Gundam Plamodel Thread IV

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

these sharpie metallic markers are great, it's easy to apply and also to wipe off excess with little effort:)

Edited March 29, 2015 by davidwhangchoi

[mikeszekely]

Thanks, Hikuro. Yeah, the stuff I bought is an acrylic clear.

I haven't settled on how I'm going to do my HG Sinanju yet. I don't have the skills, equipment, or patience to do anything fancy to bring the gold out. I'd thought to go over the yellow plastic bits with a gold Sharpie, but that doesn't match the bright gold of the stickers. I'm thinking about using the gold Sharpie to actually trace over all the gold decorative pattern, but I have to see how well the Sharpie dries on the plastic, then see how the satin coat covers it, or even if it's still too hot for Sharpie. I'll color a piece of the runner tonight and spray it in the morning.

As for the red... I'm not sure. There's a Sherman Williams or some other kind of paint store nearby. I doubt they'll have anything model specific.

So far, the only definitive thing I've done is paint some black inside the yellow parts and panel line the fuel tanks.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

finished panel lining legs:

i used the sharpie silver and a mix of gm20, gm01, gm02. i still need to redo the boxes using a toothpick

going to break and then decal next...

Edited March 29, 2015 by davidwhangchoi

[mikeszekely]

these sharpie metallic markers are great, it's easy to apply and also to wipe off excess with little effort:)

I'm finding the gold pretty useful, too. The HG Sinanju I'm going to build comes with tons of stickers for the decorative filagree on the black armor parts. Although the parts themselves are molded in black, the filagree pattern is molded onto them. I'm trying to color over them with the gold Sharpie. I think the look is great, although I'm not doing such a great job staying in the lines...

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

I'm finding the gold pretty useful, too. The HG Sinanju I'm going to build comes with tons of stickers for the decorative filagree on the black armor parts. Although the parts themselves are molded in black, the filagree pattern is molded onto them. I'm trying to color over them with the gold Sharpie. I think the look is great, although I'm not doing such a great job staying in the lines...

looks good!

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

leg's decal-ed:

and added more silver in place of any silver decals

Edited March 29, 2015 by davidwhangchoi

[Hikuro]

There's something about me and Zakus.....I like them, but they don't like me! I'm missing a couple of pieces to the armor and that means they were somewhere around the work area. So as I was scrounging around I couldn't find the 3 pieces I'm missing, tiny little green pieces of armor. HOWEVER I did find that one missing rotator part for the elbow joint on the RG RX-78-2 I lost 3 months ago. So.........there's that.

[mikeszekely]

Bummer, Hikuro. I was really looking forward to you finishing that one.

Well, me, I woke up in the night with a stomach bug, then slept half the morning away, so I haven't tried the clear coat on any rest runner bits or Sinanju parts. But I'm pretty happy with the gold Sharpie.

As for red paint, nothing at the hardware store, nothing at the paint store... but after poking around on the internet for awhile I'm seeing people use Dupli-Color paint for various projects. They have a Toreador color that's exactly what I want Sinanju to look like, although I haven't found too many reports of anyone using it for gunpla. I'm a little leery... but I'm of half of mind to just buy the Titanium Finish HG Sinanju if I trash this one. So I guess I might be headed back out to the auto parts store.

As for my weekend RG Casval, between the wife wanting to do stuff, hockey, and getting sick I haven't gotten to it yet. I'm just not as productive as Hikuro when I'm not feeling well.

[Hikuro]

hah, it happens, like I said, I don't like sitting around with nothing to do.

I'm probably going to close off the Zaku II as a frame custom which isn't to awful. I did do a good job on building the exo skeleton.

From the looks of it you're better off just ordering some titanium silver and couple jars of clear red and a few brushes and thinner. You'll get the job done with the exact same color as what you're looking for. Infact, I'll show you what just a tiny tiny bit of clear blue and titanium silver can achieve in 1 coat. I unpacked and parts seperated my Vrabe today and did the paint application. I'm letting the majority of the parts cure and just used titanium gold, silver and clear blue to get my colors. It's not a match to the Vrabe but I felt it looked nicer this way than what the box showed.

[mikeszekely]

The auto store is like five minutes from my house. I already ran out, grabbed a can, clipped chunk off a runner, and test sprayed it. Waiting for it to dry enough to handle. It's got the sort of metallic look I wanted, but it's a tad more burgundy that I'd hoped.

[Hikuro]

Well here's the progress on the Vrabe. Just a touch of clear blue and silver can really bang your kit.

[mikeszekely]

Is it perfect? No. My inability to stay on the lines for the filigree sure as heck isn't helping, plus the nozzle came off the paint and I got a few splatters before I realized it. I wound up taking the nozzle from the satin clear coat, so now I have to decide if I want to get thinner, clean the nozzle, put it back, then spray, or if I want to use the gloss enamel clear coat I found in the garage. Since the clear coat is primarily to keep the Sharpie from rubbing off, I was thinking I should use a cool clear coat, and try to keep it shiny.

