D-Style Shield Liger - WIP 6

A Painful Assembly

All the painting work completed in the previous posting, will be putting together the kit starting with the feet. The first section is the paws and already has me stumped. 

All the parts for the hind leg

[Paws]

These are the 2 parts which made me wonder about the fitment between painted and unpainted kit

The ball joint is supposed to fit into the socket of the paw but it was loose. Any minor movement to it and the joint will separate from paw. Did not notice that there was something in the socket which prevents the ball joint from fully sitting in the socket like Gunpla kits. Even resorted to pliers to push the joint into the socket. This really made me think if it was worth painting the kit as so much strength is required and was afraid to scrap off part of the paint.

Turns out that was how the ball joint was supposed to sit in the socket. The armor piece in the front is the one holding the joint in place. Some strength is required to fully lock the pieces in place as the paint adds to the thickness of the parts.

The other 3 paws waiting to be assembled

All 4 paws completed

[Hind legs]

      

360° view of the completed hind leg

The leg can be swiveled a 360° and able to bend to a 180°

   

The paws are attached with a ball joint and able to move forward and back but it is limited by the armor parts

   

Repeat the same steps for the other side and we have 2 completed hind legs

[Fore legs]

Parts of both the fore legs

Front and back view of the fore legs

   

Completed legs for the Shield Liger. The hind legs are bulkier than the fore legs. So far I am happy with how the colors turn out on the completed kit

[Body]

Parts of Shield Liger's main body

Side view

Top view

Love how the missile pods fit nicely next to the AZ 30mm 2-Barrel Beam Gun

Underbelly of the Liger. Red pipes for the AZ 3-Barrel Shock Cannon adds a bit of contrast colors

[Head]

Parts of Shield Liger's head together with the shocked looking Van Flyheight painted in Part 3

   

It looks as though the Shield Liger has been beheaded

From the back we are able to see Van holding onto the control sticks

The connections are tighter than usual due to the additional layer of paint, which is understandable, but the assembling of the head is the most painful. There are a lot of sharp edges for the head which has no flat areas for me to push the parts together.

As I was putting the pieces together, I was praying hard that no paint will be rubbed off. Some of the parts such as the AZ 3-Barrel Shock Cannon requires some strength to put the tab in place. The leg pieces were a bit tighter to assemble as well and was afraid of paint chipping.

Next post will be the final assembly of the Shield Liger, some action poses and some final thoughts of the kit.