阿重工業 (Ah Chong Heavy Industries): AT-AT Machine 01 阿重建機 01號機 — Selected WIP Steps

WIP Archive — 阿重建機 01號機

This post is mainly for myself — a simple archive of the key workbench moments so far, before this build moves into final assembly and full photography.

This project has been progressing in small steps, and after a while it becomes hard to remember what happened first, what changed later, and which decisions affected the final direction.

So here it is: selected WIP checkpoints for AT-AT Machine 01 / 阿重建機 01號機. Not a full tutorial, not a full diary — just the key moments worth recording.

1. First round of weathering — main body panels

Started the first round of weathering on the AT-AT body panels (the yellow/orange parts). This was the stage where the surface started to look more believable, instead of just clean painted plastic.

Main focus here was:

• wash work to bring out panel separation
• blending to reduce the clean “new paint” look
• discoloration to simulate uneven aging and exposure

At this stage, the goal wasn’t heavy damage yet — just to build a solid foundation for later steps.

2. Chipping begins — safety panels near the engine area

After the body wash stage, I moved into chipping work. The first target was the three safety panels close to the engine and cooling coils.

Since this is a maintenance zone (heat, traffic, repeated handling), I decided to go for medium to heavy wear on these panels.

This was still not the final finish — I planned to add earth effects, dust, moisture stains and grease only after the full body chipping was done, so everything could blend naturally as one machine.

3. Rear section weathering — cooling coils and engine access zone

Continued weathering work on the rear cooling and engine access area — the section with coils, vent stacks and service pipes.

Once the three safety panels were done, this rear section naturally became the next area to tackle. The rear section is usually exposed to:

• heat
• dust
• grease buildup
• constant maintenance activity

So I pushed the chipping a little heavier here, and added grime buildup around pipes, hinges and recesses.

The goal is to make it look used and maintained — not abandoned.

4. Side panels and engine access section — heavier grime logic

Weathering on the side panels and engine access section is intentionally heavier. These areas naturally collect more heat, dust, and maintenance activity, so grime and stains should build up faster here compared to cleaner outer panels.

Also learned something important during this stage:

I stepped away for dinner halfway through weathering, and the paints dried much faster than expected.

The opposite side ended up quite messy. I’m still trying to repair it, but it’s a good reminder:

• finish a layer before taking a break
• know the paint characteristics and drying time well

Not the most enjoyable lesson, but definitely useful.

5. Engine weathering — restrained and dry

For the engine section, I kept the weathering more dry and restrained. Instead of heavy oil leaks, I imagined long-term heat exposure and repeated maintenance over time.

So the engine grime here is more like:

• soot
• dust burn-in
• dry staining
• touch-point wear

I wanted it to look like a machine that is still actively in service.

6. Legs weathering — balance, oxidation, and believable weight

It has been awhile since I worked on the engine (maybe a couple of weeks). My hand skin sensitivity issue was slightly better recently, so I returned to the bench and focused on one leg.

This round was very intentional: one task at a time.

Weathering direction for the legs is simple:

• heavier grime and staining toward the foot
• lighter and dustier toward the upper sections

The goal is to keep it grounded in how real machinery ages.

For the foot surface texture, instead of a simple “painted grey with wash” look, I applied a slightly chalky, oxidised finish — so it reads more like aged cast metal, not plastic.

Rust is kept under control. This is not meant to be an abandoned machine.

The safety panel (red-white hazard stripe) was another balance test. I wanted it to be:

• still readable
• no longer fresh
• light paint wear rather than heavy damage

No mud effects added yet — not part of the original plan, but I may add it later if the final composition needs it.

The key for this leg weathering is one word: balance.

Workbench Note — 阿重建機 01號機 status

At this stage, the project is moving into its later phase. The main body weathering is close to finished (except final flat coating and blending), and the leg weathering direction is now confirmed - more moisture stains to be added to the upper sections.

In the Ah Chong Heavy Industries filing system, this feels like a clean checkpoint:

Machine 01 — structural finish confirmed. Surface aging direction confirmed.

What’s next

This is probably the last WIP archive post for this build. The next update should be the final completed model photos.

Once everything is sealed and assembled, I’ll do a full photo shoot and document the finished machine as a complete piece.

Next step: final assembly and photography.

— Ah Chong