I was messing around with preliminary ideas for my squiggoth at the moment.

Yes, I know I am bouncing around between projects like a kangaroo on acid, but it's just the way I seem to work. I don't mean to clutter the forum with so many posts about so many different things - they will all one day be done. I'm probably just working on this one because I managed to get a pair of the speakers I needed today.

I was planning on putting up my pictures and stuff in a post and detailing how I was going to put the speakers in before I realized it would be stupid without.. well, sound, as proof of concept.

Mad Reasoning

Enjoy my sexy, dulcet nerd voice as I get this idea started.

by jamsessionein

Playing with power tools

I am a monumental idiot.

Somehow I can operate power tools like a drill press and such just fine. I was dremelling out the back of the squiggoth's neck for a speaker mount.

Of course, when I was done dremelling, I took my coat off and started shaking the pounds of resin dust off it. Shaking it vigorously so as to remove all of the resin dust, I managed to whip the rather large zipper around at a high speed and directly into my right eye, giving me quite a nice shiner.

So, to recap:

Power tools? A-OK! Zippers? FAIL Anyway, here is the next step of youtube videos.

The Dremeling

It cut me off at the very end when I was talking, but you get the idea. I'm going to have to bitz order some goff rokkers, I think.

The Montage

I have been messing around with video editors.

My production values have gone up dramatically.

I have also filmed myself using a tripod this time around, so you may all grimace at my twisted visage.

And oh yes, there is a montage.

The Montage!

Speed Bump

I have hit something of a speed bump.

While the first speaker will definitely be mounted in the throat, if just for the novelty of having it actually roar, the second speaker is posing a problem as there's really nowhere I can see that it will fit.

I've considered perhaps leaving the speaker off, but that seems like a halfway solution that would end up being disappointing - just one in the throat isn't nearly the volume I crave!

The only place I've been able to figure out that might work is under the howdah, pointing up - by cutting away a section of flooring and putting a mesh over-top to replace the flooring and allow sound out - but I'm not so happy with that idea just yet because I also wanted to put the switches and controls in the howdah and a speaker would end up blocking most of that.

A Pause and pictures

Alright - no video with this one, as it's not so much progress as analysis, and I can't really film effectively in macro.

I've spent the past few hours really thinking this squiggoth over as to what I want to do. The first speaker's fine - I actually spent a little time hollowing out the back of the throat a bit more and carving it so the acoustics would project forward a bit more, and it's ended up being notably louder.

Now, here's the circuit that powers the
speaker assembly...

from the side of the howdah so you can get an idea of
how much clearance there is already between the body
and howdah...

Of course, the 4x AAA batteries have to be put somewhere as well. I'd shove all this stuff inside the squiggoth and be done with it, but I couldn't get to any of it in there - it would suck if I had to remove the squiggoth's head every time I wanted to turn the speakers on or use the mp3 player.

I should mention a few things:

1. I do not want the speakers or electronics to be visible anywhere. Having it exposed somewhere, be it on a tower or mounted on the howdah or anything like that, isn't really what I want to do. I think it'd be far more... interesting.. if I just kept all of that stuff concealed so that people would walk in on a game or something, hear music, and ask where the hell it's coming from.
2. This will probably not be based. This is a gaming model for me, and I think a base would make it a bit too unwieldy.

I've seriously been considering doing one of the following things:

1. Now that the speaker's louder, I may ditch the 2nd one all together, as I haven't figured out a place where I can logistically fit it. Under the howdah's a nice thought, but I don't think there's room for it, and even if I hollow the back down (which I have held off doing so far due to fears of ruining the model) I don't know if it's worth the trouble.
2. I could build an entirely new howdah for this thing. I'd probably model it after the Dawn of War howdah, except that it's closed-topped. I don't even know if that matters, as it's technically not a vehicle (It has wounds and such) but I am under the impression that for WYSIWYG rules I need to emphasize that Orks would be firing from the howdah. The upside to this is I could design the howdah around the speaker and electronics, and maybe even add a few extra lights or something. I almost don't want to do this because it'd be such a pain in the [I Swear To Much] to build something that fits as flat on the squiggoth's body from scratch, and I don't really have a plan for what I'd make if I did this.
3. One of my friends had an interesting idea while watching me dremel - he noticed the smoke coming off the dremel bit because it was getting ridiculously hot and saw the smoke coming out of the squiggoth's mouth, which I'm told looks pretty cool. I wonder if it'd be possible to put a smoke machine inside the squiggoth's head - one of those evaporators, you know, the stuff you see in Spencers. Kind've a silly idea, though - it'd most likely wreak havoc on the paint, and I don't think it's quite as cool as sound.

