Not sure I can get done in a month. I'm working regular hours here. But I'll give it a go!

I'll go with a kit of Obsidian Fury from Pacific Rim II: Uprising if it's okay by you? The kit is by Bandai. I can't seem to find the scale online- I'll look at the box when I get home. 

Only question here is technically it's a cyborg not really a robot- does that still work? 

Also none of the Jaegers in the movie get all that dirty.  

Yes, my sister's mentally disturbed dog took a bite out of the box... 

Well, today is only April 2nd in the US, so it starts tomorrow? I will build something, but I haven't had a chance to check my kits to see if something screams build me.

I'm going to go with a 1/144 HG MS-05L Zaku I Sniper Type. Hopefully, I can get it done in a month - I'm not necessarily a fast builder. Anyway, here's the box:

I'm hoping to make this one a ground-pounder type of Mobile Suit, so I'll attempt to weather accordingly. We'll see houw it turns out!

Jeagers count, piloted robots are good to go.

I'm bad at knowing what day it is, how did I screw that up?

So the end date is May 2021?

If not, I’d better step on it!  In any case, put me down with the Seapig.  But don’t put me down calling me a manatee!  I’m sensitive that way.  

Somebody pleeeease do the Sleaze-3-PO!  Hey so long as he doesn’t remove his lower plating and keeps the twizzler restraining bolt on, it’s all PG-13!

Sounds good and I better get started. My attempt will be a Bandai 1/100 Gouf. I will get a picture up soon.

This is a Gunze-Sangyo PAC 48Z Paladin, whatever that is. Im not sure if it's a robot or a fighting suit like MaK. Whichever it is, I will make it dirty.

https://i.imgur.com/oDxQ3fg.jpg

Ohhhhhhh those are cool guys!!! This is going to be fun! 

BTW: I looked at the box and instructions of Obsidan Fury last night. I didn't see a scale- I'm guessing somewhere about 1/1000th though. He's about six inches/ fifteen cm tall when complete. 

that paladin looks nice.

NucMedTech

Sounds good and I better get started. My attempt will be a Bandai 1/100 Gouf. I will get a picture up soon.

 

Just keep in mind it is no ordinary Zaku, boy!  (“Zaku to wa chigau no da yo, Zaku to wa!”  

Which kit?  Legacy, MG or MG 2.0?

I’m at home today so the Seapig is oinking along!

Got the arms and most of the body together.  Gonna seal the hatch shut because I see some gaps during test fitting, plus I have a SAFS that endlessly had its open hatch broken off by falls and my clumsy fingers.

Photos to follow.

Robotism

Jeagers count, piloted robots are good to go.

 

So basically piloted robot/fighting machines? As opposed to giant robots?

Would Star Wars style AT-AT or AT-ST fit the bill? Not truly robots, but they are mechanized walkers.

Rob Gronovius

 Robotism

Jeagers count, piloted robots are good to go.

 

 So basically piloted robot/fighting machines? As opposed to giant robots?

Would Star Wars style AT-AT or AT-ST fit the bill? Not truly robots, but they are mechanized walkers.

 

Real G, I have the MG kit. Getting started on it right now.

NucMedTech

Real G, I have the MG kit. Getting started on it right now. 

Ah OK.  I liked the MG Gouf better than the Ver 2.0 MG Gouf, although the 2.0 has superior flexibilty.  But I hated the retro look of it.  When the Zaku 2.0 came out, I was over the moon at the modern update, and expected the same of the Gouf.  Still don’t know why Bandai took a step backwards.  Once in a while they do inconsistent stuff like that.

The Re100 Hamma-Hamma went all polygon surfaces with stupid little barbs all over the place.  It’s almost as if a trainee CAD operator didn’t know how to define curves, and then his supervisor said “OK time’s up!” and sent the CAD files to the production team.  No other Re100 kit got mistreated this way.

Anyway, good luck on your Gouf, and look forward to seeing it get built!

I've chosen a kit. I originally bought it for my 11 year old daughter way back in 2004. It comes with a small figure of a female anime pilot. I know nothing about this robot or the series it hails from. It is molded in a mustard colored plastic along with a sprue of black plastic for the joints. She had assembled one of the lower legs (foot to knee).

My daughter is now 26 and lives in Miami, so I doub she'll ever get around to this kit. I doubt she remembers it.

I paid all of $10 for it and appreciate it if anyone has some information about the kit or some links to websites that have screen shots of the show it might be from.

I don't know if I'll attempt to paint it gold or some other, more realistic metallic color.

I don't know anything about the series but it's from Sakura Taisen Rob. A pretty popular mecha strategy game. There's probably a wiki you can get more info on it from. The designs are really cool and do a lot with the steam punk style.

Yesterdays progress. Put Wrestlemania on and went to work,  a few hours later I had most of the tordo done. Then I proceeded to squeese the chest fins together to make sure they were tight and it exploded across the room. Lucky I managed to find the parts again. Teach me to squeeze a robot's chest won't it? Fit size it has minor issues all over, often have to disassemble slightly because the parts fit better if you don't follow the instructions order. But it's no where near as bad as I thought it would be. Interestingly the sprues are warped in a few places but the parts on them aren't.. Painting this is going to be difficult, very little part seperation possible since it layers on top of it's self so much.

Robotism

I don't know anything about the series but it's from Sakura Taisen Rob. A pretty popular mecha strategy game. There's probably a wiki you can get more info on it from. The designs are really cool and do a lot with the steam punk style.

Alright, here is the box art for the Gouf:

Did a bit of work and I put the legs and arms together.

So for me a pretty good start. There are some seams that need filling so still more work to do on them. Hopefully I will be able to start on painting by this weekend.

Rob Gronovius

 

Yeah, I noticed the more primitive steam punk style pipes. That's why I thought it might look better in a more realistic metallic paint scheme as opposed to a gold plated C3PO motif. Like a worn bronze/steel/copper look.

 

That would look great. Big ol' soot stains all down it.

What are the Gouf painting plans Nuc?

Tonights progress. Had some more fitting issues. The crown doesn't slot in properly and the white part fits on it and doesn't reach the connecting part below. Don't think it's supposed to move but it's an annoying fit when you don't want to break the V-fin. The runners have a spare face mask but it's different on the runner to the instructions pictures. Identical to the one I have installed so I have no clue what so ever. Not a fan of the head as a design but it's such a small part of the whole kit I can look past it.

Arms later tonight or tomorrow. Fitting issues and having to clean up flash on delicate parts leads to building fatique.

Rob, I am kind of liking the steampunk vibe of that kit. Will be interesting to see what you do with it.

Robo,(hope that is alright) not really sure on paint scheme yet. Maybe something forest camo like. Just know I am not keeping the blue.

Stephen

Those look great guys!!! 

Although I'm not sure I'd go with the gold either there Rob, I kinda like a bronze steampunk look. 

I've got about two-thirds of my Jaeger assembled. I wanted to light the visor but it looks like that will be a pain, running wires though the working joints just looks like a bad idea. If only the figure were bigger. At least paint shouldn't be an issue- it's mainly why I went with Obsidian Fury instead of Gipsy Danger or Gipsy Avenger- OF is almost all metallic black. 

Gamera

Although I'm not sure I'd go with the gold either there Rob, I kinda like a bronze steampunk look. 

