Revell 1/144 - E-2C Hawkeye - WiP 3 - Painted and ready to decal

For a kit which ive spent very little time on and which im now wish i added more detail, i think is looking really nice.

My little experiment with the gundam markers didn't really work ut i think it would have if i thinned down the paint more, instead i added some weather with the Tamiya Weathering to give it the used look.

Will have this finished by the weekend if i can find the front landing gear panels, i stored them away safe months ago and can't find them yet.
Ian

Real Grade 1/144 - MS-06F Zaku II "Elite Guard" - Was completed...

Had this my first Real Grade Zaku basically finished but have recently started to dislike the different colours tones on the RG zakus, going for a U.C. Hardgraph sort of look. On the gundam i think the different panel shades look great but for some reason just don't like that effect on the zaku, prefer one darker colour on the body and the other lighter colour on the limbs with out lots of lighter panel to me looks a little patchwork.

So im going to be repainting some of this zaku, all the lighter shades are going to be paint the same as the darker ones so that this has only 2 shades of green and not 4. Good thing as well with doing this is that the panel that are the darker shades are the one with most decals so quite alot of work saved. Also going to repaint all the grey to dark metallic black to make it look more mechanical.

Last photos of completed model before being striped and painted again....







Ian

Revell 1/144 - E-2C Hawkeye - WiP 2 - Painting

Been over 8 months since i started this very nice little model and thought it was about time to get some paint on her.

Ive already painted all the white and have just finished masking it all off and came up with the idea off using a gundam marker to add under shading since my airbrush really isn't good enough to add such detail.

Wait to see how that turns out.
Ian

Armored Trooper VOTOMS Master Book - SCOPEDOG 21C -

Got another "Master" mook from GA Graphics for the Scopedog from Votoms to add to my other GA Garphic master books, Gundam's "Master Archive" and Macross's "Master File"

Great source of information on the Scoperdog, nearly the entire book is taken on one every detail of the mecha with every other armored votom getting its line art at the back. Unlike the other Master series books this votoms one has no realistic digital photograph which is a damn shame, really what makes the master books awesome. Instead there is extensive drawing, line art and some very cool model, all of which Chirco Cuvie piloted.

 Below the kicka$$ Red Shoulder custom.



Only this double page of variations, other master book have 3-5 double pages worth.



Lots of pages like this on every detail on the votom.



All the detail on a 1/24 scale Scopedog model.



Weapons page.



Real nice all green version, which if i remember correctly Chrico used on the spaceship.



Pages on old line art for every votom except the recent OVA's, even the ones in Mellowlink.



Cool model on a illustration ive seen before, maybe years ago.



Better view of the front cover cut away..



When i receive a book like this makes me realise how bad my Japanese is.
Ian

Real Grade 1/144 - MS-05 Zaku I - WiP 2 - Lower leg

Been about a week since i started the legs, so far only the lower calf's have i sanded and got looking the way i want with all evidence that any power cables ever existed on the model gone. Upper thigh need the most work of the entire build and haven't really started yet.

My idea for the legs is to copy Hajime Katoki version of the MS-05 where the verniers thrusters on the back are absent but the smaller ones on each side of the shins are present.
Ian

F-toys 1/144 - VF-1J Valkyrie - Maximilian + Milia Jenius

1/144 VF-1J painted in Maximilian Jenius blue and Milia Jenius red, both piloting genius. Really look like a great pair when next to each other and like how each had has its partners colour on the leg band.

Finished these two way before i had the airbrush and brush painted when i started model making again. Really very happy with how they look with painted marking, panel lines applied with a pencil.









Been some time since Macross got a look in from me, been on quite the gundam fix this last year.
Ian

Real Grade 1/144 - MS-05 Zaku I - WiP 1 - Torso + shoulder guard

The torso i reckoned is the easiest part of the custom, for the chest i had to sand the sides of the blue part from the HGUC MS-05 to fit in the cockpit space. Luckily the most detailed part of the HGUC kit was this chest piece so its already got some nice detail which fits in really well with the rest of the RG kit.

On the skirt i added those bits of plasticard to hide the space left from removing the piping on the MS-06, also makes the entire skirt now all in line with itself and more like the line-art of the MS-05 Zaku I.

Think the RG shoulder guard is now done, will wait and see if there any discrepancies once primed. Also decided to use the HGUC shoulder guard at the same time, might turn out that i like the more older design more but looking at it now it does look bigger.



Still got lots of work on the legs, head, backpack and weapons to start.
Ian

May the fourth be with you!

Remodelled Marmit 1/6 scale figures with sideshow blasters for Star Wars Day!

Next Real Grade - MS-05 Zaku I -

After seeing this postcard inside the box of the RG Zaku II decided "i'm going to build that".  Especially since i have a HGUC MS-05 Zaku I assembled but not having any use for now since ive become somewhat addicted to UC Real Grade kits. Bought this Zaku II in Yodabashi camera just like the Gundam i recently completed and yet again my suitcase must have been treaty like a rugby ball to come back to me in the condition i was.

One of the parts im going to change to the Zaku I on the postcard is the shoulder guard, instead of using the one from the HGUC kit, i think it would look better if i removed the spikes of the RG Zaku II shoulder. Then i hope it will fit in more with is younger sibling the Zaku II. So the first thing i started last night was to hack of the spikes bases and plaster the gap with putty. In the photo it the second lot of putty just added after the first sanding attempt, reckon it will take a few tries to get the uniform ball without it being visible that there where once holes there.



Ian