WIP: 1/144 NG G Gundam (Part 5)

In less than a week, I've finally completed the 1/144th scale No Grade God Gundam.  Besides the painting, the hard part was waiting for everything to dry.  But because I often didn't add thinner to the paint used, the finished surface didn't smooth out as neatly as I wanted, thus having to work on the same parts multiple times.  Another gripe is that I tried to shade the shiny yellow God Finger with runny orange paint and wound up with a muddy finish.  But that didn't annoy me nearly as much as when I finally attached the spikes to the forearm guards, which I almost couldn't do after over-priming the spikes weeks earlier.  Nonetheless, the kit is complete and I moved on to my favorite part of the process.  So without further ado . . .

LET'S GO GUNDAM FORCE!

Form feet and legs!

Form arms and torso!

I'll form the HEAD!

If wooden swords work for other anime shows, it can work for Gundam.

All things considered, I've learned a lot from building this kit, and you can't argue with the results (especially when you're taking photos with lots of lighting and where small errors don't show).  I'll get started on my MAC Forums project as soon as I review God Gundam.  But even that will have to wait, since I'll be joining my family on a small vacation.  At least I'm leaving this for you, the viewer, before I go.  Until next time . . .

I'm posting this pic on this particular blog to see how many views it gets.

Guess What I Got Today (5)

I know I said my next blog would show off my completed G Gundam, but I've just received a new item via FedEx with an interesting backstory behind it:

Yes, I always post my own pics but I've just been overwhelmed with chores and errands for the past 7 hours.

Anyway, rather than wait for someone to sell it online to the highest bidder, I pre-ordered my own HG Gundam SEED Custom Kit, a freebie with next month's issue of Hobby Japan magazine (which you've probably already read on Gundam Guy), from GGInfinite.  But the story begins 2 days ago, when I received an email from someone in Austin, TX telling me that he received a package that had both his invoice and mine.

Believing said package to be mine, the stranger had me confirm my order number and after 2 more messages, the package was on its way to my neck of the woods.  I was eager to compensate the stranger for his troubles, but he was satisfied that we were able to resolve this dilemma amongst ourselves (and I was thankful he didn't take up my offer).  This simple act really goes to show the courtesy and class that I know the modeling community is capable of.  As for GGInfinite, I could say it was simple mistake on their part and I'm sure they could've helped me out if I contacted them.  But I've known eBay sellers who've never screwed up that bad.  Let's leave it at that.

In closing, the stranger knows he has my thanks and I hope he enjoys his kit as much as I'll enjoy mine.  So what's so special about it?

As most Gunpla builders should know, the SEED Custom Kit has customization parts to make Bandai re-released High Grade SEED models more posable.  But it also includes a 1/144 scale 'Grand Slam' sword, which was included with the 1/60 Perfect Grade Strike Gundam and featured in the short film Gundam EVOLVE 7.  A peg on this sword's hilt also makes it compatible with Real Grade models.  This single runner seems to have enough parts to spruce up 2 kits.  But with no instructions, save for what is shown in the magazine, I'll find out what I'm dealing with when the time comes.

Join me next time when I finally present to you my completed G Gundam.  Until then, ALWAYS keep the receipt.

WIP: 1/144 NG G Gundam (Part 4)

Yet again errands and auctions combine to completely steer me away from my Gunpla.  But I took advantage of an extra day alone despite further obstacles.

I started by painting all of G Gundam's primed parts.  As you can see, I overpainted the bottom of one foot red, which I eventually corrected with thinner and white paint.

After all was said and done, I've completely erased the holes on the spikes for the shoulder guards.  I just hope that nothing gets jammed when I finally piece everything together.

I passed the time between paintjobs by inking the sculpted lines on the non-painted parts.  I started inking the skirt armor before realizing I had to color it, and then realized I had to buy more paint since my old jars dried up and the Gundam Markers clashed with the plastic colors (sigh).

But my first real accomplishment in weeks was turning G Gundam's single beam sword into a bokuto, or bokken or whatever the Japanese call their wooden swords.  I used natural wood as a base color and then drybrushed a mix of flat and light brown for a wood-grain effect.  Afterwards I drybrushed on some rubber (yes, rubber) for darker grains before going over the whole thing with clear yellow.  Looking back, I never thought of studying my own wooden floor for this.

From here on in, you'll hear nothing more from me till this thing's done.  So until then, I'll continue analyzing the fascination of young girls with the Twilight Saga.

Guess What I Got Today! (4)

For the past few weeks, the source of any "Does GSlayer1 ever finish anything?" jokes has been my entry into the world of online selling.  What started as a means of financing my future Gunpla projects and clearing storage space has become my latest cyber obsession.  Without further ado, here's the first kit bought with my earnings, which won't see the light of day again for the next few months.

From Turn A Gundam, creator Yoshiyuki Tomino's swansong to the franchise, comes the 1/144 scale Mobile FLAT mobile suit.  While the mechs from that show are 'different' and not for everyone, "High Heel's" use of its "hyper vibration" tech for offense and defense makes it a formidable opponent for the hero.

