Papa Rat

Ahhhh. Good to know. I will probably never reveal the inner “muscle” frame legs, or brain anyways so maybe this is just a case of leave it alone.

Thanks for the tips. I’ll look around for that paint. I’m going to also give this little Tamiya weathering kit a go as a test on some scraps. It reminds me of a small makeup set with a pad applicator. I think it’s wax based? Not sure… Maybe it will work on highlighting some of the rubber areas to create a nice effect if it can stick to it.

Yeah I bet it is the old one. Wild the HG was more $$$$ lol. I’ll chime back in when it arrives. I’m scratching my head on how to paint on the soft rubber parts at the joints and legs. Haven’t had luck with any flexible materials taking paint without flaking off and looking crappy.

Wow! Congrats on the score. 👍 Unfortunately I missed out on the premium preorder along with the L-Gaim MK-2 and others in the series. Sad days for this noob. I did however get a preorder for the large MG Dunbine the other day which will mark my entry into the series. Not sure if it’s just a reissue or reworked design. Photos used for the preorder looked like the same ones from the OG box art. 🤔

Wow! Is there any info on a release for this kit?

Love it

Hahahaha 😂

I ran with your advice/pointers and got the lenses installed. I just took it slow to make sure I didn’t file out the holes too much and it worked like a charm. Thanks

Very nice mail day today. My HLJ order arrived. Backlog is forming nicely. 🥰 This will probably keep me busy the rest of the year.

Thanks for the advice. I’m baffled by their decision to go that route. I noticed that in the manual that whole row of clear red parts are grayed out as if not to use them. 🤔 Anyway, I like how you handled it and will be going that route. I also like the clean look of this design. I will probably do minor to zero weathering on this. I haven’t really stepped into the weathering arena yet and lack the experience. I want to dial in on the building part first. I’m still rolling on training wheels. Good luck on your build. 👍

Hasegawa Regult Standard Type test fit was very chill and no tape needed. Starting to see a trend with these newer kits being more snap fit than I had expected. Regardless there is going to be lots of seam removal on this bad boy. It’s putty time! I may mix up some goo from the runners. I have never tried that before so why not. 🤔 There is one thing I’m curious about though. So I’m assuming I need to drill out holes for the remaining 6 smaller red lenses in this kit? Anyone have any advice on hole diameter and best way to adhere them omce complete? PVA/Elmers white glue? Anybody’s 2¢ is appreciated.

Yeah! I’m also pumped that it comes with a stand which is a nice addition.

Number 7 in the books! So the 1/72 Queadlunn Rau is wrapping up. This model is HUGE! I thought it being a 1/72 would put it closer to Hasegawa Battroid size, but this thing towers over it. This kit is such a huge upgrade from the earlier Hasegawa VF-1A Super Battroid Valkyrie it’s not even close. Parts align with little effort or modification needed. Color separation was nice and I didn’t mask anything. I avoided using many of the black marking decals and went with hand painting black enamel instead and reverse washed to clean up the lines. I think that’s what the technique is called? Most of this kit is snap fit and very little glue was need aside from a few major seam lines and the optional pilot “Miria” This kit went together very fast and I only needed to spend a few days working on it. I’ll probably go over it with a couple more gloss coats once decals are all dry and then possibly polish it up. I had fun blasting through this one and I have the Max version on its way. They will make for a nice set once both completed. Next up, Hasegawa Regult Standard Type! Very excited. ☺️

Wow. That looks beautiful! I like the idea of chrome on the back of clear parts with clear color on front. I’ll have to do that. I guess it’s similar to a candy color but you have that thickness of the plastic to refract that light which gives more depth. Literally lol. I like the way this candy color worked out on these emblems for the shoulder shield parts. I zoomed in on an earlier photo I posted. With the correct viewing angle and light it looks like a jewel. 💎

Build number 6 complete. ✌️☺️ The Volks 1/144 scale FSS A-Toll. I don’t have much to say about this one. It went together extremely smooth. There are only a few seam lines to deal with and most of the connections felt solid when glued. All and all this was an enjoyable experience. I highly recommend this kit as the best entry into these Volks kits compared to the other two I have built; Bang and Batsh. Again note it’s all glue and no snap fittings Now I need to find a better way to photograph these awesome kits. My phone and bad lighting are not doing them justice at all. I have some nice purple reflective elements “Mr crystal color purple” in there that are sort of lost but create a nice splash of color like a shimmering beetle wing next to the OD matte colored carapace armor. Next up is the 1/72 Hasegawa, Queaddlunn Rau Milia movie edition! The big sister to the build that started this thread. I’m super pumped on this one. 🥰

A-Toll all painted and gloss coated ready for panel lines, details and touch ups. I had quite a few tiny bits with paint leaks under raised masked areas on armor and shield. I’ll clean it up with some enamel and move along before the final top coat. I can see lots of areas to pay closer attention to. There are a ton of small sink areas throughout the kit which somehow I was blind to during the priming phase. I also learned a valuable lesson on painting light colors over dark. I wish I had put down a couple layers of white under the yellow to help it pop a little more than the final result. Bear in mind it’s supposed to be a dull mustard color but it came out a bit darker than I was hoping for.

