So I have been priming away at this kit and I have neared the end. I was ready to prime the thrusters when I decided to try a mod that was inspired by some after market parts I have seen on the internet. There are several websites out there that sell metal replacement thrusters for Gunpla, MechaSkunk and G-Temple being the most popular. But due to price restrictions and the feeling I have about buying replacement parts for a model(I don't consider that modeling, but rather buying), I decided to give it a go and try and improve the look of the thrusters on the backpack. The picture below is of one of the 4 backpack thrusters on this kit. The issue I have is that a thruster would not have an enclosed space in the middle. The propellant should have an exit, so I decided to drill out the middle and replace it with a jewelery crimp I used earlier on the foot/ankle mod.
These are the tools I used for the mod, a pinvice drill(right) and a round plastic Tamiya file(left). First I drilled out the small circle and drilled clean through the circle in the middle of the thruster. Then I slowly turned the rounded file into the hole to enlarge the opening and to smooth out the edges. Every so often, I would check the jeweler's crimp against the opening to make sure I had not enlarged the hole too much. I wanted the crimp to just slightly sink into the opening to give the effect of a small nozzle.
Here is the opening after the drilling and the file have been used.
And here is the piece with the jeweler's crimp installed. The crimp will be inserted after painting is complete so the nozzle will appear to be chromed.
And there it is, an inexpensive mod that will save you about $20 in metal thrusters for a $50 kit. Soon, painting will begin and hopefully the updates will be more regular.
These are the tools I used for the mod, a pinvice drill(right) and a round plastic Tamiya file(left). First I drilled out the small circle and drilled clean through the circle in the middle of the thruster. Then I slowly turned the rounded file into the hole to enlarge the opening and to smooth out the edges. Every so often, I would check the jeweler's crimp against the opening to make sure I had not enlarged the hole too much. I wanted the crimp to just slightly sink into the opening to give the effect of a small nozzle.
Here is the opening after the drilling and the file have been used.
And here is the piece with the jeweler's crimp installed. The crimp will be inserted after painting is complete so the nozzle will appear to be chromed. 
And there it is, an inexpensive mod that will save you about $20 in metal thrusters for a $50 kit. Soon, painting will begin and hopefully the updates will be more regular.
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