# T-800 Terminator (finished)



## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is a commision that I'm doing for a member of another forum. This has taken me away from my X-wing build, but this is what I do to pay the bills now. All the following is copied and pasted from another forum that no longer exists now.

This is a project that I'm doing for Coffee Addict. This is the T-800 Terminator build that I was consigned to do. Right now this is only in primer,and the special paint to emulate leather. THIS IS NOT REGULAR PAINT! This is specially formulated to look like leather,but it's very difficult to achieve, as this requires a lot of finesse to make it look realistic. I had to buy special rubbing compound to use on this before the paint cured so that it doesn't polish it to a gloss finish. This is a very special finish that required a thicker paint to make this effect,and make it look convincing. This is supposed to wrinkle,but it only does this in thick layers. I wanted it to have the uneven,but supple appearance of leather,and not shiny gloss, or flat black as many models like this I've seen so far have been painted in the pictures on their boxes. 


This is,and the next two photos are of this in the primer stage. This has been masked in preparation for paint.































This is after being freshly sprayed with the leather paint. It stays tacky for two hours after being applied,and this finish stays bright, and glossy like this when dry. I still had to dull this down at this time.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is after the first treatment of rubbing compound to give it this look.














Forgive the blurriness, I was trying to show that this is more leather-like after the second treatment. If you rub too hard it starts to polish the paint instead of dulling it. 














The sunlight makes this look shinier than it really is in person.












Being all black prevents me from actully taking good photos of the details this has.















What I used to create this effect. It's formulated to wrinkle with successive coats,but I'm using it for another purpose. I'll get shots of this will the wrinkle effect when I get more photos of this figure. I just needed a paint that was thick enough for me to spray in a thin layer,and still be durable enough to rub on without going through to the plastic under the primer. This was very difficult to do. It's thick binder is what allowed me to do this finish.















Arnold with primer and lightly weathered jacket. I like this look,as this is what classic biker jackets looked like back in the 50s' - smooth feel without a lot of vein lines all over it. The gray isn't nearly as intense in person as it is in the photos. I have a friend that used to ride all the time,and this is what his jacket looked like after riding for a week,or two. 












The pants look a little too shiny in person,so I'll have to dull them down a little more around the thighs. I want the true leather look,and not vinyl.












The back of the legs look really shiny,but in artificial,and natural light, they look correct,and not bright and glaring.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

One more shot from the front. The gray powdery substance is only rubbing compound that I didn't wash completely off. It's very difficult to remove this without polishing the surrounding paint. Remember people, he was riding around the desert of California, and the sewer drainage ditches,as well as the steel mill before buying it in the smelter. Steel mills are very dirty places with the slag,and metal contaminants flying through the air all the time. I might remove a little more of this,then take a picture to see how the two differences compare. Whichever one looks more realistic is the one I'll go with. I feel that this weathering gives it a more realistic, and used look,especially since the Terminator robots don't do laundry,or dry cleaning.


Thanks for looking!​ 











We now return you to our regular program.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

OK,here's the latest that I've done so far. 


I worked on this all afternoon,and I'm about done. This didn't take as long as I thought it would,which is a good thing because, I need to finish another project that has been on the backburner for some time now,and I NEED to get this back to its' owner. All the other projects will be easy compared to it. I still need to add some gooey yumminess to the chest,and face in the deep flesh areas to give it the wet look that blood has to it before it dries. I'll have to fabricate a shotgun,and the belt ends for this, as these didn't come in the box,so I'll make them for Roy (Coffee Addict) at no extra charge. Otherwise,this is mostly done. I'm not going to leave any descriptions,just photos for tonight. Enjoy!


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)




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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Here are some better pictures of Arnie. I'm sorry that I didn't get around to posting these, but the shotgun took all afternoon. I had a lot of work to do, and redo. Shopping took up most of the morning, so this shot down the rest of the day - pun intended.
















































You can just barely see a shotgun handle in Arnies' hand.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

I figured that this should have a real wooden handgrip. This is cherry. This was cut from a triangular scrap left over from when we used to make guitars in my friends' garage.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

I did this to see what it'll look like. I was going to use alder,but it's grain is too subdued. This is what guitar makers use for opaque finishes. Cherry was much better suited for this project, as it looks more in scale, and it has better grain.











I figured that if I'm going to use real wood that I might as well use real metal for the breach. The plastic just looked terrible after looking at it for about two minutes. I didn't realise that this was in the wrong position 'til after I had glued it. I guess that was a "happy Bob Ross accident". It led to me carving out the inside, and redoing it until it looked right. 
















































The beginnings of a shotgun. This is still wrong. :dodgy: I'm making this because the kit had some pieces missing from it, this was one of them.