Thanks for the advice. I can see immense value in pre-assembly and need to always make it part of my practice moving forward I’m also developing best practices when it comes to painting. I have had issue with debris getting on pieces while using the airbrush so now a simple inspection and blowing air across the piece before I introduce paint is helping me keep the paint job cleaner than before. My airbrush skills still look sloppy to me and my masking abilities are cringe, but I’m my worst critic. I know it’s going to take time and I’ll get there. No rush. I have put together one Bandai kit. I went with the entry grade RX-78. It was super cheap and a lot a fun. The part separation and snap fit blew me away. They are on some other level for sure. That being the case, I have to say, I really enjoy digging into these other kits that ask more of me and pose an exciting challenge. That’s the fun stuff for me in this moment. I will be sharing more FSS from Volks and soon Wave and of course more Macross love from Hasegawa. I’d like to get around 10 kits done in my first year. Hope the quality improves as I get more experience. ✌️

Well, thanks so much! Now that kits are starting to come together, what the hell am I going to do with all of them. Hahaha Time to get a display cabinet. 🤔

Yeah when you get the the end stage of putting the final pieces together it’s off to the races. I need to take a breath and like you said, give it another day or two so everything can properly cure. Haste makes waste. I mean haste makes you have to do a lot more work later. Hahaha. Thanks a bunch ✌️ I am excited to see the progress I make and hope to see improvements over this first year into the hobby. I have more FSS kits, a bunch of Macross, some old Gundam 1/100 Real Type and I also have some Armored Core 6 kits on preorder. It’s going to be a busy 24 into the beyond. (=

Kit number five in the books, 🫠 I had plans to shine this all up, but I got cold feet sanding back too far into it before polishing. I have to say all and all this kit went well for the most part. I did run out of gloss top coat for my airbrush and had to do the final coat with a spray can. I kind of botched it. Whoops. My sloppy can control left areas of the surface uneven and there are a couple areas with a slight texture showing up. I need more practice no question. Some attachments on this build are very, very delicate like the wrist and kneecap armor plates. They attach with a single tiny peg maybe .5mm or smaller… Not sure. Of course I had one of the kneecap pieces snap on me as I was trying to attach a leg. I will need to purchase some brass rod(s) and repair later. Never attempted that before. No big deal The most challenging part of this kit for me was the polycaps for the hip/leg attachments. It requires so much pressure to put a leg on I thought I was going to break it apart. It did cause the bond in the thigh pieces to separate which was annoying. I guess I hadn’t allowed the cement to cure completely or used too little? Not sure. I had to completely take the thigh apart and sand down the PC a little so the expansion wouldn’t separate the parts again. In doing so some glue squished out on the paint along the seam and that’s not ideal. It’s hidden by the skirt armor though. Lesson learned. Slow down and less is more sometimes. lol This was also my first attempt at candy color. I tried it on the red pieces and some orange on the shield emblem.. It was fun to do, but I think it looks sort of silly on this build. In hindsight I think I should have went with just a metallic deep red and not such a “in your face” blast of color. Anyway, I had a ton of fun building this and would recommend it to anyone into FSS. Looks real nice next to the Bang build on my bench.

I’m loving the MR Crystal purple on these dark armor pieces. I went sort of light on this part. Now it’s time for all the gloss layers before sanding/polishing.

Thanks. I have a lot to learn no doubt. The more opportunities I have to build the better and I’m having a blast so far! The end goal of completing a kit is great but the path there is what I’m most excited about. (= I also have to say that seeing all the amazing work out in the community reminds me that I can also achieve some great results with adequate experience.

Waiting on paint to arrive so I’m starting another kit along side the Black Knight. In the process of getting the test fit together and going to need a lot of tape. There are no snap fittings at all on this kit so far. Maybe I should use some tack to hold it together? Might be easiest way to get this standing. Anyway, the amount of details in this kit are awesome. Going to be a beauty (=

Now I just need to find a supply of super clear gloss since I’m running low. Unfortunately certain MR color/hobby paints, top coats and especially self leveling thinner is hard to find right now. Finishing this kit may take a bit longer depending on supply chain issues. Once these items become available again I might as well grab some extras.

Checked out your channel today and got very inspired. Such amazing work. It was fun seeing the 1/100 Batsh build since I’m currently working on the 1/144 little brother and seeing the similarities and differences. Interesting enough I’m seeing mold lines in the exact same areas of the larger scale, but since this is a simpler kit and less pieces I’m dealing with less seam lines and gaps. The main piece for the ankle armor is a single piece instead of two for example. I’m spending my evening masking out the skirt pieces and once my paint arrives I’ll get cracking on it. I’m also going for a gloss finish and possible candy color on the red bits which will be a first. I’m very excited! Oh and I’ll be doing the Mr crystal clear purple on it as well. Another first I’m not sure I will take it to the limit and sand to 10k and polish though. Can’t decide 🤔 I’ll update as things develope.