MG Nu Gundam Ver.ka

February 1, 2023 at 15:19 | Posted in Master Grade | Leave a comment
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Introduction:

I purchased the MG Nu Gundam ver.Ka not long after its official release a few years back. After the initial hype had died down, I realized that I didn’t like the proportions that much. Specifically, the torso is too short, and the faceguard too long. I naively thought that I had the time and skill to modify those parts, but apparently I had neither. So my solution to the problem was to throw money at it; in this case I bought a resin modification kit online.

Materials & methods:

The resin kit contained replacements for most parts of the outer armor. The waist, wrists, and lower legs required some modification to the inner frame. Since I don’t consider the wrists and lower legs to be problem areas, I left them alone and used the original plastic parts. The resin parts were of good quality; the details are well defined and the parts fit well. But of course super glue was still necessary.
I painted the inner frame with Mecha Surfacer Super Heavy, with some color variation added using Gunmetal, Copper, and Starbright Duralumin. For the outer armor, I used the following paints:

  • White parts: mainly Gaianotes Neutral Gray I; Neutral Gray II and III were used to add variation to some parts
  • Dark blue parts: Gaianotes Prism Blue Black
  • Orange & red parts: Orange-yellow & Red madder, respectively

After putting on decals & panel lining, I gave the white parts a flat topcoat spray and the dark blue with Semi-gloss topcoat.

Results:

Discussion:

In addition to the body proportions, I wasn’t too happy with the fin funnels. Especially when all 6 were connected and attached to the backpack. They’re just not secure enough and fall apart at the slightest touch. That said, the kit comes with a stand for the Nu Gundam and all 6 funnels, but I must have misplaced them as I was moving from Japan. I had to make do with my old Action Base stand, and it was kinda tricky getting the poses because the the fitting wasn’t too good.

The shield also needs a redesign. It’s attached to the back of the forearms and the only way to make the shield face forwards is to rotate the entire arm. That somewhat limits the poses you can make with the shield attached.


Overall, the resin kit has greatly improved the proportions & details on this MG Nu Gundam kit. But in hindsight, I could’ve saved myself time and money by waiting for the RG Nu Gundam instead. That kit has way better proportions than the stock MG version.

HGUC GM Type C

March 15, 2018 at 22:04 | Posted in 1/144 scale | Leave a comment
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Introduction:

To be honest, I’m not a big fan of the standard GM colors (mint green & red). But since it’s the year of the GM, I should make at least one kit with that iconic color scheme. I thought the GM Type C (GM Kai) would be fitting; after all, the MG version did come with that color. I had some HGUC GM Kai parts leftover from the GM Wagtail build, but not enough to build a complete kit. So I used the HGUC GM Custom kit and other HGUC spare parts to compensate.

Materials & methods:

The work in progress can be found here.
After giving all parts a coat of grey surfacer, I proceeded to apply some preshading lines using German gray. The paint mix is as follows:

  • Torso & feet: 80% red + 20% orange
  • The rest of the body: 90% white + 5% green + 5% intermediate blue
  • Backpack: 60% midnight blue + 40% intermediate blue
  • Thrusters: Starbright duralumin
  • Weapons: German gray
  • Joints: Mr. Color dark gray (2)

After painting I applied an enamel wash using black enamel. I followed that up with some paint chipping effects using fine tip gundam markers. Then I placed some decals to mimic the ver. ka style, like in this pic:

Some decals were a bit too white, so I dabbed some weathering pastel on top. I finished with several layers of flat topcoat.

Results:

And some action poses. It wasn’t as fun to play around with compared to my previous GIMM build. I guess that’s expected, since the GIMM was based on the newer RX-78 Revive while the GM Kai is mostly based off the older GM Custom kit.

Discussion:
I was hoping to finish this kit by the end of February, but it’s really cold this year. My Gunpla activity tends to be slower in lower temperatures. Plus February’s a short month. OK, I’m just making excuses.

In the end, I got the look I wanted. But because I was rushing through the project, some details appear a bit rough. I was also a bit worried that I elongated the thighs too much, but I think it turned out alright.

Overall, not by best work, but I’m happy enough with the ver. Ka feel of this build. So next up is the GM head.

52nd All Japan Model & Hobby Show

October 23, 2012 at 21:13 | Posted in Events | Leave a comment
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For this year’s hobby show, I didn’t have much time to take too many photos, having arrived in the late afternoon. Nevertheless, here’s a brief summary of what caught my interest at the show:

First off is the RG Zeta, complete with full transformation gimmick. Will be on my to-buy list, since I don’t have a proper Zeta in my collection. From the HGUC section there’s the Byarlant custom and then there’s the HGUC Delta Kai; although I don’t quite fancy the overall look, the rifle does look sweet. Also displayed as a grey prototype is the Rozen Zulu.

Moving on the the MG section, where the biggest news is the MG Nu Gundam ver.Ka. Indeed it looks so much better than the original MG and comes with plenty of gimmicks, including a secret which will be revealed at the Gunpla expo in Akihabara later. From Gundam SEED, there’s MG Aegis. I just bought the MG Buster, so I think I’ll lay off SEED kits for a while. Then there another much anticipated MG release: the Tallgeese I. I already have the HG 1/100 version still unbuilt, but I’ll still get the MG version, regardless. There’s also the MG Age-2 black pirate version or whatever it’s called.

And finally some miscellaneous stuff. System Weapons 4 will include sniper rifles and some swords. Sweet… And Bandai will release some new Builder parts, including tank (fuel canisters), blade (v-fins), thrusters and human figures. So that’s about all the headlines that are related to Gunpla. I took some a few more photos here and there, so enjoy.

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