WiP- …I need paint.

These are so CLOSE to being done, and I’m stuck waiting on my tamiya web order to come in to finish all three of my projects.

Whining aside, I’m pretty happy with how they’re turning out so far. I think I need to work on Crossbone’s cloak some more, but otherwise it’s dandy. In other news, I’ve been playing with different lighting setups and I think I’ve found something that works pretty well!

Maybe I’ll take another picture sometime to show everyone how ghetto it is..

The Blue Berserker: A project in review (and a proper photodump)

So, it’s been awhile since I finally finished my role in the GAF Sinanju Group Build project, giving me plenty of time to reflect on this kit and what I learned by taking part in something like this. When I began working on it I was basically a novice at most aspects of building a gundam- painting, decaling, and modification. Sinanju was the 4th kit I spraypainted (The others being Nu, Sword Impulse and Sazabi), all of the others before it coming out…okay. Nothing spectacular. In addition to that, it was a kit that I had already built- meaning I’d have to strip everything down, clean off all the decals and paint, then essentially start over. This seemed like a really daunting task..Sinanju had been a real test for me the first time around, would I be motivated enough to do it all over and apply even more effort?

Cue a comment from one Gaijin Gunpla on this article. A group build? While I had built models with my friends over at the homestead, participating in something like this wasn’t something I had done before. Not to mention a lot of builders that I looked up to were taking part! Busterbeam, Gundam Guy, Gaijin Gunpla and of course Rob of ASM were all going to be working on their own Sinanju as well, along with a forum full of people able to provide information and advice should I be wary of my next step. Not to mention a bunch of people all working on the same model and getting hyped off of each other’s creative energy is always great. I poked my head in to the thread (glad it was open and the others didn’t mind me just showing up!) and began to toil away on the big red (for now) bastard.

This is the very first piece of information that I learned that comes in handy today. Until then, I had been using rubbing alcohol and just scrubbing vigorously until the paint was removed, or simply trying to cover the mistake up with more paint. Thanks to Tonzo, I now know that ammonia based cleaning products such as windex work a million times better for removing paint after a 24 hour soak. This would help in removing the old rifle paint and the formerly gold trim.

Before painting, I had to figure out what I was going to do about the shield. Like Busterbeam, I thought the default method sucked and looked for something less drastic than combing the forearm and shield parts together. I’m a person who is very stuck on symmetry, so in the end I would up drilling two .104″ (lol, imperial) holes in the forearm armor, which is just barely big enough to accommodate part of a sprue. A PC-C part trimmed down and shoved in to the shield frame and VIOLA! Stability, symmetry and functionality all at once! This was the first time I had done something like this to a kit (barring dremeling out Sazabi’s leg joints, which was a bit different imo), so as you can imagine I was very pleased to see it work out for the best. If only the blark part hadn’t gotten messed up so badly..more on that later.

I decided when I started this project that I would absolutely not cut corners, as that was a big problem I had with the first go. Detail every pipe, thruster, vent, and vulcan. Apply every decal. Get the trim PERFECT. I sprayed the black pieces with a coating of TS-29 semi-gloss black and set to work on the biggest challenge presented by the Sinanju a second time: painting the trim. The X-11 chrome silver I used for this behaved MUCH better than the gold leaf paint I originally used, helped along by the much finer brush I now had. Forcing myself to be patient, I took frequent breaks from painting the silver trim to go spraypaint the now-blue parts outside, also giving those at least an hour between coats. I used a lot of paint on this thing, at least five or six cans. Yeah, it was expensive (mental note: buy an airbrush) but it was also a hundred percent worth it. As with most things, going slowly and being thorough in your work pays off more than rushing.