Yes, when I opened the box, I was expecting gold chrome plating. I was not planning on painting it gold, but my metallic color choice would be based off of what color I have on hand. I do have some gunmetal and it would give it a wrought iron color, but that might be too dark for my tastes.

Natural metal isn't my forte and is a new realm.

Rob Gronovius

 

 

Gamera

Although I'm not sure I'd go with the gold either there Rob, I kinda like a bronze steampunk look. 

 

 

 

Yes, when I opened the box, I was expecting gold chrome plating. I was not planning on painting it gold, but my metallic color choice would be based off of what color I have on hand. I do have some gunmetal and it would give it a wrought iron color, but that might be too dark for my tastes.

Natural metal isn't my forte and is a new realm.

 

Hmm, well I suppose you could go with a sandy tan/yellow desert scheme and keep it sorta close to the gold without using a metallic shade. 

The Space Piggy commences:

I must finish the Zyggy Piggy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsBrd3u1JZw

The piggy is looking great. Are you going to add some stowage to the back? That extended back would really suit it.

Gamera, can you drill a hole in the neck peg and thread the wires into the chest for lighting it? If you can block the under side of the head it's probably a 20 minute job with a dremel.

I finished Wondwart's arms tonight and ended up stabbing myself in the thumb because every single peg is too tight. It's like the pegs were designed in a computer with zero tolerance for insertion. Have to open up the female part and often shave down the male peg. After 3 hours of peg sharpening the knife slipped and I called it a night. Every piece of the arm has nasty gaps down the center so I can see a lot of putty work being needed and awkward cleaning it up. I don't mind it being a bit of a pig (pun intended) because the group build becomes motivation to get the kit done. I'm going to do some surgery on a few parts to make them easier to connect. The shoulder wings are really difficult to put together and making the wing split from the box and gluing it in place later is the way to go. The hands are very jacky 80's all plastic hands, I would replace them but I don't have anything suitable. Hoping the open hand ones look better.

Robotism,

No stowage on the Space Piggy - they operate out of spacecraft or a base, so they don't need to carry a sleeping bag!    I believe the suits in MaK are designed for short-duration sorties, not for drawn-out engagements.

Kind of interesting how the non-licensed Asian kit makers do Gundam stuff that Bandai doesn't get around to doing.  Makes Bandai look lazy.  The Woundwort is from "Advance of Zeta", which had its origins in Dengeki Hobby magazine.  They sure have a different "look" to them - I sometimes can't tell where the head or heinie are!

I acquired two sets of metric drills that grade in 0.05mm sizes that I use to bore out the snap fit sockets on my kits.  It really saves on busted fingers!

Chinas been hunting them down the last year or so but they tend to be really nice designs... that build like a swine. I was researching it earlier for poses and I found the photo novel features one in full Titans black/blue/purple and I might do with that scheme. It looks a bit weird because it's just the base for them to slap other stuff on. Which is probably why it got a P bandai kit to go with all the AoZ add on parts last year. Got a cameo in build fighters and is in Gundam breaker 3's DLC, and I think it's in the actual AoZ manga so I might be able to find some nice shots. I'm thinking I'll make it a static model not posable and if the manga has a good shot I'll copy it.

There's always room for space stowage. You might not need a sleeping bag but you can might need a space spanner or a space hammer!

Robotism: That is good advice! I need to find some smaller wire though. I know I have some somewhere - it's just a question of finding it. Darn Radio Shack being out of business, if they were still around I'd just grab another roll of wire... 

Robotism and Real G: Those look good guys, helps me to get my motor in gear... 

Gamera,

Radio Shack used to sell something called Kynar wire, which was a fine plated copper wire with a thin plastic insulation.  A friend gave me a roll back in high school, and I have had some in the supply box ever since then.  The last time I was able to buy it at the store was at Frys in Oregon, when I was visiting the friend who gave me the original roll!

This is what the wire looks like used off the roll, coiled around another wire, and painted:

It's actual use was for prototyping boards, so it can be used to power LEDs.  They are fine diameter, so you might be able to run them to the back of the head without too much trouble.

Is that yellow piping what you're talking about G? I really want to find a Zaku pipe solution. I have a MG HM Zaku I'm really wanting to build but then I remember the pipe rings and it stays unopened. I got sick of those on the Sazabi.

Robotism

Is that yellow piping what you're talking about G? I really want to find a Zaku pipe solution. I have a MG HM Zaku I'm really wanting to build but then I remember the pipe rings and it stays unopened. I got sick of those on the Sazabi.

Yes, that's the Kynar wire.  However, for a 1/100 scale kit, I think it would be too fine for power cables.  I too have searched for a good looking substitute, but so far have no answer.  Adler's Nest made precut plastic rings, but they don't really look good when used on a spring or wire.  You really need something spherical sandwiched between the rings.  Plus some angled rings to accomodate bends are needed.

Cool, I looked around online and saw a couple of places with Kynar wire for sale. I'm going to see about picking some up later this week. THANKS!!!

And here's Obsidian Fury with the original wire in place. I think the Kynar will work much better:

And the LED set Bandai sells for lighting Gundam kits- it won't fit this kit.

In any case Obsidian Fury is complete except for the 'face' parts. I was worried I'd lose them as they're small so I've left them off.

The kit is snap-fit without cement so I can pull him back apart to place the LEDs and wires inside.

Real G

 Robotism

Is that yellow piping what you're talking about G? I really want to find a Zaku pipe solution. I have a MG HM Zaku I'm really wanting to build but then I remember the pipe rings and it stays unopened. I got sick of those on the Sazabi.

 

Yes, that's the Kynar wire.  However, for a 1/100 scale kit, I think it would be too fine for power cables.  I too have searched for a good looking substitute, but so far have no answer.  Adler's Nest made precut plastic rings, but they don't really look good when used on a spring or wire.  You really need something spherical sandwiched between the rings.  Plus some angled rings to accomodate bends are needed.

 

Thanks! Hmm, does remind me of a xenomorph now that you mention it. Maybe it's due to the alien technology incorporated in the design?

The only putty I used on the model is the little dab you can see on the chest- he's not primed- what you see is what you get. This is the best friggin' model I've ever built fit- wise. All the seams fall on natural lines so there's really nothing to putty and sand. 

I'm going to order some Kynar wire and some black chrome paint- I thought I had some, it must have dried up and been tossed. After wiring him I'm going to paint, hopefully (cross your fingers) no issues there. 

Nice progress, Gamera. My Paladin is a little behind because it is a complex kit. Check out all of these clear parts

There a bunch of windows on various parts that are to remain clear. Gonna take a bit of work to mask those off.

Ohhhhh, that looks cool Hypertex! Complex but she's gonna look awesome done! 

On the other hand I picked Obsidian Fury just because I'm bogged down and wanted something cheap, quick, and dirty! 

I'm liking that Obsidian Fury!

I've done a bit of work on the Zaku but it's a bit slow going. I've been addressing seams and parting lines while I've been going, and also priming and painting as I've thought necessary as well. Here are a couple pics;

Monoeye:

Odds n ends:

Hopefully I'll get this thing moving along...

So I have the head and chest done, I went ahead and attached the arms so I would keep from knocking them around. I apologize for the small images, I keep forgetting to use the full size option. I am using a new hosting site called imgbox so I am still getting used to it. You can click on the image to see the full size, just be warned this site has adds that apparently think I am looking for Asian women in my area. Really making me think about trying to find a different hosting site.

