Off the beaten path for me...

Hey... As long as you're having fun, that's the most important thing. While there are "canon" colors for these kits, the most interesting builds seem to be those that "stray off the beaten path", in terms of color schemes.

These Bandai kits are actually what got me back into modeling after a 15 year hiatus, so I have a soft spot for 'em, but--like seems to be the case with your "Ball" build--I usually only go back to them as a source of stress relief.

Your build looks like it's shaping up nicely--and that is a very sharp blue. What are you using for your silver on the big gun? Oh, and one very minor correction: The scale on this kit is 1/100.

Looking forward to seeing more!

You are correct, sir, 1/100 it is! Took me almost a half hour of searching the box and instructions to find any reference to scale. I was going by the size of the 'pilot'.

The Paints I am using for the cannon are Testors Metalizers. Titanium, Steel, aluminum, and Burnt Metal. I am thinking of using a salt technique, then covering it with the OD Green (Poly Scale) and the Sea Blue (also Poly Scale), then 'chipping' it off.

I am in the process of adding hydraulic lines to the arms, and may add some wiring and conduit to the cannon as well.

Good looking Ball! Really there's no 'wrong' way to fix up one of these, there were tons of them and they were adapted to all sorts of jobs during and after the war and are really open to unlimited customization.

 I look forward to seeing more!

I am currently doing up one side to have some damaged panels. Not damaged as in bent up, damaged as in messed up paint, and primered replacement panels. I have done a base of aluminum, and will overspray with OD green after applying some salt.

Also, one of the arms has two broken pieces (there were broken in the box, and a couple of the broken bits are missing). I think I am going to either leave it off and make an end cap for the socket, or replace it with some sort of cannon.

More pics soon.

No need to apologize for your opinion, we are all entitled to them.  As long as you don't go around harrasing people on the boards that have different interests I dont think anyone will have a problem with hearing an opinion.  I personally don't like armor kits because they are too realistic for me, though I know part of this is because I'm afraid I wouldn't be good enough too make it realistic. 

I actually think modelers that can take these anime kits and make them a little more realistic are very talented.  Your Ball looks great.  I like the colors and those little red lines, the wires, OMG.  What are you painting with, a fly hair?  This is looking very good.  I think he looks a little like R2D2 with those blue rectangles on top. 

Now, as for being true to the anime or doing it "wrong", there's no such thing.  Someone on here will probably tell you that a Ball would be destroyed long before it could actually take that much paint damage, but I want to see your weathering so don't listen.  There's no reason this couldn't be an ace Ball pilot that survives. 

Overall, your build is shaping up great.  I can't wait to see your progress and if you ever feel like putting the realistic touch on any of those other anime kits you go right ahead, and take lots of pictures. 

Quick weathering update.

I am quite pleased with the Salt Technique on this one. I quite like the effect. Just a few minor paint lifting issues with the tape, but that can be fixed.

Skull, I certainly appreciate your comments! And I agree, I can see a little R2D2 in there, as well. I did the wiring very carefully with a super fine sable brush, then touched up the mistakes afterwards.

As for the paint damage, I see it as more of being from something like a sandstorm, or debris from a nearby explosion.

By the way, the piece at the bottom is the beginnings of the cannon to replace the broken arm (It looks a little funny because I bumped the contrast on it in photoshop).

This is not only one of my favorite kits (I have three) but one of my favorite designs, seems like the most realistic and plausable from the series.

As far as colors, do whatever you want the two of mine that are built are a deep green and a almost black purple, I think the blue you chose is very fitting, looks really good.

One criticism, your weathering seems very overdone.  The thing about these kits, thats majorly different from armor kits, is an armor kit is in 1/35, this is in 1/100th, hold up the pilot to some of those paint chips, they would be the size of his head o.O

When your working in this scale, you need to either tone down the weathering, put it in logical spots and scale it correctly, or damage the kit to give reason (dents around chips and such).

Check here for some really good tutorials on it http://codyscoop.com/ht-building.html

Smeagol,

Thanks for your advice and input, every last bit is always welcome.

I'm not so concerned about scale. As it is a fantasy vehicle, scale is pretty irrelevant for me. It could be 1/1000 scale, it could be 1/1 scale, or anything in between.

As I said earlier, this build is more about experimenting, playing, stress relief, and change of pace.

I checked out the site... some great tips there. I'd definitely enjoy seeing pics of your, too!

Steve

Im not happy enough with them to showem off, I should strip the paint off and re-do them.

I get the thing about not caring for the scale, but since you have a cockpit and you can see inside of it to the pilot, your sort of forced to work within it more or less.

It is your kit, but if you show anyone they will all say the same.