Hey, great! I was pumped about how great the blue was shining and how the trim came out nice and crisp without much fuss…but wasn’t so happy with the shield. I went to remove some paint via winddex soak, repainted it, still wasn’t happy, then it broke while taking it off. Oh, the depression. This is the ONLY worthwhile shot of the shield since Bandai has yet to get me a new one (something that will be fixed soon, hooray!). It should be noted it was around this time that GaiGun gave the kit it’s alliteration-themed name (Like the Ebon Enforcer and Twilight Terror before it), “Blue Berserker”. Happy with how things were looking thusfar I had to steel myself for the next big hurdle that every Sinanju builder faces: the dreaded decals. It is here that Tonzo once again lends insight and informs me that a clear gloss coat will aid in the application of the decals. Two cans of TS-13 gloss clear and a whole bunch of my time later…

Gorgeous. Even under the too-yellow of my lamp, you can tell that the blue has some depth to it and produces a lovely shine. I finished up the decals with no hiccups and moved on to topcoating, which is when I found out that Tamiya gloss coats are far prettier than Mr. Hobby gloss topcoats. It’s not all bad though as the finish still looked wonderful! The waterslide decals were loads easier to work with than the dry transfers, I honestly think anyone who is serious about building this model needs to buy a set (or if you’re GaiGun, have a set made. Love ya man!) to make it look proper.

At the end of the day though, complaining about the topcoat is just me splitting hairs. The glossy finish really brings out the shine as long as I remember to position it so the light captures it properly, something that the other members of the GAF forum have helped me with as well. This model has been the biggest learning experience for me twice now, the first time in the realm of painting and excessive decal application and the second time in refining my technique (with the input of others). As it stands, this model is and will likely remain the crown jewel of my gunpla collection for some time, despite the fact it does not sit on the topmost shelf with the PG kits. I’ve put far more work in to it than any of my other models, past or present. At this point, I feel there is not much else I can do with my current toolset, so I may need to buy myself an airbrush (oh the money I’ll save on paint!) for the next big thing. Big ups to Busterbeam for showing me a good entry-level brush.

Actually, big ups to everyone that helped with this project, commented on the WiPs, told me it was coming along great, or just gave me some input on something to fix. Thanks a ton, I couldn’t have done it without you. This model is my bar for any and all future projects and is something I’m not sure I will manage to out-do any time soon. Like lots of people say, the Sinanju is one of the best MG kits out there in terms of look and design, but is also very demanding. After working on it twice now I can comfortably say that this model has the potential to be extraordinary with the proper amount of work and attention to detail.

You can see the photodump (And backstory, something I drummed up to tie together all of the groupbuild Sinanjus!) on his page.

WiP: The Zanbuster is awesome.

That is all.

HG 1/144 Reborns Gundam

Someone pointed out the foil sticker sheet in my post about how I build my gunpla and commented on how they were excited to see the pictures of the finished kit, so here are a few!

There are the only shots of it I have- it was sent back to the person who asked me to make it for him, and he took these photos! He did a great job capturing this bad boy in action and I’m very happy he’s satisfied with the final product. The colorscheme he cooked up was a welcome change from the mostly-white of the default kit and it did serve as a nice experience in masking and working on a smaller scale.

I’ve been updating a lot lately…

Crossbone WiP: Katoki is still a bastard

The best part? There are still 4-5 decals that still need to go on the thrusters. Ka, you’re lucky all your mobile suits look so damn fine. My option color might be obvious by now?

I find that the cape that comes with the X-1 to…well…suck. It’s made of a silky thin lego-cape-like fabric and I don’t think it behaves very ‘cloth’ like, so I’m making my own and weathering it. This is just the basic cut, by the time I’m done you won’t see any of those red guidelines and it will look much dirtier and beat up, like a proper battle-worn cloak should!

Arrr, WiP!

I cannot resist pirate gundams. While Gundam Store and More did not have the X-1 Full cloth, they did have plenty of the X-1 and I looove me some cloaks, but the one included with the X-1 reminds of those super crappy lego capes, so I’ll be fixing that via an old shirt or something! I have the paintjob all planned out as well, nothing outlandish but it’ll be nice and different.

The shoulder deals looks much better in real life, leave it to close up pictures to make everything look bad.

WiSP- Vicious Project Hi-Nu: Torso complete

I’m going to need more paint…

Photodump: Perfrect Grade Astray Red Frame

In lieu of not having a proper page for this, below is a gallery of the PG Red Frame I built…not sure what the exact date was, but I preordered this kit so it couldn’t have been more than two or three days past when it came out. Enjoy! For the record…I didn’t bother with the shield or rifle. Let’s face it, they don’t matter.

