Gnerl 1/72, step by step

[PetarB]

Awesome Reuben. That salt technique can produce some excellent results, and I think you have the right subject for it - the Gnerl should look battered! I can't wait to see the next stage...

[Kicker773]

AWESOME!!!! I like =)

[Gabe Q]

Great update! I'm impressed with your work so far. I'm gonna save this thread on my harddrive when you're all done for reference.

I'm waiting for the next update so get to building!

[big F]

Awesome !!

Its build threads like this that need their own pinned section on the site.

The fact that you got the Captains approval says it all.

[Weasel]

As always looking cracking! I am interested to see how this turns out with the salt weathering etc.

Keep up the inspiring work.

[Macross_Fanboy]

Incredible!

[cool8or]

Little update, but seeing the light at the end of the tunel...

I start as the previous update, with the nose. Once the putty is dried, I sand the excess and that's it.

Mr. Surfacer applied:

For Thrusters, I start painting it with gloss black, as a base for metalizers

Anyway, I don't need a glossy finish for the escape, because I want a "burnt" look. To do that, I use Model Master's Metalizers "Burnt Iron" and "Burnt Metal.

Now, the missiles. in the second picture, you can see that the original missile doesn't have a thruster. So I make a hole in the back and insert a socket pin, purchased is Mecha Skunk ( http://www.mechaskunk.com/store-al.htm )

I have to wait an answer to post the other pictures, so I'll wait your comments!

Edited October 27, 2010 by cool8or

[EXO]

Nice. Using fulcy's mechaskunk stuff. I thought I recognized the label.

[cool8or]

Some masking and painting:

And here is the first candidate to pilot the Gnerl, sadly she grow too fast and now doesn't fit on it...

[Jasonc]

That's nice custom work you did on that kitten...

Seriously, great work on your kit. Looking good. Wish I had more space to do more kits. At this point, I have enough space to barely do one, and even that causes issues. Can't wait to see more pics.

[big F]

What finish did you use on the Kitten ?

Seriously though I guess I'm gonna have to swing by Mechaskunk and buy the parts you have else mines gonna look substandard when I eventually get down and build it.

[ruskiiVFaussie]

awww look at the kitty!!!! hehehehehe

Gnerl is going to look rad man, keep it up! Wanna see it finished.

[cool8or]

S**t!! Finally I got the time to post the last steps (I finished the model on december), but I see that I never post the previous one!

So what the hell, here we go:

The cockpit monitor is made of clear resin, so I take advantage of this to give it some depth. I used compound to polish the front:

Behind, I made 2 holes to put some wires:

I painted white as color base, and after light blue with some gray. I add 2 lenses to improve the look:

I choose a image from the first episode, to be used in the monitor:

I print the picture in clear decal paper:

To finish the monitor, I add a piece of transparent plastic that I got from scratch. A curved monitor certainly give it a 80's look:

Now the decals. To make them, I download the zentran fonts from here: : http://www.searchfre...e/zentraedi.htm

I just write things like "no step", "beware of blast", "danger: Missile discharge", etc.

I printed in Testor's decal paper, apply a decal bonder and cut, you have to left a little margin, to avoid that the tint "scapes" in the water

Please remember to comment, only that way I can post more pictures!

Edited February 19, 2011 by cool8or

[Gabe Q]

Wow, you're far and away the best modeller. Very impressed with your work... All these extra little touches, genius!

[miriya]

That is genius work! I love the screen! Please post more pics!!!

[cool8or]

In some cases you need to put a white decal before, to achieve the original colors of the decal, without a white border:

Here we have a little mistake: I have to put some decals above a chip. I'll have to try to hide it with pigments. However, I apply a gloss coat between the white decal and the clear one.

Other decals:

I have more pictures to share, so please post! I can't post more pictures if I don't have a post from you.

[jardann]

That baby is amazing! Your work really is top notch. Thanks for sharing your tips, you've got some great ideas there.

Now, post some more pics! I cant' wait to see the finished product.

[cool8or]

Thank you Jardann!!

To enforce the aileron support, I add plastruct strip

Missiles bays

Missiles and their thursters:

Gnerl's back:

Panel details:

I have more pictures to share, so please post! I can't post more pictures if I don't have a post from you.

Edited February 19, 2011 by cool8or

[Lobizon]

Superb work there.

[Reïvaj]

That's a very nice job, congratulations and thanks for sharing.

Greetings from the same side of the world!

Edited May 22, 2012 by Reïvaj

[cool8or]

Thank you for your comments!!

Now it's time to work in the pilot. I mix red, white and blue to get the armor's violet

Some masking:

For internal parts, I used water-based paints:

So, here we are.

