Ma.K Group Build 8/2010-8/2011

One of the things I do not intend to add this time is all the cables you see attached to a AFS.  Ie: foot/arm.  I will add the laser cable and the larger ones.  Ordered a braided line from Starship Modeler and it is too big.  Need to find the same type bu smaller dia.  I would very much like for it to be a braided looking hose, not the norm as used, nor do I want to use a Snake Chain this time.  Any ideas fellas, or does anyone have some 1.5 Fiberglass Braided Sleeve?

I want the suit to look self supporting and not having cables running everywhere, but rather self contained.  After all, this is not a land based, but a Space version!

Sorry CJ, you wont find any of this stuff on HLJ.  The alum bolts and brad rivets came from Model Motorcar.com, a supplier of parts f/Pocher kits.  Has all you need, the things are usable everywhere.  For a nut/bolt, the alum ones are the sharpest of any plastic.  The wrist band is a HQ Parts wrist band to fill the gap between the wrist and hand of a Gundam.  Very handy and I just love how it made the hand look like a sealed space glove, even though I know the hand is mechanical.  I have added well over 50 pieces to the suit and like the results.  Hope to get primed today.  I am on vacation and will leave out in the morning for the coast, but I have the whole day to play w/my toys.  If you need a wrist collar, contact w/address, I will mail one to you.  The plastic parts are from Starship Modeler, O-Bolt set 1 & 2.

   the Gunp

Looking good, GM!

What did you use for the little metal screws/allen bolts and the wrist-ring thingy? I just spent an hour combing HLJ looking for something similar.

Todays progress.  Think I might try my hand @ putty joint covers.  This puppy is ready for primer.

Ti4019

I'm FINALLY underway with my Ma.K build. DragonCon and building costume parts and props seriously got in my way, plus getting ready for a bran new show with a special theme two weeks ago. SO, my origina plan to build a night recon test type SaFS is shelved temporarily. I took my Konrad to work and started slamming it there. It's good therapy for me since I have no internet and am pretty much stuck at my desk all day. 

There is a new award being offered at an upcoming show for best hand paitned model, and this is being built for that.  All hand paint, no spray anywhere.  This will also be a true OOB build and i will use only what comes in the box.   

My work so far:

I loves me a Konrad. More please!

(nice painting on the engine   )

Gunpla Master

Cosmic J U sooooo Funnny.  BOOB, LOL, now I got a name for the suit, BOOB Suit.  I added the o-bolts to add more detail to an other wise bland bare AFS.  Plus you are working with a suit that is a Space Suit.  I thought I would add a little more pop to it in keeping w/that theme of Space.  I think I did do that, even if he is a BOOB.  I did not even think that, now every time I look @ it, I laugh.  But will stay as is.

LOL! You should just assume my commentary says more about me than it does about your build. I'm just glad we can say BOOBS on Finescale. Booobs. Boobies. Boobages.

Worked on a little sum sum this evening.   Anyone want to take a guess as to what it is.  Cosmic J you are not allowed unless no one else can, I know you will know what this is!

I suspect this build will require the use of spoons... 

Mocking up the upper frame.  The Slave 1 display base and a Gustav engine cover for the upper housing unit.

And a Big Howdy to Ti4019.  Glad you joined in with a most wonderful AFS.  Happens to be a fav and I do not believe anyone is doing one of these.  Looks good so far and look forward to more of you build.  I like your approach, straight OOB.  If only we all could do that, alot more kits would be completed. 

Hand painted, the way they were originally done and many still do.  I have found that the best results and paint jobs have been done by hand.  I look forward to this.

OH, I forgot about you, should have thought to tell you to be cool too, you would know what it is too.  And the Lucky winner is Modelbuilder.  He has Id correctly the beginning stages of a completely scratch build Kow design:  Scout Flier, a recon bird and or hunter killer of the Neuspotter and his evil twin.  This will be the most ambitious Ma.K project for me so far.  One must be a detective to source all the parts.  What you are looking @ is the under side engine plate, bell and vector plates.  The dish comes from a Slave 1 and you will also need the display base that comes with it as well for part of the main frame, a mechaSkunk alum. bell, and the shoulder armor plates from a AFS Mk1, had to source from a unbuilt kit.

Have purchase a 1/9 Zundapp frame from a friend, and have a Pod Racer coming from eBay .  Pod racer will supply the balance of the parts for the engine disk and some other parts for the main frame.  The main frame is again, the Slave1 display base mated to the Zundapp motorcycle frame.  This makes up the basic main frame of the craft.

Gunpla Master

Hello Mad-Modeler, glad you are back home, safe, read what you did for a living.  I agree w/what Cosmic J said about the kits.  I like the Wave kits the best and no I do not care for the PV joints, but they do afford alot more movement.  He also brought another point most people never realize, the Nitto kits are smaller than the Wave kits, why, I guess because Wave has re-done the molds.  The sad thing is most of the bad guys suits are only available from Nitto.  Hopefully Wave will take care of this.  I have read thru some threads that Wave is re-working the Gustav f/a future release.  After you have built a Nitto and then a Wave, it is apparent how much different they can be!

