Foot/Ankle mods.....

So, this is the anklet cover for the foot. During the build, I noticed that the anklet is made up of 3 parts, the band across the foot, and 2 panels that cover where in human anatomy the ankle bones would be. The panels connect to the band by 2 posts on the band, and one of the posts pushes through the hole on the panel to give the appearance of a bolt. But when you put them together, you get something like the picture below.It leaves a little something to be desired. So, as I thought of a solution, inspiration hit me.

I had picked up these crimp tubes at A.C. Moore, because I thought they might be used on a gun or as a bolt, and to my luck, they would come in handy.
So, the first thing to do is to snip the post on the anklet where the post shows through, but leave 1/16 of an inch so the crimp tube can peek through the hole slightly. Sand the post smooth and then put the 3 pieces together. After they are assembled, using a pair of tweezers, push the crimp tube through the hole in the anklet panel until it stops. Now you have modded the anklet, and improved the look of your model.
The crimp tube can be removed for painting, leaving the "seal" chrome or it can be painted to blend in to the anklet. I think I might leave it chrome, but we'll see when final paint goes on.

Ya gotta have legs......

No pics yet, but the leg sub assemblies have been started. As I was building, more inspiration for mods, panel scribing and some possible mods on the endo skeleton. I'll do all of the mods on the first leg, and then build the second leg to show before and after shots, and then a full tutorial on all of the mods as I do them to the second leg. The endoskeleton on the legs has a fair amount of detail but as I was finishing the prelim build of the first leg, you could see how much of the endo showed so to do the model justice, a little pizazz is in order. Shots coming soon.......

And if you are into genius poets, check out my brother's blog, he is listed as one of the blogs I follow. His pen name is Jak Cardini, and he's the man.

First mod........RIVETS!

So I have finished the torso and arm sub builds and have gone back to the jet pack for a mod I was inspired to try by a website. I wanted to add something to the barren node on the back pack below the beam sabre posts and above the thrusters. And as I was doing some research on rivets, I came across this nice and easy to execute mod for rivets. First, go to AC Moore or Michael's, or whatever craft store you have in your area and pick up some "pinning needles". You will find them in either the sewing section or the flower arrangement section. I picked up a couple of different head sizes so I can use them in whatever scale I'm working in. I also varied the head shape, either round or flat, depending on the "feel" of the gundam. So, when you are ready, use a pin vice drill to drill a small pilot hole where you want to place your rivet. I started really small and moved up the size so as not to miss my mark.Once you have your hole drilled snip off the head of your pin and insert into the hole......

Check the rivet against the model and make sure its the size you want. Try a couple of different ones so you can compare.
Once you are satisfied, finish drilling your holes and insert all of the pins to see how it looks. Do not glue in the rivets until after you have painted the piece, unless you want them to be the same color. Also if you do not glue in your rivets until after you have painted your piece, you can paint the rivets to any color you want, even weathering them so they look rusted. I think with the paint scheme I'm working on, I may paint them black, but I'll test them with the chrome first, just to see.

Head modifications for paint

Well last night I began studying how I was going to modify the head to separate the face and eye pieces from the helmet so they can be painted and assembled separately. The directions call for the helmet to be snapped over the chin/eye/mouth pieces and then attached to the neck. This is problematic for airbrush painting because the eyes and chin are so small and intricate, even the world's greatest masker would have a hard time getting clean color lines and separation. So the only way around this is to modify how the head is put together. The modifications on this particular helmet all come in the face combo. I snipped the large clear camera lens away from the eyes so the lens can be inserted separately and the eyes can be inserted while joined to the chin/face pieces.I also snipped off the connecting posts on the back of the chin piece and the top corners so it could clear the receptors for the neck joint. Now these pieces can be inserted after the helmet seam has been filled and the pieces have been airbrushed separately for a clean paint job with NO MASKING!!!

So to fill the helmet seam I used some thin Tamiya plastic glue on both sides of the helmet and squeezed the 2 pieces together until the plastic ooze filled the seam. I let the helmet dry overnight so the bond was strong and would not shear during sanding.