Keeping with the theme with the last post…

And to make up for the fact there isn’t much gunpla-building going on right now, here is a rundown on how I build my models (something I’ve been putting off for ages, longer than my Turn A page). Once this post (and the one below it) get bumped off the front page, I’ll be migrating them to a ‘Tools and Techniques’ page since the current tools page is very very dated and in need of some reworking. Most of these pictures will be from the Sazabi build, but depending on what I need to reference there will be a variety of things mixed in there. Enjoy!

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So, you’ve got your gunpla.

This is where everything begins! Let’s crack that bad boy open and see what we’ve got to work with.

They always put the manual at the bottom of these things…why is beyond me. Find that and flip through it to familiarize yourself with the model and figure out where you’re going to start. Some people like to build strictly by-the-book, others like me like to skip around and build weapons first, then go back and work on other areas. I find that building the weapons first is a nice countermeasure to the dreaded ‘weapons block’, which is what happens when you get to the end of a long project and just conk out and only put a little work in to the weapons. It sucks, and if you get it done early that might mean they’ll look that much better. While perusing the manual, if you’ve got anything special in mind for the model now is a good time to figure it out. If you have a plan of action for paint schemes, decals or other little details it’s much easier to execute when you’ve worked out some of the specifics ahead of time. Sometimes things don’t always go as planned, but if you can build a model you can usually come up with some sort of solution to any problems that may arise.

Once you’re all set, you’re going to have to clip out the parts you need. The manual actually shows the proper way to do this, with clipping a few millimeters away from the actual edge of the part. This is to make sure you don’t scratch or otherwise damage the part while cutting it off of the tree.

I usually clip out everything I need ahead of time so I don’t have to keep stopping to clip another part out. This way I can clean everything up all at once and assemble at the same time.

Here’s a big secret: I don’t use sand paper. After clipping the part off the tree, I cut down the flash with a hobby knife. It’s dangerous in some regards since, you know, there’s a chance you’ll ruin the part if you slip up with the blade. I’ve never had this happen though, so I guess until then I’ll stick with this method. What I do is put the blade against the nub as pictured and push against it with the blade angled up so if I do put too much force on it the blade goes away instead of down on to the part. Repeat this a few times and do the same from the opposite side to make sure the nub is gone all the way! After that, if there’s any white residue left over you can just scratch it with your thumbnail and it should hide it well enough (though this isn’t a big deal if you’re painting anyway). After the part is all cleaned up, it’s time to move on to painting (and if you’re not, just skip to the part about panel lining and decaling). The other big con is plenty evident by looking at my index finger…

Another big shocker: I don’t prime my models prior to painting. This is due to the fact that I’ve always liked darker colors or paint things in a fashion similar to the original scheme, neither of which really require primer. If you’re going to be painting something a lighter color, use primer before you realize it just doesn’t work. Trust me, I’ve tried. Moving on, if you’re going to go the route of spray painting via can Tamiya’s TS-xx series of paints have always given me great results. I orgazine everything by what color I’m going to paint them, grab a box, head outside and get to work.

And there you have it. If both sides need to be painted just wait about an hour, flip them over and go to it. Ideally, one sprays about 30cm away from the parts and lets a fine mist hit the stuff to be painted. This prevents paint building up on one area of the model. Another important thing to avoid is stopping with the spray on the part- always make sure to spray past the stuff being painted. For tiny details, I’ve got a tamiya size 0 brush or I just use one of the many gundam markers I have.

after painting, it’s time to fill in the panel lines. I’ve got no experience with panel line washes, so for now that method of panel lining can’t be covered here. For using the fine tipped gundam markers, I typically prefer to use those since the way they tend to spill ink out over the line makes it easy to simply rub of the extra with your thumb or an eraser and be left with a nice thin line. I also have a few copic pens, but since they’re warm grey in color they only really come in handy for white surfaces only. There’s not much extra here to explain…some people use pencils and the like for panel lining which works good too. Experiment and see what method you like best.

Gunpla models come with three different kinds of marking methods. Clear stickers, foil stickers and dry transfer decals. The application of the first two are pretty straightforward, though I know some people can be thrown off by the dry transfers if they haven’t dealt with them before. I find taping the dry transfer down (remember, glossy side up!) and rubbing it on with the blue part separator they give you with some MG kits work great. Make sure the decal is applied completely, you only get one chance with these things. I’ve noticed on older kits like my Ez8 they don’t go on so easy, but for stuff like the Sinanju and Zeta 2.0 they go on hassle-free.

