Alright, so I’ve been meaning to share this for a bit. I recently wrapped up a project that I’d been tinkering with in my head, and then on my workbench, for a good while. I just called it my ‘inumaki arms’ project. It wasn’t for anything specific, really, just one of those things you gotta build once the idea takes root.
How This Whole Thing Started
It began, like many of my projects, with a random thought. I was looking at some concept art, not even related to anything in particular, and just got this image of a pair of sleek, somewhat articulated arms. Not super robotic, but definitely not just plain human arms either. I wanted something with a bit of an edge, a unique silhouette. The name ‘inumaki arms’ just popped into my head, probably because I’d been watching some anime around that time, and it stuck as a codename. No deeper meaning, just a tag for the project folder in my brain and on my computer.
Getting My Hands Dirty: The Plan
So, I grabbed my notepad. First things first, sketches. Lots of them. I wasn’t aiming for hyper-realism, more of a stylized look. I thought about materials. My usual go-to stuff:
- EVA foam for the main structure – light, easy to work with.
- Some PVC pipes for the core frame, to give it rigidity.
- Maybe some 3D printed connectors for the joints, because getting smooth articulation with just foam and pipes can be a real pain.
- And, of course, a ton of contact cement and a heat gun. My trusty companions.
I spent a good week just refining the design, figuring out how the segments would connect, how to hide any unsightly bits. I didn’t want them to be fully motorized or anything crazy, just to have a decent range of poseable motion. Simpler is often better, and less to go wrong.
The Actual Build: Sweat and (Almost) Tears
Then came the cutting and gluing. This is where the real work happens. I started by making the basic forearm and upper arm sections from PVC pipes, then cladding them with layers of shaped EVA foam. Getting the curves right took a few tries. I probably wasted a good chunk of foam on initial attempts that just looked… lumpy.
The joints were the trickiest part. I decided to go with a sort of pegged joint system, using some custom-designed 3D printed pieces I modeled up in Blender. Printing those took forever on my old printer, and a couple of them snapped during test fitting. That was frustrating. I had to beef up the design, print them again. Patience, right? That’s what these projects teach you.
I remember one evening, I was trying to get the elbow joint to move smoothly without wobbling. It just wasn’t working. Everything felt loose. I almost threw the whole thing across the workshop. Had to step away, grab a coffee, and come back with a fresh pair of eyes. Turns out, I’d made a rookie mistake in how I was aligning one of the support pieces. Fixed that, and it was a lot better.
Adding Some Flair: Not Just Static Props
Once the basic structure was solid and the articulation was decent, I thought about adding a little something extra. I didn’t want complex electronics, but I did run some thin LED strips along certain recessed lines in the design. Nothing too flashy, just a subtle glow. Powered by a small battery pack hidden in the upper arm section. Wiring it up neatly, so no cables were visible, took some careful planning and a lot of tiny solder joints. That was a bit fiddly, and my soldering skills are just okay, not amazing. But it worked out in the end.
The Final Polish and My Two Cents
Finishing touches involved a lot of sanding. So. Much. Sanding. Then primer, then paint. I went for a matte black finish with some gunmetal grey highlights to pick out the details. I wanted them to look a bit weathered, used. Not brand new. A bit of dry brushing did the trick there.
Looking at them now, they turned out pretty close to what I had in my head. Are they perfect? Nah, never are. There are a few spots where the foam isn’t as smooth as I’d like, and one of the wrist joints is a bit stiffer than the other. But that’s the nature of these one-off builds. You learn a ton, you problem-solve, and you end up with something unique. This ‘inumaki arms’ project was a good challenge, and honestly, the process of figuring it all out is usually more fun than just having the finished thing. Now, what to build next…
