Wild River's G-WORLD

Amazing mook i bought on my trip to Japan, in Akihabara (i want to go back so much!). These dioramas are awesome and are so detailed that you notice something new everytime you look, or i do at least and i like to browse through this one often.

Just like me, Wild River has a penchant for the One Year War, espeacially Gravity Front Zeon. Click on through to my Flickr for much bigger photos to explore the amazing details.



Acguy, my second favorite amphibious suit after Z'Gok.



Made the YMS-15 Gyan look cool, looks great on screen but never really a fan gunpla wise.



Winter soliders



This Zaku Cannon diorama is the best!



Imagine its inspired by a German 88.



The White Base in Belfast, talk about detail.



Z'Gok rescue, really looking forward to the RG.



Atmospheric.


Brilliant U.C. Hardgraph diorama with he Wappa.



Have'nt been modelling of late but still have WiPs on the bench, alot of them.
Ian

Real Grade - MS-05L Zaku I - Sniper Type - WiP 10 - Painted and Decaled

Had this Christmas week off and so plenty of time to do some modelling and so far what a result!

Really can't believe how good this is looking so far, really happy all the modelling work i put in has paid off.
Ian

Real Grade - MS-05L Zaku I - Sniper Type - WiP 8 -

This is everything modelled and ready to be primed, mods from the top:

Head - Streamlined the nose, cut out the section of the head for the sight, added vulcans, added antenna and crest at the rear.
Torso - Fitted chest from HGUC kit (which is sitting a little too high in photo), added detail in plasticard.
Waist - Buckle added where Zaku II cable would have attached and part of the skirt extended.
Arms - Both shoulder modified, shoulder guard had spikes removed from and other side fitted shoulder from HGUC kit, wrists size increased.
Legs - All holes for Zaku II cables covered and verniers on the front and back of below knees covered, knee stand added from the HGUC kit.



From the back:
Backpack - Various little details added to the HGUC kit to bring it more inline with the RG, booster rockets added from the RG kit (thought the HGUC boosters where too big, plus when all zakus lined up all booster look the same)
Legs - Al sockets for cables covered and verniers covered.

Ian

Real Grade - MS-05L Zaku I - Sniper Type - WiP 7 -

Must have been about 3 months since i worked on my RG Zaku Sniper, recently completed the head. Quite a bit of work for such a small piece.

Bottom of the antenna from the HGUC sniper kit and custom fin added to the rear.




Few little bits to fiinish and this should be ready to paint in winter.
Ian

Master Archive Mobilesuit - Earth Ferderation Force RX-78 GUNDAM

Another gorgeous Master Archive from GA Graphics to add to the ever growing collection mecha goodness and after the surprise RGM-79 comes what you would be the first Master Archive RX-78 Gundam. Cover from what i can tell every gundam with the RX-78 production number.

Fantastic photorealistic Gundam! Pages of the great CG work, i love it!



This is quality, after RX-78-2 comes the realistic coloured RX-78-G3 which in the master archive is ungraded Ver.Ka, inspired way of putting Ver.Ka into the gundam time line and lovin the gray.



Operation V



Simply gorgeous, in the gravity well.



Drool..... mecha pron.

Enitre mook is full of awesome lineart like this by Kyoshi Takigawa, any help with finding his site would be great, if he has one?



FF-X7 Core Fighter, need to finish my 1/144 scale soon, like when its winter.



Hello Gundam, like how the joints are white, tv animation style not really seen that much.



Core-booster lovin, even some from my favorite 08th MS Team.



RX-78-1 Gundam, nice dark hanger for a darker gundam.



Before Gundam, EFSF was all Balls and Fighters.



Nice colour guide to Gundams RX-78-1 to RX-78-3, with Prototypes and Ver.Ka G3



Centre Fold....GM Goodness



After RX-78-2 my next favorite Gundam is RX-78NT-1 "Alex" been really hoping that whenever a new Real Grade Gundam is annouced it will be Alex, that or a GM and any Zeon suit.



Strange that the flightsuits are War in the Pocket style, really like the basic pilot suit from Mobile Suit Gundam



Nice little section on the Trojan Horse.



Awesome last page shot.



Felt like summer ended over the lase 2 weeks so will proablie start modeling again soon.
Ian

Real Grade - MS-06J Zaku II "White Orge" - WiP 5 - Decaled

Taken me about 2 months to get this decaled, the sun is actually shining here in Britain during the summer months for the first time in about 6 years, so modelling really has taken a back step for now.

Used Samuel decals for most of the markings and have added RG marking only sparingly in red, next is a protective coat then some awesome U.C. Hardgraph weathering.

Lizard decal on the shield looks ace, going to have to make the rest of the Zaku look as weathered as that.
Ian

Real Grade - MS-05L Zaku I - Sniper Type - WiP 5 -

Been a couple of months since i updated this build, during summer my model building really takes a sideline.

Head/monitor and the chest completed, looking like the best modelling works ive done so far, all very crisp and clean but had taken me month to get to this stage.