Sealed in their plastic bags, the kit includes 3 runners and a set of gray polycaps.  But what surprised me was that the FLAT's 3 orange parts are much brighter than what I've seen in web pics and YouTube videos.

Here's a shot of the third runner and the instruction booklet which, of course, is the last you'll see of this kit for a looong time.  Now if I can cross 2 more off my list, I should be good for the rest of the year, and probably a few weeks after.  In other news . . .

I've started working on my 1/144 NG G Gundam again.  I gave the priming another go and the results were much better than the last time.  A lil' bit of sanding and these parts should be painted and detailed by next week.  Because the details on the beam sword have been inadvertently erased, I might come at it with painting techniques I picked up from Joe's Gunpla a few months back.

And so ends this post.  Pass judgement on its delay if you wish.  But unless you know the feeling of holding a vintage action figure in one hand and guiding the cursor to the 'List your item' button with the other, you'd never understand.  Anyway, until next time, I guess I'll go check on my auctions.

WIP: 1/144 NG G Gundam (Part 3)

I begin this latest blog with a warning for other Gunpla builders: If you're spraying parts with shellac-based primer indoors, and you're trying to remove the excess from the kitchen sink with ammonia, then there's one thing you should know . . .

It stinks like hell.

Here's what I mean.

The shoulder armor, chest and feet have already been primed.

So I moved on to all the yellow parts after cleaning them and filling the holes with putty.  I also sanded down the blade of the beam sword (Above).

Next I stuck the parts onto some masking tape so I could prime them all at once.

If Japanese modelers drink tea to relax, is coffee the appropriate drink for Americans?

In hindsight, I should've primed outdoors.  I sprayed too close and primer obscured some details and took longer to dry.

Given my commitment to this and my other projects, I figured I should retract my earlier statement of entering the MAC Forums' modeling contest.  And with real life butting in, I might not be able to submit anything at all.  But I've been doing constant research on my picks for the contest and I really want to take part.  Of course, to really put in an effort I would have to drop a lot of bad habits, which shouldn't really be a problem for people with hobbies in the first place!

Until next time, Happy New Year (a week and 3 days late).

WIP: 1/144 NG G Gundam (Part 2)

As proof that my Gunpla projects are ongoing, here's what I've been doing the last 2 weekends.

Between video games, YouTube videos and eBay sales, I could only focus on preparing parts for priming.  Having just ran out of the hardware primer used in my last paint job, I set out to find more.  But which brand?  Krylon's too thick and dusty.  Testors takes too long to dry.  Tamiya's just right, but a 6oz can hardly justifies a trip from Queens to Manhattan.

This one's good enough.  From the guys who brought you Rust-Oleum, Zinsser's BIN shellac-based primer comes at $9.74 for 12oz.  Test-spraying on tabs from old runners, I shouldn't have been surprised with how well this primer worked, since it's made for plastic among other materials.  My one gripe with it is its hidden costs, namely the $2 bottle of ammonia I had to buy to clean the stuff off my window guards.  Anyway, it's time to prime my Gunpla!

I started with cementing, sanding and masking both of God Gundam's feet and shoulder armor.  Then after priming them in a more ventilated area . . .

The procedure was a success (that paper stuffed in the shoulder armor is tape).  But I didn't get rid off all the seam lines so there's still work to do.

I wanna take this opportunity to announce my interest in the latest modeling contest hosted on the MAC Forums.  My next blog entry will be the last before I start my contest entry next month.  Any news concerning the entry, including what it'll be, will be posted only on threads in the MAC Forums.  Depending on the other goings-on in my life (notably my own time management), this could very well take the full 6 months of the contest's run to complete.  But we shall see what we shall see.

Until next time, Merry Christmas!

Guess What I Got Today! (3)

When Virginia Woolf wrote about a room of one's room (I took Women's Literature in college), she must've meant a whole house or apartment. She also wrote of how financial and societal constraints can keep people from doing what they want to do.  Such is my situation.  While unforeseen circumstances has kept my family at home--and have forced me to postpone my Gunpla projects--for weeks, I've still managed to add more kits to my growing backlog.  And with my latest purchase totaling $11.49, it's worth sacrificing some leg room.

Presenting the 1/144 scale replicas of the ZM-S06S Zoloat and the RGM-122 Javelin from Mobile Suit Victory Gundam.  Added to my to-do list of Gunpla, I've meant to snag the Zoloat for some time; the Javelin's just an added bonus.

A preview of the contents of each kit.

I'm especially interested in this line of kits because they're apparently Bandai's first attempt at incorporating an inner frame in a 1/144 scale unit, but with polycaps.  But I can't go into detail about these models until I can actually work on them, and that's after I can finish the ones I've got.  And that's after I'm cut off from all human contact.  So I should really stop buying Gunpla for the time being (or at least after I scratch one more old kit off my list).

Join me next time (at some point in the near future) when we'll see if I ever get anything done.  Until then, it's my turn to wash the dishes.