Cosmic J U sooooo Funnny.  BOOB, LOL, now I got a name for the suit, BOOB Suit.  I added the o-bolts to add more detail to an other wise bland bare AFS.  Plus you are working with a suit that is a Space Suit.  I thought I would add a little more pop to it in keeping w/that theme of Space.  I think I did do that, even if he is a BOOB.  I did not even think that, now every time I look @ it, I laugh.  But will stay as is.

Worked on a little sum sum this evening.   Anyone want to take a guess as to what it is.  Cosmic J you are not allowed unless no one else can, I know you will know what this is!

Do I see the beginnings of a scout flyer?

I'm FINALLY underway with my Ma.K build. DragonCon and building costume parts and props seriously got in my way, plus getting ready for a bran new show with a special theme two weeks ago. SO, my origina plan to build a night recon test type SaFS is shelved temporarily. I took my Konrad to work and started slamming it there. It's good therapy for me since I have no internet and am pretty much stuck at my desk all day. 

There is a new award being offered at an upcoming show for best hand paitned model, and this is being built for that.  All hand paint, no spray anywhere.  This will also be a true OOB build and i will use only what comes in the box.   

My work so far:

Hello Mad-Modeler, glad you are back home, safe, read what you did for a living.  I agree w/what Cosmic J said about the kits.  I like the Wave kits the best and no I do not care for the PV joints, but they do afford alot more movement.  He also brought another point most people never realize, the Nitto kits are smaller than the Wave kits, why, I guess because Wave has re-done the molds.  The sad thing is most of the bad guys suits are only available from Nitto.  Hopefully Wave will take care of this.  I have read thru some threads that Wave is re-working the Gustav f/a future release.  After you have built a Nitto and then a Wave, it is apparent how much different they can be!

Cosmic J U sooooo Funnny.  BOOB, LOL, now I got a name for the suit, BOOB Suit.  I added the o-bolts to add more detail to an other wise bland bare AFS.  Plus you are working with a suit that is a Space Suit.  I thought I would add a little more pop to it in keeping w/that theme of Space.  I think I did do that, even if he is a BOOB.  I did not even think that, now every time I look @ it, I laugh.  But will stay as is.

Worked on a little sum sum this evening.   Anyone want to take a guess as to what it is.  Cosmic J you are not allowed unless no one else can, I know you will know what this is!

Yeah, thanks very helpful. Was just curios what others are thinking.

Mad-Modeler

How do you think the Wave AFS suits compare to the old Nitto kits?

Was disappointed in the split SAFS kit, felt that Silicone tribe kit was better.

 

The new 3Q/Wave kits I like but than wave is only truly handling the production side of it.

Didn't know if this was specific to one poster, so I'll take a shot at it.

The details on the Wave kits are sharper, and you get more options as regards types and styles. The pilots and hands are much better molded too. The new poly joint covers allow for a much greater range of motion than the old, without fiddly joint assemblies, which is also excellent.

On the down side, the poly joints have these wicked seams that are difficult to remove or cover, and the power cables/hoses are made of the same poly material, rather than the metal ones of old, so obviously those have seams as well. The plastic on the Wave kits is thin and sorta brittle, which means you have to be extra careful when cutting them from the sprues.

The Wave kits are also slightly larger, which is neither a plus or a minus, unless you want to put a new + old kit in a dio.

For my money, the newer Wave kits are the better buy, but they still require a litttle extra work and some parts from the spares bin to be their best.

I haven't built a Wave SAFS yet, so I can't honestly compare those. Helpful?

Gunpla Master

Played around w/the Luna Pawn today.  Like the results so far.  Added a few details w/Wave O-Bolts sets.  Hope you approve.

Much approved indeed. Clearly, I will have to do similar modifications to my own LP. The bolts on the body and legs are particularly convincing.

The one on the very top however, makes that structure look like a boob. Can we say "Boob" on Finescale?

Very cool, my man.

Coming along  nicely.

How do you think the Wave AFS suits compare to the old Nitto kits?

Was disappointed in the split SAFS kit, felt that Silicone tribe kit was better.

The new 3Q/Wave kits I like but than wave is only truly handling the production side of it.

Played around w/the Luna Pawn today.  Like the results so far.  Added a few details w/Wave O-Bolts sets.  Hope you approve.

GM

I think a Mars combat suit would be awesom and may I suggest a totally different color.  Floquil railroad colors Oxide Red. This is a near perfect match for German primer red and with some experimenting could be an awesome color for the red plant, if you choose that route.

I've think that a Mars color scheme could look cool GM, but it might also be too dark. I did a Mars pattern on my first Krote. It looked okay because there were lots of large, smooth surfaces - on the smaller LP it might muddy it up too much. I guess it depends on what colors you use, and how they catch the light.

Maybe a white/light grey lunar scheme, on a Martian base? Lots of rusty pastel dust for weathering, lots of paint chipping from windblown sand. Could be quite striking.

I got some more work done on mine, but not much. As usual, it's the kind of stuff only you guys might appreciate.

