HGUC GM III
June 19, 2016 at 23:36 | Posted in 1/144 scale | 3 CommentsTags: Beam javelin, camo paint, custom paint, Gundam Unicorn, HGUC GM III
Introduction:
You may have forgotten about the HGUC GM III work in progress earlier this year. Well, so did I. I’m currently doing several builds in parallel, in addition to the Zeon Remnants Project. Seeing as how most of these projects won’t be finished soon, I decided to focus on this GM III kit.
Materials & methods:
You can read about the very simple changes I did at the work in progress page.
After priming all parts, I painted the parts as follows:
- Torso & feet: Russian green
- Neck & chest vents: Light Gull Grey
- The rest the body: Dark Grey (1) as base layer -> mask camo pattern -> 90% flat white + 10% German Grey (airbrush).
- Joints & hands: Zeon MS Grey
- Backpack and rifle: German Grey
For panel lining, I used black enamel and then added some minimal weathering effects; mainly just dry brushing and some rust effects. After adding some decals, I sprayed everything with flat topcoat. As a finishing touch, I added a sheet of reflective Mirror Finish behind the visor and on the sensor on the left shoulder.
Results:
Some action shots:
Discussion:
The thing I like most about the GM III is the face, maybe because the visor looks a bit like a fighter pilot’s helmet. There are other things to like, such as good articulation at the shoulder and elbow joints.
It also has quite a large number of armaments for a GM. There’s two missile launchers on the shoulders and side hips, plus a shield, beam rifle and a pair of beam sabres. Another plus point for the GM III kit is that it has a lot of hands; a pair each of fists, open palm and holding gesture.
There’s nothing wrong with the original GM III shield per se; I simply replaced it with Jegan’s shield to add some uniqueness to this build. The original beam rifle however, looks so plain and generic that it was the first thing I had to replace. The Jesta Cannon beam rifle that I used with looks much better, although it does feel a bit oversized on the GM III.
I’d just like to add that the marco lens can be very unforgiving. When viewed with the naked eye, the kit looks fine. But the closeup shots reveal plenty of sloppiness and imperfections. It can be a bit disheartening, but I try not to loose too much sleep over it.
Overall, I really enjoyed this build and I can safely put the GM III as one of my favourite GM variants.
RG Z’Gok
May 25, 2015 at 10:03 | Posted in 1/144 scale | Leave a commentTags: Gundam Unicorn, RG Z'Gok, weathering, Z'Gok Unicorn version, Zeon Remnant Project
Introduction:
You may have noticed that all the gunpla that I’ve built so far have humanoid features, i.e proper head, hands etc. What’s missing are the various ‘uniquely designed’ Zeon amphibious mobile suits. Not that I have anything against them, it’s just that they look too unconventional for my tastes. But when the RG Char’s Z’Gok rolled out, I decided to give it a try. I really liked the color scheme of the Unicorn version Z’Gok, so this will be just a simple painting project.
Materials & methods:
No work-in-progress this time, since no modifications were needed. Everything was built according to the manual so the bulk of the process just involved painting.
From the picture above, you can see there’s three main colors: dark green for the lower limbs, grey-brown for the upper limbs, and olive green for the body. I decided to use different shades of the same color, since it’s one of the defining features of the RG series. Needless to say, all parts were primed before painting.
- Lower limbs: I used two types of Tamiya spray can: Olive Drab & Olive Green. Although almost indistinguishable, there is some subtle difference in tone. On the lower arms, I sprayed a strip of white after masking the surrounding areas.
- Upper limbs: I mixed grey paint from this set with a bit of German Grey. I sprayed smoke black on some parts to darken the shade.
- Body: I made my own mix of a lighter shade of olive green using leftover paints from my Marasai project.
Some parts of the inner frame were sprayed with Tamiya Gunmetal while the claws & propellers were painted with Gaianotes bright silver. The monoeye was painted with Gaianotes clear pink.
For weathering, I did an enamel wash using brown paint. Then I added scratch and rust marks using silver & red brown enamel. I used a combination of RG Zaku II and HGUC Sinanju water-slide decals before spraying the final flat topcoat layer.
Results:
Discussion:
I was actually taken aback by how fun building this kit was. But what’s more impressive was the level of detail and articulation they crammed on a kit this size. Every part from the monoeye to bottom of the feet is worth admiring. This one has a pretty detailed inner frame, but it’s mostly on the head/chest. The limbs still have the fishbone-like inner frame like other RG kits.