Some inspiration gents:

https://www.gunjap.net/site/?p=368494#more-368494

That is an awesome build of the Kampfer, it sure does give you ideas. Thanks for sharing.

Real G

Some inspiration gents:

https://www.gunjap.net/site/?p=368494#more-368494

 

 

Consider me inspired!!

Real G

Some inspiration gents:

https://www.gunjap.net/site/?p=368494#more-368494

 

That is the exact style I've been trying to figure out for a while now. I haven't quite figure it out but I will sooner or later!! Not on this build though, I don't think it would suit the Woundwart. I'm not sure what weathering would suit it..

Bad language, the mono eyes looking nice. If there's not a plastic cover for the eye, or a third party option you have then maybe try a badger ghost tint (Games workshop do similar things) over the lens would give it a good look? It's become my go to Gem colouring and it makes eye lenses pop.

Nuc, you're making me wonder how many of us are going to post only arm and torso pictures.. I'm not sure on the Gouf but a lot of MG panel connections are where they are on the design too, if you get short on time some of them can be left and panel lined like the kit indents. Looking forward to seeing how you weather it, desert wearing is really cool. Be careful with the pre-weathering solutions though. I had a sand one I tried on a HGUC and it became brittle and fell apart because it reacted with plastic.

BadLanguage & Stephen: Ohhhhhhhh those look cool guys! Really like how they're coming. 

Real-G: Inspire or intimidate??? Wow, I have to wonder how people do stuff like that, it blows me away. 

Gamera

BadLanguage & Stephen: Ohhhhhhhh those look cool guys! Really like how they're coming. 

Real-G: Inspire or intimidate??? Wow, I have to wonder how people do stuff like that, it blows me away. 

 

Doctor Faust made a video with pretty similar weathering which isn't that hard to achieve. I want to know how people are adding all the rivet detail.

Robotism

 

 

Gamera

BadLanguage & Stephen: Ohhhhhhhh those look cool guys! Really like how they're coming. 

Real-G: Inspire or intimidate??? Wow, I have to wonder how people do stuff like that, it blows me away. 

 

 

 

 

 

Doctor Faust made a video with pretty similar weathering which isn't that hard to achieve. I want to know how people are adding all the rivet detail.

 

 

Ah cool- thanks! I'll give it a look when I get home.

Real G, much is the case with the Gouf and panel lines, except for the shoulders. Those come split in half with the split going up the horns. I am surprised Bandai went that route instead of making the horns a seperate solid piece.

Stephen

This one was going to be a quick and easy build, I thought.  That changed with the lightly printed instructions and by vision.  Thank goodness for my Father's magnifying glass.  

The parts were a little more complicated than I thought they would be and my sight didn't help.

There was a lot of putty used here, but this kit was from the early 80s when the Macross show was on Japanese T.V.

NucMedTech

Real G, much is the case with the Gouf and panel lines, except for the shoulders. Those come split in half with the split going up the horns. I am surprised Bandai went that route instead of making the horns a seperate solid piece.

Stephen

 

Tonight my build went full China. Not slightly China, full China. There's a part in the thigh which goes round the truster using 3 pegs to fit in, the pegs are blocked by 2 cross bars with peg looking injection molds coming out. This wouldn't be a problem if the piece in the instructions told you to cut them off or even showed you the piece from that side but it doesn't. Took the gamble and cut them off, it fits okayish.. The parts straight but the purple connecting part is shaped slightly differently so it all fits, but it fits poorly and needs gluing. There is literally no other way to connect it I can see so there we go.. It's just a bit of glue and putty work but frustrating building.

I think I will end up going with the magazine classic Titans colours because colour seperation and masking will be a nightmare on this. I don't know how you weather navy and black yet, but I can figure it out. I've had some eye troubles the last few days which slowed the build down, had to sit out a couple of building days. Over the weekend I should get the (very phallic...) hips and butt skirt done, and the rest of the legs. The weapons are the most complex part of the whole build and might be a full build session all on it's own.

I'm enjoying seeing the other kits being built. Really glad I suggested this and seeing some kits I never would have expected. If all goes well I hope we can make this a bianual event or something.

ikar01, if you can find it Scifi scale did a magazine called Mecha meka robot. There's a very similar kit done for a diorama. If you can find a copy you may get some inspiration. I can try and get a picture of the finished diorama if you can't find it.

Hey Ikar01,

That's a rare beast!  I have only seen the kit on the shelves once, and I got it for my birthday!  It was $15 at the Hobby Company in the Pearl Ridge Shopping Center back in the mid 1980s.  It builds into a very good looking model.  Here's mine, albeit in a group shot:

I looked around FleaBay and the current prices are in the $250-$300 range.  Gyah.

Is that sold or asking for? I want to say they got a reprint relatively recently.

Robotism

Is that sold or asking for? I want to say they got a reprint relatively recently.

A$king price.  The Arii kit is 1/160 scale, bigger than the 1/200 Imai version.  It is the Imai version that gets repopped from time to time.  I have never seen the Arii kit reissued.

So this is the seam on the shoulder, will take a little putty to fix that.

But, at least the Gouf is together,

Next up is to work on the weapon systems. Love these Bandai kits, they go together so quickly.

Stephen,

Try stretching some sprue from the kit and glue it into the seams.  Do this before heading to bed, then they will be ready to trim and sand the following day.  Sprue lays down neater than putty, and is the same color and hardness of the rest of the kit.  I now use this technique first when filling seams.  Putty can shrink and flake, and CA glue can become super hard and not take to rescribing as well.  Give it a try, you might like it.

And don't forget to come up with cool poses!

Okay, that one was not too cool, but you get the idea.

When I was stationed at Kadena in Okinawa (not to be confused with whereever it was they used in the original Katate Kid 2) back then Each payday I would stock up on Yen at the base bank and take my kid to a couple toy stores near the closest Marine base ind gran what kits I was interested in.  I had most all the Macross kits but somehow never got around to the Monster.  This particular kit I found at a Modelpalooza some years ago, sitting in the bottom corner of a vendor's stock.  I was looking it over a bit and asked him how much he wanted, mentioning it had no instructions.  I picked it up for $5.00.  In my haste to get back to where I belonged I hadn't noticed it did have the instructions buried under the loose parts.  That was the only one I had seen since I got back to the states.

Heating up the plastic or using cement to secure it will make it softer than the surrounding plastic won't it? I don't think there is a way to keep the plastic hardness and making it attach to something. Super glue would have it's own hardness differences.

Nope, stretched sprue is the closest thing you will get to matching the hardness of the kit plastic.  Heating will not affect the strength, since styrene is a thermoplastic - once it cools off, it’s business as usual.  I slather on the Tamiya Extra Thin till the sprue is practically melted with no adverse effects.  Just keep it neat and don’t mop it all over the surrounding area.  I have heated sprue, flattened it, cooled it off to preserve the flatness, then carefully reheated to stretch flat bands for shims and really bad sunken areas.  But Bandai kits never need that kind of fixing!

Ikar01, that was a very lucky find!

I worked on the Seapig a bit before bed.  I’m sanding the mold lines of the polycap joints, and amazingly they are disappearing.  I’ll post pics of the little piggy on his feet tomorrow.

Real G, thanks for that tip,  I will try it out. 

Oh wow that looks awesome Stephen!!! 

Personally I'd just use putty but liquid sprue should work just as well. 

Good luck!!! 

I'll post some how-to photos of the sprue filler technique to allay any apprehensions to using the process.  It really changed the way I build models.

Anyway, this little Seapiggy got worked on last night:

I need to clean up the polycap joints before the leg halves can be glued together.  The material the polycaps are made of must be some kind of polymer blend, as it is possible to gently sand off the parting lines.  As much as I obsess on painting everything, I think I will leave these unpainted and only apply weathering on them.  A couple of buddies did theirs that way and they looked fine.

I need to keep focus and build the piggy.  Build the piggy, build the piggy, BUILD THE PIGGY!

Here Piggy piggy piggy! Looks like it's coming along niceless. Not painting polycaps sounds a good idea.

Made a lot of progress tonight but I'll show that later or edit it in later because I want to record my success and suffering on this piece here.

The large piece has a flexible and fragile back "wing". The polycap at the front doesn't fit unless seriously trimmed down. The red cross bar has to go across another piece you install at the same time and there is no way to avoid having to do all this at once. The fittings are so fit you have to pre-trim them or this would never close and I struggled as it was. I've never found a kit with a difficulty curve before but this is the last boss or the super secret boss you're supposed to do after you finish the game.. Either way it's one of the hardest pieces I've ever built.

There's a lot of progress tonight but it looks way less than the work that went into it. The kit has quite a bit of internal detail but no good way to display it, so you build a lot of stuff only to cover the whole piece with large covers. I have lots of big chunky bits to show off later.

Love the Piggy so far! At some point in my life I'll have to build a MaK model.

Got lots o part primed. Gotta check/fix my seam filling and then it's painting time.

Are you going for the original colours Bad or something original?

I guess this is the first true dirty robot post of the thread. Cover any small children's eyes and maybe the wifes... But here we go!

The legs are untouchable unless you want to go parts hunting. They're pure grenade and won't stay together enough to even take a photo with the legs built. I have the rear skirt and the weapons pod to build and then it's seam fixing time. Seams are really bad on parts but there's few of those parts.

I have no idea how to split this up for painting. Too many parts rely on each other and it's too stiff a build to split it apart.

Robotism

Are you going for the original colours Bad or something original?
 

I'm planning going with a desert paint scheme, but then add a worn winter whitewashing to it a la German WWII armor. Never tried that before so we'll have to see how it goes.

Good luck on your build! You'll figure a way.

That sounds great. I've been wanting to do a winter wash MS for a while not but haven't got round to it.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, those look awesome guys!!!

My wire came in Friday (thanks Real G!) and it fiddled around with it and the LED some Fri and Sat. I was hoping to get her all in place and ready to go Easter Sunday but ended up getting a splitting headache and nothing done. 

Cross your fingers I'll get everything in place this week and be ready to paint. 

As promised, here is the sprue technique I use to fill gaps.

Some conditions, like the heel area, are better off using conventional putty.

And so puttying commences.

I have the Gouf's weapons system done. I really like that gattling canon.

Next up will be fixing the seams and priming the kit.

Stephen,

Holding the stretched sprue in the liquid cement bottle for a few seconds helps sometimes. But if the kit’s plastic formula is brittle, it will still crack.  Yes use the Tamiya or Gunze glues, as they are a lot hotter than Testors.

was browsing through the Advance of Zeta books as research and stumbled across this Dom, good inspiration. Siek Zeon

Robotism

was browsing through the Advance of Zeta books as research and stumbled across this Dom, good inspiration. Siek Zeon

That Dom was from 0080: War in the Pocket.

Advance of Zeta introduced the Dom Stutzer, which featured a long vertical fin affixed to its front for some odd reason.

https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/MS-09R_Rick_Dom_%EF%BC%BBStutzer%EF%BC%BD

Real G & Stephen: Those are coming along great guys!!! 

Real G

 

 

Robotism

was browsing through the Advance of Zeta books as research and stumbled across this Dom, good inspiration. Siek Zeon

 

 

 

That Dom was from 0080: War in the Pocket.

Advance of Zeta introduced the Dom Stutzer, which featured a long vertical fin affixed to its front for some odd reason.

https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/MS-09R_Rick_Dom_%EF%BC%BBStutzer%EF%BC%BD

 

The kit used is the Dom Tropen from 0083 not 0080. But that scheme is from AoZ which started the Zeon Alive slogans on the suits which is why I mentioned the source.

Did some painting on my pieces parts:

I think this paint is the flattest flat ever. I love it, but I need to clear coat, decal, clear coat, hair spray, white, mess up, hair spray, white, mess up, wash, and maybe clear again. We'll see. Oh, and do the metal parts too. Can't forget that.

What paints are those Bad? They look fantastic.

Robotism

What paints are those Bad? They look fantastic.

 

Thanks! They're Tamiya paints - the brown is flat earth, the medium tan is desert yellow, and the lighter tan is buff. No idea why I had them lying around but I'm glad I did.

Got a clear coat on, and wanted to put the fella mostly together to put decals on. Here he is:

I'll probably take him apart down to arms, legs, and torso to whitewash and gunk up and stuff.

That is looking real good. I like the desert scheme you got going on there.

Yeah, that's superb work BL!  Looking forward to seeing him all dirtied up. 

Round 1 of scraping putty and sanding seams is done.

I noticed when the body side panels are closed up, they can move past the vertical, which causes gaps between them and the front body armor.  So I glued a length of sprue to steady them.

Seems to work.  I'll be doing this on all Wave SAFS based kits in the stash.

Now for filler Round 2...

Tonights progress, which completes the full MS. The weapons still need doing but the main body is done being built. Had to take a few days off so progress has slowed. I would of liked to build more tonight but after almost stabbing myself with a dropped knife and having a part with super glue ping off towards my eye I called it a night.

Robotism

Tonights progress, which completes the full MS. The weapons still need doing but the main body is done being built. Had to take a few days off so progress has slowed. I would of liked to build more tonight but after almost stabbing myself with a dropped knife and having a part with super glue ping off towards my eye I called it a night.

MS is looking good! I think near misses with knives and superglued eyeballs are omens to quit for the night...

Real G, the pig is coming along nicely! Great job to all!

Yeah Real G and Robotism, those look great guys!

I worked yesterday trying to get the LED in OF's head and it just didn't work. The head is just too small in this scale. So I canned it and just went ahead and assembled the figure. I masked off the visor and primed the figure today. Guess it's kinda silly to prime a figure made of black plastic and going to be painted in black chrome with grey primer but I wasn't sure where I'd sanded the edges of some parts if it would show under the Alclad black chrome. So a coat of primer can't hurt...

Gamera, Obsidian Fury looks like he wants to take my toilet paper - or get a hug!  

Robotism, so what kind of weathering do you have in mind?  It's a space MS, so... SPACE MUD???    Sorry, a friend that is obsessed with weathering concocted the term so that he could demand all my space MS should be covered in mud.  Maybe crispy marks and soot?  Bandai's box art as of late has some great heavy space weathering ideas, like the Jegan.

Badlanguage, okay your MS IS a ground pounder, so have fun with the whitewash and mud!

This little piggy went to the workbench and got another round of wet sanding.

My part alignment for the complex multi-part body shell was not perfect, but things are smoothing out.