I'm actually digging the red. When I noticed the plastic had a maroon-ish look, I realized that the lighting was the issue. In brighter light, this color is exactly what I had in mind.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

looks like a nice color. i spent late last night building panel-linig and decal-ing the torso/chest. i found a technique to put on rg decals easy. so it's been fun. i'll post pics later

[mikeszekely]

So, the gloss enamel clear coat is too hot for Sharpies. The satin acrylic works much better, but the gold is still a little duller. At least it won't rub off.

I'm building today. If all goes well, Sinanju will be done tonight or tomorrow.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

hey guys, does this look real?

i tried following that video beginners gunpla. i attempted using the silver on the side hip bars to make it look like paint chipping of metal using a tooth pick.

Edited March 30, 2015 by davidwhangchoi

[mog_kupo]

That looks real enough for me, and pretty cool too

I just got my first can of Mr Hobby Topcoat (it took only 6 months from HK to Mexico XD) so I decided to finish my first RG model, the MK II and the Zeta 3

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

Mk ii looks really great Mog-kupo, i cant really see the lines on the zeta, maybe the photo angle, but the mk ii looks clear

[GU-11]

hey guys, does this look real?

i tried following that video beginners gunpla. i attempted using the silver on the side hip bars to make it look like paint chipping of metal using a tooth pick.

Realistic enough, I'd say. I think the one on the left looks better, as the paint chipping effect runs along the length of the edge and is more staggered.

Edited March 31, 2015 by GU-11

[Hikuro]

hey guys, does this look real?

i tried following that video beginners gunpla. i attempted using the silver on the side hip bars to make it look like paint chipping of metal using a tooth pick.

So long as you keep it subtle. Don't over do it like I've tend too. Just along the edges and nothing more.

I just finished the Vrabe's build. It's a nice kit. There are problems such as polycaps not fitting on the joints well and causing them to drop. Would of loved a new Beam rifle, it just screams for something new like the shield.

I did do an awful lot of painting to this kit.

But god I just love the headsculpt on this, LOVE IT.

[Hikuro]

also, noticing some spotting going on with my Iwata. See if I can get a good enough picture. I thought maybe the tip on my .35mm needle is bent but I can't see it. I looked up parts and it's like dear god! You can practically buy a new airbrush with that crap!

[mikeszekely]

Looking good, Hikuro. I dig the stuff you painted silver and did the blue clear coat on. It's a subtle effect.

In other news... I need to get a better camera than my crappy phone. I took four pics, but none of them really do justice. Maybe tomorrow I'll see if my wife's phone takes better pics, or if I can find a spot with better lighting.

But yeah, Sinanju's done. The only stickers I used are the green dots for the mono eye and the rifle scope. All the filigree was done with a gold Sharpie, then clear coated with Kyrlon satin acrylic. I used the same gold Sharpie/clear coat combo to color the yellow vernier parts on the legs, shoulders, and skirt armor so that they'd match the filigree. I painted in the black lines on the yellow verniers and the verniers on the propellant tanks, dabbed a little gray on the head vulcans, used a silver Sharpie to outline the verniers on the propellant tanks, tried (poorly) to draw the red line between the propellant tank verniers with a Gundam marker, and painted the white rings inside the center backpack thrusters. But mostly what I did is spray each and every red part with Dupli-Color Toreador Red lacquer. And while there are spots where, if you look closely, I messed up a little by spraying too much or too unevenly (honestly, I really should have just been more patient), the overall result is fantastic. It's a little darker, but it has a shiny, slightly metallic finish. Even my wife, who really doesn't pay much attention to my models, seemed impressed.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

Realistic enough, I'd say. I think the one on the left looks better, as the paint chipping effect runs along the length of the edge and is more staggered.

ok, thanks for the feedback

So long as you keep it subtle. Don't over do it like I've tend too. Just along the edges and nothing more.

I just finished the Vrabe's build. It's a nice kit. There are problems such as polycaps not fitting on the joints well and causing them to drop. Would of loved a new Beam rifle, it just screams for something new like the shield.

I did do an awful lot of painting to this kit.

Vrabe1.jpgVrabe2.jpgvrabe3.jpgvrabe4.jpg

But god I just love the headsculpt on this, LOVE IT.

i'll try and keep it on the edges, wow the vrabe is looking good. awesome how you keep pumping out kits at an insane rate:)

Looking good, Hikuro. I dig the stuff you painted silver and did the blue clear coat on. It's a subtle effect.

In other news... I need to get a better camera than my crappy phone. I took four pics, but none of them really do justice. Maybe tomorrow I'll see if my wife's phone takes better pics, or if I can find a spot with better lighting.

