Wow that Falguen with your scratch built lifter unit is kick a**!

The Gelf looks like a perfect entry for the contest and you can't go wrong with heavy weapons!

That's a neat trick with the thinner to create a clean break where the plastic has been scored.  The separation was so clean that one would be hard pressed to say it wasn't designed that way.

I'm rooting for you on the contest.

Thanks for the info G! Nice work, he's coming along well! 

Some progress pics:

A quick test fit to have a look at the overall model, and to identify areas that will need work.

Dragonar kits were kind of made on the cheap.  I guess to be fair, they WERE cheap to buy.  Anyway, it was common to have moveable parts without the benefit of polycaps, but the main guns on the Gelf HAD to have polycap action:

No need for Model Viagra!

The mod was also to accomodate a possible lifter unit in the future.  It was always my intent to make wings for this guy, but under the time constraints of the contest, they will have to wait.

Next up was separation of the skirt armor from the body.  I saw this neat trick on Youtube, where the guy scribed lines where he wanted to cut parts away then carefully applied Mr Color Thinner.  He then initiated a small cut to start the separation. The Bandai plastic, notorious for cracking from thinner, neatly parted!

And it worked!

Now to clean up the cut area and extend the skirts up.

Reworking of the hip joint and neck area to follow.

Rob Gronovius

I love kits like this. I'm usually torn between wanting it to look like it does on TV versus what it would look like in real life, metal colored etc.

 

Nice job.

 

Rob,

There are several ways to finish these types of models, but I think the old classical "anime color" style has fallen out of favor.  The armor guys brought their brand of weathering to anime kits and transformed their look.  Other guys do the candy coat metallics which can look astonishgly good, but are fiendishly difficult to execute.  And then there is the "cel shaded" style, where the models are painted to look like 2-D images that leapt out of the TV.  It's all about the paint these days!

Gamera,

The game plan is as follows:

- Add clear parts to visor and sensors

- Add a proper neck and cut out in body to accomodate the head

- Redo hip joints to allow leg rotation and maybe add ab crunch

- Rework wrist and elbow joints to enhance posing

- Rework knee and ankle joints to enhance posing

- Correct the contour of the foot armor

- Paint on all markings.  No sucky Bandai stickers, bleah!

And that, Ripley, is the plan.  Not to open box/close box.  Not to just sit around and study.  But to finish this thing in 2 months.

BTW I dove into the kit last night and began modifications.  I had originally wanted to build a lifter unit for the Gelf, but will have to defer it due to the time constraint.  But I did mod the backpack guns with polycaps so that the lifter unit can be added later on.

Pics to follow!

That's so cool Real G!!! Great to see you back to working on something. The previous model looks good, so what are the improvements you're making on this one??? 

I love kits like this. I'm usually torn between wanting it to look like it does on TV versus what it would look like in real life, metal colored etc.

Nice job.