Sci-Fi Robot Model From Trash

I recently discovered kitbashing, which consists of making a model out of waste, and I didn't know there was a name for it. It requires creativity to determine in advance what you want to build. You can also add details at the end, once you've got the shape of the model.

Here, I built a robot with a sci-fi look. I used an empty glue stick, gears and small parts from a broken printer and a CD player. You don't have to follow this tutorial exactly. Just use what you have on hand, and then a little imagination.

You'll need small scraps and waste to build the robot:

1. A plastic lid for the base
2. An empty glue stick
3. Some gears and other small plastic parts (I found them in a broken printer and an old CD player - you'll find some pretty interesting parts, like gears, wheels or lenses, in this kind of device)
4. Other plastic waste, such as bottle caps, pen parts, etc.
5. A cork stopper for sculpting rocks, and flocking for grass
6. Wires and toothpicks

These are just ideas, feel free to use whatever you find at home.

Then you'll need:

1. A cutter or other precise cutting tool
2. Small pliers or tweezers
3. A precision hand drill
4. A small file (can be useful)
5. Glue (superglue, hot glue, etc.)
6. Acrylic paint and brushes (acrylic for modeling sticks better to plastic than regular acrylic)

To make the body, I first cut the glue stick in half and recovered the rod and the moving piece of plastic inside the tube.

With some plastic parts from a printer, I made the arms. I added some details with a toothpick and wires. The rod, that was in the glue stick, perfectly imitates a drill on the robot's arm.

I made the robot's eye with a gear.

To glue something to a rounded surface, I round it off with a file or sandpaper. You should also scrape or sand the surfaces to be glued for better adhesion.

For the wheel, I found a rubber one in the printer. I filled the holes with a hot glue gun, and planted a wire to make the leg. I then glued the leg on the body.

I cut a disc from a bottle cap, the same diameter as the glue stick. I assembled this disc and the moving part of the glue stick with a screw, then glued it to the glue stick.

This moving part of the glue stick has small reliefs, perfect for details. You can then highlight them with paint.

With fountain pen cartridges, I've made gas canisters or batteries that he wears on his back, in order to power his gun. Wires imitate pipes or electrical wires. I stuck these wires into the back of the gun.

You should add details to your robot. This will make it much more realistic!

With a hand drill, you can make holes and insert wires, to add pipes or electrical wires protruding from the robot.

I also added reliefs, cut from plastic wall anchors.

The base consists of a plastic lid. A slightly thick wire is stuck into the base to hold the robot.

I then used hot glue to make a mud relief.

First apply a coat of black paint. You may need to apply several coats until you can no longer see the plastic underneath.

Then paint the robot with the colors you want. You can add some contrast by painting the hollow of reliefs with another color.

Apply a coat of varnish if you want it to look shiny and new. The varnish also helps to protect the paint.

However, I prefer a slightly aged and worn look. In this case, you can brush the edges with a dry brush and a little silver paint. This will give the impression that the paint has worn away from the edges.

To bring out the hollows, apply a wash. You can easily make it by mixing black, ochre or brown paint, with water and a few drops of washing-up liquid. Apply it with a brush and make sure it seeps into the gaps. Wipe up any large drops on the surface of the robot, as they will leave unsightly marks.

After painting the robot, I added a CD laser lens for the eye. I also glued a piece of rubber to the gun to make it more fancy!

Paint the base brown. For the mud, you can mix baking soda with brown paint. The amount of baking soda will give a more or less granular texture.

This technique can also be used to make dirt, sand or even snow! (I think you should grind the baking soda to obtain a finer powder, if you want to make snow.)

The rocks are cut from cork stoppers and glued to the base. Remember to scrape off the paint where you stick the rocks.

For the grass, I applied glue to the base and sprinkled some flocking on top. Flocking can be purchased or made with sawdust.