Lots of little hex bolts and other added details. No doubt even more to follow:

For the antenna mount, I drilled into the hull and pushed an aluminum tube into place. I used aluminum tube because it was easier to sand flush than brass would have been. I then took a fitting piece of brass tube and superglued a thin brass rod antenna into it. That was fitted to a short piece of spring.

Once all the paintwork is done, I'll glue the bits into place and bend the antenna to match the angle of the upper hatch.

The rear of the hull has a silencer and muffler mounted on it. Apparently I started to build the muffler years ago, and made a botch of it - not to mention the fact that the kit details are very soft. Additionally, the muffler has some detail bits that interfere with its placement near the hull. Sooo... since I was going to replace the soft details anyway, I decided to move them to the opposite side of the muffler. They look better, and placate my sense of modeler's OCD.

Gonna have to start work on the hands soon...

Well I was setting here trying to decide which way to go with the Luna Pawn, and I thought, hey, would it not be cool to let everyone help and have a part in the build, now that's a GB.  So, here is what I was wondering.

1.  Do I build as a Luna meaning a suit stationed on the Moon as is on the front of the box.

2.  Stationed for combat on Mars.

Now everyone has done the Moon type, but I have only seen a few that went another direction and built other than a Moon type.  After all, this is the merc space type battle/armor fighting suit.  Now comes the 2nd choice, what color.  I purchased @ the 1st of the summer off of eBay ir-j Ma.K paint.  This is a lacquer type paint I have never used.  I was able to get all four colors.  To tell the truth, any one or combo of colors could work.  So what color do you think and where do I place the space suit, the Moon or Mars

ir-j colors

1. Dark Snow

2.  Spinach Green

3.  Moon green grey

4.  Lunatic flash

Who's Your Ma.K Daddy,  the GM

Have been trying to think what I want to do next.  I have some other projects going for another GB , did I say that!.

I do not want to start something very involved, so I think the Krote I have been planning will go to the back burner for now.

So I fired off a web order to Starship Modeler and it came today.  My next project was in that order:  Luna Pawn.  Now I have looked @ as many as I can find builds of this AFS and I do not mean in anyway to dis anyone's build of it, but too me no one has captured that look of a  Self-Supporting, Mobile, Combat Space Suit.  I believe this can be done and still keep the look as Kow did w/the original.  I will however do a few mods to this one.  Keep watching, photos to follow soon.

the GM, Who's Your Ma.K Daddy!!!!!!!!

Hello ponch, have been busy this week and just now got time to set down and peck @ the keyboard.  I want you to know, I really like the direction you are going with this build.  The paint scheme is just over the top and your colors match well.  That is the neat thing about Ma.K, no matter what color and or camo pattern, you are always good to go.

Could you tell us why this pattern and if something you saw influenced you to go this way.

Like your description of your paint brush for the weathering process.

I have always liked this AFS, but you just gotta say the thing does look like a egg w/arms&legs.  LOL

Looking forward to more my friend.

Finally, some progress

I added de decals and spent a good 45 minutes adding chips and scratches with a fine paintbrush.  Then gave the model another coat of Future in preparation for the weathering to come.

Mad-Modeler

Hey Guys.

 

The Melusine has arrived, still waiting on the Kauz. Will do the 3 kits as one batch as I want to paint them from the same Unit/Division:

 

Hope the Kauz arrives soon.

 

 

Hey Guys.

The Melusine has arrived, still waiting on the Kauz. Will do the 3 kits as one batch as I want to paint them from the same Unit/Division:

Hope the Kauz arrives soon.

smeagol the vile. you still with us buddy.  Wheres that sexy lady mech. you fix"in up?   Miss U pal.

hello iafrate, glad all is well and looking forward to your next post/photos.  Now iafrate, I want you too look into my eyes, your getting sleepy, sleepy, you are asleep, are you asleep iafrate?  Good, now listen to my voice, build, build iafrate you hear, build.  Snap, now your awake!

Cosmic J ole pal, glad you like the NUT, did not think mine turned out as good as yours, but I am happy w/the results.  The reason I think I got away w/such a dark paint scheme was I used MIG's Blue filter f/Panzer Grey, that soften the color up quite a lot.  I have another that when I build it, I will add a few more items, but will change the color scheme to more reflect a BF-109.  You know a 2 color splinter w/helu-blue and maybe a yellow band.  Just a thought.  I too like the MV lens, I use them every chance and anywhere I can.

You get'in sleepy yet Cosmic J?  build/photos

Gunpla Master

HHHHHHEEEEEEELLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOO!

LOL! I'm getting some work done, but I haven't taken pictures of it yet. Mostly my time is spent on cleaning up seams on the kit - the upper sensor and the engine/exhaust system needed lots of cleanup, and are getting lots of scratchbuilt and converted details. I'll get some pictures soon, I promise.

I like that 'Rocker, GM. I would have thought that the grey would have been too dark, but it came out nice. I also like the MV lens in the spotlight. It's convincing. Please keep us updated.

I'm here doing little as i can, I've been tied up with work. Just flew my Instructor Upgrade check ride yesterday, so i'm looking to get more time and get some results. Recently I finished the thrusters (finally), and slowly working on rescribing the torso. So i'm still here, but been busier than i expected.

HHHHHHEEEEEEELLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOO!