NO MORE ROBOTS

End of the Road

2010-09-24T16:26:00.004-04:00

We need to talk... I need my space. I think it's time we started using other mediums. (poor attempt at a breakup joke...)

Sorry guys, but I've been finding it hard to update this blog on a regular basis while simultaneously updating my WIP on YouTube. So, I've made an executive decision to discontinue using this blog. That's not to say that I'll NEVER EVER update again. I may, but not regularly. I'm not deleting the blog, because there may be some info here that people may find useful. Flickr isn't going away either, I'll continue to upload pics of my finished kits. However from now on, any and all Work In Progress will be in video format and uploaded to YouTube..... So really, you're not going to miss out on anything! It'll just be at YT instead of here. I just find the video medium to be much easier and more enjoyable than text and photos. That's pretty much all it comes down to...

I may continue to update all the stuff here in the righthand column ===>

So with that, I will see you guys next time. Adios!!

Black N64

2010-09-20T08:02:00.002-04:00

Some of you may or may not know that apart from painting model kits, I also enjoy painting game consoles. My most recent attempt to buy back my childhood was to purchase an N64 and a few games off of eBay. It was in good condition, but I still wanted to customize it a little bit. I gave it a nice black paintjob, performed a simple region mod so now I can play Japanese games, I changed the red power LED to a yellow one, and finally I tightened up the analog stick on the controller. Now the newest entry into my console family matches everything else!

Sazabi Progress

2010-09-18T13:09:00.002-04:00

Progress is slow, but it is coming along. I figured since weapons are usually my least favorite part of a kit, I'd build and paint those first this time around. Sort of saving the best for last... Anyway, I've gotten a bit more done since these pics were taken. All of the weapons are now finished except for the giant Beam Bazooka. Once I handbrush some details on it, the weapons will be done and I can move on to Sazabi itself!

CoreWorks Sazabi

2010-09-12T21:46:00.002-04:00

So I was digging around in my closet this morning, and stumbled upon my MG Sazabi. I got the box out and started tinkering around with it, and then kinda started painting it... This might be the first time I've "unintentionally" started working on a kit

Anyway, I got about half of the inner frame primed. I think I'm gonna paint the frame light gray in a similar fashion to my Crossbone X2. I think that will look good against that red and black armor...

Also, one thing that was at the top of my list was repainting those god awful GREEN beam effect parts. Used a combination of white, yellow, camel yellow, and orange and just faded them all together...

I'll do some more painting on the frame tomorrow...

Next Project?

2010-09-12T15:28:00.000-04:00

X2 Gallery is up

2010-09-11T16:36:00.001-04:00

Yeah, just like the title says...

MG Crossbone Gundam X2 Complete!!

2010-09-11T07:32:00.004-04:00

Well X2 is finally complete. Didn't get much WIP coverage here unfortunately.... Most of the time I was too busy painting or decaling to take pictures and upload them :P I'll add a Flickr gallery for X2 later this afternoon.

Also, for those who may not have seen it, here's the YT video of the finished product.

MG Crossbone Gundam X2

2010-09-08T16:46:00.007-04:00

Sorry, it seems I've been showing a lil' bias toward Gundam Eclipse lately. I've been updating with X2's progress there, but neglecting this blog...

Anyway, I think I'm about halfway done painting X2. The inner frame is painted, although I still have some detailing to do on the arms and torso. The outer armor for the legs, arms, and head are done as well. This evening I'll be painting the skirt armor and the core fighter. Hopefully tomorrow, I can get the Full Cloth and all the weapons painted.

Also, the Shot Lance is complete!

I'll post more updates here and at Gundam Eclipse. I'm aiming to be finished with this kit on Friday or Saturday.

1/100 Deathscythe Hell Custom Complete!!

2010-09-01T08:14:00.003-04:00

I had the day off work yesterday, and I decided to keep myself occupied by painting a kit! Actually I had planned for this to be a two-day project, but I ended up finishing it in one. I didn't do any modifications to the kit, just an OOB paintjob. I did do some slight weathering with the Real Touch Markers. I liked the way the 1/144 Endless Waltz kits were painted in their manuals, so I wanted to replicate that. I also added some decals. Anyway, the gallery is now in the "Completed Kits" section!

The-O

2010-08-29T15:42:00.003-04:00

Yeah, progress is slow, but it's still coming along. I've done a lil' scribing here, a lil' scribing there. As mentioned earlier, I'm drawing out the panel lines with pencil before scribing them. Below are my proposed panel lines for the chest plate.

Last of the Gallery Updates

2010-08-26T18:34:00.003-04:00

I'm finally caught up on making Flickr Galleries now! So here's the galleries for MG Kämpfer, 1/144 Altron, and Eva Unit 02.

MG Kämpfer
Eva Unit 02 (Rebuild ver.)
1/144 Altron Gundam

Old School MS Gundam Kit Galleries

2010-08-25T22:04:00.001-04:00

1/144 Gundam
1/144 Char's Zaku II
1/144 Zaku II
1/144 Gouf

1/144 GW Kit Galleries

2010-08-25T21:30:00.001-04:00

1/144 HG Gundam Heavyarms Custom

1/144 Gundam Deathscythe Hell

1/144 Wing Gundam

1/144 Shenlong Gundam

PG 00 Raiser Gallery

2010-08-25T19:24:00.002-04:00

PG 00 Raiser Gallery

PG RX-78-2 and HG Epyon Galleries

2010-08-25T17:06:00.003-04:00

PG RX-78-2 Gundam Gallery

1/100 HG Gundam Epyon Gallery

PG Astray Gallery

2010-08-25T13:12:00.002-04:00

PG Gold Frame's gallery is up.

PG Gundam Astray Gold Frame Gallery

Overdue Banshee

2010-08-24T21:15:00.003-04:00

Since I'm off work tomorrow, I'm making it my project to photograph all of my completed kits that don't yet have galleries. Here's the first: MG Banshee!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vegeta8259/sets/72157624676927275/

Panel Lines

2010-08-21T09:26:00.004-04:00

Been a little depressed lately, so I haven't gotten much work done on MG The-O. But this morning I got some of the proposed panel lines mapped out. I just drew them on with a pencil and will be scribing them in later. Note that some of these panel lines will designate color separations in the armor.

The-O Inner Frame

2010-08-15T11:54:00.002-04:00

I just stripped off the armor to begin scribing panel lines, so here's just a shot of the full inner frame. It's actually better than I expected it to be.

More updates later...