This is the start of getting it right. The pin sticking out of the "body" is a pin that I drilled a hole for, so that this will be reinforced.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is right before I realised that the barrel is too long. I of course, had to cut it, and the handgrip down to look like a sawed off shotgun. 





















This is the handgrip after I applied Minwax brand old honey maple stain to it. This is only one coat. This was more than plenty for the correct hue. I've since lacquered this with five separate coats, and hand polished it. I then sprayed it one more time to give it that classic shotgun look. I'll post photos of this when I can, as I still need to go to the store, and buy some regular gloss black paint for the rest of the gun.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is the gun that Arnold had at the end of T2 when he was in the steel mill. I think I'll make a grenade launcher for this too. I have a lot of aluminum,and brass tubing that needs to be used for something. 












This is the handgrip with the original plastic version that I was going to use. I figured that I've gone this far to ensure a perfectly satisfactory build, that I might was well go all the way. 











This is the handgrip after being sprayed with five coats of lacquer. Before that was Minwax old honey maple stain. After applying the stain,which is polyurethane based, I let it dry. This seals up the wood, and keeps any further finish from penetrating the woodgrain.


After the fifth layer of lacquer, I rubbed this with rubbing compound to smooth it a little. Then after washing the residue off, I sprayed it with one last coat to restore the shine this should have. This has a beautiful finish despite the poor quality of the photos. This is why I wanted to use real wood instead of plastic, as only it has the irredescence that reflects in light. You can't get that from paint! 


I see that this looks like there's finish missing on the bottom right corner of this, but that's just light glare. This finish is solid all the way around. I didn't sand on this with anything other than 600 grit wet-or-dry paper. This didn't sand through, as the finish was to rubbery, and soft for a paper this soft to burn through. I did polish this with my bare fingers rubbing the lacquer until it was dull, but soft. This gave it a smooth finish. I wanted to give it a brighter shine, so I sprayed it with one more coat. This made it perfect. I waited five minutes before spraying again so this made it so it wouldn't run. I'm pleased with this, but it looks off now with the rest of the parts being black.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

KABOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!
 WHAT THE F*[email protected] WAS THAT?!?!?!?! Take a look, and see.​ l
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I had to repaint the entire figure today,except the jacket. This is all latex based paint, and it all turned darker as it dried. It was too dark, and made everything look drab. As it dried more,and more - it looked far too dark,and it made Arnie look necrotic (dead). There was no way in hell I could just leave it looking so amaturish, especially since I'm a professional modeler! I was trying to give him a slight suntan, but this dried in a gray shade. It looked correct in the daylight,but once this dried it was easy to see that it was all wrong! This acrylic/latex is good,but it changes colour once it dries. The longer the cure - the darker the colour until after the first 24 hours. After that you can see what hue it will be permanently. You can see in the previous photos that Arnie has a pistol type grip in his right hand. Why this didn't come with a gun is a mystery. 
































































For some damn reason my camera makes the colours look a shade,or two brighter than what they really are in person! (insert pissed off face here) The skin,blood,hair,and shirt are all darker than this in person. My camera makes things in incandescent light turn an eerie yellow, and anything with a flash look a little too bright. I've adjusted this until I'm blue in the face,but it doesn't help - the lighting has to be perfect,and bright enough to see the subject by. I worked four hours repainting this,and making sure that the colours were perfect with bright natural, and artificial light to ensure a perfect match. The blood on this is darker where it's supposed to be dry, and lighter where it's still wet. I know - I've seen a lot of horrible accidents in my time! I applied clear gloss to the wounds,and to his left eye to make them have the wet gooey look. Every colour of this figure is more pronounced with the flash than it is in all actuality! The silver parts are all that need attention now to be accurate.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

The beginning of a grenade launcher.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Thanks guys,but the show's not over yet. I'm in the process of editing this thread, as I've waited all last week to post this here,but we all got banned from the internet by the server for whatever reason! I'm glad you like what you've seen so far, even though this isn't everything yet.


The skin, and blood didn't look gory enough, so I _had_ to do over again. It was so dark by the time it dried that he looked necrotic (dead) He looks a little orange right now, but I'm going to wait until it cures for a few days. The colour in the photos is always a shade brighter for some reason, but this is only when I use the flash. 

I hope you'll like this too. 



I like wooden handles. Unfortuntely, this wouldn't be accurate if I used it. This is 0.20" of an inch thick.












I was trying to decide if I should go with the original handle, which was smooth, or the pistol grip. I personally wanted to use the wood with the pistol grip, bit I couldn't make it look good on any scale! 











Making grenade heads. I turned these on the cordless drill while shaping them with a file. I left the tool marks on them for a more realistic look. Those are buttermilk biscuits in the clear container that I baked the day before yesterday. 











The infancy of a rocket launcher, or laser gun is what this looks like, but right now I'm just test fitting the handle. I didn't take a picture of this yet, but the handle is curved to match the body of the grenade tube. This isn't made up with woodfiller, or superglue. I dragged a small drill bit across the top of this to make a tiny trench. Then I used bigger, and bigger drill bits to widen it until I had about the correct size. Then, I wrapped 220 grit sandpaper around the tube,and drew it across the top of the handle to make the final semi curcular shape. This makes it fit perfectly. I drilled a hole in it for a 1/8" in diameter aluminum tube. It fit so tight that glue was uneccessary, or possible to get into the hole with the tube in it. You can see the hole in the picture above. 













A close up of the handle. This is after I reworked it so that all the finger slots would match. This pistol grip handle is what you see on the real thing. I was going to leave this smooth until I realised that is wasn't. This handle is a two part assembly with the base glued, and the seam between the two filled with Elmers' wood filler. I still have to finish smoothing this out.










This shot was taken to show that there is a stable mounting for this handle. This fit inside so tight, that it went into the hole just like the handle, nice and tight. I'll glue this to the tube anyway,so that it will be permanent. I'll make the rest of the cylinders, and the grenades this afternoon. Arnie has to dry anyway, so there's no hurry to get him glued together yet. I'll have to drill a hole in his right hand for the shotgun. This gun will be finished this afternoon. I'll paint it tomorrow,as there are a lot of tight spaces,and a couple of modifications that need to be addressed before this can happen.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

I superglued this so that I can mate the two halves together smootly. I still have to sand the rest of this smooth since I added a little more after I took this picture.











The raw frame.











The begining of the grenades. This entire unit will be painted first, then I'll paint the heads of the grenades, and glue them on afterwards. This will make it easier for me. This way, it won't make a mess painting the two colours on two different surfaces. 











FLOWER POWER​ 






































This is a sample grenade. This is so that you can see how long these usually are. The emery board got wet, and the stain from it got onto a couple of the grenade canisters. I'll have to sand that out. I think I'll even make a few shotgun shells to lay around Arnies' feet for a more realistic effect.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

The prototype fitting of the parts.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

A better look at the final fitting of the pylon,trigger, and handle. This just needs the trigger guard, end caps, and grenade heads attached before I can call it finished. I'll paint this without the grenade heads, as they're the only thing that will be differently coloured from everything else, and will be glued on last.











The trigger guard,and handle beside the sample grenade. 











The belt ends. 
I didn't find these in the bottom of the box - I made them from styrene that I cut into strips,and bent the hell out of. Then I drilled three 0.15" of an inch holes into one, and made a buckle for the other side. I scraped the edges so that they'll match the original belt on the jacket. I'll rub the paint on these to match the jacket surface once it dries. Then I'll paint the buckle so this will look realistic.











The buckle looks like there's something hanging on the left side, but this a spot of wet paint that was on the tape when I took this picture. 
This is made of two pieces. One that I bent a 0.20" styrene rod into a square joined in the center on one side, and the other part is made from a 0.15" styrene rod. I bent it over, then I glued it to the square in two places, so that this will look like a real belt buckle. This is all superglued together. I can't wait to get this glued to Arnies' jacket, but this will have to wait, as this is the same paint I used on the jacket, and it'll take a couple of days to dry enough to be handled.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is what I do, and it's what I love. As you can see, there isn't anything that can't be scratch made. Painting is a little bit harder, as I can't control much more than its' application. Here're a few sneak peek photos. Today is the unveil of the final product in its' finished form. Enjoy!


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

*"IT'S NOT A TUMOR!"*​ 

This isn't officially done yet - it still needs some touch up on the silver parts, and in between the body and legs. There's a small gap where the two meet from where the owner separated them after he glued them together. This was done for shipping reasons. This is only superglued from the very front edge. I wasted all that time, and superglue filling damage, and sanding it ultra-smooth so that the top, and bottom would fit perfectly. The problem is that there's no edge on the back of the jacket to glue to! I'll probably add some white Elmers' glue to this to strengthen the bond. These shots are only a tease for right now to show that it's done,but I need to take some actual beauty shots of this, so that I can edit out the background for a portfolio.











This picture is just to give you all a loose interpretation without any closeup detail. This is just to inspire confidence in my abilities, and to show that this is finally finished, and ready to be wrapped for shipping. That will be just as difficult to do as painting this was. I'll have to package this so that it will arrive in perfect condition without paint rubs, or parts broken off. I'll post beauty shots when I take them. I took these photos ten minutes before I posted them on the other site I copied these from. This was before dawn. It started raining right about the time the sun came up, so I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow.












This is not my photo,but I swiped it from ebay. I'm only using this as a reference for the shot gun. This is what Arnie used in the beginning of T2, but the one I made is what comes with the kit when new. This is correct for what he used at the end of the movie. I originally thought that this was a recast because it had some parts missing, but this is made from polystyrene. This is HARD plastic compared to the urethane stuff everyone is using. The owner said this is an older version. The ones I've seen on ebay now are all light gray vinyl. 


