Fifth Element MultiPass Tutorial

Fifth Element MultiPass Tutorial

I believe this step to be the most difficult step out of the entire tutorial. It requires a lot of modelling skills, some patience, and a bunch of tools.

I am already kicking around other ways to do this step, so if you happen to think up new ways of doing this that are easier and more effective, please drop me a line.

Ultimately, the goal of this step is to get that strip of stepped styrene installed into the body. The two main challenges are getting your two-sided strip of stepped styrene ready for insertion, and sculpting out the curve to match the button housing on the body.

Let's begin.

Check the height of the two pieces of styrene that were included in the kit. There may be some excess styrene that you can trim off to save time later. Be sure there is enough of the stepped styrene so that it will fill the open rectangle from the top to the bottom.

Glue together the two halves of stepped styrene that are included in the kit. Use plastruct cement. Apply to the back of one piece, then squish the two together. I recommend laying the edge down on the table so that the pieces line up as flush as possible.
Before gluing together check out the next photo.

This is probably not absolutely necessary, but I like the steps on my pass to line up. So, when you glue the two halves together, pay attention to the profile, and make sure the steps line up properly.

The next thing I do is make sure the stepped piece is the proper width for the opening in the multipass. When I originally cut the strips of the stepped styrene, I made sure that it was a tad too wide for the opening. It's up to you to make sure it will fit properly. I started with some 220 grit sand paper, and started smoothing down one side of the stepped strip.
It's very important in this step to apply even pressure to the styrene as you sand. I also recommend that you only sand in one direction. For example, apply pressure downward as you push forward, but lift the styrene off the sand paper when you pull your hand back to the start position. This helps eliminate a "u" shaped piece after sanding.
As you're sanding, be sure to frequently test fit your piece with the midplate on the multipass. If you sand off too much, you're hosed.

Here I'm checking the width of the stepped strip compared to the width of the opening. Better that this be a snug fit than a loose fit.

I sanded some more, and got the strip to fit perfectly.

Now that I've got the stepped strip fitting perfectly width-wise into my pass, it's time to start working on the top and bottom parts.
The goal here is to narrow the stepped strip so that it has a lip at the top and bottom. These lips fit into the slots that are built into the multipass body. The next few steps are dedicated to making the lips at the top and bottom of the stepped styrene.
Here I flip the pass over so that it is back side up. I use a pen to mark approximately where the steps and the body meet.

Here is my marked piece of styrene. All of the area to the right of the black line needs to be filed down a bit. The total thickness of the lip needs to be approximately .04". It can be thinner, but not thicker than this.

I accomplished the first part by using a modellers file. I filed down both sides of the steps until the middle lip was thin enough to fit into the slot in the body.

Here I'm test fitting the strip. I've gotten the top part sanded down so that it fits inside the gap at the top of the midplate. Now I need to work on the curve at the bottom of the stepped strip.

With the stepped styrene still in the body, I use a pen to mark the shape of the button or battery case. Notice that in this step, I'm working on the back side of the pass.

I also need to mark the FRONT side of the stepped styrene, so I place the front plate onto the pass and mark off the curve for the button housing.
It's important to note that the markings are only guides. If they're not 100% accurate, that's ok. We'll make up for it in the next couple of steps.
Note that the top plate of the pass is NOT glued on here, it's just resting on the pass

Next, I use my dremel tool with a sanding drum attachment to thin down the styrene stepped piece, and sculpt out the curve. I frequently go back to the pass body and test fit the stepped piece to see how close I'm getting. I also sand off the bottom of the styrene strip so that it fits properly in the opening lenghtwise.

Once the styrene strip fits perfectly, I go in with some high grit sandpaper and sand off the flash. I use about 600 grit. With this, I am able to remove the flash and boogers without losing detail on the step.

This picture shows the stepped styrene in place on the main body assembly. Notice how the two lips fit perfectly into the openings in the body. Pretty cool.