After it dried, I carefully sanded the seam with 400 grit sandpaper and then with 600 to remove any deep scratches. The seam disappears with the exception of one small pock mark on the left side which will get a dose of putty and another sanding. Now the helmet is seamless and will look infinitely better.

Then, to test the assembly I slid the face combo into the helmet just to double check my mod. Worked like a champ! Onto the rest of the build......

Completed kit pics....

Here are some pics of previous kits I have completed and a few shots of my workspace.

Sanding and snipping......

I have finished the first sub-build for the kit, the torso and jet pack. I have a few ideas as to how I want the kit to look, but nothing concrete yet as my inspirations change as the kit nears completion. I did want to write about modifications and overall kit improvements for the beginners out there.

The first thing any beginner should know about building an HG or MG Gunpla kit from Bandai is that the kits are snap together. The kits are designed as children's toys to be played with, it is the intent of these models to be played with. With that being said, if you purchase a kit and snap it together the model will look something like the Gundam you envisioned, but there will be no "polish and pop". Seams in the middle of the guns and arms, irregular pour defects on all large plastic expanses and the colors will not jump off the model. This is where the modeler can take the kit to the next level. First, filling seams......

I tend to build the model completely first so I can make a decision on which seams truly need to be filled and which ones can be left because of where they occur. Any seam that is going to be covered by a later part or armor seems like a waste of time to me. So build the kit and then take inventory. Also before filling the seam take note as to how the subsequent pieces fit together and how they will be painted. Sometimes a piece must be painted, taped and then 2 pieces joined over the first piece and then that seam will be filled. Filling it first would have made painting the underpiece difficult and the paint job would have turned out worse than expected. I usually fill seams by applying Tamiya Thin Plastic Model Cement to the sides of the 2 pieces and squeezing the pieces together until a liquified combo of cement and plastic oozes up through the seam. I like this technique for pieces that stand alone and have not been joined over an inner piece. For pieces joining over a subassembly, I typically use Tamiya putty or Mr. Surfacer 500 painted over the seam. For both techniques, I will let the seam dry for 24 hours before sanding so I do not shear the seam apart. Also take note of any intricate details surrounding the seam, as these may be sanded away if you are not careful.

Once the seams are filled, it's time to start modifying. Some mods are easy like replacing the barrel on a gun or detailing the kit eyes with origami paper, but some must be thought out in advance to ease painting and piece fit. Joint modification and rivet/hose mods are some of the most popular and easiest to do for the less experienced kit builder. I have found great rivet mods in AC Moore in the jewelery making aisles and hose detail can be achieved with electrical hose found in any hardware store. I will do both with this kit and will update with pics and tutorials as they happen. Remember to keep your eyes open when you go to an arts and xraft store, inspiration may be lurking around the next corner........

The waiting is the hardest part.......

So I started snipping and sanding today. The bane of my existence is the current sprue cutter I have. The local hobby shop in my city carries the Xuron brand of sprue cutters, and these things cut like a chain saw. I have to cut well away from the sprue to ensure the gate doesn't leave a pock mark on the piece, and then overuse the Xacto blade to shave the gate down to a more manageable sanding size. I just need to break down and get a good quality pair of Tamiya sprue cutters and hope they last longer than the Xuron my hobby shop carries. And for all of you builders out there who have a half decent hobby shop in your vicinity, do not take them for granted. I have a franchise shop, you all have at least one of these, you know the one that would rather sell you an RC car or helicopter than actually help you with anything that has to do with modeling. They don't carry any Gunze products, at all, they only carry Tamiya paints, no tools, and they fill their shelves with off branded second rate companies that sell you $15 dollar sprue cutters that go dull after 4 kits. Thank god for the interweb, or I would have given this hobby up months ago. But I digress......

The torso is the first sub build for this kit. Shoulder joints, neck joint and the main frame of the torso is the first set of steps. No real inspiration as of yet, although I would like to find a way to show off the detail in the frame of the torso, as there is some quite nice sculpting in there, that will otherwise be covered up by the main armor. Maybe I'll do one of those hanger bay dioramas that I have seen quite a few times. Or not......

So on with the build, and I'll update as progress is made.