Either way, this is very cool kit,and I never thought of buying one, even after I saw these in the stores. The box is horrible! They should take pictures of " Coffee Addicts' " and put them on the box - I know that sounds egotistical,but this one really looks a lot better in my personal opinion. It at least looks more realistic. This is much better looking in person than any picture I can take with my camera. 


There's no detail that I've left unattended. From the paint to the parts - I made sure that I earned my pay for this build. It needs to look *real* - not real fake!


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This picture is out of order, but I wanted to show the leather like grain this has. This was painted from a spraypaint can very carefully. This is formulated to make much bigger wrinkles than this. I had to do this lightly to keep these lines in scale with this figure.













In the home stretch. This is almost done, but the trigger guard still needs to be attached to the grenade launcher tube.





















The tab at the bottom of the barrel is a strap mount. There's another one at the other end. There are small grooves in each one that I drilled with a 0.15" Thousanths of an inch drill bit in a straight line until I could cut through each hole to the one next to it. These are intentional. They keep the strap taut.





















This is the curvature of the handle that I sanded into it. I wanted to show this before I permanently glued it to the rest of the grenade launcher.











Another shot. This is a closeup, and it's the best I can get with my camera at the moment.












The light is weak with this one. This looks brighter in person that it does on film.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

I know that these look the same, but they're the finally finished form with no further touchups neccessary. I applied clear gloss coat to the areas that are supposed to be red, and wet, and this is dry in the areas where it's supposed to dark, and dried blood from being so thin. The shirt has a wet look around the open wound as a real shirt would. I did this by rubbing my hands over it with a little gloss coat to make it look damp without looking glossy. All the open wounds, and even Arnies' left eye have gloss coat to make it look evermore realistic. I just need to add a little black washcoat to resemble eyelashes. 

I glued the gap between the jacket,and the pants in the back to add structural integrity. This is by the beltline where no one will ever see,and by the pockets. This can't be seen from the top,or the sides.




















*THE JEWEL OF MY EYE*​ I wanted something that would look like a true Terminator eye,but I didn't want to route a wiring channel with an aircraft drill bit through one of his legs. I thought that this needed something that would be durable, and not have to be serviced like a fibreoptic, or need batteries, or possibly burn out like an LED.














This is a rhinestone that I superglued to a styrene rod, then shaved down with an emeryboard while turning it on a drill. This ensures perfect symmetry. I was lementing how I could've used these at the time I was at the local sewing store, but I was there to buy materials for another project that is on the backburner for now. When Roy consigned me to do this, I remembered these, and went back to the sewing store, and bought a box of over 100 rhinestones. These came in multiple colours, red,blue,light blue, green, gold, yellow, purple, white, and pink. OOOOOOHHHHH pretty!!!!

I wet sanded this with 320, and 600 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper. Then I buffed it with Brasso, and plastic polish to make this shiny. I originally thought of making an eye of each of these colours, but it's very difficult to insert this eye as it is to remove it. I permanently glued this in so that it won't fall inside his head when handled. Arnies' head is hollow inside,but this doesn't make it easy to retrieve, or insert without a lot of difficulty. This works perfectly in bright light, as this is made from chrome backed solid red acrylic.





















I waited to show this last, as it was to be a surprise. This is the first thing I did when I got this figure,even though I'm showing it last. This was the only modification to this figure, but a highly neccessary one! This wasn't polished yet, as I was only testing the fit before deciding whether this needed more work, or not.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This a chip out of the back of the jacket from the fill plug. Someone tried to fill this with woodfiller before I got it, but an edge like this isn't a place where this stuff will be durable. I replaced it with superglue, and baking soda. This makes a rock hard mixture.





























I sanded this smooth after giving the entire figure a hot soapy bath in antibacterial dishsoap to remove finger oil, and mould release agents. I sanded this down with 320, and 600 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper. I then took my Exacto blade, and shaved the edge of it, then I made a couple of small creases to match the rest of the jacket for a seamless repair.











This is what I used to recreate the yummy gooeyness that covers the red bloody areas.













This is a lot harder to see the detail on now. This is only the initial coat of primer. I sprayed this to see any tiny imperfections that I need to remove before I can call it done. But, it doesn't matter, as this is the wrong damn grenade launcher. I'll have to make a new one, unless you want this one anyway, Roy. At this point in time I still have yet to glue the grenade heads onto the canisters, and attach the strap.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

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This is the correct one. Forgive the poor quality of this picture - I stole it off ebay too! Now that I don't the video, I have to resort to all kinds of ridiculous means to exemplify my intentions. Look closely, and you'll see that this is what was actually used in the movie. My version is based off a military grenade launcher - the kind that shoots explosive grenades.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

I've been working very carefully on this, as there are parts that are easily broken. 




















The following photos are only an example of what this is intended to look like. This shows that this barrel was intentionally chosen for its' diameter, so that I can insert the rifling as this will be in scale with the rest of the figure.







































This isn't going to stay inside the barrel, this is only to show that the grenades are in the correct scale.












The grenade heads after being freshly painted. These dried smoother than they look in this photo.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

The beginnings of shotgun shellls.






























This what is called a reference shot, or continuity shot in the industry. These are taken to ensure that all the parts, or elements are in the same place from frame to frame while filming. This helps ensure continuity of the film. I took this to show what this would look like with these with in front of Arnie, even though these aren't painted yet.











Painted, and ready for a closeup shot. 





















All the good photos of this that came out clearly are what I posted here. I had to delete the others, as they came out fuzzy. I'll more photos tomorrow when the light is better.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)




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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

There's a water spot on the loading pylon. I just noticed that after I took these pictures, and loaded them onto my computer. I'll wipe that off, and retake these photos in better light. 











I know that everyone's probably sick of seeing the same photos of Arnie, but I'm used to seeing him on top of my worktable. This is the only figure I've ever painted on it, so this makes it historically important to me. I'm going to miss Arnie staring at me every day as I post these photos after taking them. 
It's going to be very difficult for me to package this up, and send it to you, Roy. He's become my constant companion watching, and waiting as I build all these weapons, and other things that I've been working on for the last three weeks. I've even caught myself talking to him, asking his opinion on the things I'm making for him, other things that I look at on the internet.
I forgot the one thing that truly brings life to him - eyelashes. I painted these delicately, but you can't see them very well, but not having them only washed his features out in the flash. This makes him look more real, that and I forgot to paint the inner features flat black around the laser eye. Now he actually looks like Arnie should in person.










I've been taking these pictures without the shotgun because I'm not going to glue it into Arnies' hand. I'm afraid of this being broken off during shipping. It's very difficult to remove and insert, as the hole I drilled for it is very tight. I'll put it back when I take the beauty shots of the entire finished product.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is the beginnning stages of the M-79 grenade launcher.The stock on this is too small, and disproportionate to the real thing, so back to the grind. I filed this for two three hours, and sanded it smooth to this shape from memory. This is why it's not perfect. 


This is what I made this stock from. This is the last scrap of cherry that was laying on the floor of the shop. 



















This is a rifle stock. I included this by accident. I'm making this for someone else.











The stock is too long, and the volute for the handgrip is not directly inline with the relief for the thumb. This forces the symmetry to be off.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)




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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is the stock in it's almost finished form. I've already shaped it, and stained it with a water based acrylic that I mixed to this colour. I applied a thin Minwax stain, the same stuff I used for the shotgun over this. I'll have to wait till the stain sets before I can clearcoat this with polyurethane. 

I took a few comparison shots with, and without the flash. I didn't want the grain to wash out completely once I finish this. Now if I just get rid of that damn yellow tint without photoshop!




























I still need to make the shock pad, and glue it to the stock. This will happen after I fit the parts to this. I still have to drill the hole for the lock, and shave the inside for the trigger guard. After I get all that done, I'll finish the barrel, and make the strap, and strap buttons.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Please feel free to compare the two finishes for colour match.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

I hope that you'll like this one too. I hate it, but that's only because I'm the one making this one piece at a time! It's tedious, but there is some of what I'm doing that's fun - just not all the sanding I've had to do to get the stock to where it is now. 











The white bar next to it is the rail that I'm going to use for the hangrip under the barrel. This is two pieces. 
























































The flash in this photo was a lame attempt to show the true colour of the stock. The darkness makes it look real dark, but in good light - this is actually the same colour as the stock in the sample photo of the real thing. This is absolutely gorgeous in person with a nice satin finish, and that low gloss shine that makes this look very real! I was right to use cherry, as it's grain is just right to give this the correct sense of scale, and it's beauty is stunning for such a small piece. I'm not used to woodworking in this scale, as everything I make is much bigger.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)




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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Believe it, or not - this stock is comprised of 15 individual pieces of wood, and styrene. The hammer, and surrounding plate are two pieces, and the breach pin that holds the barrel down while firing is made of six pieces of styrene. The hammer surround is 0.40" thick, so I had to recess this for it, and the trigger while this was already finished in the medium cherry coloured lacquer finish. I don't know why I even mentioned polyurethane in my last post, I never use it for anything but furniture. Where polyurethane came from is a mystery to me, as it's too soft, and doesn't give the convincing old time finish that real nitrocellulose lacquer does! This is what every manufacturer of guitars, cars, and furniture used before the advent of polyurethane in the seventies. The only exception to this was enamel on certain cookware, and polyester on Fender guitars in the late sixties.


The shock pad is supposed to be rubber, but I need something I can cut up that won't be missed, but I can't find anything here for it. This is made from three sheets of styrene. I still don't like the way it looks. I think I'll cut some rubber tubing I've had laying around for a while. As long as there's no nylon reinforcement in it, I won't have to sacrifice one of the bicycle tires in the shed that I got from a neighbor who threw a 15 speed away. 
















































Fitting the rod that will hold these two halves together. This is designed to open like the hot toys version. This how the real thing opens. I realise that I could've just bought one of the rubber pieces of s*%t you usually see on ebay for a couple of bucks, but I want a quality grenade launcher that will match the quality of the figure it was made for. I want this build to be of premium quality, and not trash.




















This is two pieces joined with a piece of styrene rod 0.10" around. I can't glue this even though I'd be able to, but in case this should break - I want to be able to replace it. I had to separate these again. I was just fitting these together before I finish the cherry half.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

The trigger guard. This is ready to be painted, and put into place.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

The stock Horizon kit was bland, but a very good base to build a great kit from. I just hope that everyone here will be able to achieve their dreams, one way or another. After making this, the Winchester will be a breeze!





































My cousin was in town to visit, and I showed him this. When I did, he said "You should charge a lot more for this". It's alright, I love making things. This wasn't a lot of work,or materials - just a lot of time, and thought doing it.


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## Thunderbolt1 (Nov 28, 2008)

You did a beautiful job on this :thumbsup:
Who makes this kit & where can I get one ?


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

I figured out how to make the trigger guard accurately, and still keep it from falling off while retaining it's mobility.



















This will be painted once I get the range finder made. All the hard work is done.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Thunderbolt1 said:


> You did a beautiful job on this :thumbsup:
> Who makes this kit & where can I get one ?


 Thank you! I'm glad you like what you've seen so far. I'm sorry, but this isn't a kit - as you can see this is scratch made. The Arnold figure is one that the guy I built this for bought when it was new. Ebay is the only place you'll find this now.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is the final finishing of the range finder. I still need to make the slider for it. I broke my # 1 miniature drill bit on the adjustment handle for the range finder tonight! (insert pissed off smiley face here) Now I'll have to get a new one. I can't tell you how many parts I made with this,but I'll never drill anything with it again!




























You can barely see it, but I shaped the tension adjuster knob with the tiny bit I broke. This is plus sign shaped. I was drawing it across the side of a styrene rod when I heard a snap! I have the solid end, and I looked for the twisted cutting end, but it's gone forever! I'll try to get better pictures of this when the light is better. The sad thing is, I was thinking I'd break it if I didn't stop using it at the very second it snapped! I was almost done too!


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is the final finishing of the range finder. I still need to make the slider for it. I broke my # 1 miniature drill bit on the adjustment handle for the range finder tonight! (insert pissed off smiley face here) Now I'll have to get a new one. I can't tell you how many parts I made with this,but I'll never drill anything with it again!



























You can barely see it, but I shaped the tension adjuster knob with the tiny bit I broke. This is plus sign shaped. I was drawing it across the side of a styrene rod when I heard a snap! I have the solid end, and I looked for the twisted cutting end, but it's gone forever! I'll try to get better pictures of this when the light is better. The sad thing is, I was thinking I'd break it if I didn't stop using it at the very second it snapped! I was almost done too!


(editorial note I found the other half, (after buying a new set), but it'll make drilling parts harder, as it's now shorter. It's OK, I needed some other sizes to make drilling easier for fiberoptics as well.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Here's the latest. This is the range finder in it's finally completed form. I'll have to make another one. This one is too asymmetrical to please me. I only took pictures of this for example. At least you'll be able to get an idea of what this will look like once finished. No descriptions, just enjoy.

































































Arnie approves! You can tell by the cheesy fake smile, and teardrop. Sorry people, I did some photoshoppery to achieve this effect for humour. This was intended to be the look of pride as a proud father doting on the birth of his little baby boy.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Here're that last photos before I post the final product. This is the new range finder. I ended up making this entire assembly over, from the barrel mount on up.



















I know that all these pictures look like the ones that I posted earlier, but this range finder needed to be straightened, so I had to make a new one. This is slightly smaller, and better than the first version I made. It's also more accurate to the actual M-79. This one isn't asymmetrical.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

These are the parts after being freshly sprayed with gloss black enamel. I love the look of gloss, but this needs a dull matte finish to be accurate.
I rubbed these down with rubbing compound after they dried to give them that gunmetal look.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is not an antenna, but it is the adjustment knob, and the tension adjustment screw. I still had to cut this off when I took this photo.






























