WMD Part III by G-gnome

From Concept to Completion

I know from my own experience, and from the comments of other modders in their worklogs, that the final result never quite matches the original vision. This was true in this project. Compare the final mod with the drawings below:



The first concept drawing of the case. It had curly hoses, multiple key locks on the front cylinders, curved ends and no frames, among other things. The basic idea was there, however. The second drawing is a lot closer to the finished mod. I realised the curved ends would be too difficult to produce, so opted for a straight cylinder, with another set of flanges on the end. All the pipes now had flat ends too. From this 'WMD MkII' I played the rest by ear, modifying and adapting as circumstances and ideas dictated.



I did several scale drawings throughout - not only for models, but also as a guide for machining. Here you see the timer box and bezel....



...the air-intake and ends....



...and the main cylinder and end covers.

The fact that the reality is usually different from the idea is no bad thing. I'm sure many would agree that their final mod is usually better than their original idea - you have had time to refine many things, and the evolution of an idea is a continuing process: ideas creating other, better, ideas. Nothing, short of top-end 3D design software, can prepare you for the result.

To be honest, I believe knowing too well what the finished mod will look like, takes away a lot of the fun and mystery of modding, and may even close your mind to the new possibilities and ideas that the construction process throws up.