At this point my plan is to build a new, bigger howdah that will properly accommodate all the Dakka I plan on incorporating (2 zzaps, 4 rokkit launchers, and 5 big shootas ) and conceal the electronics within easy enough reach that I can turn it on/off and change the batteries regularly.

Meanwhile, I've put together a small playlist of what I have planned to put on the squiggoth so far. I unfortunately can't embed it in the forums, so click here to listen.

I think the 2nd song down might actually be my favorite for Orks.

Midterms are over!

So, I've resumed work on this thing now, having successfully weathered all of my midterms.

I'm resolved to be building my own howdah, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what I want to do with it.

Here's what I know:

1. There will be 2 Zzap Guns, hopefully on pivots so LoS isn't a problem.
2. There will be 4 Twin-Linked Rokkits, and while I would like them to be on pivots I doubt I'll be able to
3. There will be 5 Bolt-on Big Shootas
4. There will be a Big Mek riding this thing with a Kustom Force Field
5. There will be 8 Flash Gitz with him, 4 of whom have Big Shootas.

With all that said, I'm thinking about how much bigger I want to make my Howdah over the Forgeworld one. I sort of want to bulk it out a little bit to properly accommodate all the electronics and speaker. I am thinking that because the Big Mek is going to be riding along on this thing, he needs a special place to stand, probably towards the front of the Howdah so he gets the best view... The models riding along are all going to be based separately - not part of the actual model.

The problem I'm having at present is that nothing is creatively striking me as a starting point for building this Howdah. I don't really have a mental image in my head. As such, I was hoping some of you fellas might be able to help get the old wheels turning, as it were.

I'll be playing around in Sketchup for a little while trying to see if I can come up with anything.

The Big Cut

Ya'z see, I'z gunna hollow it out and put all da worky bitz inna 'iz gutz, and close 'im up, but not 'fore I putz a hatch in da top fer changin' da batt-rys. Dat way it'z all sealed up good so'z I can put wot-evah howdah I wantz on da top!

I ain't no zoggin' madboy! Just youz give me a little bit ta prove it.

I'z been shown a vishun uv Gork and Mork, an I hadz ta
get to werkin' on it!

DIS CHOPPA IZ TOO WEEDY FER DA JOB, SO I'Z
UPGRADED TO A 'UGE CHOPPA!

It wot took me'z bout half uv one-a dem 'ours to chop
my way out da uvva side, but I didz it!

(It was an astonishingly good cut, actually. I missed everything of importance with the saw - avoided the armor plates, the legs, even the squig-wang on the underside. I'm going to hollow it out and remove the top of him as a hatch which will hopefully be hidden or concealed by the howdah. There's a couple cuts there as I worked up the nerve and broke jewelers saw bits that were far too weak to do the job, but those can be easily concealed, and the actual cleft cut itself is a nice and simple repair with a bit of green-stuff 'round the underside that nobody actually sees.)

But wait! It gets worse!

It gets worse

It's times like this I wish I knew electronics so I didn't have to bother with all this work, but so be it. That marked out block is going to be removed tomorrow courtesy of my dremel. Just a little aside; I don't know if the future for Dakka includes it being down during the transfer of ownership, so I'd like to remind everyone that I also keep my Works in Progress at http://www.the-warforge.com if you want to keep up-to-date.

Oh ye of little faith

Oh ye of little faith, behold!

Ya might have thought I was crazy, but tell me if this looks all that bad.

Barely a seam, eh? Alright, there is a seam, and there
are a couple marks on it, but nothing that green-stuff
can't superficially fix. This all gets easily hidden
underneath the howdah anyway.

But wait!

A hatch! And underneath?

Batteries and the circuit to amplify the speaker, in a
compact (hah, not really...) box!

Enjoy this! It's a view that nobody will ever see of a squiggoth's rock solid resin insides. About two hours of dremelling with a very dedicated sanding drum carved this out.

It's alright, guys. You can say it. Come on, do it with me.

Woohoo!

I might not have been as mad as I seemed.

The Fourth Video

All Youtube Videos

1. Mad Reasoning
2. The Dremeling
3. The Montage!
4. The Fourth Video