Elyn Hobby 1/100 Kshatriya – Torso and Arms Complete
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Elyn Hobby 1/100 Kshatriya – Torso and Arms Complete

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.

So that’s a third of the project complete. Still gotta do the everything below the waist and the wing binders. If I can keep up the same schedule, which is a long shot, that’ll be in about five weeks. From prep to top coat completion took about two weeks with an estimated ten hours of assembly time. Why so long? Well a lot of pieces had to be glued into place and the super clear modeling glue I use takes its sweet time to dry. That and the LEDs were a pain in the ass to work with. read more

Falldogby Falldog••0
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Elyn Hobby 1/100 Kshatriya – Torso ready for top coat

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

Falldogby Falldog••0
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Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Episode 01 – These Kids’re Alright…

…Except for all those things that have been done to them, never mind their place in a PMC that sees them as expendable. But let’s not dwell on that much, because there’s a lot to like in this very good first episode.

The greatest strength of this premiere is its handling of a universe that’s the result of a 300 year long reign of Mars by the Earth Sphere. The peace is frayed, calls for independence are beginning to rise, and there is an undercurrent of tension on every level. All of this is established without firing a shot given the series describing the Special Forces of Earth, Gjallarhorn, as very violent in their quelling of uprisings. The way a well-to-do Martian citizen wipes his sweating brow as he diplomatically grovels for his daughter’s independence seeking behavior, is well done and establishes how much fear can be generated if Earth is opposed. Heck, a shot won’t be fired from their elite units until near the end of the episode, and even then you can see tensions are frayed there too! I like these little touches, and hope it remains such throughout the course of the series, even if Gjallarhorn/Earth eventually goes full Titans (Zeta) or A-LAWS (00 Season 2). read more

Juu-kuchiby Juu-kuchi•
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A look at the ‘Art of Gundam’ box art

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.

[flickr-photo:id=21725897571,size=n] read more

Falldogby Falldog••0
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Elyn Hobby 1/100 Kshatriya – Prepping for Paint

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…

[flickr-photo:id=21510822856,size=n]

 

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

Falldogby Falldog••0