Gamera

Yeah Real G and Robotism, those look great guys!

I worked yesterday trying to get the LED in OF's head and it just didn't work. The head is just too small in this scale. So I canned it and just went ahead and assembled the figure. I masked off the visor and primed the figure today. Guess it's kinda silly to prime a figure made of black plastic and going to be painted in black chrome with grey primer but I wasn't sure where I'd sanded the edges of some parts if it would show under the Alclad black chrome. So a coat of primer can't hurt...

OF is coming along great, can't wait to see him painted!

I added some decals to my Zaku, and got it ready for some white.

I added a coat of white onto him. Now to scuff it up!

Just about finished, just a few small parts and some kind of base for a urban camoflage job:

Set up for the Battletech universe, now called the Behemouth left over from the Star League days and now belonging to the Word of Blake.

Real G, spacepiggy is looking good. I can't wait to see how you paint him up.

BL, desert cammo is looking good, interested to see how the scuffed look will turn out. I am kind of iffy with mine. 

I went on the opposite end of the thermometer with mine and am trying a winter cammo. Nope, not trying to make it a white rose unit. Yeah, I found that one on wiki so don't be to impressed. I have also started work on the 35mm hand gun.

Not sure why wiki says the hand machine guns are 35 mm while the gattling gun is 75 mm. The barrels on the hand gun are about 4x larger than the gattling gun. Go figure.

Oh wow, Stephen, Real G and BL those are coming along great guys!!! 

Ikar: I can not see your photos. I clicked on one and I still get don't get anything. 

Real G: HAH! So we discover the real purpose for the aliens invasion. They come from the dimension CORNHOLIO and they came to take our TP!!! 

All joking aside I sprayed the gloss black on OF as primer for the black chrome over the last two days. It's a new experience since I sprayed the front and back Sunday. Then flexed the joints and sprayed again to get in all the nooks and crannies then flexed the joints the other way and sprayed a third time. I think I finally got everything though. 

Gamera, TP is slowly returning to the shelves here in Hawaii, original home of the TP hoarding craze.  But what we modelers really need are paper towels, of which I was able to get a pack last weekend.

I can’t wait for this insanity to end.  The pandemic too.

Well, that's a relief to hear. I haven't been to the grocery store in weeks, there are some advantages to being single. 

Gamera,

But if you are single, you have to do everything, including grocery shopping!  I know, because I’m in the same boat.  

Actually, I didn’t go out a lot before the lockdown, so aside from no trips to the hobby shop, it’s pretty much business as usual for me.

But my cat passed away on Monday, so I am now truly living alone.  I’ll try filling the empty space with model building.  I have to finish the Space Piggy in his honor.

Well, I live mostly off canned food and TV dinners. I can get milk. bread, etc at the local convenience store (and yeah I pay more than the grocery but it's worth avoiding the hassle).  

As an intervert it really hasn't affected my life that much either, go to work, come home, never went out much anyway. I do like eating out once in awhile though. I'm getting sick of Dairy Queen and Quiznos so I really want to get some real food for a change. 

I'm so sorry to hear about your cat. 

Real G

what kind of weathering do you have in mind?  It's a space MS, so... SPACE MUD???    Sorry, a friend that is obsessed with weathering concocted the term so that he could demand all my space MS should be covered in mud.  Maybe crispy marks and soot?  Bandai's box art as of late has some great heavy space weathering ideas, like the Jegan.

I have no idea. I was thinking of doing it really rusty and grimey. I linked the video above of Dr. Faust weathering his Dark Eldar and I'm probably going to try doing something similar. If push comes to shove I'll just take a picture of the front skirt armour and say "Is that dirty enough for you!" It's basically a sausage................

I started the putty work yesterday and that was not fun. I used super glue since I didn't trust the plastic to weld together well and it's... complicated. The inner tail is extremely hard to sand but I've managed to pull it off. I threw on some black primer on the legs arms and tail to see if it needs more sanding. I'm usually a perfectionist but for this one I'm willing to let things slide. As long as it's not an obvious problem then it'll stay as it is. It won't be that obvious if it's done in dark blues and black any way. I have a plan to jazz it up a little but you will have to wait to see that. Going back to the first colour scheme I ever seriously painted.

Sorry to hear about your cat G. It sucks to lose companions and is especially hard for those who don't venture out much.

Gamera, see the "What's Cooking" thread for some tasty home cooked ideas.  The sodium and other stuff in canned/boxed instant stuff will get you eventually!

Robotism, no space mud on this box art, but it might provide some inspiration:

Thanks guys for the kind words about my cat.  He (the Chicken) was a household fixture for 16 years.  He got me up in the morning and made sure I went to bed at night.

Notice he is perpendicular to the long dimension of the bed, standard cat procedure to use up all the space.

I did work on the Space Piggy last night, and one last round of touch up filler needs to be done before the painting starts.

Thanks Real G, you're right- my diet is a mess. It needs help. 

I'm more of a 'dog person' but I'm so sorry to hear about Chicken. Sixteen years- wow!

Looking forward to more on the Space Piggy or as I'm going to call it- 'Spiggy.' 

Sorry about you cat, I've gone through it several times.  Too bad you don't live where I do, I could turn over one or two to fill your days.  I had a neighbor give me two kittens a couiple months ago that she found in her back yard.  The mother, who hangs around owith the outside crowd brought the third over to my place the next day.  When she walked off for a while I grabbed the third and brought her inside with the others.  I put her into the open door of the cage whre the other two were and she walked right over to them and fell asleep with them.

You could always go to the shelter or take in a stray.

Ikar01, my house has been a stray cat sanctuary for almost as long as I have been around. They just keep coming every time we lose one.  The one time my sister brought a cat home from the shelter, THREE strays showed up the next day!  Years later after two of them died, two more showed up, one of which was the Chicken.  We were going to call him the Dirty Chicken (see, there is a tie-into this thread) because he was always dirty and very skittish.  He was the last of the four to pass.  In a way they were the lucky bunch, all living 16 to 18 years.

My sister has yet another cat that washed up on our shore as well as one that she picked up in a parking lot.

I need an emotional break for now, so hopefully God’s student help will take his Starbuck’s latte off the “send cat” button for a while.

Back to the Dirty Robot Build.  Time is getting short, so progress is a must.

Yeah, I'm running out of time too.  I have got to come up with some way to dirty up a city fighter.  Maybe a few scars from lasers or an explosion, or some brick dust.  Most of it would havt to be on the lower half, this thing weighs in at 100 tons and roughly the heigth of a three story house.

I'm surprising myself by making good progress:

Next will be more weathering and maybe some mud.

I think you need this G. It's what to look for in future feline friends.

 I'm going to modify the prototype woundwort colour scheme to do something more unique but still leaning on that deep blue. I'll disassemble as much as I can tonight, prime it tomorrow and see how we go. I've got that terrible drive where you want to wander off and do other projects but I knew it would happen so made the timeline too tight to allow it.

BL: Ohhh that looks really nice! Love the is that whitewash wears off? In any case it came out really well!!!

Ikar: Dust from collapsed buildings sounds good to me! Looking forward to seeing more from you and Robotism.

Anyway here I am. Sorry about the photo quality- I should have took the pictures earlier when the sun was still out.

Black primer:

And the black chrome. Which I love the looks of. But still I'm not totally sure it or the gloss black really captures the look of the movie though...