Project: MG The-O Begins

2010-08-14T19:36:00.003-04:00

As many of you probably already know, I just got MG The-O yesterday. I started assembling it last night and finished up this afternoon. Tomorrow morning I'll probably record a short portion of the review just to show off the unpainted kit. (I'm thinking of doing more before & after shots in my reviews)

Anyway, after that, I'll start with my modifications. I'm not doing anything serious like with Gundam X, I'll just be scribing some new panels lines. Actually a lot of new panel lines. The paint scheme that I'm going for is kinda ambitious. Imagine how the RG Gundam has multiple shades of white and gray for the armor. I'm planning to replicate the same effect on The-O except with multiple shades of yellow. The process is pretty simple, just tedious. Hopefully it shouldn't take too long... (and you guys may get a scribing tutorial out of it)

But the FIRST modification was to borrow two beam saber blades from MG Hyaku Shiki!!

1/144 RG Gundam Complete!!

2010-08-10T14:38:00.002-04:00

I finally got it done and got several long-overdue tutorials out of the way at the same time! Here's parts 09 and 10. The review will be up tomorrow!

Also, there's a Flickr Gallery up with some pics of the completed kit to your right ====>

RG Gundam Parts 07 & 08

2010-08-09T20:34:00.002-04:00

RG Gundam Part 06

2010-08-07T16:49:00.002-04:00

I think this is going to be a 10-part series... Part 7 will involve painting the white/gray parts, Part 8 will be a waterslide tutorial, Part 9 will be a panel lining tutorial, and Part 10 will be a top coat tutorial. All that followed by a review :)

Let's Build RG Gundam parts 1-5

2010-08-06T13:28:00.002-04:00

Gundam X Gallery Up!!

2010-08-02T09:14:00.003-04:00

As always, the Gallery is in the "Completed Kits" section to your right =====>

For my next project, Real Grade Gundam, I'll be doing a "Let's Build" series on YouTube, so I'll likely be posting those videos here as well :)

1/100 HG Gundam X Complete!!

2010-08-01T21:32:00.004-04:00

After two months of hard work and delays, Gundam X is finally done! It's late and I'm too tired to do a photo shoot right now, so I'll post an image gallery for it tomorrow.

[I never want to fill in a panel line again... ever!]

Almost done...

2010-07-31T20:33:00.000-04:00

Here's a little preview.... I should be done tomorrow.
This is the first time I'm using Real Touch Markers to attempt shading around the edges. Hope it turns out well....

End of the Day Progress

2010-07-29T19:55:00.002-04:00

Alright, I'm done for today.... The painting on GX's body is done. All that's left to do on it is decaling and panel lining.
(filling in the seam lines on the ankle armor AFTER assembling it was a pain in the butt!)

Anyway, here's a progress pic of the satellite system. I just thought this was a nice picture since it showed all the stages of panel line removal. I've actually got all four panels done....

More Gundam X

2010-07-29T14:27:00.002-04:00

Some of you may have noticed that I've started uploading Gundam X's review... That's because completion is drawing very near :)

Here's where I'm at as of 12:30 this afternoon... I'm off work today, so I plan to have even more done later today! The main body should be done in a couple of hours... Right now, I've got putty drying on the Satellite System and I plan on puttying the rest of the weapons later... I'm aiming to be finished by Saturday evening or Sunday.

Vacation

2010-07-18T16:33:00.002-04:00

I'm in Florida vacationing this week, so there'll be no progress on Gundam X obviously. But do expect a couple of beachside reviews and more progress on GX when I get back home on the 25th.

Video Update

2010-07-12T09:11:00.001-04:00

Quick Update

2010-07-10T15:25:00.002-04:00

Here's just a quick look at the finished shoulder.

GX Delay

2010-07-09T09:23:00.002-04:00

Ugh, the entire week preceding and following the 4th of July was hectic and stressful at work... I had very little time to work on Gundam X. But now things have calmed down and I'm starting to get back in the rhythm...

Anyway, I got the arms figured out and actually got one of them finished. The Master Gundam frame for the arm worked pretty well. I've also mounted a polycap into the shoulder armor with epoxy to accommodate that ball on the shoulder joint. My next task is to mount a couple of polycaps into the torso so I can plug the other end of the shoulder joint into them.

Oh and I painted the head as well...

Sparkly!

2010-06-27T14:11:00.003-04:00

I painted my SD Gundam X this weekend. Mostly, this was just a test of the sparkly holographic foil that I'm planning to use on 1/100 Gundam X. I wanted to make sure there were no problems before I tried it on the 1/100 scale kit. It turned out pretty well. I didn't get the foil as smooth as I'd like, but I can work on that next time I do this.

GX Resume

2010-06-26T06:52:00.006-04:00

So now work resumes on 1/100 Gundam X. Here's some pics of mods I've done but didn't get to post here. I replaced the peg in the waist for a ball joint, giving GX a nice range of movement. But right now, I'm still working on the arms. I've replaced the old polycap elbows with the elbow joints from my deceased MG Master Gundam. The pics below show me trying to mod the original shoulder joint to allow for rotation, but I've since scrapped that idea. I'm now using the inner frame of Master Gundam's upper arm and shoulder. Which means I'll have to go back and put a polycap in the torso for it to fit into... But I think the end result will look better and be more stable...

MG Full Armor Gundam OYW ver Conversion Kit Complete!!

2010-06-23T14:42:00.004-04:00

It just occurred to me that this model kit has a really long title... Anyway, it's done! But not completely. I'm still gonna paint the regular RX-78-2 armor in the FA green and orange color scheme and use that in the review.

I'll be uploading part 1 of the review to YT tomorrow. Although I'm not sure if I want to do a 2 or 3 part review... I'm thinking of adding on a third part comparing this conversion kit to Bandai's FA Gundam... hmmm...

Death at a Funeral

2010-06-18T13:37:00.003-04:00

Of all the bad luck... Today was the day I had planned to be finished with FA Gundam. But I had to go to a funeral out of state earlier this week, and as soon as I got back, I found out I have to go to another one this weekend! So a big chunk of work time has been taken out of FA Gundam. The good news is, the entire kit is completely painted. All I have left to do is apply the decals and give everything a flat coat. I'm probably going to do some light weathering on the kit as well. Similar to what I did on my PG RX-78-2.

I can't really say when I'll be finished. I think I'll be getting back home on Monday, so I may be able to finish on Tuesday. Of course I'll let you all know when I'm done :)

FA Gundam Progress

2010-06-13T21:04:00.006-04:00

Oops! I've been working away all weekend and just now realized I haven't updated with my progress! Sorry 'bout that.

I finished painting the inner frame yesterday. The whole thing's metallic black with some gold, silver, and red details painted on. I spent most of the day today painting some of the outer armor in the scorching heat.

If I continue at the rate I'm going, I may be done with FA Gundam by this time next week.

MG Musha Gundam Mk II Complete!!

2010-06-09T10:01:00.003-04:00

I finished the kit last night, and this morning, I've just finished taking pictures and recording the review! As always, the photo gallery is located to your right =====>

Now I can get started on FA Gundam! Hope I can get it done before Bandai releases theirs on the 24th...

Mk II Progress

2010-06-08T08:37:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I got all of the painting finished. And this is pretty much what Musha Mk II looks like right now...

Today I plan to apply all the decals and then spray on a flat top coat. After that, I'll put all the gold parts on the kit. Can't have them getting flat coated can we?

I've already recorded the inner frame portion of the review, and hopefully, I'll record the rest tomorrow and start uploading it.

MG FA Gundam Conversion Kit

2010-06-06T21:09:00.003-04:00

Oops, I almost forgot! I did some test fitting on my new FA Gundam conversion kit for MG RX-78-2 OYW version. I was a little worried at first because there was no box for the kit. The parts were just bubble wrapped inside the mailing box. But upon closer inspection, my worries were erased. The casting quality is excellent and all of the parts fit onto the OYW frame very well. I think this just might be the easiest resin kit I will have ever done. We'll see when I get to it after Musha Mk II :)

Mk II Inner Frame

2010-06-06T20:59:00.006-04:00

Ok, Musha Mk II's inner frame is finally done. Really nasty weather kept me from finishing it sooner, but I guess that's the price I pay for painting outside...

Anyway, I think the frame turned out nicely. It's been a while since I've used "metallic charcoal" for an inner frame, but I felt that "oil rubbed bronze" would have been too dark for this MS. I think the legs turned out especially well.

On top of this, I've also got all of the blue and purple parts painted. Tomorrow, I plan to paint the black parts and the rest of the gray parts. Then Tuesday, I plan to decal and flat coat everything. Hopefully, I'll have it finished Tuesday evening and I can review it on Wednesday!

Starting MG Musha Mk II

2010-06-04T11:22:00.002-04:00

I just finished assembling Musha Mk II and now I can start on the painting. Don't worry, I haven't stopped working on Gundam X. While Musha Mk II and Full Armor Gundam are my top priorities right now, I will still be working on Gundam X little by little. I just need to get my two new MGs done as soon as possible. So, just make sure to check back here for updates.

MG Shin Musha Gundam Complete!!

2010-06-02T19:21:00.002-04:00

Well, the decals for Shin Musha finally arrived. I applied them yesterday evening and sprayed on a flat top coat today, so everything's finished!

I just added the new pics in the old MG Shin Musha gallery, so you'll find them there.

Also, expect a "I Got a Package Today!!" video tomorrow.

Legs

2010-05-27T06:25:00.004-04:00

Well, modifying GX's legs was easier than I thought it was going to be. I cut a small section off of the back of the thigh and then had to cut the top peg of that chrome part on the side of the leg. Doing that increases the range of movement from less than 90 degrees to almost a full 180.

Now I'm working on the arms. I'm attempting to add rotation below the shoulders and add new, better looking elbow joints. I was making my own elbow joints from M.S.G. parts and some sheet styrene, but I think I'm going to end up using the elbows from that MG Master Gundam frame. It's the same one that I was using for that Deathscythe Hell mod.

Beginning 1/100 Gundam X

2010-05-26T15:19:00.004-04:00

My two 1/100 Gundam X kits arrived today! I wasn't expecting them to get here so soon. Anyway, as you can see, I got Gundam X and Gundam X Divider. However I'm just going to be painting one GX body and I'll just switch out the Divider and Satellite System as I see fit.

Now for the fun stuff. I'll be doing some major aesthetic modifications to this kit. My main goal is to make a 1/100 version of the Fix Figuration Gundam X. Here's a list of the mods I'm planning:
* Removal of all extraneous panel lines, leaving only essential ones
* Lengthening of V-fin
* Adding rotation below shoulder joint
* Replacing elbows with new scratch-built joints
* Replacing hands with B-Club HDMs
* Adding ball-joint waist allowing for forward and backward movement
* Increasing range of hip joints
* Increasing range of knee joints
* Decals from Samueldecal
* Sparkly holographic foil on Satellite System

So yeah, I'm putting lots of work into this guy. Just watch though, I bet Bandai will announce a MG Gundam X as soon as I finish this kit :)

Purchase Update

2010-05-25T13:26:00.003-04:00

Well, my original plan after finishing MG Wing Gundam was to start working on my MG ZZ Gundam. However, I finally found and bought a 1/100 Gundam X which I've been looking for for a couple of months now. Actually, I picked up a Gundam X and a Gundam X Divider from the same seller. I've got big plans for this guy! I'm gonna be doing some modifications. My goal is basically to create a 1/100 version of the Fix Figuration Gundam X. I'll go more into detail about the mods once I get started on the kit.

Also, I picked up another kit. A Resin conversion kit that converts the MG OYW Gundam into a Full Armor Gundam. I was really hoping Bandai would use the OYW Gundam as the basis for their FA Gundam, but I knew they would go with the 2.0... So I decided to get this conversion kit because imo, Bandai's MG FA Gundam looks like crap.

MG Wing Gundam Progress: Day 3

2010-05-19T09:50:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I spraypainted the white parts, then panel-lined and decaled them. After that, I gave the entire kit a flat top coat. And thus, you have a completed MG Wing Gundam!

The photo gallery has been posted to your right ====>

MG Wing Gundam Progress: Day 2

2010-05-18T08:36:00.006-04:00

So, the second day of work on MG Wing Gundam comes to a close. The first thing I did today was modify the wings. I simply cut off those small white fins in between the wing segments. They weren't there in the anime and they aren't there on any other Wing Gundam model or figure, so I decided to remove them. Next, I went back to the inner frame and painted in some details so the whole thing wouldn't be just one color. After that, I got to work painting all of the red, blue, and yellow parts. I've already decaled and panel lined everything, so all they need is a coat of flat clear.

So all I'm left with today is to paint the white parts, decal and panel line them, flat-coat them, and I'll be done. Hopefully I can record the review tomorrow.

MG Wing Gundam Progress: Day 1

2010-05-17T08:53:00.003-04:00

Here's what I got done yesterday on MG Wing Gundam.

Yes, this is painted. I think, since I'm building and painting this model in such a speedy fashion, I'll post daily updates on Wing's progress. So I assembled the inner frame after filming the unboxing video and then started painting it. I haven't decided if I'm going to add any handbrushed details on the frame... Not in the picture, is the Buster Rifle which I also got painted, just because it was the same colors as the inner frame.

MG Wing Gundam is FINALLY here!!

2010-05-16T09:50:00.002-04:00

By the time I'm posting this, I've actually already started assembling MG Wing. Also, I was in HobbyTown USA a couple days ago to buy some paint, and I picked up HGUC Kshatriya. I'm thinking of doing a Full Frontal custom paintjob on it...

The Waiting.....