If you’re not in the mood to deal with stickers and dry tranfers, you can just pick up a set of waterslide decals that usually include all of the normal stickers and the dry transfers. If they’re available I’ll usually get these since they look so much better on the finished model than a sticker. For some kits, like the Unicorn and Sinannju (or any ver. Ka kit, really), I feel that waterslide decals are a must. As far as applying the waterslides I’ve learned (thanks Sonar!) that a clear gloss coat should be applied before the decals to ensure you can move them around easily! After you’ve got it in place just roll over it with a q-tip to push the extra water out. After a few minutes of drying apply some Mr. Mark Softer  and let dry overnight and you’ll have a decal with almost no visible edge!

after the decals have been applied and have dried properly (be very careful with them after the softer has been applied, you don’t want it to rip!) all that’s left is a finishing touch. If you’re going to weather your kit, give the model a flat topcoat, being sure to remove any clear parts unless you want them fogged up by the chemical. The flat topcoat helps the weathering stick a little better (or at least, the weathering compact I used- I’m no good at drybrushing) and after applying the weathering give it another flat topcoat. For most models, a flat topcoat is what you’re going to want to spring for since it takes away that shiny plastic toy look. Of course, if you’ve gone the route of metallics (as I often find myself doing) a nice coat of gloss will really make the model shine.

For brands, I used to exclusively use Mr. Hobby topcoat but due to recent restrictions on shipping that require companies to spend too much effort packing they are not exporting that particular brand any more. Luckily there are a lot of other variants out there, such as Tamiya’s flat/semi-gloss/gloss/pearl clears which are what I’ll be using from now on, having found the Tamiya gloss clear to have a better shine than Mr. Hobby’s gloss topcoat.

You can topcoat the model however you like, just follow the same rules as spray painting- some of you might prefer to topcoat each part individually to make sure you cover the whole part and others like myself just leave the model assembled and spray away. Depends on how thorough you’re being, really.

And there you have it! Once the topcoat dries go pose your model on your self, with or without a stand and sit back and bask in the glory of your hard work. While some people will complain if you don’t paint/panel line/ect a model, I’m of the belief that it’s your model, do what you want and get what you want out of it. Don’t be afraid to try new things though, there are a lot of resources out there that you can consult if you’re not sure how to go about doing something.

Have fun!

Lighting and You (A PSA)

I hear some people compliment my lighting/pictures (much thanks to Busterbeam, Sonar and other members of GAF) so I thought I would make a post about it since my setup is incredibly ghetto but still manages to net good shots despite this.

First up is my lamp. Yeah, the singular lamp I use to light my room up. While it doesn’t look very bright in the picture, the bulb is a three way which means it goes between 50-100-150 watts, depending on how many times you turn the switchy. When taking pictures, I remove the shade (since sometimes it causes the picture to come out too yellow- recently discovered this) and then turn it all the way up to 150w to make sure that all the details are properly illuminated (and to capture that metallic shine for the models it applies to) but will go to 100w if it’s casting too much of a shadow. Sometimes it’s required that I hold the lamp in one hand and the camera in the other to get good results, but the camera I use has a setting to negate the shakiness.

Next up is the cloth you see under the models in all the pictures. Truth is, this isn’t actually a cloth…it’s a white t-shirt. The reason this is needed is because..

The area where I take pictures of my gunpla is the top shelf of my stand, where the perfect grade models reside. The pictures wouldn’t come out nearly as nice if you could see the models below, right? Of course, all if this info, while maybe insightful, is missing one thing.

My weapon of choice is the Panasonic DMC-FX01 Lumix, which is apparently a somewhat dated but very capable camera. The funny part is for all the settings and options it has, I use it almost exclusively in ’simple’ mode. There aren’t any special dynamics or settings I use, just point and shoot. If it’s not good enough, repeat. Another rule of thumb, pointed out by Busterbeam in this post: NO FLASH. The cons are very blatant, so I don’t think I really need to go in to them…

We hope this post has been at least somewhat informative.