Gunpla

About a week ago I saw this image refereced on Reddit and figured it might be fun to try out a few of those setups on some of my kits starting with the coloured backlighting all the way at the end.

A few weeks ago I redid my photo area, opting for a gray surface in front of black muslin. This created a gap between the table and the backdrop which allows me to throw in a bit of backlighting. I got myself an inexpensive colour changing LED bulb, placed it behind the table, and started taking photos.

An overwhelming sense of doom.

That's what I'm feeling right now. While I should be pleased that this build is now officially a third of the way complete and things turned out okay I can't get past the fact that the kit's LEDs are royally fucked.

Before I get into that, how about a few pictures...

After a couple weeks of prep and paint the torso is ready for top coat and final assembly.

I think I spent more time prepping the kit for paint than any other I’ve worked on up until this point. I feel like every piece on this kit has flashing issues. Some of the problem areas I didn’t notice until after the first coat of primer. Some I didn’t notice until after I had finished painting and started on detailing. Hopefully the ones I wasn’t able to fully clean won’t be too noticeable when all is said and done.

I didn’t do much modification on any components as dry fit issues were more with things staying together than going together at all. I did fill in some awkward gaps on the front of the kit. I sort of messed up the lining on that part in the process because I wasn’t paying attention though.

Within the past couple years Bandai has started releasing exclusive kits at various toy & model expos in Japan. They're typically slightly modifications of existing kits using special coatings or clear parts. Generally their boxes are just the standard box art with a bit modification or a logo for differentiation. This year's Art of Gundam expo releases featured several kits never released in a clear format with, what I believe to be, a stunning box design.

After a two week delay it's time to finally get this kit ready for paint. First though, the last pre-paint photo you'll get...

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Here are some other weathering tips that didn't quite fit in any of the other sections...

Distressed Decals

If you’re going to weather a kit with decals it’s important to weather those decals as well. A scratch or faded decal can add a lot of depth to the look of a kit. For the most part, weathering and stickers don’t work well together as weathering tends to accentuate the sticker’s border.

The simplest method to distress a decal is to scrape at it with pointy end of a toothpick or similar tool. It’s important to make sure that they’re fully dry and set with decal set solution before doing so. Don’t scrape too hard, you don’t want to mess up the paint. Note that your surface is heavily chipped, the decals should not cover the chipped area, as the paint would normally have worn off there as well.

Welcome to the weathering section of the Layman’s Gunpla Guide. Why a whole separate section? Well weathering is a complex thing to talk about and would be immensely cumbersome to scope out over a single plage. The good news is that weathering is a lot of fun and accessible for modelers of any skill level.

What is Weathering

Weathering is the process of taking your kit, be it Gunpla, tank, airplane, etc. and giving it the appearance of having been exposed to the elements of time, combat, day to day work, and the weather (hence the name).

This could be as simple as applying a few scratches here and there to make a part look scraped up. You could apply battle damage throughout the kit to give war worn appearance. Apply rust and crud techniques to make it look as though it’s been sitting around outside for years.

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It's alive! Sort of...

Oh, Bandai, why didn’t you just release a MG Kshatriya years ago? Would’ve saved me sooo much effort.