Gundam Unicorn

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. read more

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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The wing binders went together without much issue, even if there are a few pieces that don’t fit all that well. The piece of the binder that flips outward is held by arms whose male parts are way too small for the female parts they slot into*. The funnels don’t securely fit into place either, not sure if that’s something I’m doing wrong or if it’s just poor design like so many other aspects of this kit. I’ll probably end up trying to get some gray or green coloured putty to hold them in place. The connection arms between the binders and the rest of the kit, not pictured, offer convoluted and worrisome routes for the LED cables. One of them is missing a piece but it’s purely decorative and its absence will hopefully go unnoticed. read more

[flickr-photo:id=20919110851,size=n] 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.

Before I begin, I should point out that this project has inadvertently placed me in an informal build off with Lighted Pants over on r/Gunpla. You might have seen his astonishing MG Epyon. It’s an informal build off in the sense that I’ve pretty much already broken every rule LP has attempted to set up. The only one that still stands is that we’ve got to get these kits wrapped up by Nov 30th, or else admit defeat. Should be more than enough time assuming I don’t pick up Destiny again, or Fallout 5 when it’s released. read more

[flickr-photo:id=20646762091,size=n] For all the kit’s faults, the packaging is pretty damn impressive…

Welp, a year ago I picked up the monster that is the Elyn Hobby 1/100 Kshatriya/Kastrysha (the mobile suit is the Kshatriya, but the box says Kastrysha). It’s a massive kit. There has to be well over 500, if not 600, individual parts. The box is as large as a Perfect Grade’s and the build is going to be even more complex. Sure, all of the pieces come pre-cut from the runners and specially packaged… but that’s likely the cause of this kit’s main issue. read more