2010-05-12T09:08:00.002-04:00

So while I was sitting here waiting for my MG Wing Gundam to arrive, I got impatient again and Painted my HG Hi-Nu Gundam. I used the original Nu Gundam color scheme simply because I wanted to know what it would look like. I've posted a gallery to the lower right.

I've also finished painting MG Shin Musha Gundam, but unfortunately, I can't actually finish the kit until the decal set I ordered arrives. So Shin Musha will get decaled and flat-coated when they get here...

HLJ really dropped the ball on this one... I can understand Golden Week delaying my order for a week, but HLJ didn't ship my order until a WEEK after I paid for it. I just got a shipping confirmation yesterday. So, I expect MG Wing Gundam and it's accompanying kits to arrive Saturday or Monday.... Jeez, I paid for EMS shipping but got an SAL-like timeframe....

MG SMG

2010-05-09T07:35:00.004-04:00

I got a good deal of painting done yesterday. All the gold parts are done and about half of the red parts are done. I haven't applied any flat coat to the body, just the head. I couldn't find the Shin Musha decal set at any of my usual sources, so I had to order them off eBay. So, I'll probably be done painting before the decals even get here.

To answer 7swords' question, no I'm not stripping the paint. My last few experiences stripping paint off of a kit have been really frustrating, so I've actually sworn off stripping paint ever again. I'll either paint right over the old paintjob or buy a new kit. In this case, I'm simply painting right on top of Shin Musha's old paintjob. I removed all the decals and gave it a coat of primer before I painted over everything.

Repainting MG Shin Musha Gundam

2010-05-08T09:39:00.006-04:00

So, I'm waiting for my MG Wing Gundam to arrive, and I got a little impatient so I started repainting my Shin Musha Gundam.

I guess i just got tired of looking at the weathered version I did about 2 years ago. Plus, I really wanted a clean Shin Musha to display next to MG Musha MkII when it comes out next month. Not wanting to shell out for another $60 model, I decided just to repaint the one I already have...

1/100 HG Wing Gundam Complete!

2010-05-05T09:04:00.005-04:00

Damn, it's like every post I make nowadays has the word "Complete!" at the end of the title... Oh well, here's HG Wing Gundam. I just did a standard "side-of-the-box" color scheme. I repainted the gold parts, and I actually think they look better than the gold Bandai gives us. Click on the old Wing Gundam link on the Completed Kits list to see pics of the new one.

Btw, I finally got a payment request for MG Wing Gundam!! Hopefully it'll ship tomorrow!

1/144 Gundam Deathscythe Hell Complete!!

2010-04-30T14:23:00.002-04:00

So yeah, I've finally got all those 1/144 NGs outta the way! My next project will be a simple build of 1/100 HG Wing Gundam to use for a cameo in the MG Wing Gundam review. I won't be doing anything fancy, just trying to make it look like the box art...

Newest Arrivals

2010-04-29T15:44:00.005-04:00

So yeah, I got a package today. I didn't feel like making a video, so I'll just post it here. Basically I bought another HG Wing Gundam so I can compare a standard one to the MG Wing when I review it. An odd thing happened when I reviewed MG Exia. At the end of the review, I compared the MG to the 1/100 NG Exia expecting ppl to notice how much better the MG looked. But to my surprise, many ppl commented that the NG looked better. I was appalled by this because the MG is 50x better than the NG. I think that happened because my MG Exia was unpainted and my NG was painted and had custom decals. Not wanting a repeat of that, I bought another HG Wing Gundam to compare to the MG in my review.

As for the Deathscythe Hell Custom, did I mention that I've given up on that Deathscythe Hell mod I started forever ago? I decided that project was just too ambitious and I really didn't have the patience to finish it. I could finish it, but I just don't feel like it. So, I got another DHC to make up for the one I wasted on that mod project. I'll be getting another Deathscythe Hell along w/ MG Wing Gundam.

Btw, 1/144 Deathscythe Hell is coming along nicely and I should be able to finish it tomorrow.

1/144 Shenlong Gundam Complete!!

2010-04-27T16:05:00.003-04:00

Yup. You can tell I don't put much effort into 1/144 scale kits by my neglect to fill in any seam lines and my crappy panel lining job. I honestly don't know why I'm doing all these 1/144 GW kits all at once... Maybe I'm mentally preparing myself for MG Wing Gundam. Who knows.

Anyway, next up is 1/144 Deathscythe Hell. I swear this'll be the last one (I don't have any more).

Update [txt only remix]

2010-04-22T20:05:00.003-04:00

Text Only Update

So I watched the first three episodes of SD Gundam Sangokuden Brave Battle Warriors last night and really enjoyed it. Yeah, it's not your typical epic space-drama Gundam series, but it's refreshing to watch a more comical Gundam series after watching 00 and Gundam Wing (for the 1000th time). I've actually been persuaded to buy more Sangokuden kits now. I've got my eye on Ryuubi, Chouhi, Kan'u and Kanpei. I may get those some time in the future and see how it goes from there...

I've also started watching Gundam X. I'm about 5 episodes in and really liking it. I thought about getting the new HG Gundam X to commemorate my newfound Gundam series. I was just gonna tack it on to my MG Wing Gundam order next week but HLJ sold out. I should have known better...

I'm in the middle of painting 1/144 Shenlong right now. Progress will be slower than with Wing Zero because my Senior Show (college) is this week, so I'll be preparing for that.

I dug out my old MG Gundam Ground Type and started tinkering around with it. I was thinking about buying a new one to paint in the original color scheme, but I think I'm just gonna repaint the one I already have.

Btw, I just discovered and joined the Gundam Eclipse Forums yesterday. Good times!

1/144 Wing Gundam Zero Complete!!

2010-04-20T08:48:00.002-04:00

So I finished painting Wing Zero. I also finished repainting my 1/144 Wing Gundam. All I did was change the gunmetal colors to gray and the gold parts to yellow. Just thought it would be appropriate for all my GW 1/144s to match...

I'll probably repaint the gray parts on Altron next and then get started on Shenlong.

(are you noticing a trend here?)

OCD

2010-04-17T13:36:00.001-04:00

More obsessive-compulsive Gundam Wing modeling!!

HG Gundam Epyon Complete!!

2010-04-15T11:35:00.004-04:00

I'm actually really pleased with the way this guy turned out! For a while there, I thought it wasn't going to look so great, but once I applied the decals and dullcoated everything, it came out nicely. I did a pretty straightforward build. The only modification I did was adding the panels lines to the elbow joints. And the only colors I switched up were changing the gold parts to yellow and adding some gray accents on the vents and thrusters and stuff. I'll probably record the review for Epyon tomorrow and upload it as soon as I finish uploading my PG RX-78-2 review.

I'm working up a list in my head of some kits I wanna buy at the end of the month when MG Wing Gundam comes out. It goes something like this:
MG Wing Gundam
1/100 Wing Zero
1/100 Altron
1/100 Deathscythe Hell
1/100 Tallgeese III
1/100 Wing Zero Custom

I would get a Deathscythe Hell Custom as well, but HLJ hasn't listed it as an "April Restock." Also, there's a half price FIX Figuration Shin Musha Gundam there that I may pick up if any are still in stock when I place this order. I always thought FIX figures were overpriced, but 50% off is a good deal!

Epyon Paint

2010-04-12T10:44:00.002-04:00

So much for a quick weekend project... But anyway, I did get all the spraypainting done. All I have left to do is some handbrushing and a few touch-ups, applying the decals, and dullcoating everything. I might get done tomorrow, but I'm not promising anything cuz I'm back in school.

Btw, I recorded all 5 parts of the PG Gundam review and will start uploading them today :)

And it's Name is Epyon...

2010-04-09T18:55:00.006-04:00

I guess with MG Wing Gundam less than 3 weeks away, I've been hit by the Gundam W fever...

So now that I've finished PG RX-78-2, I'm moving on to my next project: 1/100 HG Epyon. Since I'm not doing any major modifications to this kit, I intend for this to be a quick weekend project; Spraypainting on Saturday, handbrushing and decaling on Sunday, and I'll probably review it Monday morning.

One minor modification I AM doing is this. I have a 1/100 Tallgeese III, but I built it as the Tallgeese I, so I've got a spare heat rod. I connected the two together to make a longer one, but it's actually too long. It just kinda gets in the way. So I think I'm just gonna give Epyon two heat rods: one normal black one, and one activated flourescent orange one.

Also, I finally finished snapping PG GP01 together. It took for-eeeever! I popped in my Gundam Wing DVDs while I was building it and started at episode 1. By the time I finished building it, I was at episode 36...

What's that you ask? What happened to MG ZZ Gundam? Initially, I was working on it and PG RX-78-2 simultaneously, but eventually all my focus shifted to the PG. Now ZZ is sitting in it's box and I've kinda lost interest... I'm more interested in Epyon right now.

PG RX-78-2 Gundam Complete!!

2010-04-08T07:05:00.005-04:00

Sorry I haven't really been updating in the past week or so, but I have been working. In fact, I finished my PG RX-78-2!

I dropped my idea to do the Real Type Color scheme and decided just to go with the original colors. I did some light weathering on this guy, but not nearly as much as I did on PG 00 Raiser. And the only two modifications I did were replacing the green LED for the eyes with a yellow one and cutting out the two vents on the face plate rather than simply inking them in.

I've finished everything that comes in the original PG box, but I'm still painting the weapons from the Custom Set #2. I ended up using the Custom Set's waterslide decals on the original PG and I'm gonna use the PG's clear stickers on the clear armor parts that come with the custom set. A coat of clear gloss paint should make those look nice.

Perfect Grade 00 Raiser Complete!!

2010-03-24T17:41:00.005-04:00

Well, after 4 months of total time, almost 2 months of actual work time, and 4 color scheme ideas, I've finally finished my PG 00 Raiser!... I'm tired. I'll be very glad to be working on the smaller MG ZZ Gundam next!

By the way, I've been saving up my paychecks for the last couple weeks to make yet another Gunpla purchase. You only get this hint:

Also I've been thinking, there's two kits I've reviewed on YT that deserve redo's: 1/100 Dynames and MG Ex-S Gundam. The lighting and video quality in those two reviews is absolutely terrible! That's back when I had the bright idea to use a black sheet in the background of my videos... Never again. Anyway, I may re-review those two kits after I review these other MGs I just got, Impulse, Victory, and Strike IWSP...

0 Raiser almost done

2010-03-23T19:28:00.002-04:00

It didn't take nearly as long as the 00 Gundam, but I'm just about done painting the 0 Raiser. Everything's spraypainted and I've already done the weathering on the blue and black parts. I plan to finish things up tomorrow and record the last 3 parts of the review.

Also, as I tend to do so often, I've already started my next project before finishing my current one :)

I just painted the head so far, but I'm using FAZZ for my ZZ Gundam in my "lead Gundam project."

0 Raiser Progress

2010-03-21T07:41:00.002-04:00

I'm about halfway done spraypainting the 0 Raiser. Unfortunately, what happens when I'm on a roll? It rains. Anyway, all I've got left to paint are the white parts and the weapons which I should be able to get done in an afternoon given good weather.

00 Gundam Complete!

2010-03-18T11:36:00.000-04:00

Now on to the 0 Raiser...

00 Gundam Almost Done...

2010-03-17T19:19:00.002-04:00

00 Weathering

2010-03-15T13:12:00.006-04:00

Just a brief post to show off the wear and tear I'm painting on my PG 00. I did a little bit of structural battle damage around the extremeties like the feet, GN Drives, and weapons. Then I dry-brushed on a combonation of black and silver to make it look beat up. I've ordered some Real Touch Markers which should get here tomorrow, so I think I'm gonna use those for the panel lines on this kit.

Don't worry, I'm not going to do any serious battle damage, mostly just scuffs and scratches.

wtf...

2010-03-11T07:37:00.003-05:00

Right after I posted that link to the Camo Gundam Ground Type eBay auction, another one popped up... ALL 9!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/C3-SET-OF-9-MG-1-100-RX-79G-Gundam-LIMITED-Master-Grade_W0QQitemZ330412877247QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4cee2465bf

wtf!?! Prepare to shell out $2000.

eBay Time!

2010-03-08T12:09:00.002-05:00

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390167016179&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Hey guys, check this out! I was in the middle of my daily morning eBay scouring, and came across a very rare model kit. It's one of six special edition MG Gundam Ground Types that comes molded in a special camoflague pattern. This particular auction is for the "Forest A Type" pattern which is a nice green blotchy camo. Very army looking. Anyway, I thought about getting it, but I declined since I just bought a handful of MGs last week (which should be arriving this week). So I'm posting the link here in case anyone wants to get in on some uber-rare Gunpla action.

Note* This is the first time I've even seen one of these for sale, so the likelyhood of finding another one any time soon is pretty low...

Note 2* Dalong has pics of this particular kit as well as the other camo patterns.

Black Frame

2010-03-07T17:40:00.003-05:00

Well, I've finished applying this new oil-rubbed-bronze-on-silver paint technique to 00's entire frame. I did a little extra weathering by drybrushing silver on the head and hands, but it really doesn't make that much of a difference, so I may just skip the rest of the body. I dullcoated those yellow parts which were painted from the previous color scheme, and I've painted all the armor for the head and GN Drives and about half the armor for the arms.

I'm not sure of I'm done painting the frame or not... I may go back in and add some tiny gold bits and maybe a bit of silver drybrushing around the joints...

Sorry the pics aren't all that good. Bad lighting...

00 Frame

2010-03-05T18:32:00.002-05:00

Wow! I love it when these happy accidents happen!

Anyway, I was starting to repaint PG 00's frame and I was gonna use the Oil Rubbed Bronze spraypaint I used on PG Astray's torso. I was initially going for a solid coat of that color, but the first coat was too thin, I guess because I didn't shake it up enough. But when that thin coat went on top of the silver paint, something magnificent happened:

See the silver shows through slightly, especially around the edges. It really has that black-metal look to it, which is what I was going for, but it looks so much better than just the standard Oil Rubbed Bronze. Just goes to show that some of the best techniques are discovered completely by accident.

(I may have a new technique for painting frames from now on)

Musings...

2010-03-02T14:09:00.005-05:00

I've been thinking about my "Lead Gundam Project" lately... I've decided to include the Gundams from the mainstream TV Series and OVAs. Since some series have multiple lead Gundams (Mk II & Zeta for example) I'm just using my personal discresion on choosing which Gundam best fits to the relevant series. I'm gonna leave out Gundams from the side stories like Crossbone and Astray, because if I included them, it would double the number of kits I would need for this project. So anyway, my list ends up looking something like this:

RX-78-2 Gundam
Gundam Ground Type
NT-1 Alex
GP01 (normal type)
Zeta Gundam
ZZ Gundam
Nu Gundam
Unicorn Gundam (thinking about waiting for the MS Cage ver.)
Gundam F91
V Gundam
Turn A Gundam
Wing Gundam (comes out in April :D)
God Gundam
Impulse Gundam (using MG Force Impulse)
Strike Gundam (using MG Strike + IWSP)
Gundam Exia

Since I want all of these to be MGs, that pretty much leaves Gundam X out in the cold for now. Hopefully with the HG on the way, Bandai will think about making a MG version. So the only kits on the list that I don't have are the Strike Gundam and Wing Gundam. I'm thinking of using the IWSP version for Strike just because I like the decal scheme better. Plus it's about the same price as the Aile Strike anyway... Unfortunately, I'll have to get a new Gundam Ground Type and Unicorn Gundam since those two I painted in custom color schemes. I really like the MS Cage that the new MG Unicorn comes with so I may get it when it comes out... Maybe.

This will definately be the largest project I've ever done. The next largest project being my Gundam Wing set (5 models). This one racks up 17 kits if you include a MG Gundam X which doesn't exist...

Vacation's Over

2010-02-28T21:07:00.004-05:00

OK
So as it turns out, I ended up taking a little break from Gunpla for a while. I got caught up on some overdue gaming; played alotta Zelda, expanded my NES and SNES collection a bit, but now I think I'm ready to do some modeling.

First thing's first: MG Wing Gundam, gotta have it! MG Shin Musha Gundam Mk II, gotta have it. 1/144 HG Gundam X and God Gundam are nice, but I think I'll pass. However, I probably will get HG ZZ Gundam.

I just bought 2 SD Unicorn Gundams (you can easily guess what I'll do with the 2nd one), and a resin 1/100 Masurao. Also, rrobertt184's love of lead Gundams has inspired me to collect MG versions of all the lead Gundams as well. Since I already have most of them, I only need a few. So I ordered MG V Gundam, Force Impulse, and Gundam F91 from GSAM. Let's just hope a MG Gundam X is on the horizon...

Lastly, as a fun lil weekend project, I built and painted the new Tenshiho Shibai Sazabi. I forgot what a pain handbrushing is, but it was such a gorgeous model kit, I couldn't reist buying it :)

I'll probably upload a review of it tomorrow or Tuesday.

For real lastly, I downloaded the first episode of Gundam Unicorn. Amazing! Although it was a little light on the Mobile Suit battles, the actions scenes were very good. Quality over quantity I suppose. I'm very much looking forward to episode 2; too bad it doesn't come out til fall... I may upload a review of episode 1 sometime this week as well.

Well I guess that's it for this update. I'll probably post again when some of these kits I've ordered start rolling in.

Laters!

(PS, I'm thinking of changing the name of the blog to POLYSTYRENE ADDICTION. It just popped in my head one day and I thought it sounded better than No More Robots...)

Work on Eva Unit 05 Begins

2010-01-14T13:48:00.003-05:00

I started a new project: Bandai's LMHG Evangelion Unit 05 Final Version. It took me forever to finally track down this kit. The "normal" Unit 05 kit is easy to find (I also have one of those), but the final version is much more diffcult to locate. It improves on the original by using the same rubber-over-skeleton joint system for the arms as the other Eva kits and has a rubber head with a joint system inside that as well. Normally I'd be really happy about starting on a kit that I've wanted for so long, but I've already run into problems... Painting rubber is never an easy task. Few types of paint will even dry when applied to rubber. I found out about 2 years ago that lacqer paint will give the best results. It dries on rubber and is just barely flexible enough that it won't chip off everytime you move the kit. Unfortunately, I've run into this problem:

The surface of the rubber head seems to be pitted. The rubber is painted in this pic, but those tiny little pits still show through. Hopefully this can be solved by just applying a couple more layers of paint, but at the same time, that may cause the paint to flake off more easily... I'll let you know what the result is on my next post.

A Kinder, Loving World

2010-01-09T15:31:00.003-05:00

Hello all.

I don't know why, but lately I've had all inspiration to do Gunpla sucked out of me... Maybe it's the fact that it's too cold to go outside and paint and will be for the next month or so. Maybe it's all the negative feedback I've recieved on my PG 00 Raiser... Btw, I find that strange in and of itself. I've been posting videos on YT for over a year and I've had this blog for almost 2 years, and I've never had such negative feedback on a single kit before. Don't get me wrong, many of you like my 00 Raiser, but the opinions are divided about 50/50. This has never happened before. And this isn't the first custom color scheme I've done... Everyone seemed to like the previous ones... And nobody just thinks it's "ok", everyone either loves it or hates it... I may be completely wrong, but I get the feeling that many of the ppl who don't like what I've done w/ my 00 Raiser have only seen Gundam 00 and no other Gundam series besides that. "THE CHIN PIECE HAS 2 B RED CUZ IT'S RED ON EVERY GUNDAM!!1!"... I got that comment alot... Those ppl obviously haven't seen Nataku, Heavyarms Custom, Zeta, Ex-S, Gundam Leopard Destroy, Gundam Airmaster, Gundam Virsago, Duel Gundam, Buster Gundam, Calamity Gundam, Raider Gundam, Sword Impulse Gundam, Blast Impulse Gundam, Unicorn Gundam, Unicorn Gundam "Banshee", Gundam Thrones Eins & Drei, Hi-Nu Gundam, etc... Just to name a few... And that's not counting recolors or side-stories.

Anyway, maybe I'm just venting my frustration here... I know I can't please everybody all the time. But I just find this odd... Why this particular kit? Why this particular color scheme? Nobody told me what a waste of money it was when I custom painted my MG Zaku I, RX-78-2 Evolve ver., SD RX-78-2, MG Zaku II F2, or PG Astray... Btw, that's another one that puzzles me: who's money is being wasted? Certainly not yours (if you were one of the complainers). You didn't spent any money on my PG 00 Raiser. My money certainly wasn't wasted because I for one like the color scheme I'm using. It sets mine apart from every other PG 00 Raiser that looks exactly the same as the next one...

I actually thought about going back to the "Designer's Color" color scheme. But then I realized "No, I can't. It's a matter of principal. If I do what everyone wants me to do, then I've lost a small part of my free will. An insignificant piece, yes, but why put a small crack in a dam when it has the potential to grow and burst?" I'm really big on shaping my own life and not letting others influence me, so yes, I actually put thought into this...

So, if you're actually still reading this, yes, I am going to finish my PG 00 Raiser. Just not right now. I'm gonna take a break from Gundam for a couple weeks, maybe a month, I dunno. I'm gonna use this time to knock out some of my non-Gundam kits. I've got a handful of Evangelion kits I'd like to do and I've got MG Goku on the way, plus MG Super Saiyan Goku comes out in February, which I intend to get. I've pretty much finished buying back the Power Rangers part of my childhood. I got all the Megazords I used to have when I was a kid except the Zeo Megazord (I'm waiting to find a good price on one). School just started back as well and I've got a lot of video games to catch up on. (Sometimes I think I have too many hobbies...) But I can pretty much guarentee that I'll be back into Gundam in March when Gundam Unicorn comes out! I'm really excited about it.

So I'm not really sure how to end this post because I'm not really sure what's gonna come next. But rest assured that SOMETHING will come next...

00 Progress

2009-12-27T17:20:00.002-05:00

Well, I've decided on my new color scheme and have already gotten to work. What, you thought I was just slacking off this past week? I've got all the red parts painted blue, all the blue parts painted dark blue, and the three yellow parts got a nice rich macaroni yellow paintjob. Thanks you a couple YT users (I can't remember their names, but they know who they are) I've decided to paint the knee armor dark blue (ala Seven Sword 00). I also painted the "elbow caps" light blue just for some more variation. I started out painting the kit glossy like my PG Astray, but I've now decided to do a flat paintjob. The texture of the dark blue paint was bothering me and a clear flat coat would get rid of it better than a gloss coat.

So yeah, that's where I'm at. Tomorrow, I'll start painting all the white parts (actually, I've alread started painting the white arm parts). I'm holding off on the 0 Raiser and weapons until I get the 00 Gundam painted. That way I can paint in "phases" and not get overwhelmed by this huge kit.

Paint Scheme Tryouts

2009-12-20T07:22:00.005-05:00

Well here it is. I painted the head with the lightest gray I could find and reserved the white for the faceplate and v-fin....... What do you guys think? I'm not too crazy about it. Even though this is the lightest gray paint I could find, it's still darker than what I was going for, and I think it just ruins the asthetic... I'm considering just painting the white armor white and forgetting this gray/white thing...

Although, I did get an idea of painting the 00 Raiser in a completely different color scheme... The silver frame would still work. All the white armor would remain the same. But the blue parts I'd paint a dark blue, and the red parts I'd paint a light blue... I think it would look nice, especially since I love Gundams w/ blue feet :) Although, if I do this, it'll come out looking kinda like 00 Quan[T] from the upcoming movie.... Maybe that'll be a good thing...

This is actually the exact same color scheme I was planning on using for my PG Wing Zero Custom... God knows when I'll ever get around to that project :)

On a seperate note, I've really been on a Power Rangers kick lately! Ever since I picked up that new Megazord at Walmart, I've been scouring eBay trying to buy back all the Zords and figures I had when I was a kid. Here's a pic of the stuff I've bought just in the last 3 weeks or so. I've also got a Thunder Megazord in the mail as well :)

Construction Complete

2009-12-17T12:26:00.006-05:00

Well, all preliminary construction is complete! I was kinda taking my time w/ this kit. No reason really, I just didn't feel the need to be in a rush. Anyway, now onto the painting of the armor. I've decided to change up the Designer's Color scheme a little bit. I think I'm gonna spray most of the white armor in a very very light gray and then save a few pieces for the pure white. If you've seen or built PG Strike Gundam, you know what I'm talking about... Everything else will stick to the 1/100 and 1/144 scale Designer's Color scheme.

Also, I realized today that the GN Drives have a timer. If just let them run, they turn off by themselves after about 30 seconds...

I also got a delightful suprise from eBay today :)

Pants-less 00

2009-12-12T20:14:00.002-05:00

Well, it's started raining unfortunately... So it may be a couple days before I get to start painting 00's outer armor. So, while the weather's being unruly, I've been doing some test fitting. The good news is, so far I haven't found any of Bandai's alleged "impossible-to-remove" parts. Some of the parts on the head can be kind of difficult, but they'll come off with careful determination. I haven't started building the 0 Raiser yet, but if I find any problems with it, I'll be sure to post them here.

GN Frame

2009-12-09T09:02:00.009-05:00

I've been working on 00 Raiser the last few days obviously. I have indeed decided to go with a "Designer's Color" color scheme, so I used silver for the inner frame to reflect the lighter colors. I sprayed all the frame parts while still on the trees and then assembled them after drying. As you can see below, I ran out of paint right as I got to the hands, so I'll need to buy a new can of silver to do the hands and 0 Raiser. Luckily, there's only a few cut marks I'll have to patch up, namely on the elbow and knee joints. The lighting gimmicks look great and work great. I'm glad Bandai is leaning toward pre-assembled electronics these days. Anyone who's built a PG Wing Zero Custom knows what I'm talking about :)

Having said that, I think this is a really good looking PG overall, but the inner frame is a bit of a letdown. It feels more like a giant MG rather than a PG. There's no pistons, no chrome parts, few sliding parts in the joints, and little mechanical detail on the parts themselves. Although I guess this could all be overlooked considering the whole thing's gonna be covered in armor anyway...

GN Drives and Flickr Accounts

2009-12-05T13:57:00.005-05:00

Since everybody else who owns a PG 00 Raiser has made one of these videos, I figured I'd throw in my two cents...

Also, I finally got off my lazy butt and renewed my Flickr account!! So the galleries are back up! ... Now I hafta make galleries for SD Sazabi, Banshee, 7 Eleven Gundam, and PG Astray...

Also again, I pre-ordered 2 SD Unicorn Gundams (in case I wanna make a Banshee) and SD Tenshihou Shibai Sazabi. Both due to be released early next year.

