The Gundams A Go-Go Thread

[chromdome35]

That looks BA in black! I would seriously consider leaving it as base black with some detail painting; however, its going to look great whatever you do.

[Real G]

Sorry, it will be in in classic Gundam "clown colors" - white, blue, red, and yellow.  But they will be muted and faded, with lots of weathering and grime.

But work continues!  The large petal-shaped armor pieces got some unused PE detail and small plastic domes to act as a mounting tab to the body.  I will drill shallow divots where the petals mount, and so the domes will allow some angular adjustment as well as provide greater gluing surface - assuming they don't fall of the petals!



PE parts primed black.



The energy packs also got painted black.  There were some rectangular details on the lower edges of the packs, next to the mold parting line.  They were not all that good looking, so they were replaced with Fine Molds "slime lights".



The smart gun arm is next and I cannot put it off any longer.

[Real G]

Jul 31, 2023 20:33:45 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

Man that almost looks like something out of the "Alien" movies. lol. Good and detailed build up and this one is definitely coming together nicely Neal.

I do like that Goblin Gundam......complete with Zimmerit. NICE!!

Yes, Zimmerit!  

The Japanese were really struck with the Aliens smart guns, and so they were adapted for anime/manga designs.  This was combined with the fascination of German WW II armor kits around the same time that spawned the ground-pounder mobile suit with Zimmerit, smart gun, Fritz helmets, and Panzerfausts.  Such a cool era.

[Real G]

I finally started making a new smart gun arm to replace the gooey kit part.



I intentionally made the arm segments longer, thinking that I could then eliminate intermediate joints between them, but I was wrong.  So last night I made shorter arms.  It was way easier and faster making the second set, as I had already figured out the plastic thicknesses and punch diameters.



Just need to shape them and add some additional details.  I still have to make the intermediate joints, and figure a way to give the assembled arm enough strength to hold up that enormous gun.

[deafpanzer]

That's a lot of work... impressive!!!!!

[Real G]

Okay I finally began the painting process.



First off, it's the usual "clouding" using white paint.  I'll follow up with some other random colors to break up the monochrome areas.


Up close, the clouding disappears from view, perhaps due to the poor outdoor lighting in my patio at 11:00 pm.

Anyway, I'll throw on some additional colors for the clouding effect and get the base color on tonight.

I REALLY have to finish the smart gun arm and figure out a way to attach one of the e-pack magazines to the gun.  Can't wait any longer since the paint is flowing.

[406 Silverado]

Those tiny Star Wars builds do in fact have a ton of details on them Neal. That's incredible detail in that scale!

[Real G]

Painting commences.



I'm kind of stumbling around here, trying to find my way through the "La-Z Butt" airbrushing technique.



It's coming together now.  Not all parts have been dry fitted here; I just wanted to see what it looked like with some color on.




The model has so much nice detail and textures that I'm letting the paint do all the work.

Argh, with painting going on, I now HAVE TO get that smart gun arm finished.

[stikpusher]

The paint work looks great! Nice and well used!

[Real G]

Thanks Stik! This thing operates in what looks like a nuclear wasteland, the wear and tear needs to be heavy.

[Real G]

Painting is nearing completion.





Just need to revisit a few areas with highlighting and do some touch-ups.  There are still a few things that need doing.

But hurry Star Force, there are only 3 days left to finish (I'm headed to the Best of the West in Las Vegas this weekend).

[Leon]

That is looking awesome with the paint on!

[Real G]

Thanks!

But I am a little put off by the Gundam "clown color" palette.  Maybe I should have just kept with the monochrome overall white scheme.  Oh well, too late, gotta move on!

[stikpusher]

Looking good Neal! Don’t think of the colors as clown colors. Instead think of them as the glorious full color markings worn on aircraft during the late 50’s and early 60’s to show off squadron pride.

[Medicman71]

Man that thing is awesome! It reminds me of some of the stuff from Appleseed and Ghost in the Shell.


I've started down the Gundam hole myself. I did the MG Gundam Wing Endless Waltz one last year and I'm hooked.

[Real G]

Leon,

Thanks!  I'm blasting away as fast as I can, as I'm running out of time.  Why the heck do I do this every time?

Stik,

The clown color thing has become a Gundam cliche'.  Is that a "meme" in today's parlance?  It's all the fault of the television executives.  Back in the early days when the original show was being planned, the sponsors apparently meddled heavily in the look of the show.  They wanted bright colors for the hero mechs in order to stimulate toy sales.  Yoshiyuki Tomino, the creator of Gundam, envisioned a more gray, muted, military look, kind of like modern low-viz aircraft.  The toy sponsors won.

Medicman71,

The design looks of the Super ZZ Gundam is typical of Makoto Kobayashi's work, which hailed from the same time period as Appleseed and Ghost in the Shell.  But except for a short OVA (Dragon's Heaven), his works mostly appeared in manga.  He is a prolific anime mecha designer though, having worked on the Zeta and Double Zeta Gundam TV shows, and more recently on the Battleship Yamato movies.

Beware of the slippery Gundam/anime slope, as it can consume your time, money, and storage space!

[406 Silverado]

Dang it Neal......I've gotta hand it to you bro.....that is some really good painting and weathering that you've got going on. I've tried as hard as I can NOT to build to a deadline as it puts too much stress on me therefore, I don't enjoy the build as much as I could. Regardless of that fact....this is coming along splendidly.

[Real G]

Aug 14, 2023 21:41:07 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

Dang it Neal......I've gotta hand it to you bro.....that is some really good painting and weathering that you've got going on. I've tried as hard as I can NOT to build to a deadline as it puts too much stress on me therefore, I don't enjoy the build as much as I could. Regardless of that fact....this is coming along splendidly.

Psst...the weathering is all "fake", just smudges and shadows.  Don't tell anyone.  Mum's the word.  Mum...   

But painting this model made me decide to finally switch to my double-action Iwata.  I have clung to my single-action Badger 200 for 40 long years.  I got so sick and tired of manually moving the needle adjustment knob back and forth for the finer spray patterns.  I just found it so tiresome and irritating this time around.  Maybe because I am in a hurry.  Yeah, building to a deadline sucks the fun out of a build.  It does force me to get off my butt and compels me to innovate to solve problems.

[deafpanzer]

I think you have nailed it with the choices of paint... it was how they were when I watched the series many moons ago!!! I really enjoyed following your build and I will not hesitate to build one if my club or the forum here ever decide to do the Gundam GB.

[Real G]

Deafpanzer,

It ain't over till the fat lady sings!  I have basically one more day to get this over the finish line!  Fortunately I have taken off from work tomorrow so I can pour on the coals  to make it happen.  Unfortunately Flickr has recently removed the posting function for my phone, so there will be a "blackout" period until I return and have access to a real computer.  (Sorry, I have no laptops or tablets in my possession.)

[mz3]

Aug 15, 2023 8:42:15 GMT -5 deafpanzer said:

the forum here ever decide to do the Gundam GB.

Hmmm, sounds like a cool idea!


G, does your phone have a "desktop site" function on it? This function is built into this board, but it should also be in the settings of your phone. I use it on flickr once in a while to get old pics of mine.

[Real G]

Thanks Mz3, I will look into it.

[moramartht]

I will not hesitate to build one if my club or the forum here ever decide to do the Gundam GB

I'd probably be up for a "Any Old Iron" build: Gunpla, Mechs, Ma.K., 40K Titans, Knights, Dreadnoughts, Battlesuits, etc.  Recycled Robogear stuff (Nice legs, shame about the face rest) and "Bits Box" atrocities.  Any genre or none, Weird War 2, VSF, ?punk, AT/AT types (stock, street, or custom)...  Basically, anything that walks, hops, or crawls in the mud.

Cheers,

M

[mz3]

Aug 17, 2023 5:14:08 GMT -5 moramartht said:

I will not hesitate to build one if my club or the forum here ever decide to do the Gundam GB

I'd probably be up for a "Any Old Iron" build: Gunpla, Mechs, Ma.K., 40K Titans, Knights, Dreadnoughts, Battlesuits, etc.  Recycled Robogear stuff (Nice legs, shame about the face rest) and "Bits Box" atrocities.  Any genre or none, Weird War 2, VSF, ?punk, AT/AT types (stock, street, or custom)...  Basically, anything that walks, hops, or crawls in the mud.

Cheers,

M

That sounds even better!

[406 Silverado]

Aug 16, 2023 18:20:37 GMT -5 Real G said:

Thanks Mz3, I will look into it.

If you're looking into the Desktop version of this site on your phone it'll be in the lower R/H corner of the screen when you scroll all the way down the page Neal.

[Real G]

Silverado,

Thanks I was able to easily find this site’s desktop setting.

But I have some bad news lads - it’s Gundam’s-A-No-Go for the Best of the West! I had a serious accident packing the Super ZZ for travel. I should have realized the model was simply not suitable for transport. It has too many sticky-out bits and is super heavy. Resin kits are generally fixed pose so they cannot be folded up or disassembled. My folly came to bite me at the last minute as I was rushing around trying to figure out how to properly secure the model in its box.

Repairs will commence when I get back home, and it will be prompt, as the model cannot be set down while missing a leg as it will just damage itself more. It’s currently being propped up on the “magic pot”, an old pot that I use to wet sand and carry paint stuff outside when I airbrush.

While I am disappointed that I had to stag, I am at a point where I can stay calm and deal with it. Maybe I’m finally grown up. Ha-ha! NOT!!!

Pics will follow of the contest.

[Real G]

So things were going like a juggernaut last week, and it looked like I was going to pull it off.





Even the worrisome smart gun arm was working properly.  Look ma, no hands!



And then while trying to figure out how to pack the thing into a box, a sickening "DENCH" sound was followed by the model collapsing into a heap!



I must have did something to overstress the hip pin.  My fault, as I was thinking about changing the plastic rods to metal. but didn't.  Oops.  And now the model cannot be put away to fix later, as it cannot be put down without damage.  Grrr.

So I had to go stag, something I have never done.  I experienced every bad emotion for about 15 seconds, then realized hey poop happens and there was nothing I could do about it.  So I went empty handed and had a good time anyway.

A report of the Best of the West will follow with links to photo galleries.

[deafpanzer]

It just keeps looking better every time you post an update despite a mishap. I hope it will be an easy & quick fix.

[Real G]

I think I'll get some brass hex rod to replace the plastic one that broke.

The model just needs to have the arms positioned around the gun, and some paint scratches and dirt thrown on to finish.

[Medicman71]