I really like that weather Nuc, maybe give it some tone shifting by stippling some blue over different areas so it looks like different depth scratches?

Ikar, I don't know if it's just me but I can't see the photo bucket images.

G, I like how your kit looks like a metal album cover skull when disassembled. What shade of pink are you going to paint it? ;)

Gamera, how did you get the gloss black so shiny? Whats your weathering plans?

Bad, those colours go together extremely well. Liking the way it looks on the backpack especially. Are you going to do some streaking like water running down taking the winter wash with it too?

Here's what I got up to last night.

Rust is one of those things I've found a recipe I think looks great and enjoy applying to pieces. Got a whole heap more to do up this way and then paint over it. I'm basically throwing scale out the window and going for rule of cool here.

Oh I love that rusty look Robotism!!! 

And the black on OF is just plain old Testor's Model Master acrylic gloss black. And the black chrome is Alclad II. 

Not sure how I'll try to weather him. The only time you see him in the movie is the streets of Sydney and on a frozen tundra. I'll probably go with the tundra, but not much I can do there other than maybe put some ice on his feet and lower legs. 

Robotism

Gamera, how did you get the gloss black so shiny? Whats your weathering plans?

Bad, those colours go together extremely well. Liking the way it looks on the backpack especially. Are you going to do some streaking like water running down taking the winter wash with it too?

 

Here's what I got up to last night.

Rust is one of those things I've found a recipe I think looks great and enjoy applying to pieces. Got a whole heap more to do up this way and then paint over it. I'm basically throwing scale out the window and going for rule of cool here.

 

Gamera, the paint on the Obsidian Fury looks awesome!

Robo, I love the rust. What's your technique? For the Zaku, I'm in the middle of doing some drybrushing and chipping. I'll probably do some streaking as well after that.

It's fun watching these builds evolve, keep them coming!

Rust Recipe isn't fixed exactly because the paint drawers a mess but it always turns out if you're in the right range. This one was Black undercoat, Vallejo model colour burnt umbra, Model colour air rust, panzer aces shadow flesh. Stipple them on with an old brush and in this case a sponge and it looks okay. The secret is Vallejo's rust washes, stipple them on (rubbing off with my finger as they dry in places) and it adds a huge amount of depth to the rust. Going for more of a red tone prevents it going cartoony but the washes add that hint of orange you need without making it obvious.

Writing that made me think I should try painting a camo the same way, i bet that would get some really interesting results.

Robotism,

That rust effect looks like a nice patina.  I agree using the technique to apply camo colors would look good.

The Space Piggy will first be painted “Antiflash White”, which is a yellowish off white.  This is the standard color of the Mercenary Forces space suits.  It will then get all its service stencilling, followed by a sloppy, thinned, hand applied camo of RLM-75 Grau Violet, avoiding the stencilling as best as possible.  The centers of the camo pattern will be infilled with airbrushed color.  Then the unit markings will be applied over the camo.  The intent is to represent a factory fresh suit getting a field applied camo scheme.  The crew would obviously apply the unit specific markings last.  And then all kinds of gross colors will be slopped on to the details to give the kit life.  This finishing system is consistent with the original artist’s approach.

Robotism: I love the results you got there! 

Real G: Ohhhh, that sounds cool. Looking forward to more photos of Spiggy. 

BTW: Pulled out 'Pacific Rim: Uprising' last night. The black chrome I used is pretty darn close- much better than I remembered. I'm going to go ahead and start decaling this weekend. And the fight on the Siberian tundra OF is very much covered by snow and ice. I'm going to see if I can weather him that way. 

Here is the very old (1990s) Aeromaster primer that I am using for finish filling.  Gotta hand it to the pre low-VOC era paint for their longevity.  The primer is very "watery" but builds fast due to the short drying time.  See how it just soaked into my reddish home brew filler and completely covered it in a nice, hard, smooth finish.

The last bit of seam filling is done.  I just have to sand out the thighs and then it's painting time.

A last look at the Space Piggy before paint.

The SAFS suit next to it was my first Mak (SF3D) kit, bought and built in 1985.  My how time flies.

Some where between my desk and my desk I've lost the back of a leg. It was clearly there when I painted it and now it's not, not on the floor or on the desk it's self. So the bloody parts gnomes have come and ransacked my desk I guess.

Built a suitable replacement at least and did some putty work tonight. Doesn't feel like I made much progress though. I'm at that point I just want the kit done. I still have stuff to build with it's weapons as well.

Robotism

Some where between my desk and my desk I've lost the back of a leg. It was clearly there when I painted it and now it's not, not on the floor or on the desk it's self. So the bloody parts gnomes have come and ransacked my desk I guess.

Built a suitable replacement at least and did some putty work tonight. Doesn't feel like I made much progress though. I'm at that point I just want the kit done. I still have stuff to build with it's weapons as well.

 

Ugh, vanishing parts are the worst phenomenon of all time. I think they go to the dimension with the socks that get lost in the drier.

Added some streaking and finished up the backpack today. Also added streaking to the Zaku.

I put some mud on his feet and on his knee prop thingy. I'll post pics tomorrow after it's all dry.

Looking good BL!

Robotism, if you built a replacement part, pretend to glue it in place, then leave the room and come back after a time.  Look on the floor and your lost part might be there!

The Space Piggy is going for a bath now.  Painting starts tonight.

Real G

Looking good BL!

Robotism, if you built a replacement part, pretend to glue it in place, then leave the room and come back after a time.  Look on the floor and your lost part might be there!

The Space Piggy is going for a bath now.  Painting starts tonight.

 

So I got the feet all muddy. Having never tried making and applying mud before I'm happy with the results.

I'll post pics of him all together a bit later.

Feel like I was falling behind on this build, but I made up for some of it this weekend. I have the cammo done.

I have started on detail painting, but no pictures yet.

I'm going to drop from the group build. Usually when I build a kit I get an affection for it, it becomes something I want to see built up and cool looking. With this one I didn't get any sort of bond to it, I build because I said I would do it. Painting seemed cool but didn't really work and I realized I enjoyed painting but I didn't enjoy painting this kit. The final nail in the coffin was trying to convert it to Mobile armour mode. I was thinking of toughing it out and using it as a test bed for weathering techniques. The kits not able to transform into MA mode, the legs are slightly too close to the torso so it can't do it properly. Since that was my last ditch attempt to get something out of it, I'm considering it a failed project. I picked a kit that was shelf warming, thinking I would do it for the group build but it turns out that was the wrong approach. I'm going to clear it off the desk and work on something I have a passion for.

Robotism

I'm going to drop from the group build. Usually when I build a kit I get an affection for it, it becomes something I want to see built up and cool looking. With this one I didn't get any sort of bond to it, I build because I said I would do it. Painting seemed cool but didn't really work and I realized I enjoyed painting but I didn't enjoy painting this kit. The final nail in the coffin was trying to convert it to Mobile armour mode. I was thinking of toughing it out and using it as a test bed for weathering techniques. The kits not able to transform into MA mode, the legs are slightly too close to the torso so it can't do it properly. Since that was my last ditch attempt to get something out of it, I'm considering it a failed project. I picked a kit that was shelf warming, thinking I would do it for the group build but it turns out that was the wrong approach. I'm going to clear it off the desk and work on something I have a passion for.