I paint some details of the face with enamels, this way I can fix any mistake no affecting the base color. I used the smaller brush that I found.

I cut the visor of the hermet very carefully. At the end, you can use some sand paper

I have more pictures to share, so please post! I can't post more pictures if I don't have a post from you.

[Lobizon]

I have more pictures to share, so please post! I can't post more pictures if I don't have a post from you.

I already saw this sexy baby finished, so Ruben continue with the pictures for our fellows MW'ers.

[cool8or]

Thank you Lobizon! It's my fault because I think that I already posted these advances, two months ago...

Anyway, we are closer to the end!!

When it's ready, I painted with transparent green. I used Alclad paint.

Glue it with some cement like this. If you use CA glue, you'll have an ugly white spot, so listen to me!:

Some masking:

And remember, there are more pictures!

[sketchley]

More picts please!

[cool8or]

As you command, sketchley!!

I made panel lines with water-based paint. Excess is easily removed, because the color base is laquer:

I cut some black decals to make this detail below the knees:

A flat coat and we are ready

Some cockpit details. For lights, I apply a coat of silver paint, and after that, transparent red or blue.

And there are more to come!!

Edited February 20, 2011 by cool8or

[sketchley]

obligatory post to get more picts

[Gabe Q]

Yeah, more pics...

[cool8or]

Yeah, I can't post more to 9 pics at the same time, is the limit of this forum...

Do you remember the monitor? Well, I put a couple piano wires in the back, it supouse that they comes from the camera in the nose (please don't ask me how the zentadis look from the sides!

Camera from the nose:

Final assembly, I apply a flat coat. This is important to the adherence of pigments.

And the pigments. I use Tamiya's Red Rust, yellow and soot. MIG's "Industrial City Dirt" is used for general dirt. Application is too easy, just as you see in the picture! Brush is used to spread and smooth pigments, getting a natural effect.

There is only 1 post left to finish this step by step! Thank you for posting!

Edited February 20, 2011 by cool8or

[sketchley]

+1

[cool8or]

So, here we go Sketchley!

I feel disappointed with the result of this step. The idea was to give more depth to the chips, but doesn't look integrated with the original chips. Next time I'll try to making them with brush, or another "salt" step.

However, this technique is used in "normal" 1/72 model kits, and I used it before, you can appreciate it specially in my Destroids. You have to wet the sponge with a little amount of paint (in this case, I used water based paint), and clean the excess with tissue paper. The secret is to make very little spots, wich have the aspect of a chip. I use a metallic paint, to simulate a deeper chip, until the chassis of the ship.

Once fishished our wheathering, we assemble the final parts and we put it in its flightpose... this is the perfect stand for this baby!!

And this is it. Tank you for your patience, I hope that you enjoy this step by step. Tomorrow I'll open a new thread with the final pics... any comment is well received!

[sketchley]

Excellent stuff.

You've presented a number of excellent modelling/painting techniques that I wish I had the time to use on a pair of Macross kits gathering dust in the closet.

[Andréas]

Amasing

[PetarB]

I feel disappointed with the result of this step. The idea was to give more depth to the chips, but doesn't look integrated with the original chips. Next time I'll try to making them with brush, or another "salt" step

Hi Reuben, your work is fantastic, beautiful build up of this kit. I always look forward to this step-by-step!

I wanted to talk a moment about the problem you are having above.

I understand what you are trying to achieve - I've done it myself plenty of times as well.

There are two problems here. The first is that you are trying to use metal paint for the chipping effect. Unfortunately, metal has a very distinct 'texture' - or lack of it - that never seems to scale perfectly for scale models. This is most noticeable when it is hard up against other paints. This is why in many scale models, a black wash or other technique is set to seperate the metallic part from the other painted sections. With the attempt to use metal for chipping, this out-of-scale effect is magnified.

I know it's not the exact effect you wanted, but perhaps a simple choice of a gray colour instead of metallic would have looked more 'in scale'.

The second problem is the metal not integrating with the chips. One of the reasons is described above. The other reason is the lack of similar finish between the new paint and the old. Usually a couple of coats of clear - gloss then matt for example - binds the two seperate colours together. Another technique is the use of 'filters' - very washed out airbrush coats of colour which subtly change the colour all over, but also serve to bind the models colours together better. I can see your filter-style yellow Mig pigments have done this to some extent.

I think a combination of the above might server to communicate the battered feel a bit better. But you've done a lot of the effects now, so perhaps try the above techniques on another model in the future.

Anyway, this is all minor really, because so far its looking fantastic - I look forward to more!

[cool8or]

Thank you Petar for your advices.

Guys, I have been uploaded the final pictures, you can find it here:

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=34703

Thank you for following this step by step!!

[neptunesurvey]

Awesome work.