Saturday, June 29, 2013

prime on, sand off

*two nights ago*




So, last night I willed myself into working on polishing up the Ver.Ka--sanding, seam-filling,re-priming, sanding(again) and many other tiny, tedious tasks--I've come to that point where it's almost ready for painting. 

I've refilled my thinner meter so I have at least enough for one project, but I probably won't finish painting this dude right away. I kinda want to try starting the titans version this week as well, and I've yet to find a spare HGUC RX-78 head to use lol. I really wish I could have it recast or something.

I plan on doing 3 variants (including this one) the second one was already mentioned and the third is a G3 version that has a bit of the Sentinel version look to it.
I want G3 to have a look that's bulkier than the RX-78-2, something I can achieve by varying the parts to be kitbashed on the unit, So I'm expecting parts from a GM Quel, Powered GM, and maybe even GM Command. I find it kind of fun how these different kits can be blended together almost seamlessly by virtue of the designer. Really makes me wonder when we'll get a dedicated Ver.Ka HG line.

Inb4 hurrr HGUC are Ver.Ka by default! Technically they are but generally they're more watered down.

also!

It's GBWC time!

Not sure if I'll be able to join in because the base kits I need are very specific, haha.
But it never hurts to at least try to scout for stuff.


Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Work in Progress: HGUC Ver. Ka


Since I'm almost done applying the main modifications (before primer coating and refining), I figure I'd put up this post for posterity. This is my current gunpla project that I've been working on for around 2 weeks now, which initially started off as a straight kitbash but I needed to tweak a few things as the days went on and I got an MG Ver. ka as a reference point.  So I began minor tweaking with plaplate, putty and some evergreen styrene strips:

Modified the detailing on the GM Type-C shield.

Added some detailing on the G30th rifle.


As for the body itself, here's where I paid a lot of attention to the MG


Well, mostly, some stuff is just left to the best of my ability rather than 100% accuracy.


The thighs and waist got a 3mm extension (which put it off-scale by 5mm, but I had to do something about the proportions anyway), and then the torso got a new scratchbuilt central chest piece and protruding chest vents care of builder parts.


The side skirt got extra details thanks to styrene strips and builder parts (I had to use MS Sight lens parts for Verniers)


And then some detail on the knees with styrene and parts from an HGUC gundam , and MS sight lens parts for the side verniers (again lol)


The head itself is an HGUC gundam head, with the front parts slightly angled, and added in some simple vents with putty.


I also removed the faceplate for ease of painting.


I also included a hand that came from the GM Quel.



It's pretty annoying how it's the wrong friggin' hand but there aren't many saber-grasping left hands out there.


standing next to daddy.

I really should do posts like this more often, for every future project, It might be fun for me to look back on this 2-3 years later and see how much I improved at the preparation stages.

Monday, June 24, 2013

MS Variation


I've been busy for weeks on the kitbash on the left, and I just finished the snapfit build on the guy in the center.  Thought it would be nice to take a pic of all three versions of the RX-78-2 just to show how varied a single design can be.

So from left to right the HGs are: Ver. Ka (WIP Kitbash), HGUC Ver. 1, HG G30th Gundam.

Ver.1 is probably my favorite of the offical releases, it's a good, modern representation of the RX-78-2 (and a really simplified Katoki redesign) which would benefit from the detailing of the G30th.

the G30th on the other hand has more anime proportions and better articulation than Ver.1 though they went a little overkill with the panel lines.

Still I think it's very nice, and outwardly without out the many lines all over it, It resembles the MG 2.0, and the Ver. 1 is the MG 1.5 gundam, kinda reflective of how the design got tweaked over the decades.

This makes me wish I had a re-issue 1/144 kit from the 80's and the HG 1/144 from 1990, it could work as a visual timeline of how the iconic design of the gundam had changed.





Anyway, just happy I got another Ver.1 kit after so long. :3

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

One-Day Projects



This was fun. Decided to see what I could build in a day, so I went and started the Gunpla Starter set Vol.2 I bought over the weekend. Followed the tips in the accompanying guide and this was the result. The diorama is from an old piece I made back in 2009 I think. Anyway, view more of the Gundam here

Monday, June 3, 2013

done!



leaving this thing for a day before taking more pics. 

Beginner's Hex Camo follow-along.

Hi! I've been trying out a new paint scheme recently while working on the Dark Hound and I thought that I should document the process for people who may be interested. It's a fairly simple spray pattern that can be done either via airbrush or spraycan, though I opted for the former since it's what I have on hand.

To start off, you'll need the following:



Left: Blue (22), Right: Gray (24)
Since I planned on using an analogous color scheme for the camo I went with two contrasting shades of the same color, in this case a light gray (Gundam Color Gray 24) and a dark gray (Gundam Color Blue 22)


Useful for making detailing out of pla plate as well. 

Next, to make the actual hexagons I utilized this plastic template. 



And then of course the Masking tape. you can use painter's tape or tamiya tape for better results. Again, i'm just working with what I got on hand.

Now the tedious work begins. First, before painting you should select the size of the hexagon "cells" you'll be using, and repeatedly draw it with a mechanical pencil onto some masking tape strips you laid out. How many you'll need is up to your preference. This is probably the most boring part of the entire process but absolutely necessary. 


You can see at which point I just gave up. 



Then you need to prep the piece you'll work on. this involves washing, and some cleaning up with putty and sandpaper if it comes to it. 




Now after priming it, you then need to spray the lighter color on first, as in the case for this demonstration, since the cells will stick out more on the  darker second coat (but of course if you want to do it in the reverse it's your call).


Now the fun part. Here is where you cut out the cells you drew earlier with the template and begin to stick them onto the part. It's important to keep some spacing between the cells, this helps you make the placement look more organized even though you're going for a more randomized pattern and also makes your placement look more natural. It also helps reduce the visibility of the uneven sides of the cut cells (cutting manually means that getting the same, evenly sided cells is very difficult to achieve. In reality you will only end up with cells that are 80% the same.). 



Afterwards, you spray on the next darker coat. Once dry you'll then peel off the cells to reveal the Hex camo pattern underneath. 



This applies to a lot of colors, even red. I find an analogous color scheme looks better than a heavily contrasting one, and looks better on the model as a design choice. Though as actual camouflage it won't actually work too well. 



And that's about it! Remember to keep experimenting and have fun, and if you're having any questions or suggestions feel free to drop me a line here.

I''ll be finishing up the Dark Hound Crossbone colors soon enough!