I forgot to shave this down before I glued it to the cherry stock. I started doing this when I took this photo. I had to sand, and shape this into a circle before I could paint it. Even though this was a work in progress at this time. Now it looks correct.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

CHOO-CHOO!!! CHUG,CHUG,CHUG.......I'm sorry people - I couldn't help it, this looks like a choo-choo train engine. 




















These are the masking tape pieces that I used to hold these while spraying them with paint. I had to use new pieces each time to get them to stick without falling off when spraying them from different angles. 




















This is for size comparison.










The little white piece of styrene next to the grip is the pin for the lock to keep the trigger guard from coming off. I made three of these because the first two were angled on one end, and not perfectly cylindrical when I turned them.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

I thought that the stock, and the range finder where hard - the strap buttons,and their harnesses were the hardest part by far!!!! The harnesses are what I used the guitar string core from. This was a bass E string that was cut at the ball end for a Floyd Rose tremolo. This was new, and never used. A perfect candidate for this project. 

I took the nickel wrap off this, and used the inner core, as it's not as hard as the sewing pins that I used for the strap buttons, and it wouldn't break like the pins would. Sewing pins only have a little give before they snap like plastic. They're tempered to be harder than a guitar string which is also tempered, but not nearly as much, since a guitar string needs to vibrate. The harnesses move forward, and backward, but the buttons holding them in don't swivel.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is the part where I applied tape to keep the paint off it, so that I could get the glue to stick to the aluminum tubing permanently.




















My range finder slides up, and down. I don't know if the toy does this, as I don't own one. Be VERY careful with this, Roy - I can't make another one without having you send this back to me, should this get lost somehow!


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

This is the begining of the anchor for the harness.





























This is the full compliment of strap buttons, and harnesses.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

NOW this looks like a miniature M-79 - but don't get too excited people, I still have to make the straps for both of these grenade launchers.































Lock back action that really locks.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)




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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Almost done people. This is the home stretch. I have to touch up the shock pad, or recoil pad as it's properly called. I made this one out of rubber last night. This, and the strap took me into today. The white line is supposed to be there, but this is wood filler. I used this to fill the gap between the butt of the stock, and the recoil pad. I have a tiny bit of touch up, and one more item to add to this, then I can call it done.




















This was a cap for rubber tubing inside the engine compartment of a car. I cut the new one down, and sanded it with 32 - 60 grit. I smoothed it with 220 grit sandpaper to finish it before gluing it permanently to the butt of the stock. The only drawback to rubber is that it attracts dirt like a magnet.











This is the old styrene recoil pad. I removed this with pliers last night, so that I could fit the new rubber one for a more realistic look. To the right of it are clips, or "hoops" that didn't quite pass my quality assurance check. These were to be part of the strap, but I only needed one. I didn't know this as the time. These were bent to shape with a pair of needlenose pliers.





























The strap itself is made from 0.05" printer paper that I reinforced with two layers, then painted them. This is called "camel colour" by the Daimler-Chrysler company. The inside looks white, but it's a very light creme colour. The strap adjusters are made of single ply printer paper, but painted the same colour before being folded on itself, and glued. The strap harnesses are made of styrene painted with gloss black enamel, and the hoop for other end is made from the same guitar string core that I used for the strap harnesses on the grenade launcher itself.

\What all this means is that, the strap is adjustable, but I already adjusted it to hang comfortably from Arnies' arm. No more adjustment is needed. This strap is not made to come off. Roy, be very careful not to try to readjust this as it _is_ delicate, and it will tear if not handled with the best of care. I couldn't use real leather, as it would be so thin that it would tear everytime I touched it! I didn't have anything else to make this from that would durable, and in the proper scale. It doesn't really matter, as I painted this with thick brush strokes to emulate leather texture to give it that leather appearance, and feel since it's only for display. 

No more descriptions tonight, people. Just enjoy while you can, this thread is almost at an end forever!


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)




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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

The white blemishes on the strap are the off white bottom edge riding up.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Thank you all for your comments as well as those for looking. This isn't the last post ever, but very close. This is a special surprise I've held off making until today. I figured that since the "Hot toys" brand came with one, that I should make a grenade for this too. This needs a litte more work before it's done, but this is it in its' begining stages. I only made one, as I only have a little bit of styrene rod left. I still have to take photos of the final product, but the paint needs to dry completely before I can wrap this for shipping.

Please compare the two different designs. The correct true to life version on the left, and the incorrect Hot toys version on the right. I followed the correct version, as you can see below. Although I've never seen a real grenade with the elongated head like a .45 Cal. bullet as these have in the photos, but with the shorter head as my version has, I still modeled this after the one on the left because it is the correct color, and overall design. 

















No descriptions, just enjoy!​


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)




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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

I have yet to get better pictures of this build, but I still need to figure out the lighting I want to use before shooting the final beauty shots for your site, as well as here. These are just for example, as this is the background for the final photos I'll post. I just want to put a little more junk on the floor around Arnies' feet for a more dramatic effect. The sun was too bright for me to take a good far away shot without washing out the detail.

