Mostly about my amusement

Category: Gunpla (page 4 of 5)

Zaku II version 2.0

zaku-ii-v2

I’ve picked up on making the Zaku II version 2.0 again and have completed the torso and head.  It’s a good model and when I have it complete I’ll put the old 1995 version next to the 2007 version for comparisons.

My kids love watching me build these.  I have some left in the basement *cough* 25 MG, HG and a couple of PG models*cough* waiting to be made. The kids have picked out a few that they want to go into their rooms when their made.

I don’t have the time to spray paint my models anymore so I’ll sand the seams and nubs to make it look as good as I can.  Maybe I’ll put the decals on too.

Gundam 00 Season 2 begins

The second season of Gundam 00 has begun.  No huge surprises yet but this season seems to be imitating Zeta Gundam more and more.  I’m pretty sure we’ve just met the group that will be this series Titans.

I wonder how long it will be before Bandai produces a Master Grade 1/100 scale version of the Exia?  The Exia looks like this episode is it, so that ought to make it a good candidate.

60 foot tall fighting robots.  The kids and I will have fun watching this one.

More HG Gundams

When I can I like to work on my Gundam models.  It’s a hobby and it’s not computer related so that makes it a good thing.   Both my kids enjoy watching me assemble the models and as an added bonus I build some just for them.  They get to keep the models I make for them and they take good care of them.

They’re 5 and 6 years old. Sometimes they get out of control (like all kids do) but when it’s important to them they really are well behaved.

I’ve completed the HG Dynames from Gundam 00.  Not quite as good as the HG Exia but not bad either. Here is the picture.

HG 1/144 Dynames

Finishing the HG Dynames freed me to let my girl pick one from her pile.  She asked me to assemble the HG Gundam Astray Red Frame.  As I assembled it, she would look at the finished pieces.  She sat right next to me as I completed it and really admired it when it was finished.

It’s not often that I can get my girl to appreciate what I am doing. But when she and her brother do give me their undivided attention, it’s great.

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame

Since I completed the girls model, the boy wants me to start working on one for him.  He’s selected the 1/144 HG Strike Rouge + IWSP.  It’s bigger than the other 1/144 models so he might be asking for it as a competition for his sister.  He always asks for me to build him model that have large back packs.

HG Gundam Exia assembled

Just finished assembling the HG Gundam Exia. It’s good and when the weather is warmer I’ll probably paint it. Except for the shoulders, the whole thing breaks up for easy painting.

HG Gundam Exia

The Exia was built right after the HG Shiranui Akatsuki Gundam was completed. Here is a picture of the completed model:

HG Shiranui Akatsuki Gundam

Behind it are the MG Zaku II ver 2.0 and the MG Perfect Gundam; their not mine Stefan brought them over.

The last pictures are of the HG Justice and HG Savior Gundams:

HG Justice and Saviour Gundams

The Akatsuki was for my girl, the Justice Gundam was for the boy. They’ve both asked me to make more 🙂 .

HG Shiranui Akatsuki Gundam

HG Shiranui Akatsuki

Last week in Flushing I picked up a couple of MG Gundams with the kids. Both kids know I will build models for them so the boy picked the HG Justice Gundam and the girl picked the HG Shiranui Akatsuki Gundam. I built his model first last time, so this time she gets her model before he does.

I should have learned from the last time I did a Gundam with shiny gloss finishing. I usually cut the parts from the spruce tree, trim the parts with a jewelers file and maybe sand the nub off.

Not with shiny gold colored pieces. The file and sand paper leave scars. I have to cut off each piece with room to spare, trim the excess carefully with the side clippers, and then use an exacto knife to shave off what little is left. Without taking too much off or scratching the finish. I’m almost half way through and it is really tedious.

HG Shiranui Akatsuki instructions

I’ll post finished pictures once it is done. The model is shiny and it has seams everywhere. A “serious” Gunpla modeler would soak the model in a bleach and water mixture to remove the paint. Then you glue the seams together, mask it and re-paint.

Lucky for me I’m not that serious.

MG Nemo and HG Insurgent Ginn

Here are the two Gunpla models I recently finished. The pictures are not that good; I’ll blame the camera instead of my shaky hands.

The first one was a HG Ginn Type Insurgent from Stargazer.

HG Ginn Type Insurgent

It’s my daughter’s model. I made a HG Saviour Gundam for my son, so I also made this one for her. They are both very careful and do not play with the models.

She’s 4 and he’s 6 so that is amazing. They get the difference between toy and not toy. They treat all my models with care and respect so I can leave all 50+ Gunpla models in the basement without worrying that they’ll damage any of them.

Toys they can and do destroy.

The next model I completed was the MG Nemo. I started it months ago and would work on it on and off.

Master Grade Nemo

The Nemo’s joints make it easy to pose. Lately all the recent MG’s I have been building have really stiff joints. Stiff enough that I could probably stand the Nemo on one foot with it’s arms out without it falling down.

The shoulders are just like the MG Gundam MK-II RX-178 v2.0, only the model is just not that flashy. That makes sense since the MK-II was the star of the show until the Zeta arrived.

The mass produced Nemo’s are the Zeta Gundam equivalent of the Star Trek guy in the red shirt. Of course in Japanese anime, main characters get killed all the time so that might not be a really good comparison.

The original Zeta Gundam was depressing, filled with death (war is bad and 50 episodes later, yep still bad) and left things hanging for Double Zeta. Double Zeta was the power rangers version and I’m glad Char was left out of it. Char’s Counter Attack was the next time we see him which is where he and Amuro get killed off.

The Zeta movies were better. They rewrote some of the story line and made the ending more upbeat. I might let the kids see the three movies sometime but no way am I showing them the Zeta TV series.

$10 HG Gundam models

Last week we were in Flushing and found HG Saviour Gundam and HG Insurgent Ginn for $10 each. We ended up buying two of each.

I assembled the first one and even put on the stickers for my son. Here is the picture of it put together.

HG Saviour Gundam

My son likes it a lot and is being very careful carrying it around from table to table. I’m sure it will be broken soon (he’s a 5 year old) but for now he’s glad that he has “his model”.

As HG models go this one was pretty good. It’s begging to be painted.

MG F91 and wasted paint

Here is the fully assembled MG F91.

MG_F91_assembled

The model breaks up into pieces very nicely and should be straight forward to paint.

I definitely want to paint it but lately I am having problems with that. I had the HG Bawoo all primed up for a long time. I dusted it off and started with a light coat of Tamiya bright orange spray paint. The paint went on and pooled.

Lucky I have another Bawoo. The primer always goes on smoothly but I either am not shaking the can enough or it gets too humid and I get bubbles. I need to try using an airbrush and see if mixing the paint my self makes a difference.