Knee stand from the HGUC added to the RG, alot of the inner frame cut up to fit this the way i wanted up close sitting on the leg. No need to add Real Grade detail to this parts, for HGUC is is really already very detailed.



Backpack with the RG rocket booster instead of the big ugly HGUC ones, also did this so what when all my other RG Zakus are lined up from behind there is a sort of conformity.

Little bit of detail added to the backpack, panels lines and screw holes to break some of the plain surfaces.



Really not alot left to do, going to wait for the weather to cool before i paint this.
Ian

Real Grade - MS-06J Zaku II "White Orge" - WiP 4 - Painted

White and very clean.

But not very long, weather the hell out of this soon.

Took me some time to paint every single part a uniform white, don't know if it normal but used nearly an entire jar of the Tamiya paint to get this result.

Few issues to fix before starting on the weathering, maybe not so much in the photo but where i covered over the verniers on the front calves is really visible, going to have to strip the paint, putty again to make perfect. Also front part of the face (snout?) must have lost that somewhere along the way because once assembled no sign of that, have been searching but luckily if not found i have a spare if needed, looks kinda goofy without it.

Can see alot of the mods from the rear, back of the calves verniers have been covered and a panel line drawn down the centre like the MG J type, top of the backpack verniers filled in and the booster rockets replaced with the smaller ones from the calves because big old rockets ain't need on the gravity front. Also the standard sharpening of the spikes on the shoulder guard and thining the head antenna.



Kind of white finish i'd like to have on Shin's MS-06R-1A White Wolf, but a long way off yet.
Ian

U.C. HARDGRAPH 1/144 - WiP - Pilot Suit Amuro Ray + Sayla Mass -

The Sayla Mass figure is the best 1/144 scale figures ive modelled, took 3 figures to make but definitely worth it.
Amuro looks good too but think i need to make his hair curlier, both figures pose's i copied from the 1/35 Core Fighter kit

Needed some figures to go with my RG Core Fighter which i hope to make a diorama with.
Ian

Real Grade - MS-06J Zaku II "White Orge" - WiP 3 - Primed

Not terrible exciting but all the parts needed to be painted white primed white and the darker parts grey.
Used Halford's White Primer which is meant for cars but from all my tests using different white primes is the best and just happens to be the cheapest.

Real Grade - MS-06J Zaku II "White Orge" - WiP 1 -

Got to get a rival for my Type 61 Tank and what a bad ass Zaku at that to add to the RG collection. The day i saw the first release of the Real Grade Zaku II ive wanted to model the White Orge.

All the mods needed to change the space F type to the ground J type, which is really removing any verniers needed for movement in zero G.

- Small verniers from the top of the backpack filled and the main rockets at the rear will be the smaller ones  left from the back of the calf.
- On the leg all the verniers covered over and a couple new panel lines added to detail up the blank surface.
- On the top of the head the antenna thinned and sharpened to what i hope will look knife edge.



All the RG Zakus ive done before ive just painted these cable parts on the sprues but as there going to be white thought i better prepare each parts properly, damn dull job putting these together and sanding them all.



Going to be quite fun adding all the weathering.
Ian

Real Grade - MS-05L Zaku I - Sniper Type - WiP 4 -

Not a massive amount of work done on this lately but have got the shoulder guard finished, cut off the spikes, filled with epoxy and then lots of sanding and adding putty and sanding again.

Started the backpack first filling any seam lines, only going to need to add a little detail to this, for a HGUC item it really got alot going on already. Also going to replace the booster with the smaller RG ones, think the originals are too darn big and having the RG booster will add a sense of conformity to all the RG Zakus if look at from behind.



Ian

Real Grade - MS-06FS Zaku II "Garma Zabi Custom" - Completed -

The completed MS-06FS Zaku II custom for Garma Zabi, the FS type might have been the commander Zaku before the S type. Every things the same as the F type except for the more powerful backpack which eventually was used on the S type and 4 kickass Vulcans cannons on the head for close combat. All painted in Garma Zabi personal colours just like his Dopp.

Got myself a 1/144 scale Garma Zabi in his flight suit, Heat-Hawk came from the HGUC kit along which the holster, spike on the shoulder guards extended and sharpened.

Really like the orange paint i used, was worried it would look too bright but the Vallejo Air Orange straight from the bottle was perfect, used the same dark green as i would on the F Zaku body so when displayed together the look like companions in arms.



Love a Zaku II shield, all my RG Zaku shield will follow the same pattern:
Zeon symbol at the top this one is actually the Earth Ocupatiuon Force Zeon logo, then a personal logo or nose art below this one being the Zabi Seal (from the MSV Zaku II  Minelayer, to be modelled soon), then the personal number, 401 same as Garma's Dopp, followed below by the rank insignia (both Char and Garma are lieutenants but Garma being also a commander i added the 2 dashes pointing upwards to add superior rank to Aznable. Always have the warning markings at the top and bottom to "frame" the shield.

Green added to the centre of the shield even thought it not on the original MSV art so that the red on the Zabi Seal would be visible and not washed out, was not sure when i originally painted it but now quite like it.