The backdrop was made from a series of squares that I designed on the computer, and printed up. I then glued these pieces of printer paper onto cardboard cut to fit these once glued to the surface. This is supposed to look like a diamond plate floor with a bunch of steel plated walls behind. I painted it over with automotive primer to simulate dirt, and grime.










You can't really tell, except in person that I repainted Arnie in brighter chrome enamel paint. This makes him look more like a real Terminator made from stainless steel as opposed to just gray water based acrylic. It helps to look at him from all angles in bright sunlight to appreciate this effect.














































The chain was for a toilet tank flapper valve that I cut down soley for this backdrop. The hook was made from a leftover piece of scrap that I cut from another project. It was already this round shape. This is what Bob Ross always called "A happy little accident", which inspired me to use it. I just bent the other end over to hold it to the chain. The aluminum tubing I used to hold this up went into another project that I'm currently working on. 
None of these elements are meant to be sent with the figure, but are for another project altogether. I figured that this would do double duty, so I used this for taking photos of Arnie as if in a actual steel mill.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)




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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

The laser eye was photoshopped for this effect. I didn't change it. I just wanted to see this with it lit up like the ones in the movie.










This is a few inches from the wall even though it doesn't look like it.











This is supposed to be the finished product. I took the grenade launcher out of Arnies' hand as this was only held on with masking tape. This kept falling out while taking these pictures. I finally got sick of repositioning it, and put it away. Some of these photos are posted out of order.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

I need to put a pin in Arnies' left hand to hold the grenade launcher in a more natural position around the trigger. Since I only had it taped, it wouldn't stay in his hand anywhere else. I hope you all enjoyed seeing this.

Thanks for looking!​


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## Magesblood (May 12, 2008)

holy frick! Got much free time?

as an aside, in the back of my mind, I wanted to see the terminator's scalp just kind of flop around after his head surgery from T2. Y'know, having to continually put it back in place like a toupee.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

Actually, this took the better part of a month to build in its' entirety. I did this back in early March to mid April of this year. As I stated before - this entire thread is copied, and pasted from another forum that I was a member of, but no longer exists. I forgot about this forum and another one that I haven't visited for over five months! It took two weeks to make both of the grenade launchers. But this was stretched out over a period of one week for each one. I had to let the paint dry in between assembly stages. 

The shotgun took four days to make, then paint. I had the Arnie figure to paint while I was making the shotgun and shells. The steelmill backdrop was made on the computer with my printer. I just glued the paper to the cardboard. I'm a professional modeler, and I have all the tools I need to make anything in no time. It's mostly cutting, and sanding that take the most time more than even waiting for paint to dry. I copied the weapons, (except the shotgun)from the "Premium format figure" that Sideshow collectables sold. This particular figure didn't come with anything other than the upper torso with the arms, and the legs when its' owner sent it to me. I had to make the belt ends, as well as the weapons. I just wanted something that would please the owner for a long time - something that wouldn't look mundane, as Arnold wouldn't have been holding anything in his hands if I just painted him and did nothing else.

If some of you haven't read the descriptions - PLEASE go back over the entire thread. I tried not to bore people to death with a lot of words, and no meaning. There is a method to my madness - it only takes me a couple days to make what it takes most people a week to do. I've been doing this for over thirty years, and experience doesn't just speak for itself - it makes things go faster! Check back with my threads periodically, if there's something I forgot - I'll edit my posts to reflect it. As I said before -this thread is almost at and end forever. I still have to make the Winchester rifle for accuracy.


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## Tim Nolan (Jul 9, 2008)

Pretty cool stuff. Man, those guns are a work of art! Nice build!


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## lizzybus (Jun 18, 2005)

Your attention to detail is absolutely incredible! The weapons, buckles et al are fabulous!

It's just a shame that the Horizon, (or whatever) model you're using just does'nt look like Ahhhhnold.

Rich


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

You're right - the Horizon kit looks dorky. His head looks more like Herman Munster in person. I don't know about anyone else's monitor, but in mine his body, and head are wider than they actually are in person. I don't don't know if it's the plasma screen, or the 17" x 19" oblong shape, but it distorts everything I upload to it from my camera. I'd have to readjust the parameters for the proper proportion. It looks enough like him to pass, but not a perfect rendition by any means! The chest also looks bigger on the top in relation to the rest of the body from the side.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

I'm working on the Winchester 1887 last, as I have all the other projects out of the way that have drawn my attention away from this. I finally found a better background/floor for this, so as soon as I can get this put together - I'll post this in the diorama catagory. Thank you all for looking, even those who don't post just to ooohhh, and aaahhh all my hard work.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

WOW! 

Incredibly cool--perfection! :thumbsup:


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