 

Sorry to hear, Robo, but I get it. We all have a Shelf of Doom for a reason. I know I've gotten kits before I though would be awesome, but when I had time to build them it was like 'meh'.

Nuc, that Gouf is looking nice!

I'm calling the Zaku done. Here are some final pics of it:

I'm glad I took part in this build! I've been wanting to try some of the techniques I used with this guy but this is the first chance I've had to use them. I also can't remember the last time I built a model this quickly - but being stuck at home really helped there. I'll keep watching every one else with interest!

BL: Ohhhh, I love that!!! Great job!! I love the chipped paint and whitewash and the mud on the feet!!!!

Stephan: Great job there too! I love the camo and chipped paint.

Real G: Looking forward to more of the Spiggy!

Robotism: Ohh, and I loved where she was going so far. I hope you'll pick her up and finish her sometime in the future. Good luck with your next project.

I started to apply the 'decals' to Obsidian Fury Sat. I say 'decals' 'cause the kit didn't include any. Just friggin STICKERS!!! I tried the stickers and they looked terrible. So I'm trying to paint in the markings, thankfully there isn't much of them. 

Gamera

BL: Ohhhh, I love that!!! Great job!! I love the chipped paint and whitewash and the mud on the feet!!!!
 

I started to apply the 'decals' to Obsidian Fury Sat. I say 'decals' 'cause the kit didn't include any. Just friggin STICKERS!!! I tried the stickers and they looked terrible. So I'm trying to paint in the markings, thankfully there isn't much of them. 

 

Gamera, thanks! I appreciate the kind words.

Is Obsidian Fury a Bandai kit? The do so love their stickers. I've built enough Gundam models to have bought a few of their Gundam waterslide decal sheets to replace the dumb stickers with (the decals I put on my Zaku were out of my spares pile). And you're right, the stickers are usually so thick you just can't make them look good.

Robitism, aw man so sad your kit killed your fire.  But there are plenty others out there so no worries.  It’s a hobby after all.

Ikar01, wow, I haven’t seen a new build Imai Monster since I finished mine in the 1980s!

Badlanguage, congrats on getting your dirty robot across the finish line!

Nuc Med Tech, the Gouf is looking good!

Gamera, good luck on painting those tiny orange detail bits!

I’m sitting outside in my patio at 10:00 pm.  I just got the first color coat on the piggy and am shutting down for the night.  I was off today so I was able to work on models all day long!  But I have to work tomorrow, so no more fun till Tuesday night.

Yeap, Obsidian Fury is a Bandai kit. It's listed as Gundam even if it's from Pacific Rim instead. And the bleeping stickers are crazy thick, about the same as my fingernail. 

I thought I could just photograph or scan the sticker sheet, enter it into the computer, and then print out a copy on decal paper. But I don't have a good quality printer. So painting it is. As Real G said it's just a bunch of little orange lights, much like the navigation lights on aircraft. It shouldn't take me that long to do it. 

Real G: Get that paint down and the photos up- I wanna see more! 

Okay here is the weekend progress.  The Piggy parts were painted with rattle can flat black primer.  Little nooks and crannies were pre-painted flat black with a brush.

I could not find a tool box with the paint I wanted to use, but an old (1970s) tin of Humbrol Duck Egg Blue was still good so it was used.

But it was a mistake!  It is too blue for my taste.  I was going to use Sky.  Bummer.  I'ld better find that missing paint box...

Might not have been the color you were after but it still looks really nice. The black primer really works out well with the light topcoat!

That teaches me a lesson to not trust the color printed on the tin! It looks totally different than the paint.  But yeah, the paint IS duck egg blue.

Maybe I’ll use it to paint the Strahl (enemy) space suits.

Looking good G. I had a little laugh with the picture of the back painted black, it reminded me of Darth Vader.

Stephen

NucMedTech

Looking good G. I had a little laugh with the picture of the back painted black, it reminded me of Darth Vader.

Stephen

 

Funny huh?  It looks ike Darth Stewie from "Family Guy".

I made a custom mix for “Anti-Flash White using some old Floquil Reefer White and some equally old Humbrol Dunklegelb and the initial Duck Egg Blue.

In MaK lore, the Mercenaries' space suits had a yellowish cast, while the Strahl Democratic Republic's suits were bluish.

Will try it out tonite, but first I gotta stop by the hardware store for some lacquer thinner - their new COVID hours are till 5:00 pm, so I have to grab it in the morning before heading to work.

*Update*  I got the thinner so I'm ready to go tonite.  It looks like I won't make the deadline, but I am determined to get paint and decals on by then!

Real G: Really? I like the blue! 

And yeah, I was thinking Vader's cousin looking at the back too! 

Gamera

Real G: Really? I like the blue! 

And yeah, I was thinking Vader's cousin looking at the back too! 

The parts have been successfully repainted with the mixed color.  It looks more like what I had in mind.  I’ll do a SDR suit later on in a bluish tint.

Ooh, there was a pesky dust particle on the hatch!  It has since been gently scraped off.

Compare.

A bit of detail paint/touch up tomorrow, followed by a gloss coat and decals.

Sounds good! 

2 days left folks, just 2 days left!

Robotism

2 days left folks, just 2 days left!

 

Don't think I'm going to make it. Been running around like a maniac at work. Haven't felt like doing anything on going home other than a shower and a nap. 

I'm hoping I'll get all the details painted this weekend. But the 'dirty' part with the snow and ice caked on will take more time. And I haven't even started on the tundra base. 

Good luck to everyone else!!! 

Well, other than a clearcoat, I am done with the Gouf. I will do that on the morrow and get some pictures posted.

Stephen

Well, this is it.  I would have been done a little sooner but a run in with a certain medical agency has had me pretty distracted the last two weeks.

Dang, that came out nice! I wish they would re-issue that kit, along with the tomahawk and phalanx.

So I snapped these photos before starting yard work

Felt like the background made I too cluttered, so I took some more during a quick break. Unfortunately, the sun was so bright I could not see the screen on my phone. A lot of these are out of frame to a degree and some are not focused. Between the two you can get a pretty good idea though.

I like the way it turned out, this is my first real weathering attempt to this degree.

Odd camoflage pattern,  It looks like this one walked around the planet a couple times, good job.

NucMedTech:

I have the commander's pod built up and painted for Battleteck/Mechwarrior.  I would love to find a couple others from Macross and a couple other series, who knows.  I have a Armored Valkyrie, I think it's 1/100th but not sure.  It's been assembled and has a single coat of paint on it.  If you want it, let me know.

Did you notice the crew chief standing in front of that thing?  If he's bringing it in or sending it out, who knows.  You be the judge, but doesn't he look small.

That crew chief does put it in context, that monster is quite big. Thanks for the offer on the valkyrie, but my stash is quite full. 

Awesome work guys!

I won’t make the deadline, as I only glossed my piggie tonight.  I’ll apply decals tomorrow and keep at it until it is done.

You really don't need all the deals.  As with most military equipment, about the only time your machine would have every marking showing was upon delivery from the factory.  As time goes by most every unessary mark disappears except for the really important ones.  Wear and tear, repainting, and panel replacement or other types of battle damage repair take their toll on the look of your machine.  Besides maintennance crews have enough to do without worrying about trivial non-essential things.

Except for a final coat, you could already be finished.

