Kit Bashing

Kitbashing Intro and Sourcing

Kit bashing comes from activity like taking apart lots of Airfix kits to use the parts as set decoration on larger props like the surface of models like Star Wars space craft with all the technology, equipment, vents, weapons etc. So take lots of bits and stick them on.



In the case of my Star Wars prop the key kit bashing parts were from:

• Chopped up defective nerf guns.
• Dyson Engines
• War related toys like a tank and helicopter
• Warhammer mechanised parts and weapons
• Circuit board components
• A chopped up broken Yamaha keyboard
• CPAP Machine breathing tubes
• A broken hair dryer
• Lego Technic
• There was also a Silicon mould with lots of sci fi related parts like vents, knobs and other parts.

Kit Bash Part Duplication - Silicon Mould & Resin Casting

Smaller parts such as the Warhammer parts were needed in large numbers, so I made silicon box moulds to cast the parts with fast cast resin many times.

There was also a large silicon flat block with a variety of useful mould holes at the college which I could use for parts.

The resin is mixed 50/50 parts A and B by weight and sets in around 5 minutes.

Adding graphite powder helps. Makes parts dark inside which is useful when sanding to avoid white patches and by coating the moulds first can give a more dark metallic sheen.

Graphic powder tends to be messy and when on hands or feet tends to result in dirty hand prints and foot prints all over.

Chopping Up Kitbash Parts

Larger parts such as the Nerf Guns and Yamaha Keyboard control were cut apart with the Mitre saw where safe, to do so and the Finn Multi Master where they were not as this was far gentler and could be used within mm of fingers.

The Finn Multimaster multi tool could also plunge saw into the Dyson cyclone motors.

The Finn Multi master was excellent at removing the components off the circuit board precision plunge sawing under with the smallest blade.

It also proved useful at scaping and sanding off logos.

My powerfile could also be used for tripping extremities like this toy jet engine.

Extracting PCB Components

The Finn Multi Master Multi tool proved very useful in extracting components off the faulty computer mother boards as the oscillating mini metal blades could slip under the components closest to the boards with minimal damage to the parts, the component legs, even if just a mm long were severed like using a mini scraper.
 
This tool could cut the tiniest pats gently such as the tubes off the flywheels in the last photo below.