model, when under way, is not all that large. I recall that it was powered by a barbecue rotisserie motor-- could be wrong.
I say, using a bandsaw for that treadie thing, sort of fuss work is the shortcut to disaster. Things go wrong fast. But it looks like you got it to mostly behave so good on'ya. The warning to use masks for any resin related sanding or sawing is good. The material's damage to the central nervous system will sneak up on you and is a slow process. The worst occurs if you are breathing the fumes when mixing, but dust is also bad.
Tiny Jawas... sounds like a Star Wars con band.
Good luck with your build - I've built this kit and it remains my most favourite kit build ever - probably due to the challenges it presented to get it square as my castings were badly warped upon delivery. You might want to consider an internal wooden frame and screw the panels onto the frame and use appropriately shaped plasticard to hide the screw heads. The kit cries out for a ton of additional fine detailing, particulalry the cockpit area. It's also a must-light-it model and yes the tracks are a bitch but a belt sander and jig saw make them easy work - no need for shedding a ton of money on shapeways who offer 3d printed variants. So, good luck to you - the end result is precious.
Thanks! I enjoyed this build tremendously because I love to weather and age models. The results of my odyssey should be posted to the channel tomorrow!
Good in you for making a point of safety when working with resin. A lot of people don't know
Thanks for posting this video ! I just bought the kit from Mr. Cooper and can't wait to build it !
Always wanted a sandcrawler ,epic kit welljell 😭. Will be good 👍.
That’s a big sandcrawler. Hope you enjoy the looser painting and freedom Of weathering compared to your previous marathon. You’re a class act and an inspiration.
That is one incredible Resin kit! The Sandcrawler is really the one item that really makes you feel you are in the Galaxy Far Far Away!
Phil, I don’t like building resin kits but I don’t mind watching others building them! 😊
This kit appears to have good detail. Looking forward to seeing how this fleshes out. And…what a cool subject.
I love your channel, sir. Keep up the good work.
Hey Philip. I was watching you video. And I noticed I didn't explain very well, how to remove that long strip, on the bottom/sides. It's not cut from the inside. It's completely removed. The reason it's there is , when those parts molded, you need a reservoir in case the resin should leak out a little, or when they're in the pressure pot, can condense it a little. So it's just extra resin.
wow...that's a very cool model. One that helps to keep dust down when sanding is to wet sand especially when doing small parts. Cant wait to see you build this one.
I just saw ya on my feed . Cool looking channel i will subscribe and watch them thanks for sharing
Half the fun of building a R.Cooper kit is the cleaning up of the parts, a very therapeutic task...
I have been sorting my Phoenix kit for some years now... Note I said years!
Must drag it out of the stash and get going again, just need some pilots!
I have a Phoenix - not sure when I will build that!
@sprueVerse all in good time they say...however I do look forward to seeing you tackle his Spinner kit though, looks a tough one to light...
Loving the vibe of the channel ... subscribed .
Welcome!
It's a fun build, get your boiling water ready for the side panels.
Hi, they used parts from a tamiya 1/16 scale Sherman tank for the drive unit's. I've always wanted a model of a sandcrawler. Steve. UK.
Great great looking kit and will be a blast to build up and light! Randy is definitely an artist and good guy! "There are 4 Lights!" 😂
Great to see this Randy Cooper SC kit come together, I always wanted one of Randy's awesome kits in my collection, but shipping to the UK these days is just too expensive.
I was lucky enough to find a early unbuilt kit for sale in the UK, and got it for a great price.
I hope to build it some day.
Can't wait to see what you do with this Phil. Looking forward to the rest of this.
I have been trying to get this in a model kit for a long time now.
I'm going to get this there's no way I'm not going to get this.
I don't know how much it cost but I'm getting it.
I'm building a 1/144 scale resin sand crawler kit and diorama . Really looking forward to seeing how yours turns out.
So cool. I'm a new Sub.
You should look for a razor saw works great
Hi Phil have you put your wonderfest video up yet ? great looking kit may look to getting one finances allowing
I didn’t produce a Wonderfest video this year.
shame i wanted to see your stuff you got😀😀😀@@sprueVerse
I hope this build recharges your batteries so you can revisit the Refit problems.
👍🏻
Utinni!
Good grief Phil! Are you a sucker for punishment or what?! Straight from the nightmare of TWO 1/350 Enterprises to a huge cast resin kit! This kit looks awesome (and so it should for the price) but would it not have been more sensible to choose a simpler project as a relief from all the stress of the last two? As you say, these things produce toxic dust and on a kit of this size there is a lot of it with all the prep work. I am sure that it will look amazing when it's finished but next time give yourself a break and do a simple, fun kit 👍😁
I’ve bought a kit from RC. The castings were so bad, the kit was unbuildable.
I guess with so many great resin kit companies out there doing great work, word is out that RC kits are not that good and money will be better spent elsewhere on quality kits. word gets around. Once you burn your customers bridges, you lose them forever.