Here's a picture of what it should look like from the back.

And here's how it will look when the front step is glued on later.
You want to be REALLY sure that the top plate can lie flat on the body, without the stepped styrene protruding outward, causing it to buckle. This is critical. The top plate must lay flat on the midplate.

	Check the height of the two pieces of styrene that were included in the kit. There may be some excess styrene that you can trim off to save time later. Be sure there is enough of the stepped styrene so that it will fill the open rectangle from the top to the bottom.
	Glue together the two halves of stepped styrene that are included in the kit. Use plastruct cement. Apply to the back of one piece, then squish the two together. I recommend laying the edge down on the table so that the pieces line up as flush as possible. Before gluing together check out the next photo.
	This is probably not absolutely necessary, but I like the steps on my pass to line up. So, when you glue the two halves together, pay attention to the profile, and make sure the steps line up properly.
	The next thing I do is make sure the stepped piece is the proper width for the opening in the multipass. When I originally cut the strips of the stepped styrene, I made sure that it was a tad too wide for the opening. It's up to you to make sure it will fit properly. I started with some 220 grit sand paper, and started smoothing down one side of the stepped strip. It's very important in this step to apply even pressure to the styrene as you sand. I also recommend that you only sand in one direction. For example, apply pressure downward as you push forward, but lift the styrene off the sand paper when you pull your hand back to the start position. This helps eliminate a "u" shaped piece after sanding. As you're sanding, be sure to frequently test fit your piece with the midplate on the multipass. If you sand off too much, you're hosed.
	Here I'm checking the width of the stepped strip compared to the width of the opening. Better that this be a snug fit than a loose fit.
	I sanded some more, and got the strip to fit perfectly.
	Now that I've got the stepped strip fitting perfectly width-wise into my pass, it's time to start working on the top and bottom parts. The goal here is to narrow the stepped strip so that it has a lip at the top and bottom. These lips fit into the slots that are built into the multipass body. The next few steps are dedicated to making the lips at the top and bottom of the stepped styrene. Here I flip the pass over so that it is back side up. I use a pen to mark approximately where the steps and the body meet.
	Here is my marked piece of styrene. All of the area to the right of the black line needs to be filed down a bit. The total thickness of the lip needs to be approximately .04". It can be thinner, but not thicker than this.
	I accomplished the first part by using a modellers file. I filed down both sides of the steps until the middle lip was thin enough to fit into the slot in the body.
	Here I'm test fitting the strip. I've gotten the top part sanded down so that it fits inside the gap at the top of the midplate. Now I need to work on the curve at the bottom of the stepped strip.
	With the stepped styrene still in the body, I use a pen to mark the shape of the button or battery case. Notice that in this step, I'm working on the back side of the pass.
	I also need to mark the FRONT side of the stepped styrene, so I place the front plate onto the pass and mark off the curve for the button housing. It's important to note that the markings are only guides. If they're not 100% accurate, that's ok. We'll make up for it in the next couple of steps. Note that the top plate of the pass is NOT glued on here, it's just resting on the pass
	Next, I use my dremel tool with a sanding drum attachment to thin down the styrene stepped piece, and sculpt out the curve. I frequently go back to the pass body and test fit the stepped piece to see how close I'm getting. I also sand off the bottom of the styrene strip so that it fits properly in the opening lenghtwise.
	Once the styrene strip fits perfectly, I go in with some high grit sandpaper and sand off the flash. I use about 600 grit. With this, I am able to remove the flash and boogers without losing detail on the step.
	This picture shows the stepped styrene in place on the main body assembly. Notice how the two lips fit perfectly into the openings in the body. Pretty cool.
	Here's a picture of what it should look like from the back.
	And here's how it will look when the front step is glued on later. You want to be REALLY sure that the top plate can lie flat on the body, without the stepped styrene protruding outward, causing it to buckle. This is critical. The top plate must lay flat on the midplate.