But yeah, Sinanju's done. The only stickers I used are the green dots for the mono eye and the rifle scope. All the filigree was done with a gold Sharpie, then clear coated with Kyrlon satin acrylic. I used the same gold Sharpie/clear coat combo to color the yellow vernier parts on the legs, shoulders, and skirt armor so that they'd match the filigree. I painted in the black lines on the yellow verniers and the verniers on the propellant tanks, dabbed a little gray on the head vulcans, used a silver Sharpie to outline the verniers on the propellant tanks, tried (poorly) to draw the red line between the propellant tank verniers with a Gundam marker, and painted the white rings inside the center backpack thrusters. But mostly what I did is spray each and every red part with Dupli-Color Toreador Red lacquer. And while there are spots where, if you look closely, I messed up a little by spraying too much or too unevenly (honestly, I really should have just been more patient), the overall result is fantastic. It's a little darker, but it has a shiny, slightly metallic finish. Even my wife, who really doesn't pay much attention to my models, seemed impressed.

IMG_20150330_224928.jpg

even with the phone shot, it looks really rich and detailed, (i'm using my cheap phone camera too lol.)

[Hikuro]

Looking good, Hikuro. I dig the stuff you painted silver and did the blue clear coat on. It's a subtle effect.

In other news... I need to get a better camera than my crappy phone. I took four pics, but none of them really do justice. Maybe tomorrow I'll see if my wife's phone takes better pics, or if I can find a spot with better lighting.

But yeah, Sinanju's done. The only stickers I used are the green dots for the mono eye and the rifle scope. All the filigree was done with a gold Sharpie, then clear coated with Kyrlon satin acrylic. I used the same gold Sharpie/clear coat combo to color the yellow vernier parts on the legs, shoulders, and skirt armor so that they'd match the filigree. I painted in the black lines on the yellow verniers and the verniers on the propellant tanks, dabbed a little gray on the head vulcans, used a silver Sharpie to outline the verniers on the propellant tanks, tried (poorly) to draw the red line between the propellant tank verniers with a Gundam marker, and painted the white rings inside the center backpack thrusters. But mostly what I did is spray each and every red part with Dupli-Color Toreador Red lacquer. And while there are spots where, if you look closely, I messed up a little by spraying too much or too unevenly (honestly, I really should have just been more patient), the overall result is fantastic. It's a little darker, but it has a shiny, slightly metallic finish. Even my wife, who really doesn't pay much attention to my models, seemed impressed.

IMG_20150330_224928.jpg

Need a flash on that or something or a lamp, it's still really dark for me to see the colors.

Thanks though, if I get a chance, I'll do a titanium Sinanju....there's a guy I know who might comission me to do it after he saw the normal one I did.

ok, thanks for the feedback

i'll try and keep it on the edges, wow the vrabe is looking good. awesome how you keep pumping out kits at an insane rate:)

even with the phone shot, it looks really rich and detailed, (i'm using my cheap phone camera too lol.)

Yep, I need to cut back. I still got a ton of kits left in my closet but April is gonna be a tough month with the Apple Watch coming out and all.

[mikeszekely]

Need a flash on that or something or a lamp, it's still really dark for me to see the colors.

The only lamp I have is a dim LED on my nightstand. Actually, my wife decided to go all out on saving electricity and we've replaced most of our lightbulbs with LEDs, so almost all of the lighting in my house is muted and awful.

Luckily, I remembered we had a largish, mid-range camera we bought when I went to Beijing. Took me awhile to find it, since I haven't used it since, but I was able to take much better pics with it.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

The only lamp I have is a dim LED on my nightstand. Actually, my wife decided to go all out on saving electricity and we've replaced most of our lightbulbs with LEDs, so almost all of the lighting in my house is muted and awful.

Luckily, I remembered we had a largish, mid-range camera we bought when I went to Beijing. Took me awhile to find it, since I haven't used it since, but I was able to take much better pics with it.

103_0342.JPG103_0343.JPG103_0345.JPG

oh yeah, the pics are much clearer, it's looks so shiny...

tried to practice a little more metal paint scrapes on the knee area and added some more on the side holsters:

just practicing,,,

Edited March 31, 2015 by davidwhangchoi

[areaseven]

[McFly!!]

Great stuff guys! David, I wonder if using a q-tip with some/very little of the metallic ink would work similar to dry brushing for that effect you're going for?

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

Great stuff guys! David, I wonder if using a q-tip with some/very little of the metallic ink would work similar to dry brushing for that effect you're going for?

that sounds good.. how do i do it? (sorry my technique is limited to what i learned from the videos and MW members. i've just learned to use a toothpick and been trying to use that for a solution to everything now. lol

how would i go about using a q-tip, so far i've used the q-tips to wipe off excess panel lines...