From behind you can see easily see what the FS is, an ungraded F type but not quite a S type. Has the more powerful backpack from the S type but still the vernier on the legs from the F type.

Kickass custom Heat-Hawk, like all dictators and their family member, got to have some weaponry cast in Gold or chrome. Egomaniacs.



Added very little weathering, thinking that in the TV series Garma never used a Mobile Suit and preferred his Dopp and being the Earth Occupation Forces commanders personal Zaku would be kept clean and ready for what i reckon would be formal occasion's, also get the felling that Garma was never really a good MS pilot.



My first MSV, and first Zaku outside of the original series but not the last.
Ian

U.C. HARDGRAPH 1/144 - Type 61 A5 Main Battle Tank - WiP painted -

All painted, weathered and ready to go hunt some Zakus, enjoyed getting the wee tank up to this stage. Record time for me getting something almost finished.

Only real challenge was decaling the number on the side of the turret, quite possibly the smallest decals ive had to deal with and all seperate number., eye acheing.
Ian

U.C. HARDGRAPH 1/144 - Type 61 A5 Main Battle Tank - WiP -

After watching the final of Girls and Panzer's (and lovin it!) i really wanted to model a tank and this MS Igloo Type 61 was my first choice for modelling, second a Tiger I.

Main remodelling was to the railing at the rear of the turret which took quite some work to accomplish, replacing a few details and drilling out the turrets, going to paint this one as the White Orges rival Lt. Harman Yandell custom M61A5.

Mesh is what reptiles owners use, is super fine and perfect for 1/144. Replaced the blob smoke canisters on the side, added the machines gun next to the hatch from a Sherman i think and used the supplied gun for the rear.



Took so much work to get all the railing looking good, bending these tiny bits of brass to the correct size sure took some trail and error.



Drilled holes for the future antenna.



Expect to see this painted soon, quite excited to get this painted and weathered, then maybe a RG Zaku "White Orge"
Ian

Real Grade - MS-05L Zaku I - Sniper Type - WiP 3 - Progress

All going quite smoothly so far with the Sniper. From the top:

Head - Filled in the gap where the cables go in the mouth pieces and started to cut out the top for the enhanced mono-eye.

Chest - Filled the small panels on either side of the chest, got the HGUC chest pieces fitted and removed the "nipples" to make my own. Buckle added but not sure if i'll use that yet.

Arms - Thought the left shoulder from the HGUC set look better than scratch building a new onto the existing set and increased the size of the wrist. Reckon the bulkier wrists means a steadier hand when sniping?

Legs - Was the first parts i started on but since then have bought proper Tamiya yellow epoxy which is superior to the grey-stuf i used and manged to save the parts i originally ruined.

Started but waiting to be worked on are the backpack, shoulder guard, collaps ible strut for the knee which im having a little trouble with and the sniper rifle.

Ian

U.C. HARDGRAPH 1/144 - Zeon and EFSF mobile suit pilots - WiP

Sometimes i receive something new and all my models on the bench get left behind as i concentrate wholly on my new project and this is one of them. I love little figures.

Liked this MS crew so much that i had to start modelling them straight off the bat, because you get 2 sprues of the same figures i used the second one with existing Presier and Kotobukiya figures to created some more naturally posed pilots for all the Zakus i have using the fantastically detailed helmets on new bodies. All the guys with helmets on are going to be Zeon pilots, if bandai release a RG GM i will buy another set for all the EFSF pilots.

Also modelled Amuro Ray and Sayla Mass to go with the 2 Core Fighters that are practically complete, modelled them as much as i could to look like the figures you get with the 1/35 kit. Amuro is the one male with his helmet off and Sayla is my favourite here, used the female pilot body with the Sayla Mass head stroking her hair, worked out great.

Pilot with the crossed arms im calling The Stig.
Ian

[Kit Review] Gunpla Builder Parts - 1/144 MS Figures 01 -

This arrived while i was in Istanbul what i think has been the the most welcome release from the builders part some 1/144 mobile suit figures consisting of pilot, crew and even a Sayla Mass. You get 2 of the sprues above which adds up to quite a nice selection on figures for your dioramas.

Look at the detail! Less than 2cm in height with the squares behind a centimetre each.

The 2 standing still and what i feel somewhat most awkward looking posed figures from the set, the male on the left to me along with the rest of the pilots look very generic for the Gundam universe, if painted the way you want could be Zeon or Federation. But the female pilot looks just like it should be Christina MacKenzie from War in the Pocket.



Directing a MS crew, left looks perfect for a 08th MS Team diorama while right could be any one year war spacecraft.



Will be modeling and painting these soon.
Ian

Real Grade - MS-05L Zaku I - Sniper Type - WiP 2 The rifle -

Opening the holes on the sides and also top is the only major mod needed to the MG42 style Zeon sniper rifle. Made the holes alot bigger than what the original recesses where so that the barrel which i'll add will be more visible.

Good thing i started this before i went to Istanbul, now that im back and take a fresh look at it i can see some improvement's needed to tidy the holes up a little.

The amazing Alps on my way to Istanbul on Saturday, never been but after seeing this from a dirty plane window really want to go.




Ian