You also have the option of a 3-claw or 4-claw configuration; I went with the former. Other than that, there’s no other extras included. There is a small Char figure included, though. Overall, this kit feels very solid and fun to build, and I have absolutely no regrets buying it. Fits very well with the rest of my Zeon Remnant kits.
Zeon Remnants Project
April 6, 2015 at 14:26 | Posted in Random rants | 3 CommentsTags: Dom Tropen, Dwadge, Efreet Schneid, Galluss-K, Gundam Unicorn, Marasai, Z'Gok, Zaku Cannon, Zaku Mariner, Zaku Sniper, Zee Zulu, Zeon Remnant Project
For me, there’s only two memorable scenes from the Unicorn OVA. The first was the Kshatriya vs Jegans skirmish in Episode 1. The second is the attack on a Federation base by Zeon remnant forces in Episode 4. After looking at the Zeon remnant units from this list, I decided to pay homage to that scene by make a series of builds that I call the Zeon Remnants Project.
I narrowed it down to a few kits, based on their design. I prefer a more militaristic feel to my kits and not too keen on unconventional designs like the Zogok and Juaggu. Another factor is the availability of the kit and/or spare parts. Some units do not have official HGUC releases, so I have to rely on resin kits or old MSV kits. So here’s the list of what I’ve completed and what I’m planning to do in the future.
Dwadge
I built the Dwadge before I conceived of this project, but I’ll just add it to the list for the sake of completeness. It’s made up of resin parts using a HGUC Dom as a base. You can view the completed kit here.
Marasai
There is an actual HGUC Marasai (Unicorn ver), but I used the older, orange HGUC Marasai kit I bought years ago. Made some changes to the weaponry and shoulders, and added Zimmerit coating effect. You can view the completed kit here.
Zaku Mariner
Just a simple build with a backpack transplanted from the Zee Zulu. Stayed true to the original color scheme and added some light weathering effects. Completed kit is here.
Zee Zulu
Although not officially listed as a Zeon remnant unit, I included the Zee Zulu because I kinda liked the design. At least it was shown fighting with the other Zeon remnant units in the OVA. Instead of buying the actual HGUC kit, I bought many different spare parts from Yellow Submarine to build a frankenstein kit. It won’t be an amphibious unit anymore, but a long-range ground assault unit. Stay tuned…
Z’Gok
Planning a simple project for this one. Just repaint the RG Char’s Z’gok to the color scheme above. Maybe just add some light weathering effects like the Zaku Mariner.
Zaku Sniper
Probably my favourite unit from the list. I have the HGUC Zaku Sniper kit, but the proportions look slightly outdated. I’m thinking attaching the Zaku Sniper parts to a more modern HGUC or RG Zaku kit.
Dom Tropen
An old HGUC kit, and I’m anticipating a lot of modifications for this one. I’ve already decided to change the armaments to a handheld gatling cannon, with the ammo storage mounted on the back. Inspired by the Dom Barrage design.
Zaku Cannon
There is no HGUC kit for the Zaku Cannon, only an old 1/144 MSV kit. To do a full conversion might sound too troublesome, so another option is to do a Zaku Half Cannon. Yes, there is such a thing. Maybe I’ll do a mashup of both, a Zaku Three-Quarter Cannon perhaps?
Galluss K
I was kinda disappointed Bandai released the HGUC Schuzrum Galluss instead of the Galluss K. Nevertheless, I was determined to make one, so I bought an old 1/144 Galluss J kit with plans to modify it to the Gallus K. Maybe I’ll scour for some additional spare parts from Yellow Submarine to improve the old kit.
Efreet Schneid
This will probably be the most challenging build in this series. There’s no HGUC kit or old 1/44 kits for the Efreet Schneid, but I found a resin recast kit of Efreet Nacht on Yahoo Auctions. It actually looks better than the Schneid, with a better color scheme as well. But since it’s a full resin kit, it won’t be posable like normal gunpla. I was thinking of transplanting some HGUC joints to the resin parts to counter that.
So there you have it, the outline of my most ambitious project to date. Have I bitten off more than I can chew? As daunting as it looks, I still hope to finish off this project by the end of this year. Ganbarimasu!
Modelers-G
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