Ikar: That looks cool! Nice work on the paint. And love the tiny crew chief, I thought the mech was big but didn't know it was that friggin' huge!!!

Stephen: Love that! The weathering and chipped paint looks fantastic! Great job!!!

Obsidian Fury is kinda done. If it were the 'clean' robot build I guess he would be finished.

I did finish the twin plasma chainsaws.

Haven't added any of the snow and ice. And I didn't take the masking off the visor since I'll probably still add another coat of varnish. And the base still isn't done.

ikar01

You really don't need all the deals.  As with most military equipment, about the only time your machine would have every marking showing was upon delivery from the factory.  As time goes by most every unessary mark disappears except for the really important ones.  Wear and tear, repainting, and panel replacement or other types of battle damage repair take their toll on the look of your machine.  Besides maintennance crews have enough to do without worrying about trivial non-essential things.

Except for a final coat, you could already be finished.

 

True all that, but I am going for the MaK aesthetic.  I need to practice and get better at it.  I have a lot of MaK kits waiting to be built, and I want them to have that authentic “look”.  I say better to do it right, rather than right now.

Plus, I have to weather it, both for the GB and to look like proper MaK.

Those are looking great guys, keep at it as we will still be here looking on.

Loving those chainsaws Gamera!

Ikar, where did those checks come from? They're awesome.

Nuc, love how that kit turned out. I thought the first pass of scratches was so heavy but you turned it around and make it look great.

I like those chainsaws Gamera, are they painted or an fx part?

If I remember right the checkers were made by Fighting Pirannah Dercals.  Normally they would make decals for gaming pieces like C.A.V. and Battletech but when asked they can make them for larger scales and some custom work as well.  This is an example of their work, The F-15 is in the markings from the 5th F.I.S.  I spent a lot of time working on those designs when I was in the squadron and wanted a good set for the kit.  

They also did the Sword markings on the leg, nose and back.  The numbers are from some long forgotten tank model.

I see. I was hoping they were mass produced ones so I could pick up a few sets for future use. Thanks.

Thanks guys! And the plasma chainsaws were in the movie so they're included in the kit. You get them in black plastic and clear. I took the clear ones, masked off the plasma 'chain' part and airbrushed the center sections with the same black chrome I used on OF. Another reason I didn't light the visor, since the 'chains' should be lighted being energy weapons but I don't see any way to do that. 

Ikar: Ohhhh, I didn't notice the checkerboard patterns until now. Guess because they're in shadow. They do look cool. And great looking F-15! 

Gamera - Aw man, yeah those chainsaws would have been insane looking had there been a way to light them up.  Too bad Max Factory didn't produce kits from the second movie, as their kits were a lot bigger and had provision for lighting.

Piggy progress during the weekend did not go as planned, but it did get glossed on Saturday.

All service decals are on.

I tried out a decal application station that a friend gave me.

It is kinda silly, but the blue sponge actually works really well and is better than the wet folded paper towels I use.

Sealer clear coat goes on tonight, camouflage color (RLM 75) on Tuesday.

Looking good RG. It's a shiny piggy.

Should of decaled the torso like a comic book. Angry seapiggy goes GRRrr.

Are they still selling the older pacific rim kits? I really liked the jobber Jeagers. I went to see the film opening day and the two most interesting designs did nothing.. Ended up hating the film but it's grown on me with time.

I wonder if making a general mecha wip thread would be worth it. Seems to be the same small group of us who all like mecha, having a comfy general to discuss them in would be neat. I started on an LBX after Woundwort died. Decided to go for simplier kits for a while and experiment with other technics. Picked up some new tools etc. Time to reinvent my modeling style so I can actually finish models..

Nice looking pig! Can't wait to see how you weather the guy.

Real G: That looks beautiful! It's a shame to dirty him up! 

Robotism: I'm not sure if Max Factory is still selling the kits from the first movie or not. It kinda annoyed me that I thought Crimson Typhoon was the coolest looking Jaeger and we never got a model of it. Same with Saber Athena from the second. Of course since neither movie was much of a hit, the second I think was an all out bomb I guess I should be happy to see any kits. 

A general mecha thread would be interesting. Although I'll admit to being a bit of an onlooker to the whole thing. I feel like the guy who watches a couple of Batman movies and likes them and then gets yelled at as a poser by some guy who's read all the comics. 

I'd definitely participte in a general mecha thread, though I'd probably drop in and out while building other space models. But it would be an incentive to clear out my stash (so I don't feel as guilty getting more models).

Yeah I'd also be interested in a running mecha thread.

I finally got around to starting the camo on the sea piggy.  The process is to apply highly thinned paint with a brush to make ragged edges, then fill in with the airbrush.  The first go-around was a little timid, so I have since expanded the camo coverage.  It looks nasty right now, but after a rub down with some fine sanding sponges it should look better.

Oops.

I could have sworn I stuck that knee cap on the leg the correct way when I started painting it.

The propellant tank is supposed to be camouflaged on TOP.  I got confused which way the tank fitted to the body and this is the result.  And no, I didn't fit the tank to the body to determine the correct orientation.  Stupid, stupid, stupid...

Here's the only kit in the series that I built  I put it in one of my favorite cammo paterns.

Real G: Ohhh, I like that! Though I'm thinking space Holstein cow more than space piggy! 

And I know what you mean there, somehow if there's two ways to do something it ALWAYS gets turned around backwards. I mean two chances and it's always the wrong one- it's not like one chance out of 342,786,342,787 - there I could understand being on the wrong end. 

Ikar: Whoooooooo, I love that camo! 

Gamera,

Now you’ve done it - I cannot unsee “Space Cow”!  

I finished the hand paint camo application, so it’s back to the airbrush to finish it.  And then back to applying the unit marking decals.

Cool! Looking forward to the photos Real G! 

Hope I get the ice and snow on mine this weekend and close to finishing her up. 

Things have been slow on the workbench due to stuff to do around the house, but I almost got got out to airbrush the piggy last night.

But in the end, it was getting late and I was tired.  I'll pick it up tonight if I can get dinner squared away quickly.  The "oopsie" knee cap and propellant tanks have been repainted black, and will be refinished to match the rest of the model.  I really should take a fine sanding sponge to the hand applied camo first, but since I'll have to redo the knee cap later on, I'll just spray away and see if it looks OK.

Very, very late I know, but here is some piggy progress.  I got the paint boo-boos sorted and the unit markings added.

The decal sheet offered an "R" and "G" for the large lettering, so I picked the "G" for obvious reasons.  

Oh cool! Love that Real G! 

Still reminds me of a Holstein cow though... 

The mascot penguin should have been a cow jumping over the moon.

So it's a Space Cow then?    From the series Mooschinen Krieger?    Designed by Kow Yokoyama, no less.  

Actually, his name is Hiroshi, and "Kow" is pronounced "Kou".  But moo cares?  

As long as it doesn't shoot me with it's 'milk missiles'. 

I'd be udderly devastated... 

Gamera

As long as it doesn't shoot me with it's 'milk missiles'. 

 

I'd be udderly devastated... 

 

Hee hee.  "Got MaK?"  I'll get my coat now.

The Space Piggy oinks on, now with the start of oil washes.

I LIKE it!!! 

I have to finish the Ziggy Piggy, Ziggy Piggy, Ziggy Piggie!  Oink oink oink oink...