[Hikuro]

Hm I dunno. The essence of dry brushing is to have most of the paint gone by wiping it away with several good strokes on paper or material that isn't your model.

What I do and it's brilliant, I buy a standard wide model brush and I cut about half the brush length so it's super stuff. Dab it on a small amount of silver than stroke away till it starts to loose about 90-95% of its paint.

Then carefully just lazy like flick around the edges of the plastic.

If you used a q tip it'd be difficult. The paint I'd see be absorbs into the cotton and smearing on the plastic. I can test the idea out but I don't see it really working.

It's the same problem using the padded tip on my weathering stuff, it's meant for smearing not precise control like a flat head brush.

I'll usually cut a few wide brushes so I got multiple materials I can apply for controlled areas.

If you look on the shield of my Vrabe you'll see where using a stiff model brush I got the angles more defined.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

Hm I dunno. The essence of dry brushing is to have most of the paint gone by wiping it away with several good strokes on paper or material that isn't your model.

What I do and it's brilliant, I buy a standard wide model brush and I cut about half the brush length so it's super stuff. Dab it on a small amount of silver than stroke away till it starts to loose about 90-95% of its paint.

Then carefully just lazy like flick around the edges of the plastic.

If you used a q tip it'd be difficult. The paint I'd see be absorbs into the cotton and smearing on the plastic. I can test the idea out but I don't see it really working.

It's the same problem using the padded tip on my weathering stuff, it's meant for smearing not precise control like a flat head brush.

I'll usually cut a few wide brushes so I got multiple materials I can apply for controlled areas.

If you look on the shield of my Vrabe you'll see where using a stiff model brush I got the angles more defined.

ok thanks Hikuro for the tips! i didn't get the brushes you recommended yet bc i forgot once we starting talking about the sharpie and gundam paint markers and i've been toying around with them the last few days. i'll try and get some the next time i get to gundam planet.

[mikeszekely]

Ok, I think by now everyone knows that I'm a borderline UC purist. I'd love to have a model for every variant of every mobile suit used in the One Year War, but I can't bring myself to buy a SEED or 00 kit unless it's an RG. And in my UC love, I have a special adoration of Zeon mobile suits. Heck, I'd give up the upcoming RG 00 Raiser for an RG Dom/Rick Dom any day, while silently praying for a P-Bandai RG Rick Dom Char Type. And when it comes to ZZ Gundam, I love the Qubeley, Bawoo, and most especially Zaku III over any of the AEUG mobile suits (and the R-Jarja, Dreissen, and Quin Mantha better than the titular ZZ Gundam).

So, I just finished Gundam Unicorn. Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm late to the party, but I got tired of waiting forever between episodes, vowed to watch it when it was done, then kind of forgot about watching it once it was actually finished. Anyway, I noticed something weird... aside from Sinanju and Kshatriya, I'm not particularly interested in the Neo Zeon/Sleeves MS, while pretty much every Federation/ECOAS/Londo Bell/Vist Foundation MS that was on screen for even the briefest of moments had me checking to see if there's an HG model for it. Like, I'm seriously considering whether or not I want all three ReZEL kits, and the Zeta Plus is already on my wishlist even though its appearance was a "blink and you'll miss it" thing, but stuff like the Zee Zulu, the Schuzrum-Gallus, and the Rozen Zulu do nothing for me.

I'm also super miffed that crap like the Juagg and the Zogok got kits, and the Rozen Zulu got two, but the Zaku III couldn't get an updated Unicorn version kit? Really?

[McFly!!]

Sorry, David, I was just wondering if it would work! XD Thanks for the tip, Hikuro! If/when I muster up the courage to paint, I'm trying your technique!

[dizman]

I'm also super miffed that crap like the Juagg and the Zogok got kits, and the Rozen Zulu got two, but the Zaku III couldn't get an updated Unicorn version kit? Really?

Hey now, the Zogok HG is pretty good.

[mikeszekely]

Hey now, the Zogok HG is pretty good.

The kit might be fantastic, but I still think the mobile suit itself is stupid-looking. But let's say it is good. Heck, let's say that the Zogok is the best aquatic mobile suit to come out of the One Year War. It's nowhere near as awesome as the greatness that is the Zaku III. And the Zaku III was awesome. Even after Unicorn cut off its, it kept blasting away with its snout laser.

I want a Sleeves Zaku III, dang it!

[close313]

The p-Bandai effect parts for RG Destiny and Strike Freedom are getting reissued. Do you guys know where I can po them? Im not sure if NY will make another po for these (since they have some at scalper prices) and genteikits don't have any.

In anycase, P-Bandai has just spammed different types HGUC Jegans for PO. The CCA one looks tight. And the Wings of light set for HGUC V2 Gundam is stupidly expensive