Firebolt

[kingfish254]

Cool mix of parts and eras so far.

 

[Duchess]

Got my headlight parts and did a quick mock up. The "cyclops" will be almost a flying eyeball. And, yes, I set the ring light up backwards. In the immortal words of the cycling great, P.W. Herman, "I meant to do that."

 

[LukeTheJoker]

The front end of this is going to be so cool!

 

[OddJob]

Nice work on the pedal mods. Dig the 'eyeball' light! Will it have frame color matching flames?

 

[Duchess]

Something like that—I'm thinking lightning bolts stretching back from the eye to go with the Firebolt graphic. The eyeball's iris will be a green light and the ring is a white light to match the frame colors . . . or did I get yellow for the ring? I think it's white. Eh, I'll leave it as a surprise for when I plug it in.

Haven't put much time into this lately as I've been mainly working on writing the third story of my "kid" book series and models for the final design versions of my speedboat. (Building four 1:18 scale models to check out some variations in tail fin and canopy designs as well as rounded sheer vs. standard and a number of color combos. For me, no drawings can match the impact of models.)

 

[Duchess]

Threaded the ends of the headlight mount bars.

 

[OddJob]

What's new on your build, Duchess?

 

[Duchess]

Nothing. I'm working on the covers for some kid-friendly books I wrote. I haven't drawn much since design school, so it's a slog. They're about a Bradypus sloth and a German shepherd protection dog who end up saving a goat and they all go on adventures together. They're not as violent as One Thousand and One Arabian Nights or the original Grimm's Fairy Tales and probably no worse than Treasure Island, but they're darker than young kid books or Disney-fied tales I didn't like as a kid. I don't know, I usually write stuff that's graphic ..., violence, and swearing, but I wanted to write something my sister's kids could read (or my mother, were she still alive), but they're not necessarily written expressly for kids. First one is based on The Odyssey.

Rough draft of the first cover:

 

[OddJob]

I find it interesting how our creative side that produces our rat builds also seems to come out in different avenues elsewhere in our lives.

Your book idea sounds cool. Kids (and adults) seem to be clamoring for personification themed movies / stories. Your trio of characters is an interesting combo. Let us know when it's ready!

 

[Duchess]

The first two are written, it's just the other stuff that needs to be done. I'd like to get the first two out as soon as possible and I'll be sure to post about it when they're available.

I'm working on a third with a pirate theme, as well. For years, I had wanted to write a pirate story based on the English Crown's (unfounded) fear of Captain Kidd building up a fledgling Scottish colony in the Caribbean to possibly gain supremacy over the seas (mainly, I was intimidated by all the nautical sailing terms and I couldn't see much way around it as my protagonist's biggest strength is his superior sailing ability). I never would have guessed it would take a series about three animal friends to get me to at least write the gist of it.

But, I do need to get this bike out of the way!

 

[Duchess]

Finally put some work in. Got the upper light mount epoxied onto the support rods and nearly done with the eye (there will be a green LED iris). It doesn't look like it from the photo, but the lightning bolts are reflective. I have to redo the head badge, which will have some more yellow in it to tie it in a little.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

It's been a while, good to see you're still on it. Can't wait to see the finished eyeball!

 

[kingfish254]

 

[Duchess]

New head badge in white, green, and yellow retroreflective tape.

 

[Duchess]

Got the light working. Need to add the underside panel to contain the wires and protect the battery. This thing is BRIGHT! Lights far out to the sides, as well.

 

[kingfish254]

The BOSS approves!!!!!

 

[OddJob]

That light is cool! Super unique too.

 

[Duchess]

Tried to take it for a ride and it is unrideable in the dark without shielding the rear-facing ring as it is way too bright for my rods to make out anything beyond the front of the bike and, of course, it's too dark for my cones to work. Granted, I'm using an old iphone with its tiny light sensor, but its camera couldn't even pick out the flying cyclops with the flash on to try to even out the light.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Maybe you could mask off the front and paint the back side with some Dupli-color green translucent paint.

 

[Duchess]

Yeah, I would have liked to have gotten a white and a green ring (or red, but that doesn't match), but I didn't want to buy a whole other kit (they come in pairs). The front one would still be a problem, though, as these throw a lot of light out to the side. Thought they might be low enough to not be too much bother. Wrong. I think with city kind of light it would be acceptable, but in the woods it's way too much. I'm going to work on some kind of clip-on shield. There's always electrical tape, but that's way too cheesy for a flying eyeball made of a wood egg and scraps of a plastic drink bottle!