Friday 19 October 2012

Real Grade 1/144 - MS-05 Zaku I - Completed

Real Grade 1/144 - MS-05 Zaku I - Completed 1 -

My 3rd Real Grade kit and the first of what i hope will be many future RG Zaku customs. Really happy with this custom, alot of work to accomplish a conversion backwards from the MS-06 to the MS-05 but feel it worth it with the results.

Decided to build this after seeing the custom MS-05 on the Bandai Hobby site which i got lead to from a postcard of the conversion with the RG MS-06F Zaku II. Really like the old zak custom and thought i could model it and improve on the result from the instructions, which i think i have, having spent a whole lot more time on mine compared to the easy conversion on the site.

Photo is meant to be copying the front of the box on all the Real Grade kits which really give it a sinister look, which i dig.

Real Grade 1/144 - MS-05 Zaku I - Completed 2 -

From the top for the front:
Head - All detail for the cables removed and the central guard for the mono-eye added from the HGUC kit.
Shoulder Guard - All spikes removed and covered over, took quite a few attempts to get perfectly round and smooth.
Left Shoulder - All parts for the shield attachment removed and the top covered to hide the internal skeleton.
Chest - Cockpit taken from the HGUC kit and made to fit in the space where the Zaku II cockpit was. Cut decals to be similar to the RG Zaku II detail but also to make them unique to the Zaku I.
Skirt - Extended the length of the front 2 smaller guards to copy the original line art.
Legs - All detail of any attachment for the Zaku II cables removed and made to look like the inside of the RG Zaku II legs.

From the top for the rear:
Head - some detail removed and a fin added to the rear.
Backpack- Top verniers and cables holes covered over
Rear of legs - Booster covered and a single panel line added down the centre.

Real Grade 1/144 - MS-05 Zaku I - Completed 2 -

All painted like the Zaku I in the TV series but with the soles of the feet a darker shade of blue just to add a little nod to the future Zaku II having black soles which i really liked the separation of colour there.
Decaled in a much more simpler way the the RG Zaku II, kept all the decals which i think are cool and really tried not to "busy up" the zak too much.

Knuckle Shield with the incredibly sharp new metal spikes and the RGed up Zaku I Bazooka from the HGUC kit.

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Gadem's last manly attack against the "White Devil"

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Last line of defence at Al Baoa Qu, think this is a 105mm Machine Gun using the ammo cartridge from the RG kit.

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This could and is to be an addition to my new U.C. Hardgraph project which i think would fit perfectly. Really when i get around to finding some display bases i will make a little diorama up in a proper One Year War setting to show this off with.
Ian

4 comments:

chrismandesign said...

as simple as this grunt unit is, your work on it is fabulous man !!! i wonder how it would look along with the other U.C. Hardgraph dio elements you’re planning to create... =)

GGDan said...

Very cool!

Dennis aka Katsuden said...

Very nice and neat custom kit that is even crisp on close up! Give me the feeling of back to the basic of setting Gunpla standard.

Ant Sized Man said...

Thanks everyone, really do like this Zaku i customed.