Monday, September 12, 2016

Gundam Project Update

I went missing for a month plus...sorry. I made a pledge to continue blogging this time around, and I intend to fulfill that pledge. For the last month or so, other than usual work issues, I got overwhelmed by the deadline for the August event at Animaganki. In short, the core things that I wanted to do with this model was completed about a day before submission date. The initial plan to add some overbrush, some hard-edge highlights, some sponging weathering, and build a proper terrain diorama. However, one day was not enough to do either of those. Therefore, I decided to stop being ambitious and just submit the model as it was.

I'm going to start by updating a bit my previous project WIP; plastic piping. In short, it's a plasticard technique to alter the appearance of certain parts of a kit. This was the before-and-after picture of my first attempt on a shoulder piece.


I have never thought that putting two plasticard can alter the appearance by a lot. Suffice to say, I got the ball rolling since I was happy with the results. These waist parts were my next attempt.


Next up, upper and lower torso.


Due to some twisted inspiration, the body ended up looking like this.


After some painting in Magneto's colour scheme and applying warlock-like runic decals, the parts looked like these.


And the end product looked like this. (The display base was lackluster, sorry for the lame effort on this part.)


That's a rusted old gunblade on his right hand and the intended pose was to indicate "You're next!". The grinning teeth marking was painted freehand over the helmet.

Summary of parts used:
1. MG Gundam AGE-1 Spallow - core model
2. HG Hi-Mock arms - upper arms
3. HG Denial Gundam thigh piece - lateral side skirts
4. HG Ballden Arms - shoulder missile pod & missing ankle joint replacement 
5. unknown rifle piece courtesy of Blackbase Hobby Shop (Thanks!)
6. a random piece I found for the chest mini-gatling guns
7. GW Basilica Administratum kit - chest piece
8. GW Orks bit - rifle scope
9. GW Eldar bit - gemstones on chest and thigh
10. GW Storm Raven bit - thrusters under the lateral side skirt
11. various plasticards

(Wow! I honestly didn't realise that there were a lot of parts used until I wrote them down here.)

My efforts were awarded with a Merit recognition. After conversing with the judges, I discovered that I scored very high on Creativity, slightly below average on Workmanship, and the bare minimum for Display. If I added a bit more effort on the display base, I would've earned the Bronze recognition. In addition, if my scribing were tidier and my airbrushing was more even, I would've earned the Silver recognition. Nevertheless, I'm already happy with the end result and very glad to receive a lot of pointers on how to further improve myself. Adding to that happiness, I was ecstatic that my work was selected as one of the five judges' favourite; the judge that selected mine was from Modelland Workshop. Thank you very much for the recognition, I really appreciate it! Thank you for the MG Force Impulse Gundam too!


Next projects: (1) Design-and-paint one marine from a custom Space Marine chapter by October 8, (2) Build a diorama display for the GW Armies of Parade on October 15, and (3) a HG-sized Gundam for the year-end event on end of November.

Do note that I've signed up for the Armies of Parade with my Wood Elves. Yes, Wood Elves...not Aelfs, and definitely none of the Wanderers and Sylvaneth nonsense. I'm going to bring everyone back to Athel Loren, and I'm going to enter this event in a Legio Malaysia uniform. It's about time for Legio Malaysia to make a comeback, we've been in stasis for far too long.

Now, to look for a chopped off tree trunk/stump that is 2 feet in diameter...