00 Raiser has Arrived

2009-12-04T18:02:00.002-05:00

I've just about decided that I want to go with a "Designer's Colors" color scheme for this guy. Samuel told me that he'll be enlarging the designer's colors decal set to 1/60 scale. So once he puts that up for sale, I'll go ahead and buy it.

Gold Frame Video

2009-12-01T18:39:00.000-05:00

Here's the video I uploaded to YT for the PG Gold Frame.

Perfect Grade Gundam Astray Gold Frame: COMPLETE!!

2009-11-28T19:41:00.006-05:00

Well, the PG Astray is finally done! At least... as done as it's going to be for now. I'm kinda waiting for Samuel Decal to release a decal set for the PG Gold Frame. He's already released one for a PG Blue Frame, so I think it'll only be a matter of time before he makes some for the Gold. But I went ahead and applied all the decals that came with the kit while leaving off the decals that were specific to the Red Frame (like the shoulder and shield decals). I was also pleased with how the hands turned out. I went with the colors from the manga unlike Bandai's lazy PG colors... Anyway, this project took a lil longer than expected, but I'm pleased with it. And I'm glad I got it done before PG 00 Raiser gets here. Look forward to an unboxing video of that kit sometime next week :)

Giblet Gravy

2009-11-26T14:42:00.004-05:00

Well, even though it's Thanksgiving, I managed to find time to finish painting Astray's body. Actually, Thanksgiving is the reason I was able to get any painting done: no work and no school. Anyway, now I just have to get the weapons painted which shouldn't take very long. Then I can apply the decals and fill in the panel lines and everything will be done!

Also, I got an e-mail from HLJ today saying they charged my account for this guy!

With EMS shipping, it should be here in about a week. Maybe, just maybe, I can finish my current PG before my next one gets here :)

Really??

2009-11-21T07:11:00.002-05:00

Out of all the MSs from 00 you COULD have chosen.... The GN-X? Really, Bandai?

[although, if the GN-X gets a MG... maybe Masurao will have a chance as well! Heheghe!]

Slowdown

2009-11-19T07:27:00.006-05:00

Wow, I haven't updated in like 2 weeks.... I've been really busy with school as the end of the semester draws near. Unfortunately it doesn't look like it's gonna let up until I get out on Dec. 10. But in my spare time, I have been making slow progress on Astray. The upper half of the body is 99% done. All I have to do is paint the white portions of the fingers.

Somehow the clear yellow paint screwed up when I was painting the gold parts of the legs... I'm not even sure what went wrong but they came out all matte and chalky. Maybe it was high humidity... Anyway, I'm in the process of repainting those parts now...

Also, I managed to pick up one of those 7 Eleven HG Gundams off eBay! Fun!

Golden Progress

2009-11-05T17:53:00.002-05:00

Not much progress this week, but progress nonetheless... All the parts for the torso have been painted. The white parts just aren't included in these pics. Anyway, I'll probably paint the white armor on the arms next...

Golden Runner

2009-10-29T14:54:00.005-04:00

Got the inner frames for the legs painted. I didn't bother spraying clear yellow on the parts that won't be visible on the completed kit... Now moving onto the torso...

Golden Arms

2009-10-24T16:32:00.003-04:00

Just a couple money shots from the Astray after his paint session today :)

Golden Time Lover

2009-10-22T07:28:00.008-04:00

Well, I've got the head and hands painted! I'm done painting the head, but actually the hands aren't finished yet. I'm gonna go back with some white and paint them accurate to the manga instead of Bandai's lazy PG colors. A lot of ppl have already asked me how I'm gonna paint the hands, so I'll go ahead and answer here. I sprayed them gold as an open hand, then sprayed them again as a fist to paint the exposed joint parts. Then I went over the whole thing w/ clear yellow. Luckily this gold paint is durable, so it's not chipping off in the joints. :)

The head was pretty straightforward. Although, at the last minute, I decided to make the chin and face parts metallic red rather than just plain flat red. I think it turned out pretty nice! Again, just gold spraypaint with clear red on top.

Gold Frame

2009-10-20T16:13:00.002-04:00

Painting of the Perfect Grade Gold Frame has begun!

Back from Vacation!

2009-10-18T20:07:00.006-04:00

Well my Fall Break was this past weekend. I had a great time in the Smoky Mountains in Tennesee! I brought back two souvenirs, a manekineko (lucky gold cat) and a handmade katana. The katana is real and has been sharpened and is really high quality, but I think it's still sub-par to the real thing. Anyway, had a great time, now to get back to modeling... and school (sigh).

All the painting on Banshee is complete. If I have time, I may apply the decals tomorrow, if not I'll definately get it done Tuesday. Then Banshee will be complete and ready for reviewing! Then on to the Gold Frame!! >:D

I also got a PellerModel. It's really cool. Only bad thing is, I downloaded the program to print the stickers from Bandai's site, but it won't install on an American OS... Bummer. However, maybe I can scan the stickers and figure out a way to print them from Photoshop...

Christmas in October

2009-10-07T16:55:00.004-04:00

I took a different approach to this "I Got a Package Today!!" video. I felt words weren't really necessary to tell what was going on, so I just added some epic Z Gundam music :)

Still waiting on the Bonus Parts. Hopefully they'll be here soon!

MG Son Goku

2009-10-05T13:14:00.004-04:00

OK yes, I got these pics from Ngee Khiong... Anyway, I'm very intrigued by this MG Goku. It's been years since Bandai's made non-Gundam MGs. Bandai made MGs of Dunbine and Patlabor back in the early 2000s, so it's kind of suprising to see something like this now... You can bet a Super Saiyan variation will follow... I'm hoping for a MG Vegeta :)

New Stuff

2009-10-03T14:01:00.007-04:00

I know I said I wasn't gonna get anymore Gundam models for awhile... And I meant it. I ordered this stuff like 3 weeks ago, so after the PG Astray gets here, I shouldn't have any new models due for a good while...

Anyways, I got a shipment from HLJ, which oddly enough came in two boxes. I don't really see why because I have HLJ boxes laying around my house that could easily fit all 3 kits I just got... Oh well. Anyways, here's 1/100 Seravee, 1/100 Arios, and 1/144 0 Gundam. I'm really glad I waited instead of getting the first 0 Gundam release, the "GN Feather" effect that comes with this one is a nice touch. Also, there's designer's color decals for all four S2 00 Gundams in Arios' box. Sure beats having to re-buy them all just to get a fancy decal scheme :)

Also, I got my Yamato VF-1S. I absolutely LOVE this thing!! It's almost as detailed as the Hasegawa Macross kits, but it's transformable! Plus there's lots of tiny warning labels and serial numbers all over it. It's sturdy and well painted too. I'm definately looking forward to getting more of these :)

[MG Son Goku?!? wtf? I may have to get one...:)]