No pilot in there.... think I am going to make up some 'electronics' and something that looks like a camera. This one is gonna be a remote.

The molding on the figures was extremely poor, so there was no way I was going to use them.

I've always loved that salt mask over bare metal effect.

I'm really digging this build so far. I would never have guessed that a Ball could be such and interesting model. More please.

The figures that were in mine were very bad. Sunken chests, misshapen arm, and oversized heads/helmets. I was kind of surprised, considering that the rest of the kit was superbly molded!

I'm not very good with figures to begin with (although I am starting some practice runs this week) so I figured I would just come up with a new story for it! lol.

Cosmic - Thanks for the kind words. I am really enjoying this one. I think I am going to look for some Sci Fi Armor for future additions to the stash!

Remember, I never said there couldnt be chips that big, just if something were to make a chip that big, it would also leave damage to the armor where it hit.

as far as figures go

http://www.starshipmodeler.biz/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=203

http://www.starshipmodeler.biz/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=1265

I'll keep those in mind for possible future builds, Smeagol. This one is just for fun, so I'm not sinking any additional cash into it.

Skull, the secondary cannon is being scratch built from tube and square stock.

Cool, I can't wait to see how it comes out. 

STV- I get what you are saying now.  Those figures are awesome.  I didn't know anyone made extras.  I've tried to start painting the ones that came with my Freedom but they are so hard to do in that size. 

Got some work done tonite on the Cannon and ammo box. Still haven't decided exactly what kind of cannon we have here, it's just kind of falling out of my head as I go.

First one is kind of fuzzy, but shows the cannon, the ammo box, and the feed chute. There are 121 individual pieces in the feed chute alone.

Closer shot of the cannon and ejector port.

Ammo box and feed chute.

Did you scratch build that Ammo chain?

I have been looking for some of them forver.  Mechaskunk used to have metal ones that could bend and such, but the person he got them from stoped selling stuff, or something.

smeagol the vile wrote:

Remember, I never said there couldnt be chips that big, just if something were to make a chip that big, it would also leave damage to the armor where it hit.

Well, it could also be low quality paint, as seen in examples  of Japanese WWII fighter aircraft. That stuff almost comes off in sheets if you look at it funny.

666Irish wrote:

Got some work done tonite on the Cannon and ammo box. Still haven't decided exactly what kind of cannon we have here, it's just kind of falling out of my head as I go.

hah, looks kind of like a warhammer 40k lascannon.

 I say put 3 barrels inside of each one and call it a 60mm chaincannon. ^_^

Sian wrote:

smeagol the vile wrote: Remember, I never said there couldnt be chips that big, just if something were to make a chip that big, it would also leave damage to the armor where it hit. Well, it could also be low quality paint, as seen in examples  of Japanese WWII fighter aircraft. That stuff almost comes off in sheets if you look at it funny.

At the point that your using giant mechs to fight in space... I dont think your going to be using inferior paint.

smeagol the vile wrote:

Did you scratch build that Ammo chain? I have been looking for some of them forver.  Mechaskunk used to have metal ones that could bend and such, but the person he got them from stoped selling stuff, or something.

Yep! All done from scratch...and still flexible. Everything is evergreen styrene with the exception of the copper wire lifting lugs on the ammo box, and the brass screen on the ejector port.

Sian wrote:

I say put 3 barrels inside of each one and call it a 60mm chaincannon. ^_^

I am going to look into the multi barrel chain gun, as the ammo chain looks kind of narrow for the gun.

666Irish wrote:

Yep! All done from scratch...and still flexible. Everything is evergreen styrene with the exception of the copper wire lifting lugs on the ammo box, and the brass screen on the ejector port.

Wow. I bow before your skill.  orz

Quick update, gotta motor!

Gun almost complete. Just a few odds and ends to tie up, as well as some paint work. As you can see, Ihave made it a 3 barrel gatling gun. I am quite happy with the way the ammo feed chute turned out.

I have also started making up a camera to replace the pilot, making this an autonomous vehicle. I'm thinking about calling it a 1/35 scale vehicle and doing a small diorama with it. I've started scratch bulding a small service/fueling cart. We'll see how it turns out.

Well, as I have said before, this is off the beaten path for me, and more of an exercise is practicing some techniques that I don't normally use, as well as a practice bed for using an airbrush.  And since I decided to do a diorama, it is also my excuse to familiarize myself with painting figures.And since my main area of building is 1/35 scale, that's where I will be going with it.

I'm not really a Sci Fi builder, although I am a big fan of the genre. For me, the scale of this kit isn't important, nor is where it is from, what it's intended purpose was, or it's benefits and drawbacks. This one is pretty much just for me, but I thought that I would do a WIP thread about it for anyone who is interested.